Today’s post is sponsored by Christian Focus Publications, and written by Brian J. Wright and John R. Brown, authors of the God’s Daring Dozen series.

 “Mommy, Daddy, who were the Minor Prophets?”
“Well, there’s Jonah and ….”
And unfortunately, most parents are stumped at one. The Minor Prophets make up nearly a fifth of the books of Scripture, yet few people are familiar with even their names, much less their content. Now, however, there are books available that introduce both adults and children to these amazing men of God.
Introducing Kids (and Parents) to the Minor Prophets
God’s Daring Dozen is the first children’s picture book series on the Minor Prophets in the history of children’s literature. These books faithfully convey this neglected portion of God’s word in a way that is engaging and understandable for adults and children alike.
This series has several other significant features:

The authors are seminary-trained pastors, who are also parents.
The illustrations are archaeologically informed, from the Assyrian armies to the Babylonian gates.
The figures are realistically presented to emphasize that these men actually lived, and these events actually occurred.
The titles are taglines to make the books’ messages memorable: Obadiah and the Ninevites, Joel and the Locusts, Malachi’s Final Message, etc.
The words intentionally reflect God’s word. For example, the first word in the Hebrew text of Jonah is “And it happened,” so the opening words of Jonah’s Journeysare, “And it happened.” The book of Nahum ends with a question, therefore so does Nahum & the Ninevites.
Prolonged divine speech is preserved in the children’s books when indicated by the prophets, like Nahum and Malachi.
The themes of the biblical books, like the Day of the Lord in Joel, are echoed in their illustrated summaries.
Messianic images and prophesies are highlighted, and New Testament references to them are mentioned.
The books are situated in the context of redemption history and the gospel message.

This level of detail—examining the original language, researching archaeological findings, reviewing commentaries and reference works—is unique for a children’s series, yet the authors are committed to accurately communicating God’s inspired revelation.
Why Do Children (and Parents) Need to Understand These Canonical Works?
The Minor Prophets are inspired revelation to equip us. That’s why Paul wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3.16–17).” The Minor Prophets contain God’s warnings to sober us. “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you” (Zech 1.3). The Minor Prophets are divine instruction to encourage us. Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom 15.4).
Jesus modeled using “all the Prophets” to teach about Himself (Luke 24:27). The early church did likewise (Act 10:43), as did Christian families in the first century (2 Tim 3:15). Will you?
Grab your set God’s Daring Dozen books from your local Christian bookstore, or from the Christian Focus website.

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

The highlight of today’s Kindle deals is probably Stephen McAlpine’s Futureproof. Also well worth a look are The Surprising Genius of Jesus and Truth on Fire (and others as well, of course—I wouldn’t include them if they weren’t good!).

(Yesterday on the blog: Lots of Single Christians but Few Weddings)

There are lots of good thoughts here for those who may be considering leaving one church for another close by. “I live in a large city in the United States, and local church options are plentiful. This means that, when a problem arises in your current church, or you disagree with the direction of the church, or you just feel like a change, it’s possible to attend elsewhere. Is this okay?”

I really enjoyed this article about the master of the nets.

How do we stop drifting from the gospel? How do we even know we’re drifting? In Lest We Drift, Jared C. Wilson discusses the potentials and problems with evangelical departures from gospel-centrality. You’ll learn how to recognize signs of drift and how to navigate the top five dangers prevalent in the church today.  (Sponsored)

Tim Barnett challenges a clip floating around the internet that attempts to make Christians look stupid.

Jared Compton considers those who have finished their race and suggests that “In their post-race interview, they’d want you to know that the race is possible. What else are we to make of the fact that they made it? But they’d also want you to know how. If we asked them that, I suspect they’d smile, perhaps pause to wipe some sweat off their face, and then begin talking about heaven. Here’s what they might say.”

There is more than one way to deny the faith, says Stephen Kneale. In fact, broadly speaking, there are two.

“Can you imagine a house designed by the inventor of physics? Can you think of the spires thrown up by the God who dreamed up mountain peaks, or the public squares laid out by the One who came up with the idea of meadows?” It is good to imagine the home God has prepared for those who love him.

There are many strategies for coping with anxiety and each can be effective in its own way. But I am partial to one I came across in a dusty old book from a different era. Anxiety, after all, has plagued every generation of Christians.

It was Satan who first corrupted God’s word by addition, then by subtraction, and then finally by direct contradiction.
—Michael Horton

Grace and peace to you today, my friends.

There are just two Kindle deals this morning.
Logos users will find some good deals in the Back to School sale.
Afghanistan, the Pulpit, and the Myth of Progress
“If we’re to truly remember the world’s tragedies in our ministries, what we need to retrieve isn’t simply what our Christian forebears taught in their ministries. We need to also retrieve their sense of the world which lay behind their ministries – a sense that the world is unstable, violent, and harsh.”
Weakness May Be Your Greatest Strength
This is good and helpful: “It’s easy for us to see our strengths as assets. But most of us naturally consider our weaknesses as liabilities — deficiencies to minimize or cover up. But God, in his providence, gives us our weaknesses just as he gives us our strengths.”
Pain Will Not Have the Last Word
Sarah Walton says, “No one lives this life untouched. We all experience the brokenness and frailty of this world in one way or another. Whether we face daily disappointments, an aging body, a life-altering illness, abuse, broken relationships, or loss, the pain we experience becomes woven into the fabric of our lives. It changes us, sometimes leaving us with scars or a limp.”
“I’ll See You in Court!”
Jesse Johnson digs into the biblical prohibition about suing other Christians. “The business had workman’s comp insurance, but the insurance company was requiring that the injured worker’s personal insurance company file a claim in court in order to compel payment. The bottom line: in order to get covered, a believer (or his insurance company) would have to sue another believer (or his insurance company).”
Bethel, Jesus, and Dove Dung
Lionel Windsor shows just how awful some of the teaching is that’s emerging from Bethel. “Before I read the book, I was hoping to find something positive to be able to say. Anything. But I could find nothing. In short, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I found this book extremely disturbing (especially one part of it).”
How Difficult was the Book of Revelation’s Journey into the Canon?
Despite the uniqueness of the book of Revelation compared to the rest of the NT, its acceptance into the canon was not particularly tempestuous, as Michael Kruger shows here.
In the Quiet
Melissa reflects on the quiet in her home now that the kids have returned to school.
Flashback: Two Gifts You Give To Others in Your Sanctification
Your sanctification is a gift to others. Your continual growth in holiness is not something you emphasize merely for your own benefit or your own assurance, but something you pursue for the benefit of others.

God never made a soul so small that the whole world will satisfy it. —William Hendriksen