I am new to the writings of George Herbert Morrison, but was quickly taken with this quote about the Bible—about the way it meets our needs and the way it satisfies our spiritual hunger. I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

Whenever the Almighty satisfies his creatures, he gives them drink as abundant as the seas. Think of the Bible—an ancient book and yet intensely modern and practical. Think of the ages that have gone since it was written; think of the life we [now] live and of the stress and strain unknown in the quiet East; to me it is wonderful that the Bible should be of any use at all now and not have moved into the quiet of libraries to be the joy of the unworldly scholar.
But one thing is certain—the Bible meets the need of modern life. As a practical guide there is no book to touch it. There is not a problem you are called to face and not a duty you are called to do, there is not a cross you are compelled to carry and not a burden you are forced to bear but your strength for it all will be as the strength of ten—if you make a daily companion of your Bible.
The Bible never offers a drink from shallow waters. There, you do not find a set of petty maxims, but the everlasting love of God; you do not find any shallow views of sin, but a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And that is the secret of the Bible’s permanence—when our little systems have ceased to be, for sin and sorrow and life and death and duty, it gives us drink “as abundant as the seas.”
Think of Jesus in relation to his words. If ever words were as water to a thirsty world, surely it was the words that Jesus spoke. How simple they were and yet how deep! How tender and full of love and yet how searching! There are those whose lives so contradict their words that when you know the people you cannot listen to them. And there are those who are so much less than their own words that when you come to know them you are disappointed. But what people felt about Jesus Christ was this, that when all was uttered, the half was never told, for at the back of all his words there was himself, deeper unfathomably than his deepest speech. That is why the words of Christ will live even when heaven and earth have passed away. You can exhaust the cup or drain the goblet, but you cannot exhaust the spring fed from the deeps. And just because the words of Jesus Christ spring from the depths of that divine humanity, they will save and strengthen the obedient heart to the last recorded syllable of time.

I am once again wanting to express my gratitude to BJU Seminary for sponsoring the blog this week to let you know about their biblical counseling programs.

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age)
Pastors All the Way Down?
Rhys Laverty has written a fascinating post about what the church (and in his context he is referring primarily to the UK church) may lose if we do not find a way to better support and enable Christian intellectuals.
Misreading Scripture Cross-culturally
There are some interesting reflections here on reading the Bible cross-culturally.
Sovereignty and Evangelism
Bryan Schneider has a useful reminder that God is sovereign in evangelism. And that makes our task much more straightforward.
God Takes Our Stinginess or Generosity Personally
“Any lifestyle that doesn’t align with God’s priorities and won’t hold up after death is not a good one—no matter how glamorous or appealing or sensible it seems at the time.”
Jean Twenge’s ‘Generations’: Four Takeaways for Youth Ministers
Pastors and others involved in ministering to young people may appreciate these takeaways from an important new book.
Bruised But Not Broken
This one is about getting back on your feet after failure.
Flashback: Responding Wisely to Domestic Abuse in Your Church
When Home Hurts is exactly the book I had hoped it would be when I picked it up. It is a book that will do what it promises—help well-meaning but inadequately-trained Christians to respond well to very difficult situations.

It is a sin to be indifferent to the grief of a person who is before us. It is both human and Christian to come alongside those who weep and to mourn with them. —Guy Prentiss Waters

If you’re in the market for some kids’ books, be sure to take a look at this sale at Westminster Books.

End of the Global South? Updating the State of World Missions
“What we are witnessing today through the work of globe-trotting researchers and travel-worn academics is the glorious drama of God’s unfolding worldwide redemption. The Spirit is blowing where he pleases, the kingdoms of the world are continuing to enter the kingdom of the Lord from the east and the west, the north and the south, and the nations are singing the praises of God.” This is a long but valuable read.
GAFCON IV: Lessons from a Communion in Birth Pains
And in perhaps a similar vein, here’s another encouraging report from the Anglican world.
“Caste and Church Growth Assessment” by Aubrey M. Sequeira
Come to TRC23 to hear Aubrey on “Emptying the Cross of Its Power: Honor/Shame and the Gospel of Christ.” While honor/shame concepts can be helpful for cross-cultural workers to know, it remains the handmaiden to the doctrines that Scripture sets forth for all cultures and times. (Sponsored Link)
Stop calling faithfulness a sacrifice
“We need to stop calling obedience and faithfulness to the commands of Christ ‘sacrifice’. There, I said it. It is not sacrifice to do what Jesus asks us to do. Full stop.” It’s probably worth hearing him out.
7 Biblical Truths Countering the False Gospel of “Emotional Health & Wealth”
Bob Kellemen: “Today’s post is not about the false health & wealth gospel. Everyone posts against that. Today’s post is about a much more subtle, much more insidious, much more hidden false gospel—a gospel that all too easily creeps into the Evangelical world: the false gospel of emotional health & wealth.’”
Should We Use the Words “Old Testament”?
Should we use the words “Old Testament” or is there a better option?
Present at Their Passing
Rebekah Matt writes about the times she has been present as someone passed from life to death. She writes also about some of her regrets in those moments.
Flashback: Being the Answer to Prayer
We must pray for deliverance and then take hold of the means of deliverance that God provides to us—pray and then labor to see the prayer answered.

The man who attempts Christianity without the church shoots himself in the foot, shoots his children in the leg, and shoots his grandchildren in the heart. —Kevin DeYoung