Today we’re excited to share with you a recent project we’ve been working on. We started a new podcast called the CCEF Blogcast, where CCEF faculty read their own blogs. We hope you enjoy this special episode as Ed Welch reads his blog, “Become a Psalmist.” For more content like this, check out the CCEF Blogcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Music: "Created by Design" by Cody Martin ..read more

How can understanding Jesus’ emotions help us understand our own? Listen as Alasdair Groves focuses on one particular emotion which Jesus felt: compassion, an ache on the heart that presses toward action to make things better.“   God sees our frantic bleating, living like sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless. He is a good shepherd, and he has compassion on his sheep, even especially where we struggle to have compassion for others.”   Mentioned in this podcast: We're excited to announce the 2024 CCEF National Conference on the topic of rest. Learn more and register at  ..read more

How can understanding Jesus’ emotions help us understand our own? Listen as Alasdair Groves focuses on one particular emotion which Jesus felt, just hours before his crucifixion: dread. How does Jesus’ experience of dread encourage us in our own experience of it?   Mentioned in this podcast: Head to ccef.org/school to register for Dynamics of Biblical Change, one of our foundational courses, in the March 2024 term. Pricing increases after February 5, so register soon for the discount!   This is episode 2 in a miniseries on emotions (listen to episode 1 here). Do you have an ..read more

“The heart poured out to the Lord is actually a form of trust.”   Sometimes we find ourselves unable to control our emotions. Often this produces guilt, and we wonder, “What does that say about my faith?” How do we navigate such an experience? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses this experience and what faithful living looks like in this first episode of a miniseries on emotions.   Related resources: Untangling Emotions | Book by Alasdair Groves & Winston Smith https://www.ccef.org/book/untangling-emotions Emotions Are a Language | Blog post by Ed Welch https://www.cce ..read more

Sometimes Scripture feels dry, distant, or impersonal. How do we apply Scripture in these times? How do we take hold of a cup of cold water when we are most thirsty? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses what it looks like to bring Scripture to bear on our sufferings and struggles, using several examples from his own life. Related resources: Shaking Off Some Lifelessness with the Psalms | Blog post by Ed Welch https://www.ccef.org/shaking-off-some-lifelessness-with-the-psalms How Do You Personally Engage with Scripture? | Podcast episode by Alasdair Groves & Mike Emlet https://www ..read more

Do you ever feel guilty about how small or weak your faith is? Listen as Alasdair Groves talks about weak faith, primarily considering an example from Peter, one of Jesus’ own disciples. “It's not about the strength of your faith. It's about the strength of the Savior. It's about the strength of the one who can pull you out of the dark waters and bring you back to the boat. Even the tiniest little bit of faith is God's gift to us anyway.” Related resources: The Way of Wisdom in Weakness & Self-Doubt | Conference talk by Esther Liu https://www.ccef.org/session/the-way-of-wisdom-in-wea ..read more

“We can become blind to the goodness of what God is calling us to, the fact that his call to obedience is a call to the path of life, not the path of death. When our drudgery becomes our view of what’s happening here, if we see it as him against us or calling us to something that’s not good for us, we’ve lost some ability to perceive what is true.”   Why do we struggle to do the things God has given us to do? How do we fight laziness or procrastination and move forward into the hard but rewarding task of the work that God has set before us? Listen as Alasdair Groves shares about his own s ..read more

“It is hard to speak to the Lord about your sufferings and to lament and to honestly go to him and say, ‘Lord, this is hurting in my heart, on my soul.’ We rarely step into relationship in that way, and it's a struggle. It's a challenge, and it's a good, right, excellent challenge to come to him as the one who really does care.”   What is self-pity, and how should we view it? How can we turn our self-pity into godly lament that engages honestly with the Lord? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses self-pity and considers what to do when we or others are struggling with it.   Related res ..read more

Alasdair Groves speaks with Collin Hansen about his new book, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, and the influences on Tim Keller, which included CCEF and David Powlison. Collin Hansen is the vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics.   Mentioned in the podcast: "Idols of the Heart and 'Vanity Fair'" | Journal article by David Powlison. Read it here for free: https://www.ccef.org/idols-heart-and-vanity-fair ..read more

When we think about the state of the church today, the negatives often come to mind. While there is much to be grieved about and much change that needs to take place, there is much to be encouraged by when you look at how God is working through local churches around the world. Listen as Alasdair Groves considers some of the reasons not to give up on the church.   "The church has been through a thousand seasons where it's torn itself apart over the ages. But grace is always the center. God's love is always the center that draws his people back together. Let your eyes look for the ways wher ..read more