Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
If you haven’t yet read one of my Works & Wonders posts (which I share each Sunday), consider checking out yesterday’s. I try to make them enjoyable and uplifting—ideal Sunday fare.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include several excellent systematic theology titles by John MacArthur, Robert Letham, and Graham A. Cole. On the general market side, The Zorg is an especially interesting read.
Recommended Reading
Why God’s People Must Read God’s Word, Not Paraphrases. Alistair Chalmers explains why it is crucial that Christians read translations of the Bible rather than paraphrases. “In a culture that prizes convenience and immediacy, there will always be a temptation to settle for something easier, simpler, or more digestible. But disciples of Jesus are called to something better. We are called to be a people of the Book, people who hear God’s Word as he has given it, who treasure its precision, and who submit to its authority.” (Paraphrases may have a place, but it is to supplement translations rather than to replace them.)
Parenting on the Precipice. “Fraught—I think that’s the right word. I’m looking for a word to capture how it feels to be parenting these days. Can anyone else relate? I suspect many can. It feels like the stakes are high, the deck is stacked against us, and the future is precarious. The challenges—they are legion. We regularly feel overwhelmed, and there are even moments of despair when it feels like we are standing on the edge of a precipice.”
Kids Talk Church History. Kids Talk Church History is a one-of-a-kind podcast where young voices bring church history to life—exploring the people, pivotal events, and powerful stories that have shaped the Church. Guided by author and historian Simonetta Carr, kids take the lead—reading, discussing, asking thoughtful questions, and even interviewing special guests. It’s engaging, insightful, and refreshingly authentic. Check it out today! (Sponsored)
Do Eunuchs in the Bible Signal an Endorsement of Transgenderism? Yes, some people claim that the existence of eunuchs in biblical times somehow signals an endorsement of transgenderism. Alan Shlemon responds to that here. “It’s surprising, but some Christians attempt to support the transgender movement using Scripture. They can’t legitimately use the Bible to bolster their position, though. Instead, they try to force the text to fit their narrative. One common approach is to claim the biblical passages about eunuchs signal a trajectory towards transgender inclusion.”
Who Decides What Is True? Not You or Me. Jonathan Shirk: “
Our culture venerates science, worships it as the source of absolute truth, yet when it comes to transgenderism, culture turns a blind eye to science. It is absurd to suggest that a biological man or woman can declare themselves another gender simply because they desire the change. God has already made a wonderful genetic decision for them that they should rejoice over. A ‘change’ would be gross ingratitude. God’s sovereign choices are always better than ours.”
Keep Kids Off Social Media and AI. Andrew Noble considers whether parents would be wise to keep their children off social media and AI until they are older. “To make wise technology decisions for our kids we must consider each technology, its blessing and its burdens, and what God has said in his Word.” He uses this biblical text to offer some helpful thoughts: “When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.”
The Discipline of Staying In Bed. I found a lot of benefit in reading Stephen McAlpine’s explanation of why staying in bed may be a valuable discipline. “The fact of approaching death has changed my habits. That’s true of many people. For some it means adultery. For others it means the world trip they always wanted. For others it means settling one’s affairs and leaving a legacy. For me it means staying in bed.”
Our Rough Voyaging Ended Forever
Few writers can match old De Witt Talmage for the strength of his illustrations. I particularly enjoyed this one when I came across it recently.
An old writer tells us of a ship coming from India to France. The crew was made up of French sailors, who had been long from home, years gone away from their families; and as the ship came along by the coast of France the men became uncontrollable, and they skipped the deck with glee, and they pointed to the spires of the churches where they once worshiped and to the hills where they had played in boyhood. But, the writer says, when the ship came into the port, and these sailors saw father and mother and wife and loved ones on the wharf, and heard these loved ones call them by their names, they sprang ashore and rushed up the banks into the city, and the captain had to get another crew to bring the ship to her moorings. Thus, heaven, our fatherland, will after a while be so fully in sight we can see its towers, and we can see its mansions, and we can see its hills; and as we go into port and our loved ones shall call from that shining shore and speak our names, we will spring to the beach, leaving this old ship of a world to be managed by another crew, our rough voyaging of the seas ended forever.
My Books
I thought I’d occasionally introduce one of my books in case one may be of interest to you. Today:
Eric’s Greatest Race. Athlete. Missionary. Prisoner. Eric Liddell’s life was a series of remarkable twists and turns, from his refusal to run on a Sunday in the 1924 Olympics (as depicted in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire) to his extensive missionary work, and finally to his imprisonment during World War II. Written and illustrated as a graphic novel, Eric’s Greatest Race tells Eric Liddell’s entire life story and educates young readers about important historical events and concepts along the way. (Learn more)
Flashback
A Less Busy Heart. While praying will not check items off our too-long lists of things to do, it will quiet our hearts as we do them. It will enable us to submit ourselves, our responsibilities, and our to-dos to the one for whom we do them.
It is not opinions that man needs: it is TRUTH. It is not theology; it is God. It is not religion; it is Christ.
—Horatius Bonar
