A week ago, John Piper celebrated his 67th birthday. On his birthday, we asked him about his prayer for this new chapter of ministry.

“I really do feel remarkably vulnerable to distraction because of the lifting of certain pressures,” he says. “Deadlines are wonderfully productive. And pressure, while we hate it, really does help [our productivity].”

Pastor John shares his goals (and his fears) as he moves into a new chapter of ministry in the first episode of our newly relaunched Ask Pastor John podcast (APJ).

APJ Is Back

The point of the podcast is to connect more frequently with Pastor John throughout the week and hear his thoughts on the Bible, theology, ministry, and leadership,…

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Jesus sings.

If Scripture didn’t say it, I wouldn’t either. But it’s true. In four places in Scripture we read that Jesus, the Son of God himself, raised his voice in worship.¹

Which is immediately confusing on one level. It's not that there's anything wrong with singing, just that I imagine our Savior much better suited as the silent recipient of adoration and worship (Revelation 5:6–14). But he also sings. And the only way to understand why Jesus sings is to briefly walk through all four passages (here split into three categories).

First, Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 are two parallel texts picturing Jesus “singing a song of praise.”

Both passages are brief. We read that Jesus sang…

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How do you explain “glorify” to a small child? Biblical concepts like this pose a particular problem for parents, and author Sally Lloyd-Jones provides us with some help. I included her book Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing in my list of top 12 books of 2012, largely for how well she translates complex and abstract theological categories (like glory), through story, for young children (particularly mine).

One story from her book is titled “Glorify!” There she introduces the heart of what we call "Christian Hedonism" around here, but in language suited for a young child. And she does it in a mere 155 words. Recently we asked her to read the story for us on camera, which she does in this 2-m…

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Training children to love reading can be tough. Okay, really tough. A host of visual entertainment competes for our children's attention. Things like video games, which are not necessarily bad in themselves, can spill over boundaries and erode a child’s love of reading. When visual entertainment choices threaten a love for books and imaginative storytelling in a young child's life, parents should be concerned. Parents need wisdom here, wisdom suited to the strengths and weaknesses of each child.

Books are important because story is important. And story is important because to some degree parenting is storytelling. Parents are called to the glorious labor of narrating God's sovereign and co…

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At the very points in my life when my soul feels most dry and joyless, I often find myself most spiritually speechless. I'm stuck. And when I get stuck in this inarticulate joyless state I turn to the Psalms. There my plea finds its language.

In a lot of ways, Psalm 86 is like the Lord’s Prayer. It's a ready-made prayer for our daily lives — short and simple, yet deeply profound. In it we read this plea:

Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. (Psalm 86:4)

Short. Simple. Articulate. And life-giving.

What is the psalmist praying for?

First, he asks to be gladdened, gladdened to his core, gladdened to every corner of his life. He seeks…

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Reading the Bible cover-to-cover each year is a resolution that is both noble and realistic. Today we have many apps and guides to help us with the process of our Bible reading. But at the start of our new year it’s helpful to look at the aim of our Bible reading. Why do we read the Bible?

In addressing biblical counselors in 2002, Pastor John explained it this way:

I have a burden for my people right now, just like I do for myself, that we get beyond propositions and Bible verses to Christ. I do not mean “get around” Bible verses, but “through” Bible verses to Christ, to the person, the living person, to know Him, cherish Him, treasure Him, enjoy Him, trust Him, be at home with Him. …

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The holiday season is notoriously busy. But there are often quiet moments at Christmas to slow our lives down for worship. The classic Nativity figurines and all the classic Nativity paintings capture this divine silence. In the presence of the infant God-man, our response is speechless adoration.

As quickly as the Christmas season arrives, however, the quiet moment passes away for another year. Trees and decorations and lights are taken down, and the silent night is exchanged for the hectic new year. It was during those post-holiday transitions that Francis Schaeffer began wondering about the shepherds who ran to see the Christ child (Luke 2:8–21). What did they go back to? How were they …

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The new stage-to-screen adaptation of Les Misérables (which releases today) is proof again of the enduring power of Victor Hugo’s 150-year-old masterpiece. The novel-turned-musical has been released for film and television now 67 times in the past 115 years.

And although I cannot commend that you go see the newest rendition — mostly due to two suggestive sex scenes involving prostitutes — we don't need the new film to explore the enduring value of Les Misérables.

The classic script for the plays and for the new movie is available online. And all the musical highlights from the new film, including Anne Hathaway’s incredible rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream,” can be found on this new sound…

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer awoke December 25, 1943 on a hard wooden bed. It was the first of two Christmases he would spend sequestered in a Nazi prison.

This first Christmas would be celebrated in a lonely prison cell in a place called Tegel. He had been there for nine months, and he would be there for nine more until he was transferred to his final home, a Nazi concentration camp.

Bonhoeffer had hoped to be released for the holiday, but that was contingent on his personal lawyer who proved unreliable. His hope of spending Christmas with his family quickly evaporated into the cold silence, and his only connection with his parents would come through letters.

Inside Tegel

In the Tegel priso…

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We sat down to record one more Behind the Blog before we split for Christmas. In this episode we talk about a web pioneer named Moe, and about how Puritan John Flavel's horseback encounter with the Lord can help us benefit from our daily commutes in the car. We also talk about some of my picks for the top books of 2012. And I'm certain listeners will be encouraged to hear that David and I persuaded someone to take up and read The Hobbit.

You can now subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here. Or listen to the episode through this link:

Behind the Blog: Flavelicious

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Links mentioned in this podcast:

• A Web Pioneer's Wild Dream
  
• Biographical sketches of Tope Koleoso, Jason Meyer, and Mack …

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