Good morning and good day to you!

Today’s Kindle deals include some classics.
(Yesterday on the blog: I Still Do: A Marriage Course for the Middle Years)
The Power of Questions
I enjoyed this look at the rhetorical power of questions—and the different kinds we can pose.
Everywhere spoken against
Janie B. Cheaney considers Anne Rice’s strange legacy. “It seemed improbable for a wildly popular author of paranormal and erotic fiction to fall in love with Jesus. But spiritual pilgrimage characterized most of her life, from Catholicism to mysticism to atheism to agnosticism and back home to the church of her childhood. And beyond. For, after publicly dedicating her craft to Christ and producing three novels about His life, she took one more step.” The step she took, of course, was walking away from the church.
Who in the world am I preaching to?
This is an excellent article by Andrew Roycroft. “The clarity of my speech will matter, the integrity of my exegesis will count for a lot, the fervency of my prayers is crucial, but self-consciously thinking through who I am addressing can easily slip from the list of priorities. In this post I want to suggest that this is a key mistake, and one which can act as barrier to effective communication from the pulpit.”
Safe To Be Me
“‘Safe To Be Me’ is the name of a conference the UK government are organising in 2022 to promote LGBT rights around the world. I think the conference title is ingenuous. In just four words, it unites two big, popular ideas: safeguarding and identity politics, and rolls them into a moral agenda.” Yet, as this writer shows, “But Jesus Christ is the only person qualified to organise that conference, because Jesus Christ is the only human who can actually say: ‘it’s safe to be me’.”
Love Your Neighbour! How?
“The default view of many, it seems, is that loving your neighbour means expressing kindness in the way our culture and the media has defined kindness for us.  The basic idea is that Christians should be leading the way in expressing kindness as it has been defined.  But how is the world’s track record at defining what is right or wrong?”
Song of Songs: The Intoxication of True Love in its Time
You may want to bookmark this outline and overview of Song of Songs.
Flashback: Aging Gracefully
Every day, we are all building the house we will live in when old age comes. Some of us are building a beautiful palace. Some are building a dark prison. What are you building?

Most of us are prepared to love others only up to the point where it begins to actually cost us. —Jared C. Wilson

Good morning from Kitwe, Zambia, where I’ve settled in for what should be a great weekend of listening to stories and attempting to describe just some of what God is up to in this part of the world.

Westminster Books is offering a deep discount on the Lungaard trilogy. If you haven’t read a lot of John Owen, Lundgaard’s works are a great gateway. You may also want to tune in for season 4 of their podcast The Afterword.
It has been just a bit of a slow stretch for Kindle deals but I continue to add them as I find them.
What’s the Big Deal about a New Papyrus with Sayings of Jesus?
What’s the big deal with that new papyrus we’ve been hearing about? Text & Canon explains.
We Are Repaganizing
This article is not written by a Christian but still shares an interesting perspective on what society will lose as it turns from its Christian roots back to paganism.
Selflessness and Sorrow: The Unknown Life of Joseph Scriven
Even if you don’t know Joseph Scriven’s name, I expect you know his most famous song. His story is worth reading.
What does it look like to glorify God?
What does it look like to glorify God? Steven Lawson gives his perspective in this brief video.
But Joy Comes With the Morning
Brianna reminds us that as we endure through the night we can know joy comes in the morning.
Understanding India’s Fascination with Prosperity Gospel Teachers
Arvind Balaram shares an interesting insider’s perspective on why India has a fascination with the prosperity gospel.
Flashback: The Ministry of Being a Little Bit Further Along
No church can remain healthy when it falls to the elders to give and the members to consume. Rather, the work of ministry within a local church is the privilege and responsibility of each of the people who makes that church their own.

Of one thing I am perfectly sure: Gods story never ends with ashes. —Elisabeth Elliot

Good morning from Cairo, Egypt. I am making my way from the south of Africa to the north, and that involves a day and a night in Cairo. I am looking forward to joining a friend who will take me to explore the city.

(Yesterday on the blog: Something as Flimsy as Stone)
Rescuing Abraham
This is quite an interesting take on Abraham’s decision to tell people that Sarah was his wife. Was this a lie? And was it necessarily a sign of weak faith? Even if you don’t agree with the article, I think it will help your understanding of the context.
Treasure in Jars of Clay
“As a missionary, I often feel like family members, friends, and supporters put us on a pedestal. That my sacrifice and calling as a missionary in Uganda are far beyond what any ‘normal’ Christian would be able to manage.” This story is meant to counter that notion and praise God for his grace.
Are People Basically Good?
“It is commonplace to hear the statement, ‘people are basically good.’ Though it is admitted that no one is perfect, human wickedness is minimized. Yet if people are basically good, why is sin so universal?” Ligonier answers this well.
The Strong Woman of Proverbs 31
“In Proverbs 31 we find the marvelous poem about the strong woman. And by this elaborate and tightly written poem, we will not only be swept up in the wise talents and virtues of women, but we will also learn more about our Savior.” This lengthy article could form the basis of a solid study on the passage.
A Fellowship of the Flawed
Susan Narjala: “When we moved back to India from the US eight years ago, we knew that finding a church would be high on our priority list. Along with a hunger for God’s Word, my husband and I sensed a deep hunger for community. After living abroad for over a decade, we were back home. And we longed for the church community to be our extended family.”
Stones of Remembrance: Journaling Through Life’s Challenges
Doug tells how journaling (or blogging) through life’s challenges has proven an important discipline.
Flashback: Emerging From Our Trials Unscathed
Our trials should make us better, not worse…We may emerge from them with broken bodies and broken hearts, but should never emerge from them with broken vows, broken honor, broken character.

Look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him, everything else. —C.S. Lewis