Good morning. May the God of love and peace be with you.
There is once again a lengthy list of Kindle deals, including deep discounts on many of the best commentary series (NICOT, NICNT, NIGTC, Pillar).
(Yesterday on the blog: It’s Better To Suffer Wrong)
Spiritual Lessons from My Dumb Phone
I think it does us all good from time to time to consider our relationship with our phone (as Dru Johnson does here).
5 Preaching Pet Peeves
Jared Wilson: “I thought I would share some pet peeves of mine when it comes to preaching, because I think they are shared by others as well. In the end, those of us who preach want to remove any unnecessary barriers between understanding the word, believing the gospel and the people who are listening. As a preacher who regularly sits under preaching too, I’ve experienced some things that I think have helped me develop as a communicator. Maybe they will provide some food for thought for you, as well.”
How a Jail Became a Seminary
Aaron Lumpkin tells how, a long time ago, a jail became a seminary. “The jail, once overcome with the sound of woeful cries and locking chains, now paraded the sounds of freedom found through the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Give God Room
Rebekah says that in our troubling times we naturally worry or try to control. “In some ways, these are opposite reactions (worry is mostly passive; control is mostly active), and yet it’s quite possible to do both at the same time. I’m actually quite good at both and often manage to do them simultaneously, over the same problem.”
Understanding your enemy
“God would have us estimate our enemies neither too highly nor too lightly” says Andrée Seu Peterson. That’s true whether the enemy is physical or spiritual.
How would you persuade someone that the sign gifts have ceased? (Video)
If you’re interested in quite an impassioned defense of the cessation of the spiritual gifts, Steven Lawson, Stephen Nichols, and Burk Parsons team up on one here.
Flashback: The Only Way To Do The Work Of A Lifetime
…duties can and do rise far above drudgery when we fulfill them out of a conviction that it is God who has called us to them and that it is through them that we do good to others and bring glory to his name.
It is not punishment to which we are subjected but pruning, and it is because we are fruitful that we are pruned.
—J.R. Miller
