This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Christian Focus Publications. They are offering copies of The Power and the Glory: John Ross and the Evangelisation of Manchuria to five winners.

Born in the northeast of Scotland, John Ross arrived in Manchuria in 1872 and spent 40 years of his life there. He left behind an amazing legacy of culturally sensitive evangelism, established presbyterian churches, innovative missionary principles, valuable publications, and a rich vein of translations, including the first version of the New Testament in Korean.
John S. Ross’s riveting biography tracks not only his life, but also the social, political and spiritual influences which shaped his life and work. God is still using John Ross’s labours to grow his Kingdom in South and North Korea today.
What People Have Said:
This is a thrilling story, taking the reader through the God–given successes of Ross’s labours, as well as the immense challenges he faced, including the Boxer Rising. It is a thoroughly worthy memorial to Ross, the missionary and translator, but supremely a timeless and inspiring testimony to the fruit which follows the faithful sowing of Gospel seed.
Donald Meek: Professor Emeritus, Scottish and Gaelic Studies, Edinburgh University

Packed solid with carefully documented information, the author has written in a narrative style which draws you to read on. With its many helpful theological and cultural insights, it is a book set to become a classic.
David Ellis: Engineer, former minister of the Church of Scotland, and Director of OMF International UK

… goes well beyond a simple biographical statement of his life, but thoroughly sets him and his missionary work in the church, social, and cultural context of his time, both in the Scotland, and in China. This is a must-read for anyone interested in missions and Christianity in East Asia.
James H. Grayson: Professor Emeritus, School of East Asian Studies, The University of Sheffield

This is a meticulously researched and immensely readable book that weaves together the fascinating biography of the man John Ross with the social, religious, and imperial history and context which shaped him and his mission. We are told of the ways he relied on and empowered local Chinese and Korean coworkers in the work of the Gospel, the intellectual contributions he and his collaborators made—not least the first Korean New Testament—and the enduring legacy which has been left behind. This is such a wonderfully captivating read.
Alexander Chow: Senior Lecturer of Theology and World Christianity, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, and editor of Scottish Missions to China (Brill 2022)

… an inspiring, engaging and realistic portrait of a missionary namesake who left a profound legacy in the Chinese and Korean churches.
Donald John MacLean: Adjunct Professor of Historical Theology, Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Newcastle

Enter Here
Again, there are five copies to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below, which will add you to Christian Focus’ mailing list.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway will end on December 2nd, 2022.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include some choice titles from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: God Takes Us Into His Confidence)

Garrett Kell: “We don’t often question God’s goodness in days of ease. We easily see his benevolence when the sun shines and flowers bloom. But when wintry woes blow in, God’s goodness seems extinct. Dark clouds turn everything to gray. Cold winds of affliction bite and sting us. Our souls become numb in ways that tempt us to give up and withdraw from everyone, including God. The good news is that even when we doubt, our God holds us fast.”

Vanessa Le offers some challenging and encouraging words to newlyweds (and not-so-newlyweds).

Marshall Segal considers that “Satan knows how prone we can be to turn to sin in our suffering — and he preys on that weakness.” He does not fight fair!

The Bible tells us to be “worthy of the gospel.” But what does this mean and is it really possible? Marli Scarborough answers well.

Writing for TGC India, Sravanthi Penmetcha tells how trusting Jesus is the first step to trusting people—the path from self-sufficiency to trusting and relying upon God’s people.

“What are the gods that already have a grip of your devotion? Where would you be most defensive if a loved one were to prod? What do you lean to as an emotional prop? What have you stopped fighting against because you’ve failed too many times?”

When a church takes baptism seriously, this baptism becomes a pillar or monument the Christian can look back on later in life. When times are difficult, when assurance is lacking, when faith is wavering, we can encourage that person to “Look! Look back to your baptism!”

No matter how intense or long-standing the struggle, it is the work of Jesus Christ to set people free from such sin.
—Heath Lambert

The Lord be with you and bless you today, my friends.

(Yesterday on the blog: Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God)
Sexual ethics and colonialism for the modern age
This article considers the strange contradictions between society’s hatred of an old form of colonialism and its love of a new one.
The Miracle In Newgate
“The gentle, kindly face of Elizabeth Fry was chosen by the Bank of England to grace the £5 note between 2002 and 2016, reflecting the high regard in which she continues to be held almost two hundred years after her death. Through her work as a prison reformer the lives of thousands of convicts were transformed. Yet that was just one part of her far-ranging ministry which is still influential today. At the heart of her thinking and practice was the regular reading of the Bible.”
Submit Your Felt Reality to God
“A number of years ago, a counselor friend of mine introduced a simple and accessible concept that he regularly uses in his practice. He calls it ‘felt reality.’” This is a good and useful term!
The Return of the Culture War
“Here’s something you often hear people say as they get older: ‘I remember the last time that was popular.’ Fashions once considered outdated come back in style. Movements arise and subside, and then surge again. A benefit of age is the wisdom and perspective you bring to the current moment. History doesn’t always repeat itself or move in predictable cyclical patterns, but the more you study it and the longer you live, the more you see how the present and the past rhyme.” With that, Trevin Wax reflects on the return of the culture war.
It Rots the Bones
“Many months ago, I received an email from a dear, faithful reader, asking for help. Her life was quickly unraveling, and in the midst of persistent heartache, she had fallen headlong into envy. Jealousy towards a woman in her church, whose life seemed quite perfect. This jealousy was destroying her, from the inside out. Envy is the thief of contentment, isn’t it? It reveals an idol tucked in the heart.” It does, indeed.
Charles Spurgeon’s Battle with Depression
“Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) preached to approximately 10 million people in his lifetime, often speaking ten times a week. His 3,561 sermons are bound in sixty-three volumes, and in addition he wrote many books. Wonderful as those accomplishments were, they put demands on his life that no doubt contributed to his battles with depression. (Not least of all that he often worked eighteen hours a day!)”
Flashback: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Following a Parenting Method
We, as parents, can and should learn from methods, but be very cautious about following them too rigidly. We must always ensure our confidence in parenting has not subtly shifted from the goodness of God to the performance of methodology.

Happy the man within reach of a library, the shelves of which are well lined with books of holy biography! —F.B. Meyer