Today’s Kindle deals include a really good and diverse collection of books. Have at it!
(Yesterday on the blog: What the Lord’s Day Is)
When You’re Dissatisfied and Restless Regarding Your Purpose
Christine Hoover: “I still find it terribly exciting that every single one of us is vital to the work of God in this world and in his Church. Even more wondrous to me, the Holy Spirit initiates the specific work God has planned for us, empowers us to do it, and then brings fruit from our work. Who are we that God would allow us to cooperate in his kingdom work?”
When It Doesn’t Look Like It Should
“Today, my son turned ten, but it doesn’t look the way it should. He should be riding his new bike around the block, having a sleep-over at his cousin’s house, and eating chocolate and cake and falling exhausted into bed at night. He should have taken cupcakes to school and shared them with his classmates, or enjoyed playing down at the park with minimal supervision. That’s the way it was supposed to look, that’s the way most people expect it to look. But it doesn’t.”
Sin Can Grow
Sin ought to sober us all. “Sin can grow. …like a vine that starts small but smothers an entire wall—sin can grow. …like a cute cub that becomes a lion—sin can grow. …like a tapeworm that starts microscopic but can ruin a body—sin can grow.”
Abortion Rates Are Going Down
It’s rather a surprise to see this at Vox, of all places. “Our modern-day willingness to settle for sex apart from commitment, to accept the dereliction of duty by men who impregnate women (for men are the primary beneficiaries of liberal abortion laws), and to uphold the systematic suppression of sex’s creative energy and function are practices that people of other ages would have considered bizarre.”
1000 Sermons Will Change Your Life
Trevin Wax has encouragement for preachers: “Do not downplay the long-term, cumulative effect of your preaching. Preaching is formative in ways that go beyond mere information retention. Every time a pastor opens up the Word and preaches the gospel, he is showing his church how to approach the Bible. Pastors who elevate the Scriptures week after week, sermon after sermon, lead their people to approach the Bible in the same way.”
Ripken Family’s Easter Sorrow Gave Rise to Global Impact
This seems newsworthy: “The Ripkens, known for their extensive research into Christian persecution, have said they’re retiring in March 2020 after 35 years of service with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.”
3 Rules for Using Commentaries
I suppose Logos isn’t a disinterested party on this, but it’s still a good article. “Ideally, anyone digging into a biblical text wants to understand what God is revealing about Himself. The truths will be big, so they must be studied slowly and from every angle. Here’s how to use commentaries as tools for discovery, rather than shortcuts to answers.”
Flashback: How To Grow in Self-Confidence
Make God’s wisdom your wisdom, shape your words by his words, let his confidence be your confidence. When you feel those waves of self-doubt rising, remind yourself that even though you’ve got nothing to say and no wisdom to offer, God most certainly does.
What an almost infinite field there is for mercies negative! We cannot even imagine all that God has allowed us not to do, not to be.
—Frances Ridley Havergal
