How to be a weird Christian without being a WEIRD Christian
Stephen Altrogge: “Because following Jesus is “weird” and the message of the gospel is “folly”, we must take care that we do not add any additional stumbling blocks to the message of the gospel.”

A Neglected Grace
Jason Helopoulos’s excellent new book on family worship. I was glad to be able to endorse this book as follows:

Just what I needed! An encouraging refresher on family worship that reminded me of the “Why?” and gave me lots of new ideas about “How?” Also a powerful motivation and perfect guide for parents just starting this much-blessed practice, with lots of practical and realistic tips.

The best way I’ve found to study the Old Testament
It is as if God is saying, “Go, child, go get lost. The hundreds of paths and valleys and mountains and shorelines – you’ll never map them all. Go get lost in that book. Get to know the foreign country; get to know the characters, at their most vile and most faithful; get to know the atmosphere. And as I whisper to you about that greater Israelite and priest and prophet and king, you’ll find you’ve lost something you didn’t need, and found a new home you didn’t know existed.”

Why I don’t bother trying to get my Inbox to zero
I admire Miller’s courage and decisiveness.

Car design driven by 2,500 Post-it Notes
Fascinating insight into how a car is designed. Cody is journalist Collin Hansen’s brother.

The Sufficiency of Scripture
Superb article from Carl Truman. Most thought provoking quote: “There is a sense in which we might say that Protestants believe in the insufficiency of Scripture: we acknowledge that Scripture is insufficient for many of the details of everyday life, such as motorcycle maintenance and cooking curries. It is even insufficient for the day-to-day running and good health of the church: we need elders, deacons and forms of sound words. What it is sufficient for, however, is for regulating the doctrinal content of the Christian faith and the life of the church at a principial level.”

Faith, Work, and Vocation – as a Single Woman
Kristin Hansen wrestles with God’s calling, God’s providence, and God-given desire.

Answering the Call to Creativity
Dr Art Lindsley: “Answering the call to creativity requires a shift in the way we view the gospel and our role in transforming culture.”

Is grace the opposite of law?
“Jesus doesn’t want to be married to someone who’s life looks like a guest on the Jerry Springer show. No way! The bar has actually been raised. But here’s the glorious difference – God works in us to fulfill his higher standard! Because of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do far more abundantly than all we can ask or think…[Eph. 3:20].”

Depression strikes again: Leave me alone black dog
“Depression activist” Katherine Stone shares the painful story of her descent back into stress-related depression. One swear word appears twice, but I link to it because her honesty might help others avoid similar relapses.

Yes, we do judge a book by its cover
Gospel eBooks owner, Jeremy Gardiner, explains why he rejects 75% of all books in the first 3 seconds.

The 4G’s
So enjoyed these four short video testimonies to how God’s greatness, glory, goodness, and grace turned four lives around.

Isaiah by the Day
Collin Hansen interviews Alec Motyer about his new devotional commentary on Isaiah. And here’s a page of resources on Preaching Isaiah.

Advice on reading noteworthy theological chapters, articles, and sermons
Some great advice here from Nick Batzig.

Rural ministry is not second rate
“It’s true that God may call young pastors and planters into small towns and rural areas to prepare them and train them for ministries of Jabezian levels of “more territory.” But some he calls to come and stay. Many of us are praying you young guys are listening.”

What every husband should know about stay-at-home moms
“The manageable outer chaos is aggravated by the inner chaos in our soul. Outer chaos all of a sudden becomes unmanageable. Competent, confident homemakers lose their nerves of steel. Even though it’s “just” a hiccup in the schedule, or a setback with a child’s discipline, or a burned piece of garlic bread, it becomes so much bigger in our hearts. Then the elusive “peace like a river” is more like a category five hurricane of anxiety, bitterness, discouragement, or discontent.”

Parenting a strong-willed child
It’s come a bit late for me, but the advice, I can testify, is sound!

What’s the difference between preaching and teaching
R C Sproul Jr: “We who are Reformed tend to be stronger teachers than preachers. The non-Reformed tend to be stronger preachers than teachers. We agree with the Bible, but remain unmoved by it. They are quick to be moved, but not always by the Bible.  The Bible is not just filled with truth. It is filled with truth that ought to change us. It isn’t enough that we are taught the Bible. We need the Bible preached.”