A La Carte (August 7)

Sales & Deals

Today’s Kindle deals include titles on wonder, beauty, Christmas, and the call to ministry.

Recommended Reading

The Mark of the Beast. Only in heaven will we definitively know what 666 represents. In the meantime, it is good for us to attempt to wisely interpret it. Steven Wedgeworth offers his take on it here. “666 is one of the most infamous symbols from the Bible. It has taken root in the broader cultural imagination, and it often pops up in all kinds of ‘evil bad guy’ places: heavy metal artwork, street gangs, hate groups, etc. But in context, it’s meant to be a warning to the Christian church how they can avoid worshiping the beast.”

Did Jephthah Really Sacrifice His Daughter? Speaking of interpretive difficulties, everyone who has read through the book of Judges has wondered: Did Jephthah really sacrifice his daughter? Theologian Mitch Chase takes a look at the evidence and draws a reasonable conclusion. (You don’t need to read part one of this two-parter, but it would give you context.)

The Gospel Way Catechism for Kids. Based on its adult counterpart, this innovative question-and-answer book equips parents and Bible teachers with a tool to help middle-grade children grasp the truth of God’s Word and recognize the many mistruths present in today’s culture. (Sponsored)

My Side of the Bed Is Cold. Kimberly Wagner explains why she and her husband can no longer share a bed. She also laments what they’ve lost due to some of God’s hard providences. I link to it both because I appreciate her trust in God and love for her husband, but also because I think there are lots of couples who can no longer share a bed for any number of reasons and they may be encouraged by it.

The Marital Conflict Multi-tool. Joe Smith describes what he calls a marital conflict multi-tool. His implementation of it is quite formal, but it may be a good thing to implement in your marriage even in a less formal way. “Do you and your spouse struggle with working through marital conflicts? Is your communication about offenses, issues, and disagreements often hindered by sinful anger and frustration on either or both of your parts? If so, what if there was a single practice or ‘tool’ that could significantly help you and your spouse work through your conflicts more calmly and gently, negotiate disagreements more successfully, and grow in godly communication overall? Would you be willing to give it a try?”

When Pain Has Purpose. Katie Polski offers encouragement to those who are enduring difficulties. “What would it look like to stop viewing suffering as an inconvenient detour…as an awful back road you just have to survive to reach something better? What if instead you saw your pain as part of your life with Christ… as part of belonging to his family?”

Counting Blessings. “Blessings aren’t always what they seem, which brings me to an important question: What does it mean to be blessed by God? How might we misunderstand God’s blessings? Thankfully, and in contrast to Southern culture, God’s blessings are always actual blessings. In fact, it’s impossible for us to fully comprehend the extent of God’s blessings toward his children. If we err, we err on the side of underestimating them.” Casey McCall wants to help you think about your blessings.

The Funnies

My friend Chris Martin maintains a Substack called The Funnies, and every Saturday he shares a few fun and silly things he found on the Internet—something I see as a modern equivalent to the comics pages that used to be in every newspaper. I asked him to share a couple with you.

Flashback

Sometimes “Love Your Enemy” Means “Love Your Spouse”. We can very quickly let our marriages slide into a kind of transactional relationship where instead of thinking first about what we can give, we think first about what we can get.