I’ve made it back home after a great trip to Australia and New Zealand. Stay tuned for the vlog summary, coming next week.
Today’s Kindle deals include a number of quality books.
Westminster Books has some evangelism resources on sale, just on time for the Easter season.
(Yesterday on the blog: Lust, Porn and Dating)
My Protestant Oscar Predictions
Carl Trueman: “I make a point of never watching the Oscars. If I want to waste four hours of my life being alternately patronized and reminded what an abject failure I am according to the criteria contemporary society holds dear, I can always read The New Yorker. But I am sufficiently aware of what goes on at the Oscars to venture a few predictions.” This is classic Trueman because it is not only witty, but also makes a really good point.
An Open Letter to the Suffering Christian
David Powlison has an open letter to those who suffer: “Jesus is a most sympathetic friend, fellow sufferer, and Savior. He has walked a hard road. He has felt his own anguish and crushing pain (Isaiah 53). He understands. He is compassionate toward you. By the comfort of his presence and sympathy, he intends to draw you out and draw you to Himself. Be honest. Don’t take any shortcuts. Let each day’s trouble be sufficient for that day.”
The Wrong Way to Pray for Your Future Marriage
“There is always something missing from the lists that you see on social media. The posts, with titles like, ‘To My Future Husband’ or ‘What I Want in a Husband’ are completely devoid of any admission that maybe, just maybe, we women aren’t the perfect marriage material either. We never stop to think that our future husband may be out there praying for some mythical creature to become his wife, and we don’t meet the criteria.”
Things I’ve Failed To Do When People Left Our Church
I think you’ll find value in this, whether you’re a pastor or a church member.
A Generation Emerging From the Wreckage
“The first thing to say is that this is a generation with diminished expectations. Their lived experience includes the Iraq war, the financial crisis, police brutality and Donald Trump — a series of moments when the big institutions failed to provide basic security, competence and accountability. ‘We’re the school shooting generation,’ one Harvard student told me. Another said: ‘Wall Street tanked the country and no one got punished. The same with government.’”
Billions of Birds, Where do They Go?
“Migratory birds have made their thousand-mile flights for millennia, but we are just now learning to map their mesmerizing journeys.” This is a really neat interactive graphic from National Geographic.
Can a Devout Roman Catholic Be Genuinely Born Again?
John Piper answers the question. You can listen to or read his answer.
Flashback: The Blessings of Growing Up in a Christian Home
From my youngest days I was told of the great Savior and assured of my need for him. As soon as I was able to know names, I knew the name of Jesus. As soon as I was able to grasp my need for forgiveness, I was told of the forgiver.
The man who attempts Christianity without the church shoots himself in the foot, shoots his children in the leg, and shoots his grandchildren in the heart.
—Kevin DeYoung
