Train Hard, Fight Easy

“The concept of preparation, of true training which sets its eye on a distant goal, seldom finds its way outside of the gym or motivational business speeches. Many of us see the everyday as a mini crisis, and are much easier on ourselves than we could be, or possibly should be. In my own life, periods of intense pressure or suffering have often come as a surprise, a shock to the trend of how I live my life, so that enforced denial has not benefitted from the advance party of self-denial. What is true of the individual is also true of the Church in much of Western Europe. We have become so present-centred that not only are we seldom thinking of eternity, we are scarcely planning for tomorrow. Such a perspective will make any future hostility or persecution depressingly effective in terms of decimating the ranks of the Church.”

On the Theological Backchannel 

In this post, Samuel James shares some insights that he has acquired while observing the crafting of online identity. It is no surprise that people have an online identity that doesn’t watch their in-person one, but you may be surprised about what’s behind them.

Marrying Doctrine and Practice

In this article, Joel Beeke describes how Puritan preaching sought to marry doctrine to the heart, then encourage it to flow out of one’s life.