Dave Gullett

“Advent is my yearly reminder to brush up on Christology, the doctrine of the person of Christ. I’ve found it helpful to approach the subject under three headings:

1. Jesus as Lord (fully divine)
2. Jesus as Savior (fully human)
3. Jesus as Treasure (one person)

So here’s part 1, with parts 2 and 3 on the way in the next couple days.

In this Christological triad (Lord-Savior-Treasure), Jesus’ Lordship is tied to his divinity and to him rightly being called Yahweh, the name surpassingly more excellent than angels (Heb. 1:4), the name above every name (Phil. 2:9). Here’s the connection between Lordship and the divine name.”

Read more.

by David Mathis @ Desiring God

“Late afternoon on Christmas Eve, the year I was eleven, my father took me with him across the river. I can’t remember what the urgency was, but he was a busy lawyer, and he needed some papers signed by a rancher who lived across on the other side of the Missouri from Pierre. So off we headed, west over the bridge and north through the river hills.

If you’ve never seen that South Dakota country in winter, you have no idea how desolate land can be. I once asked my grandmother why her parents had decided to stop their wagon-trek in what became the town where she was born. And she answered, in surprise I didn’t know, “Because that’s where the tree was.” The empty hills were frozen dry, as my father and I drove along, with sharp ice crystals blowing up from the knots of cold, gray grass.

We were supposed to stay only a minute or two, get a signature, and turn back for home. But you can’t pay a visit in South Dakota, especially at Christmas, without facing food—endless besieging armies of it, and usually the worst of American holiday cuisine: Jell-O molds with carrot shavings, chocolate-packet pies, neon-pink hams pricked to death with cloves and drowned in honey. If you’ve never seen one of those prairie tables, you have no idea how desolate food can be.”

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From The Gospel Coalition:

“In a helpful article at Christianity Today, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra explains that “organizations in which missionaries depend on direct contributions from families and churches” are faring better than groups—like the IMB and C&MA—that pool resources. According to Steve Moore, President of the Mission Exchange, a $50­–$100 gift from a family to a missionary they know is “the last type of mission-related giving to be affected in rough economic times.” However, with high unemployment and many churches reducing their mission budgets, many missionaries in the fundraising process are feeling the effects.”

From the Crossway blog:

“‘Tis the season to celebrate the advent of Christ. But it’s also the season of shopping, gifts, commercials, and a culture that tempts consumers that they need and deserve stuff.

In Worldliness (edited by C. J. Mahaney), contributor Dave Harvey gives some practical warnings and advice:

Materialism is fundamentally a focus on and a trust in what we can touch and possess. It describes the unchecked desire for, dependence on, and stockpiling of stuff. In some people it’s more painfully obvious than in others. But it pervades every heart.

Materialism is a far deeper problem than having stuff. It’s an expression of worldliness with incredibly persuasive force . . .”

The BBC shares the best AP News photos from the decade.

“Selecting the images of the decade is a tall order – and whatever one might pick, there will be almost as many opinions as users of the web.

“For me as a photo editor for a news agency, content will always trump form. But when the two come together, we have great photojournalism.”

See them all at BBC News Viewfinder