Allow me to bring a couple of things to your attention. First, all the quote graphics I share day-by-day are available at SquareQuotes. And, if you prefer to read articles in Spanish (or know someone who does), much of my material is available in Spanish.

(Yesterday on the blog: If Satan Took Up Marriage Counseling)
14 Lesser-Known Details about J. I. Packer
I quite enjoyed this list of some of the lesser-known details about J.I. Packer.
Good News Refreshes the Bones
“As Dane Ortlund once put it, people are not going around overencouraged. There are plenty of discouraging things happening in the world, and our hearts are affected by tragedy. Everyone we meet is carrying burdens, struggling with sins, dealing with disappointments.”
Social Media: Blessing or Curse?
“Social media. What a blessing it is—and what a curse! In this book, Jeff Johnson takes us by the hand to the fountain of eternal wisdom to help us know how to handle this latest revolution in social communication.” —Conrad Mbewe (Sponsored Link)
Creation Asks, Can You Hear Me Now?
God is speaking. Are you listening?
Why Do Some People Suffer More?
“The suffering or blessing that some people experience does not always appear to be connected to their actions. In fact, sometimes the godliest people have the hardest lives, while those who seem to hate God the most have the easiest lives. What are we to make of this?” Ligonier Ministries offers an answer.
Meet the Resurrected You
Randy Alcorn wants to help you meet … you. The resurrected you, that is.
What’s your name?
“When he was a little boy, his adoptive parents changed his name. Not just once. But over and over. Confusing. He was never sure if his mother was calling him or someone else.”
Flashback: What the Canyon Echoed Back
After all those years of marriage, all those years of joy, all those years of living life together, his wife had gone to heaven and he had been left on earth. Though days and weeks had passed, still he was in the depths of despair.

Weekly, normative, ordinary means of grace gathered worship is one of the more extraordinary things in the world. —Burk Parsons

Every now and again I just can’t help myself—I respond to a clickbait headline and find myself reading an advice column. The question this time was from a woman who had become disillusioned with her husband and enamored with someone else. And as I read the columnist’s response I thought, “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how Satan would counsel if he was asked.” That got me thinking…

If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that marriage was invented by human beings, either for reasons related to humanity’s evolutionary origins or related to men’s need to control and dominate women. He would want people to believe that because marriage came from within this world rather, it in no way reflects any kind of divine design for human beings or human society. This makes it not only unnecessary but possibly harmful and oppressive.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that marriage offers no great benefits that cannot be had with singleness, cohabitation, or serial monogamy. He would want people to believe, to the contrary, that marriage offers risks and drawbacks that are mitigated or avoided altogether when people choose not to marry.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that marriage is primarily a matter of an individual’s personal lifestyle, that before marriage is about giving oneself to another person to love and to serve, marriage is about a sense of personal well-being and fulfillment.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe marriage is so risky that it is best to postpone it almost indefinitely, that it is so significant and perilous an undertaking that people should not even consider it until they have completed their education, begun a career, and become well established in life. He would especially want young people to anticipate it with a sense of dread instead of excitement.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that marriage is a union between any two—or three or four—willing partners regardless of any factor related to their sex or maybe even their family relationship. He would also want to be clear that marriage can be easily dissolved when it is no longer satisfying or desirable—“’til death or dissatisfaction do us part.”
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to miss the contradiction that while marriage is in some ways insignificant and easily dissolved, it is also so significant that a wedding should cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars and that the institution is best dignified when a couple puts themselves heavily in debt to make sure every detail is perfect. He would want people to believe that the best measure of a successful wedding is that it wows the attendees, glorifies the couple, and looks great on Instagram.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that marriage is where sex goes to die rather than to thrive and that a lifetime of sex with one person can be nowhere near as satisfying as fleeting moments of sex with a long succession of people. He would want them to be suspicious that to enter marriage is to settle for sexual mediocrity rather than fulfillment. He would make sure this message is so endlessly repeated in popular culture that it becomes almost a given.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that children are a hindrance to a happy marriage rather than a blessing to it and that people are happiest when dedicating themselves entirely to themselves rather than to others. And if they still insisted on having children, he would want them to think of those children as a lifestyle choice, as a kind of prop to be used to enhance a parent’s sense of personal satisfaction.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want struggles or issues a couple encounters to be left festering and unresolved. “It’s fine and good to let the sun set on your anger.” He would most certainly not want the couple to reach out to others for counsel, prayer, or even rebuke.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want husbands to be passive in their leadership and wives to be so disappointed in that lack of leadership that they feel justified in failing to respect their husbands. He would want wives to determine that submission is a mark of weakness and that if it is given at all, it should be given only when it is earned. He would want husbands to treat their wives harshly instead of gently and to express constant disappointment rather than delight.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would encourage husbands and wives to each insist that problems can only be resolved when the other person makes the first move. He would ensure they each consider it impossible to continue to love and serve their spouse when he or she fails to reciprocate that love.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want people to believe that there is one soulmate out there for each of them and that after a number of years of marriage, they may learn, to their disappointment, that the person they married is not “the one.” He would want people to then believe that they will only truly be happy if they leave their spouse to pursue this soulmate.
If Satan took up marriage counseling, he would want even Christians to focus more on the struggles and difficulties of marriage than on its joys. He would want even Christians to talk often about how hard it is and seldom about how good it is. And he would most certainly want Christians to forget all about the reality that the deepest meaning of marriage is not first about a husband and wife but about Christ and his church.

On Monday, July 31 I am going to be in Seoul with nothing much to do (until my flight home in the evening). If anyone would like to meet up and maybe see a museum or some other sites, please let me know!

I’m grateful for this first review of my latest book Understanding and Trusting Our Great God.
Westminster Books is (re)introducing The Westminster Theological Journal and incentivizing your purchase.
Today’s Kindle deals include a number of books on parenting.
Man Cannot Live on Feeds Alone: The Christian Diet for a Digital Age
“Many of us see and hear more information in a day than we can possibly manage. Over time, this consistent overload dulls our senses — in particular, our spiritual senses.” Trevin Wax has a good article about an appropriate Christian “diet” in this digital age.
Through the Valley
Patsy laments the death of her father and tells how the Lord is sustaining her in this time. “I’m not fond of the aging process or the accompanying aches, pains, and infirmities, but one thing I do like about increasing years is that I have more and more examples of God’s goodness and faithfulness to file away in my spiritual memory bank.”
The harassment of Italian evangelical churches
“Perhaps you think the persecution of Christians in the Western world is a matter of the past. There’s no way Christians are still persecuted in the West today, right?” Not quite, as this article explains.
Location, Location, Location
“There is a well-known real estate maxim that lists the three most important characteristics of any property: ‘Location, location, and location.’ This famous real estate maxim holds true in the Bible, as well.”
Only John Witnessed the Ascension Twice
“As far as I can tell, there’s only one apostle that had the privilege of seeing the ascension twice, at two different times in his life, and from two different points of view.” That’s an interesting statement!
A Wrong Prophet Is Not a False Prophet, Right?
“A woman stands before a church congregation, sharing with them how she loves to get together with her friends and practice prophesying. She tells the people that they sometimes ‘get it wrong’, and she proceeds to tell them that this does not make someone a false prophet. She instructs those gathered to close their eyes, think on a word that the Holy Spirit is giving them, and if they do not get anything, they should make up a word.” Here’s why this is such a concern.
Flashback: Prayers To Pray While You Preach, Lead, and Sing
It is wise to pray while you preach and to pray while you lead. In his book On Worship H.B. Charles Jr. writes, “You ask, ‘Can you preach and pray at the same time?’ My answer, ‘You better!’”

Maturity happens when you put yourself in the place God wants you. Don’t run because there’s adversity. Maybe God wants to use the adversity to make you more like Jesus. —Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon

Every now and again I collect more good articles than I can share in a week’s worth of A La Carte. When that happens I like to create a Sunday edition. And that’s exactly what I am doing today since I didn’t want to miss sharing any of it. So here we go…

Before then, here’s a reminder that I’m on Threads, Instagram, and Facebook and would love to connect with you there. And, of course, if you’d like to receive the blog content in your inbox, you can sign up for the daily newsletter (by clicking on the main menu and adding your email address under “Subscribe”).
How to really encourage your pastor
Ian Carmichael offers some counsel on how to really encourage your pastor. “Here’s the main point I want to make: there is no such thing as a dispassionate pastor. Can a pastor really feel no emotion about the welfare of his people?” I sure hope not…
Family Partners: Men and Women Serving Together in God’s Church
Denise Hardy reflects on many years spent serving on staff at churches, often as the only female staff member. “There are examples in the scriptures of men and women working alongside one another for the sake of the gospel. We should want to follow the model given to us. How can we do this? What keeps us from doing this? We need a theological vision of brothers and sisters working shoulder-to-shoulder for the sake of the gospel.”
How Do You Resurrect an Empty Church?
I don’t often link to articles on Slate, but in this case I was interested in their look at a quickly growing number of empty church buildings across America. “It is a story replaying over and over in cities across the United States, where older churches have been hammered by neighborhood change and maintenance costs, coinciding with a national trend of plummeting religious attendance across faiths.” We see this happening all across Canada as well.
What Does Ecclesiastes 1:2 Mean?
We all know that Ecclesiastes is awfully concerned with “vanity.” But what exactly is bound up in that word? And what makes it so important?
Should Our Joy Depend on Our Circumstances?
“When I was a young pastor, a church elder detected my discouragement one day and gently said, ‘It will look better in the morning.’ This simple advice has helped me countless times since. Often after I’ve experienced a good night’s sleep and a brisk run, God has felt nearer, my problems smaller, the solutions clearer, and my future brighter.”
Why you should recycle your sermons
Stephen encourages pastors to feel free to recycle their sermons rather than preparing a new one for each occasion.

I’m thankful to Reformation Heritage Books for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about Paul Washer’s new book The Preeminent Christ. They’ve also marked down its price for you.

There are, indeed, some new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Memorable Loss)
Light into Darkness: The Sound of Freedom movie
Jesse Johnson reviews (and recommends) Sound of Freedom. “Sound of Freedom has an express goal: not to leave you in darkness. Darkness thrives when the lights are off, and this movie wants to shine the light in the darkest places imaginable. To that end, Sound of Freedom has succeeded in making two major points…”
Is ‘Sound of Freedom’ the Next ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’?
Writing for TGC, Cap Stewart also reviews and commends the film. He especially praises it for telling about exploitation in such a way that it doesn’t exploit its actors. And then he offers one critique (that has more to do with the credits than the film itself).
The Church in a Time of Gender War
Samuel James tries to make sense of something many have observed: That there seem to be plenty of single men and women in many churches who wish to get married, but not to one another.
Why I Became an American Citizen
I quite enjoyed reading Carl Trueman’s account of why he decided to become an American citizen.
Bowing to Ungodly Pressures in the Name of Wisdom
“I am concerned that some churches and Christian institutions have grown timid in their stand for truth and are using wisdom as their excuse. Doing this may help them avoid social pressure for now, but in the end, they are merely kicking the can down the road, and it will likely be worse later.”
Churches Continue to Sing Hillsong and Bethel Despite Controversies
This is really interesting. Despite scandals at Hillsong and Bethel, churches continue to sing their music. The article explores how worship leaders find their music and why they choose it.
Flashback: A Sober Warning from the Earliest Christians
…we are free to continue to worship Jesus, to sing our songs, and to preach our Scriptures, as long as we accept these new definitions of marriage, gender, and so on. We don’t need to abandon our faith, but just modify it slightly to better fit the times.

In the outside world we may seem to have religion when we have it not; but the home tests whether our religion is genuine or a sham. —De Witt Talmage

Is it possible for beauty to exist alongside realities as distressing as dementia and as dreadful as death? Is it possible to write about such realities in a way that is both devastating and encouraging, that is both shatteringly sorrowful and heartbreakingly beautiful? Karen Martin’s Memorable Loss: A Story of Friendship in the Face of Dementia answers with a resounding yes.

Karen Martin’s friendship with Kathleen was perhaps a bit unconventional, not least because they were separated in age by several decades. Yet after meeting through the local church, they became fast friends. Kathleen served as a kind of mentor and confidante, but, as is true in the best of friendships, Karen reciprocated despite her relative youth. Their love and friendship grew through many years and many shared experiences.
Eventually, though, Karen began to notice some changes in Kathleen. She became less comfortable in social settings, less confident in making decisions, and more easily confused. And then came the diagnosis of that most dreaded of diseases: Alzheimer’s. Kathleen had never married and was thus without children to care for her. And so Karen and a couple of Kathleen’s nephews took on the responsibility of helping her through her illness and guiding her through her diminishing abilities.
Alzheimer’s is both progressive and terminal. While Kathleen was at first able to care for herself, the time came when the disease progressed so far that she needed to be placed in a care home. She lived here in relative contentment until the end finally came.
Memorable Loss is Karen’s account of the days from immediately prior to Kathleen’s diagnosis all the way to her passing. It explains Alzheimer’s and dementia and shows how though they necessarily reduce the patient’s capacities, they do not reduce her personhood. It tells of some of the trials that caretakers must endure and some of the agonizing decisions they need to make on behalf of the one they love. And it does all of this through the highest quality of prose.
Martin tells not only of the tragedy of disease and death but of the beauty of the faith and friendship that bound the two women together. It’s an achingly beautiful account that leaves the reader groaning with the sorrow of this world but rejoicing in its delights and longing for the day when death and mourning, when crying and pain, will have passed away. I simply can’t recommend it too highly.

Logos users, remember that this month there is a sale on many of the best commentaries you can get. And, as far as I’m concerned, building a commentary library is the number one reason to use Logos! (You should also take a look at their free and nearly-free selection for the month.)

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of interesting titles.
The Abuse of Headship in the Home
Victor Sholar reacts strongly against some of the excesses and abuses of those who say they are “complementarian” or otherwise aligned with the Bible’s perspective on husbands and wives.
CityAlight – He Calls Me Friend (Live)
Here’s a sweet new single by CityAlight. They just keep writing great songs! This one is about our friendship with Jesus.
“Christ must be our all or our nothing.”—Conrad Mbewe

This is because of who He is as the infinitely glorious God-man and because of the indescribably wonderful salvation He has procured for us. Paul Washer does an excellent job of showing us these breathtaking realities in this Scripture-saturated and historically reinforced book. It will leave you worshiping God as your soul is saturated afresh with the unsearchable riches of Christ!” —Conrad Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church and founding chancellor of the African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia (Sponsored Link)

Powerful Photos of Older People With Down Syndrome Defy Misconceptions
I so appreciate this gallery of older people with Down syndrome. “A powerful photo essay entitled Here I Am challenges people’s false assumption that individuals with Down syndrome do not live into their senior years.”
What Anti-Trafficking Experts Think of the Hit Movie ‘Sound of Freedom’
Christianity Today spoke to anti-trafficking experts who, without criticizing Sound of Freedom, explain what their work and ministries usually look like. “Staffers with experience in anti-trafficking ministries that CT interviewed recognize that this is a movie, so the story will be dramatized. But they want audiences to understand that a lot of anti-trafficking work in the US looks different from what’s in the film.”
Why We Need to Hear Sermons in Person
Joe Carter explains why it’s essential for Christians to hear sermons together and in person.
Of Joy or Despair in Ministry Success
“Are you a worker in your church? Are you a volunteer? Are you a pastor? Are you one of those who gives his or her all for the sake of the gospel and the love of the Lord and his people? If you are one who sees the importance of the glory of God in his church, I would guess that you are also one who knows what it feels like to experience some pretty sweet joys and some pretty significant pains. Ministry can be great. Ministry can be hard. Being a pastor can be so very sweet. Being a pastor can be so very discouraging.”
Flashback: Making the Christian Life More Complicated Than It Needs To Be
He calls each of us to be obedient in the context he has ordained for us. For the end of the matter, when all else has been heard, is that we are to simply fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the sacred duty of every man, the kind expectation of a loving God.

We cannot produce by ourselves what God has planned to produce in us through the impact of the preaching of his word. —Sinclair Ferguson

This week you can find 50% off on the ESV Journaling Bibles at Westminster Books. They are a great resource for better understanding and applying the Bible.

There are not a lot of Christian Kindle deals today, so I added a few general market options that caught my eye.
(Yesterday on the blog: Breathe a Sigh of Relief or Recoil in Terror)
How Evangelicals Lose Will Make All the Difference
That’s an intriguing headline, isn’t it? And it’s got a good article behind it.
The Gray Havens – I’ll Fly Away (Live from The Zion Caravan Tour)
I enjoyed this new rendition of “I’ll Fly Away” by the Gray Havens.
What is our greatest need?
Compelled by a desire for men to know God’s love, Washer draws from the church’s greatest theologians to herald Christ’s centrality in revelation, salvation, sanctification, study, proclamation, and glory. The Preeminent Christ will stimulate you to zealously seek Christ and His gospel over all worldly “needs.” (Sponsored Link)
Use Your Comfort Zone to the Glory of God
“‘Get out of your comfort zone.’ We hear it all the time, from friends, family, business leaders, church leaders, and actually, the whole rest of the world, it seems. But I’m going to encourage you here to do just the opposite: to find your comfort zone and stay in it.”
Shooting For The Earth
This article seems to me to nicely complement the previous one. “Shoot for the moon, they say, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. I‘m not so sure.”
Your preaching is primarily for believers
This is so important to consider. “In certain circles, seeking to get unbelievers into church is seen as the highest possible goal. There is nothing better, according to some, when unbelievers come into the church and under the sound of the gospel. That, they aver, is what we ought to be about. At the risk of being deemed a contrarian, I just don’t think that is true.”
LORD, My Heart Is Not Haughty
What a great reflection/meditation/prayer.
In Dependence
Here’s one for those especially independent people. “Not long ago, I was talking to a 25+ year friend and former colleague, and, in a teary moment, said to him, ‘I need you to hear this.’ As I paused, he said, ‘Lisa, I have never thought of you as needing anything.’ His honesty set me back on my heels.”
Flashback: What a Wonder Is a Human Being!
A mighty oak from the smallest acorn, the greatest mustard tree from the tiniest seed, and a great and noble life from the littlest child. So much potential bound up in so tiny a person, so many possibilities lying latent, so many opportunities to serve simply waiting for time, for growth, for maturity.

The nearness of God, secured by the gospel, is a source of all kinds of comforts and wisdom. —Ed Welch

A single object can be a source of comfort to one person and a source of fear to another. The same object can make one person breathe a great sigh of relief and another to recoil in terror. The one holding tight to the grip of a gun feels very differently about this firearm than the one who is staring toward its business end. The one who is being robbed feels very differently about the sound of approaching sirens than the one who is robbing him. It all depends on perspective.

All throughout the Bible, God reveals himself through the use of metaphors, pictures that are meant to tell us what he is like and how he relates to us. One of the images that appears repeatedly is that of a fortress or a tower, a castle or a stronghold. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,” says the Psalmist, “my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,” he prays, “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:2–3). “The name of the LORD is a strong tower,” echoes the Sage, “the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Like a castle upon a hill or like a tower upon a giant rock, God offers safety, refuge, and comfort to those who are his.
And often we find great encouragement in this word picture. When we are in times of fear and uncertainty, we understand that God offers safety and stability. When we are facing trials and even persecution, we claim the truth that God offers us refuge, the conviction that no matter what may happen to our bodies, our souls will be kept safe. God is the strong castle we run to for defense, for shelter, for protection. And what a blessing to know that he is present, that he cares, and that he takes action on our behalf.
But what about those who are not his, those who are his enemies instead of friends? When this is the case, the metaphor is one of fear rather than comfort, of terror rather than relief. For a castle or stronghold is there to defend you if you are on the side of its King but to destroy you if you are not. A tower brings joy to the heart if it offers a place of safety but dread if it offers a place of destruction. For how many have died attempting to storm a castle, attempting to scale its walls, attempting to break through its gates? How many armies have been broken and smashed against castles and strongholds?
Our God is a fortress, a tower, a citadel. Yet as we know, a single object can be a source of comfort to one person and a source of fear to another. How you relate to this metaphor all depends upon your position. If you are a friend of the King and have been welcomed inside the walls, there is no greater blessing, no sweeter comfort. If you are an enemy of the King and remain outside the walls, there is no greater curse, no more bitter terror. The Lord is a refuge—the righteous man runs within its walls and is safe while the unrighteous man is dashed against its walls and is destroyed.