Blogs

Demographics of Social Media Users in 2016 | Pew Research Center
“Facebook usage and engagement is on the rise, while adoption of other platforms holds steady”

Help Me Teach the Bible: Michael Kruger on Romans 1–7
Nancy Guthrie interviews Michael Kruger on how to teach the Epistle to the Romans.

Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards | Christianity Today
And here’s The Gospel Coalition’s list.

Do More Better
This course, based on Tim Challies’ book, Do More Better, provides a short, practical guide to productivity. Whether you are a student or a professional, a work-from-home dad or a stay-at-home mom, it will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good unto the glory of God.

Free Ebook: ‘Experiencing the Trinity’ by Joe Thorn
Fill out a brief survey and get an excellent book. Its short chapters are ideal for personal devotions.

6 New Church-Based Counseling Resources in 2016 | Brad Hambrick
Brad Hambrick produces some of the best counseling resources available today.

Kindle Books

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

Amy Carmichael: Selfless Servant of India $3.82. There are a number of other biographies for sale in this series here.

Other Books

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction by Adam McHugh (author of Introverts in the Church). This came out a year ago, but it’s only just come to my attention. So, so needed today.

How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth by Christopher Wright. This appeared in quite a few “Best Books of 2016″ lists, and rightly so.

My second favorite Seminary, Mukhanyo Theological College, is looking for a senior lecturer.

Mukhanyo Theological College is a Christian educational institution in South Africa with an expanding network of campuses and distance learning sites in southern Africa.  Our mission is to glorify God by equipping church leaders and other Christians in Africa.  The college is now seeking to appoint an experienced, skilled, and motivated: Senior Lecturer in Theology 

Key roles and responsibilities: 

• To teach at the diploma and bachelor levels in the areas of Old Testament, New Testament, Dogmatics, and/or other subjects, to be determined by previous experience and present need.
• To provide godly holistic academic assistance and spiritual mentoring for pastoral students.
• To produce quality biblical teaching course material at the secondary and tertiary levels.
• To effectively teach biblical content to adult learners and cultivate a learning environment.
• To work full-time at the KwaMhlanga campus in teaching, research, and material development.
• To serve in other areas of the Mukhanyo ministry. Additional areas of responsibility will be determined by the experience, skills, and desire of the appointed candidate.

The desired candidate will: 

• Demonstrate faith in Jesus Christ as defined by the Bible, as declared in the Christian Creeds, and as expressed consistently through a godly lifestyle that radiates the fruits of the Holy Spirit with active participation in a Christian church.
• Uphold the mission, confessional statements, and values of the institution.
• Hold a master’s or doctor’s degree in Christian theology, have many years of experience in pastoral ministry and ideally at least three years of experience in formal theological education.
• Be an ordained minister in a church or denomination that subscribes to the Three Forms of Unity, the Westminster Confession of Faith, or the London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689.
• Feel called by God to serve at Mukhanyo and to thus work for the coming of Christ’s kingdom.
• Demonstrate excellent administrative, research, interpersonal, conflict resolution, and communication skills with the ability to provide godly mentoring within a multicultural institution.

There is no budget for this position. We welcome candidates who are financial supported by their sending agency. Mukhanyo serves local communities in southern Africa by partnering with local churches and international Christian groups. Many of our senior staff members are subsidized by confessional churches. We encourage and depend on local and global cooperation to advance the cause of Christ in Africa.

Candidates are requested to submit by email their resume/CV and two references to the Principal (bdevries99@gmail.com; 079 933 9884). Further information concerning requirements and expectations, Mukhanyo’s ministries, and/or others details will be provided upon request. Candidates may be requested to teach a block course or two at Mukhanyo. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity.

Blogs

Sorrow, Depression, & the Holidays | The Cripplegate
“Christmas time or not, many of us experience the normal, heavy weight of discouragement and depression as a regular thing; dejection, confusion, frustration, sadness, hopelessness, anxiousness, anger, darkness, despair. But God has answers and real hope from his word for the battle. Here are 11 truths for strength in sorrow:”

6 Little-Known Signs of Depression in Older Adults
Depression affects over two millions people 65-plus; learn how to identify the signs and how to get help.

The Greatest Need in Special Needs | Desiring God
“”Happy.” That’s the word everyone uses to describe our three-year-old son with special needs. And it’s largely true, though not singularly true. Fist-bumping as he goes, he’s made the hallways and commons of our church his home. He’s a happy boy who is happily welcomed. And part of his happiness is owing to his special needs.”

How to Help Your Children Become Better Sermon Listeners
“I was recently asked, “How would you explain to children in grade school what a sermon is and what they should be doing during the sermon?” I thought it might be a good question to answer in an article since I have frequently had similar questions over the years.”

The Best Free Online Courses to Help With Your Finances
“Here are some of the best personal finance courses available. Even better, they’re all free. ”

Kindle Books

How to Preach Without Notes by Charles Koller $1.99.

The One True God – Biblical study of the Doctrine of God by Paul Washer $2.99.

Videos

Michigan Whitetail Pursuits: Free Online Episodes
If you’re into hunting, check out these videos produced by Calvin Beeke, serial entrepreneur and son of Dr, Joel Beeke. Sample below.

Today’s post is from author, Stanley D. Gale. For more from Stanley, check out his new book, Finding Forgiveness: Discovering the Healing Power of the Gospel.

AURORA, IN—While she understands the entirety of her forgiveness in God’s eyes granted by the shed blood of Jesus Christ which absolves her of any and all guilt now and forevermore while simultaneously imputing her with the very righteousness of God the Son, local believer Kim Calhoun, due to her incredibly developed sense of morality which eclipses even God’s, revealed to sources Friday that she cannot forgive herself for her past transgressions.

“I know God forgives me. I know. But I just can’t forgive myself.”

So mocks the satirical website The Babylon Bee in a June 10, 2016 post.

The teaching of forgiving oneself seems to garner scorn and outright rejection by some, leaving those wrestling with guilt and self-blame to deal with it all alone, or to be elevated to such a priority that forgiveness extended by God and neighbor cannot be received until forgiveness of self is accomplished. Books abound with instruction about how to go about forgiving yourself and how to deal with a stubborn self that refuses to forgive.

Forgiveness is a grace basic to the gospel. But what exactly is it and how is it practiced? How well do Christians understand it, especially when self-help teachings have their versions with the same label?

In corporate worship, we might hear the pastor give an assurance of pardon: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). That’s encouraging news but upon closer examination, it raises questions. Why is God’s justice mentioned instead of His mercy? Who are the “we” who are extended this offer? From “all” unrighteousness! – just how far reaching is this confession? Come to think of it, what does it mean to confess? Plus, aren’t Christians already forgiven?

Clearly, there is much about forgiveness we need to understand. And God lays it out for us in His Word. Jesus commands it, explains it and illustrates it.

Our understanding is not for idle curiosity. Forgiveness of sin comes to us as the beating heart of the gospel, and it radically affects our peace of mind and our interactions with others. God instructs us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Understanding how we have been forgiven by God is the prerequisite to the course on how we are to forgive others. Without those bearings our forgiveness of those who wrong us will be a pink pastel of the vibrant red God wants of us, and maybe a wrong color altogether.

The Beverly Hillbillies was an old time television show that featured a backwoods family being transplanted to Beverly Hills. Their fancy eating table for vittles was a pool table, complete with cup holders. Food was passed using the handy long sticks. When it comes to forgiveness, we Christians might not be that clueless but there is a lot we need to learn having been transplanted into the kingdom of God.

Thank you to Reformation Heritage Books and Stanley D. Gale for providing this post. Don’t forget about Stanley’s new book, Finding Forgiveness: Discovering the Healing Power of the Gospel.

Blog Posts

A New Poverty | Rod Liddle, First Things
Another review of J. D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. But this is much more than a book review. It’s a searing analysis of what has brought us to such social and cultural breakdown.

Time to Quit Social Media? | Thomas S. Kidd, TGC
“Cal Newport had a provocative recent column at The New York Times titled ‘Quit Social Media: Your Career May Depend Upon It.’ In spite of being a bestselling author and blogger, as well as a tenured computer science professor at Georgetown, Newport is not on social media…”

Andrew Solomon: Depression, the secret we share | TED Talk
“…writer Andrew Solomon takes you to the darkest corners of his mind during the years he battled depression. That led him to an eye-opening journey across the world to interview others with depression — only to discover that, to his surprise, the more he talked, the more people wanted to tell their own stories.”

Can Christians Benefit from Books by Nonbelievers? | John Piper, Desiring God
“God has ordained reading as one way for us to grow in knowledge that we haven’t experienced.”

3 Financial Tips for Pastors | Randy Stair, TGC
“King Jesus gives gifts of various sorts to his church. He’s not only using pastors to advance his kingdom; he’s using finance professionals to build up Christ’s body, too.”

How to Sleep | James Hamblin, The Atlantic
A physician’s guide to sleep in a stressful age.

Kindle Deals

Out of the Depths: An Unforgettable WWII Story of Survival, Courage, and the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis by Edgar Harrell ($1.99)

Quick-Reference Guide to Marriage & Family Counseling by Dr. Tim Clinton and Dr. John Trent ($3.99)

Liberating King: Breaking Free from the Tyranny of Sin by Stephen Miller ($1.99)

Video

Why This Woman is Not Sad After A Mistrial for Her Son Being Shot in the Back | TGC
Thoughts from Walter Scott’s mother. Her statement begins at 1.45.

Living in Grand Rapids, where there’s a lot of Republican money, we’re privileged to be regularly visited by many of the presidential candidates every four years. I’ve managed to get to quite a few of these in person, and my latest was a Donald Trump rally just over a month ago. I like to hear the candidates speak, but I also enjoy the unique atmosphere at American political events, and the opportunity to listen to what people around me are thinking.

What struck me most at the Trump rally was the number of T-shirts and hats that were being sold and worn that read, “I’m an Adorable Deplorable!” What Hillary intended as an insult to shame, was instead being owned as a badge of honor!

This growing division between the political, economic, and cultural elites, and the rest of us, was described and prophesied by Charles Murray in his 2011 book Coming Apart, where he contrasted two American towns – upper-class Belmont (MA) with working-class Fishtown (PA) – which also told the story of two Americas.

Of course, it’s not just today that “elites” scorn and mock those “beneath” them. In the prophet Micah’s day, about 700 BC, a similar spirit resulted in the rich and powerful oppressing the weak and the defenseless. Jerusalem was the Belmont of his day, and Bethlehem was Fishtown. That’s why he spent many chapters excoriating Jerusalem’s rulers and demanding that they do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

But this “blue-collar prophet” also offered massive encouragement to the deplorables of Bethlehem just six miles away. Though it was despised and belittled by many, God had chosen it to be the place he would enter the world:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting (Micah 5:2).

Of all the cities God could have chosen for his entrance – religious Jerusalem, powerful Rome, philosophical Athens, literary Alexandria – he chose Bethlehem. He chose to be associated with the forgotten men and women of his day. He chose the deplorables. And this wasn’t just a one-off. This was a revelation of the heart of God that he also exhibited in the kinds of people he came to save (Luke 15:1-2). As the Apostle Paul said:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

That’s why we don’t pray for God’s saving love based upon any kind of superiority over others. Rather, we plead that we are deplorable and deserve to be deplored. But that’s also the first step to becoming, in God’s eyes, an adorable deplorable. And that’s a title we wear with honor.