Today’s Kindle deals include more commentaries. Among them is Waltke’s excellent volume on Genesis.
Those who know Greek will want to check out the new Greek Scripture Journals from Crossway, on sale this week at Westminster Books.
Tend Your Own Garden
Garden, of course, is metaphorical. “I read my Bible and I prayed. I prayed for my neighbors and for my world. But as I did, I was also reminded that I can’t change the whole world everyday. Every single day doesn’t extend me an opportunity to impact the whole world. But every single day I have an opportunity to impact the five other people who live in my house. I can tend my own garden.”
The Power of Reading … Slowly
Sometimes (often) it is good to read slowly. Here’s Tony Payne: “On the whole, hastiness isn’t a very healthy thing in the Bible. The feet of the wicked always seem to be hastening off after their latest wicked plan (Prov 6:18). In fact, hastening off after anything that you desire isn’t a good idea and usually results in getting lost (Prov 19:2). And of course, the man who is hasty in his words? “There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Prov 29:20). In the coronavirus bubble that many of us have been occupying in recent months, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has rediscovered the value of slowing down.”
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Dear Mr. Potter: An Open Letter on Cancel Culture
This is a clever bit of writing. “Dear Mr. Potter, We at the Ministry of Magic are writing to inform you of a significant occurrence of which it is imperative that you be informed. To put it bluntly, you are now thrice-orphaned.”
White Flags in Peru: How the Church Is Caring for Coronavirus Victims
“What comes to mind when you see a white flag? Most people think surrender. In Iquitos, a city of about half a million in northern Peru, it means desperation. It means the household has no more food, forcing those within the walls to set aside all shame of poverty and visibly declare their desolate condition. Then they wait, hoping someone will stop and give them a little food. While the number of homes waving the white flag is surprising, the number of people in the same condition without a white flag is even more heart-wrenching.”
I Warned About the COVID and Now I Feel Like a Fool
“Since the pandemic began, I’ve been described as a so-called ‘COVID warrior,’ which makes some sense. After all, I’ve defended the shutdowns of large gatherings. I’ve insisted that it’s wise to temporarily close churches and postpone funerals and other ceremonies. I’ve argued that extreme caution is necessary—that to do anything else would be to blatantly and selfishly ignore the scientific information at our disposal. I’ve held the opinion that, although it has caused irrevocable harm to the economy and caused millions of people to suffer, business owners who close up shop for fear of spreading contagion are in the right. Now I feel like a fool.”
God Doesn’t Listen to Them
Pope Francis recently joined with Muslims to encourage everyone who believes in God to pray for an end to the coronavirus. Jordan Strandridge explains why this is concerning.
You Are Not That Special
We all learn this sooner or later, and the sooner the better. “For many of us, one of the earliest messages we heard, the constant refrain of children’s books, the chorus of our parents (and especially grandparents), and likely even the message we heard in Sunday school, was essentially you are special.”
Flashback: Love Is Not Heavy-Handed
Whatever else we learn about church life, we learn quickly that it will at times come with conflict. We are, after all, sinful people attempting to share community with other sinners.
When life caves in, broken and shattered souls need more than human kindness. They need God himself.
—Harold Senkbeil
