The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you on this fine day.
Westminster Books is having a Winter Clearance Sale. That means they have 700+ books on sale at up to 70% off. These are all books they love but simply have too many of.
Today’s Kindle deals include titles for those who doubt, those who are going through a time of grief, and those who just wanted to read a good book. On the general market side, today only the first volume of Edmund Morris’ magisterial biography of Theodore Roosevelt is on sale.
The Vibe Shift: What Does It Mean for the Gospel?
It is good to be encouraged by what appears to be a societal vibe shift, yet we also need to be sure we are thinking about it properly. “Hell will be populated by conservatives and progressives, each gnashing their teeth at God for his refusal to align with their vibe. No amount of ‘wowing’ at Wes Huff will save Joe Rogan. He has to repent and believe the gospel. It would be terrible if what we experienced in the era before the negative world kicked in, were to repeat itself.”
Thank You Gracious Church Members
John Beeson offers thanks to some of those precious church members who are known for being gracious.
The Church’s Opportunity When ‘Gentle Parenting’ Crashes
Trevin Wax foresees a time when “gentle parenting” crashes. When it does, he thinks there will be a special opportunity for the gospel. “The church will have a major opportunity in the years ahead, as young people come of age having been raised under the philosophy of gentle parenting—with its emphasis on safeness, social niceties, and emotional self-expression, and its erasing of sin, evil, judgment, and redemption.”
Confessing a Critical Spirit
“A critical spirit goes deeper than tiny distractions, and not only does it drag others down, but it is a heavy burden for us to carry. These threads of self-protection, fear, and control form a cord of three strands that leave us bound in habitual unhappiness.” Been there, done that, sadly.
Misconceptions of Maturity
John Sartelle has a strong article here about maturity. “She was thirteen years old, but she was wearing a tight-fitting dress more appropriate for a woman of thirty. The color of her handbag matched her high heels. She was not a child playing dressup. She was a teen trying to appear older, saying, ‘Look at me; I am a beautiful and seductive nineteen-year-old.’ That scene took place fifty years ago, but I recall that sad image whenever I see anyone with a false understanding of what it means to be mature.”
Postpartum Depression and Anxiety (Video)
Lauren Whitman offers help to women who may be struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety.
Flashback: The Only Tears In Heaven
Though our eyes fill with tears when we sink to the valleys, don’t they also fill with tears when we soar to the heights? Maybe then, just maybe, such tears will still fill our eyes when we stand before that throne, when we gain a sight of that Lamb, when we join our voices to sing of that salvation.
To follow Jesus is to pay the cost of discipleship, and then to die to ourselves, to our own interests, our own agendas and reputations. It is to pick up our crosses and count the cost of losing all that contradicts his will and his way…
—Os Guinness
