Good morning. May grace and peace be with you today.

You will find a small list of Kindle deals today.
There is some big news in the family: my Abby got engaged! Her boyfriend fiancé Nathan asked her the big question yesterday. We are so very happy for them.
9 Things You Should Know About the Taliban
Joe Carter: “Twenty years ago, the United States overthrew the Taliban government in Afghanistan for harboring Osama bin Laden and providing training grounds for Al-Qaeda terrorists. This month, the Taliban has returned to power after U.S. military forces withdrew and the Afghan government collapsed. Here is what you should know about the brutal Islamist regime.”
Is the Church I’m Going To “A Cult”?
“So how can you tell if the church you are attending is ‘a cult’ or just a little bit different than the church next door?” This is a pretty good explanation.
Church Closed
Kevin Davis: “The truly frightening thing about this church is just how much of it is in all of us, in our churches, in the individuals who make up the churches, and in the leaders who lead them. We inspect others, not out of a love for God and neighbour, and not out of a love for those who are being duped by the false teachings. Not at all.”
Show, Don’t Just Tell
“It’s a key principle of educational philosophy: Show, don’t just tell. Communicating ideas is a good thing. But it’s even better if you can show your work, present persuasive argumentation, explain it clearly, and illustrate it vividly. The show-don’t-just-tell principle has many applications for teachers and leaders of all stripes.”
Unintended Consequences Of Failure Porn
This is worth considering. “It’s the irony that bugs me. We’re listening to a podcast critiquing celebrity culture within the church, and responding to it with all the glee of someone flicking through a celebrity gossip magazine. Apparently oblivious to the hypocrisy. A podcast criticising how the Mars Hill cult leveraged branding and technology to send their message globally is now using the very same technology and platforms, and gaining a cult following.”
I Make, I Carry, I Save
Idolatry, it turns out, comes in many forms…
The Deeper Beliefs Begin to Come Out
This is an interesting look at a culture’s deeper beliefs. “It can feel like the years of steady teaching and discipleship have failed to trickle down into the places of the soul where it really counts. Are the basic means of grace actually enough to transform these people? is a question I find myself wrestling with.”
Flashback: When It’s Time To Remember All the Stupid Things You’ve Said
When you hear how others have spoken idly of you, don’t over-react. A moment’s reflection will remind you that you’ve done the very same thing a million times over.

The world has been enriched more through the poverty of its saints than by the wealth of its millionaires. —F.B. Meyer

There is a huge list of Kindle deals today. There are books for pastors, grieving parents, people asking tough questions, and so on. You’ll also find the whole NIVAC commentary series on sale as well as Little Pilgrim’s Progress.

As for print books, you’ll also find a good list of pre-Black Friday specials. My own Seasons of Sorrow is among them along with Collin Hansen’s biography of Tim Keller, Grudem’s Systematic Theology, and a lot else besides. Meanwhile, Westminster Books has The Biggest Story collection of resources on sale—a great option to read to your kids and Christianbook.com has a sale on books for kids.

(Yesterday on the blog: I’m a Grandfather!)

This is a fascinating look at the Trump and Harris social media campaigns and an explanation of why Trump was so dominant in this regard. There are lessons for us to learn from it, I’m sure.

Jonathan Threlfall: “In view of the ink spilled and bytes downloaded on the matter of discovering one’s spiritual gift, you might be surprised to learn that such introspection is completely absent in all these passages. Either Paul and Peter failed to answer such a vital question . . . or we are asking the wrong question. I think the latter is the case.”

Join the discussion about AI with the newly updated and expanded edition of 2084 and the AI Revolution by John C. Lennox–now available for purchase. Get your copy today! (Sponsored)

Lauren Whitman has an important word about the messages we receive through the circumstances of our lives. “Messages about who we are—our identity—are powerful. They can shape how we see ourselves, how we see the world, and how we see God. It is a matter that regularly comes up in counseling conversations. When people have hard experiences in their lives or have been mistreated by others, it always proves valuable to explore what messages those experiences have communicated about who they are.”

Darryl Dash: “Age brings the benefit of self-awareness. I can mostly identify where I’m gifted and where I’m not. I want to grow, but I realize I may not excel in some areas no matter how hard I try. God gives us gifts in certain areas that may come easily to us but are difficult for others. Simultaneously, we’re also weak in other areas, highlighting our need for community. The church, as Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians, is built so we need each other.”

Kevin Burrell explains how we are kind of like magpies. And kind of not.

TGC Africa has been sharing a “10 Mistakes I’ve Made” series and in this entry Chopo Mwanza lists 10 of the mistakes he has made in his preaching ministry. He offers lots to think about.

As people repent of their sins and profess their loyalty to him, he does not eradicate their personalities as if he created them wrong in the first place or as if there is nothing within them he can use or redeem. Rather, he channels their personality, he redirects it, masters it, perfects it.

Christ-less, grace-less attempts at change conclude either with the praise of your own glory or with your shame.
—David Powlison

With today being the 80th anniversary of D-Day, you may be interested in this brand new oral history of that momentous day: When the Sea Came Alive. It is a brilliant telling of the day’s events.
Today’s Kindle deals include Stephen McAlpine’s excellent Being the Bad Guys which helps Christians know how to live in a world that sees Christianity as a force for evil rather than good.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Least of My Children’s Accomplishments)

Brad Littlejohn has written a very interesting and very helpful article about pronatalism (which is to say, about the goodness of bearing children). “As of 2024, the only developed country on earth with births above replacement rate (2.1) is Israel (2.9). The US has fallen to 1.7 per woman, which is near the upper end of the spectrum for European countries, which range as low as 1.3 (Italy and Spain). This number, which if maintained would result in a population halving every fifty years.”

Another very thoughtful article is this one by Samuel C. Heard. He writes about the rise of “hyperpleasures.” “If we take a broad look at our history, the pleasures associated with the ordinary activities of life have often been capped. Humans have always had access to pleasure, of course, but our capacity to remove discomfort from pleasure has basically always been nil.” But today some new forms of pleasure are available.

I tend to agree with this: That only pastors should be able to baptize. Also, under normal circumstances, baptisms should only happen within the context of a local church!

“We are living with these sins, and we don’t have a problem with them. Not really. We have become desensitized to them. Perhaps, we have come to justify them.”

You’re probably aware of the discussion (or is it a debate?) about whether a person who has been sinned against can forgive someone who isn’t repentant. Mike Wittmer brings helpful balance to the discussion by drawing some important distinctions.

Just like the title says, here are some good questions for a young man to consider as he prepares to make a marriage proposal.

Our task is to trust him—to trust him in what he will give and what he will refuse, in what he will grant in a moment and what he will grant only in time. 

Show me a church’s songs and I’ll show you their theology.
—Gordon Fee