I’m grateful to The Good Book Company for sponsoring the blog this week. They want to make sure you’ve got some good resources to guide you in the coming Advent season.
Today’s Kindle deals include Costi Hinn’s helpful book on the Holy Spirit. You’ll find a lot of other Christian and general market deals to go with it.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Return of the Ancients and the Future of America)
Tempted to Be Exceptional in Ministry
Barnabas has a helpful word here for those who are tempted to be exceptional in ministry. “I use the word tempted because what we are often interested in gaining by modeling ourselves after these leaders is not what God has called us to gain. We are tempted to pursue their levels of productivity, to take up habits in order to produce results like theirs. And we fail to ask three significant questions pertaining to life and ministry.”
Is the Vatican Discouraging Praying to Mary?
You may have heard or seen headlines that the Vatican is discouraging Catholics from praying to Mary. The reality, however, is much different.
Sage Fatherly Advice
William Carey once offered his son some sage fatherly advice, and it is still well worth reading today.
10 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor
I trust you make it a habit to pray for your pastor! If so, this article can help guide you and give you specific items to pray on his behalf.
Knowing Jesus Should Make Us Better Stewards of Creation
This article explains why being Christians should make us better stewards of creation (which is much different than saying we should be environmentalists). “If you really want to care about the environment, you need to know Jesus. And if you know Jesus, you really need to care about the environment. Becoming a Christian hasn’t overridden my concern for the physical world; it’s breathed new life into it. I’ve never had more reasons to care for the planet.”
Are We Slow to Speak and Rush to Judgment on Social Media?
“In this age of social media, I’ve seen Bible-believing, Christ-centered people post thoughts online only to receive a string of hypercritical responses from people who wield Scripture verses like pickaxes, swiftly condemning the slightest hint of a viewpoint they consider suspicious. Others quickly join the fray, and soon it appears that no one has bothered to read what the blogger actually said. Responders assume the worst, not giving the benefit of the doubt and engaging in shotgun-style character assassination. If I were an unbeliever reading such responses, I certainly wouldn’t be drawn to the Christian faith.”
Flashback: Let’s Hear It For the Failures
What matters to God is not our plaudits and accolades, but our conformity to Christ. And the fact is that though God shapes us through our successes, he often does so even more through our failures.
God who pardons him that repents, hath not promised to give him tomorrow to repent in.
—Thomas Watson
