This is a list of recent blog posts which I found interesting. That I found them interesting doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with or endorse all of the ideas presented in the posts, but that I found them to be intriguing and thought-provoking. They may benefit you as you prayerfully consider your area of shepherding and stewardship, which has been given to you in trust by the Lord. (They are listed in no particular order of interest.) Please post your comments to discuss  any article that strikes your interest. If you have recent blog posts to nominate, please send the link and your reasons for nominating that post to

What’s Your 20 Mile March?

Men, this is a terrific article on the necessity of discipline. Great goals are acheived rarely through herculean efforts and usually always through the daily small grind of attainable goals. The trick is not to make leaps and bounds, to permit fits and starts. The trick is to establish realistic daily and weekly goals, and no matter the adverse circumstances you may face - make sure to always achieve those goals. In other words, the trick to success is Godly discipline.

Evangelicals Have Incredible Reasons to Engage the Life of the Mind

I hear too often that preachers have to preach "down to the congregation," so that they "average" pew sitter is able to "get it." I'm tired of church leaders underestimating the glorious church. Christians savor truth, and the Spirit can illuminate our minds. Discipline is necessary, and the discipline of the mind as an act of worship is essential. With all of these provisios found within Scripture of worshipping God with our mind, it seems silly to me to think we need to "dumb down" our sermons on Sunday.

The Death of the Mall and the Future of Church Buildings

I'm not big on these types of prognostications. I think Dr. Rainer has a discernible trend in view with regards to shopping malls, but to extrapolate that trend towards church buildings is tricky. Men always build idols to themselves. The Tower of Babel is the result of the depraved human heart, not prevailing market trends, and Babel Religion that appears legitimate is the best idol of all. I think big church buildings are here to stay. Caveat/Disclaimer: I'm not against big church buildings, nor am I against large gatherings of believers. I'm simply saying that there are reasons for big church buildings to be built, both holy and unholy. So Dr. Rainer is probably wrong when he predicts that big church buildings will fade away...

Planned Parenthood Touts over 333,000 Babies Aborted in 2011

"And the American genocide continues, with 333,964 murders in 2011. That’s the figure proudly released by Planned Parenthood Federation of America in their report delineating how many abortions they performed in fiscal 2011. Doing some simple math reveals that the number of abortions performed equates to one abortion every 94 seconds." Meanwhile, TIME writes “Growing evidence suggests that in countries like India and China, where the ratio of men to women is unnaturally high due to the selective abortion of female fetuses and neglect of girl children, the rates of violence towards women increase.”

Meditations on Friendship

I really enjoyed this meditation on C.S. Lewis and friendship. “The walks and the ongoing discussions by C.S. Lewis and his friends were instrumental in making him the man that he was and that we honor today.  His thinking and his conversion were not developed in isolation but were cultivated in the warmness of lively conversation. Part of the greatness of C.S. Lewis is found in the fact that he had friends to walk with.”

Ashamed of the Gospel

Cornell writes about a situation in his life that every Christian can (unfortunately) identify with—being ashamed of the gospel. The article made me reflect on the Savior who loves and forgives us even when we are ashamed of him.

Why Spurgeon Thought the Plain Preaching of the Gospel Was Sufficient to Grow a Church

Are you afraid that preaching the gospel will not win souls? Are you despondent as to success in God’s way? Is this why you pine for clever oratory? Is this why you must have music, and architecture, and flowers and millinery? After all, is it by might and power, and not by the Spirit of God? It is even so in the opinion of many.

Some Ways To Do Pre-Evangelism

This is a great article on how to prime the pump, so to speak, for when you share the Gospel. So much of communication requires trust. In this media saturated cacaphony of noise, people tend to listen to the things they hear from the people they trust while ignoring and drowning out all the rest. We should always be willing to preach the Gospel, but evangelistic effectiveness is usually tied to love. So lets also try to love people by getting to know them a bit as we share the Gospel.

Bible Reading Plan for Kids (New Handouts)

This may prove extremely helpful for those of you with kids. David Murray has compiled a handy reading outline and Q/A for kiddos to do as they read through their Bibles. Moms and Dads, this is a great resources that you should consider as you implement some form of Bible reading plan for your kiddos!