Anne Steele knew suffering and sorrow. She also knew rhyme, meter, and sound doctrine. In this poem, titled “At the Funeral of a Young Person,” she puts all on full display and so powerfully directs mourners to ensure they do not miss the opportunity to consider the state of their own souls.

When blooming youth is snatched awayBy death’s resistless hand,Our hearts the mournful tribute payWhich pity must demand.
While pity prompts the rising sigh,O may this truth, impress’dWith awful power,—”I too must die:”Sink deep in every breast.
Let this vain world engage no more;Behold the gaping tomb!It bids us seize the present hour,Tomorrow death may come.
The voice of this alarming scene,May every heart obey;Nor be the heavenly warning vain,Which calls to watch and pray.
Oh, let us fly—to Jesus fly,Whose powerful arm can save;Then shall our hopes ascend on high,And triumph o’er the grave.
Great God! thy sovereign grace impart,With cleansing, healing power;This only can prepare the heartFor death’s surprising hour.

May you know the Lord’s blessings this weekend!

My gratitude goes to Getty Music this week for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to download your free Family Summer Hymnal filled with sheet music and MP3s for 20 Getty Music songs!
Today’s Kindle deals include a biography along with a few other picks.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Mid-Summer Family Update)
Does God Ever Tempt Us to Sin?
John Piper draws some important distinctions in his answer.
If God Knows Everything, do we have free Choice?
“If God knows everything, you basically have five types of explanations when it comes to free choice in saving faith…” Wyatt Graham outlines them.
The Value of Knowing Both Sides
“This skill—the skill of articulating both sides of an issue—is one that is in short supply in American culture. Most debates that we observe on television consist of two people trying to outshout and demonize each other. This is because it is much easier to dismiss opposing arguments than it is to understand them.”
Comedy Pet Photo
This is just for fun—the finalists from the 2022 Comedy Pet Photo competition.
Raiding Monticello
Janie Cheaney: “To make everything about one thing—whether racism, class warfare, democracy, or socialism—is to diminish all things. Only one idea is big enough to be about everything, and we worship Him so we don’t have to worship earthly heroes.”
Jesus is Not Ashamed of Subjects of Church Discipline
“Jesus instituted church discipline both to maintain the holiness of the church and to remind his people that he forgives them as they repent of their sins and submit to his lordship. We often focus on the first aspect—admonishment over sin that could end in excommunication. While this should get our attention and produce holy sobriety within us, it’s not the whole story. ”
Flashback: Foster Your Friendships
You need friends to temper your weakness, to challenge your sinfulness, to comfort your sorrows, to speak truth into your tragedies.

Let’s admit that we are not enough, and turn to the God who is. —Jen Oshman

Today’s Kindle deals include a whole collection of excellent Puritan works (and more).

(Yesterday on the blog: Why the Best Missions Sermon Is All About God’s Sovereignty)
What Makes a Translation Accurate?
Bill Mounce answers the question. And the answer isn’t as simple as you might think.
A Psalm-Singing Resurgence
This is a good development. “We are experiencing something of a Psalm-singing resurgence in our day. Resources abound online for people who would like to learn more about psalm singing. Churches are making strategic plans to train their members in singing the psalms. Blogs buzz with excitement over the Psalter. It is undeniable that the church is waking up to that which once marked it–the passionate singing of psalms.”
Specific Ways You Can Pray for Your Pastor
Here is a great list of specific ways you can pray for your pastor.
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A Parent’s Guide to the 5 Skeptics Who Want to Shame Your Kids for Being Christian
This is helpful for parents. “To be clear, none of the non-believers I personally know would use shaming tactics in person. But when people are behind their screens, it brings down the ‘barrier’ of civility, and faith conversations often look very different. You can see it on social media (even with friends who wouldn’t say such things in person), comments on news articles, blog posts—everywhere.”
I Need a Woman Who Can Mulch
“What is fifteen minutes of pleasure compared to a lifetime of companionship, mutual care, and the dirty fingernails of a woman who gives her time and sweat (and back muscles!) to infuse beauty into our home? What kind of senseless fool would throw that away? What dope reduces their life to the fulfillment of sexual desire when there is so much more that only the lifelong, mutual commitment in the covenant of marriage could ever satisfy?”
The Challenges and Joys of a Young Pastor
I appreciate this view of the early years of ministry. “Nothing can prepare you for the emotional, mental, physical and psychological demands of shepherding people. From the highs of rejoicing with those who are rejoicing, to the lows of weeping with those who are weeping or being devastated by a member who falls into sin, to enduring attacks on you and your family.”
‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’: And Other Misleading Advice to Young Husbands
Yes, I received this advice as a young husband. “We see Adam’s passivity echoed in countless marriages today. The temptation to be emotionally and spiritually absent, when physically present, has merely changed hairstyles over time. The same unmanly repose still beckons men to recline in the passenger’s seat. God calls out to husbands today with the same question he asked in the garden: ‘Adam, where are you?’”
Flashback: I Forbid You To Say These Things at My Funeral
Here are a few things I sincerely hope no one will say about me at my funeral or any time thereafter. In fact, I hereby forbid it.

People prefer to ask God to make them powerful rather than tender; when tenderness is what best expresses God’s power. —Harold Segura