The Beauty of an Uncluttered Soul is a beautifully illustrated hardcover book published last month by Bethany House. Its original artwork is by the very talented artist, Vivian Kammel (www.VivianKammel.com).

The book unfolds in a devotional format, supporting its insights with Scripture at every turn. Space is provided for observations and applications. Included are quotes from A.W. Tozer, C.S. Lewis, Tim Keller, Mother Teresa, and even my mentor (and sometimes co-author), Jerry Bridges.

The book has three main sections: 1) Responding to God, 2) Relating to Others, and, 3) Renewing Your Soul. So while some may view this as a book for ladies only, I believe it offers valuable insights and much-needed encouragements for everyone every day! My favorite chapter is called, Purge Your Past to Find PEACE. If you know my story, you’ll understand why.

So if you feel like your life is cluttered, click HERE and spend some quiet time renewing your mind with Carla Gasser and discover The Beauty of an Uncluttered Soul.

Carla Gasser (www.CarlaGasser.com) is a speaker, teacher, blogger, and writer. She is passionate about communicating truth and grace, connecting passion and purpose, and championing others to share their stories.

Here’s 25 minutes of good news that will make your day! It’s by Pastor Joe Coffey. Fast-forward to 2:41 and settle in. 

It is for believers and unbelievers alike. If I watched it every day I’d be better off for it–because I’m forgetful and need to be reminded of this life-changing good news!

Agents of Change (Part 2) – The Gospel from Christ Community Chapel on Vimeo.

I lost my wonderful mentor, prayer partner, and friend last night. The Gospel Coalition was kind enough to publish my thoughts about him today. I hope you have a few minutes to read about him at this LINK:

[Read more...]

This POST was originally published at DesiringGOD.org. It is based on my book, Good News About Satan: A Gospel Look at Spiritual Warfare.

In a very real sense, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). All humans, including those who compose the church, are subject to the evil god of this world. So here’s a question for you: True or false?

God could have cast Satan into the lake of fire immediately after he rebelled, or immediately after the deception in the Garden, or at any point from then until now, thus sparing his people and the world untold misery and suffering.

Answer: True.

By [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16)

Christ spun forth galaxies with a word. He could just as easily have removed the entire kingdom of darkness with one little word. Wouldn’t the Bride of Christ have been better off? Why didn’t the Divine Bridegroom care for us in that way?

All this is just one way to pose one of the most knotty questions in all of theology.

Why Does Christ Allow the Enemy to Exist?

The short answer is this:  [Read more...]

This is the best Christmas greeting I’ve received so far this season. I like it because it displays the bigger story and the greater glory of the coming of Jesus Christ. By the way, Jerry turned 86 this year!

Dear Friends,

My favorite Christmas scripture is John 1:1-4, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When I link together vs. 14 with verses 1-4, I always say, “WOW”! The Creator of the universe actually became one of us. That’s what the Christmas story is all about. But it is not the end of the story. 

Why did He become one of us? To take our place both in living in obedience to God’s law and dying for our failure to obey. Galatians 4:4, 5, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” and Philippians 2:8, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

 But even that is not the end of the story. He arose from the dead. I Cor. 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” And now [Read more...]

This post is the best thing I’ve read in a long time about understanding and responding to terrorism. I had to share it. If you only have 20 seconds to read it, skip to the last heading, Certainty in One Place.

If this helps you, please pass it on:

WHEN TERRORISM WORKS, By Caleb Greggson

I was 14 when Islamic terrorists attacked my school. In the years that followed, I was often physically overwhelmed by an anxiety that came from knowing I could never feel safe anymore.

As I read live updates from Paris last week, I felt that same cold, knotting fear climbing up my back and reaching around my neck.

Even though Louisville and Paris are thousands of miles apart, these attacks feel different—closer somehow. These terrorists brutally murdered people doing everyday things—going to a soccer match, a concert, a restaurant. Things you and I could’ve been doing. These attacks weren’t just on Parisians, in other words. They were attacks on normal life.

The point of terrorism—and what makes it appealing to those who cannot fight traditional-style battles—is to inject fear into others. To freeze economies by making people too afraid to go out shopping. To tear societies apart since people are too afraid to gather in public places. In short, the point is to make us too fearful to go about our daily lives.

For all the bravado or stiff upper lip we may put up against acts of terror, the fact is sometimes they work. Sometimes, they make us afraid.

But that fear—that uncertainty and hopelessness threatening to paralyze you—is the very thing God uses to strip away your confidence in this world.

Uncertainty of This World 

Physical safety is so illusory, so fleeting. Once you sense this, you may suddenly discover [Read more...]

C.S. Lewis said true humility is “not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less.” I think it also involves thinking of the triune God more (aka “regarding God”)–see my July 15th post below.

Jason Meyer took over for John Piper as Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church. His excellent post on pride is copy/pasted below. Before you read it, note this offer from Desiring God: FREE digital copy of Killjoys: The Seven Deadly Sins. The chapter on pride is written by Jason. I need all the help I can get with this battle–and Jason’s post and chapter were just that for me.

Hit List: Taking Aim at the Seven Deadly Sins also has an excellent chapter on battling pride. 

While working on my most recent book, Good News About Satan: A Gospel Look at Spiritual Warfare, I discovered the vital role of humility in dealing with our spiritual enemy.

Since I struggle with pride more than any other sin, I looked to my mentor and friend, Jerry Bridges, for direction. He sent me to The Beatitudes, which his next book will describe as “humility in action.” And we had further discussion which led to me writing this blog post for Cruciform Press. If you, too, struggle with the sin of pride, I hope this helps.

Prideful sin is no small matter. The biblical warnings against it are bone-chilling. And none is more frightening than this: “God is opposed to the proud” (James 1:6).

We’ve been told over and over: Pride is the root of all sin. Kill pride and your other sins will topple, too. Sounds easy but it isn’t. Pride is slippery. As soon as you think you’ve got a grip on it, it pops up somewhere else nearby—usually closer to your heart than it was in the first place.

Frontal attacks against pride usually fizzle out. Have you noticed that, too? If so, try the indirect approach I learned while working on a recent book on spiritual warfare.

Roots Grow in Soil

There are two sins that actually run deeper than pride. Picture them as the soil from which the root of pride draws its nourishment and support.

Thankfully, these are two sins you can easily battle head-on. In fact, you can “condition” these two soils (that is, poison them) [Read more...]