Crumbs from the Master's Table

At T4G Ligon Duncan addressed the topic of the Fathers and the Gospel: Did the Fathers Know the Gospel?   Good address.  Here's one of t...

I believe with my whole soul that the greatest, highest calling on earth is that of a mother.  Embracing being a mother, not to mention bein...

I love Doug Wilson.  What can I say?  He's one of the finest pastors of our day.  His exemplary theological cultural engagement has help...

This bit of satire was well done.  Em and I got a good laugh from it.  Upon further reflection, we wept.

This YouTube video of Stephen Mansfield talking about his biography of Arthur Guinness and the famous brewery he founded stirred up a good ...

J. I. Packer (through his writings and lectures) is one of the most significant influences in my life.  Doctrinally, there is a mass of sane...

All of us are imbalanced people.  None of us stays on the horse.  I believe it was Luther who pictured man as a drunk who is always falling ...

"A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust" (Prov. 21:22). There is need for ...

I'm not sure where these words are from originally, but again and again I've heard Tim Keller impress them upon his congregation: ...

In 2008, antidepressants were the sixth best-selling category of drugs in the world, antipsychotics seventh.  In 2002, some 25 million Ameri...

In chapter 5 of Owen's On Communion with God , which speaks of communion with the Son Jesus Christ, there is a marvelous section that de...

In a lecture on Christ and Culture, D. A. Carson points out that it is often asked what the university thinks of Jesus.  A better and more i...

Is the man Messiah Jesus free?  Does he experience perfect liberty in his choices or not?  And is he capable of doing something sinful?  Is ...

Another quotation from Charles Barber, lecturer in psychiatry at Yale:  Sea changes such as the advent of biopsychiatry are not unusual in...

Slander is one of those sins that is not always obvious, especially to the one doing the slandering.  And yet it is a great evil, great as t...

Still more from Charles Barber (see last post): "Psychiatric disorders are almost certainly the product of an infinitely complex dial...

For those engaged in counseling at any level, not least pastors, the shift in psychiatry (not recent) from psychoanalysis to biopsychiatry i...

As my wife and I continue moving through John Owen's On Communion with God, I am jolted by my lack of Christ-centerdness.  What follows...

I really like this song.  You can listen to it at  Vimeo. I once was lost in darkest night Yet thought I knew the way. The sin that pro...

It is no revelation that American churches reflect American culture far too much.  And it is also not difficult to see for the casual observ...

Last Sunday's New Covenant Church sermon by Pastor O'Donnell reminded us that the Reformation was fundamentally a call to repentance...

This past Sunday's New Covenant Church message The Headless Prophet and the Heartless King, Part 2 preached by Pastor O'Donnell was...

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else...

Pastor O'Donnell's recent sermon The Headless Prophet and The Heartless King, Part 1  on Matt. 14:1-12 is one of the best sermons I...

Consider Augustine's notion of fellowship and compare it with what we often mean by fellowship.  And ask yourself, whose is richer, whos...

"Any step that is taken in any way, by strength that is not immediately from Christ, is one step toward hell" (John Owen, On Commu...

Pastor Doug O'Donnell's book  God's Lyrics: Rediscovering Worship through Old Testament Songs  is now available. No doubt this w...

In Part 2 of Owen's On Communion with God and the second digression of chapter 3, Owen speaks of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.  And he...

B. B. Warfield says this cautionary word that I find so important for those of us Christians who are so busy, busy, often in "ministry....

"God had but one Son, and he made him a minister."--Thomas Goodwin "None but he who made the world can make a minister....

Did God have to punish his Son for our sin, or is this simply the way that he chose to save us?  In other words, could God have made satisfa...

As a good follow-up to the last post with Packer's wisdom, I want to set forth here a bit of wisdom from Owen.  This sort of instruction...

Commenting on Col. 1:17, J. I. Packer says this marvelous statement: "The coherence of the cosmos depends on its relation to the Son....

I said  a handful of posts ago that I'd return to speak of the propriety of handling the Song of Songs allegorically as Owen does in On ...

After speaking on that in which communion with the Son conists in chapter 2 of part 2 of Owen's On Communion with God and the way in wh...

Verses 6 and 7 of Colossians 2 routinely are regarded as the theme verses of the book of Colossians.  And rightly so.  They are.  But the mo...

Another good and moving video: That's My King .   A family member asked me yesterday if there is a Sunday version that follows up on the...

This New Covenant Church Easter sermon  preached by Pastor Doug O'Donnell on Mt. 12:38-45 is apostolic stuff and a good give-away sermon...

I love this video clip.  Hit  it's Friday, but . . .  to watch and listen.

J. I. Packer says: read this poem carefully, for this is the true gospel. Oh ye sons of men be wise, trust no longer dreams and lies, Ou...

Part 2 of Owen's classic On Communion with God , the largest section of the book, addresses fellowship with the second person of the Tri...

"Communion with the Father is wholly inconsistent with loose walking." — John Owen

Chapter 4 of part 1 of Owen's On Communion with God provides exhortations unto communion with God along with directions in it and obser...

One more post on chapter 3 of part 1 of John Owen's classic On Communion with the Triune God .  Toward the end of this chapter, Owen sho...

Chapter 3 of part 1 in On Communion with God is, all of it, marvelous stuff.  It makes my heart sing and dance, thrills my soul with pleasu...

Rounding off chapter 2 of part 1 of Communion with God , Owen refers to the unique contributions of each person of the triune Godhead.  He t...

Moving on through chapter 2 of part 1 of Owen's On Communion with God , Owen discusses and provides scriptural support for distinct comm...

St. Augustine's definition of virtue can scarcely be improved upon: "rightly ordered love" (Book XV, City of God ). Here is...

The Spacious Firmament on high, With all the blue Ethereal Sky, And spangled Heav'ns, a Shining Frame, Their great Original proclaim:...

Here is the second lecture by Dr. Vanhoozer given at Southeastern.  Hit the title for the link.

This lecture and the one following (in the next post) given four months ago by Dr. Kevin Vahoozer of Wheaton College at Southeastern Seminar...

The next portion of On Communion with God addresses the manner and matter of communion with God (chps. 2-4).  The manner of communion wit...

As I mentioned in the last post, part 1 of Owen's On Communion with God deals with communion with the Father.  And in chapter 1 Owen...

Of Communion with God by the great Puritan divine John Owen (1616-1683) was published in 1657.  It was republished recently in 2007 with li...

Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme; But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than ...

Thomas Brooks on true grace: "The objects of true grace are supernatural.  True grace is conversant about the choicest and the highes...

An observation on the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3.  Of the seven churches, only two are not criticized by the risen Christ for mora...

A follow up to the last post is in order due to a deficiency.  One more holy exhortation: after having a holy time of horsing around, don...

Is it coincidental that domestic relationship instructions in Eph. 5 and 6 precede holy war instructions in Eph. 6?  Or are these instructio...

Professor G. K. Beale's recent work "We Become [Like] What We Worship" looks at the story of Israel's sin through the lens...

Blessed Steve Belonger!  That holy man of God who counseled my soul many times as a young believer!  And one of his counsels was this: read ...

Good news from Wheaton College!  Dr. Philip Graham Ryken has been selected to lead Wheaton College into its next chapter.  This appointment ...

Em and I have found a few sections of the Psalms to be especially good portions for regular, repetitious reading as we sit down for meals.  ...

This post is swiped from Justin Taylor's blog:  Between Two Worlds: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/ .  Philosopher F...

A century ago, Martin Kahler famously described the form of the Gospels as "passion narratives with extended introductions."  And ...

Many, following George Eldon Ladd, speak of the kingdom of God as the eschatological realm of salvation.  While this fits a good deal of dat...

Jonathan Edwards' sermon on Mt. 11:16-19 has this as its basic doctrine: "Wicked men are very inconsistent with themselves." ...

In the course of Luther's 1519 exposition of the third petition in the Lord's Prayer, Luther observes this:  "It is impossible ...

N. T. Wright's first volume of a projected six-volume work called The New Testament and the People of God  is organized in five parts.  ...

Luther's 1519 exposition of the Lord's Prayer in volume 42 of his writings is wonderful stuff.  For the exegete and biblical theolog...

In G. K. Beale's book The Temple and the Church's Mission: A biblical theology of the dwelling place of God , Professor Beale explor...

Em and I began the year of grace 2010 by reading Ps. 1 together a few times and thinking through its implications for this year.  It speaks ...