Today’s Kindle deals include a bit of an eclectic selection of titles.

Westminster Books has a good selection of books and Bibles deeply discounted (with time for them to arrive before Christmas).
(Yesterday on the blog: Delayed Obedience Is Disobedience (Except When It Isn’t))
Hedgerows and Big Yellow Trucks
This is a good read that teaches a key lesson. “A hard rain was falling that afternoon, and I was eager to get home. After a long day of doctor appointments in the city for my son Ben, I loaded up the car with groceries and headed up the twisting road to our home in the mountains. Only a few miles up, however, a large yellow County Roads Department truck suddenly pulled out in front of me, making me hit the brakes in frustration. I stewed and fumed as the big truck ground upwards at 20 mph instead of my usual 45.”
To Affirm Is To Apostatise
This seems like an increasingly important topic of discussion among Christians: just how serious a sin is it to deny what the Bible calls sin?
Lessons from the Hardest year
Darryl Dash: “In suffering alongside someone, you take on some of that suffering. It’s like taking an audit course: you’re there, and you hear the lesson, but you don’t do much of the homework, even if you want to, even as you watch them carry the full load and try your best to help. It’s another thing altogether to enroll in the school of affliction.”
Pastor, Don’t Get Cute this Christmas
Kevin DeYoung considers the temptation toward novelty at Christmas. “Don’t do it, pastor. Don’t get cute at Christmas. Your people need regular meat and potatoes, not the newest eggnog recipe. Stay away from props and video clips. Put to death the Star Wars tie-in you’ve been really excited about. Don’t worry about preaching the same truths and the same themes. They don’t remember last year’s sermon anyway. Go ahead and tell them the old, old story one more time.”
Jesus Sings
Daniel has a helpful call to make sure you don’t overlook the small and seemingly unimportant details in Scripture.
God With Us
“The first year is the hardest. I heard that phrase repeatedly from well-meaning people attempting to comfort me after my 39-year-old husband died suddenly of a heart attack. As the days and weeks passed without him, their words led me to believe that if I could hold on until the first anniversary of his passing, everything would be ok. Even though I was rational and knew Ray couldn’t come back, part of me hoped it just might happen.”
Flashback: The Great Challenge of Every Marriage
In marriage, God allows us to see one another as we really are, then to accept one another as we really are—as holistic human beings who are a mixture of holy and depraved, grownup and immature, wonderful and almost unbelievably annoying.

It’s not that you do part of the work and God does the rest; it’s not that you do a little bit and God does a whole lot. Rather, in Christ’s church the Holy Spirit does everything. —Harold Senkbeil

This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor.

During the middle of COVID, Burke Counseling was launched with the simple goal of partnering with remote churches to provide online Biblical Counseling services for individuals and couples. Due to the pandemic, more people needed intentional care but couldn’t leave their homes. With a quick pivot to a home office business model we were able to continue to meet the increased demand. It has been a blessing to care for those who have been impacted by some of the toughest years many of us have experienced. Due to current cultural trends, we felt led to re-emphasize biblical language though a renewed vision as Burke Care.
Two ways Burke Care can help your ministry.
Provide Biblical Discipleship to your church members, staff, or community. Being able to disciple the Word and equipping others to disciple the Word has been a humbling and rich experience for us. Burke Care does not pretend to be “the” Biblical Discipleship and Equipping solution, but we may be “a” solution at this time and for a season. Ultimately, we want to bring glory to God which we know is for our ultimate good.  Our desire has been to have an eternal impact on the Biblical Counseling movement while utilizing the unique gifts that God has given us. At Burke Care, we have a desire to disciple others in the midst of their struggles and to meet with them where they are.
The value of Burke Care is rooted in the generosity of God, our hope in Jesus in community with one another.
Equip certified biblical counselors within your church and community. The Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) asked to partner with Burke Care to shepherd their online, self-paced students through Level 1 Certification training. This move reinforced the mission of Burke Care and increased our ability to bring biblical discipleship to remote parts of the English-speaking world. ABC certification can be done through an online regional cohort or through an online, self-paced course. Burke Care is prepared to work with you to discuss available options to get the best training solution in front of you. The ABC Level 1 Certification training, “Equipped to Counsel” authored by Dr. John Henderson, is designed to allow the counselor in training (CIT) to develop a biblical philosophy in the work of discipleship, gain an understanding of biblical counseling and acquire a basic understanding of the general and specific methods.
ABC exists to enlist, equip, enrich, and encourage people everywhere to live and disciple the Word, applying the Gospel to the whole experience of life.

ENLIST believers with a heart to grow in their knowledge of Scripture as it practically applies to the myriad of issues related to discipleship.

EQUIP the church and community by providing training and certification in the work of biblical discipleship.

ENRICH members by offering ongoing resources with a robust biblical worldview of people and their problems while promoting Scripture as the supreme source wherein healing truth may be found.

ENCOURAGE followers of Jesus Christ to know, cherish, and honor Him as they minister His Word to one another while supporting each other.

Virtual Training. The ABC Called to Counsel Conference will be held in Texas but is also now offering livestream. We are so excited to have Tim Challies as one of the keynote speakers and leading out on the grief track. The 2023 dates are Thursday, 4/27 through Saturday, 4/29. Attending this conference is another way to learn more about the role of Biblical Discipleship in the local church and how your church might benefit from this type of ministry.
To sign-up for the Called to Counsel Conference, you can go on-line and register at www.calledtocounsel.com.
Please consider how Burke Care and ABC can assist you and those around you with your Biblical Discipleship and Equipping needs. Email me at [email protected]

You’ve probably heard the phrase before. You’ve probably applied it to your children. You’ve hopefully applied it to yourself. Delayed obedience is disobedience. The phrase exhorts us that when we know the right thing to do, it is sinful to fail to do it. Or as we instruct our little ones: Do it now; do it all the way; and do it with a happy heart.

But is it invariably wrong to delay obedience? Is delayed obedience always disobedience?
My Bible reading this week took me to the closing chapters of Ezra which tells of God’s people leaving their exile and returning to Jerusalem. No sooner do they return than they become convicted that they have sinned against God by intermarrying with foreigners. Ezra records that “after these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, ‘The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations … for they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands.”
Ezra leads the people in a powerful prayer of confession and the people are cut to the heart. They repent of their sin and make a covenant that they will separate themselves from these foreign wives and their children. “Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.”
And then, because delayed obedience is disobedience, they immediately took action and drove away the foreign women on that very day, right? No, that wasn’t it at all.
Though Ezra called the people to act and seemed to do so right away, they pushed back, not because they wanted to delay their obedience, but because they knew the matter was complicated and that it was important to handle it with wisdom, care, and prudence. They knew that haste would lead to sloppiness and possibly compound the pain. “The people are many,” they said, “and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.” Instead they proposed that officials be appointed who would make their way from city to city to carefully examine each situation and then, on the basis of knowledge, pass the appropriate judgment.
Ezra agreed to this and the severing of Jewish men from foreign women was carried out over the period of three months rather than one day. Presumably these officials considered not only whether these wives were foreigners, but also whether they had come to fear God and accept the religion of their husbands—something that was permitted and had even been anticipated (see Ezra 6:21).
In this case, at least, delayed obedience was obedience. And this is because the delay was not due to apathy or indifference. It was not procrastination and not an attempt to continue to enjoy sin until the last possible moment. No, the delay was one of prudence to ensure that every judgment was fair and right, that every ruling was just and holy. Though the sin was dire and though they knew the right thing to do, the situation was complicated and the context unsuited to thoughtful decision-making. Thus in this case the lesser sin or the greater obedience was to move slowly.
And the lesson, perhaps, is that acting with wisdom, even in turning away from disobedience to pursue obedience, sometimes takes time—time to listen, time to examine, time to ponder, time to pray. In such situations it is better to act slowly and correctly than to risk compounding sin upon sin, pain upon pain. Delayed obedience, it seems, is sometimes not disobedience at all.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include some good picks from Jen Wilkin.
(Yesterday on the blog: We Do Not Know Until…)
My Anchor Holds
“Waves crashed against the steel hull. Winds whipped around as the frame of the ship lurched back and forth. A rusty chain stretched from the aft side of the vessel and disappeared below the foaming waters. Yet as the rain pelted through the treacherous night—the anchor held.”
It’s a Wonderful Telescope (Video)
This video from the John 10:10 Project combines astronomy, Scripture, and It’s a Wonderful Life.
God Does Not Forget Prayers or Promises
Barbara Harper has a sweet devotional about prayers and promises.
Alistair Begg on Romans 1
Alistair Begg has been preaching through Romans 1 and I am finding it tremendously beneficial. I highly recommend it. You can watch it, listen to it, or read it at the link.
Stay Awake!
“What is the action we are looking for that requires us to steer clear of bedclothes and keep the energy bills high?  What are we being charged to do?  What is required of us in this text? Such questions deserve our mental energy.  So, take a minute to open your Bible to Luke 12:35-40 and ask yourself, “What is the action for which I am to be prepared?” What is the thing I must do?”
Five Truths You Must Consider When You Are Angry
I’d probably suggest you should consider these five truths before you are angry (so you have them available when you’re actually angry).
Flashback: Do Not Be Surprised if the World Hates You
My friend, the more you love and honor God, the more you expose the evil of those who do not. The more you expose the evil of those who dishonor God, the more they’ll hate you. They’ll hate you because of who you love, because of who you resemble. They hated Jesus and they’ll hate those who are like Jesus.

Some Christians make the mistake of pitting love against law, as if the two were mutually exclusive. You either have a religion of love or a religion of law. But such an equation is profoundly unbiblical. —Kevin DeYoung

C.S. Lewis famously said that while God whispers to us in our pleasures, he shouts to us in our pains. And, indeed, as we pass through trials and afflictions we find that God speaks his truths to us in fresh and encouraging ways. And then it’s also true that we tend not to appreciate our pleasures until they are contrasted by pains—and that’s the point of this lovely quote by J.R. Miller which I trust you’ll enjoy reading and reflecting upon.

We do not know what God is to us—until, in some way, we lose the sense of his presence and the consciousness of his love. This is true of all our blessings. We do not know their value to us until they are lost or imperiled.
We do not prize health until it is shattered and broken, and we can never have it restored again.
We do not recognize the richness and splendor of youth until it has fled, with all its glorious opportunities, and worlds cannot buy it back.
We do not appreciate the comforts and blessings of Providence until we have been deprived of them, and are driven out of warm homes into the cold paths of a dreary world.
We do not estimate the value of our facilities for education and improvement, until the period of these opportunities is gone, and we must enter the hard battle of life unfurnished and unequipped.
We do not know how much our friends are to us—until they lie before us silent and cold. Ofttimes the vacant chair, or the deep, unbroken loneliness about us—is the first revealer of the worth of one we have never duly prized.

The lesson, of course, is to reflect on every blessing as we enjoy it and to return thanks to God for each and every one.

I’m grateful to Christian Focus for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their excellent Track series of books for young people.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of classics.
(Yesterday on the blog: Retractions)
A Friend Just Lost an Unbelieving Loved One to Death: What Do I Say, Think, and Do?
This article has some good things to say about offering help and comfort to someone who has lot an unbelieving loved one.
The Light of Christ in a World of Darkness
Alistair Begg: “The Christmas message ought to be hopeful. But if it is to be hopeful, it must be more than sentimental. Hope turns on the fulcrum of truth. If we would hold on to hope as we look into the darkness of the coming year, then our own purposes for our lives will do us little good. We can make nothing true by believing it, and we can make nothing right by wanting it.”
Practical Advice for Christian Parents of a Child Identifying as Transgender
Denny Burk shares a letter he has written to help parents whose daughter has decided she may be transgender—a tragically common occurrence these days.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
You’ll probably enjoy these zany photos from nature.
Seven Principles of Finance for the Believer
Jim Elliff: “This outline provides the diligent believer with some key principles preparing him/her for radical, other-worldly financial behavior. Alone, or if married, with your spouse, take some time for reading the Scripture texts and thinking through the obedient thing to do in each area. Then write out what you find. There is only one thing for you to do after this meditation … obey!”
What Has Been Most Helpful in Your Marriage?
This is good and wise counsel.
Flashback: When God Doesn’t Zap Away Our Sin
God does not zap away our sin, but gives us a new hatred for it and a new desire to do the hard work of battling it. He does not sovereignly remove it in a moment, but extends grace so we can battle it for a lifetime.

The struggle to shepherd willingly happens every time ministry becomes difficult. So we have to see people as Jesus sees them. —Jared Wilson