Happy new year, my friends! May this be a year in which you experience and enjoy God’s richest blessings.
There are some excellent new Kindle deals to look through today. I’ll also make sure the list is updated by around 6:30 AM EST.
The Best Seats at Church
What are the best seats at church? And who ought to sit in them? This article will fill you in.
How Healthy Is Your Soul? Six Questions for a New Year
Scott Hubbard: “The devil uses many weapons in his assault against our soul, but one of the most overlooked is simply time. We are changeable creatures in a long war, called to “resist the devil” not for a day or a week or a year but a life. And spiritual health yesterday does not guarantee spiritual health today. So, at the end of a new year, on the edge of another, let’s stop to take some spiritual vitals. How healthy is your soul?”
See How God Used Six Missionaries to Fulfill the Great Commission
The church isn’t finished… Stream the Missionary docuseries to see how God used missionaries like John Paton, Hudson Taylor, and Amy Carmichael to bring the light of the gospel to the ends of the earth. Now available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Youtube TV, and Apple TV. (Sponsored)
Why Trying to Craft Perfect Sermons Will Lead to Pastoral Burnout
“One of the biggest threats to long-term effectiveness in pastoral ministry is burnout, and one of the biggest threats to burnout is perfectionism tendencies in sermon preparation. Perfectionism in sermon preparation seems honorable, but it’s not. It’s a recipe for either anxiety or burnout or both.”
God’s Power Is Made Perfect in Weakness
It’s so important to understand this: God’s power is made perfect in weakness, not in turning weakness into strength.
The Ministry of Presence
I appreciated this article about the all-important ministry of presence.
Parental Regret: How to Move Forward When You’ve Let Your Kids Down
Lauren Whitman writes to parents who know they have let their kids down. “Regrets are painful, but we can engage them with hope in Christ. For all the ways you stumble in parenting, God’s grace is sufficient. For all the ways you worry for your children, the Lord’s care for them surpasses your own. For all the ways you’re overwhelmed with the responsibility of parenting, may Christ himself be your peace.”
Flashback: All Is Shadow Here Below!
Octavius Winslow would have you consider that this world and all that is in it is but a shadow. And if we simply acknowledge this, we are prepared to live this year well—to live it for the glory of God.
Magnifying God’s greatness begins with the proclamation of objective, biblical truths about God, but it ends with the expression of deep and holy affections towards God.
—Bob Kaufflin
