Gratitude and Concerns

Ray Ortlund lists four things he is thankful for, and four things he is concerned about.

Going into this new year of grace 2009, I am thankful for four things and concerned about four things.

Thankful:

1. The gospel is being rediscovered and rejoiced over and ransacked in a fresh way, as evidenced by Together for the Gospel, The Gospel Coalition, Acts 29, etc. God seems to be creating new conditions for revival in the future. I hope I see some of it in my lifetime.

2. The rising generation, now in their 20s and 30s, are both theologically-minded and emotionally-intense toward the Lord. This is a powerful mix. If they will stay focused, we're in for some good days. Future buffetings will test us, and we are all weak. But the race of Hebrews 12:1-2 is always runnable, if we will keep our eyes on Jesus.

3. The age of parachurch usurpation seems to be ending, and the rightful, biblical dignity and authority of the church are being re-asserted. Since the church is where God locates his power (Ephesians 3:20-21), again, it looks to me like the preconditions of revival.

4. The Bible is the focus of renewed fascination and serious study. I see the success of the ESV Study Bible as one evidence here. Pragmatism is less acceptable as a form of validation, and biblical authority is increasingly required. This is the Lord Jesus himself touching us with his royal scepter, asserting his authority, for his greater glory and our greater power.

Read Concerns...

Daily Text - Christmas Day

Thursday, December 25


Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day)

Watchword for the Day
Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's
very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3


Psalm 147:7-14; 2 Kings 23:21-24:20; Acts 7:30-43

Nativity of the Lord

Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12); John 1:1-14

I will send survivors to the nations, to the coastlands far away that
have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my
glory among the nations. Isaiah 66:19

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had
heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20

Lord Jesus, today we celebrate your birth; your coming to earth as a
baby. We worship you and give you the gift of our lives, ever faithful
to you until we come to live with you again in our father's kingdom.
Amen.

The Tale Of Despereaux

Posted December 18th, 2008 by Tullian Tchividjian

Universal Pictures has given a gift to our families this Christmas. The Tale of Despereaux (G) will be released in theaters this Friday, December 19th. You can view the trailer and website here.

My friend John Seel (a cultural analyst par excellence) sent me this note the other day:

I’m really high on the upcoming film, “The Tale of Despereaux.” When Hollywood does something right, we really need to applaud! May be some day they’ll really start listening to their audience.

So I asked John if he’d be willing to write a guest post here exlpaining the story and why he thinks it’s important. Thankfully, he agreed. Take it away John…

Life isn’t fair. Life is hard. This is not a lesson we often teach our children. We tend to protect them from the hard edges. But a sense of entitlement leads to an attitude of victimhood. It’s far better to forgive and overcome.

Kingdom People Christmas Giveaway

Trevin Wax is giving away a big o' stack of new books. For a chance to win, check out his blog post where he explains how.