I’d like to express my gratitude to The Good Book Company for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about Alistair Begg’s new book The Christian Manifesto (which I earlier reviewed here). Sponsors play a key role in keeping this site going, so I am grateful to each and every one.

You’ll find just a few new Kindle deals today if you’re into that sort of thing.
This week I read Going Infinite, Michael Lewis’ biography of the notorious Sam Bankman-Fried—a book timed to be released just as SBF began his trial. While I found the book interesting, I also found the author naive—he seems to absolve his subject of too much blame for the collapse of FTX and the billions of dollars that evaporated with it. I did enjoy his look at the Effective Altruism movement and its obvious shortcomings and failures. It’s a relatively brief book and one that was written before the trial that will determine SBF’s guilt or innocence. Though certainly not Lewis’ best, I still found it worth the read. Next up: Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.
And now, without any further ado, some links:
What No Eye has Seen…
“Let’s keep going. Christ has already gone to prepare a place for us in going to the cross and bearing the wrath of God against your sins and mine. When all you can see is the fog in front of you, let your heart swell at the thought that ‘no eye has seen , nor ear heard, nor the hear of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign?
At least as far as I’m concerned, no one has taught God’s sovereignty better than R.C. Sproul. This article is so good, comforting, and clarifying.
Knowing God as Our Refuge
This article is about the ways in which we can know God as our refuge.
Encircled, Enclosed, Squeezed In
“We don’t always feel that the Lord is near. When life is hard, when grief is deep, when loss is the biggest thing in the room, we quickly wonder where God is. Surely he has left me in the darkness of my pain. Surely he isn’t present when I hurt this much. But Scripture can tell our hearts how to feel when we fear we are alone. Scripture tells us what is real in the depths of sadness and pain.”
The Sin Breaker
Though I’m not part of this church, I enjoy the pastor’s letters to his congregation. This one is about the kingship of Jesus and the battle against sin.
Flashback: Can We Enjoy Heaven Knowing Loved Ones Are in Hell?
We cannot imagine how we could be content in heaven while loved ones are in hell because we think too little of the beauty of glorification. Until we are glorified, our sympathies will rest more easily with human beings than with God—his glory and perfect justice.

When people say, ‘I know God forgives me, but I can’t forgive myself,’ they mean that they have failed an idol, whose approval is more important to them than God’s. —Tim Keller

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of books by Alistair Begg and a Luke for You Set to one winner!

This Book Bundle Includes…
The Christian Manifesto by Alistair Begg and The Christian Manifesto Study Guide
What does genuine Christian living look like in the 21st century, and how can we be motivated to live that way?
The answer comes from Jesus’ sermon in Luke 6 (sometimes known as the Sermon on the Plain), which starts, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God,” and goes on to lay out God’s vision statement for the Christian life. It is a manifesto that transcends politics, culture and personality, detailing God’s intentions for his people.
Alistair Begg unpacks this sermon, encouraging Christians to live a radically different life that upends the world’s values and philosophies. It’s a lifestyle that is counterintuitive and countercultural, yet one that God blesses with true meaning and impact.
As we look at the kindness and compassion of Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help, we’ll grow in both the motivation and the ability to obey Jesus’ teaching and experience the blessing that comes from that.
This compelling book will remind you of God’s grace and what it means to follow him, helping you discover the ultimate blessing that is found in him.
The Study Guide features eight sessions to correspond with each of the eight chapters in The Christian Manifesto.
Luke For You Set by Mike McKinley 
Luke wrote his Gospel to offer his first readers, and his readers today, certainty over the truth of the gospel, and joy that God’s promises have been fulfilled with the coming of his King.
This two-volume set of expository Bible-study guides to Luke’s Gospel pays close attention to the text and has a focus on real-life application. Mike McKinley brings us face to face with Jesus in a compelling way for both experienced and new readers of this Gospel.
Truth for Life – Volume 1 (Gift Edition) by Alistair Begg
This imitation-leather edition of Alistair Begg’s best-selling one-year devotional, Truth For Life – Volume 1, makes a beautiful gift for a Christian brother or sister, encouraging them to start each day with the gospel.
Features of this edition include:

an imitation-leather debossed cover
a ribbon marker
a sleeve

Each daily devotion includes:

reflections from renowned Bible teacher Alistair Begg
prompts for real-life application
relevant Scripture passages
a yearly Bible-reading plan

Reflecting on a short passage each day, Alistair spans the Scriptures to show us the greatness and grace of God, and to thrill our hearts to live as His children. His clear, faithful exposition and thoughtful application mean that this resource will both engage your mind and stir your heart.
Pray Big
So many of us struggle with prayer. Many books have been written on the subject and there’s a reason for that. Prayer comes hard to most of us, in most seasons. And when we do pray, we often don’t know what to say. What is it that my Father loves to hear about? What are the best things I could pray for my family, my church, and myself?
This short book by renowned Bible teacher Alistair Begg combines warmth, clarity, humor, and practicality as he examines Paul’s prayers for his friends in the church in Ephesus.
Paul clearly enjoyed prayer, and was excited about it. He expected his Father in heaven to hear what he said, and to act in other people’s lives accordingly. The truths that underpin and shape his prayers will motivate us to pray and set us an example.
So be inspired by the Apostle Paul to pray bigger and better prayers as we look to our heavenly Father to do more than all we ask or imagine!
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. When you enter, you permit The Good Book Company to send you marketing emails which you may unsubscribe from at any time. The winner will be notified via email, and those who do not win will receive an email with the option to download a free e-copy of Extraordinary Hospitality by Carolyn Lacey. The giveaway closes on Friday, October 13th at noon, EST.

Yesterday was my first day at my desk in a while and it felt so good to be back! I’m so grateful that a pretty significant infection can be defeated by $20 worth of prescriptions. What a world we live in! I’m looking forward to sharing some new articles beginning on Monday.

Logos has launched a new sale so you can save money on all things sermons. Remember they’ve also got a Pastor Appreciation Sale going on.
When Being Affirming Isn’t Loving
Not surprisingly, Carl Trueman has something to say about Andy Stanley’s (and Pope Francis’) recent attempts to be affirming. “Prophets warn the church when she is too close to the world. They do not go to the world to tell the pundits that the church is not worldly enough.” (On the same topic, see Sam Allberry’s article at CT: Andy Stanley’s ‘Unconditional’ Contradiction.”)
My God, My God, Why Have You NOT Forsaken Me?
“I was a rebel and a deceiver. I loved my sin. Why not forsake me? Why would He accept me?”
Dagon’s Head and Goliath’s Head
Mitch draws a comparison between two stories that may not, at face value, seem to have much in common.
What Old Testament Promises Are for Me?
Christians often struggle to discern how Old Testament promises apply to us today. John Piper offers some useful guidance here.
Already Unique
“I saw an article recently that focused on how three different men had each created their own unique fashion styles. All of them looked quite different from each other, and all of them had managed to combine their clothes in ways that really did stand out from most of the styles on the street. The point of the article was to explore how these men had been able to craft styles that were actually unique, and how you and I could do the same.”
Learning Dependence on the Lord
Barbaranne Kelly writes about learning her limitations. “I consider myself to be a relatively capable person. I know that I have limits, but I thought my capabilities outweighed them. I used to believe that God wouldn’t give me more than I could handle, until he started giving me more than I could handle. I’m now decades into learning how very weak and dependent—how incapable—I am, and how very strong, faithful, and capable my Lord is.”
Flashback: 6 Great Reasons To Study Doctrine
Your love for God is limited by your knowledge of him, so that you can really only love him as far as you know him. As the depth of your knowledge grows, so too does the depth of your love.

Inside and outside the church, the way you live should commend the gospel just as much as the words you say. —Alistair Begg

Good morning! May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Marty Machowski has written a new devotional commentary for kids and Westminster Kids has it on sale right out of the gate.
Dad, Where Are You Going?
Tim writes this one from the heart. “How does a parent handle their child’s fragile heart that believes his Dad is healthy, not sick. Strong, not weak. The family’s provider, not the one in need. I’m weary holding his childlike concern and decide to punt for another day.”
The Problem with Trying to Portray the Holy Spirit
“A lot of people have had a lot of unhelpful ideas about the Holy Spirit, but for sheer oddness, it is hard to find a stranger case than the portrayal of the third person of the Trinity as a beautiful, young, winged, curly haired boy with a widow’s peak.” Indeed.
Learning to Speak Chickadee
I so thoroughly enjoyed this article about the humble chickadee (which, it turns out, is quite an extraordinary little creature).
Souls are not to be won by music
I don’t really know what to say about this one other than that it’s well worth a read.
Mary Livingstone, Praiseworthy Missionary Wife and Mother
Vance Christie’s recent biography of David Livingstone really changed my understanding of Mary. In this article, Christie tells how “she is worthy of high praise and not a small degree of compassionate empathy.”
The Only Solution for our Sin
Guy Richard has an article that simply celebrates God for providing the one solution for our sin.
Flashback: Thank God We Do/Don’t Know the Future
Until that great day, we cling to the many powerful promises God has given us. Our confidence is not in knowing the future, but in knowing the one who holds the future.

Not only will the sorrow of death be forgotten in the joy of heaven, but the joy of heaven will be far deeper and richer because of earth’s pain and sorrow. —J.R. Miller

I’m glad to say that I think I’ve turned a bit of a corner in my recovery from whatever I picked up in Zambia. I hope to be back to normal within a few days.

You’ll find a good little collection of Kindle deals today. (Also, if you’re into Agatha Christie, a whole lot of her books are on sale today only.)
A Case for Christian Optimism
“Once the preserve of the middle-aged and elderly, ‘declinism’ has reached the mainstream in the Western world. The nagging feeling that life is on a downward trend, that things are not what they once were, that our future is less bright than our past, now plagues public discourse and popular media.” Like Andrew, I feel quite optimistic about the future.
Seven Blessings for Empty-Handed Believers
“Empty-handedness is where the blessing of God begins. People who feel they have something to offer God come to him with their hands full, but as long as our hands are full, we are not in a position to receive.”
“The next Pope will be John XXIV.” Will he?
Leonardo De Chirico follows some clues to suggest who may eventually replace Pope Francis.
Advice to My Younger Self
From her current vantage point in life, Donna tells what advice she would offer to her younger self.
Enduring Lessons from the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Gary Millar only just got around to listening to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill and offers some enduring lessons from the whole Mars Hill situation (or fiasco or phenomenon or…).
God, Our Hiding Place
“The summer slump is over. Children have returned to school. Similar to the difficulty of moving a long-parked train, the normal cycles of life are slowly gaining momentum. And in the midst of all of this, many patterns in the life of the pastor are gaining inertia. As we take on more and more responsibilities, the pressure to crowd out the important with the urgent lurks in every staff meeting, inbox, and calendar update.”
Flashback: My Own Little Paradise in an Ocean of Ugliness
We genuinely do make progress, yet always know that many decades of struggle in this life will be but baby steps compared to the mighty leap we will experience when we are finally perfected in the moment of death.

There are no ‘if’s’ in Gods world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety- let us pray that we may always know it. —Betsie ten Boom

If you have (or choose to get) a ONE Audiobooks account, you can listen to Carl Trueman’s Luther and the Christian Life for free this month.

Westminster Kids is a year old and is celebrating with some special sales.
There are a few new Kindle deals today.
Andy Stanley’s Version of Christianity
Denny Burk listened to Andy Stanley’s most recent sermon (which was a response of sorts to some criticism by Al Mohler) and found some matters of deep concern.
A Gift of Chestnuts
Andrea considers a gift she once received and the suspicions she harbored.
Why Learn Greek and Hebrew? The Pastoral Value of the Biblical Languages
“In a day when some evangelical seminaries no longer require the original languages, and with all the pressures of pastoral ministry, students and pastors may wonder whether they should bother learning (and keeping up) Greek and Hebrew. For good reasons, however, many of the most influential, spiritually powerful Christian leaders have prized the biblical languages.”
Why should Christians study the Minor Prophets? (Video)
Derek Thomas explains the Minor Prophets and why they matter.
A Well-Stocked Pantry
Lara d’Entremont: “Michelle intrigued me and confounded me, yet I knew I wanted to be just like her.I sat back in the young mom’s Bible study, rarely daring to raise my voice to add anything. Though I write many words, I speak very few in public. Yet she spoke with such confidence and authority, because she believed, without wavering, in the truth that burned in her bones. Many of her wise words have nestled into my memory permanently, and this is one of them…”
Pondering Pinions
Jill ponders pinions, of all things.
Flashback: 3 Quick Questions Before Quitting Your Church
Before you leave a church, first determine that you will take a period of time to pray—to pray for the people specifically and by name. Then see if your heart remains cool and distant.

A child of God does not only find out sin, but drives out sin. —Thomas Watson

This week the blog is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of The Christian Manifesto by Alistair Begg. In the book, Alistair unpacks Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6, encouraging Christians to live a radically different life that upends the world’s values and philosophies. Readers will see that they are called to a lifestyle that is counterintuitive and countercultural, yet one that God blesses with true meaning and impact. You can purchase The Christian Manifesto here.

How do you enjoy life at its very best? 
Advertisers, of course, claim that they know the answer. Every commercial is seeking to make us feel discontent with how things are, in order to convince us that a better life will be found by buying what it’s selling. Politicians claim that they know the answer too. Every political address is asking us to trust that that person or party can put things right, and is trying to assure us that a better life will be found in voting for what they’re offering.
At times, commercials and political speeches both point us back to a bygone era—the nostalgic impulse—when (if we squint, and forget the problems that existed at that time) everything was better: when our lives were purer or our hearts were lighter or our country was greater. At other times, they point us forward to the future and invite us to dream of how, if only we buy this or vote for that, all will soon be well.
So, amid the blizzard of offers and promises, to what or to whom are you looking to deliver life at its very best? I want to take you to a description and a promise that you will never see in a commercial or hear from a politician. In this book, we’re going to look at what can be helpfully seen as a “Christian manifesto.” A manifesto is a public declaration or proclamation issued by a monarch or head of state, or by a representative of a company or organization. Here is a manifesto for the Christian life, straight from the lips of Jesus, as he gathered both his followers and those who were thinking about becoming his followers on “a level place”—on a plain—and taught them one of his most famous sermons, found in Luke’s Gospel and known as the “Sermon on the Plain.” It is a manifesto that is not oriented towards the political arena, but towards the relational and individual one.
At 725 words (in the ESV English translation), this manifesto is less than a third of the length of the average US presidential inaugural address. It is therefore, of course, not exhaustive—it does not cover every aspect of how Christ’s people can live in a way that pleases him—but it is foundational. And in the first four words of his sermon, Jesus announces that what follows will be his answer to that question of where the best life is to be found:
“Blessed are you who…”
To learn more about Alistair’s new book, visit thegoodbook.com/manifesto. 

This is going to be a week in which I post only the daily A La Carte articles. I returned from my last trip (which took me to several African nations) with an ugly bug bite and some kind of insect-borne illness. I’m trying to get that sorted and think I’m on the right track. But it has been a rough few days.

Logos users will find some good deals for pastor appreciation month. You’ll also want to look at this month’s free and nearly-free books.
(Yesterday on the blog: Could There Be a Worse Home Than This?)
The Porn Talk: Nine Ways Parents Can Lead Children
Parents will benefit from Garrett Kell’s thoughts on having the porn talk with their kids.
Competing Voices
“One evening, after speaking at a church gathering in Akron, a woman came up to me with an unusual request. She said, ‘You seem to really like stories…would you mind if I shared one with you?’” Who doesn’t like a good story?
The Christian Life Involves Dance, not Drudgery
This is a sweet one. “I feel so privileged to have this little girl in my life, and I am not even her daddy (just her daddy’s daddy). But that day, and every day since, everything in me has wanted to give her a sense of security, love, acceptance, and safety.”
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
“The little girl talked fondly to her. In fact, she had never done otherwise. And though she had only one eye, and was blind in the other, and though deaf and unable to speak, she was adored. When the other children entered into the room she instinctively embraced the helpless doll even tighter. To her, this baby was precious and nobody else could have her.”
Does Scripture Agree with My Personal Experience?
“I was listening to a podcast recently regarding the subject of maintaining one’s deliverance and lukewarm Christianity. During this discussion between two former ex-New Agers, personal experiences alleging indwelling demons being cast out of them while being professing born-again believers was highlighted, along with no longer calling oneself a sinner but a saint. There was also a heavy emphasis on coming into agreement with God’s Word and speaking it over your situation.”
How to Use Your Hymnal
This is good guidance on using your hymnal.
Flashback: Two Habits of Successful Parents
It is an incredible honor that God allows us to create, birth, and raise other human beings made in his image. With this incredible honor comes great responsibility. You’re unlikely to fulfill this task well, or as well as you could have, without the input of the community God has given you. So take advantage of it!

The biggest reason for the ineffectiveness of contemporary Christianity is a failure to take seriously the radical difference that Jesus calls for as we follow him as King. —Alistair Begg

We often marvel at the wonder of God made man—of Jesus coming to earth to inhabit a human body and to live in a world like this. Yet as Theodore Cuyler points out in this short reflection, Jesus is not the only member of the Godhead who has been willing to condescend for the sake of love.

We speak a great deal, especially at Christmas time, of the condescension of the eternal Son of God in coming to earth, to be born in a stable and cradled in a manger. Is it a less wonderful condescension, for the Holy Spirit to make your heart his home—and to live there as your guest?
Think what a place a human heart is! Think of the unholy thoughts and desires, the impure things, the unlovingness, the jealousy, the bitterness, the hate—all the sin of our hearts.
Then think of the love of the Spirit—which makes him willing to live in such a place, in order to cleanse us and make us godly and holy!
The love of the Spirit is shown in his wondrous patience with us in all our sinfulness, while he lives in us and deals with us in the culturing of our Christian life.

I am once again wanting to express my gratitude to BJU Seminary for sponsoring the blog this week to let you know about their biblical counseling programs.

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age)
Pastors All the Way Down?
Rhys Laverty has written a fascinating post about what the church (and in his context he is referring primarily to the UK church) may lose if we do not find a way to better support and enable Christian intellectuals.
Misreading Scripture Cross-culturally
There are some interesting reflections here on reading the Bible cross-culturally.
Sovereignty and Evangelism
Bryan Schneider has a useful reminder that God is sovereign in evangelism. And that makes our task much more straightforward.
God Takes Our Stinginess or Generosity Personally
“Any lifestyle that doesn’t align with God’s priorities and won’t hold up after death is not a good one—no matter how glamorous or appealing or sensible it seems at the time.”
Jean Twenge’s ‘Generations’: Four Takeaways for Youth Ministers
Pastors and others involved in ministering to young people may appreciate these takeaways from an important new book.
Bruised But Not Broken
This one is about getting back on your feet after failure.
Flashback: Responding Wisely to Domestic Abuse in Your Church
When Home Hurts is exactly the book I had hoped it would be when I picked it up. It is a book that will do what it promises—help well-meaning but inadequately-trained Christians to respond well to very difficult situations.

It is a sin to be indifferent to the grief of a person who is before us. It is both human and Christian to come alongside those who weep and to mourn with them. —Guy Prentiss Waters