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Nancy Beach says she needs to cut back on blogging so she can watch more TV. “This is truly another Golden Age for television, and anyone intrigued by the craft of writing/directing and acting can learn boatloads about character development and the creation of powerful moments. Some of the most gifted artists now invest their skills in the medium of television, and while there is still a lot of junk to wade through, there are also some gems to be deliciously devoured.”

Mark Roberts reflects on his sixteen-plus years as pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in California as he prepares to move to Texas for his new position as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge. “It seems appropriate for me to compose some thoughts as I finish my ministry at Irvine Presbyterian Church. In the days ahead, I’ll put up whatever strikes me as worth sharing with my blog readers. My hope in doing this is not only to do some personal reflection, but also to help others in their thinking about the church in general and pastors in particular.”

Kevin Howard is offering a free download of his book Growing Up in Christ: Biblical Teaching for New Believers. “While this work discusses topics you would expect in a discipleship book, it also addresses issues that some books overlook–church discipline, fasting, sexual purity, tithing, dressing modestly, dealing with the poor, profanity, Sabbath rest, cults, persecution, dating and choosing a spouse, submitting to pastoral authority, confessing sins to other believers, involvement in missions.”  I did a quick scan of the book’s contents, and it looks like excellent material.  (HT: Between Two Worlds)

John Piper shares what he said at his granddaughter’s funeral this week. Felicity Margaret Piper was stillborn at full term on September 22, 2007.  “My father died six months and sixteen days before Felicity did. I believe the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ covers the sins of all who trust him and all who are not old enough to trust him here but will trust him later. Therefore, I believe Felicity and her great grandfather met each other early Sunday morning in the presence of Christ. And my father said, perhaps, ‘Hello, Felicity. I’m your great grandfather Piper. Come, there is somebody I want you to meet. His name is Jesus. He’s the reason you’re here. You don’t need to be afraid. Your Savior has led you all the way. And Jesus does all things well.”

Consumer Reports lets you crash test your vehicle online at this site.

Colin Adams emphasizes that children’s sermons (or children’s talks) should be: 1) scriptural, 2) stimulating, 3) short, and 4) simple.

Alan R. Bevere offers some reticent thoughts on global warming. “I am not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV . . . but I have read a fair amount on the matter from scientists on both sides of the issue.”

Meanwhile, Pete Dupont discusses Danish scholar Bjorn Lomborg’s new book “Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide To Global Warming.” “There is both global warming and global cooling on the planet Earth. There always has been and there always will be, because temperature change is cyclical: The Earth’s temperature oscillates up and down, ebbs and flows, over decades and centuries.”

Justin Taylor shares F. G. Hibbard’s response to his ten-year old son on whether it was right for the psalmist to pray for the destruction of his enemies. “My son, if an assassin should enter the house by night, and murder your mother, and then escape, and the sheriff and citizens were all out in pursuit, trying to catch him, would you not pray to God that they might succeed and arrest him, and that he might be brought to justice?”

Timmy Brister takes a look at the sad state of church membership in North America. “A prominent pastor from the United States … was introduced to the Kenyan church leadership as ‘pastor of one of the largest churches in America, with more than 20,000 members. Each week more than 8,000 attend his preaching.’ Visibly moved, the Kenyan leader led his brothers to pray for the American pastor who could not find more than half of his church members on Sunday morning!” (from “Church Planting Movements,” by David Garrison)

Joe Carter questions the conservatism of Fred Thompson’s federalism. “After surveying the entire field of Presidential candidates, I made the decision several months ago to give my tentative support to the campaign of Fred Thompson. I believed Thompson to be the most electable candidate whose views aligned most closely with my own. Now I’m not so certain. His views of the federal marriage amendment, the Schiavo case, and his general position on federalism are troubling. For me, conservatism trumps federalism, while the position Thompson endorses seem to reverse that order.” (This is interesting to me, because so far I really like Fred Thompson as a candidate.)