This month Logos is offering up to 25% off on base packages. And then, of course, they have a selection of free and discounted books.

There are once again some new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Let Him Do What Seems Good To Him)
Midlife and the Striver’s Curse
I appreciate some of the observations in this article about midlife. “While there is some debate on when midlife occurs, I’m going to suggest that it begins sometime between ages thirty-five to forty-five. This season is revealing to me where I have unknowingly believed some lies. While always susceptible to them, they have a tendency to creep up with intensity in midlife.”
5 Things You Should Know about Assurance
This is a strong article about assurance. I am especially glad to see where Bob Godfrey began it—with election.
The Song That Sustains Creation
“It was at this point that the picture of God creating the universe with His voice became more than just a metaphor to me. Two decades of research into superconductivity and quantum computation have only deepened and confirmed this picture for me. Everything really is made up of waves, and if those waves ceased to oscillate, if all the quantum mechanical motion were to cease, then so would the existence of those atoms.”
What’s the Big Deal with Worship?
“What does gathered worship do?  It declares that this world is a lie.” Peter Mead explains how and why.
David Livingstone Brought the Gospel to My Country
Confex Makhalira celebrates David Livingstone for being the one who first brought the gospel to his country of Malawi. “A lot could be said about the man, but on this day—the 150th anniversary of his death—I want to reflect on his work as a missionary.”
Young People, Church Membership Isn’t Optional
Jared and Becky Wilson: “One of the most concerning developments in church life over the last twenty-five years or so has been the virtual disappearance of young adults. Even kids who grow up in church, attending weekly with their families, participating in youth group and other programs, tend to drop out of church when they leave home at a rate of nearly 70 percent. That’s a lot of church kids suddenly deciding church isn’t for them!”
Flashback: Advance! One Key Pursuit for Young Christians
The teens and 20s are not the time to live a whole life but to prepare for a whole life. In these years, young Christians need to prepare themselves for the rest of life by laying a foundation of godly character that will sustain them for the many years to come.

Let us be more bothered by our sin than our suffering. —Burk Parsons

There is big news for Christian readers this morning. Today and tomorrow, Amazon is hosting Big Deal Days for those who have a Prime membership. They have a huge amount of items on sale crossing all categories. Of course, my interest is in books and Bibles and, thankfully, there are lots of great deals to be had (in printed rather than Kindle editions). Most are discounted by 50% or more. Click here to see the book deals.
For those who prefer Kindle editions, there is also big news. Eerdmans has discounted pretty much their entire catalog including volumes in some of the best commentary sets you can ever buy: Pillar, NIGTC, NICOT, and NICNT. This sale is so big that I gave it its own page. There are some other great Kindle deals as well.

Sadly, Christians must be prepared to respond to such abominations since each one is either already becoming accepted or on the cusp of becoming accepted today.

Kevin DeYoung offers 10 diagnostic questions for husbands and wives to consider together.

“Watching the culture go down such a dark path brings about a great deal of discouragement for believers. Some Christians have given over to despair, while others have embraced a blind optimism that doesn’t take seriously what’s at stake.” James Williams offers a better way to respond.

This may be something you have wondered before: Did Jesus lie to his brothers when he said (in John 7) that he wouldn’t go to the feast but then did anyway? James Hamilton offers a great answer.

How exactly should we understand the plural “you” in the letters of the New Testament? The answer is a little bit complicated but this article explains it well.

When should you confront someone on their sin and when should you allow love to cover it? Barbara offers some personal guidelines here.

To get ahead in life we need to get rid of anyone who holds us back. I am convinced this principle is abhorrent and will offer three reasons why.

The resurrection of Christ is the most joyful event that ever came to pass.
—Jonathan Edwards

This week the blog is sponsored by ShareWord Global.

What do most people think of when they hear ‘The Gideons’?
If you were to ask around, the answer would likely have something to do with Bible distribution, with the most common forms being Bibles in hotel nightstands or in the hands of Grade 5 students. But the thing is, the Gideons have never just been about Bible distribution – in hotel nightstands, or otherwise.
If you trace back to the very beginnings of the ministry, you’ll find two traveling salesmen that met and found they shared a passion for the gospel. From that meeting, The Gideons were born as an evangelistic association of traveling salesmen. One method they employed in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ was the distribution of the Bible, but at its core, their intent was evangelistic.
In other words, the goal was to see souls saved.
Ten years ago, for both ideological and legal reasons, The Gideons International in Canada (“TGIC”) became an independent entity from The Gideons International. In so doing, new avenues of ministry opened all around the world. The kind of ‘this can’t be happening’ gospel opportunities that only God could have orchestrated. Until recently, that international outreach lived under the distinct brand name, ShareWord Global. But this past September, the organization adopted it to represent both the international and domestic ministry – unifying under one name and clarifying its ministry focus to mobilize Biblical evangelism.
No longer will we solely be the people who put Bibles in hotel nightstands, our renewed focus is to come alongside believers across the world, mobilizing our brothers and sisters to be faithful to Jesus’ call to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19).
And so, we go.
Not just sharing Bibles, but sharing the Word – partnering with the local church to invite people into a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ and leaving them with a copy of Scripture to help them on that journey.
Two of the places that God has called us to do that work are Nicaragua and Cuba. In Nicaragua, government officials requested that ShareWord Global connect with every school-aged child in the country, to share the gospel with them and leave them with a copy of Scripture. Similarly, in Cuba, we’ve been invited into the nation to mobilize the church and ensure a copy of Scripture is placed in every single home in the nation.
This is clearly a work that only God can do, and yet, He has chosen to use us, and we can’t do it alone.
The need is immense, the stakes are eternal, and we cannot do this work without you. Would you consider being part of the ongoing work?
Canada – https://sharewordglobal.com/ca/giveUS – https://sharewordglobal.com/us/
Together, we can tell the world.
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