Grace and peace to you, my friends.
10ofThose has a couple of interesting deals: 50% off a new book on parenting teens by Melissa Kruger and between 35% and 50% off a new graphic novel on the life of Corrie ten Boom. They’ve also still got ESVs at half price.
Meanwhile, Westminster Books has deeply discounted a new book (more of a tract or booklet, really) by Kevin DeYoung.

I think we all know that the “silent treatment” is not a godly approach to conflict, but it can sure feel like the way to act in the moment. “Though it may seem a lesser evil, this approach fails to align with the biblical requirement for resolving conflicts and nurturing a healthy marriage. A spouse who gives the silent treatment is likely to also engage in a broader cluster of similarly sinful behaviors—a pattern of behaviors first named during World War II.”

You may appreciate this reflection on manhood. “No longer are young men and boys being told to look towards Christ as their prime example of manliness. Instead, they are directed towards gyms, hard work, and raising children. These things might be good, in and of themselves, but they are not what the Bible teaches about manliness.”

This is so good. “We need more Christian content creators, but we don’t need more people who are only capable of beating one drum over and over again. We don’t need people who are only chasing the next viral hit. We don’t need people who get sucked into the distortion zone and lose themselves online. What we need is wise Christians who are rooted in their local community and bring their whole selves to what they create.”

Carl Trueman: “Cultural times are hard for traditional Christians. American evangelicalism has proved a fruitful target for those both outside and inside the church who want to stir up popular panic about Christian nationalism, racism, homophobia, and all the other ill-defined but nonetheless mortal sins of our day. Evangelicalism is presented as the root of all contemporary evils.”

What a wonderful truth to ponder. “Key to our engaging in spiritual warfare is recognition that the victory is Christ’s and is ours in Christ. We do not fight for victory but in victory. The prelude to Jesus sending us out to make disciples is the declaration of His accomplished mission”

This is a very good rule to live by: Don’t fear the results of obedience.

Though he has seen all the evil we have done and all the good we have left undone, still he has banished it all from his mind. He regards us as if we had never sinned, relates to us as if we had only ever been as righteous as Christ.

Christ did not come to make sinners savable but actually to save them. He did not merely open a door for salvation, he carried his people through it. He laid down his life that sinners might live.
—Jeremy Walker

Grace and peace to you today.

There are a few books discounted for Kindle today, and I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen any of these titles on sale before.
Pride (in the Name of Love)
Jared Wilson: “Jesus was perfect, and yet he did not look down on others. I am ridiculously imperfect, but I do look down on others. Jesus was perfectly holy, and yet was not arrogant. I am frustratingly unholy, but I am arrogant a lot. Like, a lot. I am not Jesus. But I do want to be like him.”
The Ends and the Means
Seth Lewis considers how small things can lead to big things. “A quiet phone call. That’s all it would take, and no one would know the difference. Except me. And my wife. And our friend. And God.”
There Is Power in Counting It All Joy
Paul Tautges: “To ‘count it all joy’ does not refer to being happy about the trial itself. Nor does it take away your permission to grieve. James is not saying, ‘No matter how painful your loss is, you need to just put on a happy face. Pretend, if you have to. Don’t let anyone see how much you hurt.’ No! True joy is not a spiritual façade.”
Trojan Horse Christians
“Satan will allow you to avoid all kinds of temptation if you continue to believe the lie that your moral life is the reason you have God’s acceptance. The enemy loves it when we build our monuments and look in amazement upon them. The problem with wooden horses is that they burn. They will not stand on the day of judgment.”
Say It, Even if It’s Been Said Before
This is true and worth considering: “The reality is, content you write today will be written again by someone tomorrow. It has probably already been written by someone before you. There is nothing new under the sun. Being faithful to God and encouraging others is more important than being on the cutting edge of a given topic.”
Why Waiting is Good News
Though we are impatient people, there is value in waiting. “Waiting reminds us that although we have agency, we are not ultimately in control. For those of us who find value in achieving, working hard, and crossing off tasks on our to-do lists, waiting can push us into a tailspin as it unhooks the lynchpin between who we are and what we do.”
Flashback: The Bit of Heaven the Heaven Tourism Books Never Touched
Heaven is the place where there is no trace of sin. In fact, the joys of heaven are dependent on sinlessness.

If we get a discouraged man to take heart again, and to set out bravely to fight his own battles and carry his own burdens we have done him a far greater kindness than if we had fought his battles and carried his burdens for him. —J.R. Miller

This week the blog is sponsored by 20schemes and this post is written by Mez McConnell, 20schemes’ Executive Director. Mez reflects on the past, present and looks to the future of this ministry to reach Scotland’s poorest communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

PAST PROVISION
20schemes is the joint ministry of two local churches, Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, & Redeemer Fellowship Church, Bardstown, USA. It is often mistaken as a para-church organisation when, in reality, it is the church planting and revitalisation ministry of both churches.
I first had the vision for what is now 20schemes in 2009 when I came across a newspaper article concerning the fifty poorest housing schemes in Scotland. I read the article and began thinking about the impact a gospel church would have in each of those communities.
20schemes was officially launched in November 2012 in the kitchen of the Niddrie Community Church manse by Sharon Dickens, Matthew Spandler-Davison & myself. We had less than £500 in the bank and a dream to reach Scotland’s poorest communities with the gospel of Jesus.
The early years were very tough because nobody had heard of us and those that did thought that we were a passing fad. Many churches across the UK were wary of supporting us and, although we gained some support from faithful Scottish & UK Christians, the majority of our giving came from the USA.
I began to travel around the UK speaking about the vision of the ministry. Many people were sympathetic to the work, but that emotion didn’t translate into hard cash or volunteers. This led us to turn to the USA and this is where Matthew Spandler-Davison stepped in to help us recruit and raise money. Mark Dever and 9marks were massively helpful to us during this time by promoting our ministry and giving me opportunities to speak at some major conferences. Slowly, but surely, we started to gain a little momentum as more Christians rallied to our cause and began to support us financially and prayerfully.
We have been through some lean and trying times and we have skirted the abyss of financial meltdown on more than one occasion. Yet, through it all God has used these times to deepen our faith and dependence upon Him. Here we are 10 years later, still skirting the abyss, but alive and functioning to the glory and praise of His name!
PRESENT SITUATION
Today, on our 10th anniversary, here’s where we stand:
To date, we have either planted or revitalised churches in eleven schemes across Scotland. We have theologically trained men and women who are now engaged in gospel work across Scotland. We have more than a dozen books available in seven languages that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. We have started dedicated Women’s, Music and back-to-work ministries, and it has been a great joy to inspire and support similar ministries in England, Canada, America, and Africa.
Even as I write these words, I find it incredible what God has done over the past decade. He has just been so good to us. There is no way on earth that 20schemes would exist today were it not for our kind and gracious God. Every one of these ministries aforementioned is subservient to the greater vision of planting and revitalising churches among Scotland’s poorest.
There is not a week goes by when we don’t hear of somebody, somewhere being saved in one of our schemes. Of course, we hear bad news in our communities too. Sometimes dark and evil stuff. But, the darkness can never extinguish the light of the world and each church plant is a testament to that great biblical truth.
10 years ago, three people sat in a room in the scheme of Niddrie and prayed. We could not have dreamt that the Lord would bring 20schemes to where it is now, and for that we praise Him.
FUTURE VISION
I am often asked what we will do if and when we hit 20 schemes. My answer is, ‘I will let you know when we get there!’ One thing is for certain, there will never not be a need for gospel churches in Scotland’s poorest communities. Glasgow and its greater area alone, have just short of 100 schemes, the vast majority without the settled Christian witness of a local church. The need for pastors, planters and gospel workers remains as critical as it did when we began this ministry.
We are still looking for men and women of all ages and skillsets to come to the schemes of Scotland and to give their lives to the work of the gospel in these dark and needy places. We need more money, more people, and more prayer. This mission field really is ripe for harvest. Therefore, we must keep pushing forward for the sake of the gospel and the holy name of our God.
One of the ways I encourage all of our planters is by reminding them to look up from their own schemes from time to time and rejoice in what God is doing in schemes across Scotland. People are being saved as the gospel is being preached.
It’s the way it’s always been and it’s the way it will always be. We have no grand strategies other than proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the least, the last and the lost, discipling the saved, and equipping them for future service.
Somebody asked me recently if I thought 20schemes will outlast me. I hope so, otherwise I’ve been doing it wrong. It will last just as long as God wants it to last. It will last as long as faithful men and women refuse to let the apathy of the wider church discourage them from our Scottish mission field.