Grace and peace to you today.

There is a long list of Kindle deals for you to look over.
Yesterday on the blog: (A Prayer That God Would Save Our Children)
Revival and Bad Theology
“When revival hits, should we expect all the participants to have all their theological ducks in a row and align with our particular shibboleth?” Here’s one take on it. (See also: Asbury, Revival, and Christian Cynicism? and Why It’s Good to be Skeptical of the Asbury Revival.)
A Life-Giving Brain Cancer
“In July of 2022, I was diagnosed with a tumour in the left frontal lobe of my brain; what doctors termed the eloquent, dominant brain. … Six months later, I am glad to have completed active treatment, and excited for a second future. In fact, I’ve never been happier or felt more blessed than I do right now, and I’m eager to share with you why.”
Gender War, Technology, and De-Centering the Self
“It seems to me that the capacity to believe you could be wrong about something—in other words, the capacity to cultivate humility—is greatly strengthened by genuine encounters with other people, and is greatly weakened through the absence of such encounters.”
Why are some demons only able to be cast out “by prayer”? (Mk. 9:29)
Sinclair Ferguson answers an interesting question.
What Is Presbyterianism?
What is Presbyterianism about? This article explains its distinctives.
Nine Characteristics of the Great Old Testament Revivals
This is a helpful list of characteristics of revivals in the Old Testament.
Flashback: Learning to Stand
These are the six pieces of the spiritual armor we need for this spiritual battle: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation and the Word of God…This armor is God’s gift to each Christian, sufficient to wage and to win this battle.

Satan’s chief device of temptation is to attack the truth of God. —R.C. Sproul

I didn’t know that I would be saying goodbye to my son for the last time. How could I have known? He was only 20 years old, still in the prime of life, still living in as safe a spot as any. There was no reason to assume, no reason to be concerned, no reason to even think that I might never see him again. Standing outside his college residence, we hugged and I said, as I always did, “I love you, Nick-o.” And I watched him walk away arm-in-arm with the love of his life.
A few weeks later, when the phone call came, I was broken-hearted, of course. I was devastated. But I was also thankful that we had parted on the best of terms. I was thankful that we had expressed love for one another and that our final words were affectionate rather than angry, that they were deliberate rather than careless. I was thankful that our sorrow was not compounded by regret.
A fact of life in this tragic world is that any parting may be our last. There are some who see it coming and who are able to bid farewell like Jacob to his sons—to speak to each of them, to bless them, and then to “draw up his feet into the bed and breathe his last and be gathered to his people” (Genesis 49:33). But there are as many who do not know that they are saying goodbye for the final time, who do not know that this parting is their last, who do not know that death will soon intervene. And surely this challenges us to make every parting a good parting.
If any goodbye may be final, then surely every goodbye should be loving. We should never part from those we love in a spirit of anger or bitterness, with sin unconfessed, frustrations unforgiven, or misunderstandings unresolved. Just as we must not be so complacent as to allow the sun to set on our anger, we must not allow sin to shadow our partings. That is true even if we anticipate they will be only brief and even if we anticipate we will soon be together again.
Just as we must not be so complacent as to allow the sun to set on our anger, we must not allow sin to shadow our partings.Share
Rather, we should say our goodbyes with thoughtfulness and warmth, in a spirit of encouragement and gentleness. We should make sure that every parting is a good parting, that we are careful with our words and affectionate with our actions. We should determine that if the words we speak are the last this person ever hears from our lips, they will be words of blessing. We should be certain that if these words are our final words, they will prove a fitting benediction for the relationship of a friend to a friend, the affection of a child for a mother or father, the love of a parent for a son or daughter. We should ensure we are saying farewell as if it is the last time because, at some point, the goodbye will be forever.

May the God of love and peace be with you today.

What Does It Mean to Own Your Sin?
What does it mean to own your sin? This article explains.
Faith Is Not Certainty
I appreciate Aubrynn’s ongoing writing about Christians who deal with scrupulosity and some of the specific challenges they face with their faith.
Let Suffering Lead to Gentleness, Not Bitterness
“As we suffer, and our bodies and hearts finally begin to recover from the richeting and shaking we’ve received, bitterness settles in easily as if it had always lived there inside us. Without any effort, our words are slightly sharpened to an edge from the cracks we’ve endured.”
Another commentary on Romans?
Brian Borgman writes, “Well, if that commentary was unique in its goal, easy to use, solid in content, helpful in format, rich in application, and sprinkled with the spices of the old paths, then you don’t have just another commentary on Romans, you have Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans by Rob Ventura.” (Sponsored Link)
Spiritually Hungry? The Church Service Is Your Main Meal
Kristen Wetherell asks, “What if I told you that your main spiritual meal isn’t meant to be your private devotional time with the Lord?”
Healthy Rhythms in a Godly Marriage
I guess the point of this one is not so much to establish these healthy rhythms, but to establish some, even if they don’t look quite the same.
We Need Every Word
“Spiritually speaking, I am my young son sometimes. I want to feast on the Bible passages I love, the ones that make me feel some note of pleasure or comfort. I want the reminders that I’m loved, the encouragements to hold fast, and the songs of praise that remind me of God’s faithfulness. I don’t always want the lists or the history or the stories that don’t seem to affect me.”
Flashback: The Greatest Burden of Leadership
The burden of responsibility is light compared to the burden of insufficiency, inability, or just plain failure. If all those other weights are heavy, this is the one that threatens to be crushing.

God is never surprised; never caught off guard; never frustrated by unexpected developments. God does as He pleases, and that which pleases Him is always for His glory and our good. —Jerry Bridges