Blogs

A Modest Proposal: Don’t Tell Everyone about Every Shooting | Kevin DeYoung
“I have a modest proposal for our networks and news shows and the rest of our 24 hour media: don’t tell everyone about every shooting. Seriously. Make a pact to hold your peace. Be rogue and go silent. Decide ahead of time to treat the next story as a non-story. We don’t need to know every bad thing that happens everywhere.”

San Bernardino, Prayer Shaming, and a Better Way | Ed Stetzer
“This shooting also reminded us of a cultural moment we are in, as the New York Daily News sought to highlight that Republicans were calling for prayer while Democrats were calling for action.”

God Responds To The New York Daily News
“God’s not fixing this,” the New York Daily News declared. Here is God’s response.”

Christmas means that God IS fixing this | Denny Burk
“I want to comment briefly on the irony of the headline “God is not fixing this” in light of the Christmas season. The idea that we have to do what God has failed to do is at best out of step with Christmas and is at worst blasphemous. Christmas is the one time of year that is supposed to remind us that God is fixing this.”

How to Pray the News | TGC
“To keep from letting the news cycle rob our joy, we can redeem the news through prayer. “Praying the news” can be a practical way to shift our focus from the temporal events of our fallen creation to our eternal Creator who can heal our broken world.”

The Pleasure of Praising Others | Desiring God
“Great persons commend great things. The greatest individuals commend the greatest things. They search for that which is most commendable and then set out to magnify it with speech, enjoy it with praise, and invite others to join them in glad admiration by calling attention to its superior qualities.”

God or Transcripts: Where Do You Put Your Trust? | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer
“Too many students (and parents) make idols of grade point averages. Find your hope in Jesus.”

Grief and Gratitude in the Ashes of Life | TGC
“Monday was a bittersweet day our family will never forget. While my youngest brother and his wife were at the hospital, awaiting the arrival of their second son, my younger sister and her husband were escaping a fire that consumed their house and all their belongings.”

Four Propositions on Homosexuality and Holiness | Rick Phillips
“Tender-hearted Christians can only sympathize with our brothers and sisters who have and do struggle with homosexual desires.  Yet we do no actual good in offering false comfort to weary strugglers.  Yes, we must not make heterosexuality the be-all and end-all of godliness, as if heterosexuality = holiness.  Yet we cannot be true to Scripture and yet deny that godliness must include holy heterosexuality, so that the pursuit of holiness will include for many a bitter struggle against homosexual desires. ”

2015 Magnify Conference Now Available | TGC
“The six sessions from the 2015 Magnify Conference are now available on both the Magnify site and on our church’s webpage. I was especially helped by the conversation Ligon and I had on Friday evening. The last ten minutes (starting at 46:00) were deeply moving as Ligon talked ab out the Lord’s work to sanctify him over the past several years.”

Children’s Books Sale at Ligonier
“In time for Christmas, we are having a special sale on select children’s books. For the next 3 days, purchase the following books for only $8 each-that’s a discount of at least 50% off retail.”

Kindle Books

Church with Jesus as the Hero by David Prince, $3.99.

50 Women Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Heroines of the Faith $1.99. I wouldn’t call all of them heroines of the faith, but most of them certainly qualify.

And a couple of books you’ll learn a lot from, but you’ll need to read with a good biblical filter on.

Be A People Person: Effective Leadership Through Effective Relationships by John Maxwell, $0.99.

Courageous Leadership: Field-Tested Strategy for the 360° Leader by Bill Hybels., $2.99.

Video

Wild Scotland (HT: Tim Challies)
Permit me a little indulgence. Sometimes the pull is strong and deep.