I am wondering if someone who reads this works for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and could answer a couple of questions for me. I do not need to have anyone do anything for me, but am just trying to better understand a couple of things related to my trips into the U.S. If you can help, I’d love it if you got in touch.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of books for women (on parenting and battling sin), Stephen Yuille’s The Heart Taken Up (which I think is on sale for the first time), and several other good picks.
If you prefer print books, Zondervan is offering deals on a wide variety of hardcover and softcover books and Bibles.
Recommended Reading
Emotional Affairs: Do They Exist? Am I in One? How Do I Know? How Do I Get Out? Curtis Solomon offers a really good article on a really important subject. “No matter what culture you come from, all cultures recognize there are lines that separate appropriate physical intimacy from inappropriate physical intimacy. … With other forms of intimacy, it seems even more difficult to decipher the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate. Sometimes Christians excuse or rationalize deep emotional intimacy with someone other than their spouse because we are called to love our neighbors, bear the burdens of others, weep with those who weep, and be compassionate and caring for all.”
Who’s Ruling Your Home? I appreciate this article and the way it addresses an issue few people think through. “He doesn’t need every closet to be organized or every counter to sparkle for you to be considered His image-bearer—you’ve already been given that status. But as you take an active role in caring for the place He’s given you, you reflect more of His character. Stepping into the role God has given you to steward your home not only honors Him, it positions you to experience the goodness He’s woven into obedience.”
You Think You’re Willing to Die for Christ, but Will You Work in the Nursery for Him? Melissa offers a fresh take on the old adage, “everyone wants to change the world, but nobody wants to wash the dishes.” “We get a lot of funny ideas about what it means to follow Christ. It’s like we’re sitting around waiting for God to call upon us to make some grand, heroic gesture that will prove our love for him. But what if the most obedient thing you can do right now is sign up to work in the church nursery? What if the greatest thing you can do for the gospel at this moment in your life is to get out the Playdoh with a pack of two year olds while their parents receive the truth of God’s word?”
Gluttony in the Age of GLP-1s. Amy Mantravadi offers some careful thinking about GLP-1s and how they may have something to do with the sin of gluttony. “The very absence of gluttony in our sermons, books, and casual discussions has caused some Christians to reconsider their approach. You may now hear about the gluttony of doomscrolling or a friend’s social media fast. Some may point to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia as the result of equally disordered desires. Yet, for most of us, the word gluttony still conjures images of an overweight person scarfing down copious amounts of unhealthy fare.”
Invite God Into Your Anxieties. Ed Welch encourages you to invite God into your anxieties. “Today, anxiety simply is. It seems to have reached a tipping point: It has become normal. For many, it is the background noise of life — irritating, always there, nothing you can do about it. If the noise were to stop, some of us might even feel a bit lost.”
Vipers in Diapers? Joshua Budimlic says, rightly, that “when you become a parent, it takes nearly no time at all for a crowd to begin forming around you, replete with all sorts of well-meaning folks and their polished nuggets of unsolicited parenting advice.” So much of this advice is negative and makes parenting seem harder and less rewarding than it actually is.
New Book Releases
Most Christian books release on Tuesday, which means some new books are available today. Here are some new books that may be of special interest to parents.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: The Graphic Novel by Andrew Peterson. The first book in Peterson’s much-loved Wingfeather Saga is now available as a graphic novel.
Talking to Kids About Hard Things by Rebekah Hannah & Michael Keller. “Parents will learn how to create homes where questions are welcomed, grace is abundant, and faith is lived out authentically, helping children develop a deep and enduring relationship with God.”
God’s Story, Our Story by Charlotte & Andrew Ollerton. “Go on a fun and feasible journey as a family to see how the whole Bible fits together! Each engaging 15-minute devotion puts a specific story into place in God’s grand narrative and connects God’s story to your family’s story today.”
Guess What: God Knows You by Catherine MacKenzie. “This beautifully illustrated book gently introduces young readers to the comforting truth that God knows and cares for every detail of their lives.”
Flashback
God Did it! God Did it! When it comes to our hardest days, one of the greatest challenges is to ensure we are being led by truth instead of emotion, to be led by what we know rather than what we feel.
Zeal is like fire; in the chimney it is one of the best servants; but out of the chimney it is one of the worst masters.
—Thomas Brooks
