Mike Wittmer

What I think. What I know. What I think I know.

  • true value

    I discovered an interesting piece of trivia during my reading on technology, and I thought it might have some homiletical value. You are welcome to use this illustration as it fits in your sermon or lesson, and as always, give productive feedback before I send it in to Our Daily Journey. And if you are…

  • the brotherhood of man

    I watched five minutes of the interminable Super Bowl pregame show, but the brief segment I saw included the cast of several NBC shows performing a Broadway song and dance called “The Brotherhood of Man.” In our day of gender inclusivity, when Bible translators worry that masculine pronouns might offend female readers, when professors tell…

  • Revelation

    The newest entry in Crossway’s “Preaching the Word” series is Revelation by Southern Seminary professor Jim Hamilton. Jim’s homiletical commentary will be a great help to anyone who is preaching or teaching through the book, or who just wants to study it for themselves. Jim deftly negotiates the numerous questions that swirl around this apocalyptic…

  • glory and love

    Last evening a student asked if I have any insight on whether God is primarily a God of glory or love. Apparently this was being discussed among the pastoral staff at his church, and he intimated it was being bandied about more broadly. In case someone else has an interest in this topic, here is…

  • iBibles again

    I saw a fellow surfing his cell phone throughout the entire worship service yesterday, so for every good example you have rightly mentioned there are plenty of others who rudely give in to temptation. Perhaps we need to welcome people to use their technology while regularly reminding them about the dangers that come with it.…

  • iBible

    I have noticed that fewer people are bringing their Bibles to church. Some may leave them at home because they know the preacher’s text will appear on the PPT screen, while many others actually are carrying their Bibles to church—on their cell phones. This is definitely more convenient than lugging The American Patriot’s Study Bible…

  • Arab Spring

    Tomorrow my Apologetics class is going to examine Islam, so today we went to Calvin’s January Series to hear Rezla Aslan speak on “The Future of the New Middle East.” Aslan is the Iranian-born author of No god but God, and while I’m pretty sure he doesn’t share my views on many topics, he is…

  • your brain on technology

    Over the last week I read some provocative books on digital technology, including Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains; William Powers, Hamlet’s Blackberry; Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody; Michael Lewis, Next; and Tim Challies, The Next Story. Challies does an excellent job summarizing the insights of the others, and…

  • perils of digital technology

    I just finished listening to MIT professor Sherry Turkle, who kicked off Calvin’s acclaimed January Series with a lecture on technology (other speakers over the next three weeks include Eric Metaxas, David Gergen, Michael Gerson, and N.T. Wright). You can listen to most lectures live online for free (some may also be available online after…

  • the ultimate question

    One of the big stories in Grand Rapids in 2011 was the November passing of Fred Meijer. The newspaper account of his funeral inspired this draft for Our Daily Journey. As always, your helpful suggestions are appreciated.        Fred Meijer was one of the wealthiest men in the world. His Meijer stores were the first to combine…