Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

It has been a slow start to the year for Kindle books, but you will find at least a couple of deals.
The first sale of the year at Westminster Books is a good one: strong discounts on their bestselling books of 2022. There are lots of great picks there!
Don’t Let the Culture War Steal Your Joy
This is the second time this week that Trevin Wax has come through with a very strong article. “There’s a worrisome quality in many of today’s would-be prophets—writers and pundits who foresee only doom for the future of civilization, who seem perpetually distressed by the desecration of the church’s witness (whether by external pressures or internal rot).”
His Feet
“I was fourteen and small for my age, a reserved shy shadow of the man I might one day grow into. Others struck me for an unknown reason, some imagined offence I had committed. Verbal assault soon became physical, yet it wasn’t the impact of fist on face that hurt most. I felt alone. I felt small. I felt undone.”
Say It
Peter recounts and applies the well-known but never-tiresome account of Spurgeon’s conversion.
No Mercy Without Rules
Carl Trueman reflects on a NYT story about the death of Pope Benedict XVI and points out that “mercy is incoherent if there are no rules, rules that are rightly believed and applied. Only if there is a rule, and a just rule, can forgiveness for its transgression be seen as an act of mercy.”
Building a “Non-Brittle” Identity
“Ultimately, we cannot build our identity on ourselves. We must build our identity on something outside of ourselves–something that never changes and that never fades away. What follows is nothing you have never heard before, but something we need to be reminded of frequently. Every single one of us forgets the truths of the Gospel in our lives. We must revisit them often.”
7 Reasons Winter Reminds Us to Hold on to Hope
At a time of year when many people are prone to emotional struggles, Ruth offers “seven reminders to hold on to hope; whether in the physical season of winter or the personal wintery trials we encounter.”
Flashback: The Christian Introvert
Both introverts and extroverts will face particular temptations to sin. My temptation as an introvert is to run away from people instead of serve people. It is to be selfish instead of giving.

Hell is not for the worst people. It is for the impenitent people. —Dane Ortlund

Before the month comes to a close, I want to remind you that Logos 10 has recently launched and you can get 30% off upgrades and 15% off a first-time purchase at this link. Also, you’d be downright silly to neglect to get your free Proverbs commentary. There are lots of other deals to be had here.

There are a couple of new Kindle deals today.
$5 Friday (and More) Sale: Reformation Collection
Today, Ligonier Ministries is celebrating Reformation Week with a special $5 Friday (and More) sale. More than 100 books, teaching series, study Bibles, and more are significantly discounted, with many resources available for $5. Shop and save today while supplies last. (Sponsored Link)
Died: Gordon Fee, Who Taught Evangelicals to Read the Bible ‘For All Its Worth’
“Gordon Fee once told his students on the first day of a New Testament class at Wheaton College that they would—someday—come across a headline saying ‘Gordon Fee Is Dead.’ ‘Do not believe it!’ he said, standing atop a desk. ‘He is singing with his Lord and his king.’ Then, instead of handing out the syllabus like a normal professor, he led the class in Charles Wesley’s hymn, ‘O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.’”
Gay vs. Queer
Carl Trueman has another interesting article on the effects of critical theory. “The winners and losers may change, but the game is always the same: to dethrone whatever today’s dominant categories might be, whether of heterosexuality, whiteness, or the gender binary. It is categorical stability, not the categories themselves, that is the real enemy. If C. S. Lewis warned eighty years ago of the abolition of man, we today are witnessing the abolition not just of ‘man’ but of meaning as a whole.”
9 Things You Should Know About Chinese President Xi Jinping
Joe Carter: “On Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping increased his control over China by breaking with tradition and having himself named as head of the Communist Party for a record third term. The move consolidates Xi’s status as ‘ruler for life’ and makes him the most powerful Chinese leader in modern history. Here are nine things you should know about the authoritarian leader of the world’s most populous nation”
Four Lessons from Medieval Illustrated Bibles
Looking back to the illuminated Bibles of medieval times can offer some interesting lessons.
Why There Are No Insignificant Christians
“The person sitting in the other pew at church is more glorious than you realize. It is easy for us to look at some of the other people in our church and think, ‘I am glad they are part of this church, but they are not that significant.’ If we feel like that, it exposes a biblical blindness on our part that we need to correct as soon as possible.”
Flashback: Why Your Church Should Sing New Songs (Not Only Old Songs)
We faithfully steward our music when we sing the best of the old and find the best of the new. And we can do that only if we will sing!

A man cannot live unless he takes his breath, nor can the soul, unless it breathes forth its desires to God. —Thomas Watson

May the Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day.

There is a good little list of Kindle deals today. I have also included a list of some popular general market titles that have been discounted for the day.
(Yesterday on the blog: How Long Has It Been Like This?)
On Culture War, Doug Wilson, and the Moscow Mood
This is a really solid, helpful article from Kevin DeYoung in which he expresses his concerns with Doug Wilson and the movement he has built. “My concerns are not so much with one or two conclusions that Christians may reach if Wilson becomes their intellectual mentor. My bigger concern is with the long-term spiritual effects of admiring and imitating the Moscow mood. For the mood that attracts people to Moscow is too often incompatible with Christian virtue, inconsiderate of other Christians, and ultimately inconsistent with the stated aims of Wilson’s Christendom project.”
Instagram Addicted Your Teenager Because She’s Worth $270 to Them
Some newly redacted documents related to Meta show that the company studies teen biology in order to promote addiction and that it gladly chooses profits over mental health. Chris Martin explains. (See also the WSJ covering how Instagram’s algorithm promotes sexualized content to adults who follow children.)
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)
I struggle with dark intrusive thoughts that scare me. What do I do? (Video)
Mike Emlet provides some counsel for people who battle with intrusive thoughts.
Jesus was not born in a stable—and it really matters!
I have read a number of explanations as to why the common understanding that Jesus was born in a barn is not exactly accurate. This article lays out the argument with clarity.
Turning Your Complaints into Gratitude – A Great Challenge
Kevin lays down a great challenge—to deliberately labor to turn your complaints into gratitude. You will know, of course, that only one of those comes naturally!
The Complementarian compass
“When we think about questions relating to the relationship between husbands and wives in the home and the role of men and women in the church, we tend to think of the debate being primarily between complementarians and egalitarians with a binary choice. I want to suggest that there are good reasons for not seeing the conversation in those terms.” This one is worth reading and considering.
Flashback: The Sad, Sad Story You Need To Tell God
You have lost the light of God’s face, not because He has arbitrarily withdrawn it, but because your iniquities have come between you and your God; and your sins, like a cloud before the sun, have hid His face from you.

Pastor, do not let your vision for the church you want get in the way of God’s vision for the church you actually have! —Jared C. Wilson