My thanks goes to the Missionary Conference for sponsoring the blog this week. They did so to tell you about the upcoming conference (which is taking place next year) and the accompanying documentary film. It will be quite an event! Be sure to give it a look.

A couple of days ago I mentioned the new ESV Chronological Bible. A reader notified me it’s discounted almost 40% at Christianbook.com. You’ll also find the ESV Scripture Journal NT set marked down 84%, the leather ESV Study Bible at 52% off, and so on. This is all part of their huge Bible Sale of the Season promotion. There are lots of good deals to be had.
(Yesterday on the blog: Does God Care About Gender Identity?)
Persevere in Praying for Unbelieving Loved Ones
“Many times, I’ve wanted to give up praying for unbelieving family and friends under the weight of it all. I prayed for my aunt and uncle for decades, and I have no positive evidence they ever came to believe in Jesus. I have no guarantee that my sister will repent. Praying for unbelievers isn’t for the faint of heart.”
Can Pro-Life Advocates Lie to Save Lives?
John Piper considers whether Christians can lie in order to save lives. “I think that one of the great needs of the hour is for Christians to stop compromising our biblical faithfulness by using the weapons of the world in the service of strategies that we think are more likely to do good because we have calculated that compromise will work.”
How to Dismantle Loaded Questions While Enjoying An Apple
Tim from Red Pen Logic looks at a recent viral video (from Canada, of all places) to explain what we can learn from it.
A Word to My Inner Perfectionist
Amy has an article that may resonate with people who struggle with perfectionism. (Much of what she has to say is related to Kelly Kapic’s excellent book You’re Only Human which was a game-changer for me.)
When You Feel Like a Failure
Meanwhile, Barbara has one for people who feel like failures. And don’t we all at some points in life?
The Last Word in the Book of Ruth
Sometimes the very ending of a story reveals the whole point of the story.
Flashback: The Earliest Prayer Ever Prayed
In the new book Fount of Heaven which shares prayers from the earliest Christians, you’ll find this sweet prayer which dates from late in the first century. Yet, like any good prayer, it could as easily be prayed by any of us today.

There are rare Christians whose very presence incites others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare Christian. —A.W. Tozer

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

CBD is having a sale with some excellent titles discounted, including: ESV Readers’s Bible (set); Prayer by Tim Keller; Gentle and Lowly & Deeper by Dane Ortlund; 1 2 3 books by Jen Wilkin; Be Thou My Vision; Suffering & New Morning Mercies by Paul Tripp; ESV Study Bible (black genuine leather) and more.
There are a couple of new Kindle deals yesterday and today.
The Speck You See in Their Eye Might Be the Exact Log in Yours
“In a time when the world’s view of conflict resolution seems to be defined by ‘winning’ and humiliating your adversary, there is a lesson that I continually apply in order to try to bring grace and healing to tense situations.” It’s a lesson we’d all do well to consider.
Africa, the Prosperity Gospel, and the Problem of Unguarded Churches
I appreciate what Kenneth Mbugua has to say about the great need of the church in Africa.
January’s for Reflecting, Not Resolving
I think John Onwuchekwa may be on to something here. “Maybe part of the reason why so many resolutions fail by February is that they were early. Maybe the resolutions weren’t wrong; they were just underdeveloped. Maybe, they needed an extra month or two in the oven.”
God Has Not Given You a Stone
“God has not given you a stone in your circumstances. However pleasant or unpleasant your life may be, God is always giving the bread you need. He is never going to trick you or be cruel to you. God’s providence may lead us to a dry bank, yet even there God commands the raven to feeds us. In all things, even that thing you wish most never to have happened, God has not given you a stone.”
Millennials, Don’t Waste Your Childlessness
These are some interesting thoughts about an infamous tweet regarding intentionally childless millennials.
Homeschooling is a Better Offense than Defense
Samuel argues that homeschooling is better seen as a tool of offense than defense. “What is homeschooling good for? The answer, I think, is also fairly simple. Homeschooling is a powerful vehicle for personal formation, inasmuch as it normalizes a home-centered rhythm of life.”
Flashback: The Greatest Christians and the Most Visible Gifts
…in God’s economy earnestness counts for more than eloquence, obedience for more than acclaim, submission for more than any measure of visible success. If God chooses the weak to shame the strong, perhaps he also chooses the least visible to humble the most prominent.

God never leads us through a place too narrow for Him to pass as well. —F.B. Meyer

May you enjoy the Lord’s richest blessings as you serve and worship him this weekend.

Today’s Kindle deals include some newer and older titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: He Is Not Ashamed)
Is Jordan Peterson almost there?
Steven Wedgeworth interacts with some recent comments by Jordan Peterson. “Is Peterson a Christian? And is he right about young men and the church? Almost.”
Which Sins Are Feeding Your Sin of Lust?
This is a long but valuable piece by the late David Powlison.
Thinking Sensibly About Ourselves
“When walking the narrow road of the Christian life, many of us fall into one of two traps when it comes to our gifts: viewing ourselves too highly or too lowly. Some of us have permanently taken up residence in one of these ditches and refuse to move. There is water flooding in, garbage pooling around us, and frogs laying eggs in our hair, but we refuse to move from our ditch.”
The ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ Deserves No Respect
Andrew Walker and Carl Trueman have a piece at National Review that is quite interesting. “The cravenness of Republicans who are looking to ‘move on’ from supposedly divisive ‘social issues’ will deserve their comeuppance should they vote for this bill.”
The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards
There are some beautiful images to see among the winners and honorable mentions of the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards.
A Doctor Shares the Secret to Dying Well
“For almost 20 years, I’ve been working as a hospital doctor. While being a doctor isn’t nearly as glamorous as what you see on TV, it can still be intense. I care for people in the best and worst moments of their lives. Of all the different situations I’ve faced, the most memorable professional encounters have been caring for terminally ill patients.”
Flashback: Parents: To Join Social Media Is To Witness Death
One moment I’m looking at pictures of nieces and nephews celebrating a birthday, and the next I’m looking at someone being gunned down in the streets. Joyful celebrations join brutal murders in this endless stream of information.

We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by. We must take refuge from God in God. —A.W. Tozer