Saturday’s funeral for my son was every bit as difficult as we would have expected, and the interment perhaps even more so. But God is good, and God is kind, and he has been a tremendous comfort to us. I’ll have more to say in the weeks to come, I’m sure, but this week am focusing on quality time with my family.
Today’s Kindle deals include several books that are worth a peek.
4 Ways Christians Can Navigate Cultural Confusion around Gender in the Coming Decade
Carl Trueman: “The question of transgender identity looks set to be significant for Christians both in matters of public life and pastoral care for the foreseeable future. The furor surrounding everything from school bathroom policies to women’s sports to the respective rights of parents and children guarantee its presence in politics. And the fact that more and more teens claim to experience gender dysphoria means that it is something upon which all churches and pastors would do well to reflect.”
A Tangled Web
And then, somewhat related, this is from Janie B. Cheaney. “For years, we’ve gazed with dismay at the phenomenon of the vanishing man—in family life, on the university campus, and in responsible positions (or in positions acting responsibly). Could it be that men no longer know how to be men? We should be asking that question about women.”
10 Issues the Gospel Solved in the Corinthian Church
Andy Naselli explains how the gospel was the solution to the problems in the Corinthian church.
Let’s Have Some Good News
Yes! Let’s have some good news…
A Restoration People
This one is short, but sweet. It begins this way: “‘The Repair Shop’ has been a surprise hit for BBC One. But perhaps it’s not so surprising. Restoration is a powerful idea.”
Why He Loves to Be Called Father
“In conversation, prayer, and even evangelism, many of us default to using two titles to refer to our Creator and Redeemer: God and Lord. We are not wrong to use these titles, of course — Scripture does so over and over again. But we might go astray if we slowly allow them to eclipse the names that God has so graciously revealed to us.”
The Government Says We Can’t Sing! What Should We Do? (A Forum)
What’s most interesting to me in this forum about singing during COVID is how good leaders can see things so differently. (As for us in Toronto, singing is not banned, but “strongly discouraged.” Meanwhile, gathering sizes have been trimmed to 10 as of today. So we have some thinking to do…)
Flashback: A Simple But Life-Changing Realization
You may not see your sin so completely and utterly vanquished that it never raises its ugly head again. But you can see massive, unbelievable success against that sin. You can, because God gives you a command. And where he gives a command, he also gives the means to obey.
If you find it hard to believe in God, I strongly advise you to begin your search not with philosophical questions…but with Jesus of Nazareth.
—John Stott
