Good morning from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I’m grateful to be here and looking forward to worshipping with the believers here this weekend.
I’m thankful to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to watch (or re-watch) the Luther documentary which is available for free.
Today’s Kindle deals include a good selection of titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for October 2023)
The Half-Baked Sermon: Missing Ingredients in Much Preaching
“To say that some sermons reach the pulpit half-baked would be unfair to bread. Some sermons are barely dough; some little more than a collection of dry ingredients. The sermon, as a sermon, is barely begun, largely unappetizing, not particularly nourishing, lacking the enticing taste and texture of a fresh-baked loaf.” Ouch!
Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme and Shall Be Until I Die
Tim Shorey: “I did go to church yesterday. Funny thing: I’m sure that to anyone who doesn’t know me, my cameo appearance made me look like a bored-out-of-my-mind unsaved husband whose wife nagged him into being there. I didn’t sing. I didn’t stand. I didn’t clap my hands or shout Amen. I didn’t hang around afterward.”
The Definitive Guide to Christian Denominations
Steven Wedgeworth has a definitive guide to Christian denominations.
Where Do We Plant?
How might a church decide where to plant? This article offers guidance.
Powerfully Meek Leaders
Davy Ellison says, “I am amazed by the number of pastors who self-identify as introverts. To some degree this makes sense, because pastors must be comfortable spending long periods of time in their study preparing to preach. But I also wonder whether such a self-designation offers some cover for passivity. Introversion becomes an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations and ducking unpopular decisions. We need bolder pastors—powerfully meek leaders.”
How to Interpret the Bible: The COMA Bible Study Method
Here’s a brief overview of an effective way to study the Bible.
Flashback: 18 Things I Will Not Regret Doing With My Wife
It is a strange and ugly reality that the person I love most is the person I sin against most often. I have never-ending opportunities to ask her forgiveness. While it requires choking down my pride, I know I will never regret asking her to forgive me when I have sinned against her.
The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the out working of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: “Thy right hand upholds me.”
—A.W. Tozer
