In the book selling and publishing world, the terms front-list and back-list get thrown around a lot. The term derives from the location in a publisher’s catalog.  (Front-list titles = new releases and brand new books, back-list titles =the ones that are while not new, are still selling) Typically a store or chain’s buyer will focus primarily on the...

Within the last year or so I read John Piper’s This Momentary Marriage. As I mentioned in a previous post, this has become one of my favorite books on marriage since it deals with the foundational issue of the ultimate purpose of marriage being to picture Christ’s relationship with the Church. The theme of this book and Piper’s associated sermons...

If you ask what it means to be a good pastor you’ll get you’ll get a plethora of answers. I want to be a good pastor however, it seems like there are a septillion definitions in people’s minds as to what that means. The Bible however, already gave us the criteria for what a “good minister” does. I Tim 4:6 If thou put the brethren in...

One of the men who has influenced my thinking greatly via his writing is John Piper. Now that’s not to say that I don’t have my differences with him, so don’t go off and label me a “Piperite” or something:-). Many young men of my generation seem to have a hobby of criticizing fundamentalism almost daily.  I’ll admit, I have some...

Just a hodge-podge of stuff I found interesting recently. It’s always nice when you hear or read someone else say something you’ve thought for some time. Such is the case with Kyle Harding’s post here regarding the use of hymnals and projection of words in public worship. Some interesting thoughts on the use of facebook & twitter in pastoral...

During our Sunday evening Bible studies at Gospel Life we are studying the doctrine of the church. Currently we are covering the topic of membership and church discipline. In doing so I was struck with the immediate context of 2 Thessalonians 3:6–15.  We often apply this passage to disobedient brothers, even extrapolating the application to include...

Previously on this blog I’ve written of the dangers of being overly nostalgic, but a recent article (linked below) made me think about how it can actually be an enemy of faith. This has application personally and in church life. One of the strugles that small churches face, especially in rural areas, is the tempation to live in the “Good ole days.”...