I wasn’t able to track down any compelling Kindle deals today. We’ll try again tomorrow.
(Yesterday on the blog: Not Worrying ≠ Not Caring)
8 Habits of the Excellent Bible Teacher
Here’s one for the Bible teachers. “I’ve learned that becoming excellent at anything starts with carefully cultivating particular daily habits. Excellence is more about the seemingly small things we do every day than it is about the big things we accomplish in a moment. Here are eight habits that excellent teachers practice every single day.”
Clarity Not Charity
There’s wisdom here. “If I wrote a song that was hotly debated as to its meaning, then that song should not be sung corporately. This doesn’t mean I’m a heretic; it just means my song isn’t clear. Here is an instance where we choose clarity over charity. If we chose to be charitable to me and my word selection we don’t help the body of Christ. In fact, we harm it. The only edifying words are clear words.”
Is the Atonement “Cosmic Child Abuse”?
Gene Veith responds to a common charge. “God substituted Himself for us. God suffered for us. God sacrificed Himself for us, leaving us the command to sacrifice ourselves for our neighbors in our crosses and vocations. We experience this redemption as forgiveness. But, from God’s side, this is something far more than what we do in telling someone “no worries” when we forgive a slight. God gives us satisfaction for our sins. He gives us remission of our sins.”
Some Concerns about Jesus Calling, and Thoughts on the Sufficiency of Scripture
In his inimitable way, Randy Alcorn reviews Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling,” pointing out the most significant concerns with it (and its various sequels).
Aging in Hope
This is a long article that offers much to ponder. “Throughout our lives we think other people grow older until we gradually realize that we ourselves have aged. Some say that aging can be compared with the fall season when the fruits ripen and the leaves fall; others claim that the moment of aging has arrived when the sum total of memories has become greater than our expectations. Aging, says the American gerontologist Howel, ‘is not a simple slope which everyone slides down at the same speed. It is a flight of irregular stairs down which some journey more quickly than others.’”
Simplicity for the Sake of the Gospel
“We tend to be physically present, but relationally absent. Our overstuffed schedules keep us moving at a pace that prohibits more than a reflexive wave or nod of the head. We long for more, but the buffet of options vying for our time makes it tough to connect. And so, when someone is just there—when someone holds still and makes time to linger—we’re moved. We’re drawn in. We want more.” That’s a challenge, perhaps especially for parents.
If Same-Sex Attraction is Sinful, Then What?
Denny Burk writes, “Recently, there has been much debate about sexuality and human identity. A great deal of it has been related to the upcoming ‘Revoice’ conference in St. Louis. That controversy is ongoing. As I have mentioned previously, evangelicals have not come to a consensus whether same-sex attraction is sinful and whether it is the proper basis for constructing an ‘identity.’”
Flashback: Redeem Your Time
If life is too busy for you to read God’s Word, to spend time in prayer, and to attend the local church, it is far too busy. If you are too unmotivated to commit to such basic disciplines, you are in spiritual peril.
Christ is the dead man who by his death put death to death forever!
—Juan Stam
