Since releasing Seasons of Sorrow I have been asked if I can provide application questions (for people who may be reading it individually and who wish to be deliberate in applying what they read) and a group study guide (for people who may be reading it with a Bible study, small group, or reading group). Preparing such resources was on my list of things to do—and is now done.

The free Seasons of Sorrow Application Questions & Group Study Guide is available as a free download. You’ll find questions related to each of the chapters that are meant to provoke meditation and application, and you’ll find a plan to read through the book in either four or eight sessions.
You can download it for free right here:

Also remember these additional resources that are related to the book:

A Letter to Parents – This is a letter I have prepared addressed to parents who have lost a child. If you plan to give bereaved parents a copy of Seasons of Sorrow, you may like to print this and include it with the book.
Helpful Things To Say To Grieving Parents – If you are walking through the loss of a child with a friend or family member, this article will help you know how you can best serve them in their darkest hour.

The Lord bless and keep you as you serve him this weekend.

There’s a pretty good list of Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Christian, When Persecution Comes: Embrace It)
The Great Tribulation—When and How Long?
“I am often asked whether or not the ‘tribulation’ is a seven year period which immediately precedes the second coming of Jesus Christ, or is it the entire period of time between Christ’s first and second advent, the so-called ‘great tribulation?’” Kim Riddelbarger answers from an amillennial perspective.
Even When I Hate My Body, God Calls it Good
“I said ‘I hate my body.’ The words came out like venom. And in that moment, I meant each one. It’s not even just the way my body looks. No, it’s the way it feels.”
What does Genesis 6:6 mean when it says that God repented? (Video)
Sinclair Ferguson answers a question about what the Bible means when it says that God repented or relented.
The prayers of God’s people
“Sometimes we wonder why things are happening as they are in the church. Why is the Lord doing this or that among us? We aren’t complaining – we are often grateful – but nonetheless wonder. But then we find out that people have been praying specifically for that thing. That is a real privilege.”
Beware of Pride: A Short Cautionary Tale
Here is a short, cautionary tale about that most persistent of foes.
Something to Ponder
“The book of Psalms tends to become a favourite for people who have faced some challenges in life. Perhaps you have experienced grief over the loss of a loved one, discouragement during a dark season of life, or any other challenges that set the Psalms into vivid colour in our hearts. Once we know of the soul food kept in that storehouse, we tend to find ourselves returning again and again.”
Flashback: What To Expect When Battling Sin
To become a Christian is to accept the lifelong challenge of becoming who you are — of putting sin to death and growing in holiness. Today I want to channel a little John Owen and tell you three things you ought to expect when battling sin.

There is nothing standing in the records of eternity against any soul that believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. —Charles Spurgeon

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by P&R Publishing. They are offering Divine Providence to 10 winners.

Rigorous, practical, and deeply reverent, Divine Providence speaks to the struggles of believers today as it tackles difficult questions with biblical truth:

Does God govern the world—and how?
Is God the author of sin?
Why do good people suffer while bad people thrive?
What does God’s providence mean for how we should live our lives?

In a masterful discourse, Puritan theologian Stephen Charnock arms us to trust in the One who works all things for his glory and the good of the church.
This beautifully produced new edition, rendered in modern English, introduces contemporary Christians to one of the greatest Puritan thinkers and the beauty of divine providence—the comforting truth that “God is righteous, wise, and good, and nothing takes place that is not in his will.”
Editor Carolyn Whiting has broken Charnock’s work into chapters with headings. Bound in red linen with gold foil, this giftable volume includes study questions for discussion, explanatory notes and translations, a paper bookmark, and a foreword from Whiting’s pastor, Derek Thomas.
“Carolyn Whiting has updated the quaint prose of Charnock’s early modern English to communicate more easily with today’s reader, but the thoughts remain deep, brilliant, and timeless. Formatted in short chapters with study questions, this edition will prove very useful for personal study and small groups.”
—Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Sample: Trust Providence in the Most Difficult Times
“God delights to woo us to himself, in both our affections and our admirations of him, and to store up in us a treasure of experiences that encourage us to trust him when we are in desperate straits. Therefore, we should rest in God when we are alone and deserted or among crowds; we should have as much faith when we face an angry aggressor as we do when we are among our best friends; and in the midst of extreme difficulties we should always be ready to answer with the same answer Abraham gave to Isaac: ‘God will provide’ (Gen. 22:8).”
For we deal with a God who is not bound by any means, who spares no expense in miraculous succors, who delights to perfect his strength in the creature’s weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). We deal with a God who alone knows what may further our good and accordingly orders it; that which may hinder it, he prevents. He arranges all causes in such a way that they conspire together as links in one chain to bring about success. He makes even the opposing motions converge into one gracious end, as rivers that run from north and south in opposite quarters of the world come together in the surges of one sea. Though providences may seem to cross one another, they shall never cross God’s Word and promise, which he has magnified above all his names. And his providence is but a servant to his truth.”
Enter Here
There are ten copies to win. All you need to do to enter the draw is to enter your name and email address in the form below, which will add you to P&R’s mailing list.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email on October 14th, 2022.
P&R Publishing is giving away Divine Providence to ten randomly selected winners who sign up to their mailing list below.

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The Christian faith is counterintuitive in any number of ways, but perhaps none so much as in its perspective on suffering and, particularly, its perspective on suffering persecution. We may see this most clearly in the actions of the apostles who, after being imprisoned and beaten, “left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41).

Of course they must not have been surprised to suffer persecution because, as I’ve pointed out in a couple of recent articles, Jesus had told them to expect it and evaluate it. But he did more than that, and he does more than that to us. Jesus tells us to embrace persecution.
I thought of softening “embrace” to “endure.” It’s certainly true that we need to face persecution with patience and perseverance. But Jesus seems to calls us to even more than this. He says we should go so far as to embrace persecution. That’s not to say we should never pray for it to be lifted, or that we should never flee from it, or that we should never turn to the courts where we can appeal for justice, for these may all be good and honorable actions to take. But it does mean that as long as we face true persecution, we should rejoice in it. Jesus says “blessed (or happy) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” He says even to “rejoice and be glad” in persecution. (Matthew 5:10-12).
Is this really possible? Is this really reasonable? It is! It is because we know that our God is sovereign and that nothing happens apart from his plan, which means that in some way our suffering is God’s will. It’s not a mistake. It’s not meaningless. It’s not nothing. It’s an opportunity to respond to God’s sovereignty with hope, with trust, and with godly character. It’s an opportunity to shine God’s light in the midst of darkness.
6 Reasons to Rejoice in Persecution
We need to consider: How is it possible to rejoice even during something as painful as persecution? Let me offer six reasons you can rejoice and be glad even when persecuted.
The first is this: persecution proves your citizenship. You are a follower of a Savior who was persecuted. Even though he lived a life that was perfect and unblemished, still the religious authorities, the civil authorities, and the common people all turned against him and put him to death. If that was his story, why wouldn’t it be yours? He told you it would be yours. He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” We should expect to suffer like our Savior suffered. In that way persecution is proof of your citizenship in his kingdom, proof of your alignment with Jesus.
And then there’s this: persecution displays your faith. Passing through the test of persecution proves the validity and the strength of your faith. You’ll never know how strong your arms are until you have to lift something heavy, and you’ll never know what your faith is made of until it is put to the test. James says “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life” (James 1:12). Many fall away when their faith is tested; but those who truly love the Lord will persevere and emerge with their faith tested, proven, strengthened. They can rejoice!
Also, persecution shapes your character. In Romans 5 Paul says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4). It takes tremendous heat and pressure to form a diamond deep in the ground and it takes suffering and even persecution to form Christian character deep in your heart. Persecution is a means God uses to conform you to the image of Christ.
There is another reason: persecution equips you for service. Through persecution God is equipping you for deeper service to him. As he writes 2 Corinthians Paul has suffered deeply and this is what he says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction…” Why does God offer this comfort? He goes on, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” He knows that in his suffering he has been comforted so that he can now extend that comfort to others. He has been made more useful to God’s purposes because of this persecution. And that’s true of you as well.
And then there’s a fifth reason: persecution produces communion. In your suffering you experience a deep fellowship with Christ because you are actually joining in his suffering. In the very next verse Paul says this: “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:5). You are being persecuted because you are united to Christ. You are suffering in him and for him and with him. And God meets you in your sorrows, he draws close, and he ministers his comfort to you.
And then there’s still another reason you can rejoice in persecution: persecution provokes longing. It causes you to look forward, to elevate your gaze beyond this world. There is nothing that more clearly shows that this world is not your home than persecution. There is nothing that makes it more obvious that you don’t belong here. And so there is nothing more likely to shift your gaze from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of heaven. When everything in your life is great, when everyone around you loves and affirms you, it’s easy to say “this world isn’t so bad.” But when you are hated and mocked, you understand: These are not my people. This is not my place.
And if this isn’t, then what is? The kingdom of heaven. Persecution makes you exercise your faith to believe that the kingdom is real and the kingdom is coming and the kingdom is your true and final home. You rejoice that your heart is being uprooted from this kingdom and planted in the kingdom still to come. You rejoice and are glad in all that God has promised and will very soon fulfill.
For these six reasons and many more you can rejoice even when you are being persecuted. God gives you your suffering in trust that you will embrace it and honor him through it—that you will steward it well, that you will pass through it in such a way that you hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
We have just come through a time of suffering that extended across almost the entire globe. Through the pandemic some lost their jobs or had to battle troubling matters of conscience; many got ill or lost loved ones; many had friends or family members turn on them for their decision to accept or reject a vaccine; many were forced into isolation for extended periods of time; some went to prison. We all suffered. I have spoken to some Christians from around the world who are convinced there was an element of persecution in this suffering and to others who are convinced there was not. But whatever your conviction, I think this is worth asking: Did you pass through that time of suffering with joy in your heart? Can you say “in my suffering” or even “in my persecution (if that’s your conviction) I rejoiced and was glad, just like Jesus said?” In this suffering or any other you’ve gone through, can you say you imitated Jesus who: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly?” Or did your joy go into a tailspin? Did you suffer with bitterness, with grumbling, with complaining?
It sure seems likely that there will be more suffering and even persecution in the years ahead. How will you meet it? I know how God tells you to meet it—you are to meet any suffering with confident submission and even the fiercest persecution with rejoicing and gladness. God means for you to emerge from it with your faith not only intact, but strengthened, your joy not only present but amplified. He means for you to marvel like the apostles that “I have been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus.” And to rejoice.
Even in your worst suffering, even in your darkest valley, even in the most agonizing persecution, you can rejoice and be glad because God is with you, because God is accomplishing his purposes, because this light and momentary affliction—even if it leads all the way to death—is preparing you for an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond all comparison. And so expect to be persecuted; when it appears to have come, honestly evaluate your persecution; and if you are convinced this is, indeed, suffering for righteousness’ sake, then embrace your persecution as a means through which God is at work for the furthering of his kingdom, the good of his people, and the glory of his name. And rejoice that you have been counted worthy to suffer dishonor, or even death, for his sake.

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Four Ways to Preach Like Jesus
Alistair Begg: “If today’s preachers and teachers of God’s Word would strive to preach like Jesus, what kind of lessons might we learn from the Master?”
Two Dangers Facing Christians Under Cultural Pressure
Doug Eaton describes two dangers facing Christians when we are under cultural pressure. “The first is to give in to the pressure to conform, and the second is to stand defiant in an ungodly way.”
On Plundering the Egyptians
“The debates surrounding catholicity and theological retrieval do not seem to be slowing down any time soon. With all the back and forth about Thomas, Aristotle, and Van Til, one theological topic seems to be overlooked more often than others—namely, common grace.” I tend to agree.
Why You Need to Know the Difference Between Hidden and Revealed
“There’s a similar kind of suspense in knowing God—he’s both a stranger and a friend. Though you feel his presence listening to the Scriptures, deep in prayer, or in the friendships of your faith community, he can feel distant when you need him the most. You can’t always find him, but he always seems to find you.”
Suffering Is Our Teacher
Paul Tautges describes some of the ways in which suffering serves as a teacher.
Why We Go Light on Polemics
“I’ve never had a personality that naturally goes hard after polemics, which is the practice of highlighting the weaknesses and errors of other religions and worldviews as a method of thereby getting to the gospel. But when locals outright deny, brush under the rug, or just plain don’t know about the the scandalous or dark parts of their holy books or prophet’s life, it is awfully tempting to start attacking these foundations of their belief, even for me.”
Flashback: The Servers and the Servicers in Every Church
Servers are prone to see servicers as lazy or uncaring…Servicers are prone to see servers as spiritually cold or immature…The reality, though, is simply that God has made us different in the way we relate to him.

Chafing and murmuring grieve God. The moment we recognize the will of God in either a duty or a sorrow we should accept it with delight. In no other way can we please God and have His blessing of peace. —J.R. Miller

Christmas will be here before long and with it the opportunity to focus deliberately on the birth of Jesus Christ. I know that many individuals and families will be looking for some kind of special reading to carry them through the holiday season and for that reason I thought I’d provide a roundup of recommended advent devotionals. For the most part these devotionals offer 24 or 25 readings, though some offer a few more than that. Take a look and see if there’s something here for you! (Okay, yes, Christmas is still a ways off, but it can take some time to make a decision, have the books shipped, and so on…)

The Good Book Company is the undisputed leader in this area and has published quite a number of advent devotionals that are suitable for individuals or families and that each follow a similar structure. The Dawn of Redeeming Grace and Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair Ferguson are collections of daily readings for advent. In each of them, Ferguson offers 24 devotionals. The Dawn of Redeeming Grace draws from Matthew 1-2 while Love Came Down at Christmas draws from 1 Corinthians 13. Repeat the Sounding Joy by Christopher Ash is similar in format and focuses on the first two chapters of Luke; David Mathis’ The Christmas We Didn’t Expect draws broadly from the Christmas narrative. New this year is Jared Wilson’s Gifts of Grace and Lizzie Lafferton’s The God of Amazing Gifts.
From Tim Chester you’ll find a trio of options: One True Light, One True Gift, and One True Story. Each offers 24 devotional meditations along with ideas for reflection, prayer, and application.
Specifically for children, you can consider Barbara Reaoch’s A Better Than Anything Christmas and A Jesus Christmas. For the whole family, consider The Light Before Christmas or Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski or The Adventure of Christmas by Ed Drew.
John Piper has written a couple of advent devotional works: Good News of Great Joy and The Dawning of Indestructible Joy each containing 25 readings of about 1.5 pages each. Paul David Tripp’s Come, Let Us Adore Him is oriented toward family use and has slightly longer devotionals of a few pages each. Ronnie Martin’s The God Who Is with Us releases in a few days.
Hosanna in Excelsis: Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season by David and Barbara Leeman offers devotionals based on hymns that begin on November 25 and continue all the way through to January 6. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s The First Songs of Christmas also focuses on songs, though in this case the songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon. Philippa Ruth Wilson’s Brightest and Best is structured around the words of the best-loved Christmas carols.
That should give you plenty to choose from, and I hope there’s something that stands out to you.

Grace and peace to you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include a nice little collection of books.
(Yesterday on the blog: So You Think You’re Facing Persecution, Do You?)
‘Jesus Has Left the Building’: Scotland’s Secular Slide—and Signs of Hope
“If you could stumble across Scotland on social media, she would be the girl you remember from youth group—the one who went to all the Bible studies, the one you expected to head to the mission field. You’d have to blink and rewatch her post before it would sink in—she’s deconstructed her faith, more completely and rapidly than you thought possible.”
You can’t do everything & not everything is for everyone
“Whenever talk of something a church is doing comes up, it doesn’t take long before all the whataboutery starts. It’s great that we’re providing X, but what about Y? It’s great that X is on at this time, but what about all the people who can’t make that time?” I am glad for this reminder that no one church can do everything or be for everyone.
Seeds And Sunflowers
“Imagine being the person that had never seen a sunflower, and trying to get your head around the idea that the little grey nothing in your hand could transform so completely into something so impressive and colourful. If all you knew was the seed, how could you ever guess the flower?”
Four Questions about the Love of God to Ask Jehovah’s Witnesses
If you can find a way to remember these questions, they could prove a good way to engage with the JW’s next time they come around.
Trust Isn’t Just About Me
“I know worrying about myself is a fruitless pastime. Here’s the problem. Sometimes it feels more helpful to worry on the behalf of others.” It sure does…
What Does Scripture Say about the Fall of Satan?
“The fall of Satan and his angels is shrouded behind a veil and cloaked in mystery.” In this article Dustin Benge shares some of what we know and some of what theologians have concluded.
Flashback: Why Domestic Abuse Is So Very Evil
There are few churches that have no members who bear painful scars related to domestic abuse…With that in mind, here are five ways in which abuse does particular damage and brings about grievous harm.

To love to preach is one thing, to love those to whom we preach quite another. —Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Jesus tells us to expect persecution. This is something I attempted to prove in an article a couple of days ago when I showed that at both the beginning and the ending of his ministry he warned that there would be a cost to following him. Yet Jesus knows that not everything that may look like persecution is actually persecution. And so he tells us that, when we come to times of suffering, we need to evaluate it to see if we are truly being persecuted.

There are times when Christians are put in prison because they refuse to follow the unjust dictates of an unjust government; but there are also times when Christians are put in prison because they break good and necessary laws that the rightful authorities have put in place. Sometimes Christians are shunned by family members because they refuse to bow down to the family’s idols; but sometimes Christians are shunned because they fail to honor their parents, or because they treat family members badly, or because they act like sanctimonious, entitled brats.
In the opening sentences of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says his people are blessed when they are persecuted “on my account.” And immediately before that he says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” And so Jesus tells us that we need to evaluate our suffering to ensure it is actually persecution and not just the consequence of our own sinfulness.
Peter, a man who knew a thing or two about suffering, offers some helpful guidance here in 1 Peter 4:12. Like Jesus, he says that we should expect to face persecution. Here’s what he says: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
It’s clear: persecution is the normal course of the Christian faith. It’s not strange and should not be unexpected.
I know many people who have suffered for their faith. Some have been disowned by their families because they have rejected the family’s religion; some have fallen out with friends because they couldn’t participate in activities they invited them to; some have had troubles at school or at work because they wouldn’t take pride in what others deem worthy of celebration; some have been imprisoned for their religious convictions. And I know the Lord is proud of these people. He told them before they came to him to count the cost. They did, and they have been willing to pay that cost. I pray that God will continue to bless them as they honor him, even at a personal cost. Peter says not to be surprised when this happens.
But then he goes on in verse 15 to say, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.”
He wants to be clear that not all suffering is persecution. He lays out a spectrum here that extends from very serious sins to ones we might consider minor—from murder to meddling. We can’t play the persecution card if we murder people or steal from them, and we also can’t play it if we are being meddlesome or treating people badly. In either case, we have brought suffering on ourselves for our sinful living, not for our blameless living.
Peter finishes up this way: “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” And so Peter does what Jesus does—he distinguishes between suffering for unrighteousness’ sake and suffering for righteousness’ sake. If we are suffering what appears to be a kind of persecution, we need to honestly evaluate it to see which it is.
So what does it mean to suffer for righteousness’ sake? It’s simple really—it means to suffer for living and behaving in distinctly Christian ways. It’s interesting to me that when Jesus gave his first warning about persecution his public teaching ministry had included little more than a few sentences—the opening sentences of the Sermon on the Mount that we call The Beatitudes. This means that the persecution he is speaking about must be connected to them.
So, people who suffer for righteousness’ sake are poor in spirit—they are living with a humble awareness of their spiritual bankruptcy; they are mournful—they are repenting quickly and forgiving freely; they are meek—they are living before God and man with a gentle and quiet spirit; they are, righteous—they long to obey God’s every word and are laboring to see his justice extend throughout society; they are merciful—because they have received mercy they are gladly and deliberately extending it to others; they are pure—they are fully committed to honoring God and are submitting themselves to his purposes; and they are peacemakers—they aren’t fighters but reconcilers who long to bring reconciliation between God and man and between man and man.
This is how God is calling his people to live as faithful citizens of his kingdom. And it is these very virtues that lead to his final beatitude—that lead to persecution. It is after Jesus calls his people to live this way that he tells them they will face terrible consequences.
And so the calling on us is clear: as we face insults or slander or prison or death, we need to evaluate it. We need to ask: Am I suffering because I am exemplifying these virtues? Am I truly being persecuted for living as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven? Am I truly suffering for righteousness’ sake? Or am I suffering because I am behaving badly and out-of-step with God’s commandments?
I have one other thing I’d like to say about persecution but, once again, I’ll have to leave that for another day.

Westminster Books is offering deals on the bestselling books from the recent CCEF National Conference. That includes books by David Powlison, Dane Ortlund, Paul Tripp, and yours truly, among others.

I want to continue to acknowledge those who have reviewed Seasons of Sorrow: Doug Eaton, Brianna Lambert, and Pierce Taylor Hibbs have all posted reviews to their sites, for which I’m so thankful.
Today’s Kindle deals include the IVP Pocket Reference series.
Beware the New Seeker Sensitivity
Trevin Wax: “There’s a different kind of ‘seeker sensitivity’ at work here, and I want to encourage church leaders to avoid it. We need pastors to resist the siren call of our age and give themselves over anew to the glorious call of heralding the gospel and preaching the Word, no matter what political categories get crossed.”
Entitlement is the Enemy of Worship
“Many times we approach God like we do an employer. We come not broken and indebted but rather anxious and annoyed at him. Why? Well because we feel he’s failing us. We come to collect our paycheck for service rendered and it’s late or unavailable. We feel we’ve done our part better than most but when we need him he’s not there.” In other words, we come with a sense of entitlement.
Immovable Hope in the Wake of Hurricane Ian
Jeramie Rinne writes from the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. “It’s Sunday morning, October 2, 4:30 a.m. I’m writing this from a hotel bathroom so as not to wake my wife. A week ago, I couldn’t have imagined this is where I’d be today.”
Well They Got Their Man: And It Only Took One Day
Stephen McAlpine writes about a concerning (but increasingly common) situation in Australia. “Sometimes I just get weary of Christians who say that if we were only winsome enough in the public square then we could be up front Christians and take our place in meaningful corporate roles with no pushback. As if we never are winsome. And as if winsome is even a strategy that will stave off the attacks.” (See also Murray Campbell)
Something My Dad Could Teach You
Also from Australia, Wes Bredenhof writes about his dad’s life as a police pilot and the importance of self-discipline.
We Know Our Enemy’s Plans
Darryl reminds us that we already know our enemy’s plans and that this ought to prepare us to counter them.
Flashback: Never Humble Enough
I pray sometimes that God will make me humble. But inevitably I soon find myself feeling proud for asking God such a noble thing. It’s pathetic really.

Rejecting God’s self-revelation in favor of our own ideas about what he would or wouldn’t do is the height of self-righteous pride. —Albert Mohler

Blessings to you today!

There are a few new Kindle deals this morning.
(Yesterday on the blog: Christian, Do You Expect to Face Persecution?)
Should Women Preach in Our Churches?
Kevin DeYoung: “This is not an article about the case for complementarianism instead of egalitarianism. That matters, of course, but this piece is for self-identified complementarians wondering if their theology can allow, or should allow, for women preaching. Here is the question I want to address: Is there biblical justification, given basic complementarian convictions, for the practice of women preaching sermons in a Sunday worship service?”
Longing, Loss, and the Life to Come
“Out of nowhere, the feeling—soon to be a familiar one—swept over me: a great desire, an aching yearning, a tremendous longing for something I couldn’t name.” You’ve known that feeling too, haven’t you?
Should You Marry Two Unbelievers?
Hershael York talks about marrying two unbelievers and considers a circumstance in which he might even marry a believer and an unbeliever.
Serve Others With Your Books
This article considers how to build a library that will serve others rather than simply yourself.
Reaping God’s Presence
“Everyone’s a farmer. We’re always sowing and reaping, planting and harvesting, putting down seeds and taking up crops. We just do so with our thoughts, words, and actions.”
Rollercoaster ministry isn’t healthy
“There is a danger in the Christian life.  I’ve seen it again and again in young people and families and others; it’s the Christian life lived as a rollercoaster.” I’ve seen that too…
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.

If error be harmless, then truth must be worthless. —Abraham Booth