A La Carte (August 19)

Sales & Deals

Today’s Kindle deals include books on graciousness, anger, prayer, and suffering well. Some of Monday’s deals were slow to take effect, so I’ve added them again today. There are some especially good books there you will want to check out.

Logos users, now that we are into the second half of the month, you can get another free book, and it’s a good one to add to your collection. You may also want to look at the 50% off flash sale on Word Biblical Commentary as well as the Back to School sale.

Recommended Reading

Engaged but Not Alarmed. Dan Cruver writes about the appropriate attitude toward the news: engaged but not alarmed. “How, then, should Christians engage the news? We should not look away as though the sufferings of others do not matter. But neither should we consume every crisis, dispute, and controversy as though it demands our immediate attention and emotional investment.”

You Have an Enemy. It’s a simple reminder, but a needed one: You have an enemy. “You have an enemy. Life makes a lot more sense when we live in light of that reality. It shouldn’t mean that we live scared; it should mean that we live aware. It should cause us to keep an eye out for his attacks, and to never be surprised when we experience them. It should cause us to live in dependence upon God, and to long for the day when our enemy will be fully and finally vanquished never to attack again.”

Shepherd’s Notes Commentary Set. Understand the Bible like never before, book by book. Shepherd’s Notes commentaries include helpful insights and study tools for every book of the Bible in a concise and easy-to-understand format. Written with church members and those called to ministry in mind, this commentary series is an ideal resource for anyone who wants to teach the Bible to others. (Sponsored)

How I Lied to My Church. Cody Watson had to confess to his church that he had lied to them. I am quite sure you and I have lied in similar ways. “Faith does not require us to pretend that we are not suffering. Faith allows us to say, ‘I am suffering, and God is comforting me.’ There is no boasting in pretending that the burden is light. The boasting comes when we carry the burden honestly and point people to the One who carries us.”

Late-Stage Academia. Eddie LaRow writes about the tragedy of Jason Arday and offers it as proof that we have reached “late-stage academia.” “Late-stage academia is, as the title notes, late-stage. It has metastasized and is in need of serious help. Surgically, we need to remove those who are plagiarizing. But more than this, we need to restore the vigor of academic research. This requires peer review boards that are not made up of those chasing the latest cultural trends but are instead devoted to the exploration of the world, and to the certainty that there is a reality — one we are not making, but uncovering. We also need to restore the role of teaching in the academic world.”

Weakness Isn’t Our Enemy. Sarah Walton reminds us that weakness isn’t our enemy. “The truth is, it’s hard to be human. We’re finite creatures living in a broken world. We experience grief, sickness, disappointment, anxiety, and uncertainty. We need sleep. We need nourishment. We need relationships. We need help. Yet we often live as though those needs are failures. Even Christians can quietly adopt the belief that maturity means becoming increasingly self-sufficient. We may never say it out loud, but we often behave as though dependence is something to outgrow.”

What Longevity Influencers Get Wrong About Death. Matt McCullough writes about the rise of longevity influencers and tells what they get wrong about death. “It’s deeply human to long for more life, and it’s certainly wise to take care of the bodies God has given us for as long as we can. But there’s a deeper conviction beneath this trend that we have to recognize and confront. Longevity influencers believe we’re our own best shot at dealing with the problem. They’ve vastly underestimated both the problem of death and the hope of the gospel.”

Enjoying

Here are a few things I’m enjoying lately.

The New York Times games app. I begin every morning by grabbing a cup of coffee, plunking myself on the couch, and solving Spelling Bee—or trying to at least. I then move on to the Crossword and Connections. I don’t care for any of the other games, but I do very much enjoy those three. By the time I’ve spent 15-20 minutes on those, I’m awake enough to go for a walk and begin my devotions.

Laser Level. I had been married and doing home improvement projects for a very long time before I bought a laser level. What a difference-maker it has been! It has come in handy many times and is much more accurate and versatile than a bubble level. Highly recommended.

The silent treatment. Baseball is a sport with many traditions, a lot of them pretty odd. My favorite is probably ignoring a rookie when he hits his first home run and returns to the dugout (or sometimes also a veteran on a new team). Every player is expected to pretend nothing happened and to ignore the young player entirely. I recently saw a video of yet another silent treatment and enjoyed every second of it. It’s a great tradition! (Here’s a compilation.)

Flashback

Grief Can Be So Lonely. Grief is lonely even in community, lonely even when surrounded by loving and helpful people. Grief is lonely when you are the only one grieving and lonely when you are grieving with others. Unfortunately, but unavoidably, it’s just plain lonely.