Westminster Books has a deal on David Mathis’ new book (and, because of it, on a whole list of books for pastors).

I’m Not an “Angel Mommy,” and Here’s Why
“It’s a vast and terrible club to belong to: mothers who have babies in Heaven. At one time, women didn’t feel the freedom to share much about such losses, especially when it came to miscarriage, but these days we’re encouraged to talk about and remember the little souls that we never really knew. Once women began talking about miscarriage, infant loss, and rainbow babies, a problem emerged in our thinking that has spread far and wide thanks to social media.”
Salman Rushdie and the Social Media Fatwa
Carl Trueman considers Salman Rushdie and the state of social media.
Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Scroll down here to see some clear examples of how “the heavens declare the glory of God.”
Naturalism Is Nonsense
This episode of Ultimately with R.C. Sproul showed up in my YouTube suggestions and I quite enjoyed it.
Blind Alec and His Amazing Memory
This is a neat account of a special young man.
Ukrainian Seminary President: 400 Baptist Churches Gone
Tragic: “About 400 Ukrainian Baptist congregations have been lost in Russia’s war on Ukraine, said Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS) president Yaroslav Pyzh, who is working to restore pastoral leadership to impacted cities.”
Flashback: There Is No Better Life
God is glorified in your holiness, not in your sin. Do you grow in holiness so that God can be glorified?

To the godly sin is as a thorn in the eye; to the wicked it is as a crown on the head. —Thomas Watson

Grace and peace to you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: When Pastors Need To Be Extra Cautious)
Never Shop on an Empty Soul
This is a good exhortation. “The next time we find ourselves looking to buy something to relieve the boredom of our lives, remember, we are the ones being consumed. In a consumer culture, even the consumers become a commodity. Never forget, they are preying on your emptiness.”
GAFCON leading the way
Murray Campbell has an interesting article about the Anglican Church in Australia. “GAFCON is responding to what is a tireless intrusion onto Christian Churches by certain bishops and leaders who are trying to change the Gospel beyond recognition. They are not playing the same game as Christians Churches, but something quite different.” (See also this article by TGC Australia.)
When Bots Write Your Love Story
I don’t subscribe to a lot of Substack newsletters, but I do subscribe to Samuel James’. This article is a great example of why. (You may want to consider at least picking up a free 7-day trial subscription to check it out.)
Is New Testament Greek the Most Precise Language Known to Mankind?
“There is an idea which floats around in pulpits and Bible studies, and it goes something like this: ‘Greek is a perfectly precise language which clearly conveys its meaning, and this is the reason why God used Greek for the New Testament.’ I do not pretend to know the mind of God regarding why the New Testament is in Greek. But there are some substantial problems in the assertion that Greek is ‘perfectly precise.’”
The Way You Look
“My grandmother used to have this phrase to describe a particular kind of family resemblance. She’d say something like, ‘He looks out of his eyes the way his dad did when he was a kid’ or ‘The way you look out of your eyes makes me think of your mama.’” Glenna Marshall explains and applies.
What were the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age?
“Archaeologists are fond of dividing up time into different ‘ages’. This can be quite confusing to the uninitiated, for several reasons.” This article at Creation.com explains what the ages mean and when they happened.
Flashback: We Are Never Without Beauty
We are never without beauty in this world—never without displays of splendor. We are never without beauty because God’s divine fingerprints are impressed on all he has made.

In the sight of God the most menial task is as sacred as that of the highest order, and when well done as greatly meets his approval. —Charles Ebert Orr

I once read of a pastor who made the commitment to spend several days out of every month with his parishioners at their workplaces. He made it his habit to arrange visits to their factories and offices, their stores and schools. He had a specific purpose in mind and one he believed would make him a more effective pastor: He wanted to understand their day-to-day lives so that in his preaching and counseling he could make application that would speak to their circumstances. He acknowledged that the life of a pastor is very different from the life of a student, a laborer, a CEO, or a store clerk. He acknowledged that unless he was aware of how their lives differed from his own, he could easily assume too much and understand too little.

This pastor discerned that one of the challenges of being a pastor—and particularly one who is paid to minister on a full-time basis—is to continue to have a realistic assessment of how the world works “out there.” It’s to acknowledge that much of what troubles an employee in the workforce does not trouble a pastor in his church (and vice versa). It’s to acknowledge that many of the factors that may enhance a pastor’s reputation may diminish a non-pastor’s (and, again, vice versa). The very things that can gain acclaim for a pastor and even fill the pews of his church may gain a warning for a non-pastor and even get him fired. (This is very much on my mind because, as a full-time writer who pastors on a part-time basis, I am also largely outside the workaday world and, therefore, in a similar position to this pastor.)
One of the women who attends his church works in an office setting. She is told she needs to take a course that will address matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the end she is expected to write a pledge that will address her responsibility for the past marginalization and future empowerment of “sexual minorities.” What is she supposed to do in the face of this mandatory exercise? What counsel has she received from the pastor’s teaching and preaching ministry that can guide her right here and right now?
One of the teens in that congregation—a young woman who was brought to the church by a friend and who has just recently professed faith—has a part-time job at a restaurant. As she walks through the doors one morning her supervisor presses a rainbow bracelet into her hand. All around her the other service staff have slipped those bracelets onto their wrists. What is she to do? What guidance has the pastor provided that will meet her in this moment?
One of the men is a department manager at a nearby grocery story. He is handed a new shirt with his name on it and a place to write his pronouns beneath. Does he do it? One of the young women works in an office setting in which the entire department has been invited to a wedding shower for a same-sex couple. Does she attend? One of the men is a high school coach and is being told that he must welcome biologically male students onto the girls’ team and treat them as if they are female. What does he do?
All of these situations are happening today. They are happening in my church and, I rather suspect, in yours as well. Yet most of these situations are ones that pastors are sheltered from by the nature of their vocation. So many of the pressures of the modern workplace are absent in the church office. And even if a pastor did find himself in a similar situation, his refusal to participate would not jeopardize his position or diminish his reputation in his place of work. To the contrary, the congregation would actually honor him for his stance. People who heard what he did might actually begin to come to his church because of it.
So what is a pastor to do?
Mostly, I think pastors have to be aware—aware that their lives may be very different from those of many of their church members and aware that their instinctual response to a situation may reflect the security of their position, not the jeopardy of another person’s.
I also think pastors could take a cue from their colleague I mentioned earlier and do what they can to understand the current environment. This may mean they make regular visits to workplaces or it may mean they just spend time with people to hear what challenges they face. Either way, that kind of information will helpfully equip them.
And then pastors can speak about these situations with care and precision, admitting complexity rather than assuming the solution is always straightforward. The pastor can make sure he’s considered the social cost to a 16-year-old girl who won’t slip that bracelet over her wrist, the financial cost to the man who may get fired for declining to use the pronoun “she” to describe a man.
None of these factors will necessarily change the counsel, and neither should they. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the context and regardless of the cost. We are not relativists. Yet though these factors may not change the counsel, they may shape it or condition the way it is delivered. The pastor’s greater knowledge will allow him to think more carefully, to pray more earnestly, to search the Scripture more exhaustively, and to empathize more truly. It will keep him from inadvertently assuming that his situation is normative rather than exceptional.
We have arrived at a cultural moment in which Christians often need extra counsel and encouragement as they navigate new realities and tough complexities. We have arrived at a moment in which simply living according to Christian principles in the workplace and simply speaking biological truth may exact a substantial cost. I’ve often heard it said that the easiest thing in the world is to spend other people’s money. But it’s just as easy to give people counsel that may cost them dearly but cost you nothing. I know I can be prone to this and suspect other pastors can as well. Hence, my encouragement to myself to others is to do our absolute utmost to count the cost—to count the cost for the people we love, the people we are called to serve, the people we are called to teach and guide.

The Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a deal on the excellent ESV Expository Commentary series—a series that will help with everything from personal devotions to sermon preparation.
7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special
Michael Kruger asks “what exactly makes John so different? Given that John loves the number seven—as one example among many, his gospel is structured around seven ‘signs’—let me offer seven things that makes John so special.”
The Pitfalls and Possibilities of Being “Political”
Kevin DeYoung continues an interesting series on faith and politics (especially as it pertains to pastors). “If a pastor is better known for his views on COVID-19 or for his analysis of the latest shooting than he is for his views on the Trinity, the person of Christ, and the gospel, then something is wrong.”
Donall and Conall and Dawkins 2 (Video)
It has been a while since we’ve heard from Donall and Conall (via LutheranSatire) but they are back and having another conversation with Richard Dawkins.
Nine Important Facts about Muhammad
Ayman Ibrahim covers 9 important facts about Muhammad. “As more Muslims come to this country, I believe American Christians need to know more of what Muslims understand about their prophet. Here are nine things you should know about Muhammad.”
Three Different Ways to Dismiss Divine Commands
“In the nearly two decades I’ve been speaking in different churches of different denominations, in different states, in different countries, and in different cultures, I’ve noticed that people (believers and non-believers alike) have a propensity to skirt the Bible’s precepts. They usually do it in one of three ways.”
Making Time to Read the Bible
Many people do not read the Bible simply because they do not make time to read the Bible. Barbara has some suggestions on how to make it a priority.
Flashback: It’s Only Money
Our convictions about money will influence some of the expenses we choose to take on, but it won’t make our bills go away and won’t do much to mitigate the fact that life is just plain costly.

The cross is the essence of Christianity. It is the apex of God’s glory, the zenith of His revelation, the centrepiece of His plan for the universe. —Will Dobbie

There’s an eclectic little collection of Kindle deals to browse through today.

(Yesterday on the blog: What Can a Heart Do?)
Is Your Gospel an Urban Legend?
Jared Wilson asks you to consider whether the gospel you profess is really just a kind of personal urban legend.
Planes Have Nothing on Birds
I hate all the evolutionary talk in this article, but I do appreciate the point it makes: Humanity’s best attempts at designing planes still fall far, far short of the most ordinary bird.
Life and limb
Andrée Seu Peterson considers how God oversees life and limb and everything else.
Olaudah Equiano: The Unsung Evangelist
“Olaudah Equiano is a name of lasting significance in secular historical discussions, English literary circles, and among students of evangelical church history. Yet, his legacy is not nearly as widely known to the Church at large, certainly not to the degree of figures such as Jonathan Edwards or John Newton. This is truly lamentable.”
When Downcast, Look to the Throne
Doug reminds us of an ancient and biblical form of encouragement.
What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Ezra
“I couldn’t find any data to justify this suspicion, but I would guess that Ezra is not commonly read or studied by modern Christians. I get it—among other barriers, there are long lists of names in chapters 2, 8, and 10. Yet, this little book has much to offer!” It does, indeed, as this article explains so well.
Flashback: Success Beyond What We Can Handle
When they gained the thing they had longed for, they lost the progress they had labored for. I have seen far more people ruined by success than by failure.

There is more in Christ to save you than there is in yourselves to condemn you. —Christopher Love

What can a heart do? What actions do we associate with the human heart? A heart can beat; a heart can race; a heart can stop. That’s all very literal and speaks to the heart as a physical part of our bodies. But we also speak of the heart metaphorically as the place of our emotions. And so we say that a heart can long and love, it can hurt and break. We even say that a heart can be given: “I give you my heart.” The heart, then, in our way of thinking, is physical and emotional.

But then how does the Bible use “heart?” Did you know that the New Testament uses the word “heart” well over a hundred times, but never once to refer to the organ in your chest? It only ever uses it as a metaphor, as a word picture. So what can the heart do according to the Bible?
I looked up all the uses in the New Testament and came up with a list: A heart can think, a heart can understand, a heart can desire, a heart can speak; a heart can doubt or believe, it can love or hate, it can repent or remain impenitent. A heart can be dull or sharp, hard or soft, open or closed, downcast or refreshed, right or wrong, sincere or hypocritical, pure or impure. The heart can have longings and secrets and intentions and purposes. It can produce good or evil, it can be filled by the Holy Spirit or by Satan, it can stay near to God or stray far from him. And though that list is quite long, it accounts for only the New Testament which represents merely 15 percent of the times the word is used throughout the Bible.
So, in the way the biblical authors thought, the heart is far more than emotion. It’s the place our actions originate. It’s the place our thoughts and words originate, as well as our intentions and motives, our convictions and worship. The heart is the place of affection and emotion and reason from which we issue orders to the rest of our faculties.
You might say the heart is the controller for the drone. That drone will sit there and do nothing until you touch a dial or knob. And then it will respond, then it will obey the commands it is given. You might say the heart is the mission control center at NASA that tells the astronauts when to blast off and when to touch down. We will not do anything or say anything or even desire anything without the heart first issuing the order. None of our abilities or faculties operate independently of the heart.
The heart, then, is the place where God’s influence comes into contact with man’s will to be accepted or rejected, to be obeyed or disobeyed. This makes the heart the very moral center of a human being. And it’s for this reason we need to ask God to search the heart, to examine it and look for anything there that dishonors him or threatens our well-being. It’s for this reason we need to monitor all of our words and actions, knowing they are the overflow of the heart and that they expose the state of the heart. It’s for this reason we need to keep the heart, tend the heart, guard the heart, and feed and satisfy the heart with good spiritual nourishment. It’s for this reason that nothing matters more to the Christian life than the heart. For, in God’s eye, the heart is always the heart of the matter.

Grace and peace to you today.

Crossway has a number of Kindle deals on theological books.
(Yesterday on the blog: God Means To Make Something Of Us)
The twisted self
“Many of us are familiar with books and movies in which plots revolve around characters who find themselves trapped in worlds where nothing works in quite the way they expect. Whether it is Alice wandering through Wonderland or Keanu Reeves trapped in the Matrix, they feel disoriented, confused, and anxious. And that is the way many people feel today in our world, where everything that seemed certain only the day before yesterday—the definition of marriage or the meaning of the word woman, for example—seem now to be in a state of flux.”
For Those who Thirst
This is a sweet reflection on how God satisfies those who thirst.
What Catholicism Teaches About the Supper
“Here in Rome, Italy, near the heart of Roman Catholicism, it is not unusual to pass by one of the city’s countless Catholic churches and see people prostrate on the floor or on bended knee as the priest carries around the bread of the Eucharist.” Reid Karr goes to on explain what the Catholic Church believes about the Lord’s Supper.
Why Keep Reading the Bible?
Why would someone not only read the Bible, but read it again and again? Barbara offers a whole list of good reasons.
another Friendly Reminder
This is a friendly and perhaps necessary reminder about the ways we think about one another and relate to one another.
Imagine Reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’ the Way You Read the Bible
This is actually a good thought exercise: How would it change The Lord of the Rings if you read it like so many people read the Bible?
Flashback: A Prayer for Parents of Teens
This is a prayer for matters of first importance. May it give you words to pray for the child you love…

The night is mother of the day; trust through the dark brings triumph in the dawn. —Theodore Cuyler

We pray that God will deliver us from our trials, but sometimes he does not. He pray that he will relieve us of our burdens, but sometimes they remain pressed hard against our shoulders. Why? J.R. Miller provides a helpful answer in this brief quote.

Some think that whenever they have a little trouble, a bit of hard path to walk over, a load to carry, a sorrow to meet, a trial of any kind, all they have to do is to call upon God and He will take away that which is hard, or prevent that which impedes, freeing them altogether from the trial.
But this is not God’s usual way. His purpose concerning us is not to make things easy for us, but rather to make something of us.
So when we ask Him to save us from our care, to take the struggle out of our life, to make the path mossy for our feet, to lift off the heavy load, He simply does not do it. It really would be most unkind and unloving in Him to do so. It would be giving us an easier path today instead of a mountain vision tomorrow.
Therefore, prayers of this kind go unanswered. We must carry the burden ourselves. We must climb the steep path to stand on the radiant peak. God want us to learn life’s lessons, and to do this we must be left to work out the problems for ourselves.
“We must be left to work out the problems for ourselves,” he says. Not without God’s care and assistance and guidance, of course. But without his immediate relief. Sometimes he requires us to lift, carry and even maintain a heavy burden for a long time. For his concern is not to make things easy for us, but to make something of us.