Tag: Articles

Yesterday Abby and Nathan welcomed their first child into the world: Finnegan Safir Nicholas Elfarrah. Because they live just minutes away, Aileen and I were able to be there shortly after his birth to rejoice with them and to meet our first grandchild. We are thrilled beyond measure. And he is cute beyond belief. They chose the name Finnegan mostly because they just plain liked it. As for Safir, Nathan’s family is Middle Eastern and culturally the child’s grandfather gets naming rights. Nate’s dad deferred the first name and took the second, going with Safir. Nicholas is, of course, Abby’s tribute to her brother. Little Finn came in at just over 7 pounds and is healthy and well. While I know grandparents don’t always get to pick what they are going to be called (that usually seems to fall to the oldest grandchild) I hope to be “opa.” I am not Dutch but grew up in Dutch churches and surrounded by a Dutch community and “opa” is a form of tribute to the wonderful grandfathers I saw in those years. I always wanted an opa and now hope to be a good one. As I write these words it strikes me that I began this website shortly after Abby was born and a good part of my motive was to share photos and updates about her and her brother for the benefit of my family. I remember sharing news of Michaela’s birth here the day she was born. Now all these years later, even though…See AlsoWeekend A La Carte (May 25)A Summertime Family Update (And Guess Who’s Going To Be a Grandfather!)O Little Child of Salem

What pleases God? What delights his heart? And what displeases God? What grieves his heart? If asked, I think most of us would assume that if we ever grieve the heart of God it will be through denying the gospel or committing a grave moral scandal. Or if we do so as a local church, it will be by compromising to the culture or apostatizing altogether.See AlsoCould I Be One of the Bad Guys?Are You a Lover of Good?Prayer That Pleases God

Motives matter, even (or perhaps especially) when it comes to something as very good as studying the Bible. The best motive for reading the Bible is to be transformed by it. For this to happen, we must approach our reading and studying with both confidence and humility, asking God to transform us through his Word. Many skeptics read the Bible for a very different purpose—so they can attack it or undermine it, so they can disprove it or mock it. They prove that great knowledge of the Bible may actually lead them farther from God, all because their motives have been wrong. But even Christians can read the Bible for ignoble purposes, perhaps so they can content themselves that they have more knowledge of it than someone else, or perhaps so they can feel like they have crossed off that box on their daily list of tasks. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “It is a good thing to be a student of the Word, but only in order to be a practiser and experiencer of the Word.” He reminds us that our efforts in the Word should always be leading toward wisdom, which is living a life that is fully pleasing to God. It is good to be a student of the Bible, but only if we are studying for the right reason—to practice and experience it in our daily lives.See AlsoBreadth and DepthThe Most Remarkable CharacteristicTheology-ology

In many churches, it is standard practice to have Christians take some kind of a spiritual gift inventory. Through a series of questions that probe an individual’s interests, passions, and successes, these tests claim to help people discover the ways the Holy Spirit has gifted them to better love and serve his people.See AlsoConfronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the ChurchSearching for the Spiritual GiftsThe Gift of Spiritual Discernment (Part 2)

God’s purpose in marriage is not to make us happy but to make us holy. Or so we have all been told. The truth is more complicated, of course, and I’m quite certain God means for marriage to cover both. The old Anglican liturgy says marriage “was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity.” I like that—fellowship, help, and comfort. Those words seem to cover it all.See AlsoThe Three Greatest Enemies of MarriageNew and Notable Christian Books for June 2024Redeeming Sex in Marriage

A family member was recently paying a visit to a doctor who provided his diagnosis of the condition and suggested a course of treatment. My family member listened patiently but then said, “I was wondering if we could actually try another treatment instead.” The doctor playfully rolled his eyes and said, “I see you’ve been consulting with Dr. Google.” Guilty as charged.See AlsoHow Long Has It Been Like This?The Benefits of IgnoranceTeenage Receptionists

Corrie ten Boom knew what it was to suffer deprivation, to have to do without so many of life’s luxuries and even its necessities. Arrested and sent to a concentration camp for her role in sheltering Jews from the Nazis, she spent almost a year in confinement and suffered the loss of her father and sister. But her faith remained intact and unmoved.See AlsoTrue Rest Comes from GodThe Watchmaker’s DaughterThe Ministry of Sorrow

I think we have all felt the temptation to modify the gospel, to preach a gospel that is inaccurate or incomplete. I think we have all felt the desire to avoid the reproach that may come upon us when we preach the whole gospel and true gospel—the gospel that is so very bad before it is so very good. The fact is, the true gospel is not complimentary. It is not admiring or flattering. Rather, it describes humanity in all our sinfulness and depravity, all our hopelessness and lostness. Not so long ago I came across some words from the old preacher De Witt Talmage that describe this well. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. You see this is not a complimentary gospel. That is what makes some people so incensed. It comes to a man of a million dollars, and impenitent in his sins, and says, “You are a pauper.” It comes to a woman of fairest cheek, who has never repented, and says, “You are a leper.” It comes to a man priding himself on his independence, and says, “You are bound hand and foot by the devil.” It comes to our entire race and says, “You are a ruin, a ghastly ruin, and a limitless ruin, and, unless the grace of God rebuild you, an everlasting ruin.” Satan sometimes says to me; “Why do you not preach that truth? Why don’t you preach a gospel with no repentance in it? Why don’t you flatter men’s hearts so that…See AlsoA La Carte (October 31)Everyday GospelEvangelize 2024: Growing a Church That Proclaims The Gospel

Yesterday marked four years since Nick went to heaven. I find myself calling him “Nicky” more often now—a name I hadn’t used for him since he was a child. I wonder if it reflects that in some ways he is becoming dearer to my heart and younger to my mind. After all, I keep aging while he remains locked in time. I will soon celebrate a birthday for the fourth time since that day, yet he has celebrated none. The gap between us widens by the day. A lot has changed in four years. And a lot has remained the same. The pain is much easier to bear after almost 1,500 days of practice. I would be surprised to learn that a single day has gone by that I have not thought of Nick and not missed him. But the very hard days come less frequently now and the almost-too-much-to-bear days are few and far between. It still doesn’t take much to make me cry when I think about him, or when I see a father hugging his son, or when I think of his first nephew being born without ever meeting or knowing his Uncle Nick. But it also doesn’t take as much for me to dry my tears and press on with joy. I visit Nick’s grave less frequently now. It still feels important that I do so, but the gap between visits has widened from days to weeks. I sometimes feel guilty when a fair bit of time has passed, as if…See AlsoLife At and After College: An Interview with AbbyDo You Practice?Shaken to Bear Fruit

We are an educated people with high standards of literacy. We are a free people who enjoy religious liberty. We are a wealthy people with unlimited access to a nearly infinite quantity of Bibles. We are a privileged people who may not realize how blessed we are. See AlsoWhat Is “The End” of Religious Liberty?A La Carte (July 14)DVD Review – The Forbidden Book

You should stop by someday,” he said. “The orchestra is beginning to learn a new piece. I think you would enjoy hearing them. As promised, he met me in the lobby and led me through a locked door. As we walked down a long hallway, I could begin to hear music coming from somewhere ahead. We slipped into a rehearsal room and saw the entire orchestra seated there. The conductor stood before them, leading them in one of the pieces they were learning and would soon perform.See AlsoHow Was Your Messiah?Enjoy Messiah this ChristmasWe Shall be Changed

One of the most important habits you can develop is the habit of accepting that life is full of disappointments. One of the best ways to grow in contentment is to accept the inevitability of discontentment. One of the ways you can be most joyful in life is to be realistic about life, to know that the people in it will so often fail to meet your expectations. Having admitted all of this, you can embrace it as the way life is and even the way God means for it to be.See AlsoA La Carte (December 27)Stop Calling Everything HateHow To Make A New Year’s Resolution That Sticks