Jen Wilkin

Aging Is a ‘Gift,’ Not a ‘Disease’—Jen Wilkin and ‘The Deep Dish’ Podcast Hosts Discuss What It Means to Age Well @jenniferwilkin joined @courtneydoctor and @melissabkruger on the new podcast from The Gospel Coalition to discuss why aging is a “discipleship issue” for the church. @TGC

Jen Wilkin joined Courtney Doctor and Melissa Kruger on the new podcast from The Gospel Coalition to discuss why aging is a “discipleship issue” for the church.

Many ask for a fresh, personal word from God while the ancient, shared ones lie neglected.

It is not new truths we need, but old truths recently forgotten.

It is not personal revelation that fuels the church’s mission, but shared revelation. All 66 books of it. All profitable.

I’m encouraged you have found them helpful!

Coming in January! “Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” — Psalm 16:5-6

Get Behind Me, Self - Christianity Today Satan isn’t our only enemy.

“Emphasis matters…The NT Epistles mention attacks of “Satan,” “the devil,” “the evil one,” and “the enemy” several times, but worldliness, fleshly desires, and sins of the flesh show up everywhere -- expounded in lists, warned against constantly.” www.christianitytoday.com/2025/03/sata...

Get Behind Me, Self - Christianity Today Satan isn’t our only enemy.

“Nearly any inconvenient circumstance—a flat tire, canceled flight, strained muscle, fraud alert from the bank—can send us into speculation that Satan is trying to derail our day,” writes @jenwilkin.bsky.social.

But Satan isn’t our only enemy.

The Bible is our great Ebenezer, a memorial stone to the faithfulness of God, carefully recorded and preserved for His children.

And every copy, from the dog-eared to the disregarded, is whispering, “Remember.” Remember the God who remembers you.

Hymns for everyone!

Because God does not change, we can rely on His promises. All that he has promised to do must come to pass. The gospel itself is bound up in the idea of God’s immutability. We fervently need God to stay the same – our great hope of salvation lies in his remaining exactly as who he is.

I think Ted’s onto something. I see the magi and their lavish gift-giving as likely a call-back to the Israelites receiving the wealth of Egypt at the exodus. It would fit with all the other call-backs to Exodus in Matthew’s birth narrative 🤷‍♀️

At My Mother’s Deathbed, I Discovered the Symmetry of a Long Life - Christianity Today The chiastic pattern I’d come to love in Scripture also shows up in God’s design for aging.

“In a culture that fetishizes youth and views aging as a journey into irrelevance and uselessness, God’s family takes the view that people possess an ever-developing value, one that renders their contributions essential and indispensable,” writes @jenwilkin.bsky.social.

If you are at TGC25, I hope you will join Gavin Ortlund, Mike Kruger, Alistair Begg and me for a discussion of how to have healthy disagreements in the church.

Register for this auxiliary event here: www.tgc25.org/event/5c7c78...

Don’t let a youth-obsessed culture rob you of your sense of the value of all parts of life. We need our aging faces and slowing bodies to tell us the truth: that time is passing, and that it is exceedingly precious.

My latest at @CTmagazine: t.co/oLtqw1Zwvy

How do you plan to spend time in the Scriptures in 2025? Some thoughts on the relative benefits of reading plans, Bible studies, and topical studies: www.jenwilkin.net/blog/2015/12...

To be clear, I’m saying students don’t need teen-targeted content. They’re more than capable of interacting with Scripture as adults (and with adults). Devotionals can slow or sabotage their developing Bible literacy because devos spoon-feed. Give them tools to learn the Bible & form a study habit.

How to Teach Your Teen to Study the Bible Here’s a simple approach you can adapt to fit the age of your teen.

Parents of teens, before you buy them a teen devotional or teen Bible study, read this: www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/teac...

To all my ministry friends for whom Christmas means long days of serving when others are on vacation time, thank you. Thank you for giving your time so that many others can gather to worship during the season of Advent!

YouTube video by The Gospel Coalition I Am the Light of the World (John 8:12-30) | Jen Wilkin

Advent is the season of light. In June I taught on the theme of light from Genesis to Revelation and its implications for the children of God. I hope it ministers to you! youtu.be/HW8mqcj05pg

Our Advent Waiting Goes Back to Eden - Christianity Today At just the right time, God fulfills his promise.

"We have never been good at waiting ... Advent has always taken longer than we expect."

A beautiful @jenwilkin.bsky.social piece I re-read every Advent:

www.christianitytoday.com/2022/11/wilk...

TGC Women

Interested in learning how to disciple others or see discipleship permeate your church culture? I’m teaching part of a 6-week virtual cohort from Women’s Initiatives at TGC called Demystifying Discipleship. Use code ‘JEN10’ for a discount on the cohort cost.
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Learn more by visiting tgc.org/women

Take your time. Be patient. Don’t expect every interaction with Scripture to yield immediate clarity. Don’t ask every interaction to microdose your emotions. The things you understand the best are often those you worked hardest to grasp. Wait on the Lord!

We readily assent that no part of sanctification will be easy, but we often expect this particular part should be. If God wants me to know the Bible, why wouldn’t He make it easy for me to understand?

The spirit of the age is instant gratification. The Spirit of the Lord takes the long view.

The final score wasn’t what we hoped, but the company couldn’t be beat. Always proud to be a Fightin’ Texas Aggie! 👍🏻

a logo for the university of texas a & m on a maroon background ALT: a logo for the university of texas a & m on a maroon background

It’s a great day to BTHO t.u.!!!

They are all winners.

Vito the pug wins best in show at annual National Dog Show competition Vito has racked up 25 best-in-shows over his lifetime.

It’s a big day, Vito. We salute you. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

All lyrics teach us. Those that build Bible literacy are particularly powerful and precious. Wesley was a master of helping us sing the Bible.

So, happy first Sunday of Advent next week!

As the candles are lit, hail the Sun of Righteousness whom the darkness has not overcome! /end

It’s why I love Charles Wesley. He’s the intersection of Bible literacy and lyrical genius. Just masterful.

And yeah, it’s why I miss the hymnal sometimes. As a child, I would read its lyrics when the sermon didn’t grab my attention. And the lyrics were there to teach. /5

It’s a messianic prophecy from Malachi 4:2:

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall”

How great is that??? /4

Here it is:

“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings”

Note that the lyric is “Sun”, not “Son”.

Here’s why…. /3