May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
Today’s Kindle deals include some excellent titles on forgiveness, evangelism, and living in exile.
(Yesterday on the blog: 12 Fresh Ways to Read Your Bible in 2025)
Meet the Astronaut Who Left NASA to Help Support Healthy Churches
You’ll enjoy this profile of astronaut Pat Forrester. “Pat Forrester was 63 years old. He’d been to space three times to put together the International Space Station. To do the internship, he’d stepped down from his job as chief of the astronaut office—the highest position an active astronaut can have—and moved from his corner office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to a white plastic table in a CHBC Sunday school room.”
The Cradle That Rocked the World
“Do yourself and your family a favor this December. Start by reading Luke or Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth; but don’t stop there. Tell the whole story, starting with Genesis and ending with Revelation. You see, the Christmas narrative—fully told—is quite different from what one might typically imagine.”
Are Catholics Christian?
Stephen does a good job of answering a big question: Are Catholics Christian?
Why We Need Beautiful Churches
Phil Cotnoir explains why he thinks Christians should go back to valuing beauty in their church buildings. “On a recent trip through Nova Scotia, my family and I drove through the beautiful historic town of Mahone Bay, where three lovely old churches sit by the water’s edge. Sadly, all three of them have been gutted by theological liberalism, and have lost that gospel beauty which shines forth from local churches where spiritual life is abundant. All that remains is the beauty of the traditional architecture upon the canvas of a picturesque background.”
What Does Your Pulpit (Or Lack of One) Communicate to the Congregation?
Also on the subject of churches, Colin Fast explains what a pulpit can communicate to a congregation. “As churches ‘catch up with the times’ and appeal to a more modern mindset, as pulpits and permanent visual reminders of the importance of the Word are removed, what is being communicated to our congregations? To the watching world?”
On Stumbling
“All twelve disciples fulfilled the prophecy of Jesus. We learn from this the hard lesson that stumbling is part of the Christian life. If it was seen in our most noted leaders how can we say otherwise? Even if one temporarily disclaims public identification with Christ, a reprehensible sin, he may still be restored through repentance, as in the example of Peter. But the prophesy concerning the betrayer does not have such a pleasant ending and his future is remorse ad infinitum.”
Flashback: 4 Times In Life You Should Expect To Face Temptation
There are some times in life when you should be especially wary, when temptation is especially likely. Here are four times you should expect to face temptation.
Do not be all sugar, or the world will suck you down; but do not be all vinegar or the world will spit you out.
—C.H. Spurgeon
