Blessings to you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include another good-sized list of discounted books.
(Yesterday on the blog: It’s 2023 and We Need Blogs More Than Ever)
How a Christian Marriage Was Saved by a Wise Guerilla Leader
This is an account of how God worked through unusual means to preserve a marriage.
“I Must Decrease” … But How?
“It’s pretty clear: the world’s loud, incessant voice tells me that in order to be happy, I need to spend more of my time, money, and attention on myself. You’ve probably heard the same message about your need for this, as well.”
The Gospel Coalition Conference 2023
Join us September 25—27, Indianapolis, IN. With worship led by Sydney, Australia’s CityAlight and keynote speakers including John Piper, David Platt, Andrew Wilson, and many more, we’ll explore the theme, Hope in the Wilderness: Encouragement for Pilgrims from the Book of Exodus. Find out more about our theme, full lineup and breakouts. (Sponsored Link)
Eight Counsels for Those Thinking of Quitting
John Piper offers some counsel for those who may be considering quitting.
What is covenant theology? (Video)
You’ve probably heard of covenant theology and wondered what it’s all about. Sinclair Ferguson explains in this brief video.
A Light to My Path
“[The Bible] doesn’t lay out every step on our journey, but it gives us the light we need to take the next step, trusting in the Light, knowing that He not only knows every twist and turn in our path but also has intentionally and lovingly prepared the way for us.”
Flashback: For the Christian Who Is Afraid To Die
What we know of life after death we must know by faith. And what does the faithful heart believe about the experience of death? James Meikle beautifully tells us in these words.

It is one thing to attract a gaping crowd to witness a display of pulpit pyrotechny; it is quite another thing to attract and to hold attentive listeners to the gospel of life. —Theodore Cuyler

I’m thankful to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week. Be sure to watch (or re-watch) the Luther documentary which is available for free.

Today’s Kindle deals include a good selection of titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for October 2023)
The Half-Baked Sermon: Missing Ingredients in Much Preaching
“To say that some sermons reach the pulpit half-baked would be unfair to bread. Some sermons are barely dough; some little more than a collection of dry ingredients. The sermon, as a sermon, is barely begun, largely unappetizing, not particularly nourishing, lacking the enticing taste and texture of a fresh-baked loaf.” Ouch!
Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme and Shall Be Until I Die
Tim Shorey: “I did go to church yesterday. Funny thing: I’m sure that to anyone who doesn’t know me, my cameo appearance made me look like a bored-out-of-my-mind unsaved husband whose wife nagged him into being there. I didn’t sing. I didn’t stand. I didn’t clap my hands or shout Amen. I didn’t hang around afterward.”
The Definitive Guide to Christian Denominations
Steven Wedgeworth has a definitive guide to Christian denominations.
Where Do We Plant?
How might a church decide where to plant? This article offers guidance.
Powerfully Meek Leaders
Davy Ellison says, “I am amazed by the number of pastors who self-identify as introverts. To some degree this makes sense, because pastors must be comfortable spending long periods of time in their study preparing to preach. But I also wonder whether such a self-designation offers some cover for passivity. Introversion becomes an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations and ducking unpopular decisions. We need bolder pastors—powerfully meek leaders.”
How to Interpret the Bible: The COMA Bible Study Method
Here’s a brief overview of an effective way to study the Bible.
Flashback: 18 Things I Will Not Regret Doing With My Wife
It is a strange and ugly reality that the person I love most is the person I sin against most often. I have never-ending opportunities to ask her forgiveness. While it requires choking down my pride, I know I will never regret asking her to forgive me when I have sinned against her.

The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the out working of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: “Thy right hand upholds me.” —A.W. Tozer

We pray that God will deliver us from our trials, but sometimes he does not. He pray that he will relieve us of our burdens, but sometimes they remain pressed hard against our shoulders. Why? J.R. Miller provides a helpful answer in this brief quote.

Some think that whenever they have a little trouble, a bit of hard path to walk over, a load to carry, a sorrow to meet, a trial of any kind, all they have to do is to call upon God and He will take away that which is hard, or prevent that which impedes, freeing them altogether from the trial.
But this is not God’s usual way. His purpose concerning us is not to make things easy for us, but rather to make something of us.
So when we ask Him to save us from our care, to take the struggle out of our life, to make the path mossy for our feet, to lift off the heavy load, He simply does not do it. It really would be most unkind and unloving in Him to do so. It would be giving us an easier path today instead of a mountain vision tomorrow.
Therefore, prayers of this kind go unanswered. We must carry the burden ourselves. We must climb the steep path to stand on the radiant peak. God want us to learn life’s lessons, and to do this we must be left to work out the problems for ourselves.
“We must be left to work out the problems for ourselves,” he says. Not without God’s care and assistance and guidance, of course. But without his immediate relief. Sometimes he requires us to lift, carry and even maintain a heavy burden for a long time. For his concern is not to make things easy for us, but to make something of us.