“Countless evils have arisen from ignorance of the Scriptures. From this the plague of heresies has broken out. From this there are neglectful lives. From this there are labors without benefit. For just as men deprived of daylight of this world do not walk rightly, so those who do not look to the gleaming of …
Continue reading ‘Chrysostom on the Necessity of Scripture Reading’ »
Several years ago I began keeping an annotated list of every book I read each year. It has been a very useful discipline and resource for later. As part of my own review of this past year I will post here what have been the best books I have read this past year. Included in …
I am not typically pleased or impressed with guides to the Psalms. The Psalms are examples of engagement with God meant to be used and most study guides treat them as objects of analysis. While the guides often make true statements, they end up with abstract categorizations rather than helps for making use of these …
I am catching up with everyone else by finally reading one of Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey novels (actually listening to it thanks to the free audio at Librivox). It is an entertaining story with several insightful comments on life. This morning I was captivated by the section below from Chapter 7 in which the …
Here is another quote from Conan Doyle’s, The White Company. The English knights and company while staying with some French nobility hear from the French nobleman how low he thinks of the common people under his rule. Doyle, as a good Englishman contrasts this with the free heartiness of Englishmen, but then moves on to …
Continue reading ‘Prophetic Presence in the Halls of Power’ »
I have often commented here on the value of broad reading in literature. One value is that good stories tend to include keen insight into human nature. Currently I am listening to the audio of one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s lesser known novels, The White Company. The story is set in 14th century Europe …
“God did not intend that we study our Bibles in a mental vacuum. John Nelson Darby and G. Campbell Morgan both decided that for an extended time they would read only the Bible. They soon discovered that this plan was a mistake. The danger of reading only the Bible is that we do not then …
I recently read Benjamin Merkle’s The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great (not the Ben Merkle at Southeastern Seminary). I have commented often here on the value of history reading for pastors (as well as others), and this book has much value in this realm as well. Alfred was an amazing man …
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David Mills’ article, “Enchanting Children: Training Up a Child Requires a Well Formed Imagination” (from Touchstone) is a great resource for parents. He deals with several issues, primarily the importance of the imagination in shaping life. He argues that the imagination shapes life more than the facts we know and that stories are the key factor …
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I Can Read God’s Word, Phil A. Smouse(Barbour Publishing, 2008), pb., 256 pp.Ages 5-7 This book is a collection of Bible passages and stories nicely paraphrased for young children to read on their own. They stay pretty close to the text itself and encourage phonetic recognition. Each story/passage also has a summary with some application …