I would love to see you at next year’s G3 conference (January 17-19 in Atlanta, GA). If you’ve been thinking of going, you’ll want to know that registration pricing rises tomorrow, so you’ll save money by purchasing tickets today.
(Yesterday on the blog: How to Pray Like a Pastor)
The Briefing
I appreciated Al Mohler’s attempt to think carefully and biblically about the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. “Once we, as a society, begin to accept that it really doesn’t matter and it’s beyond our consideration if an allegation is truthful, then we are just going to destroy one another with claim and counterclaim in which the only issue is the effect of the claim, not the truth of the claim.”
What You Should Know About Women and Pornography
“Pornography is a growing epidemic with men our society, yet the women who battle pornography are largely invisible. Regrettably, the silence from the church concerning this widespread problem has affected the dignity, intimacy, and community of many Christian women. With the desire to speak truth and raise awareness to this this relevant issue, here are a few things you should know.”
Mediated Holiness in Holy Matrimony
I found this article especially enjoyable because it’s so well written. “Marriage in Eden is a square-foot-garden that, over the centuries, swallows acres and hectares and continents, until the garden of the glory of God covers the face of the earth as the waters cover the sea. Marriage is about setting apart every acre for his glory. Redeemed marriage mediates divine holiness to a cosmos starved of the same.”
The Better Question Believers Should Ask about God’s Will
This is such an obvious but helpful way to think about God’s will. “God does not hide his will from his children. As an earthly parent, I do not tell my kids, ‘There is a way to please me. Let’s see if you can figure out what it is.’ If I do not conceal my will from my earthly children, how much more our heavenly Father? His will does not need discovering. It is in plain sight.”
Discernment in Marriage
“Areas that need to change will vary in every marriage. When it comes to our spouse, we must remember that there are things to let go of and things we can not let go of. There are things to be overlooked and things that must not be overlooked. We need wisdom and discernment from God to know the difference.” We sure do, even after 20 years of it!
8 Reasons Your Excuses for Not Practicing Church Discipline Don’t Work
“‘What does it say about the church if we neglect church discipline?’ Paul says that our refusal to discipline unrepentant church members—by taking their names off the membership rolls, refusing to admit them to the Lord’s Supper, and helping them see that their sin calls their professed faith into question—says at least eight bad things about us.”
What is a “Divided Tongue”?
“I am not sure why there are so many differences among the translations on Acts 2:3, but it is fun to think through the options.” It is! I really enjoy articles like this one that help us better understand what we read in our English Bibles.
Flashback: 6 Evil Effects of Sin
Once the Holy Spirit reveals sin within us, we cannot simply ignore that sin and expect that our spiritual lives will continue to grow and thrive. In his great work Overcoming Sin and Temptation, John Owen lists six evil effects of sin–sin that we identify but refuse to destroy.
Never give up in the desert. You don’t know how wide it is, and you may be almost across.
—Donald Whitney
