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If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, you might want to check out this deal. Each month, ChristianAudio.com offers a free audiobook download. This month’s free selection is Desiring God, by John Piper (run time 12 hours, 20 minutes; normally $16.98). Use the coupon code NOV2009 to download the book for free this month only.

Here is a description from the site:

Scripture reveals that the great business of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. In this paradigm-shattering classic, newly revised and expanded, John Piper reveals that the debate between duty and delight doesn’t truly exist: Delight is our duty. Join him as he unveils stunning, life impacting truths you saw in the Bible but never dared to believe.

You can listen to a free audio sample from Desiring God here.

A friend sent me a link to this article about online church and asked what I thought. I think online church can be great for evangelism and as a supplement to the local church, but not as a substitute for the local church. Probably the closest thing we find to online church in the Bible is in 1 Corinthians where Paul writes:

“Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 5:3-5)

Here Paul sees himself as with the church in spirit even though he is not physically present. However, this would seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Notice also that Paul is joining in spirit with a church that is actually gathering together physically.

The apostle John certainly felt that physical presence with each other was important for true fellowship:

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 12)

Pastor/author John Stott wrote these rather prophetic words back in 1982:

It is difficult to imagine the world in the year A.D. 2000, by which time versatile micro-processors are likely to be as common as simple calculators are today. We should certaily welcome the fact that the silicon chip will transcend human brain-power, as the machine has transcended human muscle-power. Much less welcome will be the probable reduction of human contact as the new electronic network renders personal relationships ever less necessary. In such a dehumanized society the fellowship of the local church will become increasingly important, whose members meet one another, and talk and listen to one another in person rather than on screen. In this human context of mutual love the speaking and hearing of the Word of God is also likely to become more necessary for the preservation of our humanness, not less.
    — John Stott, I Believe in Preaching, p. 69. (HT: Luke)

Back to the article, here are a couple things that bugged me in it:

“On one site, viewers can click on a tab during worship to accept Christ as their savior.” I don’t know that asking someone simply to raise his or her hand to accept Christ is much better, but I think we are moving in the wrong direction here.

“[One church] buys Google ad words so that a person searching for ‘sex’ or ‘naked ladies’ sees an ad inviting them to a live worship service instead.” I’m all for reaching people for Christ, but I’m not sure how this squares with 2 Corinthians 4:2 (“We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception”) or 1 Thessalonians 2:3 (“The appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.”) Different contexts, but the principle of no deception still applies.

So, I don’t like the idea of virtual church replacing actual church. And I am a little leery of some of the methods being used. But I don’t want to nitpick either. “The important thing is that … Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18) What do you think about online church?

Further reading:
    • Is Online Church Really Church? (Mark Roberts)
    • Churches Reaching Less Than One Percent of Virtual World (MMI)

Tim Challies has put together a helpful series on breaking away from pornography before marriage especially directed towards young men. Here are the links to the articles in the series.

• Sexual Detox I: Pornifying the Marriage Bed
• Sexual Detox II: Breaking Free
• Sexual Detox III: A Theology of Sex
• Sexual Detox IV: Detoxification
• Sexual Detox V: Freedom
• Sexual Detox: Recommended Resources

Thanks, Tim, for a helpful and timely series. (Update: The complete series is now available for free download in E-book form. Click here to learn more.)

Related post: Taming the Internet in the Home

CT interview: Steven Curtis Chapman shares honestly about the challenge of choosing to believe in the months following the loss of his youngest daughter, 5-year-old Maria Sue, a year and a half ago.

We have absolutely questioned God and had our doubts and said, “Is this whole thing true? Is this real?” I sat on our tour bus last summer and called Scotty Smith, my pastor, after spending a very difficult night of wrestling with God. We were getting ready to go do an interview with People magazine or Larry King or somebody, and I was just in tears, calling my pastor and saying, “Is it really true? Is it really true? Can God be trusted?” … I needed to hear my pastor speak truth again to me. I needed to hear somebody say again, here’s what’s true.

That has been an important process, the whole thing of taking every thought captive and saying, God, this is what I choose to believe. Because I’ve found myself, especially in the first few days and weeks after Maria went to heaven—and there’s still moments of this—that I could almost feel myself being sucked into this black hole of doubt and despair. Of saying, “God, if I let myself keep going in this direction, there seems to be no bottom, no end to this, and I’ll never be able to escape from it.”

At the hospital at Vanderbilt, literally within an hour of knowing that my little girl was in heaven with Jesus, I found myself having to make a choice, when I would start to feel myself and everything in me being sucked into this place, this abyss. I would begin to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord. You give. You take away. But, God, I trust you. I trust you. You are faithful. You are good. I trust you. I trust you.” And as I would say that, literally just choose to make that declaration in the midst of this, I would almost physically feel myself being pulled back from that place. And I’d start to breathe again.

HT: Justin Taylor

Related posts:
    • Steven Curtis Chapman’s Daughter Killed
    • Steven Curtis Chapman on Good Morning America
    • MaryBeth Chapman on Maria’s Death One Year Later

This is why they don’t let me drive a forklift.

This took place in a liquor warehouse in Moscow. The boxes contained bottles of vodka and cognac. The damages were estimated at 5 million rubles ($150,000). And … the driver escaped with only a minor leg injury.

HT: Presurfer

• Free iPhone Bible App. Logos Bible Software has released a free app for the iPhone that lets you read, search, cross reference, compare Bible versions, and even set up daily reading plans.
• The Marriage Index offers a comprehensive view of the state of marriage in the United States.
• Stressful Jobs that Pay Badly. Pastors and music ministers made the top ten. (Maybe we stress each other out?)
• Agassi’s Tennis Toupee. Andre Agassi admits that his long hair back in the 1990s was actually a wig. “I prayed. Not for victory, but that my hairpiece would not fall off. With each leap, I imagine it falling into the sand. I imagine millions of spectators move closer to their TV sets, their eyes widening and, in dozens of dialects and languages, ask how Andre Agassi’s hair has fallen from his head.”

The power of an ultrasound:

Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson’s life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure. “I just thought I can’t do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that’s it,” said Johnson. …

According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it’s business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion … Johnson said she was told to bring in more women who wanted abortions, something the Episcopalian church goer recently became convicted about. …

Johnson now supports the Coalition For Life, the pro-life group with a building down the street from Planned Parenthood. Coalition volunteers can regularly be seen praying on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. Johnson has been meeting with the coalition’s executive director, Shawn Carney, and has prayed with volunteers outside Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood has now filed a restraining order against Johnson contending that the organization would be irreparably harmed by the disclosure of certain information.

HT: First Thoughts

Click here for more posts on the subject of abortion.

Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called True Discipleship, taken from Mark 8:31-9:1. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. What did Jesus have to do to fulfill his mission? (8:31-33)
    A. Jesus had to suffer and die. (31)
    B. Jesus’ confrontation with Peter. (32-33)

II. What must you do to follow Jesus? (8:34-9:1)
    A. The demands of discipleship (34)
        1) Deny yourself.
        2) Take up your cross.
        3) Keep following Christ.
    B. Reasons for discipleship
        1) Your life depends on it. (35)
        2) What is more valuable than your life? (36-37)
        3) Christ will return in power and glory. (8:38-9:1)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour tonight.

Related post: The Thief

Hello everyone. Here is a long overdue update on our family. We have been busy looking at churches and working on selling our home for the past six months. Although I have spoken with a number of churches over the summer, so far the Lord has not opened the door to our next place of ministry.

I moved Rose and the boys down to Florida at the end of September, and then flew back to Massachusetts to continue pastoring and work on selling the house. God provided a buyer the day after I got home! So I have been busy packing the house and will drive down to Florida with all our stuff in just a couple of weeks. In the meantime I still do not have employment.

Here are a couple of ways you can be praying for us right now:

• Housing in Florida: Rose is diligently looking for a home for us to rent in Florida. We need something at a reasonable rate with enough space to hold us, our pets, and our “stuff.” We are looking for a month-to-month lease (very difficult), a garage for storage, and a move-in date of November 19th. Please pray for the Lord’s provision.
• Job: As I mentioned above, I have spoken with several churches but still do not have anything definite. I am also applying for teaching and tutoring positions in the Fort Lauderdale area. If I do not have employment by the time I get to Florida, I will fly back and continue pastoring at my present church probably until the end of the year. I am really missing my family and need to get back to them as soon as possible. Please pray for employment that will meet the needs of our family and also provide health insurance.

Thank you for your prayers for our family during this time of transition.

Related posts:
    • Church Search
    • Pastoral Profile

Here is a very cool costume.

HT: Verum Serum

I will be taking an extended break from blogging starting today. No, I am not burned out on it. I enjoy sharing information and interacting with you through the blog, and I will miss this part of my daily routine. But as we are in the midst of trying to sell our house and in process of seeking God’s next place for us, I need to focus on other things right now.

How long of a break am I planning? I don’t know yet. It may be several weeks. It may be for the rest of the summer. At this point I just need to take things one week at a time.

If you are a regular reader, instead of checking in each week to see if the blog is back up, there is a better way. Click here to subscribe by email, and you will automatically get an email notifying you when I start posting again. (This is through a service called FeedBurner. There is no cost, and they do not give away your email address or use it for anything else.) Or if you are familiar with RSS, you can subscribe by feed reader.

I will keep comments open for a few more days, but after Wednesday this week all comments will be closed until I return. However, I will keep the blog and all its archives up and open for searching and browsing. If you have any questions or I can help you in any way, you are always welcome to contact me by email. God bless, and thank you for reading!