I’m grateful to Radius International for sponsoring the blog this week to let you know about their forthcoming conference (which you can attend in-person or virtually). Sponsors are crucial to the functioning of this site, so I’m thankful for each and every one.

Today’s Kindle deals include a small selection of classics.
(Yesterday on the blog: Urban Legends of Theology)
Forgiving Ourselves
This is a good take on the idea of forgiving ourselves. “I don’t think it is appropriate to speak of forgiving ourselves in any way. But, at the same time, we need to acknowledge that the Bible does have quite a bit to say about how we should and should not think of ourselves and how we should and should not treat ourselves in light of who we are in Christ Jesus.”
Does Maturity Still Matter?
“American culture writ large seems stuck in a defensive adolescence that lacks both the innocence and wonder of childhood, and the realism and long-term thinking of adulthood. Comic book movies are the new American mythology, and the characters in these comic book movies are often just hard-bodied, fast-talking teenagers: the kind of people who, in the words of the most influential man of the 21st century, ‘move fast and break things.’”
What Is a Church?
Here’s a really helpful article that answers a simple question: What is a church?
Building Accountability around Counselees
Writing for the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Tim St. John provides counsel on accountability.
Are home groups really the best vehicle for Christian growth?
Home groups can be good and helpful. But are they necessary? Do they accomplish something in the life of the church that nothing else can?
Flashback: The Tone Deaf Singer
We sing best when that gospel is dwelling richly within us. God is not looking at the quality of our tone or the perfection of our pitch. He is looking at the heart.

The enemy of joy is not suffering, it is idolatry. —Matt Papa

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Radius International.  They are giving away a conference package that includes: 2 tickets, a Radius pullover, and 4 books.

The winner will receive two free tickets to The Radius Conference being held June 28-29, 2023, at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA. This event will be live in person or available as a live stream. John MacArthur, Costi Hinn, Ian Hamilton, Wayne Chen, Brooks Buser, Chad Vegas, and others from the Radius world will be live and in-person to teach on the Great Commission in today’s world.
The winner will receive a Radius International branded pullover. Size and gender options to be selected by the winner from available stock.
The winners will also receive four books that Radius International highly recommends:

No Shortcut to Success
A Manifesto for Modern Missions
By Matt Rhodes
Avoid “Get-Rich-Quick” Missions Strategies and Invest in Effective, Long-Term Ministry
Trendy new missions strategies are a dime a dozen, promising missionaries monumental results in record time. These strategies report explosive movements of people turning to Christ, but their claims are often dubious and they do little to ensure the health of believers or churches that remain. How can churches and missionaries address the urgent need to reach unreached people without falling for quick fixes?
In No Shortcut to Success, author and missionary Matt Rhodes implores Christians to stop chasing silver-bullet strategies and short-term missions, and instead embrace theologically robust and historically demonstrated methods of evangelism and discipleship—the same ones used by historic figures such as William Carey and Adoniram Judson. These great missionaries didn’t rush evangelism; they spent time studying Scripture, mastering foreign languages, and building long-term relationships. Rhodes explains that modern missionaries’ emphasis on minimal training and quick conversions can result in slipshod evangelism that harms the communities they intend to help. He also warns against underestimating the value of individual skill and effort—under the guise of “getting out of the Lord’s way”—and empowers Christians with practical, biblical steps to proactively engage unreached groups.

Missions By The Book
How Theology and Missions Walk Together
by Chad Vegas and Alex Kocman
Across the church, there is a rift between theology and missions. Bad theology produces bad missions, and bad missions fuels bad theology.
We wrongly think that we must choose between making a global impact and thinking deeply about the things of God. But the relationship between theology and missions is symbiotic—one cannot exist without the other. They walk hand-in-hand.

What Is the Mission of the Church?
Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission
by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
Christians today define mission more broadly and variably than ever before. Are we, as the body of Christ, headed in the same direction or are we on divergent missions?
Some argue that the mission of the Church is to confront injustice and alleviate suffering, doing more to express God’s love for the world. Others are concerned that the church is in danger of losing its God-centeredness and thereby emphasize the proclamation of the gospel. It appears as though the misunderstanding of the mission persists.
Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert believe there is a lot that evangelicals can agree on if only we employ the right categories and build our theology of mission from the same biblical building blocks. Explaining key concepts like kingdom, gospel, and social justice, DeYoung and Gilbert help us to get on the same page―united by a common cause―and launch us forward into the true mission of the church.

John G Paton
Autobiography of the Pioneer Missionary to the New Hebrides
by John G. Paton
The autobiography of John G. Paton contains everything necessary to make it a missionary classic. Born into a Christian family near Dumfries in 1824, Paton’s early years were marked by a struggle against poverty. He was self-educated, and the training ground for his life’s work was the slums of Glasgow where he laboured with success as a city missionary. With ‘the wail of the perishing heathen in the South Seas’ continually sounding in his ears, he prepared himself to serve overseas and was ordained as a missionary to the New Hebrides in 1858. This group of thirty mountainous islands, so named by Captain Cook, with its unhealthy climate, was then inhabited by savages and cannibals. The first attempt to introduce Christianity to them resulted in John Williams and James Harris being clubbed to death of his wife and child within months of their arrival. Against the savagery and the superstition, despite the trials and the tragedies, Paton persevered and witnessed the triumph of the gospel in two of these South Sea islands. His life is almost without parallel in missionary annals and his account of it is moving and gripping.
TO ENTER
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time.  The winner will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on Sunday, May 28th, 2023 at midnight.

For every truth of the Christian faith, it seems there is a corresponding fallacy. For every great doctrine there is an opposite misconception. It is a constant challenge to sort the good from the bad, the right from the wrong, the truth from the error.

Yet that is exactly the task Mike Wittmer takes on in Urban Legends of Theology. An urban legend “is something popularly believed—in the church or culture or both—that is not true.” Yet not all errors are created equal. “Some legends are more wrong than others, and some are more damaging than others. Some legends will rob you of peace and joy while others will damn you to hell. We must discern one from the other so we know how to handle each. Briars and wolves are both detrimental to sheep, but not in the same way. Wise shepherds gently guide sheep away from dense thickets, whereas they shoot wolves dead. Likewise, some of these legends will merely scratch your faith, while others will have you for lunch. Still others are setups, meant to slow your walk so you are easier to catch.”
He tackles 40 urban legends divided into four theological categories. Under the categories of “God and Theological Method” he addresses issues like these:

It is important to believe in something, and it does not matter what
Theology puts God in a box
Doctrine divides while love unites
You should pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on you

Under “Humanity and Sin” he tackles:

This world is not our home
My body is a temporary residence for my immortal soul
Freedom explains the problem of evil
The safest place to be is at the center of God’s will

And so on. He also covers issues related to “Jesus and Salvation” and “Church and Last Things.” In each case, his answer takes about five or six pages to describe and then unravel the legendary belief while also offering some application. His answers come from a Calvinistic and Baptistic perspective. While it’s unlikely that anyone who reads this review will strenuously object to any of his answers, it’s also unlikely that everyone will agree with each one of them in their entirety. Such is the nature of addressing such a diverse collection of issues.
But he does address them well and in ways that are consistent with Scripture and sound doctrine. Urban Legends of Theology is a book that will prove a help and blessing to those who read it, whether they are young Christians still trying to put all the pieces together or seasoned Christians who may find, to their surprise, that they have somehow come to believe a few of these legends.
Buy from Amazon

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you today.

Westminster Books is offering discounts on the new The Biggest Story Curriculum. It looks amazing!
Stopping to Pray
“There’s a resistance natural to our flesh that keeps us from stopping and praying when we should. Have you ever wondered why it seems so instinctive to cease to pray rather than to pray without ceasing?”
Two Sexes, Created to Be Distinct
Certain things shouldn’t really have to be said. Yet here we are in 2023…
Join Costi Hinn @ TRC23 Speaking On “The One True Gospel Throughout The World”
In missions, the propagation of false gospels usually has little to do with the sincerity or the heart of the gospel messenger, and everything to do with outcomes sought. This session will speak to the true gospel and how to protect and cherish it across time and culture. (Sponsored Link)
How Did Animals Recolonize the World After the Flood?
Wes has been preaching through the biblical account of the flood, and “that led a parishioner to ask me about the redistribution of animals around the world after the Flood. For instance, how do we account for kangaroos in Australia? If they were on the Ark, how did they get to Australia after the Flood?”
Tagless
Kristin tells a fun little story that offers a good lesson to learn.
The Basics — Election
If you need a primer on the doctrine of election, or could use a refresher, Kim Riddelbarger has you covered.
Find Your Way to Help the Hurting
“Recently, our family was staying with a family we love when they suffered a miscarriage. The wife had just finished her first trimester. The baby would have been number six for them, their second son, a boy they all loved deeply without meeting him. The family wept for hours.”
Flashback: Renew Your Mind
Will you allow the world to conform your mind, or will you invite God to transform your mind? To not choose is to make a choice—the world is so immersive, so powerful, and so present that unless you actively resist it, you will inevitably be conformed to it and consumed by it.

Let everything be a means to this end: the treasuring of Christ and the enjoying of his glory. —Jared C. Wilson

Logos is having a Memorial Day sale that is offering a good number of products at solid discounts. Also remember that this month Base Packages are on sale.

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of worthwhile titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Seasons of Sorrow: Updates, Awards, and Aileen’s First Interview)
Are They the Ones Who Pray All the Time?
Wouldn’t that be a great way to be known—to be the ones who pray all the time?
Cynicism Isn’t a Spiritual Gift
Just because cynicism is common, doesn’t mean it’s okay (not to mention a gift)!
Are You Casual with the Holiness of God?
“Imagine that, after suffering a loss on the battlefield, an American army general decided to galvanize his troops by taking the Declaration of Independence into battle. Sounds a little farfetched, I know. What kind of general would play so fast and loose with one of the most precious artifacts in the nation’s history? Though it may not seem likely to happen with American soldiers, this scenario actually did play out in Israel as the era of judges came to a close.”
Fear is a Function of Worship
“I speak this line to people all the time: ‘Fear is a function of worship.’ And without fail, I get much the same response.” Keith Evans explains.
More Than You Can Handle
Seth illustrates the ways God tends to give us far more than we can handle. Than we can handle on our own, that is.
Why every church should practice “open” and “closed” communion
This article explains why communion should be both “open” and “closed.”
Flashback: How Can We Measure Spiritual Progress?
It should distress us to see how unlike Christ we still are. But it should encourage us to see that we truly have grown in Christlikeness, that as we spend time with him we have become like him. It should encourage us to see that we truly are being conformed to his image, truly are modeling ourselves after his example.

In Jesus, our judgment day was moved from the future to the past. —Scott Sauls

It has been about 8 months since the release of my book Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God. And it has been an encouraging time. I wanted to share a few updates and pieces of information that may be of interest to you.

Perhaps the greatest encouragement has come from grieving families who have gotten in touch to share how the book has been meaningful to them. Subsequent to that has been people who have found comfort in the book as they have endured other losses than the loss of a child. To my surprise and delight, I have also heard some very credible accounts of people coming to faith while reading the book. A number of people have asked me whether it would be appropriate for non-Christians to read and it seems that, at least in some cases, the Lord is using it to draw people to himself.
FamilyLife Today Interview
Earlier this year Aileen and I flew down to Orlando to record a couple of episodes of FamilyLife Today with Dave and Ann Wilson. This was the first time since Nick’s funeral that Aileen has spoken publicly, and I think she did very well in providing a mother’s perspective on grief and loss. I’m really proud of her! Those episodes have just been released and you can listen to them at the FamilyLife site, on YouTube, or through your favorite podcast app (e.g. Apple Podcast, Spotify).

Awards
Seasons of Sorrow was nominated by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for a Christian Book Award in the biography & memoir category. (The ECPA is an organization that works with Christian publishers and booksellers to track sales, distribute awards, and so on.) It was a blessing and honor to learn that Seasons of Sorrow won. It had also previously been named the Counseling Book of the Year by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. This, too, was a blessing to me.
Spanish Edition
The Spanish edition, Estaciones de aflicción: El dolor de la pérdida y el consuelo de Dios, is due to be released on August 8. A bilingual friend has read both editions and assures me it is a good and faithful translation. I have had a number of people contact me about other languages and have directed them to the publisher in the hope that we will see further translated editions in the future.
Extra Resources
I wanted to remind you that there are a few extra resources available to go along with the book.

A Letter to Parents – This is a letter I have prepared addressed to parents who have lost a child. If you plan to give bereaved parents a copy of Seasons of Sorrow, you may like to print this and include it with the book.
Application Questions & Group Study Guide – This free guide is for people who are reading it individually and wish to consider application questions and for groups who are reading it together and looking for a reading plan as well as discussion questions.
Helpful Things To Say To Grieving Parents – If you are walking through the loss of a child with a friend or family member, this article will help you know how you can best serve them in their darkest hour.

Thanks to all who have purchased and/or read the book, and perhaps especially to those who have given it to a grieving friend in the hope that it would provide at least a little glimmer of light in their time of darkness. May God use it all for his glory.

Westminster Books is offering 50% off when you buy ESV Pew Bibles. It’s a good time for churches to stock up!

Meanwhile 10ofthose is having a sale on gifts for graduates (and others).
There are just a couple of new Kindle deals today.
You Can’t Tear Down the Norm and Then Be Surprised by What Comes Next
Andrew Sullivan recently shared a column in which he lamented the rise of queer ideology. But, as Amy Hall shows here, he is conveniently absolving himself of blame that is actually his. “Sullivan doesn’t like where his advocacy ultimately led. He wants to quarantine his ideas inside the arbitrary boundaries he prefers, but he’s not capable of stopping others from using the same reasoning for their preferred societal changes that he used to change the definition of marriage. The reasoning behind his advocacy logically led to more extreme advocacy.”
Things I Wish I Heard in a Funeral Sermon
Renee Zou: “Several months ago, I attended a vaguely Christian funeral. It was Christian in the sense it had familiar elements of our faith: a Bible reading, a short sermon and a cross adorning the hall. Yet it was vague because I left uncomforted and unconfronted by the substantive truths of our faith. The guests came and went without hearing the gospel. Our hope of seeing the dearly deceased was not articulated beyond the ethereal mention of faith, hope and love.”
Yembiyembi People Group Receive The Bible
This video commemorates the glorious moment and celebration the YembiYembi church experienced when the Yembi Bible was delivered and dedicated. To God be the glory! Come hear from the missionaries and church pastors that were a part of this church plant. THE RADIUS CONFERENCE 2023 is June 28-29, 2023, John Macarthur, Costi Hinn, Brooks Buser, Aubrey Sequeira and others will be speaking. (Sponsored Link)
May I Never Outgrow The Walls of My Church
“We will never outgrow the local church. We desperately need it each week to nourish and strengthen our weak hands and feet. I can’t be a godly wife, mom, or a sister-in-Christ without my local church. Church isn’t just for my unbelieving neighbor or the new, immature Christian. It’s for every believer in every season of life.”
Those Who Walk in Pride
“Pride is a form of insanity because it is not based in reality.” Let Doug explain how that’s the case.
Five Reasons Why Pastors Should Share Their Pulpit
It’s the wise pastor who learns to share his pulpit. Brandon Sutton offers a list of reasons pastors should consider.
God Is Good to Bring Afflictions
“God can use many things to open our eyes and bring us to himself, including success and pleasure and beauty. But in a sin-cursed world that begins with the pain of childbirth and ends with death, it is inevitable that we will at some points in our life know what it is to suffer. And for most of us it is easier to see the goodness of God when things are going our way than when we are undergoing affliction.”
Flashback: What Jesus Does Not Pray
Jesus does not ask that we will be kept from all trials, all suffering, all sorrows. He prays simply that as we remain here, we will be held firm in the grip of God to carry out his will. For like the disciples, we have work to do.

If Jesus didn’t think he could handle life without knowing the Scripture inside and out, what makes you think you can? —Tim Keller

Blessings to you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Freedom of Embracing My Weaknesses)
Thousands of Happy, Unwitting Plagiarists: The Shaping Legacy of Tim Keller
I really appreciated Jared Wilson’s tribute to Tim Keller. (See also Paul Tripp’s)
God’s Grace in Our Weakness
“The longer I walk with God, the smaller I recognize myself to be—small power, small thinking, small faith, small resistance to sin. I am not great. Surprisingly, this has not discouraged me.”
The Radius Conference
PLENARY TOPICS: Brooks Buser – Gospel Clarity For The Sake Of The Nations; Costi Hinn – The One True Gospel Throughout The World; Wayne Chen – The Gospel Across Cultures; Aubrey Sequeira—Emptying The Cross Of Its Power: Honor/Shame And The Gospel Of Christ; and John MacArthur – A Faithful Gospel vs. A Quick Gospel. (Sponsored Link)
Anything Worth Doing, Is Worth Doing Badly
“You’ve probably heard it said, ‘Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.’ Generally, I agree with that statement. If a thing is worth giving our time for, we should strive to do it with excellence.” However…
Donald Macleod (1940–2023): In Memoriam
This weekend the Scottish theologian Donald Macleod went to be with the Lord. This is a remembrance of him.
The Lord Has Comforted us…a Year Later
Kenneth Irungu tells how the Lord has comforted him and his wife as they have grieved the loss of their unborn child.
Working on the Inside, Not Only the Outside
“Jesus is calling people to a consistently godly life here, not one that only looks acceptable on the outside. It is easier to look godly than to actually be godly. We must work on the kinds of things that others do not see, things like resisting temptation, cultivating prayer, and deepening in our understanding of God’s word.”
Flashback: My Heart Longs for Justice (Kind of)
When I honestly assess myself, I have to admit that my longing for justice is not universal. I want justice for other people’s sins, but not for my own. I want their misdeeds to be met with justice but mine to be met with mercy. Is this not the very height of hypocrisy?

If you and I see ourselves merely as peddlers or purveyors of a spiritual “message”, we rapidly become salesmen for the gospel instead of true ministers of the gospel. —Harold Senkbeil

I am tip-toeing—or perhaps lurching—toward the age of 50. Whatever it means to be middle-aged, I am indisputably now well within that range. This stage of life has introduced some new trials, new difficulties, and new indignities, many of them related to a body that is no longer what it once was. But this stretch of time has also introduced some blessings.

Among those blessings is a sense of realism about myself that may have been missing in my younger years. I increasingly know who I am and, of equal importance, who I am not. I have a deeper understanding of what I am capable of and what I am incapable of. I have learned what I can expect of myself and what will only ever be beyond my capacity.
When I was young I aimed for the stars and honestly thought I was capable of reaching them. I modeled my life after luminaries and saw no reason why I couldn’t match or even surpass them. My ambitions were as great as my assessment of my own abilities. My energy was very nearly boundless. Such is the charming naiveté of youth.
But through many false starts, through many broken attempts, and through many sore failures, I have been forced to learn that even though I have strengths, I also have weaknesses and even though I have abilities, I also have inabilities. God has gifted me in some ways, but not others. He has provided certain opportunities but denied many more. As important as it has been to learn who God has made me to be has been learning, admitting, and embracing who he has not made me to be.
God has not made me the kind of person who can produce vast quantities of the highest standard of work. To the contrary, he has limited my capacities, my abilities, and my opportunities, not to mention my intellectual capabilities. I am physically weak and easily fatigued, and though my writing plans may be ambitious, my hands are damaged and can type for only a few hours each day before I have to step away from my desk and let them rest. Though my mind may be quick, my formal education is relatively small and limits my ability to think and write in great depth. These weaknesses and so many others mean that I never can and never will produce the quantity and kind of work that some others seem to produce and that I may have expected myself to produce. They serve to limit me.
And while there may have been a time when that would threaten to discourage me, there is actually a sense of relief that comes with this kind of self-knowledge. There is a kind of freedom—freedom from false and unfair expectations. I know now that God won’t assess me according to the gifts, talents, and opportunities he has given to someone else and neither will he assess me according to the ambitions I might have once held for myself. He will assess me according to what he assigned to me and what he made me to be.
I used to see weakness as a trial I needed to challenge and overcome. I used to see weakness as an obstacle that stood between me and my purpose. I used to see weakness as one of life’s great discouragements. But now I see weakness as part of God’s plan for me. Now I see a realistic assessment of my weakness as what guides me to my purpose. Now I am encouraged by weakness, for it helps me understand and even become the man God means for me to be.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include some good picks from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: If We Could Both Go Together)
Gordon Keddie (1944-2023)
I learned over the weekend that pastor and biblical commentator Gordon Keddie passed away on Friday. Here is a brief announcement from his family. I, for one, have benefited a lot from his many commentaries.
Why Boys Don’t Wrestle Girls
“In my son’s first wrestling tournament, he was dominant. His preparation and good coaching were evident, as he pinned every opponent and won every match — that is, with one exception: a forfeiture.” This dad explains why he wouldn’t allow his son to wrestle a girl.
15 Things About John Calvin You May Not Know
Just like the headline says, here are some things about Calvin you may not have known.
Self-Denial Is More About Looking Up Than Saying “No”
“What does Jesus have in mind when he says ‘deny yourself’? Saying no to treats and disciplining habits isn’t contrary to what God wants, but it isn’t the whole picture either.”
A Straight Edge
Kristin: “I have always preferred reading of people who, by worldly standards, fly a little too close to the sun. Strong, decisive individuals with backbone and grit, those saints who once bent low in genuine humility, surrendering themselves fully to God, rather than man. The Bible was their compass, their measuring rod, their straight edge.”
Three Inspiring Tamil Christians in Indian Church History
I enjoyed reading about these Tamil Christians who played key roles in the history of the church in India.
Flashback: 5 Ways Every Christian Grows
We are an impatient people accustomed to instant gratification. But fruit grows slowly. A fruit tree grows gradually and over many years of careful and deliberate cultivation.

You are faced with the resistance of your children because God is a God of amazing grace. His grace has the power to turn very bad moments into the very good moments. Isn’t this what the cross of Jesus Christ is about? —Paul David Tripp