Good morning! Grace and peace to you today.
The Kindle deals are a little sparse today, but I did dig up a couple.
10 Things You Should Know about R. C. Sproul
I loved this list of 10 things you should know about R.C. Sproul.
The Counsel and Care of the Elderly
“Society feeds the pride of young men and women by telling them that they can change the world–regardless of God-given giftings, intellect, upbringing, associations, providential encounters, guidance, or hard work. Society tells us that the elderly are a burden to progress. While there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), ours is an increasingly narcissistic culture. This is nowhere more evident than in our disdain and disregard of the elderly.”
A New Pastoral Problem
Carl Trueman explains a new pastoral problem. “Last week, a pastor friend told me about a new problem he is facing in his congregation. I hesitate to call it a ‘first world pastoral problem’ because that runs the risk of trivializing it, of making it seem akin to those issues only deemed catastrophic by chattering-class Westerners—a sudden shortage of quinoa at Whole Foods, for example, or a blight on zinfandel grapes. This is a first world problem in the sense that it is created by the chattering classes; but it is in no sense trivial.”
The Primal Heresy
If you’ve got a few minutes, you may enjoy reading Greg Koukl’s long article “The Primal Heresy” which shows how the temptations of our first parents are still alive and well today.
The “Pivot” Away from Biblical Christianity
You can read or listen to this part of Al Mohler’s “The Briefing” where he discusses Bethany Christian Services’ “pivot” related to LGBT issues. “This is exactly the pivot that is demanded of us. The world is now demanding, the moral revolutionaries are now demanding that every single individual in this society, every single institution, every single school, every single religious denomination, every single adoption and foster care agency must pivot. And the pivot, in this case, means capitulation.”
Shaking Off Some Lifelessness with the Psalms
Ed Welch: “Sometimes we can drift through life, just going through the motions. We are passive more than active. Distracted—waiting to be entertained—instead of engaged and proactive. Jaded and not alive to the spiritual possibilities in front of us. We can feel like the functioning depressed.”
Why Churches Lose Members
This is another long one, but one with lots to consider for church leaders.
Flashback: The Character of the Christian: Generous
It is crucial to the well-being of the church that its leaders are joyfully controlled by the Word of God rather than the desire for wealth.
The greatest thing any father can do is to love his children’s mother. The best gift he can give his children is to nurture her.
—Alistair Begg
