May the Lord be with you and bless you today, my friends.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of Christmas devotionals, a Greg Koukl classic, and Seth Lewis’s Dream Small, among others.
In case it’s of interest, Audible continues to offer a great deal—three months of service plus a $20 bonus for $0.99/month. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Recommended Reading
A Manifesto for Phone-Free Church. This article offers a lot to think about when it comes to the consequences of using our phones in church. “Distractions in worship will be with us always, but that does not mean we ought to go out into the highways and the hedges and invite as many distractions as possible. And here, we should note that there are good distractions in church—I am thinking of those babies that cry and fuss and laugh at all the wrong moments. Good distractions remind us that church is more than our personal ‘alone time’ with God. We are part of a family.”
The Missing Piece in John Mark Comer’s Quiet Time. I think Matthew Bingham’s review of John Mark Comer’s book is bang on in both what it praises and what it criticizes. “Though Comer identifies as a Protestant, he relies on numerous quotations from ‘desert fathers and mothers,’ medieval mystics, and modern Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians to justify his cafeteria approach to spirituality. As in his previous work, he engages with few heirs of the Reformation. Comer insists that Scripture is essential, but, for him, it doesn’t stand alone. Consistent with this non-Protestant mystical tradition, the book strongly emphasizes subjective, immediate communication from God apart from God’s inspired words in Scripture.”
Free Chick-fil-A For a Year. Did you know that Midwestern Seminary is home to Spurgeon College, which is an undergraduate school that exists to equip students for the Kingdom?
This November, they’re giving away a year’s supply of Chick-fil-A! Head over here to enter to win and discover other opportunities to grow deeper in Christ this month! (Sponsored)
The Pull of Rome and the Promise of Grace. Chris Castaldo writes about those who are drawn to Rome. “A member of your small group confesses, seemingly out of the blue, that he’s been attending Mass. Next, you hear a deacon wonder aloud if we really needed to break with Rome. Then a family member announces that she has ‘crossed the Tiber,’ meaning she has converted to Roman Catholicism. Such conversations seem to be happening with greater frequency in Protestant circles. But why?”
4 Misconceptions About Spiritual Warfare. Costi Hinn outlines four fairly common misconceptions about spiritual warfare. “There is a short list of Christian beliefs that have as much mystery as spiritual warfare. While some things are really clear in the Bible regarding demons and demonic activity, there is a supernatural element to the unseen realm that humbles even the most educated theological student! At the same time, it seems that many people have a variety of opinions based on their experiences, which is not necessarily a negative thing, but it can lead to a lot of misconceptions.”
Slouching Toward Narnia. Personally I’ve been enjoying reading all the different perspectives on the growing information we have about the forthcoming Narnia film(s). I think Nicholas McDonald’s article is one of the best so far. He explains his formula for a successful film adaptation (Faithfulness to Theme + Thoughtful Innovations = Great Film Adaptation) and tells whether he’s feeling hopeful as he considers The Magician’s Nephew in that way.
Four Corrections to Make When You Feel Guilty About Your Giving. I think most people feel guilty about their giving from time to time. When that’s true of you, here are some ways you can correct the way you think and act.
What I’m Enjoying
Every week I ask the readers of this site to tell me what they are enjoying and, therefore, what they recommend to others. Sometimes I like to give my own perspective on it.
A Retraction. First, though, a retraction. Some time ago I said that I was enjoying the new Siri AI features in the beta versions of macOS and iPadOS. Now that they have both fully launched, I retract that. It is awful compared to any of the major AI apps out there like Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. It’s slow (especially on Apple Watch), it is poor at capturing voice-to-text and even worse at understanding and punctuating it, and it lacks key features. Apple is lagging far behind in this area, and it’s bad enough that I’m thinking of going back to the older Siri.
Going Phone-Free. I recently wrote about why I pretty much stopped carrying a phone with me unless I’m traveling far from home. As much as I love the look of new products like the iPhone Duo or iPhone 18 Pro, it’s nice to not have to concern myself with buying them. It saves some good money, too. So if it’s possible in your life, I recommend trying it.
Colorado. I have been to most of the U.S. states by now, and one I always especially enjoy is Colorado. I had meetings last week near Steamboat Springs and I enjoyed both the town and the countryside around it. I’ll visit Colorado just about any time!
Flashback
Why You Can Confidently Pray for the Most Hardened Sinner You Know. We were in the same state as the person we are praying for. We were every bit as lost and helpless until God broke through and saved us. And if he saved us, surely he can save them.
Those who are born twice die once. Those who are born once die twice.
—Joe Holland
