Good morning. May the Lord bless and keep you today.

Westminster Books has a couple of deals you should know about this week. The first is on the John Piper preaching bundle while the second is on a new children’s book.
There’s a nice collection of reference works in today’s list of Kindle deals.
Clinging to God and Grammar
Carl Trueman: “In times past, progressive politicians described those they despised as clinging to ‘God and guns.’ I suspect that we are not too far from a time when they will insult those they deplore for clinging to God and grammar. That might sound an odd claim, but the days are coming rapidly to an end when it was morally acceptable to think that language, among its many functions, had a positive relation to reality. Today, dictionaries and grammars look set to become relics of a bygone age of evil oppression.”
Ten Truths About a Liar
“Is Satan capable of inception? Does he whisper temptations in our ear? Is Satan’s authority, power, and relationship to unbelievers the same or different from Christians? These are all valid and, frankly, somewhat haunting questions. I am not left emotionally unmoved by the many destroyed marriages and ministries around me Satan has devoured. I trust your experience is comparable.”
The Influence Game
Janie B. Cheaney writes about some of the trappings of online fame.
What Lewis Had Wrong about Hell
Bob McKelvey writes about Lewis’ The Great Divorce and says that “What Lewis communicates about anthropology in these vignettes is unsurpassed. Sadly, what he conveys about theology proper is appalling.”
Smartphones and Fallen Natures
Doug Eaton: “There are so many benefits to today’s technology that it is hard to overestimate, but that does not mean there are no negative consequences involved, especially when we combine it with our sinful nature.”
Heart Medicine
Kristin shares another little anecdote from her childhood while drawing a lesson from it.
Flashback: How to Pray Like a Pastor
Personally, I pray for one of these traits each day, using the bullet points as a guide. Perhaps you will find it helpful to do something similar.

How sweet is rest, after fatigue! How sweet will Heaven be, when our toilsome journey is ended. —George Whitefield

Every now and again I collect so much good material that I can’t fit it all into that week’s A La Carte posts. When that happens I’ve been known to create a Sunday edition—something I am doing today. I hope there’s something here that grabs your attention!

John Piper considers whether hidden sin can bring physical suffering. (He also points out, crucially, that not all physical suffering is caused by hidden sin.)

And, on a somewhat similar note, here’s John Beeson. “The voice of shame is consistent. It catastrophizes and wants us to hide our secrets. Shame begets more shame as we create new secrets to cover up past secrets. It tells us that the pain will be too much, that things will get better over time if we just keep our secret hidden for a little longer.”

Andy Naselli considers why Paul calls love “the greatest of these.” “Love is not a spiritual gift. It is essential for using spiritual gifts, and it is more important than spiritual gifts.”

I appreciate Todd Friel’s handling of the recent controversy related to Alistair Begg. His focus in this video is not the issue itself, but the way it is handled and the fallout from it. And, crucially, it’s on preserving and protecting unity within the church.

So many people have tried to figure out the nature of Abraham Lincoln’s faith. This opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal offers some interesting thoughts on it. “The First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Ill., opened in 1876, but its most famous congregant never crossed the church’s threshold. Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with First Presbyterian dates to an earlier location, across town, and it was by no means an easy connection.”

I really enjoy Chris Martin’s weekly “The Funnies” newsletter. It’s kind of like the weekend comic sections that used to come in a newspaper—just a few good laughs.
And that’s it for today. See you again tomorrow!

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF). They have three book bundles for giveaway, featuring titles that have both influenced CHF’s ministry and will hopefully encourage you and your family. Each giveaway package will also include hand-selected items from the Children’s Hunger Fund store. The giveaway will close on April 16th at noon EST.

Good News to the Poor by Tim Chester
Help them or tell them?
Be like Jesus or talk about Jesus?
Social action or gospel proclamation?
Quite often we find ourselves gravitating toward one of those modes over the other—at times going so far as to pit word against deed, as if the two were mutually exclusive. Yet Good News to the Poor shows us how both are integrated in the biblical vision of missions so we may become both evangelists and activists—Christians who talk the talk and who walk the walk.
Author Tim Chester (PhD, University of Wales) is a faculty member of Crosslands and a pastor with Grace Church, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire.

Church in Hard Places by Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley
It is impossible to alleviate poverty, spiritual or physical, apart from the local church.
In recent years, Christians have shown an increased commitment to helping the poor. But this renewed interest in poverty alleviation is doomed to fail if it is not rooted in the local church—God’s established means of drawing downtrodden people into a transformative relationship with Himself. Emphasizing the priority of the gospel, Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley, both pastors with fruitful ministries among the poor, offer biblical guidelines and practical strategies for planting, revitalizing, and growing faithful churches in hard places—in our own communities and around the world.
Mez McConnell is the senior pastor of Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has been involved in pastoral ministry since 1999 and is the founder of 20schemes, a ministry dedicated to planting gospel-centered churches among the poorest of the poor throughout Scotland. Mike McKinley is the senior pastor of Sterling Park Baptist Church in Sterling, Virginia.

The Sower by Scott James, illustrated by Stephen Crotts
From creation to final restoration, Scripture paints a vivid picture of God as a gardener—sowing seeds, planting gardens, and bringing life through the power of His word. The Sower introduces this biblical imagery to young readers to help them understand the story of redemptive history and look forward to future reconciliation.
Vibrant illustrations complement the book’s lyrical style to engage a child’s imagination and display God’s cultivating work in creation and in the hearts of His people.

Ideal for Children Ages 5-10: Introduces the grand story of redemption in an artistic, imaginative way
Introduction to Biblical Theology: Traces the theme of God as a gardener, cultivator, and vinedresser throughout the Bible
Engaging and Elegant: Vivid illustrations by Stephen Crotts inspire wonder at God’s creative work in our hearts and in the world

All you need to do to enter the drawing is drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules
You may enter one time. When you enter, you permit Children’s Hunger Fund to send you marketing emails. The winners will be notified via email. The giveaway closes on Friday, April 16th at noon EST.

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