May the Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day.

The highlight of today’s Kindle deals is Alistair Begg’s Brave By Faith.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Family Update for an Especially Noteworthy Week)
Baptisms in the Jordan River: A Pet Peeve
Clint may be a bit of a self-confessed curmudgeon when it comes to baptisms in the Jordan, but I very much agree with him.
We had a baptism: here’s what we were actually doing
Speaking of baptism, here’s what baptism is all about (from a baptistic perspective, at least).
Finance Professionals Make Great Missionaries
You may think that a career in missions means you would need to serve as a church planter or evangelist. This couldn’t be further from the truth. (Sponsored Link)
The Audacity of Disability
“You might have gotten the diagnosis beforehand, when the beautiful process of growth in the womb turned fearful. Or maybe it happened like it did for us, entering the hospital with excitement, only to discover something terribly wrong in the delivery room. Or perhaps it was a few years later, when you began to notice that something wasn’t quite right. However it happened, however you learned of it, disability entered your world, unexpected and unwelcome.”
Songs Are Discipleship
It’s important to consider the songs we sing. “How does this song build up the body of Christ? How does this song edify a seasoned saint? How does this jingle build up the newly-born believer? How does this worship leader understand his role and responsibility? We must take seriously the theological development of the individuals we call worship leaders because they are disciples too.”
Oneness not just faithfulness
What’s the goal of marriage? Is it procreation? Happiness? Or something else…?
The Godliness of a Good Night’s Sleep
“Sleep as healer, sleep as teacher, sleep as giver — these three give us abundant reason to actively seek a good night’s rest. In light of them, many of us may need to acknowledge how much sleep we really need and to consider some basic tips for falling asleep and staying asleep, especially in our caffeinated, sedentary, digital world.”
Flashback: If I Was the World’s Only Christian…
It’s beautifully and wonderfully true that our God is the God of all kinds of people and that he is building a kingdom of young and old, great and poor, black and white, wise and simple, famous and unknown.

The Bible…wants to introduce dissonance into your thinking, to stretch your understanding. It wants to reveal a mosaic of the majesty of God one passage at a time, one day at a time, across a lifetime. —Jen Wilkin

This week’s blog is sponsored by ShareWord Global, a movement of believers mobilizing local churches to join them in sharing the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ through God’s Word, with the world around them.

Since God spoke the world into existence, He had you in mind. You are part of why Christ came and broke the bonds of death.
Because He loves you. And with this unconditional love, God continues to call each of us to be part of His story. Ordinary people like you and me that He can use to bring His blessing to the world. 
For those who respond with, “Here I Am,” an incredible journey awaits. 
It’s moments like these—where God calls, and faithful men and women answer—that are beating at the heart of this year’s Gospel Impact Conference, presented by ShareWord Global.
It’s time to press pause on your busy life. It’s time to find inspiration, and be challenged. And it’s time to be equipped with the skills you need to find your calling in God’s story and say… 
…‘HERE I AM!’
This August 18th and 19th, join us for the online Gospel Impact Conference. This global experience will ignite your passion to share your faith with the people around you and transform your community with the gospel. 
You’ll hear faith-building stories about the amazing things God is doing around the world through the ministry, and engage in worship to our wonderful God!
And this year’s conference features some exciting guests you’ll recognize:
Keynote Speaker, Pam Tebow, and Musical Guest, Big Daddy Weave!
But we’re hoping to add another important guest…YOU!
Visit sharewordglobal.com/ca/hereiam to find more event details and register today!
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Life brings us many stretches of time that are entirely ordinary. Not much happens in these times and they quickly fade from our memories. But then there is the occasional stretch where all sorts of consequential events take place in rapid succession. And as it happens, my family is heading into one of these right now.

Tomorrow Aileen and I will celebrate our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. August 8, 1998, dawned hot and humid and only got more so as the day went on. We had chosen to be married at St. John’s Anglican Church in Ancaster—the beautiful and historic church at the center of our hometown and the church where Aileen’s parents had been married many years before. It was a great building in every way but one—it had no air conditioning. We had chosen to have our reception next door in Ancaster’s historic Old Town Hall—another beautiful building but another one that lacked A/C. It is amusing to look back on our wedding photos now and to see our foreheads progressively glowing over the course of the day, our faces flushing, our hair flopping as time went on and the heat refused to relent. But we had a wonderful day nonetheless and enjoyed celebrating with friends and family. It marked the beginning of something wonderful.
We were just 21 and 22 at the time—so young and so naive. We were barely independent, both of us having lived in our parents’ home until that very day. We were poor as church mice and had no obvious prospects for successful careers. But we loved one another and were committed to joining our lives together. The Lord blessed us on that day and he has blessed us richly ever since. We have endured our share of sorrows, of course, and have passed through a good number of difficulties. But our love for one another has only grown. As we look back we can only be thankful—thankful to God for his grace and thankful to God for providing just the right person for each of us. It has been a blessing to do life together. I think we can each say that there’s no one else with whom we would have wanted to endure the peaks, the valleys, and everything in between.
This anniversary comes at the cusp of a significant life change. On Wednesday we will load up our car and head south to Boyce College where, on Thursday, we will get Michaela set up for her freshman year. By the time we return home, we will be empty-nesters, at least through the school year. And while we are finding some sadness in this transition and the thought of a quieter, emptier house, we are not afraid of it. In fact, we are looking forward to figuring out together how to do this stage well. Since we can’t change it, we plan to embrace it!
Michaela is ready to go! She and Aileen have been busily planning and buying and packing, and it looks like they’ve got everything she needs. She will be living in the residences and sharing a room with a couple of roommates. The three have been chatting online and are already coming to enjoy one another. We are excited for her and are as convinced as we can be that she will be able to thrive there.
After we have gotten Michaela set and made the drive home, Aileen and I are getting away together to celebrate twenty-five years and so many other blessings. We exchanged a bunch of Air Canada points for some flights to New Zealand and are excited to spend a bit of time on the wintery South Island. It will be something of a working vacation, but should be a nice one nonetheless. (In this case, working means writing, not public speaking.)
Abby and Nate continue to live in Louisville while Abby completes her degree at Boyce College. Since one of them is Canadian and the other American, they had to make a decision about which country they would live in. He, after all, has no intrinsic right to live in Canada and she has no intrinsic right to remain in the United States after completing her degree. Something had to give! They decided that Nate would immigrate to Canada and just a few days ago he received his letter of acceptance for permanent residency here. This frees him to move to Canada anytime, to secure a job, and to begin the path to citizenship. They are planning to make the move in May when Abby has wrapped up her studies in biblical counseling. We will be so excited and so thankful to have them back on this side of the border and hopefully living nearby.
Ryn continues to be part of the family too, of course! She is living in Louisville and focusing on work. She recently had the opportunity to do a mission trip to the Middle East, then to share with her church her “Story of Grace” through the loss of her fiancé. From what I have been told, it went well and was a blessing to the congregation.
In other news, I have now completed filming 7 of the 12 episodes of Worship Round the World. The schedule, which has involved crisscrossing the globe and moving through so many time zones, has been nothing less than punishing. Yet things have gone well and the project is slowly, steadily coming together. If all goes according to plan, we will film another three episodes this fall before finishing up in early January. And then, of course, we will need to actually create scripts and produce films and write a book and turn it all into something you may wish to watch and read.
Here’s the tally of countries I’ve visited this year:
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇵🇱 🇸🇰 🇨🇿 🇦🇺 🇫🇯 🇹🇴 🇰🇭 🇸🇬 🇩🇰 🇸🇪 🇳🇴 🇨🇱 🇦🇷 🇺🇾 🇧🇷 🇹🇭 🇰🇷
And here are the ones still to come:
🇳🇿 🇿🇦 🇿🇲 🇪🇬 🇵🇹 🇮🇳
As I write all of this—as I look to the past and project into the future—I can’t help but think of James’ words in the fourth chapter of his letter. He means to remind us that all of our times are in the hands of the Lord, for “you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”
We can bear twenty-five years of testimony to God’s care, kindness, and providence—to all that his good will has decreed. As we look to the next few weeks and the next few decades, we have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but we do know who will bring it. And we know that he is good, that he is kind, and that he loves us. We are eager to honor, serve, and praise his name.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

For those interested in books for children, Westminster Books has a deal on the beautiful Lithos Kids series of books.
If you’re into Kindle books, you’ll find a good-sized collection of deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Will the Cause of Righteousness Be Overthrown?)
The Wisdom of Work
“Time is short. We only have so many years, months, days, and hours in which to be productive. This is reason enough for us to work as unto the Lord during the short time God has given us in this life.” Nick puts out the call to be diligent in our labor.
When You’re at Your Lowest
Barbara has a valuable word of encouragement in this one. She focuses on the only Psalm of lament that doesn’t end with hope and a renewed perspective.
What can make me whole again?
Olivia shares a long and sweet story here. “This chain of events makes me question my questions about God’s goodness because I can see him working in unexpected and miraculous ways. And yet the bumpy ride to Ndalani, Kenya mirrored my own heart: one moment exultant that God had redeemed my sorrow in an incredibly beautiful way, the next finding myself near tears, longing for someone with whom I could share the upside-down beauty of that starry night.”
What Does James 1:2 Mean?
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” This is a tricky text and one that is handled well by Robert Plummer.
Gifts Forged in Grief
“I have two sweet boys whom I adore, but the void of never knowing the three children who came before them still aches sometimes. Were they all boys, or was there a girl? I always wanted to have a little girl. Did they have blue eyes like their brothers? What would it be like to hold their tiny hands? I don’t know them, but I miss them.”
Where Does Mission Happen? How the Church Wins the Lost
“In your mind, what are the most appealing aspects of our churches for nonbelievers? Is it the personal invitation? The welcoming and thrilling atmosphere? The uniqueness and oddity of Christian worship?” Seth Porch tells how the church is the place where mission happens.
Flashback: Sometimes “Love Your Enemy” Means “Love Your Spouse”
If he calls you to love your enemy in sacrificial ways, he surely calls you to love your spouse in even more sacrificial ways. If he warns of the temptation of fraudulent forms of love when you respond to your enemies, you need to also heed his warnings when you respond to your most cherished companion.

To extend forgiveness is a precious thing. The one who forgives expresses a willingness to cancel debts, and even to absorb some of the bad fruit of the other person’s sin against him or her. —Gary and Betsy Ricucci

Sometimes it seems as if the cause of righteousness must be overthrown, as if the cause of evil must triumph in the end. Sometimes we look at the darkness of the world and wonder if and when the light will really break through. This was on the mind of De Witt Talmage in a sermon he preached many years ago and with a powerful image he shows how we need not fear.

Oh, how many good people are affrighted by unbelieving iniquity in our day, and think the Church of Jesus Christ and the cause of righteousness are going to be overthrown.
Do not worry, do not fret, as though iniquity were going to triumph over righteousness.
A lion goes into a cavern to sleep. He lies down, with his shaggy mane covering the paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin a web across the mouth of the cavern, and say, “We have captured him.” Gossamer thread after gossamer thread is spun until the whole front of the cavern is covered with the spiders’ web, and the spiders say, “The lion is done; the lion is fast.”
After a while the lion has got through sleeping; he rouses himself, he shakes his mane, he walks out into the sunlight; he does not even know the spiders’ web is spun, and with his voice he shakes the mountain.
So men come, spinning their sophistries and skepticism about Jesus Christ; he seems to be sleeping. They say, “We have shut up the Lord; he will never come forth again before the nations; Christ is captured, and captured forever.”
But after a while the Lion of the tribe of Judah will rouse himself and come forth to shake mightily the nations. What is a spider’s web to the aroused lion? Give truth and error a fair grapple, and truth will come off victor.

I wanted to remind you that Truth for Life is featuring Seasons of Sorrow this month. You can purchase it for just $7 or get it free with a donation of any amount.

My thanks goes to BJU for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about Killing Sin Habits.
There are some more Kindle deals today (as, indeed, is usually the case).
(Yesterday on the blog: Short of Glory)
Where Did Baptism Come From?
We all know what baptism is, but do we know how it came about? “How does Christian baptism relate to Old Testament practices? Where did the idea of baptism come from? After overviewing the meaning of Christian baptism, this article seeks to briefly explore the connections between baptism and Old Testament ritual washings.”
Is Paedocommunion Biblical?
If the last article is primarily for Baptists, this one is primarily for those who practice infant baptism.
Our Missions Approach Is Too Western
Elliot Clark is “convinced current missiological strategies can still be deeply Western in potentially harmful ways.” He lays out his case (and some corrections) here.
But if Not, How to Face Our Fiery Trials with Faith
“If you’re not facing a furnace of affliction now, chances are, you will again soon.” Cara offers some encouragement for such times.
Dear Pastor . . . You’re a Shepherd, Not an Entrepreneur
“We are pressed on every side—danger from without in the schemes of the devil and danger from within with the passions of the flesh. To be sure, we are also in danger from without in the ways we are so tempted to conform to the patterns of the world (Rom. 12:2). One of those patterns we are tempted to conform to as pastors is to see ourselves, or our work, as entrepreneurs.”
Why I can’t love my neighbour
“But just because a parable is well known doesn’t mean it’s well understood. Would it surprise you if I said I don’t think the parable is meant to teach us to love our neighbour?” Ian Carmichael explains.
Flashback: We Cannot Be Faultless (But May Still Be Blameless)
Even our best work falls far short of perfect execution. But we may well be blameless before the Lord when we do our work to the best of our ability and when we do our utmost to cleanse our hearts and purify our motives.

When Jesus is our stability—our consistent friend and refuge—we are freed to truly love others and love them sacrificially. —Kelly Needham

This week Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by BJU Seminary. They are giving away a bundle of books, authored by their faculty, that provide biblical counsel on fighting sin and growing in Christ. BJU Seminary equips Christian leaders through an educational and ministry experience that is biblically shaped, theologically rich, historically significant, and evangelistically robust.

Anger, Anxiety and Fear: A Biblical Perspective by Stuart Scott
Our responsibility as Christians is to depend on God as we work toward becoming more like Jesus every day. Often, there are life-dominating sins that greatly hinder us from becoming more like Him. As the challenges of living in an uncertain world increase, the sins of anger, anxiety and fear come up more frequently in our daily lives. We need to be on guard against these sins and know how to deal with temptation when it comes.
Killing Sin Habits: Conquering Sin with Radical Faith by Stuart Scott with Zondra Scott
The word “mortified” often implies shame or embarrassment. When it relates to the mortification of sin, it means much more than that. Certainly we should be ashamed or embarrassed by our sin, but Scripture teaches that we are to actively subdue our sin; and more radically, kill our sin habits.
In this small volume, the authors compare our chronic fall into sin with the descending hours on a clock, demonstrating a repetitive and perfect pattern for sin. Both practical and challenging, this book demonstrates how God through the work of the Holy Spirit and radical faith can help you conquer sin in your life.
Changed into His Image: God’s Plan for Transforming Your Life by Jim Berg
Changed into His Image addresses Christian sanctification. It directs individual believers to recognize the true condition of the world and their own flesh, to turn from this reality to accept a deep relationship with Jesus Christ, and to respond to God’s promptings in life. Both disciple makers and new and old believers alike will benefit from this roadmap to spiritual growth, especially with careful contemplation of sections dedicated to individual use and to disciple making. Combine this study with Essential Virtues for a comprehensive look at Christian growth and maturity.
Essential Virtues: Marks of the Christ-Centered Life by Jim Berg
Essential Virtues draws from the principles of 2 Peter 1 to explore the marks of the Christian life. Peter lists the virtues of a Christlike believer: knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. As we understand the meaning and importance of these core virtues, we can learn to cultivate these qualities while avoiding worldliness, rebellion, and spiritual apathy. Berg’s clear application encourages personal Bible study that will result in true biblical maturity. Essential Virtues includes study-guide questions for personal reflection.
Enter Here

Every word of the Bible matters. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” The entire word of God is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow.” Its every part discerns “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Every chapter and every verse serves a God-given purpose.

That’s not to say, though, that every chapter and every verse is equally important when it comes to knowing God, understanding his will, and living for his glory. Some sections carry special significance. Some sections are so important that the rest of the Bible cannot be understood apart from them. One of these is the third chapter of Genesis, for it stands between the perfect world of Genesis 2 and the utterly shattered world of Genesis 4. It explains what went so tragically wrong.
Genesis 3 is the subject of Mitchell Chase’s book Short of Glory: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of the Fall. ”All of us are born outside Eden,” he explains, “so Genesis 1–3 is a special set of chapters. God makes the world, and specifically a garden, for his people. And there, in the sacred space of Eden, God’s image bearers defy his word and succumb to the tempter. When God exiles them, we are exiled in them too.” This is the great tragedy. Yet all is not lost, for “in that same chapter where God announces judgment, he gives a promise of hope that a deliverer will come one day and defeat the serpent. The rest of the biblical story grows out of the ground of Genesis 3. When we meditate on the content of this chapter, many biblical themes and connections become clear. The events in Genesis 3 become a lens through which to read and understand the progressive revelation of God’s redemptive epic.”
He wants the reader to think of Genesis 3 as containing a number of seeds that grow into fuller form later in the Bible. “There are temptation and shame and coverings. There are a tree of wisdom and one of life. There are messianic hope, the reality of death in the dust, and exile from sacred space. There are blame shifting, hiding, and a response of faith.” It’s as we spend time carefully studying Genesis 3 that we come to understand so much of the Bible’s storyline, so much of its imagery, and so much of its promise. And further, we come to live better, for “if we situate the fall in Scripture’s storyline effectively, an exploration of Genesis 3 will result in greater joy in the good news about Jesus. By tuning our ears to creation’s groanings, our hope will be stirred along the way.”
This is the task Chase takes on in Short of Glory and he does it well. He explores a number of the themes that are introduced in Genesis 3 and that then carry on through the rest of the Bible. He begins with sacred space, “the kind of theme that locks the metanarrative together. Sacred space is given, lost, promised, and at last received again. As readers cross the threshold into Genesis 3, they come to a sacred place that God gave his people. God had made the heavens and the earth, and part of his work on earth included a garden in a place called Eden (2:8).” In this chapter we see that sacred space violated and lost, but also the promise that it will be recovered. We eventually see the shadow of that recovery in the tabernacle and temple and long to see its full recovery in heaven.
From here he turns to the two trees, to the God who walks and talks with his people, to the ancient serpent who leads them astray, and to the idea of taking and eating. And so it goes through several other themes, each of them introduced in Genesis 3 and each of them carrying into the rest of the Bible. In each case, he doesn’t merely explain these themes, but also applies them to the Christian life. And so this is not just a book of abstract theology, but a book that calls us to better Christian living.
Short of Glory is a relatively small book, but it is one that deals with one of the most important passages in the entire Bible. It explains it, applies it, and calls Christians to live according to it. For those reasons and many more, I highly recommend reading both the chapter itself and this excellent explanation of it.
Buy from Amazon

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you today.

Westminster Books is offering a sale on a great series that answers big questions for teens.
This month ONE Audiobooks is offering free access to Paul Washer’s The Preeminent Christ.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few books that may be of interest.
Shepherding Children through Exposure to Pornography
This sadly necessary article at CCEF will help you shepherd children through exposure to pornography.
Membership at Metropolitan Tabernacle: Church Polity with Charles Spurgeon
This is such an interesting article. “Throughout Charles Spurgeon’s decades of ministry, more than 14,000 people sought to join the church he pastored. Rather than rushing them into membership, however, Spurgeon and the other pastors at the Metropolitan Tabernacle patiently shepherded applicants through a five-part process.”
Five Ways to Get God Wrong
“There are about a million ways to get God wrong, and the path to getting him right is extremely narrow. That makes theology—the way we organize our thoughts about God—important, urgent, and even dangerous. If we get God wrong, we will never understand our place and purpose in this world, let alone in the world to come.”
Your Rights as a Christian in a Public School in 2023
“As the school year begins, many parents, students, teachers, and coaches have questions about what they’re legally allowed to do in relation to their Christian faith.” Joe Carter offers “information related to grades K–12, taken from various resources that provide a broad overview of what is and isn’t allowed in public schools” (in the United States).
Efficiency in Churches
Here’s a look at some of the metaphors we use for life and ministry and how they may not be very helpful to us.
God is Near: Certain Comfort for Moms
“In my role as the Director of Children’s Ministries at my church, I’m privy to the thoughts of many mothers. As moms think about ‘back to school,’ one emotion keeps bubbling to the surface over and over. I hear it in their voices, in the questions they ask, and the conversations they have. It’s not a pretty emotion. It’s one that can sometimes paralyze us.  Fear.”
Flashback: Who Gave You The Right?
Each of us has every right to make other people’s steps lighter, to add cheer to their hearts, to add rest to their souls. But none of us has any right to unnecessarily discourage them, to burden them, to add to their sorrow.

“There is no such thing in the New Testament as a believer whose perseverance is so guaranteed that he can afford to ignore the warning notes which are sounded so frequently.” —Sinclair Ferguson

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.

Logos users will want to take a look at this back-to-school sale as well as this month’s free and nearly free books. You’ll also find lots of good discounts on books from Baker Publishing.
There’s once again a nice little list of Kindle deals.
When You Hate Your Body: The Standard of Self-Worth
“When I was growing up, there was a code I lived by: if you have beauty, you have everything. Physical beauty represented inner worth. Even as an adult, I sometimes still believe there is a standard, represented by beauty, which determines my worth as a person. And in my disappointment and despair of not reaching that standard, I tend to eat. For me, body image and food are bound together in a vicious cycle. One represents striving and self-loathing. The other represents self-soothing, desperate for comfort.”
The Secret Meaning of YHWH
Mark Ward responds to those who say there’s a secret meaning behind YHWH (or other secret codes in the Bible).
One of The Weirdest Articles I’ve Ever Written
And while dealing with silly ways of interpreting the Bible, Mike Leake explains why we need to be careful with the way we translate words.
Technology-Mediated Ministry: How Far Is Too Far?
“The church has always employed technology for the advancement of our Great Commission task. From the Apostle Paul’s use of letter writing to the technological marvel of the expansive first-century Roman system of roads to the Reformation’s use of Johann Gutenberg’s printing press, the church has always leveraged the prevailing technology of the day for ministry effectiveness.” Here’s a look at the local church and technology-mediated ministry.
Of the Danger of Embracing Culture
“Sometimes Christians are tempted to compromise as they hope for popularity. The feeling is that, if we can just get folks to think we are a helpful part of our community and we do not cause trouble, we will become the place people in town want to be.”
Joy and Enjoyment
“Christians recognize that our joy is in another world. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t experience and enjoy good things in this world. The presence of good things in this life testifies to the reality of a God who exists and is himself the supreme source of joy. We worship God as we delight in the good blessings his gives and as we allow them to direct our affections to Him.”
Flashback: The Utter Devastation of Sin
What we find as we examine sin and its consequences is that sin leaves a trail behind it…Sin isn’t here for a moment and then gone. No, sin is so evil that it leaves its lingering scent behind.

If I am fully known and not rejected by God, how much more ought I to extend grace to my neighbor, whom I know only in part? —Jen Wilkin