May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

There’s a handful of Kindle deals to look at.
(Yesterday on the blog: Now Available: Understanding and Trusting Our Great God)
What Makes a Bible Translation Really Bad?
I really enjoyed this look at what makes a Bible translation especially bad. “If you find an English Bible translation on your Christian bookstore shelf, it’s almost certainly good. Buy it. Read it. Trust it. But there are some ‘bad Bibles’ out there, Bibles you won’t find careful evangelical biblical scholars recommending.”
The Quality of Covenant School’s Mercy
This is a good and important piece of writing from Bethel McGrew.
“I can’t get past Him.”—Paul Washer on The Preeminent Christ
“No matter how knowledgeable or eloquent the preacher or how diligent and precise the writer, they are no match for the smallest part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. . . Thus, being torn between my impotence to expound the gospel and my absolute necessity to do so, I commend this work to Christ’s church collectively and to the believer individually.” (Sponsored Link)
Influencer-in-Chief: Considering the Future of the American Presidency
You don’t need to share Chris’s view on politics or particular politicians to get the point of what he is saying here. “One of the angles of the American political system that does fascinate me … is the interplay between social media and politicians. Especially when it comes to the Super Bowl of American politics: the United States presidential election.”
39 Contrasts Between Just Two Kinds of People
This is a fascinating collection of biblical contrasts.
How Can I Lead a Quiet Life When My Job Requires Self-Promotion?
“First Thessalonians 4:11–12 talks about making it your ambition to lead a quiet life. As a commercial real estate broker, I’m told to advertise and promote myself to attract new clients. How should I reconcile these apparently opposing positions?” Miranda Carls answers the question.
Jesus on Procreation
Andrew Bunt makes an observation about Jesus’ understanding of marriage and sex.
Flashback: Are You in the Dangerous Time In Between?
It’s so often the ones who seemed to be at their greatest moment of success who were on the precipice of destruction. Like blind men about to blunder off a cliff, they were oblivious to their impending doom. They failed to heed God’s warnings in that time in-between.

If you go to Jesus, he may ask of you far more than you originally planned to give, but he can give to you infinitely more than you dared ask or think. —Tim Keller

If you have been visiting this site for any length of time, you will have seen some SquareQuotes—the quotes combined with graphics that I release every day both here and across social media. A couple of years ago I teamed up with Jules Koblun (the artist who creates them) and Harvest House Publishers to create a devotional book, Knowing and Enjoying God. Subtitled “Words from the Wise,” it combined 101 original quote graphics with short devotionals. Today I am pleased to announce that we have released a second volume which is titled Understanding and Trusting Our Great God.

These devotionals were all inspired by a question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism which asks simply, “What is God?” The answer is glorious in both its use of the English language and its deep theological truths: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” The devotions are all based on particularly helpful quotes from Christian authors, pastors, musicians, and theologians. It is my hope and prayer that these devotionals provide comfort and encouragement and that they better equip Christians to both better understand God and to trust in his works and ways.
Understanding and Trusting Our Great God is available in hardcover and ebook formats. You can find it at all your favorite stores including:

Like everyone else, I’m intrigued by Threads. If you’re there, why not connect.

As you probably know, it’s Prime Day. While Amazon doesn’t tend to do deals on Kindle books, they do have deals on Kindle devices (and, of course, tons of other stuff) in case you’re after one.
Today’s Kindle deals include an edition of Calvin’s Institutes that is a great value.
(Yesterday on the blog: When You Don’t Like Your Wife, Love Your Wife)
Bad Readers and Their Twitter Swarms
I consider this a very important article if we are ever to learn to behave ourselves on Twitter (and other social media). “Gregoire’s treatment of Pearcey’s argument would be laughed out of any serious classroom for how plainly dishonest and manipulative it is. But on a social media platform optimized for sneering that same treatment is rewarded. The only way to combat it, I think, is to refuse to be manipulated, to refuse to participate in swarms, and to instead actually take the time to do what our critics consistently refuse to do themselves.”
Do the Evil People in Our Churches Mean Our Theology is Evil too?
“I remember believing my parents knew everything—when I was five years old. Any question as grand as God’s eternality to as simple as the thoughts of ladybugs. Any question I had, they could answer it. Or so I believed.” Ah, the innocence of youth…
“Paul Washer. . . stands in stark contrast to the trifling superficiality of our generation.”—John MacArthur
“Washer understands and remains committed to the value and preeminence of the gospel, and he writes about it with passion and clarity. I love what he has done in this book, skillfully explaining the gospel, describing its incredible legacy, demonstrating its inestimable worth, and arguing convincingly for the gospel to have its rightful place—first place—in the study, conversation, fellowship, and worship of Christians individually and the church collectively.”  —John MacArthur (Sponsored Link)
Mother to the Exploited: Meet Amy Carmichael (1867–1951)
This is a lovely introduction to the amazing Amy Carmichael. (One of my great memories of my Epic journey was meeting one of the last children she personally received and prayed for prior to her death.)
Is conversion necessary for the salvation of the elect? (Video)
Derek Thomas has a good answer to the question.
Hospitality is an Everyday Endeavor
“Ask most people in the church what hospitality is meant to look like, and they will probably describe a meal in someone’s home or an overnight stay with friends. We have been trained to think of it as food, tables, napkins, centerpieces, or more recently, opening the doors of imperfect homes to usher in friends and strangers alike. These examples of hospitality aren’t bad, but when we think of hospitality as an event, we lose a lot of the meaning behind its purpose. ” Melissa has something else to consider.
It Is What It Is
“‘It is what it is,’ he shrugged. ‘Nothing we can do about it now.’ I sighed in frustration. Was that all? No anger? No complaining? I wanted to bemoan it for awhile. To vent my frustration. But that little phrase sucked the air out of my protest.”
Flashback: Are You Living Worthy of the Gospel?
…there’s a call on every Christian to acknowledge our heavenly citizenship and then to live in a way that is consistent with it. As we sojourn in this world as citizens of heaven, people around us are paying attention.

…we think of holiness as giving up the pleasures of sin for some worthy but drab life. But holiness means recognizing that the pleasures of sin are empty and temporary, while God is inviting us to magnificent, true, full, and rich pleasures that last forever. —Tim Chester

There may not be times in your marriage when you stop loving your wife, but there may be times in your marriage when you stop liking her—or when you stop acting like it, anyway. There may be times when you are easily irritated with her or times when you just can’t get along. There may be times when you feel sorry for yourself and think you deserve better than the way she’s treating you. There may be times when a kind of despondency enters into the way you think of her and the way you behave toward her.

I’d like to offer a bit of counsel for such times: When you find you don’t like your wife, make it your aim to love your wife.
Your temptation in these difficult times will be to assume that your despondent feelings are the result of something she is failing to do—a way she is neglecting to love you, serve you, or honor you. That could be the case and she may well bear a portion of the responsibility. But what you may fail to consider is that your despondent feelings are actually the result of something you are failing to do. It’s always easier to look outside than in, to look to the other than to the self.
The thing about love is that it is more likely to grow cold when you fail to give it than when you fail to receive it. The one sure way to fall out of love with your wife is to stop loving her—to stop doing deeds of love and speaking words of love and otherwise displaying a heart of love. Love is like a muscle that atrophies with disuse and that strengthens with exercise.
So when you aren’t getting along with your wife, serve your wife. When you find you are irritated with your wife, find ways to bless your wife. When you don’t really care to be around your wife, surround your wife with love and good deeds. Make it your habit to ask her, “How can I make your day better today?” or “What can I do to serve you today?” or “How can I help you today?” Make it your goal to make her day better, to make her life easier, to make her load lighter. In short, love her like Christ loves the church and serve her like Christ serves the church.
“Okay, okay,” I hear you say. “that’s all well and good, but she…” Stop right there. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what she has done or failed to do. What matters is what you intend to do. She may not reciprocate and she may not make you feel any more loved, but that’s a whole different matter because you aren’t loving her to be loved in return—you’re loving her because it’s the right thing to do, because it’s what God tells you to do, because it makes God proud. You’re loving her before God because that’s how you’ve been loved by God.
So whether you feel loved or unloved, whether your heart is warm toward your wife or cold, whether you’re finding yourself drawn toward her or pulled away, love her, serve her, bless her. And you will find that as you serve her, your love will grow. As you act in love, you will feel more love. As you work for her good, your heart will become ever more inclined toward her. Because that’s how love works.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include several volumes of the excellent ESV Expository Commentary series.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Music Is Simply a Mockery)
Goodbye Local Church?
“The truth is that there is now a marketplace of churches. This marketplace stretches across denominations and church ‘brands’. People are quite willing to switch and travel long distances. Churches are in competition for members.” This really changes everything about our relationship to the local church.
Going to Church Is Hard but Worth It
“Sundays never fail to be tough. The plan is always to have the house clean and organized on Saturday, to do family devotionals, to set out and iron clothes for the morning, to go to bed early, and have a big happy breakfast together Sunday morning. Things never go according to plan.”
Can We Trust Luke’s History of the Early Jesus Movement?
Some have charged that Luke is not a trustworthy historian. Shane Rosenthal disagrees and explains why.
Not Brave
Julie Lowe: “I don’t know about you, but I am not brave. I dread criticism and judgment. I’d rather work behind the scenes than live in the spotlight and be open to the critique of others. The world is hostile and people can be harsh. Let someone who likes the attention rise up and be the focus. Have you ever uttered these sentiments? If so, you are not alone.”
Seeing Through Tears
Brianna expresses her faith in the Lord, even through tears.
12 Axioms for Young Missionaries
Just like the title says, here are some axioms that may prove helpful to those who are new to missions.
Flashback: Leave and Cleave Like a Strawberry
…as I think of the families I’ve known where the generations function best..they appropriately emphasize the discontinuity between the old family and the new, but appropriately emphasize the obligation each generation owes the other. They are independent, but not too distant. They are connected, but not suffocating. They’ve got room to grow but also room to spread their leaves.

I have come to believe that, as followers of Jesus, one of the worthiest endeavors we can undertake is to take the Great Commandment seriously and learn to be in relationship with our literal neighbors. —Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon

We tend to think the issues in our churches are contemporary issues that we alone have had to contend with. Yet when we read voices from ages past, we are often reminded that many issues come and go, rise and wane. This is the case with the music we sing at church. At some points the church is (rightly) focused on enabling the amateur voices in the pews and at other points (wrongly) focused on prioritizing the professional voices in the choir or band. This was of some concern at the end of the 19th century as evidenced in this little snippet from De Witt Talmage. Like him, when I hear many of today’s worship bands, “I would prefer the hearty, outbreaking song of a backwoods Methodist camp-meeting.”

In many of the churches of Christ in our day, the music is simply a mockery.
I have not a cultivated ear nor a cultivated voice, yet no man can do my singing for me. I have nothing to say against artistic music. The two or five dollars I pay to hear Miss Thursby or Miss Abbott or any of the other great queens of song is a good investment. But when the people assemble in religious convocation, and the hymn is read, and the angels of God step from their throne to catch the music on their wings, do not let us drive them away by our indifference.
I have preached in churches where vast sums of money were employed to keep up the music, and it was as exquisite as any heard on earth, but I thought at the same time, for all matters practical, I would prefer the hearty, outbreaking song of a backwoods Methodist camp-meeting.
Let one of these starveling fancy songs sung in church get up before the throne of God, how would it look standing amid the great doxologies of the redeemed? Let the finest operatic air that ever went up from the church of Christ get many hours the start, it will be caught and passed by the hosanna of the Sabbath-school children.
I know a church where the choir did all the singing, save one Christian man who, through perseverance of the saints, went right on, and afterward a committee was appointed to wait on him and ask him if he would not please to stop singing, as he bothered the choir.
As the French say, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I’m very grateful to Reformation Heritage Books for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about some of their great new products. We are so blessed to have publishers like RHB who are committed to bringing us books that serve us so well.

At Westminster Books this week, you’ll find a deal on an excellent new series of books. They also have these volumes by Van Mastricht on sale.
In Your Race of Faith, Run Together
Lindsey Carlson: “As a follower of Jesus, you are a member of the body of Christ; every other Christian in the body is a fellow team member whose name is recorded on the roster and who runs alongside you in the same race of faith. You have pledged to run together with the people of God under the headship of Christ.”
The 2023 Audubon Photography Awards
I love the way these photography awards display the power and creativity of God.
He Gives To His Beloved Sleep
“Most of the time, a newborn sleeping is cause for celebration and slumber but on this particular night, fears about my son’s life plagued my mind.” This one will be a blessing to moms, and maybe some dads as well.
4 Questions to Answer Before Giving Your Child a Phone
“What’s the right age? This is a tricky question for parents. Once you hand a child a phone, chances are you’re not taking it back. So before you take the plunge, here are four questions to consider.”
Humble Words
Brianna recounts a time when humble words made all the difference in her life.
Christians Who Feel They Don’t Need Church Anymore
Forrest McPhail offers a series of truths that are meant to keep us engaged in the life of a local church despite the inevitable challenges.
Flashback: Envy Always Wins
Envy always competes. Envy demands that there is always a winner and a loser. And envy almost always suggests that I, the envious person, am the loser.

The stronger the foundation of a house, the bigger and stronger the building itself can be. And the richer and fuller the exposition of God’s grace, the more consuming the exhortations can be. —Sinclair Ferguson

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you today.

What Is the “Common Good”?
You’ve probably hard the term “the common good.” Andrew Walker explains what it is and why it matters for ethics.
The Basis for Confession
Aubrynn tells how a service she attended took an unexpected but beneficial turn. “When we got to the time of confession and assurance, I was struck by something unexpected: this part of the service was ‘backwards’.”
Doctrine for Life
Human Nature in its Fourfold State. The Crook in the Lot. Notes on the Marrow of Modern Divinity. Read these riveting experiential classics in The Complete Works of Thomas Boston to learn how theology can your life. (Sponsored Link)
What Is Calvinism? A Simple Explanation of Its Terms, History & Tenets
“Calvinism is not a church or a denomination. Calvinism is not even (just) a system of doctrine. Instead, Calvinism is a broad religious tradition with certain shared views and points of emphasis. It is doctrinal, churchly, and activistic. Calvinism teaches that the glory and sovereignty of God should come first in all things. Calvinism believes that only God can lead his church—in preaching, worship, and government.”
Finding freedom from freedom
“We live in what Charles Taylor calls a ‘culture of Authenticity,’ one where the primary values are autonomy, individuality, authenticity, and freedom. Which, since some churches talk about freedom a lot, can be confusing, because I’m not sure we mean the same thing. The freedom our churches talk about is the kind where you get to choose the good, the freedom our culture talks about is the kind where you to choose what the good is.”
Biblical Hope Is a Solid Certainty
Randy Alcorn: “To many of us, ‘hope’ sounds wishful and tentative, but biblical hope means to anticipate with trust. We expect a sure thing, purchased on the cross, accomplished and promised by an all-knowing God. Scripture offers solid ground for our hope in Christ.”
When You Are Done But God Is Not
“Your oldest child heads off to college. A friend you led to Christ and have been discipling moves over 1,000 miles away. Your work contract ends and those you have seen and witnessed to daily for years fade from your life. Our time on earth often passes in cycles—family cycles, ministry cycles, and work cycles. We go from one phase to the next.” Here’s some help on God’s care for us through life changes.
Flashback: Joy Is for the Generous
Money may not be able to purchase the greatest and deepest joy, but it can still generate it. The joy is there for the taking. The joy is there for the giving. The joy is for the generous.

Behavioral compliance to rules without heart-change will be superficial and fleeting. —Tim Keller