Good morning from Anchorage, Alaska. I made the long journey out here yesterday and today will be making my way far along the Aleutians for yet another stop in my Worship Round the World journey. (Yesterday on the blog: How To Cheapen a Marriage) Is God in Control of Everything? Christians (and especially Reformed Christians) have long professed that God is in control of everything. Do we really mean everything? William Boekestein answers here. Why It Doesn’t Matter What Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh Was This is an encouraging reflection on Paul’s infamous “thorn.” “Paul saw two ways forward. The Lord could (1) remove the thorn, and Paul could get on with life and ministry; or (2) leave the thorn, and Paul would be forever crippled and slowed in life and ministry. The Lord responded with yet a third option: leave the thorn, but give Paul grace.” After The Flood “When the children went to school last Wednesday, it was raining. This is Ireland. We’re used to rain. Met Éireann gave an orange weather warning, but that almost always just means a bit of gusty wind or extra rain. I barely noticed. It wasn’t until the afternoon that I realised that this time it was not just a little bit extra—it was a month’s worth of rain, in 24 hours.” Seth explains how this affected his area and then uses it to show how Creation is groaning. The Too-Many Ways the Lord Is Teaching Me to Number My Days Benjamin Vrbicek: “I haven’t necessarily spent a … Continue reading A La Carte (October 26)