Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 60

Seven books by R.C. Sproul (almost) every Christians should read

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Few modern theologians have been as influential to so many Christians as R.C. Sproul. He was was a master at communicating complex subjects to the average person accessibly, and consistently wrote faithfully and charitably on a variety of theological and cultural issues (something we all could learn to emulate). Although I could list dozens of books worthy of consideration, here are seven I have found very helpful and would encourage any Christian to read.1

The Holiness of God. This is, wit...

Links I like (12/19)

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10 Christmas Carols Everyone Should Know

Keith Getty:

It’s all too easy to look up at the end of December and—poof—realize the opportunity for meaningful reflection has passed, vacuumed up or packed away for next year, like another decoration. So this Christmas, how can we truly be present and not just buy presents? We find the answer in the most fundamental (and perhaps surprising) of places—in singing traditional carols together.

Signs You are on the Pathway from Stressed to Depressed The...

The most-read articles of 2017

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Despite what you might hear, there really isn’t a formula, or levers you can pull to magically create content that’s going to connect with readers. Writing really doesn’t work that way. Nor should it. Or at least, for me it shouldn’t. It’s actually a lot of fun for me to see what readers gravitate to on my blog, because very often they’re pieces I really enjoyed writing.

In 2017, I wrote a large number of articles I’m quite proud of. Not all of them were ones that found an audience, but many...

The call of Christ to us

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One of the best moments in The Chronicles of Narnia is found in The Last Battle. As the survivors of the end of Narnia enter Aslan’s kingdom and begin to explore the call goes forth—first from Aslan, then echoed throughout the party: “Further up and further in!”

There is something stirring about these words, especially as I think about the Christian life. There’s the excitement of the day when we will enter into the presence of God, without question. But there’s also the immediacy of it, tha...

Weekend reading (12/16)

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Even If the Foundations Are Destroyed, Fear-Mongering Is Not a Christian Option

Mike Leake:

Those who peddle fear would have us believe that it is on some particular point that the foundation is still teetering. To not follow the party line on this issue will be to surrender every foundation and if this one falls then to the mountains we must go. And so if we desire to protect the foundations then we must hold our nose and vote for immoral men. We must overlook sexual immorality and accept p...

Five important truths I learned from R.C. Sproul

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Yesterday, R.C. Sproul died at the age of 78. Few theologians have had as much influence on my thinking as him. His books, lectures, and sermons have been a gift to me throughout the last 10 years, and I know will continue to be for years to come. Today, I want to share five simple, but important, truths I learned from him:

The Bible doesn’t require a decoder ring. We are not part of an esoteric religion, one that limits knowledge and insight to a select few.1 The basic message of the Bible...

Links I like (12/14)

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Spurgeon’s 15 Tips for a Deep and Effective Prayer Life

Kevin Halloran shares from Encouraged to Pray: Classic Spurgeon Sermons on Prayer.

An Update on Dr. Sproul’s Health

Be looking for an update on R.C. Sproul’s condition. Steven Lawson shared this last night:

Please be in prayer for R. C. Sproul. Our champion of the faith, the great warrior of truth, and my mentor, is soon to be home with the Lord.

— Steven Lawson (@DrStevenJLawson) December 14, 2017

Free Study Guide for Reset

David Mur...

My favorite reads of 2017

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That season has come around once again, where bloggers make their listicles! As you know, reading is one the few hobbies I have, regularly reading at least two books a week. With that much reading, it’s no surprise that there’s a range of quality. Most are in that “good, but not earth-shattering” category, some were terrible (and we’ll talk about those soon)… but a few were legitimately great.

Here are the books I’ve read in 2017 that I think qualify as being of that caliber. Like last year,...

Links I like (12/12)

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Quebec tries to say Au Revoir to “hi”

Ugh.

Getting a Team to Self-Destruct

Eric Geiger:

A team that fights with itself wastes an incredible amount of time and energy. When a team or church or group fights, everyone loses. Energy is stewarded away from what is most important and given to tearing one another apart. Instead of rallying in the same direction around the same mission and values, time is diverted toward backbiting, politics, and watching your back. Thus, a team that is divided will...

Saying goodbye to Jocsan, preparing to meet someone new

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We’d been Christians less than a year when Jocsan entered our lives.

I went to church one Sunday in March 2006, and was introduced to Compassion International’s ministry. I went back to the table at the end of the service, and started looking at the information of children in need. Dozens of kids from all over the world who didn’t look anything like the images I saw in infomercials growing up.1 Jocsan’s information was among them, the only boy on the table.

I read through his information and...