Year: 2008
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Charles Wesley on Means of Grace
John Wesley preached the classic sermon on the Means of Grace, but his brother Charles decided that this was a doctrine that could be sung. So he wrote a very didactic hymn on the subject. Every line of thought in John’s sermon finds poetic expression somewhere in this 23-stanza hymn. Hymn No. 83, “The Means…
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Wait in the Means of Grace (John Wesley)
John Wesley was a great theologian of the grace of God, and he knew that grace is an invisible movement in which God sovereignly invades the heart of a believer. You can call it experiental or individualist or pietistic or emotional or whatever else you want to call it, but in all his preaching, Wesley…
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New Love to Entertain (Spenser’s Amoretti #4)
NEW yeare forth looking out of Ianus gate, Doth seeme to promise hope of new delight: and bidding th’ old Adieu, his passed date bids all old thoughts to die in dumpish spright. And calling forth out of sad Winters night, fresh loue, that long hath slept in cheerlesse bower: wils him awake, and soone…
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An Active Rest
As the restful days of summer conclude and are eclipsed by the inauguration of a new school year, John Mark Reynolds, Fred Sanders, and Paul Spears reflect upon the importance and nature of play. Different from idleness–which is recognized as the devil’s playground–leisure not only offers rest from everyday toils, but encourages growth and wholeness.…
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Sovereign Beauty (Spenser’s Amoretti #3)
THE souerayne beauty which I doo admyre, witnesse the world how worthy to be prayzed: the light wherof hath kindled heauenly fyre, in my fraile spirit by her from basenesse raysed. That being now with her huge brightnesse dazed, base thing I can no more endure to view: but looking still on her I stand…
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In All Things, Be Fearful
I just returned recently to southern California after a nice, long vacation with my family. As well, I was able to spend two good weeks at the National Institute for Newman Studies in Pittsburgh, PA. The Institute, run by the Pittsburgh Oratorians, is a research facility containing all the works of John Henry Newman as…
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On the Art of Online Conversation
Internet discourse is in a bad way. Crass language, disrespect, and dishonesty seem pervasive in many of the essays and comment sections of internet publications. On the whole, there is much about the internet that ought to give Christians pause. GodblogCon speaker and Scriptorium Daily essayist John Mark Reynolds discusses these problems with Katherine Britton,…
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Why C. S. Lewis Was Smarter Than Me Am
An excerpt from a letter that the 17-year-old C. S. Lewis wrote to his best friend: 12 October 1915 You ask me how I spend my time, and though I am more interested in thoughts and feelings, we’ll come down to facts. I am awakened up in the morning by Kirk splashing in his bath,…
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By the Book
“The B-I-B-L-E” doesn’t really pack the same punch for adults as it does for the pre-K Sunday school crowd. But gussied up in the dignity of an Elizabethan homily, the admonition to read my Bible once again demands my attention. “A Fruitful Exhortation to the Reading of Holy Scripture” is the first sermon of over…
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Unquiet Thought (Spenser’s Amoretti #2)
VNQUIET thought, whom at the first I bred, Of th’ inward bale of my loue pined hart: and sithens haue with sighes and sorrowes fed, till greater then my wombe thou woxen art. Breake forth at length out of the inner part, in which thou lurkest lyke to vipers brood: and seeke some succour both…
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How To Support Your Christian Blog
Website monetization is a multi-million dollar problem that currently has no good solution. To shed some light on the problem and provide a possible solution, GodblogCon invited Marcus Goodyear and Chris Cree to interview GBC speaker Wade Tonkin, owner of Christian Affiliate Marketers. Be sure not to miss Wade’s interesting response to the question, “Is…
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Voting as a Spiritual Discipline: Ten Tips
How do you keep a healthy spiritual life during an intensely political time? The political season, after all, is about to begin in earnest: in only one week the Democrats will open their national convention in Denver, and shortly after that the Republicans will convene in Minneapolis – St. Paul. In short order, running mates…