This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Radius International.  They are giving away a conference package that includes: 2 tickets, a Radius pullover, and 2 books.

The winner will receive two free tickets to the Radius Missiology Conference being held June 29-30, 2022, at Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, NC. This event will be live in person or available as a live stream. Kevin DeYoung, Alistair Begg, Ian Hamilton, Wayne Chen, Brooks Buser, Chad Vegas, and others from the Radius world will be live and in-person to teach on the Great Commission in today’s world with free books from 9Marks, Banner of Truth, and others.
The winner will receive a Radius International branded pullover. Size and gender options to be selected by the winner from available stock.
The winners will also receive two books that Radius International highly recommends:
No Shortcut to Success
A Manifesto for Modern Missions
By Matt Rhodes
Avoid “Get-Rich-Quick” Missions Strategies and Invest in Effective, Long-Term Ministry
Trendy new missions strategies are a dime a dozen, promising missionaries monumental results in record time. These strategies report explosive movements of people turning to Christ, but their claims are often dubious and they do little to ensure the health of believers or churches that remain. How can churches and missionaries address the urgent need to reach unreached people without falling for quick fixes?
In No Shortcut to Success, author and missionary Matt Rhodes implores Christians to stop chasing silver-bullet strategies and short-term missions, and instead embrace theologically robust and historically demonstrated methods of evangelism and discipleship—the same ones used by historic figures such as William Carey and Adoniram Judson. These great missionaries didn’t rush evangelism; they spent time studying Scripture, mastering foreign languages, and building long-term relationships. Rhodes explains that modern missionaries’ emphasis on minimal training and quick conversions can result in slipshod evangelism that harms the communities they intend to help. He also warns against underestimating the value of individual skill and effort—under the guise of “getting out of the Lord’s way”—and empowers Christians with practical, biblical steps to proactively engage unreached groups.
Missions By The Book
How Theology and Missions Walk Together
by Chad Vegas and Alex Kocman
Across the church, there is a rift between theology and missions. Bad theology produces bad missions, and bad missions fuel bad theology.
We wrongly think that we must choose between making a global impact and thinking deeply about the things of God. But the relationship between theology and missions is symbiotic—one cannot exist without the other. They walk hand-in-hand.
Enter Here
Again, there is one package to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on Sunday, Feb 6th, 2022 at midnight.

I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for over 20 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. While I’ve also written a number of books, through it all the blog has remained the “main thing.” Much of the blog’s content is now also translated into Spanish, French, and a number of other languages.
One of my great desires has always been to freely give away as much as possible. I intend for it to always remain entirely free for all who visit. While for obvious reasons this can’t happen when it comes to books, I’ve made it my goal to ensure that everything else has been freely and widely distributed. This has been possible largely because of advertisers, but there is also a key role for the generosity of individuals.
This is where patrons come in. A service called Patreon provides a convenient means of linking content producers (like me) with supporters (like you).
To that end, I would like to ask those who regularly read this site to consider supporting me by becoming a patron. By supporting me with even a modest monthly gift, you will be able to be part of this ongoing work. You will also receive monthly Patron-only updates on what I have been doing in the month that has passed and what I plan to do in the month ahead. Funds donated will be used to support my family and to help create great content or to otherwise improve, support, and enhance Challies.com. In one way or another, they will all be used to allow me to continue to do what I have been doing for these past 20 years.
I’m also sometimes asked about one-time gifts. If that is of interest to you, they can be made by credit card via PayPal or forwarded by check to this mailing address:
Tim Challies1011 Upper Middle Road East, Box #1214Oakville, Ontario L6H 5Z9Canada
Please understand that I intend for Challies.com to always remain entirely free. In fact, patrons help ensure that it always remains that way.
Thank you for considering becoming a patron of Challies.com. Your support means so much to me. And this is the end of my once-yearly mention of this subject!

May you know the Lord’s sweet blessings as you serve and worship him this weekend.

(Yesterday on the blog: I recommended the book Man of Sorrows, King of Glory)
In Defense of Something Close to Venting
“Is venting legitimate, constructive, healthy, and faithful? In short, is it ok to ‘vent?’ Scripture offers a nuanced response. It gives permission, admonishes caution, and provides direction. It gives permission for honest expression, caution to avoid harm, and direction to express your heart to God.” Todd Stryd provides an answer here.
Under Pressure
Nick Batzig: “How can I remain calm under pressure? This has to be one of the most significant questions we find ourselves asking throughout our lives. What is the secret to pressing through the challenges and trials of life without fretting or being overwhelmed by constant anxiety?”
Twenty Years and Counting
This isn’t the usual A La Carte fare, but I thought it interesting enough to share: “Today marks the 20th anniversary of the crash of American Airlines flight 587 in New York City. We have now gone twenty full years since the last large-scale crash involving a major U.S. carrier. This is by far the longest such streak ever.” What an amazing thing.
Men, Know Yourselves and Speak
Pierce Taylor Hibbs has a challenge for men. “I want to encourage my brothers across the globe with a simple message: know yourself and speak. But I’m going to show you that this ‘knowing yourself’ means a lot more than casual introspection.”
An Invitation
I second this invitation. “For those of you who find yourself playing with words, turning over sentences, creating mounting paragraphs, carrying index cards in your pocket or on the dashboard or atop your nightstand, texting yourself meaningful phrases or ideas, your mind brimming with childhood memories and stories which spark a seeing of the hand of God in the minutiae, I beckon you to write.”
How To Know Right from Wrong
Here’s a simple look at distinguishing right from wrong.
Flashback: Don’t Waste Your Ambition
Ambition is good, but it needs to be strengthened by at least two other crucial traits: character and self-discipline.

Jesus bases everything on God-realization, while other teachers base everything on self-realization. —Oswald Chambers