A new year inevitably brings lots of exciting new book releases. Though that is true of 2022, the selection is a unfortunately a little smaller than would usually be the case due to all the supply chain and shipping issues we have been hearing so much about. Still, there are lots of excellent new books available. I have picked through the pile growing on and around my desk and narrowed it down to this selection of new and notables.

God, Technology, and the Christian Life by Tony Reinke. “What does God think about technology? From smartphones to self-driving cars to space travel, new technologies can inspire us. But the breakneck pace of change can also frighten us. So how do Christians walk by faith through the innovations of Silicon Valley? And how does God relate to our most powerful innovators? To build a biblical theology of technology, journalist and tech optimist Tony Reinke examines nine key texts from Scripture to show how the world’s discoveries are divinely orchestrated. Ultimately, what we believe about God determines how we respond to human invention. With the help of several theologians and inventors throughout history, Reinke dispels twelve common myths in the church and offers fourteen ethical convictions to help Christians live by faith in the age of big tech.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Romans (Reformed Expository Commentary by Daniel Doriani. It’s always a big deal when a commentary series releases their volume on Romans! “Drawing from the great doctrinal heritage of the Reformed faith, Daniel Doriani brings clarity and unique insight to the many practical lessons on Christian living and salvation found in the book of Romans. With verse-by-verse commentary, Doriani examines Paul’s message to the early church in Rome in detail, providing readers with historical, cultural, and biblical context for each chapter, along with structural analysis and theological lessons. This comprehensive commentary explores the core of Pauline theology, touching on themes of righteousness, church unity, justification, and the application of faith in our daily lives. As are all Reformed Expository Commentaries, this book is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each volume in the series gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ through the lens of redemptive history, and applies the Bible to our contemporary setting.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Psalms (Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary) by James Hamilton. What’s true of Romans is true also of Psalms—it’s a particularly important commentary in any set. The EBTC has just added a two-volume Psalms commentary by James Hamilton. “The Psalms are a carefully arranged collage of history, prophecy, and praise. James M. Hamilton provides a fresh translation and canonical interpretation of the Psalms. Though commonly read in isolation, the Psalms are best read as a collage that tells a story of God’s faithfulness to his people through his king. Following the introductory Psalms 1–2, Hamilton observes the significance of the Psalter’s intentional macro-structuring and intricate links across neighboring psalms. Hamilton interprets with a literary sensitivity and an eye towards canonical connections. Learn where the Psalms belong in the redemptive story, how they relate to God’s people, and how they find their fulfillment in Jesus.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
We Go On: Finding Purpose in All of Life’s Sorrows and Joys by John Onwuchekwa. “Do you often ask the question ‘What is my purpose in life?’ Rich with black-and-white photography, powerful stories, and life-changing reflections from the book of Ecclesiastes, We Go On, by pastor and entrepreneur John Onwuchekwa calls you to find the true answer to the question: Why am I here? In a world that encourages us to find meaning in temporary things, we long to know that who we are makes a difference after we’re gone. This hope-filled exploration of this biblical book of wisdom turns our attention to what our true purpose is and how to let that purpose shape our relationships, career, and life choices. Along with biblical insights, John Onwuchekwa weaves together meaningful challenges that even from difficult beginnings, we can continue to trust God’s path. In this book, you’ll discover a more meaningful, fulfilling life as you explore themes such as: work, wealth, and power; sexuality, social relationships, and justice; religion and family. Inspiring black-and-white photography paired with a modern cover make this a perfect gift to give to men and women for holidays, graduations, birthdays, new jobs, or to anyone seeking a deeper relationship with God.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Demystifying Decision-Making: A Practical Guide by Aimee Joseph. “On an average day, people make countless decisions: Should I get out of bed or hit the snooze button? What should I have for breakfast? Where should we go for this year’s vacation? While some decisions are easy to make, others can leave individuals paralyzed and full of anxiety. As Christians living in an increasingly individualistic society, what’s the best strategy for making decisions that honor God while becoming more like him in the process? Writing from her own experience and pointing to biblical examples, Aimee Joseph offers a biblical and theological framework for decision-making. She explains God’s design for humans as decision-makers, the biblical model for making choices, common wrong approaches, practical tips, and what to do when you’ve made a poor decision. With the philosophy that “as we shape our decisions, our decisions shape us,” Joseph teaches readers how to worship and draw closer to Christ through their daily decisions.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Talking about Race: Gospel Hope for Hard Conversations by Isaac Adams. “Conversations about racism are as important as they are hard for American Christians. Yet the conversation often gets so ugly, even among the faithful who claim unity in Jesus. Why is that the case? Why does it matter? Can things get better, or are we permanently divided? In this honest and hopeful book, pastor Isaac Adams doesn’t just show you how to have the race conversation, he begins it for you. By offering a fictional, racially charged tragedy in order to understand varying perspectives and responses, he examines what is at stake if we ignore this conversation, and why there’s just as much at stake in how we have that discussion, especially across color lines–that is, with people of another ethnicity. This unique approach offers insight into how to listen to one another well and seek unity in Christ. Looking to God’s Word, Christians can find wisdom to speak gracefully and truthfully about racism for the glory of God, the good of their neighbors, and the building up of the church.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Mission Affirmed: Recovering the Missionary Motivation of Paul by Elliot Clark. What will it take to accomplish Christ’s mission in our lifetime? That’s the question evangelicals have been asking for over a century, but our efforts to reach the unreached and finish the task have often sacrificed the important for the immediate. The greatest challenge in evangelical missions isn’t a lack of urgency, but a lack of discernment. As we’ve prioritized movements that are simple and reproducible, the gospel and faithful churches are now threatened. Our mission itself could be disqualified. In Mission Affirmed, Elliot Clark seeks to reshape our motivation by considering the example of Paul the missionary. The desire for God’s approval is what formed his ambition and directed his methods, and it should guide ours too. In these pages, we rediscover how pursuing God’s praise can both motivate and regulate our gospel ministries. We also refocus—as missionaries, pastors, churches, and individuals—on what matters more than a mission accomplished: a mission God affirms.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Read This First: A Simple Guide to Getting the Most from the Bible by Gary Millar. “The Bible is the most extraordinary book you’ll ever read; it’s how God speaks directly to us and how his Spirit works to change us. But it can seem intimidating, confusing and even a little bit boring. In this book, Gary Millar shows you that the skills you need to read the Bible are not beyond your grasp. In a warm, approachable style, he gives you the tools to read and understand the Bible for yourself, helping you move from confusion to confidence as you enjoy refreshment in God’s word. Whether you are a new believer and don’t know where to start or you have been a Christian for a while but have never got into a regular habit of Bible reading, this book will equip you to get going. As you read the Bible, you will hear God speak, and you will be changed to be more like Jesus. Don’t miss out!” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
ESV Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition by Ligonier Ministries. “The most important relationship in life is your relationship with God. If you want to grow in your faith, you must turn to His Word. That’s where God has spoken. The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition is built on the trusted teaching of Dr. R.C. Sproul to help you dig deeper into the Scriptures to find answers and direction for all of life. Grasp the Bible’s meaning with verse-by-verse notes from more than seventy-five pastors and Bible teachers, gain clarity with hundreds of questions and answers that address key subjects of the Christian faith, and apply the knowledge of God to daily living with many practical lessons from every book of the Bible.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (CNIDNTTE) by Christopher A. Beetham. This “is a significant resource for those looking for a quick-reference guide to aid in exegesis and interpretation. It retains all the essentials of the monumental and magisterial New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis edited by Moises Silva, bringing together its most important elements into one accessible volume. This reference includes the most vital, relevant information needed to delve deep into the study of the Greek words used in Scripture for study of the New Testament–its texts and theology. This volume offers a wealth of background and information on the meaning of Greek words in the New Testament, as well as related usage in classical Greek sources, the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), and extrabiblical Second Temple Jewish literature. … The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis is the ideal tool for pastors, Bible teachers, students, and scholars engaging in exegesis. It is packed with the essential information needed to study the New Testament.” (Buy it at Amazon)

I offer two brief reminders today: first, much of the daily content of this site is available in Spanish at es.challies.com; second, the quotes I share every day are available to download for free at SquareQuotes.

Westminster Books has the excellent Gospel-Centered Life Bible study series on sale.
Today’s Kindle deals feature some excellent books by J.I. Packer.
The God Who Has Been My Shepherd All My Life Long
Sometimes the simplest observations are the most encouraging, and that’s the case with this one from Paul Tautges.
On Epic Stands, Great Men, and the Church Catholic
Michael Haykin makes a very interesting claim here, and one he has come to after a lifetime of studying church history: “God never does a great work in the history of the Church except through a band of brothers and sisters. This is true of the Ancient Church, the Celtic Church and its powerful missions, the Reformation, the Puritans, and the Evangelical Revivals of the 18th century.”
Imagining Your “Well Done”
You may have heard about the idea of writing your own eulogy, then living in such a way as to make it true. Reagan Rose offers what may be a better alternative.
Holy Distractions
And while we are in the realm of productivity, here’s an article from Jon Bloom: “The ever-growing body of literature on productivity overwhelmingly agrees with what we all know by experience: interruptions reduce our productivity. So naturally, most of the literature focuses on ways we can reduce our interruptions because they distract us from productive work.”
Bible Study is Hard Work (And That is OK).
Bible study is hard work and Craig Thompson explains why that’s not a bad thing.
Good Medicine
Kristin shares a funny story and tells why such memories matter.
Flashback: God Hates Pride
Is there any trait more deceptive? Is there any vice easier to see in others, but harder to see in ourselves? We despise its presence in them, but defend its presence in us.

We think of suffering or feebleness as a misfortune. It is not altogether so, however, if it makes us dearer and brings us nearer to the heart of Christ. —J.R. Miller

Grace and peace to you on this fine day.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Message for Young Men)
About Those Sparrows
“Five sparrows. Two pennies. Bought, crushed, ground into stew, discarded, their life snuffed out just like that. Not forgotten by God. If God ‘remembered the sparrow’…if his eye was on the sparrow wouldn’t they not be bought and sold like this?”
Preaching is different on a screen
This article makes the point that preaching is different on a screen than in-person. That’s obvious, on the one hand, but it’s still important to consider exactly why and how it’s different.
When Does God (Not Man) Consider a Couple Married?
When does God consider a couple married? That’s the question this article attempts to answer.
Worth Some Frozen Pipes
Some frozen pipes were a minor inconvenience when compared to gaining a really neat evangelistic opportunity. “‘But you have not answered my question,’ the workman said as he ate the lunch we had provided of of takeout kabab (It’s expected in this culture to provide lunch when workmen are at your house all day). ‘What do you think of Islam? Is it good or bad?’”
Virtue Signaling our Spirituality
“There is a tendency in all of us to want others to see our good works so they will think highly of us, and we often try to make our good works look better than they are. This sinful tendency reveals itself every time the boss walks by while we are loafing, and we immediately begin to look busy.”
The Ten Commandments “at-A-Glance” (Applied to Life in The USA)
Bruce Ashford has completed his series on the Ten Commandments applied to modern-day life in the USA. The whole series is available and worth reading.
Flashback: When We Failed to Count the Cost
We human beings are famous for inventing, accepting, and integrating new technologies without thoroughly assessing how they will impact us for good and for ill. We tend to see the benefits immediately but only grow wise to the risks much later on.

Old wood is best to burn, old friends best to trust, and old books best to read. —John Arrowsmith

Somewhere out there in the great, wide world, someone is praying for you. He probably doesn’t know you and you probably don’t know him. You may not meet one another for many more years. But he’s praying for you nonetheless and has been for a very long time.

He is the father of a daughter. He is the proud father of a daughter who is very precious to him—more precious than anything he owns, more precious than anything he has ever done, ever made, ever accomplished, more precious than his very life. She is so precious that if he gained all the riches of this world but lost her heart along the way, he’d consider himself an abject failure.
This father knows that a time is coming when a young man will approach him and ask for permission to marry his daughter. He knows that a time is coming when a young man will insist that it is in his daughter’s best interests if she leaves her father and mother—leaves behind the ones who brought her into this world and who gave her such privileges and who raised her so well—and is joined to him instead (for such is the endearing conceit of young men). And, though it may be hard for this father to admit, he knows that this young man may just be right—that his daughter’s best life will be outside of his care and in another man’s, outside of his home and in one this new couple will build together.
From the day he welcomed his precious little daughter into the world, he knew that he would at some point entrust her to another man. And so he began to pray. From the day he laid eyes on his beautiful little girl, he knew he would some day lead her down a church aisle to place her hand in another man’s. And so he began to pray for him. From the day his heart became so deeply bound to hers, he knew hers would someday become bound to someone else’s. And so he began to pray all the more earnestly.
He prayed that this young man would come to saving faith—that he would repent of his sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed that this young man would grow in holiness—that he would conscientiously put sin to death and come alive to righteousness. He prayed that this young man would become a capable provider—that he would study hard and work diligently and make good on all the privileges afforded to him. He prayed that this young man would grow in godly character—becoming loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. Ultimately he prayed that this young man would prove worthy of his daughter—that he would know her to be as precious as she actually is and that he would treat her with all the love and dignity she deserves.
This is an interesting thought, isn’t it? It is an interesting thought, and an encouraging one, that since you were tiny, this man has been praying for you. He has been praying for you without knowing who you are, praying for you without knowing when you would meet, praying for you with longing that in the day that you emerged from the great crowd of humanity, he would see that God had heard his prayers and answered them.
This is an encouraging thought but also a challenging one, for it now falls to you, young man, to be worthy—as worthy as any man can be—to receive from his hand what he counts more precious than jewels, more valuable than his own heart, of greater worth than his own name and even his own life. It falls to you, young man, to honor his diligence in so faithfully interceding for his daughter. It falls to you, young man, to be God’s answer to a father’s prayers.

May the Lord bless and keep you today.

My church is hosting a Weekender for pastors, elders, and church leaders from March 25-27. If that’s of interest to you, you can find information right here.
‘Gotcha’ Sermon Clips Are Bad for the Church
Trevin Wax considers “gotcha” sermon clips and says, “I don’t believe the widespread sharing of bad moments in preaching will make the pulpit stronger. The weaponization of preaching clips as ammunition in intramural warfare isn’t a healthy and life-giving development.”
Were the Gospel Writers’ Memories Accurate? (Video)
“There was a time gap of 25 years between the life of Jesus and when the first Gospel was written. When Mark was remembering the life and teachings of Jesus, can we trust his memory? If not, then the written Gospels are not trustworthy either.” Bill Mounce offers an answer in a brief video.
The Sweet Spot
Darryl Dash considers the benefits and drawbacks of aging.
Pastors, You Don’t Have to Be an Expert on Everything
Michael Kruger looks at a popular book and draws some lessons for pastors. “Pastors too need to realize they are not experts in everything. Yes, they have been trained in theology, bible, church history, etc. But that does not make a pastor an expert on immigration policy, epidemiology, or tax reform.”
Turning From Ancestor Worship Will Be Costly, Jesus Said So
Lucky Mogakane: “Ancestral worship remains a significant hindrance to the gospel in many African countries. Generally, Africans do not have a problem with the gospel message. But a massive question hangs over the decision to repent and believe, related to worship of the ancestors.”
God Is Not Going to Slap the Cookie From Your Hand
“I tend to be overly analytical. I’ve spent a great deal of thought on what’s God’s part and what’s our part in the Christian life. I can’t say I have it all figured out, even now. My tendency is to want to sort it out neatly in a series of points. God does this: 1, 2, and 3. And we do this: 1, 2, and 3. But I don’t think it works like that.”
Flashback: The App of God
As one medium gives way to another, we do well to remind ourselves of what the Bible really is. Not a book, but something far better, and far more transcendent. It is the enduring words of God himself.

To every believer, the debt–book is crossed; the black lines of sin are crossed out in the red lines of Christ’s blood. —Thomas Watson

My gratitude goes to the kind soul who, in the middle of the night, braved the -22 weather to deliver a Voddie Baucham tract to our home and the others in the neighborhood! It’s genuinely much appreciated.

(Yesterday on the blog: When the Battlefield Goes Quiet)
Toward a Better Discussion about Abuse
I appreciate Kevin DeYoung’s attempt here to nudge Christians toward a better discussion about abuse. “Depending on a whole host of factors—one’s personality, position, experience, or context—we tend to see the present dangers leading in different directions. For some, the most pressing concern is obviously that abuse is perpetrated, minimized, and covered up in the church. For others, there is another concern, that abuse is becoming a totalizing category and that even the accusation of abuse takes down everyone and everything in its path.”
Did Bathsheba Sin with David?
John Piper answers an important question about David and Bathsheba. “I think there are pointers that David exerted a kind of pressure on her to warrant the accusation of rape … I see two indications that David threw his weight around — threw his power, his influence, his position — in such a way as to force her, apart from and against her commitment to her husband, to have sex with him.”
What Grace Does God Give the Humble?
“Someone told me recently that God has been humbling him through some circumstances of his life, and I told him that’s a good place to be because God gives grace to the humble. So he asked, ‘What does that mean? What does grace look like for the humble?’” That’s a valid question.
White Savior
I have been benefitting from this series by Dave and Stacey Hare on “why are the laborers few?” In this one they address the fear of being labeled a “white savior.”
Don’t Date That Guy
Melissa pleads with young women not to go down a dangerous road. “How does it happen that so many Christian women marry men who aren’t believers? In some cases, they were both lost at the time that they dated and married. But, so often it’s a different story…”
How big was the Tonga eruption?
This is a wonderful illustration of the sheer size of the recent volcanic eruption in Tonga.
Flashback: When the Mormons Come Calling
They offer salvation by works, but God offers salvation by grace. This is the difference between heaven and hell.

The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to him, is not to believe that he loves you. —R.J.K. Law

This week the blog is sponsored by Boyce College and this post is written by Timothy Paul Jones who is inviting you to attend the Renown Youth Conference 2022.

“I still want to believe in Jesus,” she said to me. “I just don’t believe the Bible.”
I was wrapping up a series that focused on how God’s Word should shape our sexuality with the students in our church. When I asked the group of students if they had any questions, one young woman asked if it was possible to pursue a bisexual lifestyle and still be a faithful Christian. In response, I walked gently through the points I had made about God’s beautiful design and showed how a bisexual self-conception contradicted God’s plan. I ended with Paul’s words in his letter to the 1 Thessalonians 4:8, when Paul made it clear that dismissing God’s design isn’t simply the rejection of a human custom; it’s a rejection of God.
After the gathering had ended, she approached me at the lectern and reiterated her commitment to the idea that someone could follow Jesus and still identify as bisexual.
And that’s when she finally blurted out, “I still want to believe in Jesus. I just don’t believe the Bible.”
“That’s interesting,” I replied. “What is it exactly that you believe about Jesus?”
Her answer was orthodox, as far as it went. She said she believed Jesus was the Son of God and that he died and was raised from the dead, then she mentioned how Jesus had taught people to love one another.
“That’s good,” I said. “And where do you find these facts you believe about Jesus?”
“Well, it’s in the Gospels and other places.”
“‘It’s in the Gospels.’ But the Gospels are in the Bible,” I smiled, “and I thought you said you don’t believe the Bible.”
“Okay, I believe some of the Bible,” she admitted with a touch of uncertainty. “I believe the parts about Jesus but not the parts about sex.”
I unpacked with her how Jesus had plenty to say about our sexuality (Matthew 19:1–12), how the same Spirit who empowered Jesus inspired the authors of Scripture, and how the writers of the New Testament were faithful to the teachings of their Savior. Our conversation was cordial and kind, but she left still trying to reconcile a bisexual self-conception with a commitment to Jesus.
What this young woman wanted was to embrace the gospel of Jesus but to ignore the authority of his Word. She could not envision how the gospel can possibly be good news if the gospel calls us to say “no” to our own sovereignty over our lives.
She’s not alone.
Her perspective is increasingly widespread, even among people who sit week by week in church services. That’s why all of us need constant reminders about the essence and the implications of the gospel. 
To embrace the gospel is to declare that Jesus is Lord and I am not (Romans 10:9), and the written Word of God is the means by which the living Word of God declares his will. The Jesus to whom we bow is Jesus as he is known to us through Holy Scripture. Declaring that Jesus is Lord while defying his Word reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the gospel. In the fourth century, Augustine of Hippo confronted a teacher who wanted to believe some parts of the Bible while rejecting others. “You ought to admit plainly that you don’t believe in the gospel of Christ,” Augustine said to him. “To believe and to disbelieve whatever you please is, after all, not to believe the gospel but to believe yourself” (Contra Faustum 17:3).
Those words still ring true today.
If we don’t consistently remind ourselves about the nature and implications of the gospel, any one of us can—whether in subtle ways or more obvious ways—fail to declare the gospel in all of its glorious fullness. And that’s why I’m inviting you to join me on March 11–12, 2022, on the campus of Boyce College as we explore the most pressing question of all: “What is the gospel?”
Click to learn more about attending Renown 2022.

There are a number of childhood vacations that stand out in my mind, but none quite as clearly as our family trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I may have been 10 or 12 at the time and was a young enthusiast of all things military. I knew little of the Civil War, but did know that Gettysburg represented a turning point in the conflict, that the battle fought here had changed the course of the war and the course of American history. It fascinated me then and still does now.

I remember gazing at Seminary Ridge and picturing troops marching down over it. I remember ascending Little Round Top and imagining bayonets clicking into place and soldiers charging ahead. I remember walking through Devil’s Den and thinking what it must have been like to hear muskets firing and canons roaring, the blasts echoing through the rocks. My young imagination went into overdrive that day.
And, indeed, my imagination had to go into overdrive because on the day we visited, the battlefield was so very serene. It was nearly impossible to believe that it was the very same place where there had once been such brutality, such suffering, such bloodshed. The grass that day was green, well-tended, and undisturbed. Summer flowers grew up around the rocks and danced in the gentle breeze. Squirrels hopped and flitted about merrily. The few people around us walked calmly and talked gently as they poured over their maps and studied the host of monuments. There could hardly have been a greater contrast between the battlefield as it was that day and the battlefield as it had been a century prior.

The Bible tells us that the great battlefield of every Christian lies within—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, the pride of life. We have been created to have desires, but have allowed them to become twisted and perverted, to draw us away from God instead of toward him. We have scorned what God loves and loved what God scorns. Yet in his mercy God has saved us and indwelled us by his Spirit and begun to give us new desires, new longings for holiness. Though we are not nearly as holy as we long to be, we are certainly far more holy than we once were, for God is at work in us and through us.
We tulipy Reformed folk tend to speak often about the indwelling sin that remains—the indisputable evidences that though we may be saints, we are also still sinners. Yet we do well to pause often and consider the sin that no longer remains—the indisputable evidences that though we may still be sinners, we are also saints. For as we consider the way we once were—the temptations that once dogged us, the sins that once owned us—we ought to see evidence of great change, great victory. We ought to see that many of these temptations have loosened their grip, that many of these sins have been put to death. We ought to see that battles have been fought and won, that many historic battlefields are now calm and quiet, places of serenity rather than warfare, places of peace rather than conflict.
There is always something strange, something jarring about touring an old battlefield, for there the present clashes with the past, what is with what once was. This is no less true of the battlefields within our hearts than the battlefields scattered across our nations. And just as we can rejoice that the quiet battlefield is evidence that the battle is over and the war won, we can rejoice that the growing quiet in our hearts is evidence that battles are ending and the war drawing to its close. For already the great General has won, the great enemy has been vanquished, and the great war is drawing swiftly to its close.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of books for adults and one for kids. Of note, Basically the whole Word Biblical Commentary series is on sale today. According to my Best Commentaries collection, there are some especially good volumes in that series that would all rank top-5 for that book: Genesis volume 1 and volume 2, Leviticus, Ruth-Esther, Ezra-Nehemiah, Job volume 1 2 and 3, Psalms volume 1 2 and 3, Song of Songs & Lamentations, Ezekiel volume 1 and 2, Daniel, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Pastoral Epistles, Hebrews volume 1 and 2, Jude-2 Peter, Revelation volume 1 2 and 3.

Dear Memaw: A Letter I Wish My Great-Grandmother Could Read 
“I wish I could tell you about your piano, Memaw. It is quite the story. But since I can’t tell you, I tell Him, each day, and thank Him for it. And now I’m letting the rest of the world hear it too.”
What Kind of Parent Are You?
“Helicopter parenting, lawnmower parenting, free-range parenting, tiger parenting, attachment parenting, baby-led, and serenity parenting—the list of descriptive parenting terms is endless. Or here is one of mine: janitorial parenting—letting your children do whatever they desire and you clean up after their mistakes, allowing them to avoid accountability.”
The Best and Worst U.S. Airlines of 2019
Here’s a short video that tells you which airlines you might want to prioritize.
An “I Love You” Family
“You can say it when you’re happy, sad, angry, or afraid. In both the family I grew up in and the one where I’m the parent, we’ve used ILY on cards for holidays or just because, on post-it notes with reminders to take out the trash, on napkins notes in lunch boxes, on foggy-mirror secret messages. I didn’t know that some people go their whole growing up years without hearing the phrase. But I think that what’s harder than saying it is believing it.”
The Enemies of Writing
You won’t agree with everything here, but I think you’ll find it thought-provoking. Consider: “If writers are afraid of the sound of their own voice, then honest, clear, original work is not going to flourish, and without it, the politicians and tech moguls and TV demagogues have less to worry about. It doesn’t matter if you hold impeccable views, or which side of the political divide you’re on: Fear breeds self-censorship, and self-censorship is more insidious than the state-imposed kind, because it’s a surer way of killing the impulse to think, which requires an unfettered mind.”
How the Sacraments Act as Contracts
Tim Chester explains how the sacraments act as contracts. This is a helpful explanation of Reformation theology. (For more, see his new book Truth We Can Touch.)
Responding to Trans Questions
Matthew Hosier responds to a few common questions related to transgenderism while pointing to helpful resources.
Flashback: A Protestant Look at Catholic Rome (Video)
Rome is the most Catholic city in the world. (It is, after all, Roman Catholicism.) But that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of history here that’s of particular interest to Protestants. In this video I take a Protestant look at Catholic Rome.

When the reality of death is far from our minds, the promises of Jesus often seem detached from our lives. —Matthew McCullough

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

There’s a nice little list of Kindle deals for the collectors.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Best Friendship in the World)
The Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2022
Joe Carter looks at a recent report about the countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian.
Ten Words for a Broken Society (#9: No False Witness)
Bruce Ashford continues his interesting series on the Ten Commandments. “Whereas the third commandment forbids us from telling a lie about God or attacking his name, the ninth commandment prohibits us from bearing false witness against our neighbor, i.e., from attacking our neighbor’s name: ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor’ (Ex 20: 16). And while this speaks specifically to courtroom situations, its implications are much broader.”
3 Things God Will Never Do with Your Sin
“Consider for a moment how we ‘deal’ with others. We keep fresh in our minds their injustices toward us. We nurture the memory of their faults and failings. We never let them forget what they did and we often make sure others are mindful of it as well. We seek every opportunity, often secretly and surreptitiously, to make them pay for their transgressions. We hold it in our hearts and over their heads and persuade ourselves that it’s only fair that they be treated this way.”
Marks of Manhood
Nick Batzig: “At a time when there is more confusion in the culture about gender and role relations, it would help us to take a step back and consider what Scripture sets forth as the model of manhood, namely, the Lord Jesus.”
When the Nest May Never Be Empty
Parents typically look forward to the day the nest will be empty. But for some, that’s just not reality. “When independence is the end goal for following Jesus, or for parenting, our faith is, unrecognizable from what God himself describes.”
A Proverb on Having Your Cake
I find idioms fascinating, perhaps especially when they originate from a different culture.
Flashback: Aging Brings Life-Shaping Decisions
In every way, we must be disciplined in our pursuit of God, we must build habits of holiness. We must not succumb to the ease of complacency.

They are fools that fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose themselves by keeping it. —John Trapp