Good morning from Argentina where I’m making a one-day stop in Buenos Aires as I transition from Chile to Brazil.

(Yesterday on the blog: And You Shall Never Displease Me)
7 Reasons Why Mormonism and Christianity Are Not the Same
Kevin DeYoung lists them out.
We’re Commanded to Love Our Neighbors, Not to Make Them Feel Loved
There is a key distinction between loving people and making them feel loved. “We have reached the point where no matter how kindly you articulate the biblical view of gender and sexuality, you will be branded ‘hater.’ Which is to say, you will be seen as unloving (even though you aren’t), and you will hurt feelings (no matter how lovingly you speak the truth). Yet if you have wed the fulfillment of Christ’s command to a runaway train, where then will you go?”
Where Does Leadership Begin?
Why do some leaders stay the course and grow in wisdom while others fall into abuse, deception, and immorality? Learn how the fear of the Lord establishes the only foundation for godly leadership. (Sponsored Link)
True, Lasting Happiness Is Found in Jesus, Not Sex or Sexual Identity
Randy Alcorn says, “One day God’s children will look back on this life with complete clarity. When we do, I believe we’ll see that our only true sacrifices were when we chose sin instead of Jesus. The ‘sacrifice’ of following Jesus produces the greatest, most lasting happiness—both here and now, and forever.”
Who Was Pierre Courthial?
This is a great introduction to the life, thought, and impact of a little-known theologian.
Where Does Courage Come From?
“For years, I tried to bootstrap my own courage, to dig up something from within to make me fearless. I tried to use shame, selfishness, and self-preservation, but they all created a distorted and flimsy version of courage that never lasted. I needed to grab hold of the divine love of Christ as my Good Shepherd.”
Flashback: The Gospel Was Given for a Time Like This
The gospel was not given to a world without sin, without confusion, without difficulty and persecution—that world needs no gospel. The gospel was given to a world like this one, a world marked by every kind of pain and perversity. This world needs a gospel and, praise God!, he gave us one.

God intends the Christian life to be a life of joy—not drudgery. The idea that holiness is associated with a dour disposition is a caricature of the worst sort. In fact, just the opposite is true. Only those who walk in holiness experience true joy. —Jerry Bridges

This sponsored post was provided by Zondervan Reflective and is an excerpt from Heath Lambert’s book The Great Love of God.

As I awoke from brain surgery and began the slow road of recovery, I immersed myself in the great love of God. I read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation and paid careful attention to all the passages that addressed the love of God. After that, I began to read all the books I could find about the love of God.
This time of reading and exploration continued in theology, I had never before seen so clearly how the authors of the Bible talk about the love of God in ways that stir the soul and lift the heart to the heavens. Their vision of God increased my own appreciation of his love and has convinced me that I must tell others about it.
God loves you and longs to embrace you in his love. There is power in the great love of God. There is power to change our hateful world into a world full of love and mutual care. There is power in the love of God to lift you out of the rut of loneliness that has had you trapped for so long. There is power in the love of God to transform your hard, selfish, and hateful heart into a soft heart that cares for others. There is power in the great love of God to turn even your most painful situations into experiences of joy.
When you know and experience the great love that God has for you, it changes everything. I want you to know this love. I want you to experience this love. Oh, how I want you to be embraced by this love.
God loves you.
Your story is different from mine. I told you what God has begun to do in my life so that you could have a vision for what he will do in yours. God has you on a journey to experience the embrace of his great love. The hard news about this journey is that it is likely to begin in a dark, sad, and lonely place. But God is leading you out of this darkness, sorrow, and isolation into the brightness and joy of his great love for you. This journey into God’s heart of love is one I want us to take together.
Great love defines God’s essence and will transform your existence.
If you understand this sentence, you will understand how this book will progress. In the chapters that follow, I will begin by showing you God’s character of infinite love and then explaining how he extends that love to you in acts of care I refer to as his embrace. After I help you answer some practical objections some have about God’s love, I will show you how God’s great love changes everything about you.
God loves you.
It really is true. And because that is true, it means all the joys and trials you will ever experience are leading you directly into God’s embrace of infinite love.
This journey into God’s love will be wonderful. In fact, it will be more than wonderful. I promise you, being embraced by the love of God will be the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to you.
Heath’s book The Great Love of God is available now!

So many people live with a deep sense of failure. So many people go through their lives convinced they are a constant disappointment to the ones they so naturally long to please.

Children consider their parents and feel a sense of shame, certain that in some way their parents regard them as a disappointment. Meanwhile, parents consider their children and feel that same sense of shame, sure that their children regard them with disapproval.
Husbands consider their wives and wives their husbands and, while they may not know exactly what they’ve done wrong or what standard they have failed to uphold, they are convinced their spouse looks toward them with a displeased eye.
Church members are often convinced their pastor is disappointed in them for their level of involvement in the church or for the minimal strides they have made in sanctification. Pastors, meanwhile, often feel a deep sense of disapproval from church members, perhaps because they are ordinary preachers rather than extraordinary ones or because they simply do not have enough hours in the week to accept every meeting and fulfill every request.
There are so many Christians who live under a cloud of disappointment and disapproval. And we cannot allow ourselves off the hook here. Our husbands and our wives, our parents and our children, our pastors and our congregations—all can feel that withering sense of censure from the likes of you and me.
And, if we’re honest, such censure is often real rather than imagined. It is real because we are all susceptible to expecting people to live up to our standards rather than to God’s. Yet where God’s standards are holy, ours are tinged with evil; where God’s standards are rational, ours are arbitrary; and where God’s standards are fixed, ours are constantly shifting. People fail to live up to our standards because it’s impossible for them to live up to our standards. And neither should they, for we have no right to call people to live to any standard other than God’s.
A great gift we can give to others is the gift of our approval. We can assure them that our desire for them is not that they live according to our standards, but that they live according to God’s. If they heed the will of God and live according to a sanctified conscience, we can, we should, and we must be satisfied. We must believe that the best thing they can do is please God and please themselves. And if they have done that, we must not be disapproving of them or be disappointed in them.
Husband, one of the greatest gifts you can give your wife is the assurance that you approve of her and that you delight in her. Let her know: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Wife, one of the greatest blessings you can bestow upon your husband is the confidence that you are pleased with him and that you find joy in him. Let him hear it: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Parents, your children want to know that you approve of them. So be sure they know: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Children, your parents want to know that you approve of them just as much as you want to know that they approve of you. So be sure to tell them: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Pastors and church members, you know what to do. Whether you use these exact words or others like them, make sure the sentiment is plain: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”*
There would be nothing more foolish than to disapprove of decisions that have been approved by God or to be disappointed by actions that please God. There would be nothing more cruel than to make someone believe they have failed in your eyes when they have succeeded in God’s. There would be nothing more disheartening than for them to live a life that’s pleasing to God only to find that they have lived a life that’s displeasing to you. So whether it’s your child or parents, your husband or wife, your pastor or congregation, let them know, and then relate to them in such a way that they believe it: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”

I have seen these words attributed to the Puritan Philip Henry, but have not been able to trace them back to a source.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

As is almost always the case on Mondays, there are some new Kindle deals available.
(Yesterday on the blog: Despise Not a Mother’s Love)
Boring Kingdom Growth
“Describe the kingdom of God. What words do you use? Amazing. Awesome. Wonderful. Exponential. Mighty. Terrific. What analogies would we use? I doubt you’d first think of what Jesus uses in Mark 4.”
Don’t Be Taken in by the Tolerance Trick
Greg Koukl warns against being taken in by the “tolerance trick.” “Real tolerance … is about how we treat people, not ideas. Classic tolerance requires that every person be free to express his ideas without fear of abuse or reprisal, not that all views have equal validity, merit, or truth.”
What 80s Parents Got Right About Pop Culture
Christians rightly have a complicated relationship with pop culture. There’s wisdom to be gleaned from this approach.
Thomas Aquinas, the Evangelical?
Leonardo De Chirico is working on a book on Aquinas and considers the idea some are suggesting today: that Aquinas can be associated with Evangelicalism.
Pray as Slaves
“I confess that sometimes when I pray I can forget my place. Embarrassingly, I come to God to give Him a little advice. I’m not sure He fully understands the situation down on the ground, so I need to let Him know what’s going on and give Him a slight corrective. Because if He knew what I knew, then He’d surely handle things a little differently.”
Unfolding a Letter of Encouragement
“If you look down the corridor of history it’s easy to spot a multitude of Christians who have endured severe consequences for the sake of Jesus Christ — a good reminder that Jesus’ words are fulfilled in every generation of the church: ‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you’ (John 15:18).”
Flashback: Unanswered Prayer
Why are there times when God seems not to answer? If a good Father would never give his children a stone in place of bread, why does it seem like God sometimes does this very thing?

We only fully grasp the gospel when we understand, as Paul did, that we are the worst sinner we know. —Tim Keller

I continue to work my way through the sermons of the old Presbyterian preacher De Witt Talmage. In one volume of his collected works I came across a sweet sermon in which he lauds mothers and encourages their children—especially adult children—to give them the honor they deserve.

There is no emotion so completely unselfish as maternal affection. Conjugal love expects the return of many kindnesses and attentions. Filial love expects parental care, or is helped by the memory of past watchfulness. But the strength of a mother’s love is entirely independent of the past and the future, and is, of all emotions, the purest.
The child has done nothing in the past to earn kindness, and in the future it may grow up to maltreat its parent; but still from the mother’s heart there goes forth inconsumable affection. Abuse cannot offend it; neglect cannot chill it; time cannot efface it; death cannot destroy it. For harsh words it has gentle chiding; for the blow it has beneficent ministry; for neglect it has increasing watchfulness. It weeps at the prison door over the incarcerated prodigal, and pleads for pardon at the Governor’s feet, and is forced away by compassionate friends from witnessing the struggles of the gallows. Other lights go out, but this burns on without extinguishment, as in a gloom-struck night you may see a single star, one of God’s pickets, with gleaming bayonet of light guarding the outposts of heaven.
Oh, despise not a mother’s love. If heretofore you have been negligent of such a one, and you have still opportunity for reparation, make haste. If you could only just look in for an hour’s visit to her you would rouse up in the aged one a whole world of blissful memories.
What if she does sit without talking much: she watched you for many months when you knew not how to talk at all. What if she has many ailments to tell about: during fifteen years you ran to her with every little scratch and bruise, and she doctored your little finger as carefully as a surgeon would bind the worst fracture. You say she is childish now: I wonder if she ever saw you when you were childish. You have no patience to walk with her on the street; she moves so slowly: I wonder if she remembers the time when you were glad enough to go slowly. You complain at the expense of providing for her now: I wonder what your financial income was from one year to ten years of age.
Do not begrudge what you do for the old folks. I care not how much you did for them, they have done more for you.

I’m so thankful to P&R for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their new printing of The Gospel of Jesus—a helpful resource for better understanding the gospels.

Today’s Kindle deals include at least a couple of especially interesting books.
Westminster Books is offering a steep discount on an excellent series.
Credo House has their “Seminary in Your Pocket” on sale for a short time.
(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for May 2023)
Quarantine Is Not a Good Option
What do we do when we see so much immorality around us? “As tempting as it might be, don’t move your family to a plot of land without internet, electricity, and running water. I’m suggesting that instead of being overwhelmed, we intentionally inoculate our children. Let me explain.”
Pastor: Help Your Congregation Navigate Pride Month
Here are some pointers for pastors that may prove helpful as they help their congregations navigate this month.
What is Your “One Thing”?
“When I talk to people, many individuals confess to following Jesus, loving Jesus, and desiring to honor Jesus. At the same time, many of those same people willingly follow Jesus in every area of living except one or two specific areas.” Do you have your own “one thing?”
The Lord Opened a Door for Me … So I Shut It
This is an interesting little verse that I hadn’t pondered before.
Beware The Leech’s Daughters
And then there’s this verse as well. “The leech has two daughters: Give and Give.” What’s that one all about?
God Is Eager to Forgive You
It’s so wonderful to consider that God is truly eager to forgive us.
Flashback: The Space Between Courting and Hooking Up
Courtship and hooking up are two very different approaches for a relationship, but they share a common consequence: They put too much weight on too weak a relationship.

When death becomes the property of the believer it receives a new name and is called sleep. —William Arnot

This week Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by P&R Publishing. They are giving away ten copies of The Gospel of Jesus.

In the mid-100s, Tatian the Syrian arranged the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John into a single narrative and called it the Diatessaron, a Greek term meaning “Out of Four.” His innovation proved inspiring to others through the centuries. Reformed theologian and author Loraine Boettner was following in his tradition when, in the early 1900s, he created his own diatessaron for classroom use at Pikeville College, Kentucky, where he was a professor.
P&R Publishing is pleased to present an updated and beautifully repackaged edition of Boettner’s work. This new edition uses the Christian Standard Bible for its clear, familiar vocabulary and ease of reading. It has an attractive linen cover with copper foil and broad margins for Scripture references and notes.
In formatting the new edition, we have walked a careful line between providing as much information as possible and promoting a user-friendly reading experience. Full Scripture references for all the New Testament texts are given in the margins, where the eye can easily find or look past them as desired. In cases where more than one gospel writer recorded the same event or teaching, we have printed the account that gives it most fully and have inserted additional distinct material from parallel gospel accounts in [brackets] at the appropriate places; some punctuation and paragraph breaks have also been inserted as clarity required.
This book is no substitute for reading the gospels individually: each gospel is inspired and offers a distinct perspective on Christ. And yet we hope you will find The Gospel of Jesus to be a helpful resource for Bible study. This harmony is not intended to flatten out the distinctive voices of the gospel writers but to direct you back to their individual gospels with fresh understanding and appreciation.

Enter Here
There are ten copies to win. All you need to do to enter the draw is to enter your name and email address in the form below, which will add you to P&R’s mailing list.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email on June 5th, 2023.
P&R Publishing is giving away The Gospel of Jesus to ten randomly selected winners who sign up to their mailing list below.

Though May has come and gone, it proved to be a good month for Christian book releases. I sorted through the stacks that landed on my desk and arrived at this list of new and notables. In each case I’ve provided the editorial description to give you a sense of what it’s all about. I hope there’s something here that catches your eye!

ESV Teen Study Bible. The new ESV Teen Study Bible is targeted at teens from 14 to 18 years of age and is available in a variety of cover styles and treatments. “Our world today pushes an endless number of distractions and temptations, which is why having faithful and accessible biblical resources for teens is more important than ever. Edited by pastor Jon Nielson, the ESV Teen Study Bible features numerous study and resource materials–including 12,000 accessible study notes adapted from the ESV Concise Study Bible, 365 devotions adapted from God’s Great Story by Jon Nielson, and 200 sidebars defining key doctrines and helping teens apply Scripture to their own lives. It also has full-page introductions for each biblical book, more than 150 maps and illustrations, an extensive glossary and concordance, and over a dozen topical articles. These features help facilitate deep engagement with the Scriptures, impacting the minds, hearts, and lives of teen followers of Christ.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Knowing God’s Truth: An Introduction to Systematic Theology by Jon Nielson. And speaking of Jon Nielson, here’s another new resource with his name on it. Note that there is both an optional workbook and DVD to go with it. “When you consider theology, you may think of confusing, lofty terminology that only concerns scholars and pastors. But in reality, theology is for anyone who wants to better understand God and learn more about the Bible. Theology—the study of God and his word—should be personal, accessible, and worshipful. Pastor Jon Nielson has written Knowing God’s Truth, a part of the Theology Basics suite, to make systematic theology clear, meaningful, and practical for those looking for a highly accessible guide to studying God. In this introduction, Nielson defines systematic theology as “theological study done in a highly organized, topical way” and covers the 12 basic categories—Scripture, man, sin, church, and more. He also helps readers learn to apply theology in their everyday lives by integrating invitations to pray and meditate on what they’ve learned.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Unmissable Church: Why You Need Church and Church Needs You by Richard Sweatman & Antony Barraclough. “Modern life is a constant struggle between competing priorities, and for Christians especially so on Sundays. How can we juggle all the demands on our time and still make church a priority? Why is there sometimes such a disconnect between the Bible’s captivating vision for church and our experience of it? In Unmissable Church, Antony Barraclough and Richard Sweatman combine meticulous research, practical advice and pastoral warmth. They explore the reasons why it’s sometimes difficult to make it to church and what we can do about it. The issues of broken relationships, conflicting priorities, health concerns and more are treated with empathy and encouragement. Whether you are a leader looking to understand what’s keeping people away from church, a regular attender who wants to encourage others to gather more often, or someone who finds weekly attendance a challenge, this book will bring you greater clarity and perspective.” (Buy it at Amazon or Matthias Media)
Susannah Spurgeon: Lessons for a Life of Joyful Eagerness in Christ by Mary Mohler. “Have you heard of Spurgeon? Preacher, evangelist and stalwart patriarch of the Modern Western Church today. If the cliché ‘behind every great man is a strong woman’, is true, then Susannah Spurgeon remains one of the matriarchs of the same tradition. Spurgeon was the bone companion of her husband. As a pastoral assistant, as Charles’ wife and support through trials, this woman’s biography has been a long time coming. Mary Mohler has gathered information on Susie from sources spanning letters, devotionals and biographies. The result is a thoughtful, sympathetic and endearing epitaph to a sister in Christ, whose voice can no longer be ignored. Mohler allows room for academics, mothers, daughters and wives to dwell on Spurgeon’s joyful eagerness in Christ.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Do Not Be True to Yourself: Countercultural Advice for the Rest of Your Life by Kevin DeYoung. “Most speeches addressed to high school and college students follow a similar theme: march to the beat of your own drum. This may sound encouraging on the surface, but Scripture exhorts believers to submit their lives to the will of God, not their own desires. Christian students need gospel-centered truth to guide them on their journey toward independence. In this collection of inspiring sermons and graduation speeches, Kevin DeYoung delivers a motivational, biblical call to young people: serve God faithfully—and if necessary, counter-culturally—in the next season of your life. Do Not Be True to Yourself includes practical advice for cultivating a Christ-centered worldview in every area of adult life, including relationships, work, church participation, and spiritual growth, making it a transformational resource for mentoring students.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Called to Be Holy: The Discipline of the Church by Jeremy Walker. “Discipline is not a dirty word. Any group which is united and effective embraces discipline to promote the health and strength of the group as a whole and its survival over time. The same is true of the church of Jesus Christ, serving and striving together so that Christ is formed in every member. This booklet is a concise summary of the principles and the practices Christ has given for the holiness of his church. Jeremy Walker skillfully explains the assumptions that lie behind church discipline, grounded in the identity of the church and activity of the church of God. The text looks at the God-ordained purposes of corrective discipline, and the reasons why a church might have to pursue this course. Called to Be Holy offers practical advice as to how such discipline ought to be carried out in the church of Jesus Christ, it speaks to the nature of church discipline, in its more positive and negative aspects, and it identifies love as the primary motive behind any discipline in the church. Ultimately, the church of the living God needs to respond righteously when there is sin in her midst. God has not left us alone in this! Wisely and graciously, the Head of the church has told us how and why the church must discipline unrepentant sin.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Christ and the Culture Wars: Speaking for Jesus in a World of Identity Politics by Benjamin Chang. “In our modern world the gospel of Jesus is seen by many less as good news for all humanity, and more as the bigoted edicts of a bygone era. Benjamin Chang explores the stories of the revolution, tracing the trajectories of four of the biggest social justice movements—feminism, racial justice, gay pride and the trans movement—before looking at the ways Christians usually engage with these arenas of cultural conflict (mirror, argue, ignore) and identifying a better way forward. Rather than hunkering down in our own identity tribes, arguing against other groups, or ignoring what is going on in the culture around us, Chang encourages Christians to find ways to speak for Jesus. He urges us to look at the way we tell stories, and consider whether we can re-capture hearts in our culture by telling a more powerful counter-narrative. He gives us language to use to speak about the cross in our world of identity politics. We will see that the gospel resonates with a culture when it speaks the language of the culture.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Short of Glory: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of the Fall by Mitchell L. Chase. “When looking around at the world, it is easy to see that all is not as it should be. This brokenness within the world and humanity finds its roots in mankind’s rebellion against God. The fall, as recorded in Genesis 3, sets the stage for creation’s need for redemption—ultimately found in Jesus Christ. In this book, pastor and professor Mitchell Chase argues that in order to understand the fall and recognize its profound impact on later Scripture and the world today, Christians must first understand Genesis 3. Chase identifies themes found in Genesis 3—temptation, shame, messianic hope, and more—and shows how they reverberate throughout the rest of the storyline of Scripture. Understanding Adam and Eve’s fall is crucial to understanding the world as it currently is and the need for redemption through Jesus.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Raising Confident Kids in a Confusing World: A Parent’s Guide to Grounding Identity in Christ by Ed Drew. “As our children grow up, they hear many conflicting messages about who they are. They are told that they can define themselves by their achievements or popularity, or by how they feel, and that sexuality, morality and gender are just questions of personal choice. Too often, Christian parents feel nervous and intimidated about engaging with their children on the subjects of bodies, gender, sexuality and their sense of self. This warm and realistic book helps parents to show their children that the Bible has better answers than our culture on these topics, which are neither surprising nor confusing to our creator God. Full of biblical truth, practical wisdom and discussion questions, this book will inspire and equip parents to help their children find their identity in being made and loved by Jesus. An identity based on God’s love will help Children to have both a positive and a realistic view of themselves, and it will give them confidence to live by faith in a secular world.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Bulwarks of Unbelief: Atheism and Divine Absence in a Secular Age by Joseph Minich. “Millions of people in the West identify as atheists. Christians often respond to this reality with proofs of God’s existence, as though rational arguments for atheism were the root cause of unbelief. In Bulwarks of Unbelief, Joseph Minich argues that a felt absence of God, as experienced by the modern individual, offers a better explanation for the rise in atheism. Recent technological and cultural shifts in the modern West have produced a perceived challenge to God’s existence. As modern technoculture reshapes our awareness of reality and belief in the invisible, it in turn amplifies God’s apparent silence. In this new context, atheism is a natural result. And absent of meaning from without, we have turned within. Christians cannot escape this aspect of modern life. Minich argues that we must consciously and actively return to reality. If we reattune ourselves to God’s story, reintegrate the whole person, and reinhabit the world, faith can thrive in this age of unbelief.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Worthy: Living in Light of the Gospel by Sinclair Ferguson. “While Jesus offers forgiveness for believers who sin, Scripture makes it clear that Christians are to pursue obedience and holiness. So what does it mean to walk in a manner that’s “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27), and how should that look in the life of a Christ follower? In this short, accessible guide, theologian Sinclair Ferguson explains the importance of living worthy of the gospel, why the principle is often forgotten, and how it’s cultivated. Clarifying the difference between biblical obedience and legalism, Ferguson exhorts believers to pursue Christlikeness, offering practical examples from Scripture. The second book of the Growing Gospel Integrity series, Worthy helps Christians, students, pastors, and those preparing for ministry to live as citizens of heaven rather than citizens of the world.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Good morning from beautiful Villarrica, Chile, where I’ve settled in to record the next episode of Worship Round the World.

I’m quite sure you’ll want to grab this month’s free book from Logos. Several of the nearly-free books are excellent picks as well. This month they are also featuring Eerdmans which means lots of good commentaries are on sale.
There are a few new Kindle deals to look at.
(Yesterday on the blog: Coming Soon: Understanding and Trusting Our Great God)
The Symbolism of the Rainbow
What is the rainbow all about according to the Bible? Here’s a good answer.
The Worthy Work of the Stay-at-Home Mom
“‘What about you? What do you do for work?’ I’m just a stay-at-home mom. Have you ever found yourself in this situation? Struggling with shame over this title, even though you chose it so long ago with such joy and purpose?”
The Evil That Haunts Us
This is a brief but powerful reflection on the fiftieth anniversary of The Gulag Archipelago.
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
This is such a common question. So you may as well read R.C. Sproul’s answer!
Why Do We Pray for Our President?
John Piper: “Paul’s foremost thought is not that these prayers are prayers for Christian advocacy. I think this is crucial. He’s not telling us to pray that civil authorities would become a conscious weapon of explicitly Christian promotion of the faith. He’s thinking about pagan rulers who remain pagan but still are influenced by the providence of God to bring about, in their limited godless framework, some measure of justice and peace and freedom.”
Social Media Is Causing Our Children to Suffer
Joe Carter covers a recent story. “The U.S. surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, has issued a warning about the potential risks of social media on children’s mental health. Here’s why Christian parents should be concerned—and what we can do to protect our kids.”
Flashback: On Caring for the Property of Others
Sin obscures the truth, it blinds us to our own flaws, it persuades us that vice is virtue and virtue vice. There is some of the hypocrite in each of us, some degree of blindness, some measure of unwillingness to see and know the truth.

God uses sinners so that he will get the glory and so that he will get the glory in the vivid, repeating imagery of turning ashes to beauty. —Jared C. Wilson

Some of my earliest memories are of creeds and catechisms. Parents and pastors alike taught me the truths of the Christian faith and encouraged me to study creeds and the many questions and answers of the catechisms. What a foundation this laid in my young heart!

No words resonated more deeply than the fourth answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which responds to a simple but crucial question: “What is God?” The writers of the Catechism combined sound doctrine with rhythmic, memorable prose to answer thus: “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” This answer begins with four attributes unique to God, then describes attributes he chooses to share with other beings.
In Understanding and Trusting Our Great God, the second book in the Words from the Wise series of devotionals I’ve done with graphic artist Jules Koblun, I mean to consider the character of God as outlined in this Catechism, using words from the wise I have collected from a wide variety of Christian writers, preachers, songwriters, and poets.
Great thoughts of God ought to lead us to great wonder and delight. For to know God is to love him, and to love him is to have our hearts thrilled by him.
Learn more about Understanding and Trusting Our Great God and pre-order it at wordsfromthewisebooks.com. (Or, of course, grab it from Amazon.)