May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Once again you’ll find a selection of new Kindle deals.
Ever Yours, Sin
Here’s a fresh take on sin and sanctification: A letter from sin to the redeemed soul.
The History Of Transformation Church And Mike Todd (Video)
This is a really interesting look at Mike Todd and Transformation Church. (Also, here’s Todd Friel on How Sitting Under Weak Preaching Actually Puts You In Danger)
Get Acquainted with a Forgotten Treasure
Although William Burkitt is not well-known in our day, he was known and acclaimed in days past as an especially brilliant expositor and commentator. His Expository Notes, with Practical Observations, on the New Testament is being reprinted and Derek Thomas says, “Generations to come will now profit from his exceptionally good comments.” (Sponsored)
Your Physical Health is a Spiritual Issue
“There are many things as a pastor that are difficult to speak about. Divorce is one of those, for instance, because so many people are impacted by divorce. Increasingly, all sexual ethics are challenging to speak about because there are often homosexual people in our audiences or people who are living with someone who isn’t their spouse.”
Serving God in Unglamorous Places
I appreciate Stephen Steele’s call for pastors to consider ministry in places less glamorous than big cities.
Secondary Enemy
Counselor Crystal Kershaw writes about a counselee who “fought a fierce battle to overcome a troublesome pattern of sin in her life. It was a significant struggle, but she fought hard with the weapons of truth, humility, and faith. Through Christ’s resurrection power, she gained victory. Yet now she finds herself attacked by a secondary enemy, an unexpected one.”
Treasures of Darkness
Donna writes about some of the treasures of the darkness she has experienced lately.
Flashback: How Many Loves Have You Experienced Today?
The God who loves created a world of love. What a pleasure it is to live in this world, his world, and to experience love as both a giver and a receiver of its infinite forms.

Affliction is a bitter root, but it bears sweet fruit. —Thomas Watson

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you today.
If you ever find yourself struggling to delight in the Old Testament, Westminster Books has a deal on just the book for you. They have quite a lot of other OT-related material on sale as well.

Mark David Hall reviews a new film. “If there is a central message of God & Country, it is that we should be afraid. Very, very afraid. This feature length film billed as a documentary contends that America’s experiment in constitutional self-government is on the brink of collapse and it is possible, even likely, that the United States will become a fascist theocracy in the near future. The culprit, of course, is ‘white Christian nationalism.’”

I really appreciate what Jacob says here about the connection between order, preparation, and the Spirit’s leading.

Coram Deo is a Latin phrase meaning “before the face of God.” The phrase is often associated with John Calvin and other Reformers who summoned the Christian to live all of life in God’s presence (Ps. 56:13). More specifically, pastors have been charged in the presence of God to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:1-2). This conference aims to remind pastors of our great God, to recharge the preacher for teaching with clarity and conviction, and to reinvigorate the weary soul for a life of ministry faithfulness before the face of God. (Sponsored Link)

“The controversy surrounding the recent funeral for Cecilia Gentili at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York has been well-documented in the press” says Carl Trueman. “The incident is eloquent testimony to the nature of this moment in American, even Western, culture.”

John Piper answers a question about why God stigmatized the disabled in the Old Testament.

Trevin offers some really interesting insights based on a popular song. “NF’s confession captures the tendency of young people to self-diagnose, to base their identities in their issues, whatever they may be. Once you make this turn, you feel a visceral reaction to the hope of healing. You’re both attracted and repelled by the thought. You can get to a point where you so strongly identify with your pain and struggle that the prospect of healing feels like a threat to your identity. Overcoming the suffering would mean losing yourself.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen an article like this one before: One in which Christian parents reflect on errors they made that may have contributed to their adult children leaving the faith.

Think of what you read when you’re browsing online. Think of the books and television you enjoy. Think of your last 100 Facebook posts. Do you love good, or are you mesmerized by evil?

Whether our lot seems humble or exalted, let us work with all our heart, for the Lord knows and rewards all faithful labor.
—Daniel Doriani

My gratitude goes to Coram Deo Pastor’s Conference for sponsoring the blog this week. It is coming up soon and will feature the preaching of Kevin DeYoung, John Piper, Carl Trueman, H.B. Charles Jr., and others. You can’t go wrong with a lineup like that!
Today’s Kindle deals include some newer books and some older ones.
(Yesterday on the blog: God’s Goodness in a Cruel World)

Glenna Marshall reflects on youthful promises of obedience. “I liked the idea of promising obedience, of telling the Lord that nothing in this world would be dearer to me than obeying Him. In young, untried faith, I nearly invited him to test me, telling him in a long, journaled prayer that wherever he led, I would most certainly go. I banked on my obedience. I would be stalwart, no matter what came.” But she didn’t know what would come.

“A high-profile new resident arrived in Dumfries and Galloway recently – a ewe once known as ‘Britain’s Loneliest Sheep’. Fiona, as she has been named, was rescued after being stranded for more than two years at the foot of cliffs in the Scottish Highlands. Fiona’s plight hit the headlines after a kayaker photographed her still trapped at the foot of a steep cliff at the Cromarty Firth, two years after a previous sighting.”

This newsletter from CCEF has some great resources for helping teens with porn. Don’t miss this video featuring Todd Stryd.

Andy Naselli explains clearly and helpfully how the Arminian and Calvinist views of election differ from one another. (You can either read or watch what he says.)

“Digital distractions all begin with intentional choice. Once you start checking your phone a few times an hour, intentionally, for the sake of some good thing, you begin to check it unintentionally, regardless of its value.” Yet not all distractions are sinful.

Writing for Club 31 Women, Kelly Tarr says “We can be our own worst enemies. We are often the saboteur of our own lives and it ends up affecting the ones we love, too.”

Rather than following biblical guidance and speaking directly to a person who has offended us, we speak to anyone or everyone else. This invariably erodes relationships in the church and foments disunity.

The sovereignty of God is the one impregnable rock to which the suffering human heart must cling.
—Jerry Bridges