Grace and peace to you today.

Westminster Books is offering 50% off their top sellers from 2021.
There are a couple of new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Squiggly Line of God’s Providence)
Greedy for Gain
“There’s something ugly, something character revealing, about the politician who squeezes absolutely every inch out of their entitlements. Those who make sure that every dollar of those things that they can technically claim is used up, and who spend the time to do so.” And, as Stephen McAlpine points out, it’s not just politicians…
I Must Die
“Death is an enemy, no doubt. It’s seeks to undo everything God intended. Yet, the work of dying to self is a sanctifying work, a work that removes, slowly overtime, what is unlovely in our character and replaces it with true life, light, and love.”
Being Somebody
“At my house growing up, I was somebody. When my mom asked if somebody would bring in firewood, or let the dog out, or fetch the groceries, I knew she was talking to me. As the youngest child, I ended up being the last somebody in the house besides my parents, so I got to be somebody a lot.” Seth bridges from this to an encouragement to press on in the work the Lord has called you to.
Distinguish Details
This is a brief, helpful discussion of the distinction between studying details in sermon preparation and actually telling everyone about details in sermon delivery.
No Creaky Wallet Love
Glenna Marshall: “I used to think that love was something God doled out with miserly resistance. I pictured Jack Arnold, the disgruntled dad of the 1988 television series, ‘The Wonder Years,’ slowly opening his wallet, which creaked with stinginess as he forked out a couple of dollars for Kevin’s allowance. Kevin held his breath, eyes fixed on his dad’s tight-lipped grimace. A raise in allowance hinged upon his ability to either please his father or catch him in a good mood. If his dad was in a bad mood, that wallet would snap shut faster than you could say ‘please.’”
Five 2022 Resolutions for your Consideration
It may be a week late for New Years resolutions, but Chopa Mwanza still has a few you may wish to consider.
Flashback: How Is God Present in Our Pain?
In our pain we know God is not absent, but in our pain we also wonder whether God is present. Or perhaps more correctly we wonder how God is present.

A true Christian does not cloak or excuse his unbelief, but honestly acknowledges it before God. —A.W. Pink

The Lord be with you and bless you today.

Eyes to the sky
Janie B. Cheaney: “I’m ashamed to admit it. I know the Bible is true, that all came to pass as it’s recorded, that Jesus Christ walked this earth and changed history forever, and that the Holy Spirit continues to act in my life and others’. Prayers of gratitude come easily when times are good, and prayers of petition when they aren’t. But ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ feels as remote a possibility as mountains melting and stars falling from the sky—because those events are on the schedule too.”
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: Reflections on the passage of Bill C-4
Paul Carter covers a recently-passed and very concerning bill. “On Tuesday, December 7th the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-4, effectively banning the practice known as conversion therapy. The bill had been introduced to the House of Commons on November 29th and was approved on December 1st without further debate or study. It received Royal Assent today and will become the law of the land in 30 days.”
Does the Holy Spirit speak new words today?
Murray Campbell provides his perspective on a big question. “This view of the Spirit and God’s speech is one that ignores the Spirit’s own testimony through Scripture and it is one that often leads to all manner of pastoral issues. Indeed, when we have a dodgy doctrine of the Bible we shouldn’t be surprised if we take a wrong turn on all kinds of theological and ethical issues.”
The Stories Under the Ground (Part One)
This is a thoroughly enjoyable bit of writing from Central Asia. “The Chuy Valley tells a story of contrasts. On the floor of the valley, the land is flat and cultivated, made up of villages and farmland with occasional pockets of trees the color of gold in mid-October. The surrounding mountains are untamed, protruding whichever way they please. Up high, the paths on the foothills waver and crumble; the farther down you go, the more gridded they become.”
Best Jesus-y, Folky, Singer-songwriter-y, Worship-y, High Quality Music of 2021
This roundup may be of interest to those who are eager to find something new to listen to.
Insecurities, the Fear of People, Regrets, and Failure
Ed Welch: “We all have voices that tell us we are never enough. If we measure up in school, we don’t in sports or attractiveness or anything else. We always have voices, around us and in us, that assure us we are, indeed, substandard—or average, which feels just as bad.”
Flashback: Why God Delays in Answering Prayer
I was blessed to read this short article from Charles Spurgeon. He explains why God sometimes delays in answering prayer.

Satan cannot hold you, sin cannot enchain you, even despair cannot bind you if you will now believe in the Lord Jesus, in the freeness of His grace, and the fullness of His power to save. —Charles Spurgeon

This week the blog is sponsored by TWR, also known as Trans World Radio, and is called to reach the world for Christ by mass media so that lasting fruit is produced.
Pete and Debbie Lee were living the American dream.
The parents of two children, the Lees lived in Greensboro, North Carolina, and were actively serving in a church they loved. Their 17-year-old IT business had just had its best year – another in a string of best years. There was no reason to think the success wouldn’t continue indefinitely. 
They weren’t preachers or linguists, or medical professionals — the skills one might typically connect with mission work. Yet God called them to leave their home, their church and their city and move overseas with their children where Pete would use his IT skills in missions – specifically with TWR.
“I loved what I did, but once I felt God call me, I just couldn’t imagine being anywhere else,” Pete said.

With its use of mass media, TWR has places for all sorts of missionaries in what might be thought of as nontraditional roles, said Alan Lawton, U.S. director of Mobilization and Human Resources for TWR. 
“Christ’s commission to go into the world and make disciples isn’t just for people with the gifts of evangelism or Bible translation,” Lawton said. “It is a commission for everybody.”
TWR has opportunities in a wide array of fields, from video production to Spanish language proofreading. But there are four areas in which TWR is particularly looking for laborers to be part of gathering the harvest:

IT – Almost no organization can thrive or even survive today without skilled IT professionals on their team. With TWR, that’s a global challenge – and opportunity! 
Finance – Your passion for managing money and working with spreadsheets is a gift from God – and it is a gift that is greatly needed in the world of missions. At TWR, your skill could bring you to regional offices in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas. 
Maintenance – Are you the kind of person who makes things work? TWR could be just the fit for you, whether at our U.S. office in Cary, North Carolina, at our 20-acre, 10-tower site in the Western Pacific or one of our African locations. 
Engineering – Use your engineering wizardry to help bring the gospel to unreached people from the islands of Southeast Asia to the plateaus of western Africa. (Of 16 interns serving with TWR this summer, 10 are engineering majors!)

Pete and Debbie Lee, along with their children Emily, 14, and Elijah, 8, now serve out of The Netherlands, where Pete fills a key role on TWR’s Global Technical Team. 
What would Pete say to others considering their calling?
“I would say put your ‘yes’ on the table,” he responded. “If God is calling you to something, it is going to be awesome.”  What is your fit? TWR is always looking to add to its multi-faceted global team. Check out current opportunities and then begin your journey.