Today’s Kindle deals include several books about marriage, among them a personal favorite–Married for God.
(Yesterday on the blog: How We Worshipped One Sunday in February)
Nevertheless, She Persisted in Christ
What inspiring story of aging with grace. “Culture tends to portray images of strong women fitting a specific mold – successful businesswoman, outstanding athlete, influential leader. These can be appropriate examples, but if we measure strength solely by public achievements, we miss honoring the excellence of integrity. If we only elevate external displays of might, we overlook the value of a meek and quiet spirit dedicated to humble service and faithful perseverance. We neglect the glory of a gentle life that draws strength from an infinite source of power.”
Why Loving People and Place Is the Heart of Missions
This is important: “By now I’ve learned from the Bible, from good missionaries, and from experience that it’s impossible to love people without loving their families, homes, churches, and communities. In short, you can’t love people without loving their places.”
The Inside Story of an American Warship Doomed by Its Own Navy
There is some bad language in this article, since it’s a factual telling of the terrible collision of the USS Fitzgerald. But the account is very well told through words and graphics.
New R.C. Sproul Teaching Collection (Sponsored Link)
Have you ever met someone who’s hostile to the doctrines of grace? Or do you feel like you need a refresher on these biblical truths? This week, Renewing Your Mind is offering the new R.C. Sproul Teaching Collection: Reformed Basics as their thanks for a donation of any amount to support the broadcast and the outreach of Ligonier. This special edition DVD includes forty-six messages on important topics like the holiness of God, the person, and work of Christ, and the doctrine of election. You can also listen to select messages from the series this week on RenewingYourMind.org.
Floods, Faith, and Fear
You may enjoy this account of what daily life is like for Christians in Burkina Faso. “The sun sets at 6:30 pm in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Every night. Every single night of every single day. They do have seasons, but they divide dry and rainy, not springtime and autumn. The dry is very dry, and when the rain comes, it is torrential. If it’s too dry the crops fail; if the rain is too torrential, the crops are washed away.”
20 years, 700 victims
Yesterday the Houston Chronicle published a long article detailing a crisis of abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention. “In all, since 1998, roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct, the newspapers found. That includes those who were convicted, credibly accused and successfully sued, and those who confessed or resigned. More of them worked in Texas than in any other state. They left behind more than 700 victims, many of them shunned by their churches, left to themselves to rebuild their lives. Some were urged to forgive their abusers or to get abortions.”
Jesus Comforts Us Even in the Dumb Stuff
“God doesn’t split our suffering as if there is a kind which is caused by us that we have to solve on our own and then a type of suffering which we are victims of and God is readily available to help with. The point Paul is making in 2 Corinthians is that there is such a unity in Christ that every bit of our suffering (even the stuff that comes from our idiocy) is all part of the sufferings of Christ.He died for our idiocy. He suffered for our stupidity. He bled for our foolishness. He was crucified for our rebellion.” It’s a good thing, too!
Keep Up or Die?
Al Mohler reports on an utterly ridiculous situation in the United Church of Canada. “In November of last year, the UCC almost convened an historic heresy trial against Vosper to determine if an atheist possessed the qualifications of a pastor. The Canadian church, however, capitulated and reached ‘a settlement’ with Vosper—a decision that allowed Vosper to remain a minister in her church despite her atheistic belief.”
Flashback: The Character of the Christian: Hospitable
Hospitality creates opportunities for relationship, for discipleship, and for evangelism. It creates a natural context for modeling marriage, parenting, and a host of Christian virtues. While we are to teach others what the Bible says, we are also to demonstrate what it says, and we do that by inviting people into our homes and into our lives.
No man is truly great who is not gentle.
—J.R. Miller
