The Top Five to Live By: The Year End Edition

Linking you to the top 5 Christian blog posts of the week—posts that provide robust, rich, and relevant insights for living. 

Today I offer the top 5 posts from around the Christian web in 2011.

Here are 5 blog posts that I think were most important and/or helpful for readers.

5. Relational Ministry

Ed Welch of CCEF has an outstanding post reminding us that soulless ministry is not biblical ministry at all (compare 1 Thessalonians 2:8). Gain from his wisdom in Are We Skilled Counseling Mechanics? 

4. Does God Have a Good Heart?

John Piper’s Desiring God ministry blog provides a powerful series of quotes from Martin Luther on relating to God as our gracious, loving heavenly Father. Be encouraged with Abba Father Versus a Wrathful Roar. 

3. Evidence for the Resurrection

Justin Taylor posts two videos of Dr. William Lane Craig’s presentation Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus? 

2. Wright on Hawking

This has to be a first for me with Five to Live By: linking you to the Washington Post. But there’s a grand reason. N. T. Wright responds to Stephen Hawking’s recent comments about heaven. Read it and learn What Stephen Hawking Doesn’t Understand about Heaven. 

1. What’s at Stake?

As usual, Al Mohler cuts to the chase in his response to Rob Bell’s book on hell. Read his take in Universalism as a Lure. 

Join the Conversation

Which post from 2011 impacted you the most? Why? What blog posts have you enjoyed this year that you want to share with others?

Tags: 5 to Live By, Al Mohler, Ed Welch, Hell, John Piper, Lists, Rob Bell, Stephen Hawking

The Top 15 Blogs I’ve Enjoyed in 2011

I love blogs.

Here are the top 15 blogs that I have enjoyed reading and have benefitted from in 2011.

They’re in alphabetical order, so as not to suggest “competition” between them.

I noticed a few “common denominators” among my favorite blog sites. These commonalities break several of the supposed rules of blogging.

• They’re robust. These are not short, choppy, “Christianity for Dummies” posts. They’re deep and detailed.

• They’re theological. These are theologically solid while relating God’s Word to everyday life.

• They’re timeless. While they don’t avoid “hot button issues,” they don’t focus on being “in.” They focus on relating Christ’s timeless truth to our changing times.

1. Albert Mohler.com: President Al Mohler (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) engages the world with winsome wisdom and bold love.

2. The Association of Biblical Counselors: The ABC blog is a compilation with almost a dozen regular bloggers writing about one-another ministry and Christian living.

3. Between Two Worlds: Justin Taylor, as his blog title suggests, relates God’s truth to our daily lives—making biblical connections between our earthly story and God’s eternal story.

4. A Blog from a Counselor for the Church: Brad Hambrick is a young pastor whose writings are mature beyond his years. He is productive—tons of great resources about church ministry, biblical counseling, small group life, and more.

5. Challies.com: Tim Challies is a premier Christian blogger for many reasons: he writes well, he blogs consistently, he is Christ-centered, his posts are deep, and he us not afraid to “tell it like it is.”

6. CCEF: The Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF) blog has great diversity with videos, MP3s, interviews, blog posts, and they are all by well-respected Christian leaders such as Tim Lane, David Powlison, Mike Emlet, and Ed Welch.

7. Counseling One Another: Pastor Paul Tautges has become a good friend—a spiritual friend who ministers to me by his posts that speak the truth in love.

8. Counseling with Compassion and Confidence: This is the blog home of Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries where I enjoy posts by numerous church staff members with a focus on Christian living and one-another ministry.

9. DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed: Pastor Kevin DeYoung writes engaging posts that are deep and long…but I finish reading them and never realize they were long. Every word was necessary.

10. The Gospel Coalition Voices Blog: This is really a collation of many blogs, all worth reading, and focused on Gospel-centered ministry.

11. Grace & Truth: This is the blog home of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. Full disclosure: I’m the Executive Director of the BCC. But I’d be reading this blog daily regardless—it brings together the best of the best in the biblical counseling world and highlights one-another ministry and Christian living.

12. Head, Heart, Hands: Dr. David Murray has become a good friend and a blogger I trust every day to write thought-provoking posts about life and ministry.

13. Kingdom People: Trevin Wax reminds me a lot of Tim Challies in terms of the depth, consistency, and the Christ-centeredness of his blogging.

14. Practical Shepherding: Pastor Brian Croft’s blog is by a pastor for pastors…but…it’s for everyone. Pastor or not, if you care about shepherding others, read Brian.

15. Pure Church: Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile is unafraid to speak truth to power, but does so graciously, humbly, and passionately—from a biblical perspective with a local church focus.

Join the Conversation 

What blogs have you most enjoyed and benefited from in 2011?

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Challies, DeYoung, Lists, Mohler

The Top Two Dozen Referring Sites to the Changing Lives Blog in 2011

I’m grateful for all those sites that referred their readers to my Changing Lives blog in 2011. Today I list the top 24 referring sites. 

I encourage you to visit these sites, listed in order of the most visitors sent to Changing Lives blog posts in 2011. 

I thank each site and the bloggers behind them for helping me, through the Changing Lives blog and RPM Ministries Resources, to be a small part of God’s work of equipping you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. 

1. Challies.com: The blog of pastor, author, and Christian blogger, Tim Challies.

2. The Gospel Coalition: The site bringing together a fellowship of evangelical churches deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures.

3. The Biblical Counseling Coalition: The site focused on promoting personal change centered on the Person of Christ through the personal ministry of the Word.

4. Everyday Christian: The site that shares biblical truth for every day life.

5. The Association of Biblical Counselors: The home of the Association of Biblical Counselors where Jeremy Lelek is President.

6. Head, Heart, Hands: The blog home of Dr. David Murray, seminary professor and author.

7. Kingdom People: The blog home of author and Christian blogger, Trevin Wax.

8. Monergism.com: The site committed to proclaiming the truths of Scripture as reiterated in the 16th century Reformation that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Scripture alone to the glory of God alone.

9. GriefShare: The site that teaches that you don’t have to go through grief alone—you have Christ and the Body of Christ.

10. Counseling One Another: The blog home of pastor, author, professor, and biblical counselor, Paul Tautges.

11. Washington Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary: The home of the school where I am Chairman of the Christian Counseling and Discipleship department.

12. Discerning Reader: The Christian book review site.

13. Musings of a Christian Psychiatrist: The blog of Professor Phil Monroe.

14. Christian Psych: The home of the Society for Christian Psychology.

15. Thom Rainer.com: The site of Thom Rainer, President and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources.

16. Vertical Church: The blog home of Pastor James MacDonald.

17. A Blog from a Counselor for the Church: The blog home of pastor and professor Brad Hambrick.

18. Adrian Warnock.com: The blog home of Christian writer and preacher, Adrian Warnock.

19. CCEF: The home of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation.

20. Grace Dependent: The blog home of Pastor Mark Kelly.

21. Competent Counseling.com: The home of biblical counselor Rick Thomas.

22. Dash House: The blog home of church planter Darryl Dash.

23. Tara Barthel: The blog home of author Tara Barthel.

24. Biblical Counseling for Women: The blog home of biblical counselor Julie Ganschow.

Note: I’ve not included generic web search engines and sites such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

Join the Conversation

Which of these blog sites do you read and how have they ministered to you?

Tags: Blogging, Lists, Referring Sites, The Gospel Coalition, Tim Challies, Trevin Wax

The Top 20 Most Read Changing Lives Blog Posts of 2011

It wouldn’t be the final week of 2011 at our Changing Lives blog if we didn’t list The Top 20 Most Read Posts of 2011. Here are the 20 posts you viewed the most this past year.

Thank you for making Changing Lives a part of your life and ministry. I appreciate the opportunity to be a small part of God’s work of equipping you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

1. Three Dozen Quotes on God’s Healing for Life’s Losses 

2. “I’m Sorry, I Was Wrong, Please Forgive Me.” 

3. “Here I Stand!” Martin Luther’s Story, Part 3 

4. Victory Over, Or Struggle With 

5. The Biblical Servant Pastor 

6. Why I Prefer Local Ministry Over the Speaking Circuit 

7. 15 Biblical Counseling Blogs You Should Bookmark 

8. Stephen Hawking, Brilliant but Foolish 

9. Emotional Intelligence: The ABCs of Emotion

10. Are You a Mature or Immature Leader? 

11. How Do You Break the Stranglehold of Sin? 

12. A Theologically-Informed Approach to Sexual Abuse Counseling 

13. Modeling Our Ministry After the Trinity 

14. A Dozen Emotional Intelligence Lesson Plans 

15. Announcing: Equipping Counselors for Your Church 

16. Praying Biblical Prayers for Your Children 

17. Five to Live By: The Rob Bell Edition 

18. Five to Live By: The Elephant Room Edition 

19. Biblical Confrontation: Speaking the Truth in Love 

20. Women of the Reformation, Part 2, Catherine Zeller 

Join the Conversation

Whether one of these 20 posts or another post from Changing Lives, which post in 2011 most impacted your life and ministry?

Tags: 2011, Changing Lives, Lists

The Best of the Best Around the Net (5/2/10)

The Best of the Best Around the Net links you to blog posts that provide robust, rich, and relevant insights for living. Check out the following links you can trust.

21 Leadership Quotes

Scott Williams at Big Is the New Small has collated 21 Leadership Quotes.

A Gospel-Centric Counseling Book

Mark Tubbs of Discerning Reader has posted a new review of Soul Physicians in his Blog Through of the book. He says, “I’m so convinced of its helpfulness that I urge all pastors and leaders who read this blog entry to invest in a copy and spend the summer reaping its benefits, not only for their counseling ministries but for their church(es) at large. There’s no member, young or mature spiritually, that will fail to take something away that enriches devotion to Christ.”

The Life and Death of An Atheist

Albert Mohler ponders the life and death of the world’s most famous atheist who later in life rejected atheism: The Death of a (Former) Atheist — Antony Flew, 1923-2010. Mohler develops the thesis: “Antony Flew’s rejection of atheism is an encouragement, but his rejection of Christianity is a warning. Rejecting atheism is simply not enough.”

66 Love Letters

The new Gospel Coalition Review site is up and running. They’ve posted my review of Larry Crabb’s latest book 66 Love Letters. Learn more about the Bible as God’s love letter to His people.

Join the Conversation

Of The Best of the Best Around the Net, which post impacted you the most? Why?

What blog posts have you enjoyed this week that you want to share with others?

Tags: Best of the Best, Larry Crabb, Lists