A La Carte (January 11)

There are some pretty Kindle deals for you to consider today. Some of them are newer while some of them are classics.

(Yesterday on the blog: Why You Shouldn’t Stop Blogging (or Why You Should Consider Starting))

When Discontent Sheep Show Up

Every pastor needs to consider what to do when discontent sheep show up. “When pastors are not careful to ask the right questions, to challenge gossip or uncharitable comments, or to insist on attempts at reconciliation, there is a subtle undermining of the other church that takes place. Often, the issues that cause discontent sheep to leave their churches are not informed by all of the necessary details to make a decision.”

How to Counsel Couples Through Past Sexual Sin

There is lots of wisdom in this one (though perhaps too many “should” statements–I’d prefer to see statements like “it may be wise to” or “the wisest course may be…”). “Remember when doing pre-marital counseling with young couples regarding sex involved a brief warning about temptation and supplementing their education about the birds and the bees that their staid or embarrassed parents had neglected to mention Yeah, me neither.”

Ligonier Has an App (Sponsored Link)

The free Ligonier app gives you instant access to a deep library of Bible teaching, including daily devotionals, conference messages, and thousands of hours of videos from R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Teaching Fellows, and other gifted teachers. Just visit Ligonier.org/app to download it for free, and please don’t forget to leave a review in your favorite app store.

Confessions of a Glory Hoarder

I think we can all identify with this kind of glory hoarding. “Not surprisingly, motherhood threw a wrench into my self-glorification. I haven’t received nearly as much glory as I’ve been accustomed to in previous seasons. In the academic world, you get grades and diplomas. In the professional world, you get performance reviews and promotions. In the social world, you get friends and influence. In motherhood, you get dirty diapers and sleep deprivation. There’s no paycheck, no performance review, no pomp and circumstance.”

Pastor Piper and the Microphone

In honor of John Piper’s birthday, here’s the long history of Piper wrestling with the pulpit mic.

I Grew Up Believing My Grandfather Was a War Hero. Army Records Said Otherwise

This is an odd story without a tidy ending. A man goes in search of his grandfather’s heroic record and find something else instead.

Dementia in the Trans-Physical Age

“Reflecting on the destructive effects of dementia raises a huge question: Where does the real you reside? We live in the Trans-Physical Age in which we view our bodies as plastic, moldable, even disposable containers in which our true selves live. If you feel that your body is an inaccurate portrayal of the real you, you are free to change it. Perhaps the real you is younger, a different race, or a different gender. And so, like choosing a more suitable outfit for an occasion, we paint, cut and carve our bodies to better reflect the person we feel we are inside.”

Practice Charity, Pursue Credibility: How to Respond to a Child’s Profession of Faith

“Two basic theological ‘rules’ are essential for credobaptists as we think about our children and their relation to the church: the rule of charity and the rule of credibility. The first rule posits that we must always receive professions of faith charitably—operating with a hermeneutic of trust rather than suspicion. The second rule reminds us that Baptist churches like ours have historically reserved the church’s stamp of approval in baptism for only credible professions of faith—like our paedobaptist friends have for communion.”

Flashback: All My Ways Are Known To You

He knows who I am at heart, who I am in my darkest moments, who I sometimes wish to be and what I sometimes long to do…I am an open book before him, laid bare before his penetrating gaze. And still he loves me.