Today—the first day of a new month—is an ideal opportunity to pause for just a moment to consider: That right now, at this very second, God is reigning from his throne. All will be well.
Today’s Kindle deals include a collection of books that will be on sale until the end of the month. (I should have those listed on my site by 6:30 AM EST or so.)
(Yesterday on the blog: When God Gives Us a Platform)

“Marriage has fallen on hard times in our society. Apparently, things weren’t all that different for the original audience of Hebrews in the 1st century, but writing in the 21st, I feel like this command was given especially for us. Everywhere we turn today, marriage is, in one way or another, slammed, insulted, or otherwise maligned. A simple way for followers of Christ to swim against the cultural current is simply to obey this command to honor marriage. Here are a few ideas on how to do that.”

I really enjoyed this ESPN article about a special photographer. “The football team’s leadership group called Nash Pils, a 17-year-old junior with Down syndrome, to the gym floor. A naturally gifted photographer, Nash has become the documentarian of a small town’s sports programs, and in turn, the football team has become his champion.”

Rosia Li, a college student, has a letter to her senior pastor that is meant to help him understand her generation. “I would like to suggest a crucial role that the church can play in helping Gen Z rise above this digital domination. This relational problem requires a relational solution. Contrary to popular belief, my generation is actually incredibly eager to glean wisdom from those who have lived a little (to many more) years than us. It’s just that at times, we are just a little shy to make the first move.”

Ligon Duncan offers a few thoughts about remaining faithful in the current cultural climate.

Rob Ventura has an interview about a book that has turned into a series—the Expository Outlines and Observations Commentary. (Sponsored)

“Early on in my paralysis — and almost by accident — I unearthed an unexpected treasure. I opened the word of God and discovered a mine shaft. I dug my paralyzed fingers into a weight of incomprehensible glory, a sweetness with Jesus that made my paralysis pale in comparison. In my great joy, I went out and sold everything, trading in my resentment and self-pity to buy the ugly field nobody else would want. And I struck gold.”

Wisely, Brett McCracken warns parents that vetting their kids’ entertainment isn’t a one-and-done task.

…you always need to respect the power and deceptiveness of sin, and you always need to acknowledge your weakness and proneness to depravity. For your soul to survive and thrive in this world, you need to learn to flee.

The real you is worth letting out if the real you is dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus.
—Kevin DeYoung

I may not be going too far out on a limb when I suggest that you have probably not heard the name Anna Laetitia Barbauld. For various reasons she has been largely forgotten by history, and this despite achieving a significant level of fame in the eighteenth century. Though at one time she was a source of inspiration to well-known poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, they later scorned and besmirched her. By the end of her life, her fame had diminished and her reputation declined.
Still, she left behind some wonderful poems including this sweet celebration of friendship. I trust that as you read it you will have the name of a friend come to your mind—a friend of whom you can say, “How blest the sacred tie that binds / In union sweet according minds!”

How blest the sacred tie that bindsIn union sweet according minds!How swift the heavenly course they run,Whose hearts, whose faith, whose hopes are one!To each, the soul of each how dear,What jealous love, what holy fear!How doth the generous flame withinRefine from earth and cleanse from sin!Their streaming tears together flowFor human guilt and mortal woe;Their ardent prayers together rise,Like mingling flames in sacrifice.Together both they seek the placeWhere God reveals his awful face;How high, how strong, their raptures swell,There’s none but kindred souls can tell.Nor shall the glowing flame expireWhen nature droops her sickening fire;Then shall they meet in realms above,A heaven of joy—because of love.

Good morning to you!

This has been a good week for Kindle deals—and there are more to be had today.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Worst Defeat in All of Human History)
The Case for Ditching Your Smartphone (from Someone Who Has Never Owned One)
I really enjoyed this article and was challenged by it (though I am very unlikely to do all it recommends)! “I turn 40 years old later this year and I’ve never owned a smartphone. I am a technological anachronism: a living, breathing social experiment in 2023 America.”
Attention, Affection, Authority
Bob and Julie Kauflin have some wisdom here for parents. “In these years far removed from the daily pressures of raising little ones, Julie and I have identified at least three ways God calls us to reflect his fatherly heart in the way we raise our children.”
Faithful Truth + Literary Grace
William Burkitt’s Expository Notes, with Practical Observations, on the New Testament is a forgotten classic, available soon in a beautiful reprint, that “is not only faithful to biblical truth; it expresses that truth with literary grace.” (Sponsored)
Believe it or Not: One Day Drag Queen Story Hour Will Be a Drag
This is true: that even for those who find Drag Queen Story Hour so thrilling right now, it will eventually prove to be a big letdown.
The Spider-Man Fallacy Fallacy
This article shows that the so-called Spider-Man fallacy is itself a kind of fallacy.
What Is Christian Science?
Ligonier has a nice little primer on Christian Science (which, of course, is neither Christian nor scientific).
Finding Rest on the Road
I appreciate Kody’s call here to make it your habit to find a local church on your vacations.
Flashback: The Dead Seriousness of Careless Words
Words can strengthen the weak or crush them, comfort the sorrowful or grieve them, relieve the burdened or weigh them down all the more. Words can be a taste of life or a savor of death, a scent of heaven or a whiff of hell. They can do the work of God or of the devil, serve the cause of Christ or of his enemies.

The more times we are in narrow straits, and we see God bring us through, the more peace and courage we will have as time goes on. —Tim Keller