Yup, we are still in Unalaska since all of yesterday’s flights were once again canceled. There is some chance we get off the island on Saturday, but if not, it will be Monday at best. But all is well because we know the one who raises and stills the storms and we are glad enough to be here for as long as he decrees.

My thanks goes to Ligonier Ministries for kindly sponsoring the blog this week and for offering you the ebook edition of The Legacy of Luther as a free download.
Today’s Kindle deals include some older books. I also added some newer ones yesterday.
(Yesterday on the blog: Three Years Later: What I Miss Most)
Critical Grace Theory
You’ll need to block out a bit of time and attention to read this article from Carl Trueman. “Can Christians appropriate modern critical theory, not just the theories we trace back to the Frankfurt School, but contemporary critical theories of race, sexual identity, and gender? The question can be reframed: When secular critical theory turns from analysis to transformation, does it see grace and forgiveness as means of social change?”
You Want People To Think Better of You Than You Deserve
“It is an unfortunate fact that you and I want people to think better of us than we deserve.” This is true. And worth thinking about.
Test, Seek, Pray, Fight: The Pursuit of Holy Affections
“Early morning hours are precious. The house is still, quiet. The aroma of coffee wafts from the steaming mug. A single lamp illuminates the chair and table. Here is a sanctuary, a peaceful place of communion between a man and his God. And yet on many days, it is anything but peaceful.”
A Lesson from Nearly Uprooted Trees
Lara reflects on a difficult time. “Tears in my hands and babies at my feet, I often asked God why he put us through it all. What was the purpose? What good did any of it do? What use was it to batter us so harshly with so many storms at once? Our life was fairly smooth until that year, then our roots were nearly torn from the ground. My faith felt frail.”
Autumn
Here’s a short, sweet reflection on autumn.
You’re Not Waiting Alone
“My eyelids lift in the dark of my bedroom. The autumn sun still sleeps below the horizon. I grab the phone on my nightstand and skim through the bolded headlines on the screen. Another attack in the middle east. Threats of terrorism. Flooding. Drought. Another shooting. My head hurts, my heart weeps, and I’m tired of waiting.”
Flashback: What the Wayward Wants
“To reach the prodigal, you must first crawl into the story of the prodigal.” It is an ugly story, but one God so often delights in ending with the prodigal returning to all that was once his.

God knew what we were before conversion- wicked, guilty and defiled; yet He loved us. He knows what we will be after conversion- weak, erring and frail; yet He loves us. —J.C. Ryle

I’m so thankful to Children’s Hunger Fund for once again sponsoring the blog to tell you about some of their remarkable programs. “Our mission,” they want you to know, “is to deliver hope to suffering children by equipping local churches for gospel-centered mercy ministry.”

You will find a few new Kindle deals.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Toxic War on Masculinity)
Gain Is Godliness, or Godliness Is Gain?
“What do you need right now? What would make you genuinely, blissfully, permanently happy if you just had it right now? Ultimately, the answers to that question fall into one of just two categories: either ‘gain is godliness’ or ‘godliness is gain.’” Justin explains the difference.
Jesus Will Return to Put the World Right
He will, indeed. And what a day that will be.
FAQ: Will We Ever See God the Father?
This question is asked quite often, I find.
The Origin of Satan
Where did Satan come from, anyway?
Gratitude Multiplies When We Return It to God
“God gives us hundreds of reasons to be grateful every hour—and if you think I’m exaggerating, ask Him to make you aware of His gracious provisions surrounding you. Developing the habit and discipline of gratitude results in greater praise to God and greater happiness for ourselves.”
Pastors, Brace Yourselves for Another Election Year
With another election looming in the not-too-distant future, Trevin counsels pastors to avoid two extreme reactions.
Flashback: Is Your Church Christian or Christianish?
There is nothing in all the world as precious as a truly Christian church. There is nothing in all the world as dangerous as one that is merely Christianish. Choose your church well.

When our lives are united to Christ through faith, we have the assurance that our best days are always ahead of us and never behind us. —Scott Sauls

This week the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by the Coram Deo Pastors Conference.
Dear brother pastor,
In a spirit of prayerful expectation, I want to invite you to the Coram Deo Pastors Conference. This new event is hosted by Clearly Reformed (a new ministry I help to lead) and Christ Covenant Church (where I have the privilege of serving as senior pastor). We look forward to filling our sanctuary with nearly 2,000 pastors and church leaders at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina on March 12-14, 2024.
The aim of the conference is, quite simply, to strengthen pastors. After the conclusion of the Together for the Gospel conference in 2022, a number of us started talking about how we might build on that legacy to provide a venue for pastors (and their wives, if that would benefit some couples) to be edified, inspired, equipped, and recharged for faithfulness in ministry. To that end, I organized a small steering group of friends—Justin Taylor, Ryan Kelly, Greg Gilbert, Jason Helopoulos, and Matt Schmucker—to think and pray about whether we might launch a new conference and what that conference might look like. Coram Deo Pastors Conference (CDPC) is the fruit of those conversations.
It may not be obvious from the conference schedule, but we’ve deliberately tried to organize the conference with three kinds of messages in mind: expositional sermons (Smith, Piper, Charles), history/theology lectures (Beeke, DeYoung, Finn, Van Dixhoorn), and messages that address current “hot topics” (Trueman, Gilbert). The three panels roughly follow the same pattern: one panel on pastoral ministry, one on the Christian and history, and one on the vexing issue of Christianity and politics. We hope this approach enables the conference to cover a variety of topics while also being clear about what the various messages are trying to accomplish. 
We think there is much to be gained by hosting the conference at a local church (even if that means our space is limited). We will still have a great bookstore, exhibitors, sponsors, and the “feel” of a conference. But we also hope for the “feel” of church. The music will be led by Nathan Clark George, the pastor of worship at Christ Covenant, as he collaborates with other musicians from inside and outside our church.
I love being a pastor, and I love pastors, which is why I am thrilled to be a part of this new initiative. I hope to see many of you here in the Charlotte area for the inaugural Coram Deo Pastors Conference in the spring of 2024.
In Christ,
Kevin DeYoung
Today, you are invited to enter the Coram Deo Pastors Conference giveaway of two free registrations!