Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include a lot of great books by Paul David Tripp. Be sure to consider his books on marriage and awe. (Unfortunately, those deals didn’t come through on schedule; I’ll try to follow up.) There were also some good deals yesterday, like Reagan Rose’s book on productivity, so be sure to scroll back a day. Also, you will find some phenomenal biographies in the general market section.
Beware the ‘Current-Events Man’
I appreciate what Chris says here about being a current-events man. “A current-events man is that relative on Facebook constantly posting about the latest news coming out of the Oval Office. It’s the co-worker who was an expert on public health in 2020 and has insights on immigration policy and enforcement this week. It’s the pastor who can’t help but hook every sermon to a headline.”
Like No Other (Video)
You may enjoy this new song that The Worship Initiative recorded live at the recent CROSS Conference.
When Life Is Hard, Keep Reading Your Bible
This is good and necessary counsel: When life is hard, just keep on reading your Bible.
Struggling With Prayer? Ask God for Help.
And, of course, you also need to persevere in prayer! “One of the most important things I’ve learned about growing in prayer is that the best place to start isn’t finding a new note-card system or journal—it’s admitting our struggle to God and asking him to help us pray.”
When Education Becomes Information
This is a long but thought-provoking article about education and the difference between information and formation. “Today, in debates over the future and likely impact of artificial intelligence, one often hears the optimistic refrain: ‘we’re in charge; we can use AI however we want’ (as long as we accept that we have no choice not to use it, that is). AI, on this account, is the ultimate general-purpose technology, capable of being built to any specification, adapted to any use. The world is our oyster, and AI will take us wherever we want to go.”
Don’t Run
While this letter is written from a specific pastor to a specific church, I think we can all benefit from its challenge. It’s all about what we do in the moments following the end of the church service.
Flashback: How Much Entertainment Is Too Much?
We don’t work so we can rest, but rest so we can work. We have rested enough when it has prepared us to return our hands to the plow; we have rested too much when the plow has grown rusty or the field lies fallow.
Those that hate to be refined by the fire of divine grace will undoubtedly be ruined by the fire of divine wrath.
—Matthew Henry
