Today’s Kindle deals include quite a number of books (again) that are worth a quick look.
Tragedy in Texas: Christian Testimony in the Face of Evil
Al Mohler responds to the tragedy: “From a Christian worldview, we have to understand that the facts are important. It is not wrong to want to know what the dots are and then to try to connect them. God made us rational and moral creatures and this moral sense reaches out for some rational explanation of the horrifying evil of our world. But our first response should not be to try to understand the crime, but rather, to identify with the community in grief and experiencing heartbreak.” (See also Russell Moore with Why Church Shootings Don’t Intimidate the Church)
On Second Chances and God’s Merciful Ways
Courtney Reissig writes, “God is in the business of second chances to remind us that he is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Second chances are his megaphone of grace, screaming at us ‘trust me, my child. You’ve been here before. See how I delivered you then? I won’t fail you now.’ I need this perspective when I find myself in repeat trials. Perhaps you do, too. “
Billy Graham at 99
Today Billy Graham turns 99. Justin Taylor has an article showing pictures of Graham with every president since Truman.
Prop Town: The Fake Rooftop Suburb that Hid a Whole WWII Airplane Factory
Need to camouflage Boeing’s aircraft manufacturing plant? Build a fake town on top of it. Genius!
How Can I Know I’ve Been Called?
This is a good one. “For one, the intense inner-calling – particularly pressed by men such as Spurgeon and Lloyd-Jones – seems to overlook the fact that ‘the heart is deceitful above all things’ (Jer 17:9). It is so easy to convince ourselves that we have a call to ministry in exactly the same way it is easy to convince ourselves that the adultery we have just settled in our heart is also a good idea. Our heart, and our deep-seated desires, are not a reliable guide…”
Spotlight II: Not Coming to a Screen Near You
“Hollywood loves a good sequel. Especially when that sequel guarantees a lot of money. There’s nothing a Hollywood mogul loves more than getting his hands on a lot of money. Actually, as we’re finding out, or as we’re finally being told as if we didn’t already know, that’s not true. Money’ is second on the list when it comes to what a Hollywood mogul loves to get his hands on.”
10 Things You Should Know about the Intermediate State
Sam Storms carries on his series of “10 Things You Should Know.” “I could have as easily entitled this post: ten things you should know about what happens when a Christian dies. So what happens when a Christian dies? The simple answer is that he/she enters immediately into what theologians call the intermediate state. It is called ‘intermediate’ because it is what we experience in between the time of our earthly lives (now) and the time when we receive our glorified and resurrected bodies.”
Flashback: How I Learned to Embrace the Stand and Greet Time
You do not have as much natural revulsion as I do toward a stand and greet time during a church service. And yet I am involved in planning our church’s services and often advocate for a stand and greet time. Let me tell you why I believe in this time of greeting one another, even though it is completely contrary to my natural desires.
I am profoundly grateful that God did not grant me certain things I asked for, and that he shut certain doors in my face.
—Martyn Lloyd-Jones
