The Lord be with you and bless you today.
The highlight of today’s Kindle deals is a number of books from Crossway related to sorrow and suffering.
Logos users will want to vote for their round 3 picks in the March Matchups competition.
(Yesterday on the blog: Keep Your Good Deeds Secret (From Even Yourself))
What’s Wrong With Grandpa?
This is such a sweet reflection on grandparenting. “When my husband thinks of our three youngest grandsons, something comes over him. He becomes the terrible and mighty Foota-eat-a-saurus. What might that be you ask? Well let me assure you it is neither quiet nor sweet. It neither calms nor settles. When his transformation begins, three little boys open their mouths with piercing screams and take to the farthest corners. Scattered like leaves in the middle of a howling hurricane.”
Copycat Culture Wars
It’s a phenomenon of these times that one of America’s most significant exports is her culture wars. “Part of living wisely, let alone pastoring and preaching to others, involves reflecting critically on important cultural dynamics, especially those which affect nearly everything – and Americanisation, it seems, is one of those dynamics.”
Transient 3 (Video)
This video shares stunning footage of storms.
Celebrities Don’t Get Enough Love
“Our celebrities aren’t known to provide good harvests like the little gods did for our ancestors, but most of us aren’t farmers, so designer clothing lines and cinema blockbusters will do. If we feed them with wealth, their job is to provide us with entertainment.”
Were People in Christ’s Day More Naive Than Us Today
C. Michael Patton pushes back against the assumption that people in Christ’s day were more naive than we are. “There are some out there who say that the Bible is filled with myths. To them, all of Christ’s miracles are easily dismissed by attributing them to ‘the fact’ that people in Christ day were more easily swayed by the so-called supernatural. The argument is that people in ancient times were more naïve and could be easily convinced that Christ and his apostles were doing many wondrous things from God because this was a common thing.”
“Be With Them”
“Have you ever thought a little critically and maybe uncharitably about someone else’s prayers? It’s hard to admit, but there have been times when I’ve scoffed a little when someone prays, ‘Lord, please be with them.’ My theological mind immediately sends out an alert.”
The Right Fight
Cindy Matson thinks about the way we fight for our rights. “The issue is not whether we ought to stand up for our rights. Rather, the issue is why we fight so desperately for them. I fear that we, the American church, are more concerned with fighting for liberty than fighting against Satan. While I cannot reiterate enough how grateful I am for that liberty, I don’t want it to be my greatest treasure.”
Flashback: What’s the Purpose (and the Benefit) of Family Devotions?
…we’ve found family devotions is a crucial means of declaring our family’s priorities. By turning to Word and prayer together every day (or most days, at least), we’ve modelled the centrality of these practices in the Christian life.
Spiritual idleness soon results in spiritual dryness.
—Charles Ebert Orr
