What a Find!

Desiring God Ministries has made audio of all twenty years of Desiring God Conferences available at their website. For me, this is like being a kid in a candy store (or, in many of our cases, an adult in a candy store, too). Please check out the speakers and the topics - you'll be glad you did!

Pray for Virginia Tech

In light of everything that has happened in Blacksburg, Virginia, it would be very wise of us to spend some time in prayer for all of those whose lives have been turned inside out and upside down.

How should we think of what has happened? Theologically, of course! The murderous rampage should remind us of three things:

1. Life is brief. None of us know how long we have here. Compared to eternity, our lives are incredibly short. We really don't know what's around the corner.

2. Evil is real. Contrary to Christian Science, evil is not an illusion - it's real and alive and active in the world and inour hearts. At specific times - like Monday - it surfaces in all of its naked deformity.

3. The need to make sense of it all. We naturally look for a way to understand and process what takes place in our lives, no matter how horrific it is. Christianity helps us understand events like these better than any other philosophy, religion or worldview. Human beings, though created in the image and likeness of God, are fallen and sinful. All of our being - mind, will, emotions, body, etc. - is polluted by sin. That sin, which is pervasive, brings about all kinds of evil and harmful actions ands words. The only hope for any of us is the forgiveness that God offers us through His Son Jesus Christ (who lived a perfect life in our place, died for our sins as our substitute, and rose again from the dead on the third day). Why did God allow this? I don't know. We so know, however, that God is sovereign and He's good. We can trust Him no matter what, even in the midst of terrible evil.

Just some things to think about.

Testimony Time

I enjoy hearing how God brings people to Himself. John Shore tells us his story here.

Believing Without Belonging

Al Mohler talks about the trend of believing in Christ without belonging to a church. Good thoughts!

More on the Centrality of the Cross

Regis Nicoll weighs in on the importance of the cross of Jesus Christ (specifically what happened there).

How Important is the Cross?

How important is the death of Jesus Christ? Is the cross more important than the resurrection?

Before Good Friday, someone told me that they didn't like all of the attention on Jesus' death because it detracted from His resurrection. Is that true? No, it isn't!

The death of Jesus is just as important as His resurrection from the dead. Let me ask you: which one of your legs is more important - the right one or the left one? The correct answer is neither of them. They're both of equal importance! Without the cross, there could be no resurrection. They're two sides of the same coin. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 makes it clear that both the death and resurrection are part of the Gospel - "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures," and "He rose again from the dead on the third day." The right leg is just as important as the left.

Jim Boice has some good comments.

What should we pray for?

What do you normally pray for? Health? Safety? Success? Healing? God' provision? His leading and guidance? Probably all of these and more. If we could read a transcript of all of the prayers we've prayed in the last 24 hours, we'd most likely be astonished and embarassed.

But what should we pray for? John Piper has compiled a list gathered from the New Testament. It's well worth reading.

A Word from A.W. Tozer

"We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures on earth and in eternity. Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today."