The Boston Celtics aren’t that important. So this blog isn’t actually about something really important. Really important things include, for example, the birth of a new boy in my family. My son is named Gavin Edwards Strachan. He joined us on Wednesday, and he’s doing great, praise God. The Boston Celtics, by contrast, are just a basketball team. That’s all they are. They play a game. Games aren’t important. But they are a part of life, and I happen to... Read more
Do you read long-form journalism? You should. There’s pressure today to make journalism short, to squeeze all such writing into bullet points and text boxes. Surely there’s a place for that. But there’s a massive place for journalists who take on a big story and tell it at length with great skill. Thomas Lake is one of those long-form journalists that you should not miss. Lake is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, an astonishing post for a man barely... Read more
I love book dedications, you know, the few words at the very beginning of a text that record in whose honor the manuscript was written. Books are such an obsession for me that I don’t just love the main body, but the ephemera–the introduction, acknowledgements, dedication, and more. For example, authors typically disclaim that though some have reviewed the book, all errors are their own. The funniest admission of error I’ve ever read was from Oliver Crisp, who said in... Read more
I recently had the privilege to sit down with Dustin Neeley of Church Planting for the Rest of Us to talk about several topics that will be released on video, including Jonathan Edwards on hell. The above video covers how Edwards might have responded to the recent controversy regarding Rob Bell’s book Love Wins. As I say in the video, Edwards believed that hell was powerfully evangelistic. There is an irony in that reality–the worst news can end up being... Read more
It’s been a while. But it’s time to come back. Turn the lights back on. This blog has never been about my personal life, and it’s not going to be. But in resuming blogging, I will say this: it has been a busy 2010-11 for me (I think in terms of school years as a college prof). In the final year of my doctorate, I have had teaching, comprehensive exams, dissertation research, and dissertation writing on my plate. I still... Read more
Well, it’s been a good ride. After a long blogging run on this site, I’m calling it quits. I enjoy blogging and will do so in other places, but I no longer desire to keep my own site running. This has been a hard decision for me; I’ve prayed about it a good bit and talked it over with some. In news that will rock the blogging community right to its foundations (to use a great Matt Labash line), I’ve... Read more
Great news for New England–just got this from Dave Ricard of the New England Center for Expository Preaching: “I was informed tonight that Ligon Duncan has agreed to join Thabiti Anyabwile at Island Pond Baptist Church for NECEP 2011 Pastors’ Conference on May 2-3, 2011. Pastors will be given first priority for seating since this time is designed specifically for them. Pastors can pre-register here. Note: This does not reserve seats. It simply gives those who pre-register first notice when... Read more
You might have heard about Mike McKinley’s recent book on church planting: Church Planting Is for Wimps (Crossway, 2010). If you haven’t, it’s a great read. Mike is the senior pastor of Guilford Baptist Church in Sterling, Virginia. In God’s grace, he oversaw the revitalization of the church. Church Planting Is for Wimps is the story of how that all happened. Though the book is ostensibly about church planting/revitalization, it is an encouraging account of church life and Christian ministry. ... Read more
Turns out the book sale mentioned yesterday isn’t the only piece of literary news right now. I caught this in a web search yesterday–it will be of interest to many readers who peruse this little blog: home_book: The Essential Sampler Quilt Book – by Lynne Edwards – David & Charles. http://bit.ly/9Vy1X0 (expand) I could scarcely type the words out, I’m so excited about this one. Remember–you heard it here first. Also, be careful what you search for. Read more
Because the sale of the Edwards books picked up a little steam last week, Westminster Books is kindly extending their 50% off sale of the collection to Wednesday, August 4 at 12pm. Buy the books before midnight tomorrow and get them for $22.50, or $4.50 a book. They won’t be on a sale like this for a while. Here’s the official WTS Books tweet: wtsbooks: Essential Edwards Set is back in stock and we are shipping backorders! Tomorrow is the... Read more
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