If you’re in or near Tasmania, I’d love to see you at the Grace and Truth Conference in October.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of excellent books.
(Yesterday on the blog: God of Every Grace – The Story Behind the Song)
Thinking and Emotions in the Christian Life
“Human beings are people of extremes. The pages of history give testimony to our ability to diagnose a problem and then overcorrect to an opposite error. Children raised under the pressures of legalism often gravitate toward licentiousness. Reacting against an overemphasis in logic, some have gone to the opposite error of relative truth. The church is not immune to such pendulum swings.”
Give Humble Counsel
“Isn’t it interesting that the less you know, the more willing you are to give counsel?” Yes, it’s interesting. And it’s not commendable.
When to seek justice or bear injustice
Stephen Kneale considers when to seek justice and when to bear injustice. “What do we do about injustice? Options range from setting up campaigns and waging unrelenting war against it right the way through to actively encouraging it ourselves. But what should be our response as believers? I think there is a time to pus back against injustice and there is a time to wear it. The big question is, how do we know when to do either?”
God Made Sabbath an Equipping Tool for Suffering
“I was eight years into a rocky marriage. I didn’t know it, but I was living the last months with my husband still sleeping in our home. By the end of that summer, he would be gone. One and a half years later, the divorce papers would be signed. As I sat waiting for the winner to be announced, God was planning to continue what he had started in me. He knew I would need him in the months and years ahead. He knew the way I was living was not sustainable, and he intended to change it. He was about to provide all the grace I needed for the suffering ahead, with the primary equipping tool being sabbath.”
With Cheerfulness
“There’s an idea out there that good works hardly even count if you enjoy them. That the enjoyment tarnishes the purity of the deed by bringing an immediate personal benefit to the one who does it.” But does the Bible support this?
All About Jesus: Tim Keller’s Memorial Service
Here’s a little report from TGC on the recent memorial service in honor of Tim Keller.
Flashback: It’s Only Money
Just like we can care too little about money and spend it too freely, we can care too much about money and hold it too tightly. As usual, there is peril on both sides.

Prayer is knowing work, believing work, thanking work, searching work, humbling work, and nothing worth if heart and hand do not join in it. —Thomas Adam

I do not share many guest articles but do like to do so occasionally, especially when the circumstances warrant it. This is one of those times. This article was written by Kristyn Getty as a means of explaining the context of a new hymn, “God of Every Grace.” I trust you’ll enjoy the hymn even more as you learn when and why it was written.

Sixteen years ago we were invited to sing “In Christ Alone” at the opening of the Dove Awards. We had recently moved to the US, and although we were very honored to participate, our hearts were heavy. My beautiful cousin Lindsay had just passed away from cancer. We were very much singing for our family. I struggled to sing.
Earlier that day I remember turning to 1 Corinthians 15 and reading of the hope of the resurrection. I was struck by Paul’s concluding charge: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58).
There are many things we experience in this life that will only find their resolution, their answer, their ultimate comfort when we are home with the Lord. What do we do when we have to continue to walk with the question, with the ache, with the limp? We know the Lord will “work all things to the good of those who love him,” but what if that good is not known in this lifetime? There are some pains I don’t yet know and can’t imagine.
The new hymn “God of Every Grace” began with a melody and some lyrics from our friend Bryan Fowler. The song spoke of walking through struggle with faith. It spoke of God as the God of every grace, calling us to see even our trials as somehow, mysteriously, serving God’s good purposes according to his good plans. It resonated with us.
Shortly after the school shooting in Nashville in March 2023, I was sitting outside with my daughters while they were playing, wrestling with this tragedy and the ongoing weight of it. I also pondered the memory of my cousin and the pain her family continues to carry. Many of the ideas and lyrics for this hymn began to form in my head that day.
Alongside Bryan and Matt Boswell, we continued to shape the verses and add the chorus over a couple of months. We felt strongly about keeping the lyric directed to the Lord, personal and honest. The line “all your children home together” was a very moving thought for me as a mother—that desire for a family to be all together again. Only in Christ is this possible.
We are all tempted at different times to give up, to give in, to let our circumstances steal our hope. This hymn is a prayer for his daily strength, for regular recalling of our hope, for faith to keep following, for rest in the truth that he knows, he sees, he counts the tears. We hope you can sing this prayer with us.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” -1 Peter 5:10-11
[embedded content]
Here are the lyrics:
O let not this world of sorrowsSteal my only hope awayFor the power of Your gospelShines within this jar of clayIn affliction You bring wisdomThat my comforts can displaceHow my true and greatest treasureIs in You, the God of grace
Now to the God of every graceWho counts my tears, who holds my daysI sing through sorrows, sing with faithO praise the God of every grace
Weary with the weight I carryGive me wings of faith to riseFor You know each grief that lingersThrough the watches of the nightSurely You have borne our sufferingsAt the cross took up our painAnd You lead us on to gloryAs we trust You, God of grace
Now to the God of every graceWho counts my tears, who holds my daysI sing through sorrows, sing with faithO praise the God of every grace
There’s a dawning hope before usThat I know is soon to breakAs I wait upon Your mercyWhich will swallow every acheCries of joy and songs of victoryWhen we enter heaven’s gatesAll Your children home togetherAll with You, the God of grace
Now to the God of every graceWho counts my tears, who holds my daysI sing through sorrows, sing with faithO praise the God of every grace
Now to the God of every graceWho counts my tears, who holds my daysI sing through sorrows, sing with faithO praise the God of every graceO praise the God of every graceO praise the God of every grace
© 2023 Getty Music Publishing (BMI) / Messenger Hymns (BMI) – adm. at MusicServices.com // Be Essential Songs (BMI) / BryanFowlerSongs (BMI) – adm. at EssentialMusicPublishing.com

Good morning from beautiful, chilly New Zealand.

This week Westminster Books has a deal on the new CSB Life Counsel Bible.
Today’s Kindle deals include another pretty good little list of titles.
My Heavenly Father Taught Me Not to Hate My Earthly One
Dudu Mkhize explains her troubled relationship with her father and then tells what healed it.
When Puzzles Drive Me Mad
Chris Thomas: “I’m the kind of guy that likes to have stuff figured out, to have it all squared away and packaged neatly (preferable alphabetised). Not knowing, or seeing the gaps, mean that puzzles are prone to driving me mad. I need to solve the mystery. This makes me a tenacious problem solver: 1. Define the mystery 2. Figure out the steps 3. Win! Easy.”
Victoria’s Anti-Conversion Legislation Promotional Is A Soothing Bed-Time Story
Australia’s state of Victoria has passed what is probably the world’s strongest law against so-called conversion therapy. They released a video to explain it and Stephen McAlpine gave it a look. “So soothing. So seductive. Its narrated in the most calm, wonderful sleepy-bye-byes bedtime story voice one could ever hope for. Before reading any further on this blog post, have a watch. A watch, and a listen. Especially a listen.”
100 Bible Trivia Questions
If you’re in the mood for some Bible trivia, Logos has got you covered.
When the Fireworks of Marriage Stop
”If you’re married, can you recall the fireworks from your wedding day? What about the months following? Was the world teeming with possibilities—the cup of adventure overflowing with magic? Did you believe anything was possible, and nothing could stand in the way of your dreams, goals, desires, love? Did you feel weightless, like a feather floating on a summer breeze?”
Can Preventative Medicine Become the Fountain of Youth?
“The fountain of youth. The elixir of life. The golden apple. For centuries, such myths have reflected humankind’s obsession with immortality. With the right magic, the stories proclaim, we can unnaturally lengthen our lives. With enough bravery and smarts, we can evade the cruel grasp of death. Such promises tantalize the imagination, luring us into the false belief that we can escape the wages of sin by our own efforts.”
Flashback: Success Beyond What We Can Handle
Those who pray for no more than they can handle will find joy and comfort in even modest achievements, for they will know and trust that God has given them what is for their best and withheld from them what would be to their harm.

The motion of our praise must be like the motion of our pulse, which beats as long as life lasts. —Thomas Watson

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

The whole ZECNT series of excellent commentaries is on sale in today’s Kindle deals.
(Yesterday on the blog: When We Follow God’s Plan)
The Internet and Christian Catholicity
Samuel James makes lots of helpful points here as he considers the challenges of Christian catholicity in the age of the internet.
Do Christians Really Suffer in America?
Do Christians actually suffer in present day America? John Piper answers the question here.
Blind To The Glory of Home
“On setting out on our first journey into a new country, we were filled with grand expectations of all the things we hoped to see and experience. Little did we know that God was actually leading us on the greatest adventure of all – a journey to glorify him.”
Finding Home
Also on the subject of home, here’s Kristin on finding home. “Earthly times and dwellings are part of God’s good design– a shadowy likeness of the true Christian’s forever home. God is near to us, such frail creatures of dust and rib, designed in his image and pining for home.”
A Biblical Counselor’s Treatment Room
Andy Farmer considers the importance of the physical space a counselor uses to counsel people.
Uninvited fears
“Uninvited fears press against the window. And slip in through the cracks. Seeping into the throng of thoughts populating our minds. Hitching themselves to ‘what if’s’ and ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s.’”
Flashback: What Can a Heart Do?
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?

We don’t love our neighbors to convert them; we love our neighbors because we are converted. —Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon

Today’s post is sponsored by BJU Seminary and written by Renton Rathbun, who directs BJU’s Center for Biblical Worldview, contributes to the Seminary’s apologetics program, and speaks across the country on biblical worldview and apologetics. BJU Seminary equips Christian leaders through an educational and ministry experience that is biblically shaped, theologically rich, historically significant, and evangelistically robust.

We live in a world where 62% of American pastors have a syncretistic worldview. It was pastors who enabled the success of the Revoice movement, which is responsible for grooming young men and women into embracing a gay identity within Christianity. And currently, there is a dwindling confidence in pastors’ spiritual credibility.
Now more than ever, the American church is in desperate need of pastors who are ready to address a simple fact: the Church has come to despise holiness. Yes, the Church at large seems fond of God’s love and goodness, but holiness leaves a bitter taste in her mouth.
Many fear pursuing holiness will make us unrelatable, robotic, and judgy. Yet, the most sobering statement of 1 John 2:1–6 is that the first and primary exhortation is to stop sinning. Yes, if we do sin, we have an Advocate. But John wrote his epistle principally so that his people “may not sin.”
When we do speak of practical matters of holiness, we often explain our way into retaining at least some sin. When 1 Timothy 2:12 forbids women “to exercise authority over a man” in the church, we roll out our feminists to help us see that “authority” is misunderstood by conservatives. When Romans 1:26–27 speaks of the sin of homosexuality and its “vile affections,” we roll out our same-sex-attracted pastors to help us see that only the act of sodomy is a sin, not the attraction part.
The Church is losing the skill of hating and killing. We do not hate sin as God does, so we do not kill it. We might condemn parts of it—but hating and killing it goes too far. Yet, God says He hates the work of those who sin (Ps. 101:3; 119:104). He hates abominations (Prov. 6:16–19; Jer. 44:4). He hates the planning of evil (Zach. 8:17). And God has instructed us to hate evil (Ps. 97:10), even abhor it (Rom. 12:9).
Our worldview is confused, so our compassion has become confused. In attempting to show compassion for those who are tangled up in sin, we have begun showing compassion for sin itself. As my pastor once stated, “When we forget the sinfulness of sin and God’s own hatred for it, we forget the cost of sin for the Son of God.”
How can we kill what we have become accustomed to? How can we assassinate that which we have been pining after? We need a biblical worldview of holiness. The puritan John Owen confronts us, “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it while you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you!”
Pastors, do not give up. Do not give in. Do not go gently into the night. Fight for holiness in your own heart (1 Pet. 3:15) and in the hearts of your congregations (1 Pet. 1:15–16). Fight because you love God. Fight because you love your people. Turn your people into killers of sin, or it will be killing them.
For more articles from BJU Seminary faculty members, or more information about BJU Seminary, visit our website.

When I was a child, the maps in my Bible got me through many a sermon. I was rarely interested in listening to the preacher, so I would flip to the back pages of the Bible to study the maps there. I would gaze at the contours of the lands of the Middle East. I would observe how Abraham had obeyed God and left his country and his kindred and his father’s house to journey to the land that God would show him. I would study the ancient world as the Patriarchs knew it. Best of all, I would see how God had miraculously delivered his people from their long captivity in Egypt.

Like just about every Bible, mine had a map that traced the route the Israelites followed after they escaped from Egypt and began to make their way toward the Promised Land. The map had a line in blue that began in Egypt and then traveled south for a time toward the bottom of the Sinai Peninsula. Eventually, it bulged north for a short while before dipping south again. Then finally it turned permanently northward and led the way to Jericho before it terminated on the banks of the Jordan.
The route the Israelites followed is far from straight and hardly looks efficient. Instead of taking a direct approach leading straight from Egypt to Canaan, the route appears to wander and meander, to turn this way and then that, to progress for a time and then bog down. It would be easy enough to look at a map like that and assume that it shows confusion or indecision, a lack of planning, and a lack of strong leadership.
Yet we know that all the while the people were following the Lord’s directives. He is the one who would tell them when to pick up and when to settle down, when to go straight, and when to turn to the left or the right. It was under his direction that they forded this river or turned away from that sea, in obedience to his command that they approached this mountain or avoided that plain. And if that’s the case, then the map does not truly wander and meander at all and does not truly show the least confusion or indecision. To the contrary, the map at the back of our Bibles shows the considered and well-thought-out plan of God, the route that existed in his mind long before he called his people to follow it. Their every step was deliberate and their every move was meaningful, for it was all the fulfillment of God’s good and perfect will.
There are times when it does us good to think back to our own lives and to picture them almost like a map—a map that traces our journey from birth to where we are today. And as we look at our lives so far, we can see how we passed through certain kinds of difficulties and avoided many more, how we scaled some mountains of joy but bypassed others. We can see how we turned this way toward success and that way toward failure. Our path through this life has been winding and twisting, rarely perfectly straight and rarely avoiding every hindrance and every stretch of wilderness.
And just like God was leading the Israelites on their journey, we can have every confidence that he has been leading us on ours. Just like every twist and every turn they took was within the wise providence of God, so too every step we’ve taken forward and every step we’ve taken back. He planned that we would approach mountains and valleys, rivers and seas, and he has used them all for his good purposes. And, just like he promised that his people would safely reach the end of their journey, he has promised we will reach ours. For like them, he is leading us to the Promised Land, the land of peace, the land of rest, the land where we most truly long to be.

Here is one more reminder that Truth for Life (Alistair Begg) is featuring Seasons of Sorrow this month. You can purchase it for just $7 or get it free with a donation of any amount. It has never been easier to get a copy to read for yourself or to give away.

(Yesterday on the blog: How We Worshipped on One Sunday in August)
Christianity and Transgenderism: A Youth Group Session
Rhys Laverty has shared what could prove a very helpful session to use with your youth group.
Why Everyone Started Talking About Expositional Preaching
“Expositional preaching is enjoying a revival. Why?” In a longform article, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra tries to get to the bottom of it.
Not Yet in the Fold
This article considers those people who may spend a good deal of time with a church even though they have not yet become Christians. It suggests we consider them as a distinct category and make sure we don’t overlook them.
Back To School Prayer Guide – 2023 Edition
“It’s Back To School time! As parents, grandparents, guardians, friends and others in the community, we begin a new school year with many concerns, apprehensions, and hopes. What better way to begin this school year than to begin in prayer? Here is a Back to School Prayer Guide to help you both now and throughout the school year. This prayer guide is general enough to fit all types of education (public, private, co-ops, college, homeschool).”
The Urgency of Friendships
Jill Noble: “I clearly remember the conversation where I was misled about the importance of women’s friendships. This wrong information was presented to me in the direst of tones and with the most earnest of facial expressions.”
What We Know about the People behind the Dead Sea Scrolls
Most of us know the connection between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essenes. But who were these people?
Flashback: A Bunch of Good Reasons To Saturate Your Worship Services in the Bible
I have never attended a church that had too much Bible. It would be very nearly impossible to let God’s voice through God’s Word be too prominent in our gatherings.

No man falls through his own weakness merely; if he rely on God, the strongest foe cannot shake him. —Adam Clarke

From time to time I like to share one of our worship services from Grace Fellowship Church. In that vein, here is how we worshiped on one summer Sunday morning. This week’s cast of characters included John (a pastoral assistant) as the service leader, Allie as the lead worshiper, Dwight as the elder who prayed and read the sermon text. I preached. The band was comprised of piano, violin, and guitar. The various elements of the service are in bold with the name of the person who led the element in parentheses. Items in quotes represent roughly what the person said to the congregation. Items not in quotes are explanatory. The entire service took approximately 90 minutes.

Welcome and Call to Worship (John)
“Because God is both all-powerful and full of love, the Psalmist calls on us to turn to Him: ‘Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us’ (Psalm 62:8). The Triune God is a refuge to His people. Let’s begin our worship of GOD by calling on Him—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—to help us praise Him as we pour our hearts out to Him.”
Singing (Allie)

“Come Thou Almighty King”

Corporate Reading (John)
“One of the many ways God provides us refuge is by giving us His Word. Our Bibles. Please read out loud with me these words of praise to God for His comforting and consoling and counseling Word.” (Together we read Psalms 119:129-136 from the CSB.)
Singing (Allie)

“How Firm a Foundation”

Complementary Text Reading (John)
“Once a year, Israel’s High Priest was to enter the Holy Place in the temple to make atonement. This day was called Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. Listen carefully as I read of this day.” (John read Leviticus 16:29–34)
Prayer of Confession (John)
John used the fact that God decreed an annual Day of Atonement for Israel to lead the congregation in a prayer of confession for their sins.
Word of Assurance (John)
“The Psalmist wrote: ‘For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you’ (Psalm 86:5). If you have called upon the powerful and loving God to forgive you in Christ, be assured he has done it. You are forgiven, because he is so loving.”
Singing (Allie)

“O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus”
“Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me”

Pastoral Prayer (Dwight)
Dwight led the pastoral prayer and prayed for a number of matters pertaining to the life of the church.
Scripture Reading (Dwight)
Dwight read the text for the sermon—Hebrews 4. He prefaced his reading by saying, “This is what holy Scripture says” and ended it by saying, “This is the word of the Lord” to which the church responded with “Thanks be to God.”
Singing (Allie)

“I Know That My Redeemer Lives”

Sermon (Tim)
I preached a sermon titled “The Heart of Christ in our Weaknesses” with the outline “Jesus Knows, Jesus Cares, Jesus Helps.”
Singing (Allie)

“Jesus Strong and Kind”

Commission & Benediction
John called the church to live out the truths we had encountered in the service, then said, “Receive this blessing of the Lord from His Word: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’”

I am so grateful to TWR for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about the kinds of people who make great missionaries.

I am looking forward to speaking at a conference in Tasmania in October. The details are available on Facebook. I’d love to see you there!
Today’s Kindle deals include some newer and older titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Preparing Yourself to Share the Gospel with Muslims)
Don’t Waste Your Waiting
John Koning writes for TGC Africa and considers our relationship with time. “My issues with time seem to be typical of the Western world. Time is precious. Time is money, say the experts. Waiting is therefore a waste of time and money. ‘Quick and easy’ are two words with enormous seductive, even magical, powers. How can we ‘do life,’ maximising it with the least fuss and bother?”
Counseling a Woman Whose Husband Doesn’t Lead
Counselors and pastors will want to give this article a look since this is such a common concern.
Where does sin come from?
“Sin is not a substance that needs to be created in order for it to exist. It is an attitude or a posture—an anti-God attitude or posture—that leads in turn to anti-God thoughts, words, and deeds. Sin is the privation or absence of godliness or righteousness or lawfulness, much in the same way that darkness is the privation or absence of light. God didn’t need to create ungodliness; it already existed as an ‘opposite’ to His own character and will.”
What Is Wisdom?
What is wisdom, anyway? How would the Bible define it? And how do we live it out?
Gospel, Grind, and Christmas in July
Adam York tells about a service project and the difference it made.
Social Media Is a Spiritual Distortion Zone
It is important that we continue to think, and think well, about social media. “People sometimes say, ‘Social media is neutral. It’s just about how you use it.’ This is false. As we learn more about social media’s role in our national mental health crisis, it’s increasingly clear this technology is anything but neutral—and government leaders are starting to respond.”
Flashback: Why You Really Need To Be Praying For Your Pastor
There are many decisions still to be made…and all of this puts the call on you and me and all of us to pray for pastors. They are going to need divine assistance to lead well and to lead with wisdom.

When the world is bitter the word is sweet. —Matthew Henry

I always enjoy speaking with Muslims. I enjoy it, in part, because I have yet to meet a Muslim who is offended when I bring up spiritual matters or who is uninterested in discussing them. I’m quite sure I have had more cordial conversations about the gospel with Muslims than with anyone else. I suspect many others would say the same.

As I have spoken with Muslims, I always find myself wanting to better understand their faith so I can more effectively present the gospel to them. There are many resources that can help with this, but I am especially thankful for the collection written by Ayman Ibrahim. Ibrahim is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Director of Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam. Having been born and raised in Egypt, he has first-hand experience with Islam and access to the Arabic language. This makes him especially qualified and his books especially effective. There are four I recommend to you.
Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel was published by Crossway in 2002 and provides lots of insights and practical counsel on sharing the gospel with Muslims. In the first half of the book, he explains the different strands of Islam and their key beliefs to ensure the reader understands the sheer diversity of the Muslim world. In the second half, he offers advice on actually connecting with Muslims and sharing the gospel with them. That makes this book a very good place to begin before conversing with Muslims.
Apart from this book and a number of academic works that may be more appropriate for a scholarly audience, Ibrahim has written a three-part series titled “Introducing Islam” that provides a relatively concise understanding of three different aspects of Islam. These are ideal for those who wish to go a little deeper and perhaps be more prepared for in-depth conversations.

A Concise Guide to the Quran: Answering Thirty Critical Questions. If you want to understand Islam, you’ll need to under the Quran, and that is the heart of this book. Ibrahim asks and answers thirty questions that help explain the origins of the Quran, its central message, and what Muslims believe about it. What is the Quran and what does “Quran” mean? What do Shiite and Sunni Muslims believe about it and in what ways do they differ? What does the Quran say about Jews and Christians? What does it say about Jesus and the Bible? He answers all these questions and many more.
A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad: Answering Thirty Key Questions. The focus of this book is, of course, the prophet Muhammad. Ibrahim answers thirty questions that together offer a guide to Muhammad’s life and significance within Islam and the world. Because the book is written specifically for Christians, he asks the kind of questions Christians may be wondering: Who was Muhammad and was he a true historical figure? What do we know about his wives? What was the central message of what he taught and what did he believe about Jesus?
A Concise Guide to Islam: Defining Key Concepts and Terms. The third volume in this series, which will be published in just a few weeks, takes a different approach. Instead of asking and answering questions, it focuses on specific terms that appear within Islam and are commonly used by Muslims. So, for example, Ibrahim begins with terms related to the Islamic scriptures and defines the following: Quran, hadith, sira, sunna, each of which is likely to be familiar to those who have engaged with Muslims. The book can be read from cover to cover or treated more like a reference work where the inquisitive reader simply turns to the term that interests him.
Together, these four books provide a strong foundation for understanding what may soon be the world’s most dominant religion. With Muslims present in every country in the world, including yours and mine, it may be wise for us to be well prepared to share the gospel with them. These books will go a long way to doing just that.