Nothing Like a Good Hike

My family and some church friends are enjoying some time in the Eastern Sierras--an annual event for us.

My wife and I spent part of our 34th wedding anniversary hiking along one of our favorite trails before enjoying a nice meal with friends and family.

My sons bought my wife an iPhone for her birthday.  They created a monster--I never know what she'll do with her camera, nor when she'll do it.  From now on, she hikes in front of me.

Update on Monday, August 6, 2012 at 12:53PM by Kim Riddlebarger

The iMonster caught in action during this morning's hike

This Week's White Horse Inn

A Juvenile Church?

What is the history of today’s youth oriented culture, and what kind of effect is this culture having on churches in our time? On this edition of the program, Michael Horton discusses these questions and more with Thomas Bergler, professor of ministry and missions at Huntington University and author of the recent book The Juvenilization of American Christianity.

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Basics of the Reformed Faith -- The Lord's Supper

The next installment of my series on basic Reformed doctrine has been posted on the Westminster Seminary California blog.

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This Week's White Horse Inn

Open Lines

On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts take calls from listeners on a range of topics including: the carnal Christian and the victorious Christian life; the New Perspective on Paul; how to explain God’s sovereign choice to elect some (but not all) to come to faith, and the history of the Reformation idea of the priesthood of all believers.

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Five "Myths" About Reformed Theology

Mike Horton addresses five common misconceptions about Reformed theology.

You can find his short essay here:  5 Myths About Reformed Theology

Basics of the Reformed Faith -- Baptism

The next installment of my series on basic doctrine has been posted on the Westminster Seminary California blog. 

Here's the link:  Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Grace Liberates

Life coaches are everywhere these days. Whether found at a local seminar or on television, they can help you manage your finances, bake better cookies, or lose weight in seven easy steps. Unfortunately, too often this is what many people find in churches across the country. Why are we so attracted to “helpful advice,” and how is this different from the radical message of the gospel? On this program, Michael Horton walks through Romans 4, explaining how we can never truly be freed by “to do lists,” but only by the liberating message of God’s grace.

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Summer Update

Several of you have asked about my health and my summer sabbatical, so here's a quick update.

Two weeks ago, I was cleared by the Drs. to return to normal duties (I have), and I feel great.  I did have cancer--you know the kind you get if you don't go to the doctor, if you don't have your colonoscopy at age 50, and if you don't have the polyps removed before they turn nasty? 

But the prognosis is very good--no sign of any spread, no chemo required.  I'll not make that mistake again, and will monitor things closely from now on.  Thank you so much for the prayers and well-wishes.  They were greatly appreciated and evidently, quite effectual.  God has blessed me with good health (so far) and a strong constitution, so it was a good thing for me to deal with a serious illness and my own mortality.  Such things change you in deep and profound ways, and for that, I am very thankful!  Psalm 116 has a new depth of meaning to me.

As for writing projects, I have completed the draft of my commentary on 1 Corinthians (it is undergoing final edits).  You can check it out here: Lectio Continua.  It should be released early in 2013.  I'll keep you posted.

I've been working on another project for the last month (I can't tell you about it yet, but will when I get publication info from the publisher).  I'll keep you posted about this as well.  I'm pretty excited about it.

Getting these two projects wrapped up should clear the deck so I can finally finish up my two kingdoms book (which is about 2/3's complete).

When I return to my duties at Christ Reformed in mid-August, I'll begin a new series on the Gospel of John.

The picture of me and Micki was taken at a wedding in May. 

Basics of the Reformed Faith -- The Sacraments

The next installment in my series on basic Christian doctrine has been posted on the Westminster Seminary California blog.

 You can find it here:  Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Boredom and Entertainment

Compared with a summer blockbuster film, many would likely characterize the events at a typical church as “boring.” In order to address this problem, many churches over the past few decades have begun using the techniques of show business. Worship now has the look and feel of a rock concert, and sermons have turned into inspirational comedy routines. What is boredom anyway, and should it be avoided at all costs? Is entertainment always the appropriate response? Joining the panel for this discussion is Richard Winter, author of Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment.

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