Crosswalk.com en-us Sunday, November 08, 2009 Sunday, November 08, 2009 rss.aspx support@crosswalk.com support@crosswalk.com http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/crosswalkredesign/images/display/crosswalk_logo_blue_tiny.gif http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/challies/ http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/challies/11609391/ It is here at last. For years now I have been waiting for a great biography of Calvin—the kind of biography which I would recommend without hesitation for those who would want to learn about the life of the great Reformer. In a year that has seen the arrival of at least half a dozen biographies of Calvin, this one, I believe, stands as the best. Written by Bruce Gordon, professor of Reformation History at Yale University, it is titled simply and properly, Calvin. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:57:00 GMT 11609391 Tim Challies http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/challies/11609265/ I went for a walk this morning, and pretty much had the town to myself, it seemed. Few people were out and about at 5:30 in the cold, dark, pre-dawn. This was the first time this year I’ve had to wear a coat while walking and the first time I’ve been able to see my breath misting the air around me. Winter is fast approaching. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:56:00 GMT 11609265 Tim Challies http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/challies/11609027/ There are a vast number of ministries serving the church today. Though I am familiar with many of them (by name at least) I have often wondered what each of them offer to us, and what we can offer to them. I thought it might be useful to offer a series of interviews with some prominent ministries to ask just this kind of question—who are you?, what do you do?, why do you exist?, and so on. It is useful, I think, even to know the size of the budgets of these organizations and the number of people they employ. You may be surprised at how big (or how small) some of these organizations really are. So over the next few weeks I will be interviewing representatives from many of these ministries. I trust you will find the interviews interesting and hope they will show you how different organizations are seeking to serve the Lord in such different ways. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:45:00 GMT 11609027 Tim Challies http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/challies/11608495/ I’ve never been mistaken for Brad Pitt. Not once. Neither has anybody ever stopped me on the street only to look disappointed, apologize and say, “I’m sorry, I thought you were Johnny Depp.” It just never happens. There’s a reason for this. Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are remarkably handsome guys (says I in a totally heterosexual way). While we all know that, at least to some extent, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is no doubt that, at least culturally, there is some standard of what makes a person beautiful or exceptionally handsome. Depp and Pitt fit the mold quite well. I, like most others, decidedly do not. Some concerned therapist may write me concerned that I do not have healthy body image or some other pyscho-mumbo-jumbo, but I’ll assure him that I’m doing just fine, thank you. I know who I am and I know what I’m not. And I’m no Brad Pitt. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:04:00 GMT 11608495 Tim Challies http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/challies/11608142/ The Bible tells us repeatedly that we will eventually and inevitably begin to resemble the people we spend time with. If we walk with the wise we will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20). Much of the book of Proverbs deals with this very theme, warning the young and foolish to avoid similarly foolish companions. Such proverbs cannot always be taken too woodenly or literally, yet they do point us to an important truth. If you spend time with a person you will begin to resemble that person. Perhaps you will not resemble the person in appearance (unless you are a teenager) but at least in spirit, in thought, in attitude, you will. Experience shows me that this is true. This is one of the great blessings of the local church, that in the church the foolish are able to spend time with the wise, learning how to be like them. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:33:00 GMT 11608142 Tim Challies