The beginning of a new month is a good time to pause and remember this: That right now, at the very moment, the Lord is reigning from his throne.

I continue to update Kindle deals on a near-daily basis. If you check in just once per day, it’s usually best to do so around 7 AM EST since that is around when I finalize the list for the day. Amazon often puts books on sale for just 24 hours, so you’ll want to keep close tabs. Today there is a huge list of both Christian and general market deals.
(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for November 2023)
The Fights That Get Inside You
Samuel James: “This week Kevin DeYoung published a fine essay which engages generously but critically with Doug Wilson and his particular brand of provocative Reformed theology. I commend the entire piece to you, not just because it is well-written and convincing, but because one of the most important things evangelicals need to remember right now is that many of the either/or dilemmas that are typical of culture war are illusory.”
Hearing the Heart in Bad Theology
This article helpfully pushes counselors (and, by extension, any Christian engaged in counseling another person) to listen to the heart behind bad theology before immediately correcting it.
Christianity vs Everybody
How could a good God allow evil? Is the Bible homophobic? Is Christ really the only way? Whether you’re new to the faith or have been raised in Christianity your whole life, these questions have most likely crossed your mind, perhaps even creating serious doubts for yourself or someone you know. If you want to deepen your own faith or help those who are struggling, we invite you to join us for our weekend seminar, “Christianity vs. Everybody,” hosted by DBTS. (Sponsored Link)
Why Ayaan Hirsi Ali Became a Christian
“Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim and now a former atheist, recently declared that she has converted to Christianity. This is a cause for great rejoicing. It is also a fascinating sign of the times.” Carl Trueman celebrates her salvation and looks at its significance.
Lord, Save My Great-Great-Grandchildren
Trevin Wax wants us to consider that “we can pray not only for those alive today but for those who will run the race in the decades and centuries after us. We pray for those yet unborn to one day be born again. O Lord, save our children and our children’s children!”
Can Christians Sin Too Much and Lose Their Salvation?
This is a strong answer to common questions like, “How much can people sin and still consider themselves a Christian? Is it possible to sin so much that we sin ourselves out of our salvation?”
Wanted: Catholic Pastors
Mark Dever has a call to the best kind of catholicity. “How catholic are we in our work as pastors? Do you actively work to partner with other local churches to fulfill the Great Commission? Or do you act as if your church can take the gospel to the ends of the earth all by yourselves?”
Flashback: Services Shaped Like an Hourglass
We begin our service distracted, narrow our focus to Jesus Christ, then broaden our gaze to living in this world for God’s glory. We do it again the next week, and again the week after that.

Endurance is not a magic spell that falls upon the Christian. Endurance comes from knowing what God’s word requires, knowing who we are according to God’s word, and knowing that God’s word lasts when all else falters and fails. —Kevin DeYoung

Today marks the third anniversary of the day Nick left us—the third anniversary of the day he arrived in heaven. It has been some time since I’ve paused with fingers on keyboard to collect my thoughts and deliberately think about him, about me, about my family, and about our grief. But the Lord, through the strange providence of having Aileen and me get stranded in a small fishing town in Alaska has given me time to pause, to think, and to write. (The photo above is one I snapped here.)

Time passes at a constant rate, of course, never any faster and never any slower. Yet sometimes it seems to have been so short a time since he died and sometimes it seems to have been so long. Sometimes he feels almost as present in my life as the day I last saw him and sometimes he feels so distant. Sometimes my memories of him are sharp and clear and sometimes they are dim and hazy. Increasingly they are like dreams I’m desperately trying to remember or reminiscences I’m desperately grappling to hold on to. The sound of his voice, the cackle of his laugh, the feel of his hugs—these are all fading into a past that seems ever more distant. I don’t like it that way, but it seems to be how human memory works—that without constant reinforcement, the old gives way to the new and the past to the present. It makes me wonder what I’ll remember of him years from now, or decades.
Today, though, I sure do miss him. I miss having someone who loved me in that unique way a son loves his father, and I miss having someone to love in that unique way a father loves a son. There are many kinds of love, of course, but that father-son bond is sweet, strong, and true. It’s no better than a father-daughter bond. But it’s different. Irreplaceable.
I miss having someone who shared so many of my interests and who was similar to me in so many ways. In varied ways, and mostly good ways, he was a kind of reflection of myself, though one who had the good sense to assume my virtues and eschew my faults.
I miss having someone who was deliberately following in my footsteps—who wanted to be like me enough that he observed and imitated. I miss the challenge of continuing to be worthy of being followed by someone so dear to me as a son.
I miss having someone who was growing beyond me, whose increasing experience and education had begun to reverse the roles so that I was beginning to turn to him for advice and guidance. We were becoming peers, he and I.
I miss the future we had mapped out in our conversations, a future in which he would get married, complete his degree, return to Canada, and take up a position at our church or at one nearby. We had planned to live close together, a family reunited after that time of preparation and education.
We will be reunited, of course, though at a much different time and in much different circumstances. We will be reunited in that place where our faith will become sight, that place where our pain will be erased and our tears wiped away, in that place where this will finally all make sense. He is already there. I will eventually catch up.
In the meantime, God continues to grant us the grace to trust him. None of us have wavered in our confidence that God is good and that in some way even an experience as painful as this is an expression of that goodness. None of us have allowed this to knock us out of the race or to give us an excuse to become less useful to the Lord’s purposes. None of us have allowed this to rob us of our joy or to keep us locked endlessly in sorrow or lament. All of us have committed to staying true to the Lord, to living our lives well, and to looking forward to that day when we will be together again.
Together again with our Savior. Our family whole, our hearts whole, our souls whole. All made whole through the goodness and grace of our God. Until that day I miss my sweet boy. I miss him, I love him, and I can’t wait to see him again.

Grace and peace to you today.

Theres’s a good number of Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Hoping For Heaven or Wallowing in This World)
On twirling spears
What is spear twirling? “You know how it is: that argument you have as you look in the mirror brushing your teeth, or shaving… the argument where you are rehearsing just what you would like to say to that person at work, or at church, or in the next room!… the argument you always win, but actually will never say.”
Just Listen
“After a few years of reaching out to these younger women, it finally dawned on me that they weren’t interested in my wisdom or advice. They weren’t even all that interested in getting to know me. What they wanted instead was just someone to listen to them.” And that can be its own gift.
The Gray Havens – “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” (Official Audio)
This is a lovely rendition of “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by The Gray Havens. They are about to begin a new tour. If you plan to go, use coupon code Challies5 to save $5 per ticket.
Some Thoughts on the Asbury Revival
“Perhaps you have heard or read by now reports about a revival taking place on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. A campus chapel service on Wednesday did not end at its appointed time but rather carried on for days on end. Students lingered and prayed and repented and worshipped.” Denny Burk offers some thoughts on it.
And a Soft Tongue Will Break a Bone
Here is a good example of a time when a soft tongue made all the difference.
Sinners or Saints — How Should We Speak of Christians?
“I was recently challenged about my use of the word sinner to collectively speak of God’s people. Can we who are saved by grace through faith still be called sinners, or is it more biblical to use the word saint?” John Piper answers the question.
Flashback: Biographies for People Who Have Never Read a Biography
Today I want to offer just a few suggestions and recommendations for people who are approaching biography for the first time, or for the first time in a long while.

We must have cast our sins on Him before we can cast our cares. We must be at peace with God through the work of our Saviour before we can have the peace of God through faith in His gracious interposition on our behalf. —F.B. Meyer