• Culture,  Music,  Personal,  Politics,  Theology/Bible

    Scratching My Head at Derek Webb

    I love Derek Webb. I first started listening to his music in 1994 when I was in college and when he was in Caedmon’s Call. I will never forget the first time I saw Derek perform live with Caedmon’s (circa 1995). It was at Tulane University in New Orleans, and I and the other hundred or so people were mesmerized for the entire concert. When I heard Derek sing and play “Bus Driver” that night, he became my favorite of the group. It was one of the best shows I’d ever been to. Caedmon’s Call was supposed to be playing Christian music, but it didn’t sound like any of the…

  • Personal,  Theology/Bible

    God’s Grace and Cancer

    Those of you who read my blog know how much I love and admire John Piper. I esteem him as highly as I do because the Lord has used him so mightily in my own life to raise my esteem for God. John Piper was diagnosed with cancer last December, and by the grace of God is turning the entire trial into a platform for bearing witness to the supremacy of Christ. I love him for that. I love God for that. On the eve of his surgery to have the cancer removed from his prostate, he penned a little exhortation titled, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” As usual, the words…

  • Personal,  Theology/Bible

    Pray for John Piper’s Surgery

    Be sure to pray for John Piper’s upcoming surgery to treat his cancer. It will be on February 14. You can read about his illness and about the procedure he’s undergoing here. In praying for God’s will in this difficult time, Dr. Piper has a good word from John Newton that he’s taken to heart: “Everything is needful that He sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds.” Thanks.

  • Culture,  Personal,  Politics,  Theology/Bible

    Jerry Johnson Live

    A few weeks ago, President Jerry Johnson of the Criswell College (where I teach) began a Christian worldview radio show here in Dallas, TX. The program is called “Jerry Johnson Live” and broadcasts all over the metroplex area every weekday from 5-6pm Central Standard Time. Dr. Johnson has invited me to take part in today’s show as we analyze and discuss the President Bush’s State of the Union Speech. You can listen to the show live on the internet by clicking on the following link when the show airs today from 5-6pm: KCBI Live Stream Dr. Johnson’s show has been going great so far, and I am honored to be…

  • Personal,  Theology/Bible

    John Piper and Cancer

    John Piper has written a letter announcing that he has prostate cancer. The letter is available here on the Desiring God website. Those of you who read my blog know how much I love Dr. Piper and how important his ministry has been in my life. I hope you might be willing to join me in praying for him, his church, and his family.

  • Personal,  Theology/Bible

    Tom Schreiner’s New Page

    Dr. Schreiner and I on my graduation day (December 12, 2004) I am so thankful to have had Dr. Tom Schreiner supervising me in my doctoral work. Throughout my time as his student he pushed me to be an exegete first and to let the scriptures alone have their say. He is an expert in his field, a godly man, and a great pastor to his flock. That is why I am happy to direct you to his faculty page on Southern Seminary’s website which lists books, articles, book reviews, and editorials that he has written. Go check out his page, and take advantage of the many contributions this great…

  • Personal

    Shout out to My Homie, Adam King!

    I have to give some e-props to my homie Adam King (a.k.a. “sofyst“). He is one of my students and is the one who is responsible for my really fly new blog design. I think the new digs look really dope. It is da bomb, so to speak. What can I say? When Adam’s in the hizzle, da blogs stots ta sizzle. [For the uninitiated, the paragraph above represents my “cool professor” mode of speech. It’s just an attempt to relate to my young students on a more authentic level. So I often speak to them in the hip language of the day that they understand. As you can see,…

  • Culture,  Personal,  Politics,  Theology/Bible

    Interview for ABC News Dallas

    The interview aired last night on the 10 o’clock news (see previous post). I had been wondering how my comments would come across once they were edited to fit into the report. Having seen it, I have to say that it could have been worse. They have me reading the scripture (1 Corinthians 6:9) to the effect that the “unrighteous” will not inherit the kingdom of God. But they didn’t include the part about the Gospel being for all kinds of sinners. Nevertheless, it’s always a good thing to be able to read scripture, so I can’t complain. If you want to watch the video, click here: Watch Video. If…

  • Culture,  Personal,  Politics,  Theology/Bible

    Interview for the Gospel

    The reporter who conducted the interview was Gary Reaves (pictured right). I got called on today to represent Criswell College in an interview with a local news program (Channel 8, ABC-Dallas) about the upcoming vote on whether to amend the Texas constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. I only had about an hour or so to prepare for the interview. So I began reading stories from several different newspapers and news sources and tried to brush up on the state of the political debate. I read websites sponsored by interest groups for the amendment and others that are against the amendment. I was well-prepared to…

  • Personal,  Theology/Bible

    Book Notice

    Thank the Lord! The contract is signed, and my dissertation is scheduled to be published this summer in Sheffield Phoenix Press’s New Testament Monographs series. The book will be number 14 in the series, and the title is “Articular Infinitives in the Greek of the New Testament: On the Exegetical Benefit of Grammatical Precision.” As you can tell from the title, this book promises to be a real page-turner. I fully anticipate for Susan and me to be able to retire on the proceeds that I will receive from this blockbuster treatise. This book will likely be the surprise hit of the summer, and I expect it will be flying…