Good morning. May the Lord bless and keep you throughout this day.

There’s a small but still good list of Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: We Are Never Without Beauty)
Do You Know Where You’re At?  
Sylvia Schroeder reflects on her father-in-law’s confusion. “‘I don’t know where we’re at,’ Phil’s dad used to say from the front seat of his handicapped van. In his later days my father-in-law, sweet and intelligent seemed to live in an anxious state of lost. He leaned far forward against the taut seatbelt, and peered with squinted eyes at the road ahead. The road he’d traveled many times had not changed. Then he turned toward his son, my husband at the wheel. ‘I have no idea where we’re at. Do you know where we’re at?’”
Where We Draw the Line
Alistair Begg: “For centuries in the West, and perhaps particularly in the United States, Christians have enjoyed being in the rooms where things happen. But now the wind of society is less at our backs and more in our faces. For the first time, perhaps, we need to learn how to live well in Babylon.”
Deepfakes and the Degradation of Truth
Jason Thacker looks at what I’m sure will soon prove to be an extremely important issue: deepfakes and the degradation of truth.
The Take Trap
Samuel James coins and explains a term: the take trap. “A take trap is a situation in which the perceived benefits of forming an opinion on something quickly and sharing that opinion outweigh both the learnedness of the opinion and even the heartfelt sense of the opinion’s importance.”
Unsatisfying Endings
“We’ve all experienced the disappointment—you come to the end of a good book, or you reach the conclusion of a great series, or you sit somewhat sorrowfully as the credits begin to roll. There is something inherently disappointing with endings. Okay, so there are occasions they are immensely satisfying—but more often than not that satisfaction does not last. When matters draw to a close, we are strangely left wanting. Why is that?”
A New and Quiet Type of Suffering
This article looks at transgenderism from an important perspective–the perspective of the parents.
Flashback: There Is No Better Life
God is glorified in your holiness, not in your sin. Do you grow in holiness so that God can be glorified? God is glorified in your selfless deeds, not your selfish ones. Do you love and serve others?

Before a sin, Satan tempts you to believe repentance will be easy. After a sin, Satan tempts you to believe repentance is impossible. —Garrett Kell

This week the blog is sponsored by Open the Bible. If you’re looking for small group video resources that are Bible-centered, accessible, and applicable, look no further!
Led by Pastor Colin Smith and select teachers, Open the Bible Courses provide small groups the perfect resource to equip the hearts and minds of growing believers.
Courses include:

Watch Your Life with Pastor Colin Smith – Our lives can adorn the doctrine of the gospel or take away from it. For our lives to reflect God’s character and will for us, we must watch our lives closely (1 Timothy 4:16). Geared for leaders but accessible for every believer, Watch Your Life will equip you to grow in godliness, cultivate your walk with Christ, and battle key challenges that confront us.

For our lives to reflect God’s character and will for us, we must watch our lives closely (1 Timothy 4:16)Colin SmithShare

Watch Your Doctrine with Pastor Colin Smith – The aim of Watch Your Doctrine is to give you a good grasp of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. You will see what we believe about God, what we believe about ourselves, and what we believe about the salvation God has accomplished in Jesus Christ. Understanding these truths is vital for every believer and leader alike.
Sustaining a Lifetime of Ministry with Pastor Colin Smith – If Jesus offered to tell you “secrets of the kingdom of heaven” for your ministry, would you listen? In this module, Pastor Colin Smith draws from Jesus’ Kingdom Parables in Matthew 13 to share foundational truths about what ministry in Christ’s kingdom is like. This is essential teaching for any gospel worker who wants to persevere in ministry over the long haul.
A Flight Through the Bible Story with Pastor Colin Smith – This 3-session journey through the Bible that will introduce you to 5 people from the Old Testament, 5 events from the life of Jesus, and 5 gifts God gives to every Christian. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you know about the Bible, “The Flight” is a great place to begin.
Pray the Bible with Author Kevin Halloran – We all face obstacles in prayer. Some are theological; we forget why prayer matters or don’t feel heard by God. Other obstacles are practical; we don’t know what to say or we simply can’t focus for prayer. Kevin Halloran believes that if we pray the Bible, we can bypass many of our struggles and go straight to fruitful prayer and deeper communion with God. The course Pray the Bible will introduce you to the benefits of praying the Bible as well as tools for doing so.

Why consider using an Open the Bible Course in your small group?

Courses are free. Group members don’t need to spend money on books or curriculum. Everything you need is online at no cost with no login required.
Courses are video-based. Your people will love our engaging videos and teaching approach.
Courses are designed for discussion. There’s no need for a lot of prep work when our discussion questions will help cultivate fruitful conversations.
You can go deeper with extra resources. Each session has a downloadable transcript, optional reading, and assignments. You could even turn these courses into a full-fledged lay leader training course at your church.
The content is transferable. The practical teaching and application make this a great resource to pass on to others.

What people are saying:
I have enjoyed what otherwise would have been a very difficult theological study. I would say, “THEOLOGY MADE SIMPLE.” Thank you very much for taking me to another level in my spiritual growth. —Isaac J. On Watch Your Doctrine
I gained SO MUCH WISDOM in Watch Your Life. I will certainly be using the wisdom and notes to help equip others. Every church leader should take these courses! —Alma E.
Preview a session of Watch Your Life titled “Discerning God’s Will.” Download a transcript or discussion questions.
[embedded content]
Visit OpentheBible.org/courses today to get started.

I’m wondering if I have any readers in Croatia. If I do, and especially if you’re in or near Split, would you mind getting in touch?

Since Eerdmans is offering 80% off the Kindle editions of all of their books, I spent a long time yesterday scouring their rather extensive catalog. I came up with a long list of books that may be of interest.
Westminster Books has some favorite ESV Bible editions discounted up to 63%.
The Antipsalms We Sing
“Our heads may love the psalms from 20,000 feet—the passionate pleading, the glory in God’s grandeur, the praise of his perfect providence. It’s a captivating landscape of raw emotion and spiritual vitality. But our hearts sing plenty of antipsalms.” Pierce explains and provides an example here.
Don’t Lose Hope – God’s Writing a Story of Redemption in Your Life
Sarah Walton: “I have been increasingly convicted by my attitude of entitlement and discontentment. Entitlement to health, success, financial relief, and God’s favor in ways that make sense to me. And yet, the truth is, he doesn’t owe me anything. He’s already given me more than I deserve and increasingly, I believe that God is pouring out his favor on me – and most likely you – as he strips away the lesser things that we measure his goodness by and sows in us a deeper, more settled faith that praises him in the darkness and rejoices in what he will do, even when that hope is yet to be realized.”
Seeing What You Have as Something That Doesn’t Belong to You
This is a brief reminder that the things you have don’t actually belong to you and, therefore, must be treated accordingly.
7 Tips for Loving “Those” People in Your Church
“If we’re to love our enemies, surely we’re to love ‘those’ people at church. Even the ones who drive us crazy. So how can we do that?” Jamie Dunlop offers a few ways.
A Lavish Love
This is such a sweet celebration of grandparents and grandparenting.
Light Overcomes the Darkness
“When we read of ‘people walking in darkness’ or a ‘land of darkness’ it’s not hard to relate. That’s our reality. We feel the burden of the world’s evil daily—injustice, political upheaval, heinous crimes, greed, spite, dishonesty, exploitation, outrage, slander. And that’s all just in the morning’s headlines and a scroll through social media.”
Flashback: The Legend of the Battle-Weary Crusader
Each of us who is in Christ is tending a little garden in which heavenly seeds have been planted and begun to thrive—seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The coming of Christ is not only a magnificent spectacle; it is a personal welcome. And the welcome is supremely to himself. —John Piper