Good morning from Oakville, Ontario! After many days of flight cancelations due to fog and volcanic ash, conditions in Unalaska finally cleared on Saturday and we were able to make our way back to Canada. We are glad to be home.
Today’s Kindle deals include a selection from Crossway (plus a few others).
(Yesterday on the blog: A Day’s Journey)
How the Customer Review Changed the World
“Of all the web’s achievements, one of its greatest is surely the sheer freedom of access to information it has given to billions of people around the world who would probably otherwise have never come near it.” That access to information has given us abilities we didn’t have before (at least in the same way)—abilities like reviewing anything and everything.
The Table of the Lord
I don’t necessarily agree with this argument for celebrating the Lord’s Supper at an actual table—something that was the practice of the churches I grew up in—but I enjoyed reading and considering it nonetheless.
The Unexpected Blessing of a Rural Church
“As I sat on a hard wooden pew in a tiny church listening to the preacher, my heart raced and beads of sweat covered my forehead. I blushed as I looked to and fro like a trapped rabbit before a hound dog, afraid to be seen if I moved, but filled with a panicked desire to flee. Even in my guilt and shame, my ears and eyes fixated on the pastor as every word he spoke resonated with and pierced my soul.”
Mercilessness in the Name of Mercy
Trevin Wax explains how the very notion of “mercy” can be misused and exploited. “Christianity—in holding people responsible for their actions—ennobles the sinner. Christianity affirms the value of human life and the reality of human freedom. Holding someone accountable is an aspect of showing mercy, of saying, You are a man and not a beast.”
The Common Grace of Conscience
This is a bit of a refresher on the common grace that is the human conscience.
Our Prayer-Answering God (when He says wait)
“As we send up our petitions in Jesus’ name, He at times delights to answer ‘yes’ to our prayers. At other times, He chooses to bring Himself glory by asking us to wait for our requests. His timing is perfect, and it’s possible to wait patiently in His strength.”
Flashback: Solemnity and Celebration, Exclusivity and Inclusivity
The Lord’s Supper is an occasion that is both grave and joyful. Part of the solemnity of the Lord’s Supper is related to its exclusivity—some are told to stay away. Part of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is related to its inclusivity—so many have been invited to join in.
There cannot be a heaven without Christ. He is the sum total of bliss, the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed.
—Charles Spurgeon
