Logos users will want to keep tabs on the Cyber Week Sale that launched yesterday. Lots of commentaries, reference works, and other material is on sale. And, of course, stay tuned for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals as the weekend approaches.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of interesting books.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Blessing of a Higher Purpose in Our Pain)
Chief Cheerleader
Patsy writes about the importance of having and being a cheerleader in the race of life. “I pray you have at least one person standing staunchly on your cheering corner. Equally important, who might need your encouragement? Is there someone in your circle whose trot has turned into a trudge? Maybe your voice is the very one they need to hear cheering them on.”
Slippery Slopes & Finding Allies
Matthew Hosier considers complementarianism and egalitarianism and their relationship to some of the other issues in the church today.
That Bible Verse You Don’t Like and What to Do About It
“Out of the 31,102 verses in the Bible, it’s entirely possible that you don’t necessarily like every single one of them. That some of them might actually get under your skin.” Rebekah considers what to do when you encounter one of them.
Why You Should Wait to Go to Seminary
Should you go to seminary when you are young or wait until you’ve got some ministry experience? TGC has two articles, one that takes each position. (See the other here.)
Am I A Good Mom?
I expect that this article will resonate with a good number of moms. “Every day, I am faced with opportunities to fail or succeed but there is no one other than my three kids under three to see. For the last three years, I have constantly strived to be the best and most God-honoring mother I can be. In my striving, I have never, ever felt more like a failure.”
Arenas Are Cathedrals: What Sports Reveal About Worship
Mark Jones loves sports, yet wants to carefully consider their place in the Christian life. “Professional sports reveal that we were made to worship, celebrate glory, and admire excellence. We are worshiping beings. It is not whether we worship but what or whom we worship. And many today worship sports in some form or another.”
Flashback: To the Impetuous and Impulsive
Know that God uses all kinds of people to carry out his good and glorious purposes. Embrace the personality rather than squelching it.

There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans. —Corrie ten Boom

I trust you enjoyed your Christmas as we did—remembering the birth of Jesus and spending time with friends and family. The Lord is good to give us days of rest and celebration.
I wasn’t able to track down new Kindle deals before scheduling this post for 12:01 AM, but I did add some good ones yesterday. I will check again in the morning.

You will need to set aside a few minutes to read this article, but I think you’ll find it rewarding. The author essentially sets out a theology of getting fired for your faith.

Chad Van Dixhoorn considers the qualifications for elders (which are character expectations for all Christians) and focuses on a couple we are perhaps prone to ignore.

When discussing the specifics of church missions programs, it is critical to begin by understanding the motivation behind missions. Properly understanding “God’s Mission” will result in a more deeply rooted mission program and, ultimately, a more effective gospel witness. So, today, The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) is offering How to Build an Effective Missions Program as a free ebook. Download your copy today at tmai.org/challies to develop a strategy for an effective missions program in your church. (Sponsored Link)

Justin Poythress: “In a sense, all of our lives are waiting. Waiting to grow up. Waiting to leave home. Waiting to finish school. Waiting to get married. Waiting to have children. Waiting for those children to grow up and fly the nest. Waiting for your first job. Waiting for your career. Waiting for your dream job.” And so on.

I really appreciate the heart of this article—to not immediately dull the impact of a passage by too quickly interpreting it through the lens of systematic theology.

“Last month, the Lord convicted me that my giving is like that of the rich men in the temple – they were happy to give from their excess because it didn’t pinch them. But the poor widow gave God her all. The little she gave was everything she had. She might not have had enough for her next meal, but Jesus saw her sacrificial offering and honoured it.” That is worth pondering.

This call to honestly applies to pastors, but to everyone else as well.

“So when I am weary in body, and sinking in spirit I say, all the toils of the road will seem nothing, when I get to the end of the way.”

If [God] had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.
—D.A. Carson

Grace and peace to you on this fine day.

Today’s Kindle deals include a nice selection from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Bible Never Offers a Drink from Shallow Waters)
Analogies for the Trinity Considered, Including Bad Ones
This is an interesting observation: “The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, which are the two most important confessions of faith that teach the doctrine of the Trinity, never even use the word ‘three.’ They say nothing about ‘how God is three in one.’ Rather, they teach that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can count to three if you want, but it’s hardly essential, and in fact you’ll understand the doctrine better if you forget about counting.”
The Kigali Commitment — the statement from GAFCON 4
This was an encouraging report from GAFCON (despite this sad intro). “In a couple of weeks, King Charles III will swear in his Coronation Oath to maintain and defend ‘the true profession of the gospel… the Protestant Reformed religion’. Sadly, the current leadership of the Church of England has chosen not to maintain and defend this faith but to subvert and replace it with something else more amenable to modern culture.”
Lessons About God from Job
This is a helpful summary of the big message at the heart of the book of Job.
4 Benefits of Developing Position Papers in a Ministry Context
“Going through the process of developing position papers increased our clarity, confidence, compassion, and consistency.” Our elders have found the same as we’ve worked through the issues and written out position papers.
My Son’s Short Life Was Not a Waste
“Tugi Mbugua Musyimi was a part of our family for nine months. God began knitting him together in his mother’s womb at some point in July 2022. From the moment we first learned of his existence, we were excited as God answered our prayer to grow our family.” John Musyimi testifies to God’s purposes even through sorrow.
Why God Made You for Membership
“In an age that suspects and even despises authority, church membership is a loud, arresting statement of our devotion to Christ.”
Flashback: Deconstruction, Exvangelicals, and Jumping Overboard from an Ocean Liner
We hear a lot about “deconstruction” these days and a lot about “exvangelicals.” And though the terms may be new, the reality is as old as the church itself—some will profess faith for a time and then fall away.

The great enemy of peace is the consciousness of sin. He who would give us peace must deal with that first. —F.B. Meyer