HT: 9MarksBlog for directing me to this great post (and book recommendation): Carefulness in Treating Sin The author of the blog is a MBB who pastors  a church in the Grand Cayman Islands. Definitely worth the read–and I’m thinking I’d like to pop on over to WTS and order the book too.  

Don’t miss this post over at the former SoloFemininity now RadicalWomanhood: The  Rules for Self-Discovery Yeek! Yet again, Carolyn McCulley hits it out of the park.  

‘Human sin is stubborn but not as stubborn as the grace of God and  not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way.’ C. Plantinga  

I was really excited about a certain book I received for Christmas. (Not excited enough to make a GROOVY “SCORE!” photo like our beloved PalmTreePundit did with her pile o’ books, but excited nonetheless.) Its title implied that it would help with faith’s fight against sin specifically concerning the sins that I am tempted to “coddle” or “tolerate.” Sadly … after a few pages, I knew that it wasn’t a book for me. BUT … I know that MANY people respect and just LOVE this author so I have no CONCERNS or anything. But I just printed off a “return to Amazon for free shipping” label for it anyway. Who…

COMBATING WEARINESS WITH ALTERNATE FORMS OF EXERCISE (Written by Ajith Fernando after he preached 13 times in four days in Ukraine) A few decades ago the cricket-loving world was shocked when a popular and brilliant English cricketer said that the pressure of having to perform according to people’s expectations and the resulting stress often led him to take cannabis after a game. Cannabis is a narcotic. A narcotic is ‘a drug (as opium) that in moderate doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions’ (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). Tiredness, especially if it has been accompanied by stress, makes us…

(Originally posted in May, I’m on a TECHNOLOGY BREAK for a few days so I can’t do any new posts. I’ll  schedule a couple and check in on Saturday or Sunday when we get home. 🙂 ) Refusing to Forgive  

(Another re-do of a previous blog. Fever’s down! AND a meeting that we thought might go past midnight did NOT … so I’m home at 11:30 and after I post this, I’m washing up and heading right to sleep. Hooray!!) (But I still don’t feel a wave of energy sufficient to crank out a real posting–hope you understand!) Here’s my link: But if I forgive them … And a few lines to tempt you to click on over if you are so inclined: “Tonight Fred and I were talking (again) about my struggle to forgive some people who have hurt me. At one point during the conversation, I asked him,…

I read a great quote on the “gospel driven church” blog and thought you might enjoy it too (the emphasis is mine): “Currently we are not only saved by grace; we are paralyzed by it. There is deep confusion. We find it hard to see that grace is not opposed to effort, but is opposed to earning. Earning and effort are not the same thing. Earning is an attitude, and grace is definitely opposed to that. But it is not opposed to effort. When you see a person who has been caught on fire by grace, you are apt to see some of the most astonishing efforts you can imagine…

(From 2006) Another AMAZING point that the speaker made last night had to do with the nature of SIN. She mentioned how she had actually felt the ‘lump’ or ‘ridge’ in her breast for weeks before she did anything about it. She told herself: ‘It’s just tissue.’ “It’s just cystic.” But of course it was the most aggressive, deadly breast cancer known to Man. Left untreated it would kill her for sure. She (again) regaled us as she described her tendency to minimize her sin: ‘I guess I have some issues with anger management.’ And to make excuses and shift blame: ‘Yes, I raised my voice to you and I…

(From 2006) Another AMAZING point that the speaker made last night had to do with the nature of SIN. She mentioned how she had actually felt the ‘lump’ or ‘ridge’ in her breast for weeks before she did anything about it. She told herself: ‘It’s just tissue.’ “It’s just cystic.” But of course it was the most aggressive, deadly breast cancer known to Man. Left untreated it would kill her for sure. She (again) regaled us as she described her tendency to minimize her sin: ‘I guess I have some issues with anger management.’ And to make excuses and shift blame: ‘Yes, I raised my voice to you and I…