The Gift of Sleep: An Interview with Brett McCracken

This past Spring when I learned that Brett McCracken had written a soon-to-be-released book about sleep, I knew that I had to read it as soon as it came out. (I read it in one day this past weekend.) The name of the book is: The Wisdom of Sleep: How Rest Reveals God's Truth and Revives … Continue reading The Gift of Sleep: An Interview with Brett McCracken

From Public Baths to Prisons: How Ancient Civic Places Unlock the Bible

I recently read a fascinating book about ancient places (like theaters, agoras, libraries, cemeteries) and how understanding their functions can illuminate early Christian life. The author is Jason Borges. Jason earned his Master of Divinity at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University) and a Ph.D. at Durham University in northeast England. Jason recently released Christian Life … Continue reading From Public Baths to Prisons: How Ancient Civic Places Unlock the Bible

Snippets from God’s Purposes in Our Pain

For today’s post, I’ve extracted twelve brief passages from my new book (with co-author Keith Krell): God’s Purposes in Our Pain: 10 Ways God Uses Suffering for Our Good. I hope you’ll receive spiritual encouragement from these short excerpts—though, of course, the impact will be greater if you can get a copy of the book … Continue reading Snippets from God’s Purposes in Our Pain

God’s Purposes in Our Pain (Release-Day Excerpt)

Today is launch day for God’s Purposes in Our Pain: 10 Ways God Uses Suffering for Our Good. Keith Krell (my co-author) and I have been eagerly awaiting this day so we can share this book with you. (The photo is of students in my Romans class celebrating the release of this brand new book!) … Continue reading God’s Purposes in Our Pain (Release-Day Excerpt)

Predestined to be Conformed to the Image of Christ (Romans 8:29)

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29) Today's devotional thought is not really focused on predestination, even if that’s the first thing my students want to talk about when they encounter Romans … Continue reading Predestined to be Conformed to the Image of Christ (Romans 8:29)

Strategies to Memorize the Bible: An Interview with Josh Summers

A few weeks ago, I joined Josh Summers for an interview at Bible Memory Goal about my recently published book, The Bible by Heart: The Bible's Own Method for Scripture Memory. In the past few years, Josh has become an influential Bible-memory coach to lots of people through his online presence (HERE, HERE, and HERE) and … Continue reading Strategies to Memorize the Bible: An Interview with Josh Summers

A Handy Way to Demonstrate the Stability of the Greek New Testament Text

[This article was first posted on the Good Book Blog on March 6, 2013. I've had a lot of opportunities to refer people to this post, so I decided to share it today with readers of Kindle Afresh. I hope you find it helpful!] People sometimes get up-tight when they first learn of the existence … Continue reading A Handy Way to Demonstrate the Stability of the Greek New Testament Text

Does the Bible Command Us to Memorize Scripture?

Yes, the Bible commands us to memorize Scripture. But the command probably doesn’t come in the form you think. Normally, people think of a biblical command as direct instruction to do a particular action. For example, they might look for a command like: “You shall memorize Scripture.” Since no such command is found in the … Continue reading Does the Bible Command Us to Memorize Scripture?

The Role of Emotion in Philippians: Discerning Affections

My colleague, Dr. Isaac Blois, who teaches in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University, recently published an academic book entitled The Role of Emotion in Philippians: Discerning Affections. I was intrigued, to say the least, when I learned last summer that he was almost done writing a book about emotions in Paul’s wonderful—and emotional—letter … Continue reading The Role of Emotion in Philippians: Discerning Affections

Memorizing Scripture the ‘Bible Way’: An Interview with Ken Berding

Exciting Announcement: My newest book, The Bible by Heart: The Bible’s Own Method for Scripture Memory is launching today! I’d love for you to pick up a copy for yourself and for a friend! Here is an interview about memorizing Scripture and this book that will be posted in a few days on The Good … Continue reading Memorizing Scripture the ‘Bible Way’: An Interview with Ken Berding