Purchasing Joy – “When life is busy I feel like buying that new device or that new piece of software will restore order. When I’m bored or feeling down, I can find myself thumbing through the Best Buy catalog, just browsing, hoping to notice something that will make all the difference. It’s joy I want, and I somehow think I can buy it. Of course it never does make that difference.”

Good News of Great Joy – A free advent book from the folks at Desiring God.

Always a Good Time to Mediate on God’s Mercy – “Maybe your day has just started, or it’s well under way, or it’s over and you’re ‘in the time zones that are sleeping right now.’ No matter what time it is, it’s a good time to give thanks to God for his rich mercies that are ever-new to us through Jesus Christ and share your joy with all who will listen.

Pain & Christian Marriage – “While being a Christian couple does not make marriage easy or pain-free, we do have some great advantages that should make it easier and healing” and this post provides a few of them.

The Church and Violence Against Women- “An abusive man is not an over-enthusiastic complementarian. He is not a complementarian at all. He is a pathetic aping perversion of Adamic leadership. He rejects male headship because he rejects his role as provider and protector. As the culture grows more violent, more consumerist, more sexualized and more misogynistic, the answer is not a church more attenuated to the ambient culture, whether through a hyper-masculine paganism or through a gender-neutral feminism. Instead, the answer is a truly counter-cultural church, a church that calls men to account for leadership, a leadership that cherishes and protects women and girls.”

A Surprising Response – A man who was documenting rejection got a surprising response to his elaborate doughnut request.

5 Aims for Holiday Gatherings - Some worthwhile things to consider as the time of family gatherings quickly approaches.

Is God Holding Out On You? - When things are tough, God’s promises can seem empty. This post reminds us why it is important to keep believing (and ingesting) the truth of what He says.

When Leaders Lead Change Too Quickly - Sometimes change seems to happen at a snail’s pace. Other times, it can occur so quickly people can’t adapt. Thom Rainer looks at what happens in an organization when change is initiated by the leader at a pace that the followers can’t sustain.

The Unexpected Perk of Being Thrown Into the Fire - “But steadfast faith doesn’t just happen. It’s not like you can take a blue steadfast pill and suddenly be a faith ninja. Steadfast, unshakeable faith only comes through the pressure of trials. Trials press us in to God. They force us to lean on God, and trust him when we can’t see the outcome. They knock our legs out from underneath us so that we’ll cling to God.”
Not Her Best - Although written about stay-at-home moms, I think this quotation by G.K. Chesterton can be encouraging to all who have the joy of motherhood.

John the Baptist’s Doubt - In looking at when John the Baptist asked for confirmation that Jesus was the Messiah, Jon Bloom reminds us that “[God] does not always answer with the speed we desire, nor is his answer always the deliverance we hope for. But he will always send the help that is needed. His grace will always be sufficient for those who trust him. The hope we taste in the promises we trust will often be the sweetest thing we experience in this age. And his reward will be beyond our imagination.”

Every Pastor is a Translator – This is an important reminder for pastors, but I think it is an important reminder for those who listen to them as well (H/T).

Unforgettable - “Whether people of faith or not, we long for someone or something or some place that can make right what is wrong in this world, what is wrong in our lives. And yet, carrying ideas of what that someone or something will look like, and not finding it, we end up doubting the promising thought we once held on to with hope. When the route we see in front of us seems irreconcilable with the place we thought we were going, we come to despise what once seemed hopeful, holding in its place shattered expectations, fear, and anger.”

Should Christianity Contribute to Celebrity Status? - “ It is good to resonate with the faith of others and to appreciate or admire the expression of bold faith as we did for Tebow and Lin. But as soon as that admiration gets lumped in with our celebrity fanboyism we have mixed the truly ultimate with the truly banal.” (H/T)

What You Teach Really, Really Matters - “So if you want to be a teacher, wonderful! Teachers are precious gifts to the church (Ephesians 4:11). But take Paul’s warning very seriously: ‘Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers’ (1 Timothy 4:16).”

How I See “My” Time  – “Because Jesus has changed me and has given me a heart that loves him and is controlled by his love, my attitude of living for myself now leaves me feeling empty at the end of the day. Somehow, more spare time is never enough and I feel a deep-seated dissatisfaction after a day of unbridled procrastination. Reminding myself of Christ’s work on the cross helps loosen my grip on the spare time that I would rather use only for myself.”

Four Things God Cannot Do - A reminder about four things God can’t do, and why we should be thankful for them.

Author’s Note – My apologies for my unplanned absence. I’ve been learning that sometimes when God interrupts our schedule it is important that we consider He may not intend for us to keep doing everything that we were previously doing. Sometimes wisdom dictates perseverance, and sometimes wisdom dictates discretion. I hope to be back to a more regular blogging schedule soon. 

• An Unbalanced Transparency – “Is our transparency unbalanced? Are we too willing to share the ways we mess up, and somehow hesitant to share the ways that we have known incredible victory and grace? If there was a tendency for some in previous generations to share only that which was polished and respectable, perhaps we in the younger generations have swung to the other extreme.” (H/T)

• Essential: Revelation - Tim Challies continues with his series of defining key theological terms, this time taking on the definition of “revelation.”

• Two Big Questions for Good Bible Reading - “Good Bible reading is about meaning and application. We come to the Bible asking two questions: first, what does this text say? And second, what does it mean for me right now?” Don’t miss the author’s example of this here.

• Idol-Making Factory – “It’s not always the 3-foot-tall wooden statues that I’m dealing with. I have watched beautiful things and good gifts from God become my idols: children, marriage, relationships, career, money, reputation, education, knowledge, and even ministry.”

• 6 Changes in 6 Years of Blogging - Trevin Wax offers some interesting observations about changes he has seen in the blogosphere.

• Cultivating a Heart for the Lost - Justin Taylor examines seven steps proffered by John Piper for how to love the lost more.

What About Halloween? - “Acutely aware of dangers new and old, many Christian parents choose to withdraw their children from the holiday altogether. Others choose to follow a strategic battle plan for engagement with the holiday. Still others have gone further, seeking to convert Halloween into an evangelistic opportunity. Is Halloween really that significant?”

Election - “There is a great deal to be said about what election means and what it does not mean, and church history has certainly seen more than its fair share of writing and interpretation on this matter. The main purpose and effect of the doctrine is not to confuse or to divide, but to generate worship”

On the Life and Death of A Son - “Our baby Parker was born and died on Sunday, October 21 around 5:30pm. Until the moment his heart stopped, every medical test throughout Kristen’s 42 weeks of pregnancy had shown him to be a healthy, strong, growing baby. And then, for some reason we don’t fully understand, God took him.” (H/T)

Ordinary Life for an Extraordinary Athlete - “Enter Twins slugger Josh Willingham — by all accounts an extraordinary athlete, and manifestly a normal human, and Christian, unashamed about his need for Jesus.”

For Our Profit - A short, but meaningful, reminder of the benefits that God’s Word affords to our lives.

Kindle Deal – True Community by Bridges - Amazon’s offering True Community by Jerry Bridges in the Kindle edition for free. I haven’t read it, but if you have, let me know what you think.

Is My Wife’s Job Harder Than Mine? - Tim Challies tackles this question, makes some interesting observations, and draws what I think is a well-considered conclusion regarding the benefits (or lack thereof) of comparison.

Sports in the Age to Come - This is an article that my husband, as well as probably many other sports fans, would enjoy reading.

When “Nowhere to Hide” is  a Good Thing - “…when we are reconciled to God through his Son Jesus Christ, the nearness of God is our good (Ps. 73:28). Knowledge of his omnipresence and omniscience bring us deep comfort because we know that we didn’t love him first, but he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).”

Singing Like Men – “Giving more emotion and enthusiasm to athletes than to God is wrong. And I’m just as guilty as the rest. God is infinitely worthy of our shouts, smiles, cheers, lifted hands, applause, and delight. He is worthy because of who he is. He is God. The infinite, almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent, good, gracious, glorious, holy, just, righteous, full of mercy God. There is no one like him. He outshines a million suns and makes the angels tremble. Real men worship God because of who he is.”

I Want to Die in the Trench - “The local church is the front line of ministry. In the battle against the spiritual forces of evil, the church is the trench. Christ’s bride is dug in, charged up, and ready to die for the freedom of souls. I relish the trench. It’s messy, at times gruesome, and the noise makes it difficult to sleep. But I love it.”

How Can We Pray for You? - As you may know, R.C. Sproul Jr.’s wife and daughter died recently. He answers the question of how we might be praying for him, and in doing so, I believe he offers some unique perspectives on how we might pray for others we know are suffering.

“I am the Lord; that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to carved idols.”

 - Isaiah 42:8

We are so often the recipients of God’s mercy and grace that sometimes we struggle with remembering that God is also jealous God – a God who is unwilling to share the glory that is due to Him with anything else. When hearing this, some may be tempted to think it’s arrogant – as if God has no right to demand that He alone deserves honor and praise. However, God knows that when we ascribe the glory due Him to some lesser thing, we are worshipping a false god; we are putting our confidence and hope in something that will not satisfy our deepest longings and can not meet our deepest needs. His unwillingness to share the glory due to Him does not just serve His renown – it is for our benefit as well. If He were willing to partition the praises He is due, to accept only some of our worship and adoration – He would not be the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-sufficient God that Scripture says He is. He is worthy of all praise, and as it is given Him, His creation fulfills its purpose.

If God is not willing to share His glory with anything else, we should not be found giving glory to any lesser thing. Nothing should be honored, esteemed or delighted in above the Lord. He should be our “all in all.” To Him alone should be glory and praise, and in Him alone should be our satisfaction and strength.

Unseen - “In a world where faith in Jesus may seem foolish or outdated or irrelevant, the definition of faith in Scripture stands by the better country—even if at times it eludes us. Like Abraham who looked for the city of foundations and the housekeeper who sang of unseen things, we are strangers to our own lives, setting out in the dark to look for the country we were meant to know, guided by the Spirit who wants us to see.”

The Discipline of Choices - “The choices we make, and therefore the habits we develop, are formed by obedience to the Word. ‘It is only through making the right choice to obey God’s Word that we will break the habits of sin and develop habits of holiness. This is where we desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to make the right choices. So cry out to God every day for His help for that day, and then cry out again each time you are confronted with the choice to sin or to obey.’”

Beautiful Submission - In writing about submission and loving leadership, Luma Simms writes “To understand any of our roles we first have to understand the Godhead. Only then will any of this stuff make sense. Only then will it be shown that these roles are not cultural or social constructs but part of the warp and weft of objective reality.”

Dear Moms, Jesus Wants You To Run - This is a great follow-up to a post I shared earlier this week. Jen Wilkin writes “In matters of legalism, rest – yes – but in matters of holiness, run. Run like your hair is on fire. Cast off everything that hinders: all false measures of righteousness cloaked as homemade bread or spotless kitchen surfaces. But let your newly-found chill mentality toward Pinterest and June Cleaver free up energy to run the race that counts. Because this good work of loving God and loving others is a race for the fit and the fleet, particularly if you’re a mom.” (H/T)

John Calvin on Prayer - Calvin’s four rules for prayer are instructive for developing a more robust prayer life. This post also serves as a reminder that “Our checkered prayer life is often attacked by doubts, but such struggles show us our ongoing need for prayer itself as a ‘lifting up of the spirit’ and continually drive us to Jesus Christ, who alone will’“change the throne of dreadful glory into the throne of grace.’”