Here are a few Kindle deals that may interest you. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart is down to $3.99. This is an excellent book and something of a classic in its field. Remember that Paul Miller’s A Praying Life is down to $1.99. Gary Thomas’ Sacred Marriage is down to $3.99 (I haven’t read this one so can’t comment a lot). Modest, a book I wrote with R.W. Glenn, is down to $2.99.

Kindle Fire - If you’re in the market for a Kindle, the 8.9” Kindle Fire is on sale today only. Use code FIREHD89 and save $50!

Raising Kids the World Will Hate - Here’s something every Christian parent needs to ponder: “if God answers my prayer for my son to be a follower of Christ, people will hate him. People will absolutely, unquestionably be repulsed by my son.”

God Doesn’t Love Us Because We’re Lovable - There’s an important truth of the Christian life and one we tend to forget time and time again.

The Gospel According to Christopher - This article gives some of why even many Christians admired Christopher Hitchens: He had honesty and insight that was lacking in many of the other new atheists.

Good Grief - Clint Archer offers 5 ways your grieving can glorify God.

The Year in Photos - The Atlantic has a massive three-part series of “2012: The Year in Photos.”

Sin forsaken is one of the best evidences of sin forgiven. —J.C. Ryle

America’s Most Important Economic Lesson - R.C. Sproul Jr. has put a lot of effort into thinking through economics from a biblical perspective. In this article he suggests the most important economic lesson America should learn.

More Gospel Centered Than Thou - Mark Lauterbach has been thinking about gospel-centeredness and raises a few possible concerns in this article. It’s well worth a read.

Nate Fancher - I enjoy Nate Fancher’s music and am glad to see that he has made it all free for a limited time.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Gospel - Thabiti highlights a highlight moment from the most recent Together for the Gospel conference.

Tech Predictions for 2013 - This probably won’t interest you a whole lot unless you’re interested in technology. But here are ten good predictions for technology in 2013. 

Every Bomb in the Blitz - This is pretty amazing. The British National Archives have created an interactive map that shows every German bomb dropped on London during the Blitz (in the Second World War).

Thanks for Not Sharing - This columnist is tired of our status updates. “It is tempting to call this unctuous ooze of status updates and vacation snaps seeping across Facebook and Twitter and the rest information overload. But that would be to debase the word ‘information.’”

I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking Him to do His work through me. —Hudson Taylor

Here are a few Kindle deals to kick things off: I’ve heard good things about Richard Swenson’s book Margin which is down to $3.99; Douglas Groothuis’ massive Christian Apologetics is on sale for $5.07; there are also two books by Denise George (published by Christian Focus) that have been marked down to $2.99: Fighting Fear with Faith and I Am My Sister’s Keeper; Finally, Vicki Courtney’s 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter and 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Son are down to $2.99.

On Sermon Introductions - I’ve got to prepare a sermon introduction today and found H.B. Charles article quite helpful. He provides a long list of pointers on how to do it right.

How Spurgeon Saw His Trials - Charles Spurgeon lived a difficult life in which he experienced a lot of pain and a lot of depression. This article shows how he understood his suffering. 

He Is There - I always enjoy Ali’s dispatches from a hospital ship. This one is no exception.

Facebook Cover Photos - Communicate Jesus has a few Facebook cover photos that you may want to consider using. They also link to a much bigger collection.

The Earth at Night - NASA has released some extremely high-resolution photos of earth at night.

The Fiscal Cliff - Gospel Coalition explains what this fiscal cliff is all about. Meanwhile, this video displays the debt in a unique format:

Unity without the gospel is a worthless unity; it is the very unity of hell. —J.C. Ryle

The Royal Fetus - Denny Burk asks an insightful question: With all this coverage, I just have one question. Why is it that I have yet to hear or read anyone refer to her unborn child as the "royal fetus"? Oh, I'm sure someone has used the term "fetus," but it seems to me that the preferred term is "royal baby" or "child," even though the Duchess of Cambridge is in the very early stages of pregnancy.

Rick Warren’s Resurrection - Newsweek has an article about Rick Warren and how he is attempting to return to the spotlight. It’s not an awfully well-written article, but it’s interesting all the same.

Sexual Freedom - Trevin Wax says that sexual freedom always curtails other freedoms. “There is no such thing as absolute freedom when it comes to sexuality. The moment we celebrate or endorse certain behaviors, we curtail freedom in other areas. This is the nature of freedom.”

Jason Meyer - An article at Desiring God introduces Jason Meyer, the pastor who will take over at Bethlehem Baptist Church when John Piper steps aside.

The Counter-Intuitive Calvin - Reading this article by Tim Keller—an article in which he reflects on what he’s learned from reading Calvin’s Institutes—will probably make you want to read Calvin as well.

Getting Better and Preaching - Mark Driscoll provides a really helpful response to someone who asked him how he can be a better preacher.

Genius: The Movie - Ray Comfort has just released a new film called Genius that is free online. Love him or hate him, it’s probably worth the half-hour investment.

If truth were told, most of us spend longer each day on personal cleanliness than on practical godliness. —Alistair Begg

How Love Wins Led to Bell’s Departure - Based on a recent article in The New Yorker, the Christian Post explains how Rob Bell’s book Love Wins led to his departure from Mars Hill.

Visualizing Birth and Death Rates - This is a little bit morbid, I guess, but an interesting look at just how many people are being born and how many people are dying in America.

Fall JBMW - The fall edition of the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has just been released (for free online). So too has the new edition of Themelios.

Guarding Sabbath for Children - Jen Wilkin writes about the importance of guarding children’s rest. “While I admire the high school guidance counselors’ optimism, age 14 is probably too late to start imposing boundaries on our child’s rest habits and schedule. We need a plan, and we need it early. How will we safeguard for our families the key Sabbath concepts of rest, worship, and community? Here are a few suggestions that have helped our family to honor God in our rest.”

How People Change - J.D. Greear found an interesting article in the New York Times. It discusses how people do and do not change their behavior.

Hope for the Hurting - Here’s a video of John Piper reading his poem The Innkeeper.

A wife who is 85% faithful to her husband is not faithful at all. There is no such thing as part-time loyalty to Jesus Christ. —Vance Havner

A Praying Life - The Kindle edition of Paul Miller’s excellent book A Praying Life is on sale for just $1.99. I’m assuming the deal won’t last long, so you probably don’t want to dawdle!

Schreiners Display Strong Faith - Baptist Press has a story about the Schreiner family. “Tom Schreiner received news that his wife Diane was involved in a severe bicycle accident, leaving her unconscious with several broken bones and fractures and — of most urgent concern — bruising to her brain.” 

A Modern-Day Anna - I enjoyed Mary Kassian’s account of just one small moment from the recent True Woman conference.

God’s Presence - Bob Kauflin has begun a multi-part article on manufacturing, marketing and minimizing God’s presence. The first entry is well worth a read; I trust the follow-ups will as well.

Are We Playing God? - This long but interesting article at Matthias Media asks lots of questions of modern medical technology and our dedication to it. Modern medical technologies are raising many new ethical dilemmas.

Bringing Marriage Back to Earth - This article is well worth some reflection, I think. Writing for Tabletalk, Brian Tallman wonders if we’ve over-spiritualized marriage.

All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists. —D.A. Carson

With a new month come some new Kindle book deals. Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick is down to $3.99 as is Jesus Driven Ministry by Ajith Fernando. Gospel by J.D. Greear is $2.99. If you don't mind poking around a bit, you may want to look at Amazon's December selection of 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less.

Meanwhile, Shepherd Press has just about all of their books on sale at $1.99. Here are some highlights: Broken-Down House by Paul Tripp; Nancy Ganz's children's commentary on Genesis and the other books of the Pentateuch; Dave Harvey's When Sinners Say "I Do"; Christ Formed in You by Brian Hedges; Red Like Blood by Bob Bevington & Joe Coffey; Get Outta My Face by Rick Horne; Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman; Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp (and the sequel); Everyday Talk by John Younts. 

5 Signs You Glorify Yourself - Paul Tripp: “It is important to recognize the harvest of self-glory in you and in your ministry. May God use this list to give you diagnostic wisdom. May he use it to expose your heart and to redirect your ministry.”

Why You Just Yawned - This article isn’t a yawn, but you’ll probably find yourself yawning as you read it.

The Beauty of Faithful Suffering - “I knock on the door expectantly. My friend Debbie greets me in sweatpants that hang loosely on her diminishing frame. Her face is slightly paler than the last time I saw her, and soft peach fuzz graces the top of her head. She is the most beautiful woman I know.”

When It Costs To Be Complementarian - “World magazine has a report about Daniel Harman, the leader of the University of Louisville chapter of Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade). The long and short of it is this. Cru recently relieved Daniel of his duties because of his complementarian approach to campus ministry.”

Depravity and Sanctification - Last week I linked to Richard Phillips’ response to an article Tullian Tchividjian wrote on sanctification. Ligon Duncan also offers a response.

Desktop Wallpaper - In case you missed it on Saturday, here is this month’s beautiful desktop wallpaper calendar.

If a man turns from sin without turning to God, he will find his sin has only changed its name and is hidden behind his pride. —Jim Elliff

With a new month come some new Kindle book deals. Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick is down to $3.99 as is Jesus Driven Ministry by Ajith Fernandez. Broken-Down House by Paul Tripp is $1.99; Nancy Ganz’s children’s commentary on Genesis is also at $1.99 as is Dave Harvey’s When Sinners Say “I Do.”. J.I. Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God has one more day at $2.99 before it returns to regular pricing. If you don’t mind poking around a bit, you may want to look at Amazon’s December selection of 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less.

And now, here are some links worth reading:

At Last - Jared Wilson has a collection of real photos of grooms seeing their brides for the first time on their wedding day. He concludes with a fitting gospel application.

One Reason I Don’t Play the Lotto - Mike shares just one reason (a good reason!) that he doesn’t play the lottery.

A Birthday Song - Elisha’s blog is one of my new favorites. Here she writes about not knowing her husband as well as she thought she did.

If You Can Keep From Preaching, Do It! - I appreciate what H.B. Charles says in this article. At the same time, I think there are some preachers out there who are reluctant on one level, but still doing what God has called them to do. 

Don’t Undersell Your Commute - Jonathan Parnell wants you to make the most of your commute. “What if for one week we commissioned our commute for more expressly seeking God? Let's start with just five days, beginning this upcoming Monday through Friday. Would you join me in setting this time aside for prayer and meditation on the gospel?”

The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. It has feet; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me! —Martin Luther

Book Sale - Cruciform Press has just added a book sale of 11 print book titles at $5.99 (list prices are $9.99). It runs through December 10. Their current sale of 11 different titles at $4.99 ends on Saturday.

Meanwhile, here are a few Kindle deals you may want to grab before the month ends: Shepherding a Child’s Heart and Instructing a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp are both just $1.99; God’s Love by R.C. Sproul is $2.51; Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, Lit! by Tony Reinke, and Histories and Fallacies by Carl Trueman are all just $3.03.

Christians Are Not Totally Depraved - Where the blogosphere is often at its best is in kind interaction about controversial ideas. Here Rick Phillips responds to Tullian Tchividjian who says that total depravity describes Christians as much as unbelievers. Phillips disagrees and thanks God that it is not true.

A Day in the Life - I thoroughly enjoyed reading Joel Beeke’s “A Day in the Life” blog post.

National Geographic Photo Contest - There are some stunning photos in this collection.

Kosher Jesus - The Atlantic has a long article about Messianic Jews in Israel. Sarah Posner goes “inside the small community of Christ-following Jews who’ve allied with American evangelicals to redeem Israel … from its Jewishness.”

Cheetahs on the Edge - This video may go on a little bit long, but it’s just amazing. It uses high-definition, 1200-frame per second cameras to show Cheetah’s running. Be sure to keep an eye on the clock in the upper-left of the screen during the first couple of minutes to see how little time is actually elapsing.

We spend our years with sighing; it is a valley of tears; but death is the funeral of all our sorrows. —Thomas Adams

The Unlucky Winners - We all know that money can’t buy happiness…and yet the lottery promises that very thing. TIME looks at a long list of unlucky winners, showing how the lottery changed their lives. Divorce, drugs, suicide…it’s all here in the aftermath of winning millions.

Forgive Us Our Debts - Shane Rosenthal looks at America’s perilous financial situation (which is far, far worse than most politicians are willing to admit) and says that it provides an apt illustration for humanity’s spiritual condition.

Excellence in Preaching - The book Excellence in Preaching: Studying the Craft of Leading Preachers is on sale in the Kindle edition. It looks like it could be a useful read for pastors.

How To Read the Bible (And How Not To) - Ray Ortlund reflects on law and gospel within the Bible.

Challenge the Tolerant - I may have linked to something like this before, but I think it’s worth sharing again. Greg Koukl gives a helpful suggestion about engaging with people who promote tolerance in all things.

There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write 'damnation' with your fingers. —Charles Spurgeon