My gratitude goes to Moody Publishers who sponsored the blog this week to ensure you know about Overflowing Mercies by Craig Allen Cooper, a book that opens readers to the beautiful, merciful heart of our triune God.
There are a few new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Watchmaker’s Daughter)

This is a bit of a longer article, but a good one. Plus, it’s Saturday—a good day for a longform read. In it, Jason Allen offers some observations about complementarianism and lays down some challenges.

It always strikes me as interesting that we resent when “our guys” get canceled but are completely on board when “their guys” get canceled. But anyway, that’s beside the point. “Cancellation is possible these days for anyone who commits actions or makes statements that one group or another considers beyond the pale. But what happens when cancel culture meets the breathtaking mercy of God’s kingdom?”

Ashley Anthony: “In years following my miscarriage, the Lord has continually sent me to his Word when others’ thoughts about the value of my little one’s life and my own pain have felt loud. For grieving parents, Psalm 139 provides dignity to our babies’ short lives in the womb and comfort for our aching hearts.”

Seth shares a sweet reflection on the sheer beauty of normal life. “Every day seems so similar as it passes that it’s hard to notice how things are changing. It’s only when I look back over the years that I see how different my life has become.”

If you are prone to overthinking, you may find help and challenge here. “It is okay to ask God for wisdom and guidance over our problems and grant us the light we need so that we know the path we ought to take in light of the darkness that we are in. But there are times when I try to put matters in my own hands as if I am the one who can fully and finally solve my problems; as if I am the one who knows it all; as if I am the one who can work with all my might to be able to surpass whatever obstacles I would have in this life.”

“We are approaching a once-every-four-year phenomenon. No, not the Olympics or the pageantry of elections, but the Bitcoin-halving (due in April). Monetary rewards for mining new bitcoins (which happens through computers solving complex math problems) get cut in half.”

When I was a child I was taught that sex and gender are binary—you are male or female, and your gender identity and gender expression will accord with it…Today, though, children are taught that every aspect of sexuality exists on a scale with no either/or.

You don’t get to decide to worship. Everyone worships something. The only choice you get is what to worship.
—Tim Keller

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

If you’re still getting caught up on Christian classics, you may want to look at this sale.
Tom Hanks Gets Empathy Wrong
Carl Trueman: “Tom Hanks recently declared that if Philadelphia, the movie that earned him one of his Oscars, were made today, it would no longer be acceptable for him, as a straight man, to play the gay lead. This comment has provided low-hanging fruit for conservative critics. It is, after all, ridiculous that a profession predicated on its members earning their livings while pretending to be people they are not should become prissy about certain types of role-playing.”
The Purpose of Jesus’ Most Perplexing Miracle
What was the purpose behind Jesus’ most perplexing miracle? Here is an explanation.
The Tyranny of Perfectionism
Aubrynn’s blog is committed to sharing some of what it means to live as a Christian with OCD. I found her new piece on the tyranny of perfectionism quite illuminating in explaining a particular struggle.
Church Discipline: Guarding the Gospel
This article has a missions focus as it explains the purpose and importance of church discipline.
If You Believe the Bible
There will be consequences to believing the Bible and refusing to budge from its truths. Blake explains some of them here.
Does God Prohibit Polygamy? What About The Patriarchs?
Oyewole Akande considers a biblical perspective on polygamy. “Does the Bible prohibit polygamy? This question has recently become topical again in Africa. In Nigeria, a popular actor recently took a second wife and commentators jumped quickly to his defence, even offering biblical support. In April, a Congolese pastor married four wives on the same day! Not to be outdone, a Kenyan man recently shared his plans to tie the knot with identical triplet sisters.”
Flashback: No Greater Accolade (Christian Men and their Godly Moms)
What was it that suited Timothy for such a ministry?…The Bible highlights just one great privilege: The faith of his mother and grandmother. Timothy had the immense privilege of being raised in a Christian home.

He that will die in faith must first of all live by faith. —William Perkins

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include some top-notch books on the Trinity.
(Yesterday on the blog: One Woman in the Right Mightier than Four Hundred Men in the Wrong)
Not What I Expected
“One of the most shocking television moments I ever witnessed was on L.A. Law in the 1980s. A character everyone loved to hate, Rosalind, stepped into an elevator mid-sentence and unexpectedly plummeted to her death. That’s kind of how I felt when I became a mom. Like I took a step and the floor wasn’t there. The drastic life change was so much harder than I expected, in ways I didn’t anticipate.” That’s an apt illustration, I think!
A Legacy of Covenant Love
I enjoyed this look at beauty in an arranged marriage. “As an outsider looking in for the past fifteen years of their long marriage journey, I am astounded at the depths of their relationship. I am humbled by the way friendship and romance grew out of covenant and choice. I am deeply indebted to their marriage, not only for producing my husband, but also for painting a realistic yet regal picture of covenant love.”
Why We’re All Manhattan Now
There are lots of interesting insights in this article. “We’re all Manhattan now. What was once an outlier culture because it was a city centre – the city centre – is now downtown mall-rat thinking in the backwater towns of not just the USA, but the rest of the Western world.”
Ministry in the Mundane
This one is written specially about motherhood but pertains to so much more.
Teach Us to Number Our Drives, That We May Gain the Hearts of Our Children
And this one talks about making the most of one of those mundane tasks of parenthood. “My job as a Mom means my secondary office is my car. On days when we have sports commitments, I spend hours and hours shuttling my kids around town. This is nothing new for me, and I know parents all over the world experience the same thing.”
Did not meet expectations
“As a teacher I was once asked to avoid ever using the word ‘Failed’ on academic reports. It was felt that the term carried too many negative overtones and could be psychologically harmful to a young child. The instruction was to rather use the term ‘Did not meet expectations’.”
Flashback: Just Forget About Marriage for a Minute!
Ephesians 5 tells a husband he must love his wife as Jesus Christ loves his church. So let’s forget about marriage for a minute and reflect simply on how we are loved by our great Savior.

God is always mindful of His own, always redeeming, always acting to bring about His kingdom purposes—in His way and His time. —Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth