Good morning. Grace and peace to you. I trust you enjoyed your weekend and are looking forward to serving the Lord through another week. In case you didn’t check in yesterday, I thought the Works & Wonders compilation was a good one. Where else would you find Ferrari, cheese curds, and Covenanters together?
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include a whole list of popular books by Nancy Guthrie. You’ll find some other good options as well.
Recommended Reading
The Humbling I Needed. I really enjoy reading Melissa Edgington’s reflections on parenting now that she’s parenting a young one again at the age of 48. “I’ve realized that in all those years of taking credit for my kids’ good behavior, there were other moms and grandmothers out there laughing at me. Not meanly, but in a you-don’t-even-know-what-you-don’t-know sort of way. And learning that is probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
Are We Forgiven for the Sins We Can’t Remember and Therefore, Don’t Confess? Randy Alcorn considers if and how God can forgive us for sins we can’t remember and therefore haven’t confessed. “It’s crucial to embrace the freedom and peace that comes from knowing you are forgiven in Christ. Don’t let the enemy rob you of the joy of your salvation and the assurance that you are secure in God’s love. Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand‘ (John 10:27-28).”
What Are the Songs We Sing Teaching the Church? Matthew Skinner asks an important question. “Sound doctrine is a non-negotiable. It’s required in our preaching, our discipleship, and our teaching. But do we apply the same care for doctrine to our singing?” He offers lots of helpful pointers on selecting songs that will truly help the church.
How to Read the Bible When Your Heart Feels Cold. We all experience times when our hearts feel cold toward the Bible. Andrew Davis offers some advice on working through them. “Scripture works knowledge into a love that blazes like a fire. Tragically, sometimes the world, the flesh, and the devil conspire to quench that fire temporarily. We become cold, distant, and hard. How can we rekindle our delight in God and His holy Word? Let me give five brief exhortations.”
The Delightful Duty of Married Sex. Tilly Dillehay says that “for married Christians, sex is a strange combination of function and fun, discipline and desire, heaven and hobby. But for the Christian wife in particular, married sex can also represent mystery, frustration, or even shame.” She explains how sex within marriage is a delightful duty.
All Things Without Complaining or Arguing. Hayden Lanier: “We, as Christians today, have become complacent with the sin of complaining. My dad likes to say that if some people won the lottery, they would complain about the color of the ink on the check. I am sure you can think of some individuals in your life who are like this, or if you are like me, you recognize that this is a sin you struggle with in your daily thoughts and conversations.”
My Books
Every now and again I like to introduce one of my books, in case you aren’t familiar with them. Today it’s Visual Theology. I had already been working with various graphic designers to create infographics when Josh Byers and I decided to team up for a book that would combine words with visuals. We made it our goal to teach doctrines in a fresh, beautiful, and informative way. It could only have worked with an artist as talented as Josh is. (Amazon)
Flashback
Are We Performing or Are We Participating? It is the whole church, not just the best singers, who are to mutually encourage one another through the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And to do that, they must be heard! Their voices must not be drowned out by instruments, but rise above them.
One grain of faith is better than a gallon of tears. A drop of genuine repentance is more precious than a torrent of weeping.
—Charles Spurgeon
