Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include some volumes from the excellent ESV Expository Commentary series which are good for sermon preparation or personal study. They are a great deal at that price!
How I Am Getting My Mind Back This Year
Wyatt Graham: “My thoughts come slower. It can be hard to concentrate. I used to be able to sit down and focus for hours. Now, I feel myself getting distracted. An email comes. A text message pops up. And I feel swept away by the wave. I plan to swim against the current this year. You can too. But to do so, we need to first understand why the current flows so strongly towards mindlessness before planning our rage against the machine.”
Be the Kind of Person the World Needs
This is a good charge: Be the kind of person the world needs.
Never Too Busy to Pray
“The Gospels offer only a few glimpses into the routines of Jesus’s life outside his normal ministry. They show him traveling often. They show him eating at many different tables. They sometimes show him resting. But perhaps above all, they show him praying.”
Live and Lead Like Jesus
Jesus was both tough and tender, patient and urgent, courageous and submissive. In Gary Millar’s new book, Both/And Ministry, he showcases Christ’s example to help gospel workers become fully-formed followers of Jesus and servants of his church. Get 25% off with code CHALLIES. (Sponsored)
1700 Years after Nicaea
For those who would like to do some theological reading, you may enjoy the new issue of Credo magazine. It’s free to read!
A Deeper Faith
Jacob writes about the kind of faith he longs to have.
Preparing for the Storm
Glenna expresses the importance of preparation. “We don’t acknowledge the likelihood of impending trials, so we don’t prepare for them. It’s only after the trial has passed, when we’re left trying to pick up the shards of hope and put our lives back together, that we realize we need to stockpile emergency supplies for the next time Sorrow comes knocking at our door. Having lived through one storm, we realize we’ll need a reservoir for the next one.”
Flashback: How Is God Present in Our Pain?
Thinking soberly in our most difficult moments, we often can’t help but wonder. Do I need to repent or do I need to endure? Do I need to ask God to give me insight to see and own my sin, or do I need to ask God to help me bear this burden?
If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life…But if, like Jesus, you realize you can’t do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray.
—Paul Miller
