In His Utter Despair, He Began to Sing
A review of Matt Boswell’s Create in Me a Clean Heart. He takes a slow walk through Psalm 51—a manual for repentance, renewal, and understanding God’s mercy.
Explore Psalm 23
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A La Carte (August 31)
Young woman, what’s your legacy? / When unhealed illness brings shame / Healing came quietly / Mourning our “lasts” / 2026 is Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment / Pastoral fortitude / Kindle and book deals.
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Weekend A La Carte (August 8)
Reader Recommendations / Against gambling / Is gambling sinful? / Our line in the sand on AI / What does the Bible teach about nations? / Ross Douthat and the future of digital media / The extras are tired / and more.
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A Huge Batch of New Books for Children and Teens
Every month, I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grown-up readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages…
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A La Carte (September 15)
A La Carte: I blame the parents / A father before the altar / The relationship of work and rest / Presenting our (menopausal) bodies / Sex before marriage / Kindle deals / and more.
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When the Shepherd’s Rod is … You!
It is for good reason that so many Christians commit Psalm 23 to memory, for as it tells of the love of the Shepherd for his sheep, and as it describes the tender protection of his flock, it assures us that God is leading and guiding us through the dark valleys of our lives. “Even…
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The Collected Best Christian Books of 2024
I probably don’t need to tell you how much I love books in general, and Christian books in particular. One of my favorite times to be a reader is in mid-December when people begin to share their picks for the top books of the year. I usually collect a good number of these lists and…
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New Christian Books for Children and Teens
Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and teens, so like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of…
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The Collected Best Christian Books of 2023
I probably don’t need to tell you how much I love books in general, and Christian books in particular. One of my favorite times to be a reader is in mid-December when people begin to share their picks for the top books of the year. I usually collect a good number of these lists and…
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New and Notable Christian Books for October 2023
October has been an excellent month when it comes to releases of Christian books. I sorted through the huge stacks that came my way this month and ended up with this list of 12 new and especially noteworthy picks. In each case I have provided the editorial description so you can have a bit of…
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A La Carte (October 18)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today, my friends. Westminster Books has a deal this week on an excellent new book about Psalm 23. They’ve got another batch of good books discounted as well. Meanwhile, one of my favorite J.I. Packer books is on sale today in the Kindle edition. The Mission…
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A La Carte (October 13)
I’ve got a couple of book deals to mention today. First, Westminster Books is offering a discount on the excellent Ask the Christian Counselor series of short books. The various titles cover a range of important topics and are a good resource for counselors and pastors. Meanwhile, 10ofThose is having a fall sale with lots…
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A La Carte (May 29)
Good morning. Grace and peace to you. Today’s Kindle deals include a good selection related to women’s ministry. (Yesterday on the blog: Worship Round the World: An Update) Definitive, Positional, and Progressive Sanctification Nick Batzig explains an often-overlooked aspect of sanctification. “Many tend to think of sanctification as something entirely progressive, and, therefore, miss out…
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Shaken to Bear Fruit
The strange machine along the streets of Madrid seized my attention. Its long arms reached out and wrapped themselves around the trunk of a tree. Its motor vibrated those arms at high speeds so they could shake the tree violently. Its net sat suspended just beneath the lowest branches. As the machine buzzed and roared,…
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A La Carte (April 16)
As usual, there are some Kindle deals today for those of you who collect books that way. As for me, the books are piling up as I’ve had trouble focusing lately—somehow reading has become strangely difficult. But then I do go through phases with reading… (Yesterday on the blog: A Prayer Guide for Pastors) Is…
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What I Pack In My Spiritual First Aid Kit
Last year, before I set out on my journey round the world, I did a bit of research on the first aid supplies I ought to bring with me. After all, at some points I would be pretty far off the beaten path and pretty far from emergency care. I found all kinds of recommendations…
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Matt Chandler’s Radical Reminder that “God Is For God”
It takes two ingredients to deliver a message that really sticks. It takes the right message and it takes the right time. Matt Chandler’s 2012 sermon “God is For God” is an example of this kind of timely message. When I announced this Great Sermons Series, it did not take long for a whole lot…
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Dumb, Directionless, Defenseless
Why sheep? Why not cheetahs or wolves or ligers or another animal with a bit of flair, a bit of class? But the Bible tells us often that we are sheep. We are sheep and God is a shepherd. That sheep/shepherd word picture is at the heart of the best-loved Psalm–Psalm 23. I spent some…
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Can a Christian Starve to Death?
A little while ago I received an email that, at heart, asked a straightforward question: Can a Christian starve to death? It’s a straightforward question but introduces a fair bit of difficulty. There are many places where the Bible states that the Lord will provide what we need or where Jesus himself says not to…
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Hymns & Worship
I wanted to draw your attention to a few albums that I’ve been enjoying recently. Each of these albums features music that is appropriate for corporate worship and each features selections of modern or ancient hymns. Each of them is worth buying and listening to. All of the albums are available through iTunes (where I…