Thanks to Covenant Community Church of Richmond, KY, for welcoming our group of 30+ to worship with them yesterday. It was a joy to join with other believers who take worship seriously. We are here in Richmond for Michaela and Caleb’s wedding, which, Lord willing, will take place this afternoon!
Sales & Deals
If all goes well, today’s Kindle deals will include several popular books by Jen Wilkin.
If you’d like some books for children, consider Tales that Tell the Truth from The Good Book Company. They’re on sale at Westminster Books.
Recommended Reading
An Anchor in an Everchanging Sea. “We journey through the world as in a boat on the sea. The wind and waves, the colors and currents, are constantly changing all around us, carrying us to new places we have never visited before. In such a world, we need an anchor, one that will bite deep and hold firm, an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. Christ is the anchor for everchanging people in an everchanging world.”
We Need the Doctrine of Hell. Andrew Wilson: “Iaccidentally read three books on hell last month. I hadn’t planned to read any of them. What I discovered from the novel, the biography, and the piece of literary criticism is that we still need the Christian doctrine of hell.”
Is Your Women’s Ministry Accessible to Single Moms? I think this is a really good question to ask, and I fear a lot of churches neglect to ask it. “I believe most churches want to care well for the single moms in their midst. I’ve had two churches care well for me (and my daughter). But it can be hard for churches to know how exactly to help single moms meaningfully participate outside of Sunday worship.”
Growing Old Together. Melissa celebrates the joy of growing old together. “When couples stand at an altar and pledge their lives to one another, typically they’re young and filled with idealistic views of a glittering future together. They sigh contentedly and dream about a day when they’re little old people, holding hands as they shuffle across the street together, having spent a lifetime in between living in relative health and prosperity.”
Not All Revivals Are Noisy. Dave Williams considers the “Quiet Revival” we heard about a while ago and considers the claim that true revivals are never quiet. “My own experience of Gospel ministry has included time with what looked like a little chapel, hidden away down a drive, behind some shops. All may have seemed quiet there. In fact, much was happening, quietly hidden away and it was perhaps for our good that it was. Noise and show might have curtailed those things.”
Animal Farm. I appreciate this thoughtful review of the new Animal Farm film. “George Orwell’s allegory Animal Farm is a perennial inclusion on high school reading lists because it warns against the dangers of totalitarianism, corruption, and propaganda. Now students wishing to avoid the assignment have another film adaption they can watch. But how faithful to the original story is this version updated for modern audiences?” (Also, here’s PluggedIn’s take: “This animated adaptation from Angel is a strangely dissonant take on the classic tale. While many plot points from the original work remain, the film tries to stretch the somber story into a sort of wacky comedy. The movie wants to have its cake and eat it, too: It tries to share a cautionary message about power and greed—leveled at the excesses of capitalism rather than Orwell’s original satirization of Stalinism. But it also wants to include slapstick comedy, toilet humor and a hip-hop remix of ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm.’”
Book Brief
Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs by Antony Beevor. Few historical characters are more evil, repulsive, or fascinating than Grigori Rasputin. Not surprisingly, I suppose, few historical characters are as shrouded in myth and mystery. Antony Beevor tries to separate truth from rumor in this new account of Rasputin’s life. In the end, you could probably say that on one level it doesn’t really matter what was actually true about him, because it was the myth and mystery that gave him so much power both in his time and in the historic imagination. (Amazon)
Flashback
Grownups Aren’t Afraid of Shadows. The shadow of death cannot destroy. Though it may claim our bodies for a time, it cannot touch our souls and cannot sever them from God. Though we must pass through it, we need not fear it. Though it stands before us, it has no true claim on us.
The gospel, because it is a true story, means all the best stories will be proved, in the ultimate sense, true.
—Tim Keller
