Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include several excellent titles like Andrew Wilson’s Remaking the World, Sinclair Ferguson’s The Whole Christ, and the updated edition of Kent Hughes’ Disciplines of a Godly Man.
(Yesterday on the blog: It Begins and Ends with Speaking)

David Gibson explains why his shepherd, who I trust is also your shepherd, carries a rod. There’s comfort in the metaphor!

I am not really familiar with the Christian musician Mandisa (who recently passed away), but this tribute focuses on a moment of forgiveness.

“I hear people speak of having an open mind like it is inherently virtuous to have it perpetually open. But what is the point of an open mind if it never closes on truth?” It’s a valid question, that.

The new Canadian source for gospel-centred books and products, 21Five offers a unique collection of relevant and God-glorifying resources. Shop online at 21Five.ca or in person at Redeemer University in Ancaster (Hamilton), Ontario. (Sponsored Link)

Stephen McAlpine writes a kind of “half-time report” on marriage. The occasion is that he has now spent exactly half of his life as a married man. “I am 56 years of age. Single for 28 years. Married to Jill for 28 years.” There are some helpful reflections here.

Here’s one of those “someone must have been praying” moments we all have now and again in life! “Someone must have been praying for us. It was 2 am and I was strangely and suddenly wide awake. The house was silent and cold, so I rolled over to go back to sleep.”

“The task of the church as such is not to transform the world at large or any society in it. The task of the church is to transform lives: to proclaim the gospel as the person and work of Christ applied by the power of the Holy Spirit in the means of grace so that men and women come to Christ by faith and are justified, adopted, and sanctified—all a gift of God’s grace. Such changed lives typically affect the lives of others in the various societies in which the saints find themselves.”

…we can’t truly know God as he is or live for God as he desires as long as we reject or downplay theology.

Your kids will pick up your walk more than your talk. They will follow the example of a lifetime more than the exhortation you give them when you drop them off at college. Are your kids growing up with the habit of regular church attendance?
—Kevin DeYoung

Grace and peace to you, my friends.

I wanted to remind you of my book launch event in Nashville on Labor Day. I’d love to see you there. It’s a free event with Alistair Begg and CityAlight.
There are some nice new Kindle deals available today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Prayers To Pray While You Preach, Lead, and Sing)
How to Get More Out of Church
“As a pastor, I’m burdened for Christians to get more out of church.” So am I, which is why I’m glad Erik Raymond has an article on the topic.
Don’t Be Dismayed at Their Revilings
It’s amazing how surprised and dismayed we can be when reviled—surprising because we’ve been told to expect it!
An unexpected field for ministry
This is a neat account of how ministry in Angola has been spurred by China, of all places.
No Success Without Suffering
“Spiritual success requires suffering. There is no eternal reward without sacrifice.” If it was true of Jesus, it will be true of us…
Above the Clouds, There is Sunshine
“Do you ever secretly scoff at Israel’s failures in the wilderness, thoroughly convinced that you would’ve done so much better? They were firsthand witnesses to so many instances of God’s saving power and miraculous and faithful provision. ‘Come on now!’ we may think. ‘What is their problem?’ How could they so easily drift from obedience into ungrateful rebellion?”
Dealing With Abuse Overseas is Complicated
“What struck me the most were her lifeless eyes. Without emotion, the young teenager related to me disturbing descriptions of abuse in her home. Her father would verbally assault her and yank her hair. He would beat and kick her mother, locking her out of their bedroom for hours. My horror quickly turned to despair. As a teacher, I knew about mandatory reporting of abuse. But this was not the United States. I had no one to report to.”
Flashback: An Army Without Supplies
…these front-line missionaries, like front-line soldiers, are dependent upon a substantial network of support. They can only go where others prepare them to go and they can only stay where others equip them to stay.

God did not choose us because we would have faith but that we would have faith. —Will Dobbie

May the Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day.

When the City of Man Creaks
I think many of us are noticing the straining and breaking down of systems and wondering what it means. “Progress in the systems we rely on for life necessities or conveniences has been assumed. The pandemic and its aftermath have challenged this assumption and, whether temporary or long-term, the systems around us are showing their weakness.”
Six Questions You Should Ask at the Beginning of 2023
“What I started doing a couple of years ago was to abandon the idea of New Year’s resolutions and instead start thinking about what I wanted to focus on for the next year in early December. Then I started implementing changes that would make progress on my goals before the new year begins. What this allowed me to do was to get out of the habit of thinking the new year would magically change me into a new person.”
A Unique Plan for Reading through the Greek New Testament in 2023
If you know (or knew) Greek, this reading plan exists to help you keep and improve it.
King Charles’s Christmas Message Reflects a Post-Christian United Kingdom
Year after year the Queen gave a Christmas message. But this year, “due to her death in September, it was delivered by King Charles III. His message was akin to the first sermon preached by a new pastor who has succeed a long-serving and much loved predecessor. Charles’s message shed light on the spiritual state of contemporary Britain and on the faith of the King himself.”
Excuse me, may I have six seconds of your time?
“Have you ever considered that six seconds of your life could alter someone’s eternity? A message so simple that a child could understand it is also the power of God for salvation to all who believe.”
“Amazing Grace” at 250 Years Old
Lisa writes about a very noteworthy anniversary—the 250th anniversary of the first singing of “Amazing Grace.”
Flashback: The Half-Trained Dog
We train ourselves for a while, but then grow weary when those last vestiges of the sin refuse to die, or when we realize that sin has much deeper and stronger roots than we had expected, or when we realize that we actually kind of like our sin. We end up half-trained, good enough Christians.

Don’t be easy or simplistic in labeling what a person’s heart is worshipping. You are not on an idol hunt, as if these things could be easily labeled. —Jeremy Pierre & Deepak Reju