There are a bunch of new Kindle deals worth considering: The MacArthur Bible Commentary is a good choice for a single-volume commentary ($5.99); Church History in Plain Language is an excellent one-volume church history ($4.99); Where to Find It in the Bible helps you track down biblical references for contemporary issues ($1.99); One Perfect Life by John MacArthur ($3.99); The Kingdom of the Occult by Walter Martin ($3.99); Peace Child by Don Richardson is a missionary classic ($3.99); The White Umbrella by Mary Frances Bowley ($2.99).

Time for a Tat? - While this (long) article begins with tattoos, it quickly moves to the nature of midlife crises. It’s quite an interesting read.

When Harsh Words Are Kind - “Missionary to India, William Carey, once exhorted a Baptist gathering in England by saying, ‘Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.’ I love that quote. But we must heed the Bible's warning through Simon the Magician: if we attempt great things so that others will see us as great, we are in grave spiritual peril.”

Mom, I Love You But… - Here is some rather humorous evidence that “even after you are all grown up and become the President or whatever, your mom will always be your mom.”

The Heresy of Perfectionism - R.C. Sproul: “The peril of perfectionism is that it seriously distorts the human mind. Imagine the contortions through which we must put ourselves to delude us into thinking that we have in fact achieved a state of sinlessness.” The irony of perfectionism is that it must be a sin to say, “I don’t sin.”

Fight Like a Christian - Here is J.D. Greear on ten ways to fight like a Christian.

Teach us, O Lord, the discipline of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work. —Peter Marshall

W.W. Jay-Z? - Writing for Christianity Today, Russell Moore suggests “how Christian hip-hop could call the American church back to the gospel—and hip-hop back to its roots.”

A Week of Groceries - I always enjoy photo collections like this one. Here is a week of groceries from different families around the world.

How Introverted Pastors Love - John Piper has some helpful thoughts on the introverted pastors. He makes many other observations on 33 years of pastoral ministry.

National Geographic Photo Contest - Here are some of the best photos from this year’s National Geographic Traveler Magazine photo contest. Some of them are nothing short of spectacular.

Porn and the Brain - One fascinating area of research today is the effect of pornography on the brain. The connection does not absolve addicts of blame, but it does warn us of one more negative effect of pornography and explain why the addiction is so difficult to destroy.

Every Generation Is the Me Generation - There have been many interesting reactions to Time Magazine’s cover story on the “Me Me Me Generation.” But as this article explains and displays, every generation is considered the “me generation” at one time or another.

There is no better test of growth than that a man desires God because he is God. —Martyn Lloyd-Jones

What Separates Us From the Bible? - Tony Payne follows up a previous article: “I was suggesting last week that the Bible is not written from an alien, different world, but addresses the world we live in. But there is something that stands as a divide between us and the Bible; something that prevents us from grasping hold of the Scriptures and applying them rightly to our lives.”

World’s Worst Violaters - “The worst countries for religious freedom are either Muslim or atheist.  (Burma is Buddhist.) We understand about Islam, but atheists like to present themselves as tolerant.  What does it tell us that no countries of Christian heritage are on the list?”

Hymnals Have a Future - I suspect the better headline here is “Why I Really Hope Hymnals Have a Future.” But I could be wrong and maybe hymnals really do have a future.

Shaping a Child’s Soul - Timothy Paul Jones strikes a good balance in this article. “If your goal is organizational efficiency, equipping parents to disciple their children may be an inefficient use of your time, and turning over children's spiritual lives to professionals at church might make perfect sense.”

Refusing the Search - I had wondered this in the aftermath of the Boston Marathan bombing: During the lockdown, what would have happened if someone had refused to allow his house to be searched by police? I didn’t hear of anyone claiming that right when the SWAT team banged on the door.

Texting and Driving - Be sure to talk to your teens about this! Texting and driving now kills more teens every year than drinking and driving. After all, kids don’t drink 24 x 7, but they do check their text messages all day every day.

A Jesus who never wept could never wipe away my tears. —C.H. Spurgeon

There are several books on sale for Mother’s Day: Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick ($5.99); Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter ($4.99) and Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Son ($4.74) by Vicki Courtney; Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis ($1.99); Comforts From Romans by Elyse Fitzpatrick ($3.99); Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney ($3.99); Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes ($4.99); Through HIs Eyes by Jerram Barrs ($5.99). (More Kindle deals at the bottom of this post)

The Struggle To Trust - Every parent can identify with the struggle to trust the Lord with your childrens’ salvation. “The way I hope my kids will come to salvation is quite narrow. I want them to soak in God's word and truth by osmosis until one pretty spring day while we're sitting under a big oak tree and enjoying a picnic, their little eyes open to the truths of God.”

Crossway Flood - In the aftermath of a devastating flood, Crossway is looking for your assistance. “Your willingness to stand with us today will help Crossway recover and carry forward our not-for-profit ministry and our strategic efforts to reach the world with the gospel and the truth of God's word.”

Top Preaching Mistakes - Julian lists the top mistakes he makes in preaching, both in preparation and delivery.

A Close Encounter With Abortion - Marlin Stutzman: “Recently, after speaking on the House floor about the horrors of Dr. Kermit Gosnell's abortion clinic in Philadelphia, I began wondering if my mother had ever thought about ending her unplanned pregnancy. My parents never gave any indication that it was ever a consideration, but was it?”

License Plate Readers - The sheer volume of information being collected and archived these days is amazing. License plate readers are just one of the most recent and most troubling.

What! Get to heaven on your own strength? Why, you might as well try to climb to the moon on a rope of sand! —George Whitefield

Remember that the Kindle editions of the NIV Application Commentary set are on sale for just $4.99 each. This is considered a very good popular-level series. I've asterisked volumes especially recommended by the various experts I rely on to help me sort through commentaries: Genesis*; Leviticus, Numbers; Deuteronomy*; Joshua; Judges and Ruth*; 1 & 2 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles*; Esther*; Job; Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs*; Isaiah; Jeremiah, Lamentations; Ezekiel*; Daniel*; Joel, Obadiah, Malachi; Hosea, Amos, Micah; Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah; Haggai, Zechariah; Matthew; Mark*; Luke*; John; Acts*; Romans*; 1Corinthians*; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians*; Colossians & Philemon*; 1 & 2 Thessalonians; 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus*; Hebrews*; James; 1 Peter*; 2 Peter & Jude*; 1, 2, & 3 John*; Revelation*.

There are a couple of new Kindle deals that may interest you. A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Joni & Ken; it has now been marked down to $3.79. Couples of the Bible by Robert & Bobbie Wolgemuth was in my recent list of New & Notable books and is now just $3.99.

More Than Half of Humanity - This map shows something incredible: that more than half of the people on earth live in a very, very small area.

Do We Have to Mention Jesus? - I like John Koessler’s answer to the question, Do we have to mention Jesus in every sermon?

You Won’t Remember This Article - “Do you understand and remember more after reading from a page than reading from a screen? As Ferris Jabr reports for Scientific American, the book itself binds your understanding.”

Plosky Tolbachik Volcano - “Plosky Tolbachik is a massive basaltic volcano. On November 27, 2012, the remote Russian volcano Plosky Tolbachik erupted and as of today (February 6, 2012) fluid lava continues to erupt from the volcano.” This is an amazing 360 degree aerial panorama of it all.

Ian and Larissa - DG: “It's been one year since we released this video, very simply titled: "The Story of Ian and Larissa." The response was (and continues to be) stunning -- over 1.5 million plays online from viewers around the world. But such impressive numbers only faintly echo the measure of grace in the lives of Ian and Larissa Murphy. And to mark the one-year anniversary of the video release, we wanted to reconnect with them for a quick update through this written interview.”

We must not conceive of prayer as overcoming God's reluctance but as laying hold of his highest willingness. —Richard Trench

Discipleship as Network - Yancey Arrington has a very helpful look at discipleship. “Let me very clear, I think one-on-one discipleship is a legitimate, beneficial avenue of discipleship. I've done it and will do it in some fashion in the future. However, I would argue that more than merely one-on-one ratios, most discipleship is found in a network of relationships.”

A Hated Minority - An article at CNN considers that Christians’ view of homosexuality may soon make them a hated minority. “Sprigg and other evangelicals say changing attitudes toward homosexuality have created a new victim: closeted Christians who believe the Bible condemns homosexuality but will not say so publicly for fear of being labeled a hateful bigot.”

Cameristas - Here is an article and a video from the New York Times. The video displays and describes some of the most iconic photographs from the Civil War.

The Snowstorm and the Suffering Servant - “In a raging storm in a rural town on the coast of Japan, a man and his daughter huddled against a warehouse. They held one another, they felt the fury of the wind and the snow, and they fought for life. In early March of this year, a major snowstorm hit northern Japan. In the rural town of Yubetsu (in Hokkaido), it stranded a father, Mikio Okada, and his daughter, Natsune, in a snow bank.”

Who Really Runs Wikipedia? - Wikipedia’s success, and even its existence, continues to baffle me. This article from The Economist asks who really runs and controls the site.

The Supremacy of Christ - This is a fantastic presentation of the gospel.

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who did most for the next. —C.S. Lewis

The Stigma of Mental Illness - Brad Hambrick has written an important article for the Biblical Counseling Coalition. He looks at the role of language in our discussions of mental illness. “Consider the breadth of meaning that can be contained within the simple sentence, ‘I'm depressed.’ That's what we say after a bad math test, the end of romantic relationship, the death of a parent, after prolonged isolation, and when we're hung over from alcohol (a depressant). Then there is clinical depression which has some relation to these experiences, but may or may not be present in the down mood associated with the list of experiences above.”

Your Church Is Too Small - Hillsong is a growing movement and I found it helpful to read this ground-level perspective on their most recent conference. It draws attention to both the strengths and the weaknesses of the movement, its conferences, churches and music.

The Pro-Life Home - Rachel Jankovic: “The Gosnell situation shines light on the darkness of abortion in a way that nothing else has in a long time. Stories like this one (and the recent video sting of that clinic in the Bronx) make me realize that I am just far enough away from the reality of abortion to forget to fight it, and that I needed this kind of reminder. Let me try to explain myself.”

Kindle Fire HD - I share a lot of deals on Kindle books, so I guess it makes sense to also share deals when the Kindle itself goes on sale. The Kindle Fire HD is $20 off until Mother’s Day with the coupon code FIRE4MOM.

Cities Behind Walls - I enjoyed this gallery of cities that were built behind walls. It makes for an interesting contrast between the modern and the ancient.

What Is Hesed? - God’s hesed is his loyal love. “God loves His people genuinely, immutably, loyally. Both the love and the loyalty are, of course, tightly bound together. That is, just as one cannot love capriciously so one cannot be loyal without love. God is for His people, and will never cease to be for them.” Be sure to read down to the personal applications.

I have never won an inch of the way to heaven without fighting for it. —C.H. Spurgeon

Proud vs. Broken People - “Most of the Christian books, sermons and theological material that my father gave me as a boy failed to catch my attention; but, for some reason, I've never forgotten Nancy Demoss' chart contrasting proud/broken people. I need this more today as a husband, father, pastor and friend than when I was young.”

Busyness Is Not a Virtue - Some time ago I resolved never to say I’m busy and never to consider myself busy. This article helped reinforce that: “Going on about how busy you are isn't conversation and doesn't lead anywhere—except making your conversation partner bored, or worse, peeved. People who act super busy send the same message, making time spent with them never feel quite whole.”

Kim Jong-un Looking At Things - Because it is the weekend I think I can get away with posting something this ridiculous. It’s simply a collection of photos of the dear respected leader looking at things. Apparently he looks at things a lot. And while we are on the subject of North Korea, Frontline Missions has a persecution update to guide you as you pray for the nation.

Churches Cooperating in Discipline - Jonathan Leeman says “Yes, autonomous local churches really can cooperate in church discipline. No, they typically don't. But, yes, they should!” 

The Twidiocracy - This is a long article, but worth the time commitment. He’s up-front about his bias: “I'm not a Twitter fan. In fact, I outright despise the inescapable microblogging service, which nudges its users to leave no thought unexpressed, except for the fully formed ones (there's a 140-characters-per-tweet limit).”

The method of the evil one is to obscure himself behind some other object of worship. —G. Campbell Morgan

Why You Should Not Listen to Me - Thabiti Anyabwile: “Influence. It's a funny thing. It's inescapable-someone will always be perceived to have it or not have it, to either use or misuse it. We complain about it, but we also want to be influenced.” Be sure to read why you shouldn’t listen to him.

Dear Mr. President - Here’s an excellent blog post. A mother simply writes a letter to the President, explaining how she told her children about the reality of abortion.

Google Glass - Here’s the great line from this article on Google Glass: “Google Glass, like the Segway, is what happens when Silicon Valley spends too much time talking to itself. Maybe that's even overstating the case: The rhetoric around Google Glass is what happens when important tech people spend a little too much time congratulating each other.” Also on the subject of technology, I don’t know much about the book, but this quote is worth pondering: Our Trust in Technology.

The Inevitability of Sanctification - Elisha looks at the outdoors and (just as God wants us to, I’m sure) learns a lesson there about spiritual growth.

The Sanctifying Work of Parenthood - “Many people describe marriage as the laboratory where our spiritual growth is fostered and developed. I find it to be equally true of parenting as well. God has used parenting in my life to refine and change me in ways I had not anticipated. He's given me a child who requires more than I was trained to handle so that I would depend on him and not my own strength.”

$5 Friday - Ligonier has a few good deals in this week’s $5 Friday: The Intimate Marriage by R.C. Sproul, Economics for Everybody by R.C. Sproul Jr., a couple of biographies, and a $10 gift certificate for $5.

Marriage is not a concession to our sinfulness; marriage is a provision for our holiness. —J.A. Motyer

Mrs. B.B. Warfield - Fred Zaspel: “Believe it or not, since the publication of my The Theology of B.B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary in early 2010 I have received more inquiries regarding Warfield's wife, Annie, than any other single Warfield subject.” In this article he dispels some of the myths.

6 Discontinuities - This is a helpful little chart that displays six discontinuities between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in Jesus.

4 Sermon Types to Avoid - Derek Thomas gives four sermon types that we ought to avoid.

Commentaries Written By Women - May we use commentaries written by women? Jared Wilson answers with a resounding yes. “I love John Piper, as I assume has been evident over the years, but I found his answer to this question lacking at best and unhelpful at most. To some extent, he was directed to go to the biblical outline of gender roles by the phrasing of the question itself. But I think a better answer would be simply to step back, redirect, and consider the nature of a book.”

Mere Apologetics - The Kindle edition of Alister McGrath’s Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith has been marked down to $4.99.

God Wins - “Ever since Jen McManus was first diagnosed with a malignant tumor, she's been fighting--fighting against cancer, and fighting for hope. However, far from being rooted in the vagueness of wishful thinking, Jen's hope is anchored in the certainty of Christ's love. ‘Cancer has made death more real--and the gospel more real,’ she says. ‘I'm joyful because of the gospel and because of the story God is telling through my life’.”

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. —C.S. Lewis