Grace and peace to you today.

Stooping To Filthy Feet
What a thought. “The man on his knees, rinsing sweat from Peter’s athlete’s foot and getting between Judas’s toes to wipe away the dung was our Creator, who is before all things and in him all things hold together; the hands that washed those verrucae and blisters would one day be the only ones qualified to break the seals and open the gates to the New Jerusalem.”
Hyper-Headship in Marriage
Keith has been writing a series on the pastoral issues he sees the most in counseling and today he discusses hyper-headship. “What we are speaking about is oppression in marriage. What it looks like from one marriage to the next will be cloaked in many different garbs—constant conflict, a depressed and docile wife, isolation, perpetual walking on eggshells in the home, and the list goes on.”
She heard cries for help during deadly winter storm. Her actions saved a life
We all love stories like this one, and for good reason.
3 Reasons Why You Should Make a New Year’s Resolution This Year
Here’s a defense of making New Year’s resolutions, in case you’d like the challenge.
Seminary Is Not For You
Anna Stewart: “Even now as I immerse myself in year three of my theological education as a weaker, more sober Christian, I find myself asking the questions I realize I should have been asking a long time ago. Why am I really here? Who am I even doing this for? Brothers and sisters in seminary, I invite you to consider these questions alongside me.”
5 Myths about Porn
Ray Ortlund shares 5 ugly myths about porn.
Flashback: How To Make A New Year’s Resolution That Sticks
I have done a fair bit of reading on how to make resolutions work, and it turns out that though there are many reasons your resolutions may not work, the most common ones are easy enough to avoid. Here are some tips on making wise resolutions and on making them stick.

The fear of God will swallow up the fear of man. A reverential awe and dread of God will extinguish the creature’s slavish fear, as the rain puts out the fire. —John Flavel

I wanted to remind you that Truth for Life is featuring Seasons of Sorrow this month. You can purchase it for just $7 or get it free with a donation of any amount.

My thanks goes to BJU for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about Killing Sin Habits.
There are some more Kindle deals today (as, indeed, is usually the case).
(Yesterday on the blog: Short of Glory)
Where Did Baptism Come From?
We all know what baptism is, but do we know how it came about? “How does Christian baptism relate to Old Testament practices? Where did the idea of baptism come from? After overviewing the meaning of Christian baptism, this article seeks to briefly explore the connections between baptism and Old Testament ritual washings.”
Is Paedocommunion Biblical?
If the last article is primarily for Baptists, this one is primarily for those who practice infant baptism.
Our Missions Approach Is Too Western
Elliot Clark is “convinced current missiological strategies can still be deeply Western in potentially harmful ways.” He lays out his case (and some corrections) here.
But if Not, How to Face Our Fiery Trials with Faith
“If you’re not facing a furnace of affliction now, chances are, you will again soon.” Cara offers some encouragement for such times.
Dear Pastor . . . You’re a Shepherd, Not an Entrepreneur
“We are pressed on every side—danger from without in the schemes of the devil and danger from within with the passions of the flesh. To be sure, we are also in danger from without in the ways we are so tempted to conform to the patterns of the world (Rom. 12:2). One of those patterns we are tempted to conform to as pastors is to see ourselves, or our work, as entrepreneurs.”
Why I can’t love my neighbour
“But just because a parable is well known doesn’t mean it’s well understood. Would it surprise you if I said I don’t think the parable is meant to teach us to love our neighbour?” Ian Carmichael explains.
Flashback: We Cannot Be Faultless (But May Still Be Blameless)
Even our best work falls far short of perfect execution. But we may well be blameless before the Lord when we do our work to the best of our ability and when we do our utmost to cleanse our hearts and purify our motives.

When Jesus is our stability—our consistent friend and refuge—we are freed to truly love others and love them sacrificially. —Kelly Needham

May the Lord bless and keep you today.

There are lots of good titles related to counseling for sale at Westminster Books.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few good titles.
Dear Pastor . . . Your Shepherd Doesn’t Care How Big Your Church Is
“I never forgot those days in the foyer of the church plant, begging God to send just one or two more our way. I had learned a valuable lesson in the hard days of lack that helped me tremendously in the joyful days of gain—namely, that Christ isn’t really interested in how big my church is.”
Did the Heretics Outnumber the Orthodox in Early Christianity?
Michael Kruger: “One of the most common arguments about early Christianity—made popular by Walter Bauer’s 1934 book Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity—is that the earliest centuries had such enormous doctrinal diversity that the “heretics” were as prevalent, if not even more numerous, than the ‘orthodox.’ It was not until the 4th century, it is argued, that the orthodox began to turn the tide.”
God Tells Us How to Know Him 
God created people for relationship with him (Gen. 1:26–31). This relationship depends on our knowing him. God has a mind, a will, and emotions. He communicates, revealing himself. This revelation comes in two basic forms: general revelation and special revelation. Without them, we cannot know God. God’s revelation is trustworthy, for God is trustworthy. (Sponsored Link)
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntington
This is a good, short bio of one of my favorite historical figures.
You’re Never “Just” A Church Member
“‘I’m just a church member.’ Over the years, I’ve heard people say this when introducing themselves. There are many reasons why someone might say this (they may want to clarify that they aren’t in full-time ministry). But I cringe inside when I hear it. And if I’m able, I offer a gentle correction because there’s no such thing as “just” a church member.”
Why Is it Important for Christians To Affirm “Sola Scriptura”?
Stephen Nichols answers an important question.
The Horocruxes of Sexual Sin
“Sexual temptation suggests that fidelity won’t satisfy. If one sexual partner is good, more partners will be better. Why not experience pleasure with multiple partners? Think of what you are missing out on. Consider what that one partner doesn’t give you. Or, if you’re not married, how do you know you ever will be married? What does it hurt to fast forward that pleasure to now?”
Flashback: 7 Things Your Church Needs From You
Find the place you can serve your church, and serve there without fail, without excuse, without requiring praise and accolades. Do it for the good of others and the glory of God.

Our infirmities become the black velvet on which the diamond of God’s love glitters all the more brightly. —Charles Spurgeon