Audible (aka Amazon) is having an End of Summer sale and that means the audiobook of Seasons of Sorrow is 65% off. (Note: you can either use 1 Audible credit or tap on the “buy with one-click button” to purchase it at the discounted price.)

Don’t Let ‘Discernment’ Give Doctrine a Bad Name
“I get frustrated sometimes by the lack of discernment I see from people who fly the ‘discernment’ banner.” So do I! You should read Trevin’s thoughts on discernment and discernment “experts.”
There Are no Slippery Slopes in the Bible
“There is a signifiant difference between seeking to understand God’s word and seeking to undermine God’s word. Undermining God’s word is dangerous. Understanding God’s word is life-giving and powerful.”
Spiritual Abuse: Seeing What We Don’t Want to See
This article provides some current and historical wisdom on spiritual abuse. “As uncomfortable as it is the church needs to do this with the harsh reality of spiritual abuse. Even writing those words — with every key-stroke — is hard. Abuse is one thing but when you add the adjective ‘spiritual’ it becomes something else, something more.”
Am I Called to Ministry? Five Tests
John Piper offers five tests to consider whether you may be called to ministry.
The Day the Bible Became a Bestseller
I enjoyed this account of the day the Bible became a bestseller for the first time (and the context in which it happened).
Just Enough to Keep Going
Darryl means to offer encouragement to ordinary pastors with ordinary pastorates—which is to say, the great majority of pastors.
Flashback: The Depth of My Depravity
You don’t know how deeply sinful you are by your unrighteousness deeds, but by your rejection of God and his grace. That is the most serious, heinous, and damnable sin of them all.

What is the best safeguard against false doctrine? The Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied. —J.C. Ryle

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Christmas Is a Happy Day for Broken Hearts
I was asked to write an article for Christianity Today that would speak to those who are grieving at Christmas. “What we wouldn’t give to worship together as a whole family, intact and reunited. What we wouldn’t give to spend this Christmas as we’ve spent so many others, with all of us sitting, singing, and marveling together at the wonder of the day and all it represents.”
Why Such a Lowly Birth?
Jesus could have been born in a very different time or context or set of circumstances. Why did God choose such a lowly birth?
A Front-Row View of the Incarnation
“Who had the best view of the Incarnation? Mary, the mother of Jesus, is certainly a good nomination. So is Joseph, Jesus’s father. It might seem odd to suggest one of Jesus’s disciples in place of his parents. After all, they only spent three years with him. However, there is (at least) one incident in Jesus’s ministry that shows his disciples had a perspective not available to Mary or Joseph.”
Christmas Amid Chaos
Carl Trueman: “Hopefully 2023 will witness significant levels of interest in The Abolition of Man and provoke useful contributions to the field of theological anthropology. In the interim, Christmas offers Christians everywhere the opportunity to reflect once again on the Incarnation, sing of its glorious mystery, and make connections to a rich understanding of what it means to be human.”
Rethink Female Bravery
This interesting article at TGC considers why female bravery is so often portrayed as necessitating physical strength. “Why is physical dominance our measure for brave women? Why is heroism reserved for the person in charge—or the person with the weapon? Why aren’t there more stories that honor daring in the ordinary?”
Faith Lifts Our Eyes Up
Adam Kareus reflects on the death of his brother. “Faith demands we see beyond the pain of the moment to the One who loves us, who gave His Son for us, and who will wipe every tear away. A faith in Jesus Christ is an eye lifting faith, lifting our eyes to the One who stands above.”
Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
“‘Because he loves us,’ said my little girl with a big, knowing grin as she fidgeted in her seat, probably wondering why her daddy was asking her another question about Jesus. That wasn’t the answer I was looking for, for the record.” But maybe it’s not such a bad answer.
Flashback: The 2 Kinds of Blog
Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of blog. There are blogs that provide a platform for content creation and there are blogs that provide a platform for content curation…Both kinds of blog can be very successful and both kinds can be very helpful.

My faith rests not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, in what he has done, and in what he is doing for me. —Charles Spurgeon

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing Association who also sponsored the blog this week with the article “Comforting and Doctrinal Devotions for Children.” They are giving away 10 free copies of I Belong: Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer 1 for Children.

“What is your only comfort in life and death?
That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ…”
 So begins the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism. I Belong: Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer 1 for Children, a new picture book by Joyce Holstege, takes this question and answer and breaks it into sections. Throughout the book, Joyce explains each comforting phrase of the answer in language that is understandable to young children. 
How to use the book
We recommend that you make use of I Belong as a devotional and read a devotion each day with your young children especially. All together there are twenty-two devotions in the book. 
Here’s a sneak peek at part of the very first devotion:
It’s comforting to belong to God because you know he will care for you. The Bible tells you that when you pass through the deep waters and when you walk through the fire, God will be with you.
Features
Joyce’s goal for the book was that it be a blessing to both children and their parents, and that it spark discussion and thought-provoking questions during times of family devotions. In addition to the devotion on each spread, there are some other great features in the book that will foster these conversations:

Scripture verses: every devotion closes with a simple verse or portion of a verse that is easy to memorize and that will help children remember the comforting doctrinal truths in the devotion. Here are a couple of examples:

Psalm 51:2 – “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” from the devotion, “But if I belong to God, why do I need a savior?”
Matthew 10:30 – “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” from the devotion, “Since I belong to God, God has planned everything for my life.”

Illustrations: each spread of the book has a beautiful full-page illustration, created by Meagan Krosschell, a young artist from Randolph, Wisconsin. These colorful illustrations of a diverse group of children will capture children’s imaginations as they learn what it means to belong to their faithful Savior.

Takeaways: reading thought these brief summaries of each devotion (found on the same side of the spread as the illustration) are another great way to help children remember what they have learned.

Here’s what others are saying about the book
I love using this book as a devotional with our 5 year old…There are many times we stop and start our reading, as she remarks or has a question, showing an ability to grasp these truths in her young mind and heart…This book is a gem for those who want to impress upon their child’s heart that this world and everything in it belongs to God – and most importantly that we live to serve and praise our Creator God!
~HollyF on Amazon
My children ask me to read this book to them every night…Using this book has provided a wonderful opportunity for many thoughtful discussions about how we belong to God, who God is, Jesus dying on the cross, what it means to be a righteous child of God, what Heaven is like, and much more…As [we] read, I know they are understanding and learning about God and doctrine, but they are also able to begin memorizing this important Q&A of the Heidelberg Catechism.
~Randy Kuiper on Amazon
Enter here
Again, there are 10 copies to win. To enter the drawing, just drop your name and email address in the form below. This will add you to Reformed Free Publishing Association’s mailing list.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway will end on October 31st, 2022.