Weekend A La Carte (March 22)
My gratitude goes to Focus on the Family for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their marriage getaways for pastors. “Whether you seek renewal, guidance, or healing, Focus on the Family’s Weekend Getaways cater to your needs, offering a safe, distraction-free environment.”
Today’s Kindle deals include at least a couple of solid picks.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Future of New Calvinism)
This is a really enjoyable article on Iain Murray. He talks about life, loss, ministry, biography, and much else.
Be sure to read Rachel Welcher’s free verse.
Joseph Holmes explains how the horrific film Anora shows that #MeToo is coming to its end. “But on the other hand, it was kind of unbelievable and surreal. It seemed like only yesterday that the #MeToo movement was in full swing, with the entire culture shaming Hollywood for pressuring women to sexualize themselves for the male gaze.”
Justin offers some thoughts on the daily midlife crisis. “Your twenties are a particularly challenging decade but personally, I experience a mid-whatever crisis at least once a week. What am I doing? Should I have been somebody different? Did I miss some crucial decision years back – a turn in the road I should have taken? Have I wasted my life?”
I really enjoyed Esther Shin Chuang’s article at CT about building the habit of family worship. (You should be able to read the article, though you may need a free account to do so.)
“If the Númenóreans were offered Christ, they wouldn’t have wanted him. That’s because they wanted something else more. They wanted to find a way around death, despite the impossibility. They wanted an imperishable life without first having to put off the perishable. For people bent on dodging death, the message of Jesus seems irrelevant. But it only seems irrelevant because we’ve convinced ourselves that something fading is more trustworthy, more enjoyable, and less intimidating.”
There is something satisfying about complaining, isn’t there? Even though we know it’s sinful, we still find a sick satisfaction in it. For some reason, airing our grievances seems to be a form of therapy.
Christianity is the key that fits the lock of the universe.
—Nancy Pearcey
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Free Stuff Fridays (Grassmarket Press)
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Grassmarket Press, a new imprint of Crown & Covenant Publications. They are giving away the first three books from Grassmarket Press (I Have a Confession by Nathan Eshelman, What Is Love? by Kyle Borg, and Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy by Daniel Howe) to each of ten winners.
Grassmarket Press aims to provide short books on Reformed and Presbyterian teaching and practice—for regular people. Each book is slim and lightweight, yet durable. They contain engaging stories, practical examples, and clear, biblical teaching.
I Have a Confession
In your town, there are probably many churches saying they follow the Bible, yet they worship very differently and take different positions on big issues. How can we find a church that promotes right thinking about the Bible, encourages unity with truth, protects us from error, and helps us proclaim the good news? That is the heart of confessional churches and being a confessional Christian. This book is an introduction to confessions and what they’re supposed to do (and not do), focusing on the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Stephen G. Myers: “Too many Christians today see confessions of faith as dry, obscure straitjackets. In this accessible, engaging work, Nathan Eshelman dispels these caricatures, showing how the Westminster Confession, in particular, brings Christians clarity in the gospel and guidance in the Christian life. Many Christians, both new and mature, will be in his debt.”
What Is Love?
There are many voices in every corner of our world that are trying to tell us what love is. We need that noise quieted by a voice that strong and true. In the Bible, God speaks clearly and fully in defining and describing what love is in all the different relationships of life. This book is an encouragement to stop and listen, to consider that which the Scriptures call the lightning flash of the Lord.
Rosaria Butterfield: “Accessibly and delightfully written, Pastor Borg’s What is Love? arms Christians to recognize and distinguish real love from its counterfeits. All Christians in a post-Obergefell world that uncritically believes ‘love is love’ need to read this book.”
Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy
“One day a week, we lay aside our tools, wash off the sweat, stop pursuing our agendas, and feast and sing in honor of God.”
The world tells us that work is our identity. Career, income, and the toys they let us buy determine our success or failure. But God says otherwise. The Sabbath is His weekly message that the good things we have are His gift. Once a week he invites us to set aside our labor, trust him to provide, and celebrate his faithfulness.
In this book, Daniel Howe makes the case that the Christian Sabbath is not about what we’re forbidden from doing. It’s about what we get to do: honor and enjoy God’s gift of rest, and share it with others.
Coming Soon
Look for more titles from Grassmarket Press in 2023–24, including Worthy: The Worship of God by Nathan Eshelman; Good News for the Poor by Pete Smith; The Elders of the People by Drew Gordon; and Loving the Trinity by Barry York.To Enter:
Fill out the form below with your name and email address—limit one entry per person. When you enter, you agree to be added to Crown & Covenant’s email list. The winner will be notified by email and must have a North American shipping address. The giveaway closes on Monday, April 17 at 12 p.m. EST. -
A La Carte (October 17)
Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals are all about Francis Schaeffer.
(Yesterday on the blog: What You Can Take With You Into Eternity)
The Case For Kids
Kevin DeYoung makes the case for kids. “The most significant thing happening in the world may very well be a thing that is not happening: Men and women are not having children. The biblical logic has been reversed, and the barren womb has said ‘Enough!’ (Prov. 30:16). The paradigmatic affliction of the Old Testament is now the great desire of nations. If Rachel wanted children more than life itself (Gen. 30:1), our generation seems to have concluded that nothing gets in the way of life more than children.”
Spirit of Light
“The Reformers placed tremendous stress on the gifts of the Spirit to the whole body of Christ. John Calvin himself has rightly been described by B.B. Warfield as ‘the theologian of the Holy Spirit.’ Yet Reformed Christians always have been given a ‘bad press’ for their views on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” But this should not be!
What Is Eastern Orthodoxy? A Reformed Perspective and Response
This article explains some of the key distinctions between Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
Are There Many Ways to God? Most “Evangelicals” Say Yes. (Video)
This video from Ligonier explains.
The Birth of Narnia and Why Tolkien Hated It
Here’s why Tolkien hated Narnia. “His criticism went beyond evaluation and suggestion to the level of insult.”
How Is the Trinity Vital for My Christian Life?
Danny Hyde explains why understanding the Trinity is vital for a healthy Christian life.
Flashback: What I Want From the News
It’s gotten so I almost hate the news. I want to know what’s going on in the world, but I’ve lost confidence that there’s as much as a single organization out there communicating it in a trustworthy way.It is not hard to deceive ministers, relatives and friends. But it is impossible to deceive Christ. —J.C. Ryle
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A La Carte (April 28)
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you today.
The FAQs: Anglican Group Calls on Church of England’s Leader to Repent
Joe Carter has one of his FAQs about what’s been happening lately with the Anglican Church.
What Does ‘Salvation” Mean?
“Almost no word so well captures the heart of the message of Scripture as does the word salvation. It appears more than 170 times in our English translations of the Old and New Testament. The related word, saved, appears approximately one hundred times throughout the pages of Scripture. But what is salvation? What does it mean for someone to be saved?” Nick Batzig answers.
Register Now For TRC23 *EARLYBIRD DISCOUNT ENDS APRIL 30 TH *
June 28-29, 2023, with John MacArthur, Costi Hinn & others. Throughout Christian history, the fight for the clear true gospel has existed. Paul warned the Galatian church of a new “gospel” that was no gospel at all. Augustine, Luther, Jan Hus and many others down through history fought for the one true unadulterated gospel. As ambassadors of the gospel go to the ends of the earth, uppermost in the minds of their sending churches should be the question, “What gospel are they preaching?” (Sponsored Link)
Should You Accommodate A Person’s Requests?
“Christians are routinely pressured to compromise their convictions. Sadly, it’s other Christians who leverage a good-faith principle to achieve an unfair end. I want to encourage you, though. If you’re feeling pressured to accommodate a request from an LGBT person that violates your conscience, know that there’s a line you do not have to cross.”
God Delights in You
Lara considers our love for our children and the Father’s love for us.
Themelios
There is a new issue of Themelios available in a variety of formats for those who would like to do some academic reading.
Flashback: Whatever Is Not Christ
When we come to Christ in repentance and faith, we surrender ourselves to the purpose of God and submit ourselves to the hand of God. We are the block of marble and he the artist, we the medium and he the one who must remove from it whatever is not Christ.How…could God remain equally faithful to His love for us and His just judgment of our sins? The glory of the cross, its unimaginable wisdom lies in the way God has devised to provide salvation for His people. —Sinclair Ferguson
