Chick-fil-A was a veritable tempest in a pot of iced tea in recent weeks. But we weren't afraid to touch on the subject, albeit tangentally, with an angle on the tolerance of God.

In this latest edition of Behind the Blog, we talk about the tolerance posts, give an update on new Piper publications, provide the backstory on several recent ventures, and offer a glimpse into what's in the works.

This time, at the request of our producer Stefan Green, we threw caution to the wind — along with our "less than five minutes" slogan — for a more extended edition of Behind the Blog. Below are links for the topics we touch on in this episode.

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Holiness starts with God. Discussions about holiness get off on the wrong foot when they begin with what we don’t do, rather than with who God is.

This is essential to keep in mind as we talk about sanctification — the process of our becoming holy. Before we get too far down the road with the derivative holiness of the creature, let’s tune into the original holiness of the Creator.

The holiness of God, says R.C. Sproul in his classic book, is “one of the most important ideas that a Christian can ever grapple with. It is basic to our whole understanding of God and of Christianity” (12).

Holiness Carries Us to the Brink

In trying to define the almost indefinable, John Piper draws in a…

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We're serious about moving books.

At Desiring God, we seek to spread far and wide the "good news of great joy . . . for all the people" (Luke 2:10). And we aim to do this as freely as possible. One way we do that is through partners who join us in distribution through our outreach case specials by suggested donation.

While our ministry energies are focused primarily through our website, we also stand ready to move books in bulk so you can help us in the spreading. We've arranged for extraordinary case-lot specials on some of John Piper's books geared especially for outreach efforts. These titles are packaged in bulk, priced at the lowest possible rates (as suggested donations), ready…

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The clock is ticking. If you're faithfully "preaching the gospel" to your own soul, day in and day out, but distancing yourself from regular Bible intake, your freshness is fading. There's an expiration date on this fruit once it's off the vine.

Don't think I'm down on preaching the gospel to ourselves. I love it. I commend it. It's one of my main conscious sources for sanctification, an indispensable weapon for fighting the fight of faith. I'm eating this fruit daily. Warning you about the "shelf life" on gospel self-preaching is in hope of guarding and preserving this precious reality in the Christian life.

Gospel and Scripture — Together

The concern is that those of us convinced of …

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Is there any key to God's merciful blessings on a particular local church?

Pastors transition. Seasons of ministry change. Congregations are in flux. New initiatives come and go. But there is at least one thing that gives a battered little church ballast in the successive storms of change.

This excerpt begins at the 29:58 mark of this week's sermon, "All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God."

What if being a grace junkie didn't mean caring very little about Christian holiness and obedience? What if we could let grace be grace — wild and free — and at the same time let ourselves be captured by a desire to please God, without assuming it's automatically legalism?

Doug Wilson says we can. Indeed, such is the authentically Christian approach.

We asked for help navigating the ongoing discussion about the gospel and sanctification in the Reformed world. Some stress grace; others highlight holiness. Here's what Doug had to say:

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Sanctification is the theme of our upcoming National Conference. Visit the event page to learn more and register.

Sad to see the Olympics end?

Every other year, whether Winter Games or Summer, it's thrilling when the Olympics arrive and captivate the world's collective attention for two full weeks. But most of us are at least a little glum to see them go, even if it does mean we finally get to catch up on some sleep.

There's a bigness to the Olympiad that fascinates us. It comes with a kind of transcendence that taps into a profound longing in the human soul. On display are the world's best athletes. From most of the world's geopolitical nations. The world's eye fixed on a single object as is rarely the case outside of war. From our limited vantage, few things seem to bring out humanity's oneness, a…

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Usain Bolt, yes, we are impressed. Gold medals in the men’s 100- and 200-meter sprints — at back-to-back Olympics. Like no one’s done before. You’ve made the case as well as any in this generation that you are “the world’s fastest man.”

But don’t think we’re more impressed than we are. At least not those of us happy to acknowledge our creatureliness, and trying our best, with Holy Spirit help, to resist our sinful urges to “suppress the truth” that we humans are created and derivative (Romans 1:18). We are made in the image of God — and the glory we reflect is ultimately that of Someone greater. Infinitely greater.

The Olympic Connection

When we honor humanity’s best achievements and …

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“Do first things first” is the takeaway from Laura Vanderkam’s new eBook What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. Morning is “prime time for self-improvement,” USA Today reports in reviewing Vanderkam’s work. The article says,

Here are some of the things she says go-getters do before most people finish their first cup of coffee:

•Exercise. A dawn workout is common among CEOs and other high-powered types.

•Meditate or pray. Monks aren't the only ones who start the day on a spiritual note.

•Work, often on personal or long-term projects outside the scope of their daily duties.

•Fix a family breakfast — sometimes as a substitute for a family dinner — or play with their kids.

The …

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We could ask Jon Bloom about all sorts of stuff. Whether it's the founding of Desiring God, her nearly 20-year history, or what John Piper was really like back in the day, there's plenty to query Bloom on. But that'll have to wait for another day.

For now, the topic that has our attention is Jon Bloom, the writer. 

As president of Desiring God, Bloom regularly writes for the blog, among his other typical tasks. Over the last couple years, Jon may be our most regular substantive contributor with his weekly Friday morning post. Jon also has a book of devotionals due out next Spring, called Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith.

We thought it'd be helpful to …

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