Grace to you and peace as you begin a new day, new week, new month…
The new ESV Preaching Bible is a great one for pastors, and Westminster Books has it on sale for 50% off.
Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good list that crosses a lot of genres.
(Yesterday on the blog: Threescore and Ten)
We Are Family Now
I love hearing how Christians in different areas grapple with unique cultural quirks. Like this one: “In this culture, it’s very important that men who are not relatives never see a woman wet, whether that’s swimming, wearing wet hair from a shower, etc. Wet hair and clothes are viewed as very sensual. So baptism, where a woman is publicly soaking wet, is the kind of event that could lead to strong feelings of shame, of dishonorably exposing oneself, a wife, sister, or daughter to the eyes of unrelated men.”
Layers Of Story, Layers Of Sorrow, Layers Of Grace
Speaking of which, here’s another cross-cultural article. “This. has. been. a. week. What would you think of a high school girl who comes back to boarding school pregnant? It’s sad and complicated for her life, for sure. What if she was an orphan who had received generous aid? Feels frustrating or irresponsible.”
The FAQs: What You Should Know About the Mexico City Policy
You’ve probably been hearing about the Mexico City Policy. Joe Carter explains what it’s about.
Nanobots Show Promise with Artificial Muscle
This is neat. “According to Revelation 4:11, a choir around God’s throne declares that all honor belongs to Him for His amazing creation. The evidence of His handiwork extends all the way down to bacteria. While doctors still cannot fully copy the locomotor ability of bacteria, researchers have already pumped out some promising designs.”
The Lost We Love the Most
I expect many of us can identify with this struggle. “What do we say when we’ve already said it all? How can we persevere in pursuing the lost we love?”
In Days of Trouble, the Church Matters
“Psalm 20 is an anthem for the pandemic. It begins, ‘May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!’ And certainly, we’ve been living in trouble for the past 365 days—ever since we first heard about the novel coronavirus.”
Flashback: Error Can Never Produce the Effects of Truth
If genuine religious experience is nothing but the impression of divine truth on the mind by the energy of the Holy Spirit, then it is evident that a knowledge of the truth is essential to genuine piety. Error never can, under any circumstances, produce the effects of truth.
Sometimes we have disappointments, but even these are really God’s appointments, as some day we shall find out.
—J.R. Miller
