I’m at the G3 conference in Atlanta for the next couple of days and look forward to meeting many of you here!
Today’s Kindle deals include a trio of commentaries written for pastors or general readers.
(Yesterday on the blog: Jesus Wins)
The Everlasting Impact of Faithful Shepherding
Faithful shepherding can make all the difference in a life. “As I hung up, two questions overwhelmed me: First, what would have happened to Joan if no one had called? And second, had anyone from Steve’s church ever called him? When he stopped showing up, did anyone notice? Did anyone from his church community reach out to him, not to chide him for non-attendance, but to listen to his heart and the areas where he was struggling? Did anyone remind him of the gospel? Affirm their affection for him? In short, did anyone from Steve’s church take responsibility for his soul?”
Kwakum: No Longer “Oral-Only”
A remarkable thing just happened in Cameroon. “Can you imagine what it would have been like to be there when English was first codified? When people first were able to read the language that they had spoken their whole life? Well…we can! We are very pleased to announce that Kwakum has shed its label of an ‘oral-only’ society. Today, this group of 10,000 people in Eastern Cameroon now have an official, recognized alphabet.”
An Open Letter to Baptist Pastors Considering Open Membership
The discussion among Baptists of whether or not we should receive people into membership who have not been baptized as believers continues. Here’s a follow-up from 9Marks.
The Death Of The Person I Dreamed Of Becoming
Jennifer Brogdon: “I changed my major—only to change it back a few months later. I didn’t want to give up on what I said I would accomplish. For many years, I’d boasted in it. I didn’t want to disappoint those who cheered me on. How much time and money they’d invested in it! And I wanted to prove I could do it. Would others think I was unqualified or too scared to try? Turns out, I was too scared to give up.”
Are We Allowed to Use OT Figures as Moral Examples?
Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water, eh? Even as we avoid trite moralisms, let’s still learn from examples of morality.
Asia Rising: The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Hardest to Follow Jesus
Christianity Today reports: “Christian persecution has worsened in the most populous countries in the world, China and India, putting millions more believers at risk for their faith. The two Asian nations moved up on Open Doors’s annual ranking of the 50 countries where it’s hardest to be a Christian.”
Sacrificial Service When You’re Tired
“How do I show my husband value by meeting his needs when he gets home at the end of the day when I also have put in a full day and am exhausted?” Christine Hoover provides an answer.
Flashback: How to Build Unity in Your Church
You need to plant yourself in a local church. Why? Because you need the gifts of the Christians there and they need your gifts. There is a church that is incomplete without you and you are incomplete without that church. You do not have all that you need, all that is necessary for your growth in holiness.
Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the devil.
—Thomas Brooks
