Summertime! For most of us it brings a lighter schedule and greater opportunities for recreation, which sometimes become opportunities for sloth and neglect. The Gospel Coalition has catalogued many thought-provoking ideas for making the most of the sunshiny days. With articles specific to pastors, church leaders, moms, dads, men, and women, it is worth your time. Head on over and take a look: Don’t Waste Your Summer

As you may have heard, we are releasing our first music CD on Wednesday. Its title, You Are Exalted, is very similar to a book I wrote a year or so ago—Exalted: Putting Jesus in His Place. That was not a coincidence. Both the book and the CD focus on the fact that Jesus is king of the universe. We know this, of course, yet I am persuaded that we often think in terms of easily listed do’s and don’ts rather than of lives devoted to making much of Christ. The following paragraph introduces what I mean: You can find a larger sample of the book here (click Preview under the Table of Contents). My hope for it and the CD is that they will motivate people to make Jesus Christ their all-consuming passion.

We have been here before. As the fires rage in Black Forest, Colorado, vivid memories from a year ago rush to mind. The seemingly irrational, self-willed flames speed down their paths of destruction leaving us helpless but to watch, wait, and wonder. The watching world wonders whether we who claim to have an answer, believe our claim. Our children watch to see whether we believe our claim. The God we claim to believe in watches to see whether we believe our claim. Recently I wrote about how to think through tragedy and catastrophe. If you haven’t read that post, I encourage you to (here). The temptation for Christians is to answer the questions that will come with answers that are neither helpful nor true to God’s Word. We must remember (and declare) that this fire is neither outside of His control, nor a threat to His integrity. It is not...

Jesus is God and man. Not only is this biblically true, it is practically important for our lives. No matter what today or this week holds for you, I bet something below will be worth reflecting on. Some of the implications of Jesus’ divinity: He is worthy of our worship. He is trustworthy to do all that He said He will do because He has the power, as God, to do whatever He pleases. He demands the obedience of every creature in heaven and earth. He lives forever. He knows every thought of your mind, intention of your will, and action of your body. The world turns according to His purposes. Some of the implications of His humanity: He knows what it’s like for a man to be tempted. He knows our fears as death approaches. He knows what it feels like when our friends abandon us to save their...