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The July 7, 2008, issue of Time magazine features an article by David Van Biema, entitled "And God Said, 'Just Do It.'"

It's not about Nike.

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies
1. Get Smart (PG-13)
2. The Incredible Hulk (PG-13)
3. Kung Fu Panda (PG)
4. The Love Guru (PG-13)
5. The Happening (R)

John Calvin dedicated himself to two goals which he found in the preaching of John Chrysostom, one of the greatest Christian preachers ever who lived from 350-407. These are still admirable goals after all these years – nearly 500 since Calvin and 1600 years since Chrysostom!

In The Writing Life, Annie Dillard compares a writer to an inchworm perched atop a long blade of grass:

Few sights are so absurd as that of an inchworm leading its dimwit life… I often see an inchworm: it is a skinny bright green thing, pale and thin as vein, an inch long, and apparently totally unfit for life in this world. It wears out its days in constant panic.

Our sister site, Outreach and Evangelism Today, has posted an article on Preaching Evangelistically.

Preachers who wrestle with what it means to preach a Christ-centered sermon from the Old Testament might be surprised to learn that John Calvin did not see the need to make every Old Testament sermon explicitly Christ-centered!

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. The Incredible Hulk (PG-13)
2. Kung Fu Panda (PG)
3. The Happening (R)
4. You Don't Mess with the Zohan (PG-13)
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13)

As a part of our current theme of Getting the Gospel Right, we asked a few preachers to share their personal journey in preaching the gospel. Pastor and author Mark Buchanan is up to bat first with The Gospel & Me & You. Mark shares how his "sense of what the gospel is has deepened, enlarged, and in places, changed." Here's an excerpt from his work for you to reflect on in the comments section:

In his Jesus Creed blog, Scot McKnight recently weighed in on the subject of Sermons and Plagiarism.

It's a little late—but better late than never, right? I was on vacation last week. Sorry about that. I won't let it happen again. Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about (or at least they were last week)...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)

1. Kung Fu Panda (PG)
2. You Don't Mess with the Zohan (PG-13)
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13)
4. Sex and the City: The Movie (R)
5. The Strangers (Rated PG-13)

In a recent interview with PreachingToday.com, Haddon Robinson had this to say about preaching the gospel.

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Sex and the City: The Movie (R)
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13)
3. The Strangers (Rated PG-13)
4. Iron Man (Rated PG-13)
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Rated PG)

As part of our ongoing theme of "Getting the Gospel Right," Preaching Today has posted the transcript of an interview with Haddon Robinson. In this episode of PT Talk, chief editor Brian Larson points out sections of the interview that have helped him the most in his preaching. Brian and I then take the opportunity to talk about some ways to use a story that's included in this week's fresh batch of illustrations. Click "Play" on the audio player to listen to PT Talk via audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player. The illustration that Brian Larson and I reference throughout can be found here. If you're not a member of PreachingToday.com, the illustration is not free. However, we go over it in the recording so you can follow along.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

This Sunday, I will finish a sermon series on the book of Judges. Preaching this series has prompted me to think a lot about preaching the gospel from this book. Perhaps that notion seems preposterous or at least presumptuous! Is it really possible to preach the gospel in Judges or, for that matter, in any Old Testament story? I’m working on an article related to this topic, but I’d like to share a couple paragraphs I wrote this morning. . .

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13)
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Rated PG)
3. Iron Man (Rated PG-13)
4. What Happens in Vegas (Rated PG-13)
5. Speed Racer (Rated PG)