Weekend A La Carte (December 9)
My gratitude goes to RHB for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about a great new devotional resource: Glorifying and Enjoying God.
My site will be transitioning to a new design this weekend, so expect a little bit of downtime. If you are seeing this, you’re on the new site! I’ll have more to say about it tomorrow.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few strong resources for the Christian life.
(Yesterday on the blog: My Picks for the Top Books of 2023)
Daniel has a moving piece at CT that recounts his grief following the loss of his mother.
“Ongoing seasons of chronic illness can weigh us down and they can pose a real challenge to our faith. It’s a challenge to persevere when so many prayers for healing go unanswered. We can feel disappointed in our bodies as they fail us once again. We can struggle to reconcile our knowledge of God’s goodness with our unabating experience of pain. Yet God uses the furnace of chronic illness to refine our faith and teach us precious truths about him and us and the life of faith.”
The strength of this article is in relying on Scripture to provide practical ways to flee temptation.
Kevin writes about Paul’s use of the categories of the weak and the strong. And whichever you are in a particular circumstance, his encouragement is to commit to being godly in it.
“When children move from reliance on their parents toward the independence of adulthood, it can be disorienting. Initially, parents set the guidelines for behavior and schedules in the home, but adult children grow toward autonomy by moving out, pursuing careers, and establishing households — households with a culture of their own.” Brenda Harstine offers counsel on navigating this well.
Here’s why it’s awkward—and why it completely undermines the Christian faith—to reject the virgin birth.
There is a celebrity machine, to be sure, but there is also a celebrity landfill, a celebrity dump, a place we relegate people once we are through with them, once they no longer please us.
Christ grabs his pastors by the heart; he doesn’t twist them by the arm. He wants men with a holy ambition for the office, men with holy dreams about feeding and leading the flock, men willing and eager to stretch themselves to do what the calling requires.
—David Mathis
-
Weekend A La Carte (January 27)
My gratitude goes to Boyce College for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you (and the young people in your life) about the upcoming D3 Youth Conference. At the conference, “your student will learn what it means to be a disciple, and in turn, understand their role in making disciples of others.”
As you’ve come to excpect, the Kindle deals continue today.
(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for January 2024)This is an important subject. “Domestic abuse (DA) is likely the most complex and difficult problem most counselors will ever face. Perhaps one reason for this is that these issues can be extremely counterintuitive. Abusive people are often charming, confident, and convincing, while their victims can present as unstable, angry, and confused.”
“Why do our best efforts falter so quickly? Why do so many of us just give up? Why can’t we consistently keep the virtuous promises we make to ourselves? Because there’s a flaw that keeps us from pressing on to do what we know is good for us. That’s why.” Jonathan Noyes explains.
Sandra Peoples is hopeful for the future of disability ministry and so am I!
Ed Welch offers help to those who have a loved one struggling with narcissism.
I suppose this is a reminder that we never actually miss a crucial opportunity when we understand the providence of God.
Writing for TGC Africa, Graham Heslop explains the importance of that often-overlooked element of a worship service, the call to worship. “In redirecting our gaze to God and his grace, the call to worship is an exhortation against being overly attentive to ourselves. It lowers the priority of my feelings.”
He saves people through the good news of the gospel and he tells you and me to speak out that news. He calls us to be fishers of men, to catch people alive.
There is nothing more foolish than an act of wickedness; there is no wisdom equal to that of obeying God.
—Albert Barnes -
Free Stuff Fridays (TMAI)
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by The Master’s Academy International (TMAI), who also sponsored the blog this week with the article “Support Indigenous Publishing with TMAI.” They are giving away the 42-volume Essential MacArthur Library set.
The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) is currently training local pastors in 18 schools around the world. The student body represents almost 90 nations, and as a natural extension of this training ministry, nearly every one of their schools is engaged in the work of indigenous publishing. This is because they see that, unlike Christians in America and many English-speaking countries, pastors and church members in many regions of the world have very few biblically sound resources in their native language. TMAI wants to help change that.
To learn more and get behind TMAI’s indigenous publishing efforts, go here.
Giveaway: The Essential MacArthur Library
This week, TMAI is giving away the 42-volume Essential MacArthur Library. This set includes key resources designed to help believers better understand the Bible, the most important resource for anyone. For this reason, the Essential MacArthur Library remains one of the top translation projects for TMAI as they seek to resource the global church with God-honoring books.
Their current goal is to finish translating this Library into German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Croatian, Albanian, Chinese, Hebrew, Portuguese, French, Armenian, Malay, Farsi, and Burmese.
The Essential MacArthur Library includes:The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series (33 vols.)
The MacArthur Study Bible
The MacArthur Bible Commentary
Biblical Doctrine
Essential Christian Doctrine
The Master’s Plan for the Church
The MacArthur Pastoral Library—4 vols. (Preaching Pastoral Ministry · Counseling · Evangelism)To win the Essential MacArthur Library (in English), please enter below.
One winner will be selected.TO ENTER:
Giveaway Rules: Entries are limited to 1 per person. U.S. Addresses only. By submitting your information, you agree to receive regular updates about the ministry of The Master’s Academy International. The winner will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on Friday, January 6th, 2022, at midnight. Enter your information into the form below or HERE. -
A La Carte (November 27)
Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today I have put together a long list of deals for Cyber Monday. There are some significant discounts to be had!
Today’s Kindle deals include some seasonal books from Crossway along with quite a number of other options.
(Yesterday on the blog: Proven Faith Is More Precious than Gold)
The Purpose and Limits of a Husband’s Authority
I wish I had read this article when I was much earlier on in marriage. Husbands of any age would do well to read, consider, and apply it.
From Bright Star to Bridegroom
I think you’ll benefit from reading Jay Dharan’s account of how Jesus turned the worst year of his life into the best year of his life.
The Importance of the Pastoral Payer: Don’t Ditch It and Don’t Wing It!
“An all-but-forgotten aspect of the liturgy that most non-traditional churches have gotten away from is the Pastoral Prayer. I confess that I have only recently, in the last four years, seen the pastoral prayer (prayer of supplication) as a valuable part of our liturgy as a young church plant. I am still growing in how to use this critical time in our worship service to best equip and encourage the variety of people who attend.”
Geography and Your Christian Growth
John Musyimi makes a guest appearance on Chopo Mwanza’s blog to ask some good questions. “What factors came into play as you were deciding where to stay? No doubt cost came into it. We want to live in housing that is affordable for our income. No doubt certain amenities came in as well. We also consider accessibility, security and distance from our places of work. All these factors are important and ought to continue playing a role in such a decision. But have you ever considered how living in close proximity to fellow church members might serve your faith?”
Why the Church of England’s Same-Sex Marriage Vote Breaks My Heart
Rebecca McLaughlin: “Last week, the Church of England voted in favor of a trial of special services asking God’s blessing on same-sex couples. I was raised in the Church of England and trained at an Anglican theological college. I’ve also experienced same-sex attraction for as long as I can remember. But this vote breaks my heart. Let me explain why.”
I’m Never More Christ-Dependent Than When I’m Doing Deep Breathing Exercises
Bob takes an extended look at the reality that we are embodied souls and suggests ways this can lead us to deal with anxiety.
Flashback: How I Review a Book
I became a book reviewer rather by trial and error and only through a very informal medium. Even then, I focus almost entirely on popular-level reviews of popular-level books. Having said that, I typically use a loose formula that I think can be helpful and that often resonates with readers.Many would admit Christ to be their advocate to plead for them, but not their king to rule over them. —Thomas Watson
