As much as we love great books, we at Things Above Us hope to point you to The Book, the Bible,...
audio
A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin (book review)
A Little Book on the Christian Life I was surprised to find out how utterly readable John Calvin...
Here I Am, Send Someone Else
The Background No doubt it was a bizarre sight – the bush burning, but not consumed from the fire....
Born of Mercy
In 1 Peter 1:3, Peter gives glory to God highlighting His blessedness and His great mercy for His causing sinners to be born again. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living...
Revisiting Andy Stanley’s “Unhitch” Remark (audio edition)
Back in the "good days" of Reformed social media when the topic du jour was inerrancy instead of critical social justice, Pastor Andy Stanley came under fire for stating in a sermon that we need to "unhitch" from the Old Testament. Some of the criticisms seemed to go...
No Rest for the Wicked: Satan’s Active Work in Today’s World
The Sovereignty of God In 1 Peter 5:8 the Apostle says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." The Bible is clear in many places that Satan is at work in our world today. Yet, the Bible...
Do You Feel Called by God? by Michael Bennett (book review)
Less than two months into my time on campus at Dallas Seminary, these words of unapologetic careerism came to us from a guest speaker at chapel: If you're in your fourth year — first, second, third-year students listen up — if you're in your fourth year, and you don't...
Unintended Consequences (audio)
This is the audio edition of "Unintended Consequences," the written edition of which we originally published in September of 2018. You can go back and read it if you wish or just enjoy the audio edition. If you haven't subscribed to the audio edition already, you're...
Commentaries on Ephesians: EEC by Baugh and NICNT by Cohick (book review)
With this article, I am introducing what will be a recurring series of reviews looking at notable commentaries on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I have been blessed to teach from Ephesians and hope these reviews will help readers to consider some of the many resources out there.
On Vacay? Out of Town? Go to Church!
Whether they hold to the doctrine of the Christian Sabbath or not, Christians should universally believe in the significance and importance of attending church. Yet folks skip miss church for all sorts of reasons—and most of them are bad reasons. One of the worst reasons Christians miss weekly worship is due to a vacation or travel schedule.
I believe that Christians should make every effort to schedule their lives around the Lord’s Day. Worshipping Christ in communion with the saints should be the focal point of your week…and everything else should fit in around that. If you follow that principle, you will never find yourself traveling all day Sunday and missing church or lounging on the beach when you should be gathering corporately. A mind set on being ready to meet with God on Sunday with the saints will take the necessary steps on Saturday to not be too tired for church, for example.
Witnessing to Mormons
What is your experience witnessing to Mormons? A couple of Mormon missionaries stopped by my house when I was particularly busy early this week. I invited them back and they showed up right at the time we agreed upon. I spoke to them on my porch and thought the...
A Change of Heart – Chapter 2: Mere Christianity (Part 4)
For the last year+, I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
Therefore the Truth I Speak: Scottish Theology 1500–1700 (book review)
Donald Macleod’s beautiful new book, Therefore the Truth I Speak is an engaging look at Scottish theology that mines the past and brings it into the present.
A Change of Heart — Chapter 2: Mere Christianity (Part 3)
For the last year+ I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
A Curious Case of Providence
A couple of weeks ago, our team was ministering at Planned Parenthood. We had a group of five people, which is a nice team size, but two of the men were first-timers; that is, they had never been to an abortion clinic before for ministry. Nothing remarkable happened...
One Way God Judges (audio repost)
As part of our newly-debuted audio edition, we're re-publishing some of our older posts in audio format. If you haven't subscribed, please consider doing so! In today's post, One Way God Judges, Michael encourages us not to hold back from sharing God's law and gospel...
A Change of Heart — Chapter 2: Mere Christianity (Part 2)
For the last year+ I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
Mama Bear Apologetics (book review)
I became aware of Mama Bear Apologetics by means of the Wokeness and the Gospel conference last month. The book somehow became in high demand at the bookseller table and sold out. Luckily enough, the parents of one of the authors were attending the conference, so they...
A Change of Heart — Chapter 2: Mere Christianity (Part 1)
For the last year+ I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
The T&T Clark Handbook of Analytic Theology (book review)
The T&T Clark Handbook on Analytic Theology is a landmark resource from a team of authors hoping to bridge the gap between philosophy and theology.
A Change of Heart, ch. 1 — Heart Matters
For the last year+ I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
It’s Good to Be a Boy by Spurgeon — Children’s Book Review
Spurgeon, Joseph. It's Good to be a Boy. Large type / Large print edition. 5 Solas Press, 2020. 26pp. $14. Purchase here. Biographical Sketch of the Author (From Amazon) Joseph Spurgeon is the husband of a beautiful and godly woman named Rowina, father to six...
How to Obey God
True believers are actually being made holy by the power of God. The work of Christ didn’t just purchase a legal declaration but also a practical application of holiness. This is another blessing the believer possesses in Christ. J.C. Ryle elaborates: The Lord Jesus...
Reformed Dogmatics Single Volume Edition by Geerhardus Vos (book review)
Geerhardus Vos’s Reformed Dogmatics is a must-have for aspiring theologians. The new Lexham Press single-volume edition of this important work is a great option for anyone who has been reluctant to pay for the previous five-volume set.