A La Carte (August 27)

Sales & Deals

Today’s Kindle deals include a book about a church that cares, a book about leadership, and another that is a careful study of Titus.

Logos users may be interested in this sale on Gold Libraries. Also, here’s one last reminder to grab this month’s free book.

Recommended Reading

Parenting in the Parent Blaming Generation. This article touches on some important realities that I have often witnessed among Millennials and Gen Zers. “To be overly simplistic, we millennials and Gen Zers have developed a habit of blaming our parents (and their parents) for our perceived faults while taking credit for our successes. We are anxious because of our upbringing, but we were able to graduate from college and secure jobs thanks to our own resilience. But now, we’re suffering from the consequences of this behavior.”

What Did Jesus Mean by “Cut Off Your Hand if It Causes You to Sin”? (Video) What did Jesus mean when he said, “cut off your hand if it causes you to sin”? Dr. Daniel Stevens provides a thorough and helpful answer that deals honestly with the phrase and deals just as honestly with the ugliness of sin.

Seasons of Marriage. John Beeson writes about some of the different seasons of marriage. “To build a marital love that lasts, we must deepen our friendship, strengthen our covenant, cultivate romance, and grow in joyful sacrifice toward one another. We’ve sat with too many couples who, after having children, come to see themselves merely as partners in parenting. In some cases, their deepest relational bonds have shifted almost entirely toward their children. We’ve watched as couples neglect their friendship and romance with one another. We have seen spouses act selflessly toward their children while failing to extend the same patience, service, and tenderness to each other.”

Why Good Stories Have Bad Examples. This is thought-provoking: our children benefit from negative examples, not just positive ones. “It’s a blessing to live in an age where a quick look at our phone can tell us nearly everything there is to know about the content of a potential book for our kids. But one category, ‘Negative Examples,’ may require more digging. To be sure, stories can be written in such a way that presents negative behaviors in a positive light. In such cases, wise parents will talk with their kids about the issue or choose to pass over the story in favor of others that more clearly illustrate the good, true, and beautiful.”

Christian, Your Suffering Isn’t Pointless. “At one point or another, we all suffer. But what adds to our suffering is the suspicion that it’s meaningless. If our suffering serves a just cause, we can at least endure knowing it does something noble. Or if our suffering is the just consequence of our sin, at least we can accept responsibility for our actions. But often we find ourselves in situations like Job’s, where we aren’t suffering nobly or justly. We’re just suffering.” Alan Noble helps us endure such times in a distinctly Christian way.

Why I Refuse To Give Up Printed Books. It is too late for me, and I have few regrets. However, Matthew Adams is holding on to printed books and explains why he thinks this is the right choice. “I understand the appeal. I use digital books, and I am thankful for them. They are extraordinarily useful tools. However, I refuse to give up physical books. In fact, the older I get, the more convinced I become that there are some efficiencies that are not improvements.”

A Very Different Story

I enjoyed this quote from De Witt Talmage who considers how God has made us each to be different, and how it is good to embrace our own strengths instead of envying someone else’s.

Jonathan Edwards preached Christ in the severest argument ever penned. John Bunyan preached Christ in the sublimest allegory ever composed. Edward Payson, sick and exhausted, leaned up against the side of the pulpit and wept out his discourse; while George Whitefield, with the manner and the voice and the style of an actor overwhelmed his audience. It might have been a very different story if Jonathan Edwards had tried to write and dream about a pilgrim’s progress to the celestial city, or John Bunyan had attempted an “Essay on the Human Will.”

(Drawn from a collection of his sermons)

Flashback

What Does Prophecy Offer that Scripture Does Not? What Chandler lays out seems to downplay the deeply personal nature of Scripture. I am concerned that his examples of prophecy tacitly teach that the Bible is broad and general in contrast to prophecy which is pointed and specific.