Grace and peace to you today.
Today’s Kindle deals include at least one new book—and whatever else I happen to find in the morning.
Is ‘Gentle Parenting’ Biblical?
Bernard N. Howard takes a look at the new “gentle parenting” that is often being advocated on social media.
Secret Service
“One glance at my day planner reminded me of an obvious truth. The majority of my days were spoken for; brimming with work. With precious little time to spare, what could I do to serve the forgotten? I prayed for wisdom and God graciously opened the door. Within a week, I zipped up my coat, met a friend, and entered the world of Secret Service.”
The Challenge of Choosing Between Bitter and Better
Seth Lewis: “There may only be one letter between bitter and better, but like street signs on the same post, the two words point us in opposite directions. And these signposts are planted firmly, with the same two arrows, at every difficult junction we face on the road of life. No matter how well we may have chosen in the past, or how poorly, the same choice always presents itself all over again: will we let the difficulties of life make us better? Or bitter?”
What Is the Church?
Writing for Ligonier Ministries, Derek Thomas defines the church according to Scripture.
Is That Wise? A Test
“Solomon instructs us, in a variety of ways, to ‘be wise’ (Prov 8:33 for example). But often I struggle to know what is the ‘wise’ thing to do. In the book of James (along with the rest of Scripture), God has given us a litmus test of sorts to distinguish between what is true, godly wisdom, and what is earthly and demonic.”
The Spiritual Promise the Cinema Can’t Deliver
Trevin Wax considers the kind of spiritual promise the cinema offers but fails to deliver. “All this is spiritual language. When the lights dim, spiritual illumination begins. All this is tapping into the deepest longings of humanity—for connection, for growth, for inspiration, and for stories that bring resolution.”
Flashback: A Message for Young Men
From the day he laid eyes on his beautiful little girl, he knew he would some day lead her down a church aisle to place her hand in another man’s. And so he began to pray for him.
Self-help teaches that the problem is outside us and the solution comes from within. The Bible teaches that the problem comes from within and the solution is outside us.
—Granger Smith
