“Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness; let him rebuke me-it is oil for my head.” —Ps 141:5 Godly criticisms are a gift. Wise rebukes are like oil, anointing and cleansing the soul. Seek them out.

"It is more difficult, and requires greater power, to justify a sinner than to create heaven & earth. Why? Sin & grace are more contrary to one another than something & nothing; sin is far more distant from God, & more contrary to Him, than nothing is." -Cornelius a Lapide

The Garden of Earthly Delights (detail), by Hieronymus Bosch, 1480-1505, 📸 by Alex Brandon

“A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.” —Ps 142:1 “Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in the cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought him such misery upon his later days.” —Spurgeon Pray in the palace as well as the cave.

If you truly care about the truth you will want people to believe it. Say it in the most hearable way possible without compromising in the slightest. Don't say it in an unnecessarily abrasive way and then, when rejected, pat yourself on the back for being valiant for truth.

Interesting when you read the Bible how our speech is just as morally freighted as our actions. Saying wicked things is itself a wicked act regardless of “execution.” If anything it’s more dangerous as the quick path to spiritual ruin (hence all the warnings about the “tongue”).

I recall a conversation with a highly intelligent RC student who was asking me some very specific questions about the logic of the Lutheran view of predestination relative to a specific passage in the Summa. When I shifted the conversation to Ephesians 1, arguing that the

nahhh the pitch side ad board message is killing me they did NOT have to crop it like that

Interesting that it’s a blasphemous IMAGE that goes too far for some folks and not the WORDS and ACTIONS that led up to it.

My conviction remains: God did not ordain Donald Trump to rescue the American church, or revive the American church, or redeem the American church. God ordained Donald Trump to test the American church. And the American church has failed.

This is only believable in the US, where many people haven't seen a doctor bc they don't have healthcare

Have y’all ever seen that show “the Chosen”? It’s so weird that all the characters are dressed like doctors.

Here’s a picture of my doctor making house calls

Was just asked whether this looked accurate. I said maybe...

Aquinas on Jesus’ flight into Egypt (Matt 2). Fascinating to think of this episode as having a truly salvific function (the “mystery”), that in fleeing Christ effectively goes out to meet all sinners who have fled from him.

Delighted to receive this today from Crossway! It’s out in August.

Speaking of children's classics, I am dismayed that most sites today recommend only new books. I learned about kindness to beggar children from two sources: "A Little Princess" (Burnett) and "A Little Match Girl" (Andersen). The movies DO NOT DO IT. Books work on us differently.

very helpful to consider what lies behind various behaviors. how can i encourage activity that is driven by love for & interest in the world rather than a desire to escape it?

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. - Paul, Ephesians 4:29-30