The very first TPC poll had to do with selecting an area of life in which we wanted to make changes this year. The majority of us chose our time. Living as we do with today's hectic pace, we are confronted with the ongoing necessity of evaluating what we are doing with our hours and days and weeks. Are we living as Paul instructed, redeeming our time for kingdom purposes? Are we doing the best we can for God in work and recreation, in the morning and evening, on weekdays and weekends? It's so easy to fall into patterns of second best or, perhaps more accurately stated, patterns of mediocrit... [read more]

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Back with you later this week!

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C.J. Mahaney's new book, Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World, will be released by Crossway in September. I thought I'd mention it now, rather than later this summer, for a couple of reasons. First is the controversy in the Christian blogosphere this week. Christianity Today's on-line magazine featured a positive review of the movie Sex and the City, which caused no small stir. You can read the objections at Carolyn McCully's blog and at Boundless. Second, I received a comment from a Purple Cellar reader who pointed out that I had, however inadvertently, given a positive s... [read more]

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The other day I read a review of the popular book He's Just Not That Into You, and although the book was written from a purely secular perspective, there is some wisdom in its message. The review, from a source I cannot recall, sums up the book with this helpful and, more often than not, accurate insight: The bottom line is that men are not complicated and there are no mixed messages. If he doesn't ask you out [or] call you soon after a date . . . then he's just not that into you.

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As women, we've been wired by God to be helpers, which means we've also been equipped with the power to influence--to suggest, guide, encourage, and offer the wisdom we've picked up along the way. Influencing can be one of the primary ways we practice helping, and we influence by means of our words. But by our words, we can also corrupt the call to help, to influence.Consider Delilah from the book of Judges. This woman was employed by her countrymen to trick the Israelite judge Samson. She put to use all of her feminine wiles to convince Samson to reveal the secret of his great strength so ... [read more]

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"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls," Proverbs tells us. Walls around ancient cities were necessary for the survival of its inhabitants. Without such walls, a city was left vulnerable to attack from outside forces. When we fail to exert self-control over ourselves, we are no better off than Jericho after its walls came tumbling down. We all struggle to master and maintain control over one or more aspects of ourselves--thoughts, desires, emotions, physical appetites. Why is self-control so hard? Here are five reasons that we struggle so much with it,... [read more]

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"Dealing Treacherously with Your Wife" is a great article to download for your husband, but its primary points are as just as beneficial for you and other wives you know. It's based on Malachi 2:14, which says, "The Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and your wife by covenant." You might want to click over to Allen M. Baker's article and read the entire thing. Here is an excerpt: What ought you do to protect yourself against dealing treacherously with your wife? Here's what won't work. Simp... [read more]

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"If you're unhappy, somewhere along the line you're unholy." --John MacArthur(The Beatitudes: The Only Way to Happiness, p. 120)

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This month marks the eight-year anniversary of the homegoing of James Montgomery Boice. The time from his diagnosis of liver cancer until his death was very short—about eight weeks. When he was diagnosed he knew the medical odds weren’t in his favor, but his response of faith was incredibly powerful.I was devastated when I first learned of his illness. Dr. Boice was not only my pastor, but he was also my employer, example, and a father figure. After hearing of his illness, I didn't want to see him right away because I was afraid I'd get emotional in his presence. But I sent him an email... [read more]

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Can a man and a woman be just friends? Following the Elisabeth Elliot post last week, a lot of you wrote in asking about that. The short of it is, of course men and women can be friends! But what does a godly male-female friendship look like? Several things come into play in answering that question.First, what is the purpose of male-female friendship? Motivation is key. There are two primary reasons for a man and a woman to be friends: seeking a spouse and building the church. It’s often a much safer option to choose a life-long companion by means of friendship than by dating. Friendship ... [read more]

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