My gratitude goes to Reformation Heritage Books for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to learned about the new book Puritan Reformed Theology (which is currently discounted).
Also, here’s your regular reminder of my SquareQuotes site which is updated weekly and contains all kinds of great quote graphics.
Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good collection of classics and newer works.
For All My Fellow Phonies
“I think for most of my Christian life I have felt like an imposter. I know myself pretty well. I know how hard my heart can be. I know how difficult it often is for me to do things with the right motives, with a spirit of real love and compassion. I know how far short that I fall daily of loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength…”
Are Our Standards for Sexual Purity Too High for Pastors?
Here’s John Piper’s answer. “In spite of the fact that many pastors try to give the impression, with misplaced humility, that they are ‘just one of the guys’ — ‘Don’t put me on a pedestal; I’m just one of the guys’ — they are emphatically not ‘just one of the guys.’ I’ll say it again: pastors are emphatically not just one of the guys.”
Don’t Quarrel Over Opinions But Welcome One Another
“Our commitment to unity is only really put to the test when something comes up that we have different and strong opinions about. One way to maintain unity would be to eject the minority who think differently. That would leave a very united congregation! But it would be the artificial unity of the cults, where everyone has to think the same on every issue. Gospel unity looks very different – that’s where we bear patiently with one another, love one another and strive to think the very best of one another.”
The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram
Anne Kennedy has penned a long article about the Enneagram. “As the Enneagram sweeps through mainstream Evangelicalism, Christians might be curious about both its origins and its view of the human person. Claiming it arose in the ancient Christian past, Richard Rohr, Ian Cron, and others have, perhaps unwittingly, adopted a gnostic view of the person, one which requires special self-knowledge. The New Age Roots and the misuses of Scripture — particularly in regards to the theological definition of sin — should give those seeking personal transformation through use of the Enneagram pause.”
God Uses the Weak
I found this one encouraging. “What does God use to accomplish His purposes? In Creation He used just His voice. To destroy the Syrian army in a night He used a single angel. He’s used a worldwide flood, a national plague, giant hailstones, and a donkey. But, what does God say is His instrument of choice? What object is His primary tool to accomplish His plan here on earth?”
5 Questions about Church Discipline
Jonathan Leeman answers 5 big questions about church discipline.
Native Tongue
“It’s a funny thing, remembering. People are often petrified of telling their stories slant. I say there is no other way. We should tell our stories exactly the way we remember them, which by no means makes them foolproof. But slant is honest as we share events that have unfolded. We are biased in our story-telling simply because we are human. Only God is omniscient.”
Flashback: Pastoring Is So Much More Than Preaching
The pastor who is keeping watch over himself is equipped and qualified to also keep watch over God’s people.
Nagging and scolding never yet made anybody godly. Constant pointing out of blemishes never cured anyone of his blemishes.
—J.R. Miller
