Have you ever thought about what your dying words would be? Well, I have, and I asked that question to my Bible study gals as we were studying the faith of the patriarchs. In Hebrews 11:20-22 we see faith that finishes well. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph end their lives holding fast to the confession of...

These days we use the word friend as loosely as “Sure, you look great in those jeans.” And so we use a qualifying word when we want to express an actual friendship, a “He is a good friend,” or “She is a true friend” kind of thing. Plenty of thinkers have lamented...

One of the main reasons I even began blogging and writing is that I sensed a real need for women to understand their responsibility to be good theologians. And even now as I travel and speak, I am finding that many women in churches under good teaching still do not have a firm grasp of confessional...

As I was listening to the latest Mortification of Spin podcast yesterday, something struck me a little different. Carl asked about Thomas Oden’s contribution and legacy and we answered appropriately. But this time as he was asking that question, I thought about something else. I think an...

I came across this excerpt from Martin Luther’s Tabletalk today. It is under the chapter heading “Offences”: We little know how good and necessary it is for us to have adversaries, and for heretics to hold up their heads against us. For if Cerinthus had not been, then St. John the...

Have you heard of the book, Eat This, Not That! ? I thought I would play off of that for a teaser to a book review I have featured on Books At A Glance . Here is a bite: How does one abide in Christ? We read a passage like John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me...

Our upcoming podcast takes a look at the best seller's list for Christian books. This year, I would love to do what I can to get people reading with more discernment, and to pursue reading good books. While I want to continue to highlight good books on the blog, this goal also means that I...

Something came up at the end of the sermon this weekend when the pastor was speaking on the last verse in his text, Matthew 2:13-23: “And they went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” This...

So as I was happily viewing all of the pictures and posts on Facebook of my friends and family enjoying their time together over Christmas, I came across one of those shares that makes you go, “Hmm…” It is one of those articles that could function as a parody of itself. Above a...

I’m currently reading through O. Palmer Robertson’s short little book, God’s People in the Wilderness . It is tying in well with the reading I am doing on the Parable of the Ten Virgins . The premise of his book is that “For the writer of the Hebrews, the church of today...

Now there is a leveling question. It is asked by Thomas Shepard in The Parable of the Ten Virgins. The question is part of his sermon notes on the visible church of God. Shepard opens with the point that the church is the very place that God prepares his bride to meet Christ, and that it is not the...

So this is interesting. This weekend I began reading Karen Swallow Prior’s fantastic book on the life of Hannah More titled Fierce Convictions , and I stumbled upon a paragraph lamenting the quality of women’s reading material in the mid 18th century. I could have written something...

I wrote this article a little while after signing my first book contract. About a year after it was published, a friend asked me if I regret writing the article. I can honestly say that I don't. As a matter of fact, I stand behind it even more now. Sure, I participate in marketing and think...

I ’m really looking forward to a Mortification of Spin interview we will be doing with Todd Billings on his upcoming book, Rejoicing in Lament . Todd has been diagnosed with a rare, terminal cancer at the age of 39, and his book explores how living in his condition relates “to the...

So every Thursday night my husband and I have a date. Whiskey is poured, we sit together in our famous “hot tub chair” and watch our favorite show, Parenthood. Last night Matt was busy grading papers and my brain was expired for the night. So I turned the TV on to the channel of our...

Well, he had me by page 31. Of course, I want it to be true. A while back ago, I wrote an article about my top three questions I have when I get to heaven. What I only hinted at then is my cockamamie housewife theologian theory. I was too embarrassed. But now, thanks to David Allen, I am going loud...

With Thanksgiving in two weeks, I thought I'd share this excerpt about the first Thanksgiving from Nathaniel Philbrick's great book, Mayflower. We do not know the exact date of the celebration we now call the First Thanksgiving, but it was probably in late September or early October, soon...

Tim Keller is a well-known contemporary voice on the topic of the church and cultural engagement. He writes pretty extensively on it in his book Center Church . And not only does Keller write on this topic, he’s just a pretty darn engaging guy in general. You will notice from our podcast...

Ever since I read about Bart Campolo’s announcement that he is an atheist and how he wants to give his life in service to others as a humanist chaplain, I have been perplexed about this vocation. I knew what a humanist was, but couldn’t quite wrap my head around a humanist chaplain. In...

Last weekend I had the privilege to attend a women’s conference featuring Susan Hunt as the speaker. It was a small gathering at a quaint, PCA church in Frederick, MD. Faith PCA was hospitable enough to open their event to the local churches. And so 106 women from 15 different churches filled...

This was the closing statement made by Chris Larson on the latest Renewing Your Mind Broadcast : “The State of Theology.” Ligonier Ministries has just teamed up with Life Way Research to conduct a survey of 3,000 people to find out what Americans believe about God, the Bible, man, and...

Things have been pretty crazy at the new bar/website. Todd, Carl, and I didn’t realize just how busy we would be with all the new frequenters. You know what they say, bartending involves counseling skills. And not to name any names, but some of us are a little more sensitive than others...

My cohorts and I have been reading through Todd M. Brenneman’s Homespun Gospel for a future podcast. So the recent book review of it over at 9 Marks was interesting to me. Matt McCullough does some interacting with the book. The premise of Homespun is that sentimentality has triumphed as the...

I remember the time. I remember it well. This girl was selected for the fashion page in my first year of high school. Yep, picture in the yearbook. That’s me in the mustard skirt, representing the girls in the Freshman class. This is a reputation I took seriously. I didn’t want to be...