I trust you enjoyed your Christmas, as we did. And with Christmas behind us, here in Ontario we now have to navigate a far less enjoyable month-long lockdown that began at 12:01 AM this morning…
Today’s Kindle deals include some classics along with some newer works that are worth a peek. There’s some Tolkien in the mix as well.
The Untamed Spirit of Christmas
Hopefully it’s not too late for at least one more Christmas article. “Hidden away in an often-forgotten verse of ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ is an often-forgotten wonder of Christmas…”
The Great Life and the Ordinary
Heather Ferngren Morton grapples with the sheer normalcy of most of our lives and our craving for something more. “I may have deferred my dreams of achievement, yet they lived on within me, changing shape with the seasons. As a young mother I compared myself to other stay-at-home moms who surpassed me in maternal ambition, domestic gifting, or simple patience. Now that my children are older, I’m tempted to envy my female friends who’ve successfully managed both family life and professional commitments.”
On Possessions, Contentment, and Eternity
If ordinary life can cause issues with discouragement, so too can possessions. Sharon Rockwell addresses that issue here. “Not that I am not grateful. In fact, I am very thankful for the abundance that I enjoy. But during this period of self-quarantining, I am haunted by the role these possessions have in my life.”
He Is Enough
Then I guess it’s kind of sticking with a theme to include this article. “Ever since Eve desired more and succumbed to the temptation of the serpent, discontentment has plagued our world. The Barnum of The Greatest Showman is undoubtedly paradigmatic of twenty-first-century America. Never before has there been so much excess coupled with such widespread dissatisfaction. How much is enough?”
Should You Talk About Heaven When You Share the Gospel?
“Christians find their ultimate hope not in this life, but in the life to come. But how do you convey this concept in evangelism without sounding like a lunatic? Should you do this at all? Much evangelism seems to have given up on even trying this. Isn’t it already enough for the unbeliever to swallow that he’s a sinner, Jesus died on the cross and rose again for sinners like him, and—by the way—he must repent and place his trust in this risen Jesus so that he can spend eternity with him? Should we really talk about heaven when we share the gospel?”
No Meekness Without Might: What We Learn from Christ’s Gentleness
David Mathis: “Those of us who love that he is gentle and lowly need not be afraid to rehearse that his wrath is horrific. To know the sovereign power and unmatched strength of Christ—and the sheer terror of those who realize they have opposed him—will both keep us from misunderstanding his gentleness and make his remarkable gentleness all the more impressive.”
Flashback: The Beautiful Ordinary
…all across the world, thousands of ordinary pastors will preach ordinary sermons to ordinary people, and through these sermons they will communicate the most powerful, extraordinary news of all. This news will slowly but definitely make its mark on these people, conforming them ever more to the image of Christ.
God hath long contended with a stubborn world, and thrown down many a blessing upon them; and when all his other gifts could not prevail, He at last made a gift of Himself.
—Henry Scougal
