Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include several titles on Christian community. Among them are good picks like Megan Hill’s A Place to Belong and Tim Chester’s A Meal with Jesus.
I happened to notice that today Amazon has some pretty good discounts on MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and so on in case it’s time to upgrade. (Other iPad discounts here; other MacBook discounts here.)
The Paris Olympics and Lennon’s “Imagine”
“It’s ironic given the goddess imagery used and the sacrilegious mockery of the Last Supper in one tableaux that one of the main pieces of music chosen was ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. That’s right, just after the countries of the world had been paraded, named and celebrated with flag waving, we heard the lyric ‘imagine there’s no countries.’” That seems strange, doesn’t it?
What’s Wrong With the World
“’What’s wrong with the world?’ someone asks. Many explanations are on offer: economic turmoil, moral collapse, political extremism. Certainly these are things that are going wrong. But are they ‘what’s wrong with the world’? Why is there turmoil? Why is there moral collapse? Why do we all run to our corners?” Alistair Begg answers well.
The Mercy of Affliction
Gary Hallquist: “Affliction is not something anyone desires, but that does not mean we don’t need it. The truth is that affliction is a God-appointed tool to aid in the maturation of believers. Without it, vital nutrients are missing for the proper development of the fruit we are called to bear.”
Your Marriage Doesn’t Need Better Communication
I think John’s right here. “Communication is important and often needs work. There are some helpful things you can do to improve communication in your marriage. But the fact remains: I’ve yet to encounter a marriage that the fundamental issue is communication. More serious issues always lurk beneath the surface.”
9 Myths About Hell
Sam Storms lists 9 myths or misconceptions about hell. These are important matters.
Blow Up Your Church Newsletter
Should you blow up your church newsletter? That might actually be a pretty good idea.
Flashback: God Created Family To Picture His Truth
…if we understand family, we have language and concepts that help us understand certain truths about God and his works and his ways. But if we lose family, or redefine it, we begin to lose that language and lose those concepts.
Here are two mysteries for the price of one—the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus. On these two mysteries, all else hangs.
J.I. Packer
