I want to continue to express gratitude to those who have featured interviews or reviews related to Seasons of Sorrow: Kurt & Kate on Moody Radio (audio); Three Guys Theologizing (audio); Paul Tautges; Reading for the Glory; Sandee Macgregor; and Reformed Mum.

Westminster Books has a deal this week on Paul Tripp’s new book. They’ve also marked down a number of his other works.
It’s another good day for Kindle deals as we continue to build our libraries!
Into the anthropological chaos
Carl Trueman considers Revoice and its inevitable drift. “It is hard to find one high-profile critic of the movement who was taken with real seriousness by Revoice advocates. With the reports of gender and trans ideology making its way firmly into Revoice 2022, the time for dialogue seems now to be over.” (Also read the article he references.)
A Caution to Those Who Decree and Declare
Oyewole Akande urges caution to those who decree and declare in prayer. “Over the last few decades, the practice of decreeing and declaring has spread like wildfire across Africa. This practice comes from the Word of Faith movement and its emphasis on the power of words and the need for positive confessions in every sphere of the Christian’s life.”
A 90-Day Devotional on the Five Solas of the Reformation
Sometimes one word is all that stands between the truth and a lie, between life and death. In the Reformation, that word was sola, “alone.” This month, you can request Ligonier Ministries’ book The Heart of the Reformation for a donation of any amount in support of Ligonier’s gospel outreach. Take up this devotional to spend 90 days with the five solas of the Reformation. (Sponsored Link)
Food Offered to Idols: A Contemporary Issue
“This issue is more important than many who are from a Christian-influenced, secularized, or monotheistic religious background readily understand. [2] Cultures dedicated to this kind of pagan worship are dominated by public religious festivals and regular rituals. Community and family life revolve around these observances. Involvement in all this is the major expression of community, ethnic pride, unity, and even patriotism.”
Our Bodies Have Purpose and Value
In the current cultural context it’s crucial to affirm that our bodies have God-given purpose and value.
Waiting on the Lord
“I want to be patient, to wait up on the Lord, to trust in His timing. But my initial reaction is to be disappointed for what might have been, to struggle as I watch our retirement dreams hang in the balance, and to try to find an answer for myself to the question, ‘If God wanted me to be patient, why did he create me so impatient?’”
Flashback: The Influenced Will Be Like the Influencer
Bit by bit, day by day, sermon by sermon, podcast by podcast, we will come to resemble the people we follow. For good or for ill, we will imitate them until we are like them.

An eye to the throne-room of God is the cure to fascination with the circus of the world. —Matthew Harmon

It was a long time ago now that I wrote a book on pornography. And in a way it was a very different time. Back then the problem was just as pervasive as it is today, but that pervasiveness was still quite new and poorly understood. There were relatively few resources meant to help those who had fallen into troubling or even addictive patterns. Porn was still assumed to be solely a temptation for guys.

Today, though, no one can dispute the nearly universal reach of pornography—a reach so great that few young adults can truly claim they have been untouched by it. Today we know that while men may still be more likely to turn to porn casually or compulsively, many women do as well. And today we have a host of great tools meant to help people who are caught up in it and who long to be free.
Shortly after I wrote my book on the topic I realized that I had created a bit of a media mismatch. Where most people encounter porn in video format, books are in print. And where porn can be delivered freely, privately, and discreetly, books have to be purchased and carried around. In response I began to map out a video project that would address porn through a series of videos that could be accessed as early and discreetly as the smut it was meant to combat. Unfortunately I was unable to afford to create this myself and unable to secure funding, so the project fell by the wayside.
But if I had been able to make that series, it might have been similar to a new “teaching documentary” titled Into the Light which is now available to watch free online. The documentary had its genesis with two young men who made four simple observations: “There are pervasive sins that affect every Christian in the local church (like pornography); Books can equip Christians to fight sin and care for each other; However, not everyone is a reader; Therefore we need video resources to equip and inspire Christians.” Fair enough! So they set out to create that video resource, and I’m pleased to say they succeeded well.
The format of Into the Light is simple and effective. It is framed around six teaching sessions from six different teachers, all of whom have some expertise on the topic: Jeremy Pierre, Jenny Solomon, Heath Lambert, Deepak Reju, Ellen Dykas, and Garrett Kell. Pierre begins by discussing the nature of sexual sin and its consequences and Solomon follows by explaining God’s good design for our sexuality. Heath Lambert tells of the heart and how it is corrupted by pornography while Reju describes the necessity of taking radical measures to battle it. Ellen Dykas’ assignment is to tell how to run with endurance. Garrett Kell speaks last and enters a passionate plea to pursue freedom from this sin within the context of the local church. Woven throughout is the story of one young couple (a composite of many others) who tell of the history they brought into their marriage and the means through which God confronted, forgave, and healed them. At the end pastor Daniel Shin brings a final challenge and call to action.
I have been aware of Into the Light for some time now and had been slated to appear in it until we encountered some scheduling conflicts. I know the young men behind it as students at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and recipients of the Nick Challies Memorial Scholarship. They have made a professional-quality documentary that I think can and will prove helpful to those who are engaged in the battle against porn. It is a gift to the church and one I’d encourage you to make use of.

This week the blog is sponsored by AccelerateBooks. Used by 5000+ leaders, AccelerateBooks keeps you sharp for ministry and life by giving you access to an arsenal of soul-shaping insights from the most important books. Get 33% off forever on all membership at https://partner.acceleratebooks.com/challies. 

You’re probably too busy to read this.
You probably have 5 other browser tabs currently open, a lineup of articles bookmarked for later, and a growing stack of books you’ll read “one day”.
And you probably have a to-do list of all the other tasks you should be doing right now.
And that’s precisely why you should read this article.
How Many Books Should Leaders Read?
You’ve likely opened this article because, as a leader, you already know how important reading is; you already know how essential continued learning is for staying sharp and effective.
As Albert Mohler, president of SBTS, says:
There is no substitute for effective learning when it comes to developing and maintaining the intelligence necessary to lead.
Your brain is a powerful tool that must be sharpened and stewarded, otherwise, it will waste away.
And while you’re well aware of this, too often the urgent demands of life and ministry keep your hands tied and your books untouched. But your inner critic reprimands you: wake up earlier, skip breakfast, drink more caffeine, read faster!
You feel guilty when others seem to read more than you; you’re both inspired and devastated when you consider that:

Timothy Keller reads 3 books a week
Charles Spurgeon read 6 books a week
D. A. Carson reads 9 books a week
Albert Mohler reads 7-10 books a week (sources below)

At this point, you’re likely either inspired to try harder, set more ambitious goals, and eventually succumb to burnout. Or you’re left to wonder if it’s even possible to develop a sustainable habit of learning.
It is possible.
What if effective learning is not measured by how many books you read, but by how effectively you read?
In fact, with the right mindset and the right tools, it’s possible to learn more effectively in a single-year than most do in a lifetime.
In this article, you’ll discover the two principles needed to cultivate the right mindset and you’ll discover a tool that can change your life and ministry forever. (And there’s a free gift at the end you don’t want to miss!)
The Insight Principle
The Insight Principle states that the goal for reading is not reading for its own sake, but acquiring insight.
When you fall into the trap of equating reading with learning, you hinder your growth; when you prize ingesting information more than internalizing insight, you do yourself a disservice.
It is possible to read many books, but learn very little.
In fact, the truth is that “books don’t change people”, says John Piper. “Paragraphs change people and sometimes sentences. They may lodge themselves so powerfully in our mind that its effect is enormous when all else is forgotten.”
In other words, books don’t change people. Insights do.
Therefore, the goal of reading a book is never merely to finish it, but to identify, chew on, and absorb its life-shaping insights. If a book is not providing any insights that are helpful or stirring, it’s better to put it aside and invest your time elsewhere.
The 20% Principle
The second principle effective leaders must grasp is the 20% principle, also known as the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule.
Effective leaders recognize that not all books are created equal. With thousands of Christian books being published each year, you must exercise discernment and guard your time. Not only must you be wise in deciding which books you will read, but you also which books you won’t — this will mean deliberately avoiding good books, in order to make time for great books.
According to the 20% Principle, only 20% of the good books you come across will be worth your time given your particular calling and season in life.
Furthermore, the 20% Principle suggests that even within an individual book, only 20% of its pages hold the key insights, while the remaining 80% of the pages serve to illustrate and strengthen the author’s arguments.
As David Mathis states: “80% of a book’s main insights are found in 20% of the pages. So without apology, I ransack books for what I can get in the little time I have in this season of life.”
The Solution? The Book Brief Method
In light of these two principles, many leaders have discovered the advantage and effectiveness of using the Book Brief method for grasping, retaining, and implementing insights.
Book Briefs are strategic summaries designed to identify the key insights of a book, supported by key quotes and crystallized by reflection questions.

As illustrated above, the Book Brief method requires you to be incredibly intentional with your reading, keeping you focused on both identifying and applying the insights.
While you can absolutely use this method and create Book Briefs on your own, more than 5000 leaders currently use AccelerateBooks to access an entire library of existing Book Briefs, with 8 new Book Briefs added each month. Essentially, AccelerateBooks is an arsenal of Book Briefs, giving busy leaders (like you) access to important insights so you can stay sharp and effective in 2020. (You can download a free Book Brief at the end of this article!)
AccelerateBooks enables you to:

Save Money by stewarding your finances more wisely with informed book-buying choices
Stay Informed and dialed-in to ideas that are shaping the Church and culture
Read Widely through weekly exposure to different perspectives
Retain Insights with an accessible library of Book Briefs to reference
… and much more!

Here’s what some Accelerate members have to say:

33% Off Forever on All Memberships
For readers of Challies.com, AccelerateBooks is happy to offer readers a 33% off discount on all membership plans (individual and group memberships).
To snag this deal, visit partner.acceleratebooks.com/challies. 
P.S. – If you’re not quite convinced about the Book Brief method, feel free to check it out yourself with a Free Book Brief Download of Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges.
P.P.S. – Check out this video to see how AccelerateBooks works!
Sources:
Timothy Keller reads 3 books a week
Charles Spurgeon read 6 books a week
D.A. Carson reads 9 books a week
Albert Mohler reads 7-10 books a week