A La Carte (June 30)
With 2023 already half over, I thought I’d put together a list of my top books from 2023 (so far). 10ofThose is offering a 40% discount on all of them. Use coupon code 40CHALLIES23.
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good picks.
Heresy at the Heart of Derek Webb’s ‘Boys Will Be Girls’
“Watching the music video for the new song ‘Boys Will Be Girls’ by former Caedmon’s Call lead singer Derek Webb, I experienced a strange mixture of disgust, pity, and clarity about the appeal of his message.” I did too.
Why Elisabeth Elliot Changed Her Beliefs about Finding God’s Will
I found this article (which is actually an excerpt from a new book) really, really interesting.
Follow Spurgeon’s example; give yourself to mercy ministry.
“Read Spurgeon and the Poor and see how the gospel Spurgeon preached fired his heart with loving zeal for the poor and needy in his own day.”—Conrad Mbewe (Sponsored Link)
Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist revealed
There are some stunning photos in this collection.
Celebrating Good Times When Life is Hard
“But (let’s face it), life isn’t always a party, and we don’t always feel like celebrating. Most days are full of routine, even drudgery, with conflicts, irritations, and frustrations sprinkled throughout like ugly confetti. Even worse are the unbearable days or seasons when we wish life were just routine and drudgery.”
How Do I Face the Deaths of Others?
This is a very helpful article that helps instruct Christians in facing the death of those they love.
Rethinking Hospitality in Our Churches
“Hospitality helps discipleship to flourish simply because it requires letting go of our expectations and control. It requires laying aside our agenda and allowing others into our space. Whether it’s our home, sharing a meal, or changing our schedules, it requires putting aside our needs and welcoming the newcomers. It is sacrificial.”
Because Jesus has covered all of our offenses, we can be among the least offensive and least offended people in the world. This is the way of the gentle answer. —Scott Sauls
You Might also like
-
A La Carte (March 20)
Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include a great selection from Crossway.
I happened to notice that Amazon has a good number of games and activities on sale today.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Man Both Bruised and Broke)
My Father’s Death Brought Me Life
This is powerful in its own way. “I thought death meant being stuck in the dark, like being inside a vacuum. I wasn’t afraid of the cold but of being desperately alone. No one would hear me. No one would come to help me. And I’d be lying there forever. As I grew, this fear of death and loneliness was replaced by a general anxiety mixed with the knowledge that my deep fear of dying revealed a lack of faith and trust in God.”
The Platform Problem
Pierce has an interesting one that considers writers and their need for platform.
Hollywood, Netflix, & Co. Know Our Hearts
“This tragic moment in human history was when a new kingdom was born—the kingdom of ‘I’ and selfishness. Since the Fall of man described in Genesis 3, man does not want to fulfill his creation mandate—to live solely for the glorification of his Creator. Quite the opposite. He wants to make himself the center of his own kingdom, his own universe, and his own glorification.”
Say What, Paul? Six Things 1 Timothy 2:8–15 Does Not Mean
1 Timothy 2:8–15 is a tricky text—and as important as knowing what it says is knowing what it doesn’t say.
Does God have Emotions?
“Christians claim God is impassible—without passions. For example, the Westminster Confession of Faith affirms, God is ‘without body, parts, or passions’ (2.1). For most people, this seems to affirm God has no emotions under the reasonable assumption that passions are emotions. But such a teaching, although everywhere present in the history of Christianity, seems at variance with biblical teaching.” Wyatt tries to put together some of the pieces.
What Jesus Saw When He Looked at Peter after the Rooster Crowed
“How do you think Jesus looked at Peter? Was Jesus surprised? Frustrated? Ashamed? If you are a Christian, then your understanding of how Jesus looked at Peter is foundational to your perception of how he looks at you when you sin.”
Flashback: Are You Writing Headlines for You or Articles for Them?
It is no great feat to create the kind of headline that will get people to your site. What is much harder is to create content that will actually benefit them once they get there.We would better be content to have our good deeds go unpraised, than that our own lips should speak the praise. —J.R. Miller
-
A La Carte (October 24)
Grace and peace to you today, my friends.
There are some very interesting books discounted in today’s Kindle deals.
Remember This About Spiritual Fruit
“Fruit in the Christian life is essential. We read our Bibles, pray, do good works, love others—Christians exhibit fruit. The produce of the Holy Spirit is guaranteed. God does the work in us, through us, with us. And this is where our struggles with assurance of salvation and frustrations in sanctification crop up. We forget two essential lessons about fruit.”
Why We Must Teach Kids Safety Skills
Julie Lowe wants to make sure parents are teaching their kids necessary safety skills.
Stream the Luther Documentary for Free
October 31 marks 505 years since Martin Luther effectively—and unintentionally—sparked the Protestant Reformation with his Ninety-Five Theses. Discover Luther’s story by watching the award-winning documentary Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer. It’s available to steam for free on Ligonier Ministries’ YouTube channel. You can also download the accompanying study guide for free. (Sponsored Link)
Jeffrey Dahmer and Killing Our True Crime Obsession
CT makes the case for not watching certain kinds of shows. “The voyeuristic pleasure that comes with another serial killer story, or another version of a familiar killer’s story, is evidence of a gross fixation. If anything, the industry that produces such depictions of violence and profits from it enables the expression of what is already true: We’re fascinated with evil.”
Why Christians Should Oppose Marijuana Legalization
Meanwhile, Joe Carter makes the case against the legalization of marijuana.
Iran’s Church Seeks God amid Protests
Nima Alizadeh: “On September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman visited the Iranian capital, Tehran, where she was arrested by ‘morality police’ for not having a proper hijab. They claimed she violated a law requiring women to cover their hair completely. She was beaten and later died while in custody.”
Has the Internet Corrupted Our Moral Outrage?
“I recently had an experience that is common to all. After rushing to meet a self-imposed deadline, I hit publish on one of my articles, and I awoke the following day to an unpublished comment by someone who was literally shocked at the ambiguity of the article, its lack of biblical truth, and my dangerous practice. They then let me know that it may be time to unsubscribe.”
Flashback: Prayer for the Unconverted
Buried deep in an old, mostly-forgotten anthology of poetry, I found this little gem from Newman Hall—a poem that expresses in rhyme and meter the longing of many a Christian heart. May it give you words to pray for “those who do not pray, who waste away salvation’s day.”Since Satan can’t destroy the gospel, he has too often neutralized its usefulness by addition, subtraction, or substitution. —J.C. Ryle
-
Two Years Later: What Aileen Is Thankful For
I have said a lot about Nick over the past two years. I have written a lot articles and done quite a number of interviews and even published a book. And I have been aware all the while that I can only speak to a small part of our loss, for there were many people who loved Nick and many who lost him. Today is the second anniversary of his death and I asked Aileen if she felt ready to write something. She said she did, and so today I am turning things over to her.
❖
When I was in Nashville for the Seasons of Sorrow book launch, Tim was asked several times “how are your wife and daughters doing?” It was asked often enough that, upon reflection, I think people understand that Tim has been nuancing the way he talks about my experience with grief as well as that of our girls. He has been very careful to only give voice to his experience of the last few years, and to word it in such a way that people don’t assume that the rest of the family’s experience necessarily matches his. I love him for this, and appreciate it very much. After all, Tim’s story is only part of the story. That’s because a dad’s grief is different from a mom’s grief. This makes sense. God has created each person to be unique which means each person’s experience of grief is unique. Each person’s relationship with the deceased is different as well, and this lends itself to differences in how each person grieves him. Adding another layer of complexity, each circumstance of loss is different as well. As we hear from people who have lost loved ones, I am continually struck by how different and unique each situation is, how grief shows differently in each person and each circumstance. This must be another example of how we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Tim recently asked if for the second anniversary of Nick’s death I would be willing to write something about it—something that may help answer the question of how I am doing.
I was told it would probably take about two years before I felt anything close to back to normal, and it very much feels like the end of year two is the beginning of a new season. Because of this, it feels appropriate to look back and ponder what I am thankful for.
I am thankful for God preparing me.
God has been kind. He gave us one of the hardest things and yet he also gave so much to help us survive. Looking back, I now see how he prepared me years ago to weather such a storm. He blessed me by giving me a bedrock of theology that in my weakest moment I had to simply deploy. I can see how he gave us what we needed moment by moment to continue to walk in faith through such suffering. When nothing felt true, when God didn’t feel kind, when he didn’t feel good, when he didn’t feel just, I had a choice: I could choose to believe what my heart and my emotions were telling me—that God was cruel, unkind and unjust—or I could choose to believe what my mind knew to be true of God’s character and trust that eventually my emotions would catch up to my brain. There are days when this is still a struggle, but I have learned not to trust my feelings. Emotions cannot inform truth. Rather, truth must inform emotions. God didn’t abandon us, he walked with us and prepared us. I had to choose to see his presence, but he was there. I am so thankful in his mercy he prepared me.
I am thankful for God’s sovereignty.
God’s sovereignty is both comforting and terrifying at the same time. I think in the abstract I knew the Lord could choose to do anything he wanted in our lives. But suddenly, on November 3, I learned dramatically that he actually will do anything. Even so, I am so thankful God is in control. This situation would be only worse if God had no control over it. God had every right to chose this for us. I may not much like it, but I know he has purpose in it. As humans we seem to have a driving need to understand why things are happening. It makes us feel better if we can attribute a specific purpose to the hardships we are experiencing. But the reality is that in our human weakness and frailty, God has not given us that ability. We can guess, we can suspect, but we cannot know. God instead gives us knowledge of his sovereignty, and asks us to trust, by faith, that all things work together for our good and his glory. How this is true in Nick’s death I do not know. I don’t expect to ever know, on this earth, the full purpose of this suffering in our lives. But, I do know one day it will all make sense. I can wait, patiently, trusting in God’s character. I am thankful he sees the big picture, that he is in control of all things, and that nothing happens outside his will. I am thankful that God is sovereign.
I am thankful this is temporary.
I also know that as hard as this is, it is all temporary. Initially we divided the days up by doing the next hard thing. That might have been the call to the coroner or the call to the funeral home. It might have been picking out clothing or packing up belongings. But for a long while our life was divided into segments, defined by the next hard thing we had to do. As time has gone on those hard things have grown further apart. Even so, the reality is we will always have the next hard thing we have to do. Life in this fallen world dictates it. But one day, there will no longer be the next hard thing. I am so thankful that this world is not our home. Until that day, when the Lord calls me home, my job on this earth is not yet done. So I will wait patiently, enduring what I need to until one day there will be no more mourning, no more crying or pain, and every tear will be wiped away and death shall be no more. I am so thankful this is temporary.
Lastly, I am thankful I got to be Nick’s mom.
I have wanted to tell you all about Nick, but as I began to write this out I found that I still can’t. Another time perhaps, when the pain is a little less raw, when my heart hurts just little bit less, I’ll be able to share a bit more about my firstborn, the one who first made me a mom. God in his mercy gave me a son who brought light and joy to my life for 20 years. Despite all the sadness, I am so very thankful I got to be a mom to my Nick.
A few days after Nick’s death I wrote to a friend of mine and I expressed my longing for the day joy would return. I knew logically that one day it would come, but looking forward all I could see was heartache and sorrow. These have been hard, hard days. But God in his kindness and mercy has sustained us. We have grieved and mourned and wept. But as the two-year mark draws to a close, I am seeing that joy return—joy that is less tainted by sorrow. I am thankful. God has been present. And I think I will end here as I have ended every note I have written in the last two years: God is still good.
This is a special photo as it captured the first moment Nick began to respond to Aileen and ‘talk’ back to her.