Today’s Kindle deals include a pair of really helpful books by Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes. There’s a good number of other options as well. In other book news, I’ve expanded the list of pre-Black Friday print book deals.
I noticed that Amazon has lots of board games on sale. You can browse a full list here, but to save some time I’ve grabbed a few highlights: Ticket to Ride, Ticket to Ride Europe, Ticket To Ride Legacy, CATAN, Azul, Scattergories, Taboo, Clue, 7 Wonders, Pandemic, Everdell, Trekking the National Parks, and so on.
Logos users will want to look at the various Cyber Week deals. They include Zondervan Academic New Testament Collections: Gospels and Acts at 60% off, the Puritan Ultimate Collection at 80% off, Theological Commentary Collection at 65% off, and much more. Also, grab your free ebook. There will be lots more deals as the week continues.
The Land of Many Meetings
Joshua Budimlic: “That’s the dirty little secret about grief: it doesn’t just go away, it lingers. With each passing year it takes on a different form to be sure, but it still clings to our souls. As we journey through this world, our grief grows with us. However, as the years ebb and the Lord continues His work in our hearts, there is a sweetness to grief that begins to take hold.”
You Must Be Baptized to Receive the Lord’s Supper
Though this article is written from a Presbyterian perspective, I appreciate much of what it says about the proper relationship between baptism and the Lord’s Supper. “This baptismal prerequisite for partaking of the Lord’s Supper is thoroughly biblical and for that reason has been the consistent practice of the church since its earliest days.”
Praying for Daniels
Donna shares her prayers that God would raise up some Daniels for our generation. “Tucked away in the book of 1 Chronicles is a little verse that is forming the content of my post-election prayers for our newly elected leaders. The men of Issachar, one of the twelve tribes in ancient Israel around 1000 BC, are described as ‘men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.’” (1 Chronicles 12:32)
Faithful Friends
Vanessa Doughty shares honestly about some of her struggles and successes. “I am an over-achiever. An A+ kind of girl. I will work myself to exhaustion on a task I’ve promised to finish—and finish well. I am also slow to ask for help because I am prideful. For many years I’ve labored under the tyrant of pride. Self-sufficiency its siren call.”
How Do I Raise Grateful Kids?
Sam Crabtree offers counsel on raising grateful kids. “If our kids are born thankless, how can we raise kids to recognize with heartfelt gratitude that they are served by an endless conveyor belt of divinely supplied benefits including life, breath, and everything? How can we help them see that God is working all things together for the good of those who love him?”
The Coddling of the American Funeral
“Take your children to funerals, and teach them how to mourn. You might be surprised by what they teach you in return. Children often know something is wrong at a funeral, since they haven’t yet learned to forget. But we can explain why we cry and who receives our tears—a Lord who wept at death (John 11:35) yet trampled the grave in resurrection. As we mourn, we’re comforted (Matt. 5:4), and as we grieve, we’re called to hope (1 Thess. 4:13–14). What might feel like a cascade of loss can be a glimpse of the death Christ conquered and of why eternal life is good news.”
Flashback: A Prayer of Gratitude
If you are at all like me, you probably find it easy to pray those prayers of petition (“Please give me…”) but far more difficult to pray those prayers of gratitude (“Thank you for…”). Here is some valuable assistance from The Valley of Vision.
Make no mistake: to be at peace with your sin is to be at war with God.
—Kevin DeYoung
