The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
Westminster Books has discounted a whole selection of books that are available for pre-order. The list includes my From the Rising of the Sun as well as a new hymnal from the Gettys.
Today’s Kindle deals include helpful books for troubled marriages. There’s also the first volume in a series of novels your children will enjoy. Once again, there are also some interesting general market picks.
How John MacArthur Changed American Preaching
I’m not convinced the first paragraph of this article was necessary, but I enjoyed and benefited from the rest of it. “He delivered his sermons in a relatively monotone voice. He was not a storyteller. He didn’t make sensational claims or attempt to make his messages entertaining. Instead, he began each sermon by reading from the Bible, and he then followed that with a bullet-point list of applications from the passage, often extending for up to 50 minutes with hardly any illustrations or breaks from the tightly focused biblical exegesis and exhortation. But somehow it was amazingly popular.”
Don’t Reduce Faithfulness to Neutrality: A Response to David French and Chip Gaines
Joe Carter responds to Chip Gaines and David French as they defend a recent decision. “One of their latest reality series, which premiered on July 10, follows modern families as they attempt to live as 1880s homesteaders. Included on the show are a same-sex couple and their twin sons.”
Mics in the Water and Other Baptism Blunders
I’m also a believer in practicing things as important as baptism. This writer explains why baptism matters and why practice matters.
No One Who Abides in Him Keeps on Sinning
“It seems God has purposely withheld assurance from those who are walking in constant sin and rebellion. And, yet, God also wants those who come to him in repentant faith to know that they will be seen in the righteousness of Christ, not in their own imperfect righteousness. Therefore, each time that we willfully sin, we rob ourselves of the comfort and assurance of our salvation.”
The Beauty of Old Paths
Melissa spent a week at church camp and celebrates the beauty of the old paths. (Also on the subject of old paths, Jake Stone says it’s crucial not to forget them.)
Practical Christian Guardrails for Humour and Joking
Humor can be a joy and a blessing. But it is important that it remain within guardrails. Yamikani Katunga suggests some wise ones here. “Whichever side of the screen we find ourselves on, let us remember that humour is a gift from God. Like all gifts, it needs guardrails. If we make it a point to regard matters of spirituality and sensibility with appropriate sobriety, we will be well on our way to honouring God with our humour.”
Flashback: Should We Exercise “Pronoun Hospitality?”
For some the question will come up in a context that is innocuous, and the decision may involve no negative repercussions. But for some the question will come up in a context in which they stand to lose something as substantial as respect, a job, or even a relationship with a child.
The reason that we ministers do not accomplish more is because others do not pray enough for us, and we do not pray enough for ourselves.
—De Witt Talmage
