Good morning from the tiny island nation of Tonga. When measuring by the International Date Line, Tonga is just about at the very beginning of the world!

You will once again find a nice little list of Kindle deals.
(Yesterday on the blog: Beauty in the Whole and the Parts)
My Grandmother Would Tell You That
Glenna’s reflection on life and death is an especially sweet one. “What a thing it is to die quietly at home with the people you love around you, to be gathered up to your Father at the end because the thing that mattered most was the One who saved you.”
Help! I Want to Get Married, but I Can’t Afford It.
I have been asked many variations of this question. Russ Gehrlein has a good response to it.
Whose Pins Are You Juggling? A Parenting Story
Rebekah reflects on her tendency to carry what is not actually hers to carry (or to juggle, as the case may be).
God Can’t Wait to Forgive You
What an amazing God we serve. “Just as the Father of the prodigal freely and fully reinstated the prodigal to sonship status, so God will not send you to the minor leagues before calling you back up the majors. He’s just waiting to hear your cry.”
The Cost of Fear
Karen Wade Hayes says that “fear of the world is more costly than we realize. When we operate from the place of fearing others more than God, the risk is greater than the loss of human approval or smarting pride. It’s bigger than the embarrassment of guys laughing over a yucky cake. The highest cost is when it keeps us from doing God’s will.”
3 Reasons I’m Thankful to Be a TCK
“When I was 5 years old, my missionary parents moved our family from northeast Pennsylvania to northern Italy. We settled into a little town nestled at the base of the Alps and my parents set themselves to the work of church-planting. From that moment on, I had a foot in two worlds—America and Italy—even as I felt like I never belonged to either. In other words, I was a Third-Culture Kid (TCK).”
Flashback: Theological Black Holes
God surrounds us with people who can speak with loving authority and experienced firmness of all of their attempts and failures, and who can guide us back to the straight path. He surrounds us with people who are wise enough to detect the first signs of wandering, and who love us enough to warn us of the consequences.

It doesn’t matter how efficient you are if you are doing the wrong things in the first place. —Matt Perman

I once had a friend who was only ever confident he understood something when he had taken it down to its component parts. If he bought a new tool or device, he would take it from its box and begin to pull it apart, eager to know how it worked before ever actually using it. If his wife brought flowers into the home, you might find him dismantling one on the kitchen table, separating stamen from petals and leaves from stems until each piece was laying by itself and he understood how all the parts made up the whole. Endlessly curious and endlessly analytical, he couldn’t help himself—he just had to know.

His wife, though, was of a very different personality type. She tolerated his habit well enough, but didn’t really understand or appreciate it. She was content to leave the flowers unmolested and intact, to enjoy them as whole objects in their natural state. She was content to take devices from their packaging and to put them straight to work without first pulling them to bits.
I think of them often as I consider the wonderful discipline of theology. In theology we make a study of God—of his works and of his ways. With Scripture as our guide—with God’s revelation of himself as our starting point—we gaze deeply into matters almost too wonderful to behold. And as we study our God we find there is blessing in the macro and the micro, in the whole and in the parts.
We come to see that God is triune, that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, yet one God. We can go deeper and deeper into the Scriptures, we can apply reason and logic, and over time arrive at a more confident and developed doctrine of the Trinity. We can ponder how the Father relates to the Son in ways that are distinct from the ways he relates to the Spirit; we can ponder the ways each was present and active in the great work of creation; we can ponder how each plays a key role in our redemption. This is good and such study is rewarding. Yet it is also good to simply enjoy the Trinity on the most basic and assembled level, to simply acknowledge, “God is one and God is three and to me this is a great mystery.” There is blessing in the whole as much as in the parts.
The same is true when we consider the doctrine of salvation. We can map out a whole ordo salutis, a logical sequence of events that took place to draw us from darkness to light. We can debate the exact order of the steps; we can refine our terminology; we can do our best to reconcile the sovereignty of God with the responsibility of man. All of this is a good and spiritually-rewarding study. Yet sometimes we also do well to step back and simply say, “God is sovereign. Man is responsible. And for today I am content to simply affirm those two statements as friends rather than enemies.” There is beauty in the most basic whole as much as in the most advanced parts.
There are some who are like my friend and are only content when they have gone as deep as they can, when they have taken a doctrine apart and put it back together. There are some like my friend’s wife who are content to take a doctrine at face value and not invest substantial effort in going endlessly deeper. Both approaches are good, both approaches are right, and both approaches are rewarding in their own way. For both reveal God’s beauty and glory.

Good morning from [groggily checks Google Maps] Brisbane, Australia, where I’m connecting on to the Pacific Islands. This trip has been good so far and is now past the halfway point.

Westminster Books is doing some spring cleaning and that has resulted in some good deals.
Today’s Kindle deals include a solid commentary on Romans.
A Constant Dying
“What do I mean? Dying for Christ takes a moment of extreme courage and resolve from the hand of God, but living for Christ requires a sustained courage that beats back the devil and the flesh daily. It’s a constant dying.”
What Is a Man? What Is a Woman? How Our Laws Should Define Male and Female
Justin Taylor is always the master at finding interesting material and helpfully summarizing it.
What does a true theologian look like?
What does a true theologian look like? Ligon Duncan gets an assist in defining it.
If Jesus Were Still Dead…
This is a simple but effective thought experiment.
3 Things You Should Know about John’s Gospel
“When we come to the gospel according to John, it is immediately apparent that, although it deals with the same subject matter, it has a distinctive angle. Instead of providing a synopsis of Christ’s life and work, it provides a selective overview highlighting the defining elements of who Jesus is and what sets Him apart as the only One who can rightly be acknowledged as ‘the Christ.’”
Christian fantasy after Tolkien: a Top 10
There is no one quite like Tolkien. But if you’ve read him and gotten interested in fantasy, here are some good next steps from Reformed Perspective.
Flashback: How to Encourage that Preacher
The faithful preacher is content to be forgotten so Jesus can be remembered. “I forgot all about you” may be one of the most encouraging things a preacher can hear.

God, through the perfect life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, rescues all his people from the wrath of God into peace with God, with a promise of the full restoration of his created order forever. —Ray Ortlund

Good morning from Singapore. We have wrapped filming in Cambodia and made our way to Singapore for a long layover. By this evening we will be making our way to the Pacific Islands to do it all again.

(Yesterday on the blog: Where Did All This Expository Preaching Come From?)
The Garden at the End of the Universe
Bethel McGrew has a lovely bit of writing here. It’s timed for Easter but appropriate for every day of the year.
5 Reasons to Go to Prayer Meeting
“None of us needs another excuse to skip our church’s prayer meeting. We have more than enough: we’re busy, it’s difficult to wrangle the kids, it’s dark and we don’t feel like going out again, we’ve got an early appointment the next day, or we’re scared of being asked to pray in front of others. What we need instead are a few reasons for going.”
Why Are the Books of the Bible in the Order They’re In?
We often take for granted the order of the books of the Bible. This is an explanation of how they ended up that way.
The Gospel Never Does Nothing
There are lots of things the gospel does. But it never does nothing.
Humility and Overcommitted Busyness
Here is a challenge many people need. “I want to direct our gaze to a significant blemish on humility in our own generation where we need further chipping and sanding: our overcommitted busyness.”
The Goal Is Knowledgeable Love
Knowledge is necessary. You can’t believe, or obey, or love someone you don’t know; but your knowledge of someone will only be destructive if you don’t love them.“ Justin explains…
Flashback: When The Great Resignation Comes to Church
When it is not perfectly clear that we must leave or when we haven’t received wide affirmation that it’s wise to leave, we ought to set aside thoughts of finding a new family and instead joyfully recommit ourselves to loving the family we are already part of.

The reality is that God simply does not give you children in order for you to feel that your life is worthwhile. —Paul David Tripp

This week the blog is sponsored by Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF), a nonprofit seeking to “deliver hope to suffering children by equipping local churches for gospel-centered mercy ministry.” Serving in the United States and 29 other countries, CHF seeks to help the local church reach suffering children and families in their communities with both physical help and spiritual hope found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What do you think a believer’s response to poverty should be?
Is it to hand out cash to those asking for money outside the grocery store? Is it sponsoring a child in a faraway country—a photo of them pinned to your fridge?
In the Bible, we see God’s love and care for the poor and suffering. In Psalms 146, the psalmist writes that the Lord who made heaven and earth is the One who “executes justice for the oppressed and who gives food to the hungry.”
Scripture is also clear that believers must share God’s heart for the suffering and that we are to be generous (Luke 12:33), to love and care for the orphan and the widow (James 1:27), and to take up the plight of the suffering (Isaiah 1:17).
However, with so many needs, at home and around the world, it can be hard to know what to do and where to start.
Cultivating a biblical response to poverty doesn’t start with what you do, but how you think.
While material poverty is a massive issue in our world, we know that spiritual poverty is an even worse problem.
Material poverty refers to when a person lacks the basic needs for survival, such as food, water, shelter, or medical care. Spiritual poverty, however, refers to a person’s relationship with the Lord. While both material and spiritual poverty are a result of the fall, only one can be remedied here on earth.
One truth of living in a fallen world is that there will always be physical poverty. However, we know that a saving relationship with Jesus Christ can free a person from spiritual poverty and give them hope, no matter what their circumstances are.
We also know that God cares about the wellbeing of His children. Just look at Matthew 6! Our Heavenly Father knows our needs and reminds us that He will supply them.
Not only are we called to care for those who are in need, but it is a privilege to be a part of God providing for His children. That is why a healthy view of mercy ministry includes physical and spiritual needs.
One of our partners, Dr. Conrad Mbewe, Pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia, recently said, “sin has not just separated us from God, but it has also ruined our actual interpersonal relations and ruined our relationships with creation itself… (mercy ministry) is an opportunity, therefore, to reach out to a suffering people so that may see that the God about whom we are speaking is a God who cares for them holistically.”
The local church is the best instrument to respond to poverty.
Since it is a holistic ministry which involves caring for physical health as well as spiritual health, reaching those in poverty with the gospel is not a one-time work. A biblical response to poverty must be about people, and people grow when they are in relationship with others.
Mercy itself is not the end goal of this ministry, a life changing relationship with Christ is the goal! The local church is, therefore, the best possible instrument to respond to poverty. The body of Christ, who are grounded in the community and living life among the people have the best ability to build lasting, consistent relationships with those in need.
This is why Children’s Hunger Fund works through the local church. We know that it is God’s instrument on earth, and we exist to support as many gospel-centered local churches as possible.
We are called to participate in God’s work.
We may not be able to be a part of a local church delivering food in Ethiopia, Myanmar, or El Salvador, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t called to be a part of the work around the world.
At Children’s Hunger Fund, just 25 cents can provide a meal to a child in need. Just 25 cents can provide a child an opportunity to know the love of Christ. For just 25 cents, you can help deliver the hope of the gospel to suffering children.
There are many ways that you can get involved with CHF. Whether you give a financial gift, volunteer, or join us in prayer, you are making a difference for children and families in need.
You can find out more about the ministry of Children’s Hunger Fund here! Make sure you sign up for our email newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up to date with the amazing things God is doing around the world.

There’s no doubt that, at least within Reformed churches, this is an age of expository preaching—of preaching sequentially through books of the Bible while always ensuring that the point of the text is the point of the sermon. Yet you do not need to look far into history to find that it was not always so and that in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries such preaching was rare. I was intrigued by Bob Fyall’s explanation of how expository preaching became not only accepted but expected. Because he writes from an English and Scottish perspective he focuses on that side of the Atlantic, but it does not take a lot of work to fill in the details for North America. (I share this excerpt from Why Are We Often So Boring? with the publisher’s permission.)

The Revival of Expository Preaching
A feature of the Reformation was a flood of expository sermons with the likes of Calvin, Luther and Melanchthon preaching systematically through biblical books as well as writing commentaries. That tradition was somewhat lost in succeeding centuries. Not that there was no faithful preaching, but that figures such as Charles Spurgeon tended to preach on texts rather than unfolding books and sections of the Bible in continuous exposition. We’ll return to this point later.
The English Scene
A significant figure here was the former doctor, Martyn Lloyd Jones, particularly in his ministry at Westminster Chapel, London from 1939 to 1969, having earlier ministered in Wales. He preached truly massive series on Romans and Ephesians which were a veritable feast of biblical truth, but such length prevented him giving many other expositions of biblical books, particularly from the Old Testament. This was not altogether a helpful model for those of lesser gifts in very different situations.
Also in London there was the hugely influential ministry of John Stott. His ministry at All Souls established expository preaching as the regular practice. Later he developed a worldwide ministry which has continuing influence. He worked closely with Billy Graham and took part in countless student missions. His style was lucid, and he had particular gifts of biblical analysis shown in his commentaries as well as his sermons. A further legacy is his editing of the New Testament Bible Speaks Today series (Alec Motyer edited the Old Testament series) which continue to be of particular help to preachers. Alec Motyer continued his preaching and writing to the great benefit of the Church until his death in his nineties. Both men contributed some of the volumes themselves, as well as much else.
The dispute between Lloyd Jones and Stott in 1966 over whether evangelicals should leave mainline denominations is well known. This is not the place for yet another account of that meeting, except to say that it is a thousand pities they were not able to work more closely together.
A further hugely influential development took place in 1961 when Dick Lucas was called to St Helen’s Bishopsgate in the City of London. He immediately set about establishing expository preaching, not only in the Sunday services but also in the Tuesday lunchtime services, attended by many from the business community. The church grew and became increasingly influential. The Proclamation Trust was founded in 1986 to support and develop Dick Lucas’ ministry.
An important development was the founding of the Cornhill Training Course in 1991. Even good theological colleges were not providing extensive training in preaching and something which placed the emphasis on biblical exposition was badly needed. David Jackman, coming from a fruitful expository ministry in Southampton, was appointed Director. The influence of Cornhill has extended to other countries (later we’ll look at Cornhill Scotland), and many have gone from such training to exercise helpful and flourishing ministries in many places.
Doubtless, other names and situations could be mentioned but there is no attempt to be comprehensive here but rather to indicate the growth and development of expository preaching and give credit where credit is due.
The Scottish Scene
Meanwhile, in Scotland, parallel developments were taking place. The pioneer there was William Still (1911-1997) who spent his whole ministry at Gilcomston South Church in Aberdeen. Beginning with an aggressively evangelistic ministry, he turned to expository preaching not only to build up believers but as a more effective way of winning outsiders. This, at first, especially when he replaced Saturday night rallies with a prayer meeting, led to reduced numbers but that was temporary, and the ministry grew both numerically and in its wider influence.
One significant outcome of his ministry was the calling of many men to similar kinds of ministry throughout Scotland. The earliest of these was James Philip (1922-2009) who ministered first in the village of Gardenstown in the north of Scotland, a ministry which was marked by many conversions, and of others being called to Christian service. His later ministry in Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh was one of the most significant of the later part of the twentieth century and its influence is still felt. James’ brother George had an influential ministry in Sandyford Henderson Church in Glasgow. One of the more notable preachers was Eric Alexander, first in Newmilns in Ayrshire, then at St George’s Tron in Glasgow. His ministry also reached widely, particularly though his many preaching tours in America. Other gifted preachers also ministered in most parts of the country, and this continues to the present day. This historical sketch makes no claim to be complete but rather to demonstrate how there was a significant revival of preaching and to indicate some of the major figures and developments.
The Flourishing of Evangelical Scholarship
This was another feature of the post-World War Two years. Again this is a sketch of some significant figures and developments. The work of evangelical scholars gave important impetus to the production of resources which encouraged the expository task and helped to give preachers confidence in the reliability of the Bible.
The Pioneers
Probably the most significant figure was F.F. Bruce (1910-1990), a Scot who spent most of his professional life in England. He was a man of enormous erudition who began his career lecturing in Greek first at Edinburgh University and then at Leeds University. He moved quickly to Biblical Studies, being Head of Department first at Sheffield University and later at Manchester University. He produced many books: commentaries on much of the New Testament as well as works on the canon and on the historicity of the New Testament. He was not a particularly scintillating speaker or writer, but his work was marked by great clarity and was free from jargon. His influence was worldwide and encouraged many others to pursue sound biblical scholarship. He was a scholar rather than a preacher, but as a lifelong member of the Christian Brethren he preached frequently.
In the Old Testament field, Donald Wiseman (1918-2010) was a significant influence. He was an Assyriologist and worked both at the University of London and the British Museum. Much of his work was in translating Assyrian texts and also field archaeology. However, he was also a committed biblical scholar, writing the Tyndale commentary on 1 and 2 Kings, as well as being a translator of the New International Version. He also wrote many books and articles defending the historicity and reliability of the Old Testament, including work on Daniel. Like Bruce he was widely respected by those who did not share his views.
Later Developments
One important consequence of the revival of evangelical biblical scholarship was the founding of Tyndale House in Cambridge in 1944. This was, and is, a residential library devoted to scholarship at the highest level. Many well-known scholars have studied and lectured there, and this continues to the present day. Bruce and Wiseman were involved early in this venture and much helpful material continues to be produced there. One figure who has been particularly associated with Tyndale House is the scholar/preacher Don Carson who still exercises an influential ministry.
(TC: That is an interesting though obviously brief account of something we may now take for granted. On this side of the Atlantic we would need to consider names like James Montgomery Boice, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, John Piper and many others who practiced and modeled such preaching. I am thankful for these pioneers in expository preaching and for the scholars who have prepared the lay-level resources that make it possible for those of us with lesser gifts and training.)

Good morning. Grace and peace to you on this fine day.

Today’s Kindle deals include some great titles from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Prayer for Our Pastors)
5 Lessons from the Japanese American Internment
What an interesting article. It shares some lessons from the Japanese American internment during the Second World War, focusing on the Christians who were in the camps.
A Sexular Society
“We used to live in a religious world, where your religious belief defined who you were—it was where you got your identity from. Religion flavoured every aspect of life from the cradle to the grave, taking in education, community, family, even work. But things have changed, now we live in a secular world—one, in a sense, stripped of religious input.”
How to make the most of the Parental Settings on your Child’s Phone
There is some valuable help here for parents.
What do you do when you are spiritually dry?
“Do you ever think, ‘I want to desire God more,’ but for whatever reason, you’re just spiritually dry? The things that you know should thrill your soul feel commonplace. Maybe your desire for God’s word, your desire to pray, or your desire for holiness is cold. It’s a miserable thing to know how you ought to feel, and realize that you’re not there. So what do you do? What do you do when you are spiritually dry?”
When We Fear the Worst
This one is for moms in particular, but can apply to us all. “Friend, I don’t know what fears and worries weigh on your soul today. But I do know that they can feel heavy—sometimes debilitatingly so. They can nag at you and trip you up and keep you discouraged and despairing. But there is a sure foundation we stand on, a God who holds us fast even while the winds and waves beat down. And he will not let us go. Not now. Not ever.”
Were Later Versions of Christianity Radically Different than Earlier Ones?
Some false claims get made again and again, don’t they?
Flashback: Rule #5: Ponder the Brevity of Life (8 Rules for Growing in Godliness)
Only God knows whether we have decades remaining or mere moments…With such thoughts fixed firmly in our minds, we must not allow ourselves to waste a moment or to indulge a single sin. 

If Christ was not raised, His death was in vain. Your faith in Him would be pointless, and your sins would still be counted against you with no hope of a spiritual life. —John MacArthur

What a joy and what a blessing it is to pray for our spiritual leaders—to ask God to bless them, to sanctify them, and to equip them for the ministry he calls them to. This prayer by John Flavel (as found in Tim Chester’s Into His Presence) offers words we can pray on their behalf.

Lord, cleanse our churches, and repair their walls, so they may become gardens of delight for Christ to walk in and take pleasure in. May her ministers be faithful and wise: faithful so they do not deceive others; wise so they do not deceive themselves. May their wisdom prevent deceivers imposing on them, and their faithfulness prevent them imposing on others. May their wisdom enable them to discern wholesome food for the flock and their faithfulness oblige them to distribute it.
May our leaders be pure with spiritual aims and intentions; serving not their own honour and interest, but yours.
May our leaders show sincerity, not appearing outwardly spiritual while being inwardly carnal.
May our leaders be diligent, like men in harvest, like women in labour, like soldiers in battle, watching while others sleep.
May our leaders lack favouritism, as those who will appear before an impartial God. May they take the same care, manifest the same love, show the same diligence to the poorest and weakest souls in their care as they do the rich, the great and the honourable. For all souls are rated the same in your book of life, and our Redeemer paid as much for one as the other.
May their faithfulness fix their eyes on the right end, and may their wisdom direct them to the best means of attaining it. May they lay a good foundation of knowledge in our souls, choosing subjects that will meet our needs, shaping the language in which they address us, using their own affections to move us, being careful of their behaviour. Send them often to their knees to seek your blessing upon their labours, knowing that all their success entirely depends upon you.
Amen.

I am grateful to Crown and Covenant Publications for sponsoring the blog this week.

There are a few new Kindle deals that are worth a look.
(Yesterday on the blog: Identity and the Worship of Self)
“Where is Your Faith?”
“How did you survive the death of a child? It is a question my husband and I often get when people hear our story. It transports me back to that moment over 20 years ago when our sweet daughter left this world and entered eternity.”
If God Desires All to Be Saved, Why Aren’t They?
John Piper offers a very strong answer to a very common question.
Choosing the Right College: A Guide for Christian Parents
This is a helpful, common-sense approach to helping your children find the right college.
Do we still need to forgive even if they never apologize?
Guy Richard’s answer is deep and far-reaching.
Overcome Your Enemies by Dying
“What do you do when people turn against you? When those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ come after you for daring to follow him? When nitpicking and backstabbing are the standard operating procedure in the workplace? When family members use guilt and pressure to manipulate you into doing what they want?”
Preacher, What’s on Your Kids’ Menu?
It’s so good and so important to include children in the sermon. This article offers some really good tips for preachers.
Flashback: The Most Important Thing My Parents Did
For all the good things my parents did for me, I believe that the most important was simply living as Christians before me. I don’t think anything shaped or challenged me more than that.

A conquered sin becomes a new strength in our life. —J.R. Miller