Excellent or Praiseworthy – December 2022

Happy New Year! Everything listed below was encouraging, helpful, or informative to me during the month of December. I hope it blesses you.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
– Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Articles

1. Talk About Jesus, Not Celebrities

Tim Challies offers some great advice here: “Make it your goal to talk about Jesus, not celebrities. Make it your goal to tell about the perfections of the Savior more than the failures of the famous. Make it your goal to describe what God has done, not what Christian personalities have failed to do.”

2. When Identity Politics Consumes Theology

This is a short opinion piece by Carl R. Trueman. He warns us against making Christ in our own image. It’s worth a read.

3. Hedgerows and Big Yellow Trucks

A great lesson about learning from life’s interruptions.

4. The New Heaven and the New Earth

Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like? In this article, Thomas Schreiner gives an overview of what can be expected.

5. Learning to See and Savor an “Abstract” Masterpiece

An interesting comparison between abstract art and the manger of Christmas.

6. Seminary Is Not For You

Anna Stewart says, “Brothers and sisters, our theological education is not for us; it is for the local church.” I agree.

7. Bible Reading Doesn’t Have to Be a Resolution

Perhaps this year you don’t have to read your Bible daily.

Books

1. The Pilgrim’s Progress

My first reading of this classic. I now know why it was second only to the Bible in terms of copies sold for hundreds of years.

2. Freedom of Simplicity

This book will challenge you to go against the grain of our materialistic, egocentric culture.

3. What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?

It’s one of the most contentious issues in the church today. Kevin DeYoung has written a book to help Christians navigate the conversation through the relevant Biblical texts. I have a full review of it coming next week!