Today’s Kindle deals include a helpful book on pride, a book of daily reflections, an excellent book by Keller, and Mez McConnell’s moving and challenging book about abuse. There’s much else as well.
Do you remember Alistair Begg’s “The Man on the Middle Cross” sermon clip? There’s now a booklet/tract based on it and Westminster Books is offering it at a steep discount when purchased in bulk.
Some people had trouble accessing one of yesterday’s articles, so here it is again: Kevin DeYoung’s 7 Principles for Angry Parents Disciplining Angry Children.
The High Price of Watching Nudity
John Piper explains the high price of watching nudity. “The closer I get to death and meeting Jesus personally face to face and giving an account for my life and for the careless words that I’ve spoken — and how much more for intentional stares — the more sure I am of my resolve to never intentionally look at a TV show or a movie or a website or a magazine where I know I will see photos or films of nudity. Never. That’s my resolve.”
When the Therapeutic Replaces Sin
Samuel James discusses a popular book about narcissism and what it says about a therapeutic lens. He “seems to go out of his way to avoid calling spiritual abuse sin. He abandons the language of sin, repentance, and discipline in favor of therapeutic language like narcissism, vulnerability, and gaslighting. The problem is not that those words are fake or unreal. The problem is those words aren’t enough. They leave spiritual abuse in the realm of the psychological, not the moral.”
What Songs Will Our Children Be Singing All Their Lives?
If we cultivate a taste for only the latest hits and neglect the old songs, we’ll never develop a tradition of song. We’ll have a myopic view of corporate worship, imagining that this year’s songs are the only songs. And we will have no musical heritage to pass down to our children. (Sponsored)
Men Really Want . . . Intimacy
“There’s a ‘bikini barista’ coffee hut just down the street from my office. There are always cars (pick-up trucks, to be precise) in the drive-thru. Sometimes I wonder what would compel a girl to work such a job. But I’m more curious about the men who pull into the establishment, guilelessly announcing to everyone else on Edison Street, Yes, I’m the kind of man who’d do such a thing.“
Free of Self-Pity
Brandon writes about a life that is free of self-pity. “Life can be filled with some pretty great moments. Getting into the college you hoped for, landing the job in a field you worked hard to get into, finding a beloved spouse to spend your days with, the birth of children, seeing fruit in your ministry, and many others. But, life can be filled with some very challenging moments as well…pretty much the opposite of all the above would be enough to bring us low.”
How to Endure Depression
“You’ll see people fight through disease. You can watch people endure disability. Best of all, with a physical challenge, there’s a noble call to fight through. In your battle with physical illness, the spark of hope remains inside you. You can triumph through inner strength—mind over matter. You have an opportunity to show the fortitude of your spirit in its overcoming the weakness of your flesh. But what if the sickness is in your mind?”
Themelios 50.2
If you’re interested in doing some theological reading, you may be interested in the new issue of TGC’s journal Themelios. It offers a large collection of articles and reviews.
Flashback: One Way To Make Sure You’re Preaching a Sermon, Not Leading a Bible Study
I’ve observed that some sermons are actually Bible studies and some Bible studies are actually sermons. Though I will grant there can be a fine line between the two, I find it helpful to force myself to distinguish between them, especially when I am asked to lead one or the other.
The mightiest lesson to be learned in this world is to let God have His way. Your brain is not big enough to comprehend the mysteries of Divine Providence; but your heart may trust Him enough to say “I will submit!”
—Theodore Cuyler
