Grace and peace to you, my friends.

Westminster Books has lots of good material on sale: Christianity Explored, Hope Explored, and so on.
(Yesterday on the blog: When God Unfolds His Will in Pieces)
Our Free Salvation Sets Us Free to Love
“Mormons and JWs are typically kind, pleasant, and respectful, but their evangelism is driven by their need to fulfill specific requirements. They may love those they’re talking with, but their goal in evangelizing is to save themselves.” That’s a key point.
Why is Evangelism Hard?
Stephen McAlpine raises some good points here. “Every so often on good evangelical websites that I read I come across an article that asks the question (before answering it in three points), as to why we find evangelism so hard.” But there’s often a problem with such articles.
No More Trash Talking (Video)
I appreciate this word from Todd Friel.
The Overlooked Virtue of Gentleness
“This is a virtue which combines humility and approachability, mildness and kindness in their proper sphere and expression. It is not quick to damn or to strike, not unrighteously forbidding or foreboding, but attractive and welcoming. Similar notions include the ideas of patience and mercy.”
How Do I Handle My Disordered Desires?
John Piper provides some examples of disordered desires and instruction on how to respond to them.
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
Dr. Michael Allen provides a brief answer here.
Flashback: The Character of the Christian: Generous
It is the Christian’s duty and delight to hold loosely to wealth and to give generously to the Lord’s work. Any problem with money is not the fault of the money itself but with the sneaky, sinful human heart.

As we reflect on the character of God, the work of Christ, and the promises of the gospel, God will increase our desire to know him more and thus pursue him more through prayer. —John Onwuchekwa

Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages (up to and including teens).
Board Books

What Are Eyes For? and What Are Ears For? by Abbey Wedgeworth. These are entries in the growing “Training Young Hearts” series and are for the youngest of children. The series “addresses the attitudes of the heart that underpin behavior and explains how the gospel of grace enables us to change. Parents, teachers, and other loved ones can refer back to these resources when specific behaviors need both to be corrected and to be connected to forgiveness, grace and growth.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

God Cares for Me (For the Bible Tells Me So) by Kristen Wetherell. “Everyone’s a theologian—even your little one. Each board book in the For the Bible Tells Me So series offers kids ages 0-4 an introduction to key facets of the gospel and a glimpse at the joy found when children embrace Christ as their Lord and Savior. In God Cares for Me, author Kristen Wetherell explores God’s creation and providence, revealing his abundant care for the things he has made—including his children!” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)
Books for Little Children

Coop Messes Up by Sarah Reju. “Coop Wheelie is the youngest in his family, and like many little ones, he has a problem obeying the rules–and there are a lot of them! When Coop runs out of gas, his sister, Lucy, tries to help him learn to follow the rules, but finds herself right in the middle of the trouble too. Through Coop’s story, kids will discover that making mistakes can be an important way to learn about forgiveness and the gospel. The first in The Wheelies series, written by Sarah Reju and illustrated by Tania Rex, Coop Messes Up will teach children ages 3-8 about God’s unconditional love for us.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

David: Finding Jesus in the Story of David by Alison Mitchell. “Moments in David’s story when David is a little bit like Jesus are signposted with symbols that children need to spot, helping them to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. This fun, interactive resource will give children skills to read the Bible as they connect the stories and learn that the whole Bible is about Jesus. Great for parents or grandparents to give children aged 4-7. Can also be used as a homeschool resource or for children’s ministry in church.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Lucy and the Saturday Surprise by Melissa Kruger and Charlie and the Preschool Prodigal by Ginger Blomberg. This is a pair of new entries in the growing TGC Kids series for children 4-7. The first “the dangers of envy and the joy of contentment” while the second introduces children to the dangers of self-righteousness. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

My First ABC Book of Bible Verses by Jonathan Gibson. “Jonathan Gibson helps toddlers and preschoolers learn key Bible verses along with their ABCs. Each letter of the alphabet has a bright, captivatingly illustrated page with a short, foundational Bible verse to be memorized and a simple sentence that helps explain the verse.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

The Story Of God Our Savior by Kenneth Padgett & Shay Gregorie. “The Story of God Our Savior worshipfully surveys God’s loving acts of deliverance across the vista of the biblical story–with the Cross of Christ lifted up on the highest peak. Take your family on this journey. Ponder together the exodus, remember God’s exile-ending kindness, and meditate on Jesus’ triumph over sin and death! By the end of this story your family will know this about God: He’s abounding in love, a Savior who mends. Always and forever, world without end.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

How Do I Get to Heaven?: Questions and Answers about Life and Death by Nancy Gorrell. “In simple terms, this attractive, full–colour illustrated hardback paints a beautiful picture of heaven and explains what heaven will be like. It also explains that the only way to heaven is by trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Each spread includes one question or topic, a brief explanation, and a Bible verse that can be used as a memory verse. There are also explanations of words which might be new to readers, like salvation, resurrection, and substitute.” (Amazon)
Older Children

Susannah Spurgeon: The Pastor’s Wife Who Didn’t Let Sickness Stop Her by Mary Mohler. “Do Great Things for God” series. “This beautifully illustrated children’s biography of Susannah Spurgeon (1832-1903) features stylish illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos. It is part of a series designed to show kids that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Risen Hope: The Church Throughout History by Luke Davis. This is a series of five books that are meant to help explain church history to younger readers. Each book covers a different era. “If you’re looking for a narrative-driven, engagingly-written history of the church for young teens, the Risen Hope series is for you. Meet some of the key people who God used to shape His Church, and see how He has been at work throughout history.” The age range is roughly 8-13. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Big Questions Series (6-Volume Set) by Chris Morphew. “Christian Studies teacher and school chaplain Chris Morphew has been answering tough questions from young people for over a decade. Big Questions is a series of fun and fast-paced books walking kids aged 9-13 through what the Bible says about life, helping them to grow in confident and considered faith. Now you can get all six books in this stylish slipcase.” Each of the six volumes addresses a different big question: What happens when we die? Why does God let bad things happen? And so on. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Trailblazers. You’re probably familiar with the “Trailblazers” series of short biographies for kids. The series continues to grow year by year and must now exceed 50 volumes, many of which have been bundled up into themed box sets. I believe more than a half million volumes have been sold. The newest volumes are biographies of John Wycliffe and Polycarp with notables like David Livingstone and Charles & John Wesley coming a bit later this year. The biographies are excellent and are often written by biographers who have prepared full-sized works for an adult audience (e.g. Vance Christie on David Livingstone). The age range is roughly 8-9 for read to me and 9-14 for read yourself. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Bible Investigators: Creation by Danika Cooley. “Bursting with 90 brain-teasing puzzles, 40 Bible passages, and 30 concepts regarding God’s creation, this lesson-and-activity book will give kids aged 8-12 skills to investigate the Bible for themselves—like a real investigator! As kids apply logic and solve challenging puzzles, they will dive deeply into Scripture and examine the Bible’s account of creation, picking up lots of skills for reading and interpreting the Bible. As well as lots of puzzles, there are journaling boxes for kids to reflect on, interpret, and apply what they have learned.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)
Teens

The Dream Keeper Saga by Kathryn Butler. This fantasy series for young teens has now reached its fourth volume, The Quest for the Guardians. “Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness. She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion, her grandmother’s illness, and the cruelty of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it two months ago when her father died in a terrible accident.As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into trouble. One day, it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm, where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest. With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric, Lily battles evil shrouds, harpies, and other creatures to find her way through grief, rescue the world from evil, and discover the power of redemption.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

New Morning Mercies for Teens by Paul David Tripp. This is “a daily gospel devotional” that has been adapted from his ultra-popular daily devotional. “This updated edition of Paul David Tripp’s bestselling book New Morning Mercies features 366 engaging daily devotionals, adapted for teenagers. Each day includes a one-sentence, gospel-centered reading and an extended meditation, Bible verses, and a prompt for discussion or personal reflection. Tripp also includes a bonus Q&A chapter in which he briefly answers questions around relevant topics including anxiety, gender, social media, and spiritual disciplines. Focused less on behavior modification and more on helping teenagers encounter the living God, this book helps young people to fall in love with Jesus, find freedom and joy within his boundaries, and live for his glory―day in and day out.” (Amazon)

A Student’s Guide, edited by John Perritt. The “A Student’s Guide” series has been underway for some time now and, in the next month or so, will reach 18 volumes. Each of them addresses a particular issue of Christian doctrine or living. So there have been volumes on glorification and missions and volumes on dating and technology. The volumes coming along very soon deal with politics, rest, and living out Reformed theology. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

I don’t know what it is like to lose a spouse. I don’t know what it is like to bid farewell to the person with whom I’ve built a home and had a family and shared a life. I don’t know the unique griefs, the unique sorrows, the unique traumas that come with so devastating a separation. On the one hand I can’t know without actually enduring it myself, but on the other hand, I can learn from those who have experienced it and have recorded it. I can learn so I can better serve those in my life who are enduring this trial.

Mary Echols lost her husband very suddenly and unexpectedly after he suffered a heart attack. And in the aftermath of her loss she was desperate to find out how much of her experience of loss was typical. “I began looking for something I could read that would allow me into someone else’s journey and help me to see that the little things I was stressing over were okay,” she says. “I needed to know that someone else couldn’t change the sheets, that someone else washed her spouse’s clothes with hers, that someone else would open his bathroom drawer that held hairbrush, aftershave, cologne, and breathe in his scent. I needed to have these things validated!” Because she couldn’t find anything, she decided to journal her journey and the result is And Then There Was One: An Emotionally Raw Journey Through Spousal Grief.
The book’s format is what I have found typical for a book that has been written in a time of deep grief in that it is comprised of short thoughts that are often very urgent and very poignant. Some of it is written as if to her husband, some as if to herself, and some as if to an unknown reader like you and me. She recounts returning home to find her husband slumped in his chair and tells, how though she was a seasoned RN, nothing had prepared her for the moment. She tells about the early hours in which, as if in a terrible dream, she went through the motions of calling her children, and the early days in which she cried herself to sleep in a bed that was now cold and empty.
But time passes and she finds that, though time does not heal all wounds (as some insensitively suggest) it does provide space in which healing can begin to take place. She observes that the initial stages of healing seem to proceed in six-week increments where every six weeks she realizes she has begun to see some change in herself, some new ability, some new acceptance. She begins to do those things all grieving spouses must—write thank you notes to people who have brought her a meal, box up her husband’s possessions, learn to shop for one instead of two.

What happened? We used to be together. We sat at the same table, ate the same food, watched the same TV shows, slept in the same bed, breathed the same air, and then you went away. Funny how that changes everything. I still sit at the same table, eat the same food, watch the same TV shows, sleep in the same bed, and breathe the same air, but none of it is the same.
❖
I am alone and I’m so afraid. I’ve lost so much with your death. It’s not just the loss of my husband and friend. I’ve lost my protector—the one who always saw to it that I was safe from the world, the one who stepped in when I couldn’t handle something and took care of it for me, the one I turned to for guidance when I didn’t know what to do or how to do it, the one who was my emotional support, the one I leaned on. You were so strong when I was weak, and now there is no one to be strong for me. Now I have to handle the world all by myself, take care of things I know nothing about, and trust people I don’t know to help me.
❖
My mind is gone and I’m not sure I want it back, as I don’t know where it’s been. What kind of strange journey is it on, and why didn’t it give me some notice that it was leaving? The audacity of it to just leave me without so much as a hint it was going. I would much rather my heart had left and taken the pain of your death with it—but maybe, my mind decided I should only deal with one thing at a time, and that grieving should be top priority. But doesn’t my mind understand that its leaving just made the grieving harder? How can I concentrate on grieving when I can’t concentrate? My mind is gone, and I wish I had gone with it.

There is a turning point along the way where she gains a deeper acceptance of her circumstances. The day comes when she realizes she may be tempted to turn some of her husband’s things in a shrine and resists that temptation. The day comes when she realizes she doesn’t mind making decisions for just one person instead of two and living according to the plan and schedule of only herself. The day comes when she faces some of the regrets from her marriage, when she utters one final apology and grants one final forgiveness. After all, “We were just two people who loved each other and did the best we could with who we were.”
By the end of the book she has emerged from the worst of her sorrows. She may not be healed, but she is healing. She may not be over her sorrows (as if anyone ever is) but she is once again getting on with life. She is laughing again and experiencing joy. She has come to the other side of her grief. She has begun experiencing a new normal. “I am at the end of my grieving now. I find I can think of you without tears or heartache, for those things have been replaced with sweet memories. I can talk about you without tears yet, sometimes the memories are so sweet that the tears still come, but they aren’t tears of grief any more, but of fond remembrance. You are still as much a part of me as ever, and I find myself talking to you every now and then when I need another viewpoint because you were always so wise.”
In my assessment, this book has two notable strengths. The first is related to Echols’s realness. She simply lets us into her journey as she goes through it and is honest about her joys and sorrows, her fears and doubts, her submission and her anger. The second is related to her faith. She writes as a Christian who mourns, but not without hope, and who grieves, but not without a sense of God’s will being expressed even in something as tragic as death. Her book is not a theology of death, yet teaches that God reigns over death and provides ultimate hope beyond it. This is a beautiful, hopeful little book and one I’m glad to recommend.

Buy from Amazon