Thanks for putting up with me last week as I took a break from the daily articles. Unfortunately, I’m not doing a whole lot better, but will try to get at least three articles up through the course of this week, along with the daily A La Cartes.
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of books from Reformation Heritage.
(Yesterday on the blog: When Grumbling Meets Gossip)
Making Bricks For Evangelical Pharaohs
“I worry that an awful lot of modern day ministry is about making bricks for evangelical pharaohs. Whether those pharaohs are actual people, or whether they are systems and philosophies of ministry that have been put in place, doesn’t matter all that much; making bricks is the paradigm of much modern ministry. And it’s leaving a trail of exhausted people in its wake.”
3 Principles for Christian Political Engagement
Jared Wilson: “Unfortunately, we often find the church falling victim to the false dichotomies of the world. Some Christians put too much hope in the political arena. Some Christians put none. But are these our only options? Political idolatry on the one hand and political silence on the other? Shall we presume to protect the gospel’s relevance by cordoning it off from certain areas of our life?”
Stewarding the Skill of Writing
I enjoyed this look at writing. “Writing is like everything else in life: an opportunity to practice stewardship. The faithful Christian reflects on all areas—birthplace, socioeconomic level, education, home, family, skills and abilities, passions, pain, everything—and asks the Lord, ‘How would you have me use this?’”
The Best Book of the Bible for New Believers
I tend to agree with this, though sometimes I also recommend Luke. “You are a new Christian. Or someone that you know is a new Christian. You (or they) want to start reading the Bible. Where should you begin? In other words, what’s the best book of the Bible for new believers?”
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Multilevel Marketing in the Christian Community
Randy Alcorn takes a measured look at MLMs within the Christian community. “Many of those who are heavily involved in multilevel marketing are innocent of the kinds of attitudes and actions I will address in the rest of this blog. There are great examples of people who balance these things well. But just like anything else, being involved with such a business comes with its own unique set of temptations and challenges.”
One Family’s Ordeal
I appreciate Sophia Lee’s look at some of the struggles of those who set out to find a better life. “When Kenny and Ezequiel heard about the upcoming caravan, they stuffed two changes of clothes into a backpack and scraped up all their cash—about $80 in all. Together with Kenny’s nephew Alexis and Ezequiel’s cousin Marcos (they only gave their middle names, stating fear of harm from authorities), they showed up on Oct. 31, 2018, at the capital of El Salvador and joined 2,000 others.”
The Secret Lives of Facebook Moderators in America
There is some bad language in this one. It describes how content moderation works to keep Facebook from being an even worse place than it is.
Flashback: Why Aren’t Men Reading Women Writers?
There are probably some men out there who will not read any book by any woman. If that’s the case, I don’t think they rightly understand complementarian theology. And if that’s the case, I also don’t know any of them. The men I know are very willing to read books by women. But they aren’t likely to read books for women.
God knows we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace he requires no more than he gives, but gives what he requires, and accepts what he gives.
—Richard Sibbes
