Today and tomorrow, Amazon has a huge sale going on. My interest in these things always relates to books, and I’m glad to see a huge selection of paperback and hardcover books discounted—books for kids, books for grownups, Bibles, commentaries, and so on. I had 20 hours of flying to do yesterday, so I spent much of it combing through the list. I compiled it all here: Books on Sale for Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days.
Today’s Kindle deals include a trio of recent releases that are all well worth a look: Two Cities, Two Loves; Choose Better; and Redeeming Sex in Marriage.
(Yesterday on the blog: How Much Money Is God Not Concerned About?)
Appointment of New Archbishop Continues Tragic Slide into Irrelevance
“This week, the Church of England’s leadership continued its tragic slide into irrelevance as it announced the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.” Mark Thompson provides his perspective as the principal of a faithful Anglican college/seminary. (See also this episode of The Pastor’s Heart.)
Take it on the Chin
J.V. Fekso explains why pastors sometimes have to be willing to just take it on the chin. “Criticism and the pastorate go hand in hand—it’s simply a fact of life.”
A One-Hour Change To Improve Your Sermons
“A number of years ago, I took a preaching course with Haddon Robinson. One of the most helpful things he taught us was a way to take some pressure off sermon preparation and wind up with a better sermon. The advice is simple to understand, but takes self-discipline to implement.” It’s definitely worth considering.
5 Hymns to Sing at the End of Life
Laura Story has a sweet article about hymns. “In those late-night moments, we caught a glimpse of eternity, and Carl and his family were comforted in their time of grief. Hymns were the soundtrack as they walked that hard road. But what is it about the singing of hymns that aided my friend in releasing his grip on this earthly life and entering the eternal embrace of Jesus? How did these songs comfort his family in such a sorrowful season?”
Have We Sold the Church Short on Deacons?
“The Bible is clear that work of deacons is vital to the health and smooth-running of the church, but in recent years there has been such a focus on developing word ministry in the church, it may be that we have sown the seeds of the practical failure of many churches for lack of deacons.” Stephen could be on to something here.
Cultivating Gratitude
Darryl grapples with the difficulty of being grateful, even when having so much.
Flashback: We All Want More of God
We can certainly know God better than we do now and can certainly have a deeper experience of his power and presence, but we will never experience it to the degree we long for. At least, not until we are finally welcomed into God’s immediate presence.
It’s one thing to believe in Christian orthodoxy. It is another thing not to be embarrassed about it.
—Andrew Walker
