Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 365
June 29, 2012
I’m Looking for A Few Good (Guest) Bloggers
Last year, I took a few weeks off from the blog during August. It was terrific to unplug, unwind and read some really great content from a number of different voices. In fact, it was such a great experience, I’m doing it again!
If you’ve got something you think needs to be shared with the world I’d like to provide a platform for some other bloggers with 10-15 posts in the month of August. If you’d like to submit something, here are a few details you need to know:
You should have an active blog...
Men of Straw and Tainted Reputations
The lastdefenseof the desperate is the straw man—an argument based on a misrepresentation of an opponent’s position. This week, many of us caught wind of a doozy inEd Young Jr.‘s rant onthe Reformed movement and his assertion that “reformed theology leads to deformed ecclesiology.”
I’ve got to be honest, it was really tempting to write a response picking apart the entire thing—however, I’m not sure how much benefit that would be. I suspect much response (beyond a really helpful post by Erik Ra...
Links I Like
Tony Reinke shares 20 quotes that caught his attention while reading Greg Dutcher’s new bookKilling Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside. Here’s one of Tony’s favorites:
“Jesus is not impressed with our Calvin, Edwards, or Machen when we cannot grow into people of kindness and self-control. It is simply time to grow up. We need to stop killing our Calvinism.” (30)
Introducing Wayfarer
Recently, Dan Koch, from the Seattle band Wayfarer...
June 28, 2012
Total Depravity and Parenting
Today’s post is by my friend Dan Darling. Dan is the senior pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church and author of numerous books. His latest, Real: Owning Your Christian Faith, will be released July 3, 2012.
A few year ago, I took my family on a tour of the Jelly Bean factory in nearby Kenosha Wisconsin. I was fascinated by how a single jelly bean is chemically engineered, created by machines, perfectly formed, stamped, inspected, and dropped into a bag with other perfectly formed candy creations.
I...
Links I Like
Mark Altrogge:
Christ died for all our sins. Every single wicked thing we’ve done.
Every command we’ve broken – every violation. Every sinful thought, word and deed we’ve done – every “sin of commission.”
But he died for even more than these.
If Christ is True, Boredom is a Sin
Jared C. Wilson:
Boredom is a sin so long as Christ is infinitely beautiful. Even the angels, for whom the gospel is that strange mystery purposed not for themselves, lo...
June 27, 2012
Two Reasons for Writing a Marriage Book
Yesterday, Tim Challies and I both reviewed Justin Buzzard’s new book, Date Your Wife. Overall, while we appreciated some similar elements (particularly the useful application), Tim and I came to slightly different conclusions on the book. This isn’t a bad thing at all—every reviewer has their own convictions and things they pick up on while reading and choose to focus on in the review.
But reading Tim’s review and reflecting on my own made me wonder—would it be helpful to differentiate betwee...
Links I Like
Chad Hall:
…does nationalism belong in church? I think not. When we strike patriotic tones in worship, we dishonor God, disobey scripture, and misunderstand the relationship between God and country.
FiveResolutions for a Christian Communicator
Dan Darling:
To communicate the truth of the good news of the gospel, in any form, is a high privilege and a sober calling. I’m always mindful of James 3, which outlines the seriousness of the calling and the negative and positive effect of t...
June 26, 2012
Book Review: Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard
At some point you have to wonder—do we really need more marriage books? With all the books that are out there, is there more that can be added to the discussion?
If Justin Buzzard’s new book, Date Your Wife, is any indication, yes. In this short book, Buzzard confronts husbands’ complacency, challenges them to woo their wives to the glory of God while sharing his own experiences as a husband seeking to date his wife.
As Buzzard looks at dating your wife through the lens of the Bible’s big stor...
Links I Like
Ray Ortlund:
Trusting God is not comfortable. It doesn’t belong in a Hallmark card picture — a colorful valley, a quaint village, a church steeple, with a sentimental slogan. Trusting God can be extremely uncomfortable, even painful.
HelplessSacks of Sand
Tim Challies:
This morning I found myself wondering why we sleep. What’s the point of it? Obviously there are physical reasons, but there must be an underlyingspiritualreason that God has made us beings who need sleep. We...
June 25, 2012
3 Things I Learned Reading The Hunger Games Trilogy
A few weeks back I shared a few items on my summer reading list. Well, I decided to get a head start (and already made it a good chunk of the way through the list!).A couple weeks ago, I readThe Hunger Games Trilogyby Suzanne Collins. Going in I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was surprised to see that I enjoyed the experience of a “just for fun” read. But I was also happy to see that I learned a fair bit while reading the books.
Here are three of the lessons I learned (I’ll do my bes...
