A La Carte (February 18)

Today’s Kindle deals include a few solid titles from Crossway.

This is going to be an “A La Carte only” week at the blog. I finished up the first draft of a book last week and am in a lot of pain from doing so (context). So I’m going to mostly stop typing for the week and hope it helps. I’ve also got an appointment with a specialist this week (that, coincidentally, was booked months ago) and hope to get some better answers about what’s going on.

Love in Africa: It Costs You Something

What a fascinating article! “I believe that Africans tend to intuit something that we do not: love always costs you something. Interestingly, I believe that it is not the Bible that has led to such a culture. My immediate neighbors are still almost completely untouched by the Bible. Instead, it seems to me that this culture has arisen due to poverty.”

All the Hell You Shall Ever Have

“All the miseries that believers are called by God to endure in this life are the only hell that they will ever endure because of the saving work of Jesus in his death and resurrection. This is one of the most comforting and soul strengthening thoughts upon which a believer may set his heart or mind in this life. The Lord may severely afflict, Satan may relentlessly attack, believers may incessantly hurt, the world may violently persecute, but it will all ultimately come to an end when the believer dies or when Christ comes again in glory.”

Instructive Worship

Andrew Roycroft has been doing some fantastic writing lately. “Congregational singing is a major means of grace and growth for the soul of the Christian, it is a distinctive discipline of God’s people to pour out their hearts and lift their voices together in common worship of the One who has loved and redeemed them. Singing together is the activity of Christians who wish to serve one another, who are willing to struggle together all the way to glory, who intuitively understand the power of song to lift our souls, strengthen our hands, and enlarge our hearts.”

American Foundations Study Tour (Sponsored Link)

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the Puritans who sailed to the New World? On April 26–May 3, join Ligonier Teaching Fellows Steven Lawson and Stephen Nichols as they travel from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., on the American Foundations Study Tour. From the bucolic grounds of Mount Vernon to the tree-lined streets of Princeton, you’ll get a firsthand look at the homes, churches, and institutions that shaped the early republic. Among the many sites, you’ll enjoy a tour of the newly opened Museum of the Bible. Reserve your spot today.

Imagine Waking Up Tomorrow and Only You Had Ever Heard of Jesus

It’s a fun thought experiment. “Imagine walking up tomorrow morning and being the only person who had heard of Jesus. What would you do? Yes, yes, apart from the fact you would wake up in a world that would be a cold, dark, pagan place ruled by the prince of the power of the air, what strategy would you have?”

Community is a Costly Business

Here’s a lesson from Francis Schaeffer. “Community is a costly business, but someone must pay the cost. Why not you? Why not me? If we want to make a big impact on our world, why not get in the risky business of building community? Why not take the gospel seriously enough to let it impact the way we relate to one another? Why not reach out to reconcile? Why not open up your home to welcome? Why not rearrange your schedule to be free for those who need friendships?”

What Do We Need To Do To Progress In Our Preaching?

Preachers may benefit from this one (though perhaps wait until after Monday). “Most people think that preachers love the sound of their own voices, but actually they don’t. Many of us hate listening to ourselves, and we are our own harshest critics. However, I suspect we will only improve if we are ruthlessly honest about the way that we are heard by others.”