My thanks goes to ChurchSocial for sponsoring the blog this week. Church Social gives congregations a safe place to communicate, share information, and manage membership online.
There are a few new Kindle deals to close out the week.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Great Rewiring of Childhood)

This article offers some helpful perspectives on living as Christians during politically-charged times.

“When was the last time you were at a funeral when someone didn’t take the opportunity to talk about their own life when eulogizing the person who has died? We all do it. It’s nearly impossible not to.” In this sense, Glenna says, it’s often wise to “borrow” a death.

Keri Folmar describes and celebrates the many ministries of godly women.

Nick Batzig says “We don’t have to be weighed down with perpetual regrets for not having loved believers as we ought to have loved them here and now.” This is a very freeing thought.

Randy Alcorn asks and answers the “color blindness” question.

You don’t have to agree with everything an article says to benefit from it. And that was the case for me with this one (though I am generally in favor of offering some programming for at least the youngest children during services).

“I would still have passed that way even if I had known I would be mistreated, for by sharing his burden I became the first to share in his sufferings.”

There are two little rules which, if we would observe them, would work a marvelous change in most of our lives. One is, “Never be discouraged.” The other is, “Never be a discourager.”
—J.R. Miller

Preaching is a miracle. Faithful sermons are far more than explanations of a biblical text; they are celebrations of biblical realities. In ‘The Preaching Class,’ now available free online, John Piper distills lessons from more than three decades in the pulpit.

In this introduction, below, Pastor John invites preachers and listeners to join him in his series of short videos on preaching. Throughout the series, Pastor John distills lessons from his 33 years in the pulpit and 10 years in the classroom with aspiring pastors, all with the aim of welcoming listeners into the life of a preacher and the glorious task of preaching. Preaching is not the only means God uses to save and sanctify his people, but it is an essential one. We invite you to join us as Pastor John explains why.
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Watch all 30 workshops & lectures from ‘The Preaching Class.’

Grace and peace to you.

(Yesterday on the blog: Our Understanding of Earth and Our Assumptions of Heaven)
Okay, So it’s a Secular Age, But Jesus is Still Working
“Jesus is still working. Yes we call it a secular age, and it truly is, but perhaps it feels like there’s the stirrings of God doing something again in the midst of all of this turmoil and angst. It’s an anxious age, and men’s’ and women’s’ hearts may well fail them as war ramps up again, as seismic changes lurch us from left to right and from Left to Right. Who are we to discount revival?”
Died: Brother Andrew, Who Smuggled Bibles into Communist Countries
“Anne van der Bijl, a Dutch evangelical known to Christians worldwide as Brother Andrew, the man who smuggled Bibles into closed Communist countries, has died at the age of 94.”
How Much Theological Education Do You Need?
“How much theological education do you need? It depends, obviously.” This is a useful illustration to show how different people may need different amounts of theological education.
I Don’t Know
“Ideally, as the pastor, you should be one of the better-educated people in your church. You have likely gone to college and then studied for three or four years to earn your MDiv. During that time you’ve probably read thousands upon thousands of pages of theological literature. For your sermon preparation you ideally read a great deal each week, and that’s not counting your leisure reading.” Yet you can’t know everything and shouldn’t act like it.
What does it mean that God is able to keep us from stumbling? (Video)
Here’s a good answer to a good question: What does it mean in the book of Jude when it says that God is able to keep us from stumbling?
Introducing Ligonier Guides: Accessible Theology for Everyday Life
Ligonier Ministries has just announced the launch of “Ligonier guides.” “These guides, covering topics such as theology, worldview and culture, biblical studies, Christian living, and church history, provide overviews and explanations from Ligonier’s topic index, along with quotes and links to additional topics and resources.”
Flashback: Set An Example: Don’t Surrender To Low Expectations
The primary way to serve your church is to pursue godliness, to grow in wisdom and knowledge, in character and obedience. Set an example. Be an example. Make your life a beautiful work of art.

It’s not change, then you get Christ; it’s Christ, then you get change. It’s not try to change and then God will accept you; it’s accept Christ and he’ll change you. —David Murray