I hope my American friends and family enjoy their Thanksgiving celebrations today. While you are doing that, I will begin scouring the web for Black Friday deals geared toward Christians. Check in tomorrow for the annual roundup.
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Today’s Kindle deals include three solid picks that span three different genres.
Not Much to Be Thankful For
Jim Elliff tells why some people don’t have much to be thankful for.
So Grateful, So Grateful
Leah Farish: “It has been a hard year. And as we prepare for Thanksgiving, we may have to look at smaller things, like potato chips, or higher things, like God’s covenant love for us, before feeling thankful. Look either direction—His grace is everywhere—but look you must.”
Stay Safe?
I’ve noticed this, too—that the new way of saying, “bye” is saying, “stay safe.” “I would suggest to you that an unmitigated desire for safety is manufactured by the human idol factory–the heart. And always has been.”
Why Would God Allow My Disappointment?
We all experience disappointments, and ones we know God could have prevented. Why would God allow them? “The implications of past disappointments can loom heavily over the present, and the possibility of future disappointments sits as a constant threat on the horizon. Yet along with every disappointment come promises from God that are strong enough to steady us, comfort us, and lift our eyes to him.”
Encouragement for Hard Times from Saints of Old
In times of disappointment or grief, here’s some encouragement from saints of old.
Love is the Mark of a Christian
“When we think about the marks of a person who is a Christian, our love for other people in general and the people of God, in particular, is one of the chief characteristics that should come to our minds. After all, it was Jesus who said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Why is this true, though? What is it about love that sets it apart as one of the chief marks of a Christian?”
Flashback: How To Get Things Done: Deal With Interruptions
Dealing with interruptions requires an awareness that God is sovereign and you are not. When you trust a sovereign God you know that no interruption has caught God by surprise. This frees you from outbursts of anger or depths of despair.
Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting in God’s sovereignty. Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God. Without lament we won’t know how to process pain. —Mark Vroegop