May the Lord be with you and bless you today. Here’s a reminder of what happens around here over the weekend. Tomorrow I’ll have Weekend A La Carte, which focuses on thought-provoking long-form articles and think pieces. On Sunday, I’ll have Works & Wonders, which offers content that is interesting, upbeat, and just right for Sunday morning.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include some books and commentaries that are all at a great price.
I just refreshed my list of commentaries on sale. The list includes both print and Kindle editions. There are some really significant deals to be had!
Recommended Reading
Why Hot Takes Are the Enemy of Conviction. Joe Carter set out to write a hot take on a current issue, but quickly became convinced of the futility of it. “Every day, we’re handed a new thing to care about. And then we do care about it—truly, sincerely, and passionately—for just long enough to form a strong opinion about it. Having formed the opinion, we lose interest in the thing itself. The caring doesn’t settle into conviction. We often mistake having an opinion for having taken a position. Then we mistake taking a position for having done something. The result is that we’re the most opinionated Christians in history and yet possibly the least convicted.”
Are Kids Too Expensive? Ben Hicks heard what we have all heard recently: That children have gotten too expensive. He does the math to see if it is really so. “I’ve heard this trope a lot: ‘It’s just too expensive.’ Is it? Is that really the reason that the American family seems to be a dying breed? Many people seem to think so. Well, let’s dig into the numbers a little.”
Bring Your Church to the 2026 Missionary National Conference: The Lord Who Sends. The Lord Who Sends will shape your church according to God’s word, preparing you for the sacrificial work of sending missionaries to the unreached. Featuring John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, Michael Reeves, and others. Register your group by August 15 to save. (Sponsored)
“Pressing on Toward the Goal”: Spiritual Formation Through Forgetting & Pursuing. Brad Matthews offers helpful thoughts on sanctification. “There will never be a point in the Christian life where you or I have arrived at the end of our spiritual growth. Being conformed into the image of our Savior is a life-long process that will come to its culmination in the new heavens and new earth. Yet, our experience of spiritual formation does change over the years. In other words, spiritual growth looks different for those who have been walking with Jesus for 2 years, versus 32 years, versus 62 years.”
Establishing a Daily Rhythm of Prayer. Michael Krahn shares a bit of what he has learned about a daily rhythm of prayer. He writes specifically for pastors, but though you may not have quite the same amount of time to pray as a pastor, nor the specific vocational mandate to do so, I’m sure you can still benefit from his thoughts.
Preaching Outrage. John Piper responds to a question related to how pastors are to respond to outrageous cultural events. “This is an important question,” he says, “because the sinfulness of contemporary society is today more outlandish than it has been for hundreds of years in America — and more in your face because of the ubiquity of social media and online streaming and advertising.”
The Curious Case of Extra Resurrections in Matthew 27:52. I have never really given much thought to those curious extra resurrections that are related to Jesus’. “Imagine your shock. You mourned the death of a loved one. You watched him get buried. Not long afterward, the sky goes dark followed by an earthquake. Days later, still unsettled by these phenomena, your dead relative walks in the door. Only the Gospel of Matthew records this astounding detail. When Jesus rose, others rose with Him. What? Dead people came back to life and just walked out of their graves on the first Easter? Who were they? Why did this happen? Did they die again? Why did nobody but Matthew mention these resurrections?”
The Funnies
My friend Chris Martin maintains a Substack called The Funnies, and every Saturday he shares a few fun and silly things he found on the Internet—something I see as a modern equivalent to the comics pages that used to be in every newspaper. I asked him to share a couple with you.
A La Quiz
Did you pay attention to this week’s A La Carte? Find out with this quick quiz:
- Melissa Edginton described how God has been giving her the humbling she needed. What is it that she has found so humbling? (Find out)
- James White wrote a primer on Eastern Orthodoxy. What did he identify as the most prominent source of misunderstanding for Protestants as they try to understand Orthodoxy? (Find out)
- Christianity Today had a story about young Africans who are pushing back against a cultural tradition. What is that tradition? (Find out)
Flashback
On Helping Your Wife Become Like Christ by Identifying Her Every Fault. “At their most unimaginative moments, husbands try to help spouses be like Christ’s perfected bride by identifying their wives’ faults with clinical precision.” But there is a better way.
In the same way that playing matchbox cars on the front lawn loses its attractiveness when we’re invited to spend the afternoon at a NASCAR race, sin loses its appeal as we allow ourselves to be re-enchanted time and time again with the unsurpassable beauty of Jesus.
—Dane Ortlund
