Good morning, my friends. May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: When the Sermon Fizzles Instead of Sizzles)
Marriage Is Better for Your Adult Kids Than You May Think
I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate this one. “While there are a variety of cultural forces shaping people’s choices around marriage and children, I’m most intrigued by the way Western culture has convinced multiple generations that life’s highest value is personal autonomy, as measured by financial independence. From that perspective, family commitments will naturally be viewed as obstacles to overcome—if not completely avoid—because they hinder the good life.”
A Pastor’s Journey with Anxiety
Roger Sappington explains his long journey with anxiety and offers counsel for others who are prone to it.
Was Charles Spurgeon “Woke?”
The Prince of Preachers was widely regarded for his care for the poor, but was he “woke” by today’s standards? While his chief concern was always the gospel, Spurgeon argued that benevolent social concern has always been a distinguishing trait of the people of God. (Sponsored Link)
Is There a Danger of Worshipping the Bible Instead of God?
Randy Alcorn takes on so-called bibliolatry: “I agree that there is a danger of having our faith in the wrong object. And there have been some people who seemingly hold the Bible in higher esteem than they do Jesus. But seen properly, the Bible is not a competitor with God; on the contrary, it is our God-given means of knowing Him through His revealed truth.”
Don’t Share That Clip
Samuel James wants you to consider “that the Internet is an ecosystem that treats everything like a kind of pornography. Separated from physical reality by the screen, the digital user encounters all of existence as a consumable substance, a substance that often distorts the true nature of the thing being depicted.”
For Worship Bands, Auto-Tune Covers a Multitude of Sins
What a strange time we live in when churches are turning to auto-tune to perfect their production. “Ryan Flanigan, a longtime church musician who is now an artist in residence at Baylor University, worries that pitch-tuning is one more sign that church musicians are trying to aspire to be performers—rather than leading people in worship.” Amen to that!
My Most Influential Teacher: A Tribute to Daniel Fuller (1925–2023)
John Piper says that “until June 21, 2023, I would have said that Edwards was my most influential dead theologian.” He sweetly pays tribute to his most influential teacher.
Flashback: Follow the Way You Want To Be Followed
We should follow in such a way that if people imitate us, they themselves will be good followers. We should follow in exactly the same way we want to be followed.

Scripture is our bookshelf; tradition is the record of what the church has read or misread there; reason is the set of spectacles we wear as we seek to make sense of what we read. —Michael Reeves

The sermon fizzles instead of sizzles. The text seems to become opaque rather than clear. The illustrations fall flat while the application somehow fails to strike the heart, the mind, or the hands. The pastor seems distracted and discouraged while the congregation seems uninterested and unmoved.

I expect we have all sat through a few sermons that, if not quite as bad as all that, were still strangely weak. I am certain we have all experienced sermons that seemed feeble and powerless, that ostensibly wielded the Word of God but did so with about as much strength as a plastic sword. I am sure we have all endured some sermons that struck us with all the power of a gentle gust of wind.
And when the sermon falls flat, I suppose we all tend to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the preacher. Maybe he lacks skill or education or maybe he failed to give his sermon adequate time or preparation. Maybe he failed to pray earnestly in his study or failed to structure his week properly. If he’s the one who preached feebly, the fault must be his, right?
But who’s to say that, in the mind of God, the power of the preaching is entirely in the hands of the preacher? Who’s to say that the pastor’s task is to prepare the sermon while the congregation’s task is merely to prepare their own hearts to hear it? What if preaching is powerless not because of the pastor’s lack of preparation but because of the church’s lack of prayer? What if poor preaching is not the consequence of any failure on the pastor’s part but on the congregation’s?
Certainly every preacher should spend a good bit of his preparation time on his knees. Anyone who has preached will attest that God responds to those prayers in which we confess our sin, profess that we are overwhelmed before the text, and plead for divine clarity and ability. None of us is adequate for the task of preaching the Word. None of us, whether through clever words or rare skill or sheer determination, can generate the unction and anointing of the Spirit that we long to experience in the pulpit. None of us can force the Spirit to so “possess” and overtake us that he divinely empowers our words as we preach. That can only be called down, pleaded down, prayed down.
That being the case, why wouldn’t the congregation make it their responsibility to pray for the sermon—to pray for it to be accurate, to be effective, to be powerful? Why wouldn’t the church make it their task to plead with God to bless the preacher in his study, in his writing, in his preparation, and in his delivery? Why wouldn’t the church make it their duty to pray not only that their ears would hear, their minds understand, and their hearts receive, but that the preacher would be empowered by the Spirit in such a way that the listeners can’t help but hear, can’t help but understand, and can’t help but receive?
And so, on behalf of all the pastors who long to serve their church Sunday by Sunday, I call on all of us to plead with God for power in the pulpit. I call on all of us to make it our responsibility to pray for the preacher and the preaching. I call on all of us to consider that weak and powerless preaching may have as much to do—or even more to do—with the congregation’s lack of prayer than the pastor’s lack of preparation. I call on all of us to get involved in the preaching of the Word through our earnest prayers to God.

Westminster Books has identified some of their summer new and noteworthy books and put them on sale. There are some good books available.

Today’s Kindle deals include a bit of a mish-mash!
Becoming Writers Who Write the Truth Beautifully
“How do we grow to become writers who both write the truth and write it beautifully?” Lara has a wonderful reflection on this.
Involving Ourselves in Every Controversy?
“Part of the pernicious underbelly of the internet is that many allow themselves to be drawn into controversies about which they have no need to involve themselves. For many years, I too wanted juicy details about whatever controversy was swirling around in evangelical and Reformed circles.” This is an important topic.
Gospel-Driven Benevolence with Charles Spurgeon
Part theology and part biography, Spurgeon and the Poor examines how the Prince of Preachers’ belief that gospel preaching and soul-winning should be the church’s primary mission drove his mercy ministry. (Sponsored Link)
Will AI Help or Harm Content Creation?
“I’ll tell you at the beginning that I don’t know the answer to that question. But I do know that as with every tool, the wise and the foolish will use it differently. Therefore, whether it helps or harms content creation will be determined by which path we take. Will we take the path of fools or the path of the wise?”
Rejecting Your Maker Means Rejecting Your True Identity
“Society has jettisoned belief in God. When you reject your Maker, you reject the one who establishes your identity. People, though, naturally want to belong. They crave to connect with a community of people who share their values and feelings. With the Maker gone, there’s an identity vacuum that begs for a new way to view oneself. It makes sense that the concept of gender identity was born.” Alan Shlemon explains.
Make Sure You Don’t Join a Sexular Church
Stephen McAlpline: “The Sexular Age just keeps rolling on. Rolling on like waves on a beach. Tsunami waves. Crashing into a church near you. Let me explain.”
You asked: Why Visit Israel?
Lisa offers a few good reasons to consider a visit to Israel (for those for whom it’s possible).
Flashback: When God Seems Deaf To Our Cries
Joseph…died in peace and at a ripe old age, only because God had known better than to grant the most immediate answer to his most urgent prayers.

We see hardly one inch of the narrow lane of time. To our God, eternity lies open as a meadow. —Amy Carmichael

Be sure to take a look at the “Blue Friday” sale this week at Logos. There is lots of good material on sale—books, commentaries, reference works, series, and more.

(Yesterday on the blog: She Died Too Soon)
Why You Don’t Need to Worry (So Much) about Your Schooling Choices
“Some parents seem to know exactly how they’re going to school their children from a very early age—whether homeschool, private school, or public school—never second-guessing themselves at any point from kindergarten through twelfth grade. That’s awesome. Terrific! I applaud those parents and commend them for their commitment to whichever school choice they’ve made for their kids. But this article isn’t for those parents. This article is for the rest of us…”
Let The Fire Fall (Video)
The John 10:10 Project has such neat videos: like this new one that celebrates “Firefall,” the phenomenon that takes place in February at Yosemite.
Charles Spurgeon on Social Justice
In the past century, one question has constantly plagued the church: How should the people of God respond to social issues? Rather than buying in to the “social gospel,” Alex DiPrima looks back to an unexpected source for biblical clarity: Charles Haddon Spurgeon. (Sponsored Link)
Why Baptists Can’t Be Theonomists
“Two recent events highlight that being a Baptist is incompatible with being a theonomist or Christian nationalist.” Joe Carter explains why these two things tend to be incompatible.
What Is Mormonism?
Ligonier Ministries offers a really helpful introduction to Mormonism. “Mormonism teaches that there are many gods, with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit being three separate gods among many others. Furthermore, it is also possible for humans to ascend to godhood. Obedience to moral laws and observance of religious rituals are central to the Mormon faith.”
13 Pieces of Unconventional Preaching Advice
I don’t agree with all of this advice, but do think each of the 13 pieces is worth considering.
‘Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall’ Is No Longer a Fairy Tale
Trevin Wax: “Your phone is designed every day, every hour, to tell you that you’re the center of the universe. If your phone is your world, and if the settings and apps are tailored to you and your interests, then with you at all times is a world that revolves around you. No wonder we find it hard to set the phone aside. Nothing else has the same effect of putting us at the center. Nothing else makes us feel more in control, more Godlike, more knowledgeable, more connected.”
Flashback: The Beauty of Duty
In former days Christians…longed to be dutiful in devotion, dutiful in obedience, dutiful in every responsibility and every role. They believed that from their duty would grow a deepening delight.

Like Daniel in the Old Testament, we are called to live out the lifestyle of the Jerusalem (above) to which we belong, even when we live in the Babylon (below) where we don’t really belong. —Sinclair Ferguson

Today’s post is sponsored by BJU Seminary and written by Greg Stiekes, professor of New Testament and Theology. BJU Seminary equips Christian leaders through an educational and ministry experience that is biblically shaped, theologically rich, historically significant, and evangelistically robust.

Christian authors who have an intriguing ability to take the pulse of the church and discern its health have been warning for some time now about the tendency pastors have to become the local attraction of their churches—ministerial superstars, the CEOs of their own kingdoms, or the rock stars of their own venues.
To be sure, pastors should be respected both inside and outside their congregations (1 Tim 3:2–7), and we should celebrate God’s sustaining grace in the life of a faithful, diligent shepherd, whose wisdom and ministry in the Word should be an example for younger pastors. But should those pastors be promoted and known as local celebrities? Should they be the center of attention in their churches? Should people commonly identify the name of the church by the name of a single pastor?
Intriguing Biblical Data
It seems to me that the pastor is practically invisible in the NT. I mean, try naming one man in the NT who had a pastoral title.
You may say, Timothy and Titus, the addressees of the “Pastoral Epistles.” But while these men likely fulfilled some of the duties associated with pastoral ministry, they are not referred to as pastors but were merely appointed by Paul to ordain them.
We may discern that James, the half-brother of Jesus, was an elder in the church in Jerusalem. (Talk about bragging rights for a church!) But when James writes to his scattered congregation, he does not call himself the “brother of Christ” or even an elder, but the “slave” of Christ (James 1:1). That’s the kind of humility that makes the NT pastor invisible.
There are two men who actually refer to themselves as elders. But these are the apostles Peter and John (1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1), so it is unclear whether they are actually “elders” in the sense of holding the pastoral office we think of today.
So, while a large number of elders were certainly ordained in the NT (Acts 14:23; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 1:5), and the apostles addressed them in the aggregate (Acts 20:17–38; 1 Pet 5:1–4), and their qualifications were established (2 Tim 2:2; Titus 1:5), we struggle to name them! They are ubiquitous, yet virtually invisible.
Five Takeaways
First, we need to reflect seriously upon the critique of authors like John Piper that the pastoral office has become “professionalized.” While the office itself is honored in the NT, pastors are called to humbly fill that office sacrificially, as Jesus did. They are not called to be the center of attention in their churches.
Second, the practical invisibility of the pastor should encourage the congregation to serve. We can criticize a congregation for letting its pastor do all of the work himself. But I wonder whether pastors actually invite this kind of culture by putting themselves at the center of their ministries, rather than serving with their people as they equally depend on Christ, the Head and Chief Shepherd.
Third, the concept of the invisible pastor easily coincides with a shared-leadership approach to pastoral ministry. The church that does not exalt a single leader is able to appreciate the ample NT evidence for the plurality of pastoral leadership in the local church, even if one of these pastors naturally serves as a “lead” pastor.
Fourth, the invisible pastor is better able to focus on the work that God has called him to do. In today’s world of social media, it is too tempting and too easy for pastors to seek recognition for their accomplishments by putting their lives and ideas on display. But the invisible pastor is satisfied with ministering to his own congregation, performing the thankless tasks of a servant, even if no one will ever see, or know, or care.
Finally, pastors must be invisible so that the congregation sees clearly the Lord, honored and magnified. The church should never love and follow its pastor more than they love and follow Jesus himself. Jesus must increase; all others, including the pastor, must decrease. When people look at any church, they should not particularly notice the pastor first. But they should see a body of people devoted to the Lord and seeking to make him visible to the world.

It is engraved on many tombstones, inscribed in many cards, expressed in many obituaries: He died too soon. She was taken before her time.

Of all the mysteries in this universe, few are more perplexing than the mystery of God’s sovereignty over life and death. Why do some live to so advanced an age while others barely live at all? Why are some who display such promise taken before they can deploy their gifts? Why does God call some early to heaven who surely could have done so much good on earth? Why God, we ask? Why?
I’m quite sure that June is the best of the year here in Southern Ontario. The spring rains have given way to spring sun. The perennials that laid dormant through the long winter have burst out of the warming ground and the annuals that awaited the final frost have now been planted and begun to thrive. Yet because we have not yet reached the summer’s full heat, the grass is still unwithered and the lawns unscorched. The world is resplendent with every hue of green, every shade of red, yellow, and blue.
No one in this neighborhood gives more attention to her garden than Aileen. Her garden is her studio, her canvas, her gallery. She has designed it purposefully and tends to it carefully.
Some of the flowers in her garden sprang up when there was still snow on the ground. They bloomed quickly and beautifully, a foretaste of warmer days to come. And then they faded and were gone for another year. Some of the flowers waited until there was a long succession of warm afternoons before they began to stir and to push their shoots above the ground. And some of the flowers have yet to be seen as they await even warmer days, perhaps late in the summer or even early in the autumn. When the rest of the plants have already waned, these will provide a final splash of color before the snows return.
Whether these flowers bloom early or late, whether their blossoms last for a few days or for the whole summer, they each have their purpose, for they have each been planted by the hand of an expert gardener. This is true even of the ones that make only the earliest or only the briefest appearance. Their beauty is no less beautiful because of its brevity. Their role is no less important because they are the first to fade. In fact, we treasure those flowers all the more, for we know that our enjoyment will be short-lived.
The most beautiful gardens are the ones that are planned with the greatest skill and tended with the greatest care. And if we should give such attention and commit so much love to something as simple as a garden, shouldn’t we trust God to give even greater attention and even greater care to people crafted by his hand and made in his image? Shouldn’t we trust him to number the length of their days? Shouldn’t we trust him to know whether their purpose is to bloom for days or for decades? Shouldn’t we trust him to know how and when each will best display divine beauty?
The early flowers in our garden are every bit as beautiful as the late flowers, the ones that bloom for a day as wondrous as the ones that bloom for a summer. They are every bit as precious in our eyes, and surely in God’s as well. And so, too, the human beings that appear to die too soon or who seem to be taken before their time. These too can only have been planned to perfection by the mind of God. These, too, can only have fulfilled the purpose he assigned to them. These too, are precious in his sight.

I love a good loyalty program, and Westminster Books has just launched one. It’s worth a look!

Today’s Kindle deals include some good resources from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Faithful Mother’s Love)
Christian Friendship is the Sweetest of all Connections
Michael Haykin has a sweet reflection here on Christian friendship.
Should Pastors Preach on Political Issues? (Video)
I appreciate Burk Parsons’ handling of a tricky issue in this Q&A.
The Prodigal Swine
“We all have a prodigal inside us, an embarrassing drive to satisfy ourselves, even at the expense of those who love us most. And so we leave others behind. We leave God behind. And we put ourselves first. That path leads to the trough, the lowest of lows, where we beg for what others consider garbage.”
A Theological College Principal’s Pastoral Wisdom and Prophetic Prayer
Mikey Lynch remembers the principal of a theological college who had some prescient wisdom at the beginning of the Young, Restless, Reformed movement.
When God Woke Up Wales
“The work in Wales was manifestly a work of mercy and grace. Little in the country at the time commended it.” Jeremy Walker recounts God’s work in Wales at a time of revival.
Finding My Place in the Battle
“My mom was very formative in teaching me how to manage my fears and anxiety. She knew that the enemy was the source of that fear, that sin and brokenness in this world were a result of the fall, and she gave me my armor and dressed me for the fight…”
Flashback: Tell God the Unvarnished Story
…if we are to confess our sins before him, we need to confess them all, for he knows them anyway. These words from F.B. Meyer encourage you to tell him the truth—the unvarnished truth.

The happiest and holiest children…are the children whose fathers succeed in winning both their tender affection and their reverential and loving fear. And they are the children who will come to understand most easily the mystery of the fatherhood of God. —John Piper

Janet Hamilton is one of those old poets whose work I have just begun to explore. She lived and died during an era when devotional poetry was important to Christians and I have found her poems quite enjoyable. Here is one that reflects on the beauty of a mother’s love for her child.

Dear child! a faithful mother’s loveFor thee will toil, and watch, and pray;An angel hovering still aboveThy couch by night, thy steps by day.
Oh think how oft thy lips have pressedHer breast! how oft thine arms have clungAround her neck, while to her heartShe clasped thee close, and sweetly sung!
When fever’s burning flush suffusedThy cheek, and heaved thy panting chest,Thou rest or refuge all refusedSave mother’s arms and mother’s breast.
And she would sit with tangled hair,With haggard cheek and heavy eyes,Tend all thy wants with loving care,And soothe thy pains and hush thy cries.
And she would whisper in thy ear,And press upon thy infant mindThe name, the love of Jesus dear,And God, thy Father good and kind.
The pouting lip, the pert reply,The sullen brow, the stubborn will,Will dim with tears thy mother’s eye,And her fond heart with anguish fill.
The smiling lip, the ready yes,The sunny brow of cheerful love;What balm for mother’s heart like this?What dearer blessing can she prove?
Is she a widow? doubly dearBe she to thee; when griefs assail,Kiss thou away each mournful tearThat wanders down her cheek so pale.
A faithful God, the first, the best—The next a faithful mother’s love;Thou shalt, dear child, of these possessed,Be safe on earth, and blest above.

My sincere gratitude goes to The Good Book Company for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their excellent new book Reclaiming Masculinity.

Logos is having a “Blue Friday” sale this week and has lots of good material on sale—books, commentaries, series, and so on.
(Yesterday on the blog: How a Zealous Mormon Missionary Discovered the Jesus He Never Knew)
You may notice a theme in today’s articles: All are based around questions and answers.
What Will We Remember in the New Creation?
We have all wondered: what of this world will we remember in the next? John Piper offers a characteristically God-centric answer.
FAQ: When Does God Write Our Names in the Book of Life?
“If you’re a Christian, when was your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Did it happen when we you were born again or some other time?” Adriel Sanchez answers at Core Christianity.
Why Did Ruth Enter Boaz’s Tent in the Middle of the Night? (Ruth 3)
While we are asking and answering questions, here’s a good one: Why did Ruth enter Boaz’s tent in the middle of the night? I appreciate an answer that protects her virtue rather than accusing her of a scandalous deed.
A Father’s Hands
“A father’s hands. What do they communicate?” Jacob considers how his sons love to hold his hands.
Why Can’t ChatGPT Produce Great Sermons?
I think most of us know intuitively that AI won’t be able to produce good sermons. But it’s worth thinking through why that is, as it will help reinforce what preaching is and how God is pleased to use it.
20 Questions for Your View on the Millennium
Finally, Mitch Chase is asking questions more than answering them. He is asking questions that relate to your understanding of the millennium.
Flashback: The Duty of Reflection
It is our duty to reflect on life’s circumstances and to look for God’s hand in them. It is our duty because God works in and through our circumstances and, by his providence, matures and strengthens us in them.

If you and I see ourselves merely as peddlers or purveyors of a spiritual “message”, we rapidly become salesmen for the gospel instead of true ministers of the gospel. —Harold Senkbeil

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away to one winner all the titles published so far in their God’s Word For You series, a $574 retail value. 

About the Series
God’s Word For You is a series of expository guides by trusted Bible teachers that walks you through books of the Bible verse-by-verse in an accessible and applied way. Less academic than traditional commentaries, these flexible resources can be read cover-to-cover, used in personal devotions, used to lead small group studies, or used for sermon preparation. Whether reading, feeding or leading, this series is for you! 
Titles in the Set Include….
Galatians For You by Tim Keller
Tim Keller’s Galatians For You walks you through the book of Galatians, showing how the gospel message changes the whole of our lives. Tim Keller writes,
“Galatians is all about the gospel – the gospel all of us need throughout all of our lives. It’s dynamite, and I pray that its powerful message explodes in your heart as you read this book.”
1 & 2 Thessalonians For You by Ligon Duncan (NEW!)
We’ve been saved by Jesus… so what’s next? How do we discern good teaching from bad, what does it look like to grow in holiness, and what should our expectations be for the future? Find answers to those questions in the warm, instructive letters Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church.
Pastor and professor Ligon Duncan unpacks these two letters verse by verse, teaching us about Christ’s future return and showing us what it means to live in the light of that, whether we’re new Christians, seasoned ministers of the gospel, or somewhere in between. Along the way we see why Scripture is so important; learn to find reasons for thankfulness; clarify our beliefs about death, judgment, and eternity; and witness Paul’s deeply pastoral attitude toward his readers.
Nehemiah For You by Eric Mason
The book of Nehemiah chronicles a key moment in the history of God’s people: the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the return from exile.
Understanding this book doesn’t just mean knowing about a rebuilt wall. Nehemiah helps us think through any type of rebuilding we might do for God—from our homes and families to our local church, our communities and our world. It teaches us, ultimately, about Jesus and his mission.
A pastor with decades of experience in cities, Dr. Eric Mason unpacks this rich book verse by verse. He explains the context, gives plenty of application for our lives today, and shows us what it looks like to get involved in God’s work to build his kingdom.
Hebrews For You by Michael J. Kruger
We are all tempted to drift away from Jesus, but in the book of Hebrews God gives us an anchor: a detailed understanding of how and why Jesus is better than anything else.
Seminary professor Michael J. Kruger unpacks this rich book verse by verse. He explains the Old Testament background, gives plenty of application for our lives today, and shows us how Jesus is the fulfilment of all God’s work on earth. He encourages us to live by faith in Jesus—the only anchor for our souls.

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 Titus For You by Tim Chester. The giveaway closes on Friday, June 30th at noon EST.