Mathew B. Sims's Blog, page 10

A Very Definite Christmas by Trent Still #AdventSeries13

I’m sure that all of us have experienced using a microscope, whether it was middle school, high school, or college. You lean down onto the eye piece and look through the ocular lense. Without zooming in, you see a blurry picture of perhaps the entire specimen. Once you zoom in, things become more clear, and also your astonishment at God’s creation increases.

I’ve found it helpful to view the

15 Must Read Books of 2013

Everyone is doing it is usually a really bad excuse for doing something, but it’s my excuse today. December is the month for lists among Christian bloggers. We list our favorite albums, books, blog posts--pretty much anything that can be listed.

Today I offer you my must read books of 2013. Some of these books might not have been published this year. I may have just read them this year.

Somewhere between Loveland & Honeycreek by Evan Welcher #AdventSeries13

My brother abides in the north. It takes an hour and a half to two hours to reach his dwelling: all dependent on construction and the amount of Pearl Jam I listen to. Three particular things I love among a menagerie more: Iowa, driving, and my brother. The drive through these sacred hills and hollows has always struck me as agreeable. 235 horses hitched to three open windows and a bed

Review: Jeremey Walker’s The New Calvinism Considered

If you plan on purchasing The New Calvinism Considered, consider supporting Grace for Sinners by purchasing from Amazon.

Author: Jeremy Walker
Publisher: Evangelical Press
Evangelical Press Blog Tour
Reading Level: Liesure



In New Calvinism Considered, Jeremy Walker examines a movement that’s hard to pin down and at times seems like the soul unifying feature is its Calvinism. What I

Live Like Free Peoples of Middle-earth: Sacrifice (Part 4)

We’ve been examining Tolkien’s Middle-earth and asking, “What can we learn about Christian discipleship?” We’ve seen how Tolkien understood God’s sovereignty as a pillar for living in the midst of suffering and evil. Also, he emphasizes the necessity of friendship, fellowship, and food. The lack of these things especially the suspicion of friends allows evil to rot one of our greatest supports

The First Christmas by Ann Dunlap #AdventSeries13

Christmastime is here. We’re inundated with sales for everything from appliances to Zhu Zhu pets. Between football and holiday specials, there’s not a moment of television air time that’s not taken up with some advertiser persuading you that their store is the place to spend your days and your money.

I found my respite from the holiday materialism on the Hallmark channel. There I found

Review: John MacArthur’s Strange Fire

If you plan on purchasing Strange Fire, consider supporting Grace for Sinners by purchasing from Amazon.

Author: John MacArthur
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Reading Level: Easy



Right off the bat: I was surprised with how much I agreed with MacArthur. Also, if people would have read the book in addition to listening to the conference messages there would have been a lot less confusion. For

Review: Curtis “Voice” Allen’s Does God Listen to Rap?

If you plan on purchasing Does God Listen to Rap?, consider supporting Grace for Sinners by purchasing from Amazon.

Author: Curtis “Voice” Allen
Publisher: Cruciform Press
Reading Level: Leisure



Curtis Allen’s Does God Listen to Rap release is providential. NCFIC (National Center for Family-Integrated Churches) Panel recently waded into waters way over their heads. They slandered

Live Like Free Peoples of Middle-earth: Strength in Weakness (Part 3)

So far we’ve looked at how Christian living can be strengthened by following Tolkien’s vision for living like free peoples of Middle-earth by understanding God’s sovereignty over all affairs good and bad and also the value of friendship, fellowship, and food. Now we will look at how Tolkien’s portrait of weakness and strength provide wisdom for finding our place in the one big story.

Live Like Free Peoples of Middle-earth: Christian Discipleship in Tolkien’s Created World (Part 3)

So far we’ve looked at how Christian living can be strengthened by following Tolkien’s vision for living like free peoples of Middle-earth by understanding God’s sovereignty over all affairs good and bad and also the value of friendship, fellowship, and food. Now we will look at how Tolkien’s portrait of weakness versus strength provide wisdom for finding our place in our own stories.