As I share this update I am just setting off to begin the project I have titled Worship Round the World. The premise of Worship Round the World is that I will visit 12 different churches in 12 very different places to get to know those congregations and to join them for a Sunday service. Each of these churches will worship in a way that is consistent with Scripture, yet also faithful to the local language, customs, and culture. In this way each worship service will be unique yet distinctly biblical. I will be making the journey with my friend Tim Keesee.

This was a project I dreamed up a few years ago and fundraised for in 2019. I had intended to set out in 2020, but then the world slammed shut because of the pandemic and is only now getting back anywhere near to normal. If all goes well, the great majority of the travel will take place by the end of this year. In 2024 we will produce a book and video series based on all we saw and experienced. Our great hope is that it will encourage us all to praise God for what he is doing each and every Sunday as his people gather together to join in a worldwide chorus of praise to his name.
While we very nearly reached our fundraising goal in 2019, travel costs have increased substantially since then and we know we will fall short. If that sounds like something that would interest you, you can make a tax-deductible donation to the project through Frontline Missions. (Click and then scroll to the bottom of that page.)
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In other news, I have a new site design that will be launching in the days ahead. This is a huge project that has been underway for some time now. When it launches you will quickly see that things look a lot different, but I hope you’ll also find that things function better. I’m sure there will be some initial bugs and errors, so please just bear with me through those. I’ll have more to say about this project soon.
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Last month I undertook what I think may prove one of the most difficult things I have ever done: I changed my keyboard layout. I learned to type, as you did, on a keyboard with a standard QWERTY layout. In fact, I learned on an actual manual typewriter back in ninth grade, the teacher tapping a yardstick while together we rhythmically chanted (and typed) “A … S … D … F … G … H … J … K … L … semi.” I learned well and have been able to type at nearly 100 words per minute ever since with almost perfect accuracy. Yet it is now well-known that while the QWERTY layout may have made sense for typewriters it doesn’t make as much sense for computers. And it has the unfortunate problem of putting the most-used keys in some of the most awkward spots—spots that often require stretching the weakest fingers. I deal with significant pain when typing and, having exhausted most other solutions, decided it was time to take this radical step. 
I researched the different options and landed on Colemak (in the “DH” variant for those who follow such things). It has been extremely difficult to overcome 30+ years of muscle memory but bit-by-bit I am getting it and my typing speed and accuracy are slowly recovering. I expect it will be ages before I am back to my old speeds, but I am, at least, getting closer to being able to type at the speed of my thoughts. I am also correcting some bad typing habits and forcing myself to strike the right keys with the right fingers.
I probably didn’t help my cause a lot by also changing to a new keyboard at the same time. I picked up the strangely-named and strangely-shaped Moonlander which offers some very helpful functions, such as a way to eliminate the shift keys (thus mitigating a lot of wear and tear on pinky fingers). Anyway, the whole process has been extremely difficult and frustrating, but I am hopeful the results will be good in the end—and that eventually my brain will clue in to where the “d” key now is, since that’s the one that continues to torment me the most.
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As for the family, all is well, I think. Abby is into the second semester of her junior year at Boyce College while her husband Nate is working full time and taking classes online through The Master’s University as he works toward finishing up his degree in business. Michaela is pressing on in her final year of high school and looking forward to beginning at Boyce in August. Ryn is working full time at a coffee shop in Louisville while also auditing some classes at Southern Seminary. Aileen is still enjoying her job as a personal assistant for a neighbor who works in real estate. The Lord continues to bless us in so many ways and we continue to wish only that we might honor and serve him.

The Lord be with you and bless you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include another good-sized list of books.
Westminster Books has ESVs on sale this week. You’ll also find a discount on a book meant to provide daily liturgies.
(Yesterday on the blog: Seasons of Sorrow: A Special Pre-Order Offer)
A Crucial Court Case Exposes the Darkness of America’s Worst Industry
This is difficult to read, but important at the same time. Let’s not allow ourselves to be fooled about the reality of pornography.
From Rage to Repentance
“Hamid unexpectedly walked in just as the service was beginning. At once I felt anxious chills in the back of my head and neck, my body’s way of telling me that it feels threatened.” Here’s an encouraging dispatch from Central Asia.
Whip the Devil with the Golden Chain
“Foreknew Predestined Called Justified Glorified. These five words capture the drama of redemption. The salvation God gives is all-encompassing—we are cocooned into the grace of God from eternity past to eternity future. Each link is an act of God to bring us into his grace, keep us in his grace, and bring us into eternal life on the New Earth. Grace upon grace.”
How to become a Calvinist in 5 easy steps:
This is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek (yet also not altogether unheard of) way to become a Calvinist.
A community response to an adverse event
“Recently I was attacked while walking along a beach near our friends’ place out of town.” Thankfully Tamie was not hurt. In this article she relays how justice and restitution can look different in a different culture.
Look for Your Moral Blind Spots
“We all have blind spots preventing us from pursuing true, biblical justice.” This article at STR explains why it’s important to look for our own moral blind spots.
Flashback: The Utter Devastation of Sin
Sin isn’t here for a moment and then gone. No, sin is so evil that it leaves its lingering scent behind.

Happy new year, my friends! What a joy it is to know that today, right now, our God is reigning over all of earth and heaven. His purposes will prevail!

Today’s Kindle deals include some classics.
The New Year Starts: Making Plans?
Today I’ve got several articles about the beginning of a new year, beginning with Jim Elliff’s call for humility.
Plans for a New Year
Then Brian Najapfour calls us to a key text. “What are your plans for 2022? Perhaps you plan to get married, or continue your studies, or look for a different job, or buy a house, or travel abroad. Whatever your plans may be, I hope you will consider what God teaches in Proverbs 19:21…”
A Needed Disappointment for the New Year
And here’s one from Eliza Huie: “We are addicted to self-sufficiency. Without even realizing it we are all junkies for independence. The beginning of the new year is often a time when this becomes even more evident. It’s the time when we are bombarded with encouragement to reflect and resolve. The hope is that in the New Year we will reach a greater level of self-improvement or attain a lasting commitment to live better. The turning of a year seems to put us on a quest to become all that we wish we could be.”
Book Short: Truth for Life
I have been enjoying Alistair Begg’s new devotional Truth for Life and want to commend it to you once more. I believe it will prove a helpful, steady companion for the year ahead.
Ten (More) Questions for a New Year
Donald Whitney has ten (more) questions to consider at the outset of a new year.
Should or Can in 2022?
Finally, please do read and consider this call for graciousness from Ray Ortlund.
Flashback: Comforting Quotes for Those Who Are Suffering
We all go through difficult times in these difficult lives in this broken world, and a book like this one delivers comfort rooted in the Comforter.

When it comes to the issue of “race,” we should look to the Bible, rather than the culture, to guide how we think about it… If we are going to make any progress in these discussions, the Bible must have first and final say on this topic. —Shai Linne