If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father â Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 1:9 â 2:2
When Jonah walked the streets of Nineveh proclaiming the God of the Bible, the people's hearts were moved. Sackcloth and ashes were worn, lives turned round in repentance and God poured out his mercy.
Since then? Sometimes the church has thrived. Sometimes it has struggled. Today it is being systematically wiped out.
Few people can have been unmoved by the news in recent times. Terrified children, weeping mothers, men slaughtered and tied to crosses ... families fleeing, starving, dying for no other reason than they are followers of Christ (or are members of another minority group considered worthy of extermination by IS - it is right to remember them too).
Feelings of shock, disbelief and frustration at our inability to help can flood our minds. It seems impossible to grasp the enormity of the situation unfolding so far from our homes. We might change our photo on Facebook to show solidarity (and why not, it helps to start conversations) but surely there has to be more we can do ...... continue reading
Iraq Christians flee as Islamic State takes Qaraqosh
Iraqi Christians 'should be offered asylum in UK' - bishop
Bishops urge David Cameron to grant asylum to Iraqi Christians
U.S. doctor with Ebola on a mission to help
Christian group told they canât pray at Georgia shopping mall
Sudan 'apostasy' woman Meriam Ibrahim arrives in US
Disclaimer: The Good Book Company is not responsible for the content of external sites and does not necessarily agree with the content of articles listed.
God doesn’t play fair.
Much to my parents’ concern, I hadn’t been to church for a long time. And yet here I was, in my first term at university, sliding into a pew at St Ebbe’s Church in Oxford.
This, I can promise you, was not the result of any pious yearning on my part. Rather, it was because the congregation counted among its number a particularly lovely second-year student of modern languages.
Where earnest parental pleading had failed, she had proved to be rather more convincing.... continue reading
There have been comings and goings in the US office this past week.
We've said "farewell" to Daniel (Brodi) Broaddus. Brodi has been the engine of The Good Book Company US looking after customer services, logistics, finance and much, much more - and he has done an outstanding job. Please do pray for him as he goes off to seminary. He will be much missed but we're excited about the gospel work he's heading towards in the future.
But we've said "hello" to not one but two new members of staff as well!
Angela Esatto is the US office's new part-time Executive Assistant where she will be responsible for human resources, book-keeping and making sure her colleagues are in the right place at the right time (no small challenge). A homeschooling mum of five boys (yes, five boys) Angela is an avid blog-reader, a keen cook and a big fan of the great outdoors.
Matthew Endres is a recent graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and he's been married a whole 3 weeks! Matt is going to be responsible for product administration and customer services, making sure you get the products you need at the time you need them.
We thank the Lord for all our staff. Please do pray for Angela and Matt - that they will settle into the Good Book family quickly; that they will enjoy serving God through Christian publishing and that they will enjoy helping you open up the Bible ...
We're conscious, here at The Good Book Company, of our need for prayer. We want to be working in God's strength - for God's glory - in God's Kingdom not just pottering about doing what we think is good and right. If you could remembers us in prayer, that would be so much appreciated. To that end, this Wednesday we're continuing to pop up some prayer requests - asking you to pray for us department by department. This week, design:
The design department oversees all things visual here at The Good Book Company. This include the development of covers and internal layouts for our books and resources, typesetting, illustration, advertising, and working with freelance illustrators and designers on larger projects.
It's a busy time at the moment, with several large projects underway.... continue reading
1. Grace Transforming - half price ebook!
Get the ebook version of Grace Transforming for just ÂŁ4!
2. Own Your Desperation (New eBook from Piper)
A new, free ebook from John Piper.
3. (English) Relief Project: Titus For You
Support The Gospel Coalitionâs new relief project of Titus For You.
4. Keswick Convention 2014 Talks
Listen to the talks from this yearâs recent convention (Registration required).
5. And finally...
Our video of the week, âFollowing Jesusâ from Live Grow Know Session 1:
Found something that you think should make it on to the On to a Good Thing round-up? Send it to: ontoagoodthing@thegoodbook.co.uk
This week we're thrilled to welcome a new member of staff into the UK office. Here's a little about him ...
What are you going to be doing at TGBC?
You tell me! I’m coming here to be the print buyer. [Blank Look] Oh you don’t know what that is? Well me neith… I mean, I will be finding the best deals to get our books printed with different printers, and helping advise the team here about what can be realistically and cost effectively printed when they are considering design questions. Then I think I’ll also be helping out with some IT stuff, so I have something cooler to talk about at dinner parties.
What were you doing before TGBC?
Before starting here I was working as the centre manager of a local charity in Basingstoke, that worked with mainly young people in the community to help grow confidence and boost social interaction, primarily through the performing arts. Despite this I’m still as wooden and uncoordinated as they come, and worked behind the scenes, specialising as a jack of all trades, managing their IT, Website, Policies and the staff & volunteer team, while dabbling in the finances, fund raising, event planning and general admin sides, all with a major in crisis control.
What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?
In my spare time I’m a theoretical fiction writer (which is to say I think about writing more than I actually write). I enjoy watching high quality TV Drama, and can wax lyrical about Breaking Bad for hours on end. I enjoy playing football and other sports, and am a big New England Patriots fan, and love watching all and any American Football as the ultimate sporting fusion of brains and brawn. I also enjoy any excuse to cook or eat good food, especially if there is some nice wine and half decent company involved.
What can we be praying for you this week?
If you could please pray for me as I adjust to starting my new job and all that it involves. For a smooth process of finding somewhere to move to and commuting in until I do. And for good gospel opportunities with friends and ex-colleagues before I leave Basingstoke.
Over the 25 years since I've become a Christian I've heard quite a few talks on the cross. I've read a few books too. And, as I've worked my way through the pages of Scripture, I've noticed it's a subject that pops up time and time again! In broad brush-strokes, at least, I get what Jesus has done for me. So why, oh why, would I spend 2 hours of my holiday reading a book about the cross from the publishing company that employs me?
The answer is simple. Our Lord's work on the cross isn't something to understand and then move on from - it's the core of our salvation, the foundation of our daily living and our hope for the future. It never gets old, it never gets dull. And that's something, Marcus Nodder author of Why did Jesus have to die? knows very well.
In his eminently readable book - part of the Questions Christians Ask series - Marcus dispels some of the myths around the cross. It's not just a logo or a great sacrifice that inspires us to try harder to live a loving and sacrificial life. Nor is it yet another dying and rising myth circulating in the ancient world. It's the best news imaginable for a lost and hurting world.... continue reading
