This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
For the Church Institute is a free online platform from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary designed to provide free and accessible theological training to equip, encourage, and edify local churches. Courses may be taken as a self-paced individual or as a group within your local church. 
Join Dr. Jason Duesing, Dr. Thomas Kidd, and Dr. Patrick Schreiner to reflect on the relationship between politics and the Christian life in our newest free course, Politics and the Christian Life.
Four winners will receive a book bundle from MBTS faculty. Giveaway winners are limited to North America.
Faculty Book Bundle
Adoniram Judson edited by Jason G. Duesing. “A biography of Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson (1788 – 1850), written to honor the 200th anniversary of his first mission trip from the U.S. to the Far East that would in turn mark the start of Americans joining the modern missions movement.” (B&H Academic)
Baptist Political Theology edited by Thomas S. Kidd, Paul D. Miller, and Andrew T. Walker. “Baptist Political Theology, edited by scholars Thomas Kidd, Paul Miller, and Andrew Walker, introduces readers to the full sweep of Baptist engagement with politics.” (B&H Academic)
Who is an Evangelical? by Thomas S. Kidd. “In this illuminating book, Thomas Kidd draws on his expertise in American religious history to retrace the arc of this spiritual movement, illustrating just how historically peculiar that political and ethnic definition (white Republican) of evangelicals is. He examines distortions in the public understanding of evangelicals, and shows how a group of “Republican insider evangelicals” aided the politicization of the movement. This book will be a must‑read for those trying to better understand the shifting religious and political landscape of America today.” (Yale University Press)
Political Gospel by Patrick Schreiner. “In a supercharged political climate, Political Gospel explores what it means for Christians to have a biblical public witness by looking to Scripture, the early church, and today. In these pages, we’ll see that Christians live in a paradox, and we’ll see how to follow Christ our King right into the political craziness of our day.” (B&H Publishing)
The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts by Patrick Schreiner. “In The Mission of the Triune God, author Patrick Schreiner argues that Luke’s theology stems from the order of his narrative. He shows how the major themes in Acts, including the formation of the church, salvation offered to all flesh, and the prolific spread of the gospel, connect. Through Schreiner’s clear presentation and helpful graphics, readers follow the early church as it grows “all under the plan of God, centered on King Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit.” (Crossway)
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Sign up for the 4 free, self-paced units of Politics and the Christian Life with Jason Duesing, Thomas Kidd, and Patrick Schreiner.
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Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages (up to and including teens).
Board Books

What Are Eyes For? and What Are Ears For? by Abbey Wedgeworth. These are entries in the growing “Training Young Hearts” series and are for the youngest of children. The series “addresses the attitudes of the heart that underpin behavior and explains how the gospel of grace enables us to change. Parents, teachers, and other loved ones can refer back to these resources when specific behaviors need both to be corrected and to be connected to forgiveness, grace and growth.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

God Cares for Me (For the Bible Tells Me So) by Kristen Wetherell. “Everyone’s a theologian—even your little one. Each board book in the For the Bible Tells Me So series offers kids ages 0-4 an introduction to key facets of the gospel and a glimpse at the joy found when children embrace Christ as their Lord and Savior. In God Cares for Me, author Kristen Wetherell explores God’s creation and providence, revealing his abundant care for the things he has made—including his children!” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)
Books for Little Children

Coop Messes Up by Sarah Reju. “Coop Wheelie is the youngest in his family, and like many little ones, he has a problem obeying the rules–and there are a lot of them! When Coop runs out of gas, his sister, Lucy, tries to help him learn to follow the rules, but finds herself right in the middle of the trouble too. Through Coop’s story, kids will discover that making mistakes can be an important way to learn about forgiveness and the gospel. The first in The Wheelies series, written by Sarah Reju and illustrated by Tania Rex, Coop Messes Up will teach children ages 3-8 about God’s unconditional love for us.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

David: Finding Jesus in the Story of David by Alison Mitchell. “Moments in David’s story when David is a little bit like Jesus are signposted with symbols that children need to spot, helping them to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. This fun, interactive resource will give children skills to read the Bible as they connect the stories and learn that the whole Bible is about Jesus. Great for parents or grandparents to give children aged 4-7. Can also be used as a homeschool resource or for children’s ministry in church.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Lucy and the Saturday Surprise by Melissa Kruger and Charlie and the Preschool Prodigal by Ginger Blomberg. This is a pair of new entries in the growing TGC Kids series for children 4-7. The first “the dangers of envy and the joy of contentment” while the second introduces children to the dangers of self-righteousness. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

My First ABC Book of Bible Verses by Jonathan Gibson. “Jonathan Gibson helps toddlers and preschoolers learn key Bible verses along with their ABCs. Each letter of the alphabet has a bright, captivatingly illustrated page with a short, foundational Bible verse to be memorized and a simple sentence that helps explain the verse.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

The Story Of God Our Savior by Kenneth Padgett & Shay Gregorie. “The Story of God Our Savior worshipfully surveys God’s loving acts of deliverance across the vista of the biblical story–with the Cross of Christ lifted up on the highest peak. Take your family on this journey. Ponder together the exodus, remember God’s exile-ending kindness, and meditate on Jesus’ triumph over sin and death! By the end of this story your family will know this about God: He’s abounding in love, a Savior who mends. Always and forever, world without end.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

How Do I Get to Heaven?: Questions and Answers about Life and Death by Nancy Gorrell. “In simple terms, this attractive, full–colour illustrated hardback paints a beautiful picture of heaven and explains what heaven will be like. It also explains that the only way to heaven is by trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Each spread includes one question or topic, a brief explanation, and a Bible verse that can be used as a memory verse. There are also explanations of words which might be new to readers, like salvation, resurrection, and substitute.” (Amazon)
Older Children

Susannah Spurgeon: The Pastor’s Wife Who Didn’t Let Sickness Stop Her by Mary Mohler. “Do Great Things for God” series. “This beautifully illustrated children’s biography of Susannah Spurgeon (1832-1903) features stylish illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos. It is part of a series designed to show kids that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Risen Hope: The Church Throughout History by Luke Davis. This is a series of five books that are meant to help explain church history to younger readers. Each book covers a different era. “If you’re looking for a narrative-driven, engagingly-written history of the church for young teens, the Risen Hope series is for you. Meet some of the key people who God used to shape His Church, and see how He has been at work throughout history.” The age range is roughly 8-13. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Big Questions Series (6-Volume Set) by Chris Morphew. “Christian Studies teacher and school chaplain Chris Morphew has been answering tough questions from young people for over a decade. Big Questions is a series of fun and fast-paced books walking kids aged 9-13 through what the Bible says about life, helping them to grow in confident and considered faith. Now you can get all six books in this stylish slipcase.” Each of the six volumes addresses a different big question: What happens when we die? Why does God let bad things happen? And so on. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Trailblazers. You’re probably familiar with the “Trailblazers” series of short biographies for kids. The series continues to grow year by year and must now exceed 50 volumes, many of which have been bundled up into themed box sets. I believe more than a half million volumes have been sold. The newest volumes are biographies of John Wycliffe and Polycarp with notables like David Livingstone and Charles & John Wesley coming a bit later this year. The biographies are excellent and are often written by biographers who have prepared full-sized works for an adult audience (e.g. Vance Christie on David Livingstone). The age range is roughly 8-9 for read to me and 9-14 for read yourself. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Bible Investigators: Creation by Danika Cooley. “Bursting with 90 brain-teasing puzzles, 40 Bible passages, and 30 concepts regarding God’s creation, this lesson-and-activity book will give kids aged 8-12 skills to investigate the Bible for themselves—like a real investigator! As kids apply logic and solve challenging puzzles, they will dive deeply into Scripture and examine the Bible’s account of creation, picking up lots of skills for reading and interpreting the Bible. As well as lots of puzzles, there are journaling boxes for kids to reflect on, interpret, and apply what they have learned.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)
Teens

The Dream Keeper Saga by Kathryn Butler. This fantasy series for young teens has now reached its fourth volume, The Quest for the Guardians. “Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness. She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion, her grandmother’s illness, and the cruelty of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it two months ago when her father died in a terrible accident.As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into trouble. One day, it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm, where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest. With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric, Lily battles evil shrouds, harpies, and other creatures to find her way through grief, rescue the world from evil, and discover the power of redemption.” (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

New Morning Mercies for Teens by Paul David Tripp. This is “a daily gospel devotional” that has been adapted from his ultra-popular daily devotional. “This updated edition of Paul David Tripp’s bestselling book New Morning Mercies features 366 engaging daily devotionals, adapted for teenagers. Each day includes a one-sentence, gospel-centered reading and an extended meditation, Bible verses, and a prompt for discussion or personal reflection. Tripp also includes a bonus Q&A chapter in which he briefly answers questions around relevant topics including anxiety, gender, social media, and spiritual disciplines. Focused less on behavior modification and more on helping teenagers encounter the living God, this book helps young people to fall in love with Jesus, find freedom and joy within his boundaries, and live for his glory―day in and day out.” (Amazon)

A Student’s Guide, edited by John Perritt. The “A Student’s Guide” series has been underway for some time now and, in the next month or so, will reach 18 volumes. Each of them addresses a particular issue of Christian doctrine or living. So there have been volumes on glorification and missions and volumes on dating and technology. The volumes coming along very soon deal with politics, rest, and living out Reformed theology. (Amazon, Westminster Kids)

Grace and peace to you on this fine day.

Westminster Books has a deal this week on Richard Gaffin’s magnum opus.
(Yesterday on the blog: One Way To Know You’re Being Persecuted)
The Lost Art of Courage
“There appears to be one of two extremes common among the people of God—the extremes of the lion. Either shrinking back when we ought not. Or viciously thundering forth when we ought not. It seems the church may need to regain the lost art of courage, for there are those who shy away from battles that must be taken up, and there are those who don bravado and (seemingly) do nothing but battle. What may be lacking in these two poles is the biblical concept of ‘meekness’—or courage, rightly carried.”
When the Going Gets Tough
“When faced with an option between two paths, one paved with more difficulty than the other, the choice is usually simple: take the easier path. But, the choices aren’t always straightforward.” Erik Raymond applies this to both pastors and church members.
How to get better sermons
Al Gooderham: “Sometimes pastors take themselves too seriously. Sometimes pastors can have a big ego. Sometimes pastors need bringing down a peg or too. Sometimes pastors seem to think we should hang on their every word, as if we’re blessed to have them open God’s word to us Sunday by Sunday. I’m pretty sure those pastors are out there but I wonder how many of them there are because I don’t know many (any?) like that.”
No Blood Money in the Temple Treasury
“Man’s ability for self-deception is astounding, and we get a glimpse of it in the chief priests who gave false counsel to have Jesus executed.” But if we look honestly, we may get a glimpse of it in ourselves as well.
A Strategic Retreat
“There’s a lot to see, above the screen. It is slower, and more subtle, but it is alive with beauty and meaning. And I want to see it, and have the mental space to recognise it for what it really is, and carrying social media around with me in my pocket everywhere didn’t help me do that.” Indeed…
Pastor, You’ll Burnout If Your Idea Of Hard Work Is Worldly
I found a number of thought-provoking applications in this article from TGC Africa: “We project the rhythms of 21st century routines onto the apostolic age. But our the pace and routines of life in the 21st century are entirely different from Paul’s and his friends.”
Flashback: Netflix’s Biggest Competition
It turns out that Netflix doesn’t actually consider Amazon (or HBO or Hulu or any other similar company) its true competition. Netflix’s main competitor is something far more elemental: sleep.

You can be sure of this: If God draws near to the shamed and outcast, he will meet you in the insecurities of daily life. —Ed Welch