The beginning of a new month is a good time to remind ourselves that right now, at this very moment, God is reigning from his throne.
Sponsor
Show Your Support
This month Westminster Books has great deals on all kinds of ESV Bibles.
There are a few Kindle deals to look at today.
(Yesterday on the blog: No, It Wasn’t the Vaccine)
Disney’s ‘Strange World’ Embodies Strange New World
Brett McCracken: “Two 2022 releases: Disney’s Strange World and Carl Trueman’s Strange New World. Any youth unfortunate enough to have seen the former should be required to read the latter. Disney’s film represents the cultural sickness Trueman’s book analyzes.”
What Does It Mean to Enter into Temptation?
“Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Watch and pray, so you won’t be tempted.’ There is no way you can get into a place in the Christian life where you are no longer tempted. He says, ‘Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation.’ Literally it says, ‘so that you will not enter into temptation.'”
The Life and Ministry of Rev. William Pettigrew
I appreciate Boboy Nameirakpam Singh introducing us to “the first Christian missionary in Manipur, one of the northeastern states of India.”
Gospel Diversity & not hiding our light under a bushel
“Many of us insist that our churches are open to everyone. We want our churches to express the manifold wisdom of God and the glory of Christ through the gospel. I am quite sure everyone who says these things genuinely means them. But many of us are in contexts that make it harder to see.”
Preacher, What’s on Your Kids Menu?
John Joseph encourages preachers to ensure there’s something “on the menu” for kids during the sermon.
Sunday evening exhaustion
“Do you ever get to the end of a Sunday feeling shattered? If you’ve come to church in the morning, gone to someone’s house for lunch (or done the actual hosting), made it to the afternoon service, then talked to people after the service, by the time you get home, you can be exhausted, and frazzled. Rather than being replenished by Sundays, it’s easy to feel drained.”
Flashback: Services Shaped Like an Hourglass
We begin our service distracted, narrow our focus to Jesus Christ, then broaden our gaze to living in this world for God’s glory. We do it again the next week, and again the week after that.
Prayer is a very hard thing to do because it seems like we aren’t doing anything. But it’s also hard because it’s a humble act. We must humble ourselves before God’s mighty hand regularly and cast our cares on Him. —Tony Merida