May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a deal on a new edition of a game-changing book.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few excellent books.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Family, Personal, and Travel Update)
Learning From Those Who Pray All Night
“To be a Christian in Tanzania is to attend all-night prayer vigils. Some churches hold them every weekend. For others, it’s once a quarter. It’s such a part of church culture that the church leaders at our Bible school expressed shock when they heard that American evangelical churches generally don’t practice this.”
Weary One, Take Heart
Christa considers how to respond in those times when we are weary and hurt.
The Awkward Duty of Encouragement: How Men Strengthen Other Men
Mack Stiles writes about the importance of men encouraging men. “Why go out of my way when it’s easier just to stay quiet? Besides, most guys seem to be doing fine anyway, right? Encouragement, however, is not just a good idea, but a biblical command — yes, even for men.”
I don’t hate my sin like I know Jesus calls me to
Neither do I. And probably neither do you.
How To Quit The Comparison Game
Seth Lewis: “The piled-up fortunes of earth eventually become piled-up inheritances for others. Fame is forgotten. Pleasures fade. Getting ahead of others can only last so long, and it can never give you lasting significance, real meaning, unshakable joy, or anything else it promises so freely like an ever-shifting, just-out-of reach mirage.”
Died: Charles Stanley, In Touch Preacher Who Led with Stubborn Faith
There was a stretch in which the preaching of Charles Stanley played a key role in my spiritual growth, and for that I will always be grateful.
Flashback: Fellowship with Godly People
Whoever longs to be godly must walk with the godly, for God has decreed that godliness will not be attained in isolation, but in community.

Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is weak as a factor in God’s work and is powerless to project God’s cause in this world. —E.M. Bounds

This week the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by 10ofThose.
This Friday, we’re presenting a giveaway like no other… with the timeless wisdom and grit of J.C. Ryle. Over the past two centuries, countless Christians have been both comforted and challenged by his works and we’d love you to join them. This incredible giveaway is worth over $245, and by entering our prize draw, you have a chance to get your hands on these stunning boxset for free! Let’s see what’s included…

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels – Taking the reader passage by passage through each Gospel, this lightly modernized seven-volume boxset enables Ryle’s voice and tone to remain authentic while making it accessible to a new generation. RRP $139.99

Daily Readings from all Four Gospels – ‘Always fresh, always reliable, and always centred on Christ. I keep coming back to Ryle in the Gospels and have never yet been disappointed. Use this book in your devotional life. Your heart will be warmed with fresh love for Christ and a renewed desire to live for his glory.’ – Colin Smith, Senior Pastor, The Orchard Church; President, Unlocking the Bible; author of For All Who Grieve. RRP $34.99

Holiness (It’s Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots) – Challenging a new generation of readers to live a Christ-like life, Ryle reminds us that holiness shouldn’t be cold, distant and unobtainable, but that Christ himself is the root of our godliness. Do not settle for half-hearted holiness. RRP $12.99

Do You Pray? (A Question for Everybody) – In a day when prayer meeting attendance is declining and serious prayer is increasingly rare, Ryle encourages the reader, both young and old, to be intentional in their prayer life. RRP $9.99

Thoughts for Young Men (An Exhortation Directed to Those in the Prime of Life) – The changes in society have led to young men being marginalised and many are far more interested in the latest online games than Christian faith. Ryle challenges young men to take their rightful place in God’s plan. RRP $9.99

Happiness – This book addresses a topic that has fascinated humankind and remains a hot topic today: what is true happiness? How can it be found and held on to? Ryle invites us to address these questions together. RRP $9.99

Eighteenth Century Christian Leaders – Ryle recounts the lives of those such as George Whitefield, Henry Venn, William Grimshaw and Daniel Rowland, as he applies the lessons from their stories and appeals for a return to the faith and dedication of these excellent men. The biographies remain as gripping and inspiring as they came from his pen. RRP $19.99

Duties of Parents – This book is designed to help a new generation of parents understand the importance of a loving, caring and godly home, not without discipline but where children come to know and understand God for themselves. RRP $7.99

Terms and conditions
You may enter the giveaway only once. When you sign up, you permit 10ofThose to send you marketing emails, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. The winner will be notified by email. The giveaway ends on 4 October 2024. Any submissions after this date will not be included in the giveaway draw.

The experience of preaching is very different from the front than from the back, when facing the congregation than when facing the preacher. The congregation faces one man who is doing his utmost to be engaging, to hold their attention, and to apply truths that will impact their hearts and transform their lives.
The pastor, meanwhile, faces many people who are doing many different things. Some are scolding their children, some are checking their email, some are staring into space, some are taking a good nap. A man does not need to preach many sermons before he realizes he can have two tracks playing in his mind at the same time, one of them preaching and the other observing and analyzing what’s going on around him.
But what a preacher loves to see when he looks toward the congregation is listeners who are thoroughly engaged with his preaching. He loves to see people who are doing their utmost to fight through distractions, to set aside imperfections, or even to forgive downright boredom. He loves to see people who mean to glean all they can from his sermon, who mean to wring every little drop of goodness out of his feeble words. He comes to learn that some congregants minister to him even while he ministers to them.
It can seem at times like the communication during a sermon goes in only one direction—that the preacher only gives and the people only receive. But that’s not the case. The congregation also gives and the preacher also receives. He receives the messages they communicate through their posture, through their body language, and even through the words or sounds they verbalize. Many a preacher has been discouraged in his preaching only to be encouraged by a barely audible “amen.” Many a preacher has heard an internal whisper telling him he is preaching the worst sermon anyone has ever heard only to find himself buoyed by a nodding head or a grunted “mmhmm.” Many a preacher has learned that certain listeners are key encouragers.
Not all of us can preach, but all of us can listen. Not all of us can apply ourselves to diligently expositing the Word, but all of us can apply ourselves to diligently receiving it.Share
And this is a ministry for any Christian—the ministry of engaged listening. It is one way that any Christian can be involved with the preaching and one way any Christian can minister to the preacher. You can listen deliberately and attentively. You can bear down and lean in. You can hold your Bible open in your lap and hold a pen ready in your hand. You can make eye contact and share a smile. You can nod your head in agreement and (if appropriate in your context) utter a subtle or resounding “amen.” In these ways and more, you can take up your part in the preaching.
Not all of us can preach, but all of us can listen. Not all of us can apply ourselves to diligently expositing the Word, but all of us can apply ourselves to diligently receiving it. And preaching is at its very best when the preacher and the listener alike take their role seriously and do their utmost to bless and serve the other.
So why not make it your goal to be an engaged listener? Why not make it your ministry to listen attentively and well? The preacher will thank you for it.