Perhaps the SMARTEST thing many of us could do is…

…is turn off our computers and do something else.

Thanks, Mark. 😉

Alcorn’s Favorite Books

Looking for some ideas for summer reading? One of my favorite authors, Randy Alcorn, lists his favorite non-fiction books.

John Piper – “Pray Like This: Hallowed Be Your Name”

Part 1:

Part 2:

Elijah Prays for Rain

A powerful message on prayer from Terry Virgo…

Part One:

Part Two:

Mohler on Apple’s Steve Jobs, Parenting, and P0RN

Political scientists and sociologists long ago came to the realization that one of the most significant indicators of political behavior is parenthood. Those who bear responsibility to raise children look at the world differently from those who do not. In fact, parenthood may be the most easily identifiable predictor of an individual’s position on an entire range of issues.Now, along comes Steve Jobs to prove the point. Jobs, the Maestro of Cool at Apple, recently engaged in a most interesting email exchange with Ryan Tate, who writes the “Valleywag” blog for the gossip Web site, Gawker.

On his initial email to Steve Jobs, Tate complained about what he described as a lack of freedom in Apple’s approach to the approval of products for its “App Store” for iPods, the iPhone, and the iPad. “If Dylan was 20 today, how would he feel about your company?,” Tate asked. “Would he think the iPad had the faintest thing to do with ‘revolution?’ Revolutions are about freedom.”

Apparently, Tate was upset about some of the restrictions put in place by Apple. Among those restrictions is a ban on pornography.

Steve Jobs threw Ryan Tate’s definition of freedom right back at him. Is Apple about freedom? “Yep,” said Jobs, “freedom from programs that steal your private data. Freedom from programs that trash your battery. Freedom from porn. Yep, freedom. The times they are a changin’.”

Read the rest of Dr. Mohler’s post HERE.

Weekend Reading and Listening…

Some links you might enjoy:

– We might know right from wrong much younger than many would have imagined as one study has indicated.

– Justin Taylor interviews David Platt. Dr. Platt is the pastor of Brook Hills Church in Birmingham and is one of the finest young preachers I have heard. His passion for global missions is infectious. If you can carve out an hour, the message included on that page is very worthwhile.

– David Murray reminds us of the importance of keeping a guard over our mouths with his post about the potential political suicide of Britain’s Gordon Brown.

– What is Biblical Counseling? David Powlison (of CCEF) seeks to answer that question as a guest of Bethlehem Baptist Church.

– Was George Washington a true Christian? I’ve read and been told for years that he was not because he was supposedly a Deist. Peter Lillback challenges that assertion with some significant evidence that Washington was a true follower of Christ. Hear him talk about it or check out his book, George Washington’s Sacred Fire.

– Tim Keller preaching on the Prodigal God, which is also a book.

Ed Welch on Depression: the Stubborn Darkness

I really appreciate the writings of Ed Welch. Here Dr. Welch speaks compassionately and understandingly about the subject of depression, and offers some hope:

Half of All Marriages End in Divorce? Maybe Not.

Ready for some good news? TIME magazine reports that the popular statistic may not be so accurate. In fact, it appears that the divorce rate has actually dropped.

Zac Smith, 33

He died yesterday, at the same age Jesus did. And because Jesus rose, Zac will too.

As Zac said, “To God Be the Glory.”

A Sudden Conversion to Christ

Yesterday in my message, “Jesus Loves Me: He Reveals Himself to Me,” I pointed out how God sometimes surprises us with His timing, showing up in our lives when we don’t expect Him. I also mentioned that some people can point to their conversion testimony as examples of this reality. God saved them when they were not looking for Him. John Shore has such a testimony:

The split-second before I very suddenly became a Christian, I couldn’t possibly have been less of a Christian. If anything, I was anti-Christian. The religion struck me as ridiculously immature, a way-too-obvious system designed mostly to capitalize on people’s guilt: Big Daddy in the Sky knows you did wrong, but will love you anyway if you’ll only admit that he’s perfection itself, and that you’re a wretched, sickening sack of sin.”

Note those first words of that paragraph: “The split-second before I very suddenly became a Christian…” Talk about not looking for God! Yet God revealed Himself to Mr. Shore suddenly and convincingly. Reminiscent of Saul/Paul’s testimony (Acts 9). Read the rest of Mr. Shore’s story HERE.