In the light of continuing discussion this week about the Biblical view of marriage, here's an excellent book on the subject, that you can pick up for 40% off.
The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller, draws a profound portrait of marriage from the pages of Scripture that neither idealises nor rejects the institution but points us back to the relationship between God and man. The result is a vision for marriage that is refreshingly frank and unsentimental, yet hopeful and beautiful.
It retails for £12.99 but you can pick it up for the next 72 hours for only £7.79, saving 40%. Use code marriage at checkout.
On January 18th 1779, Peter Mark Roget - compiler of Roget's thesaurus - was born. He's a minor hero of mine. I like words. I like long words. And, personally, I don't think we use the phrase "systematic floccinaucinihilipilification" anywhere near enough.
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Prominent Christian leader Steve Chalke has declared himself in favour of accepting homosexual couples who are in committed same-sex relationships. In an article to be published in Christianity magazine Chalke says that after a long struggle, he has decided to announce his support for faithful same sex relationships. What are we to make of this?
If you’re reading this and you’re in (or would like to be in) a gay relationship, we’re so glad you’re here—and you could be forgiven for being a bit confused. Not about your own feelings, but about the church’s feelings towards you, and (much more importantly) God’s feelings towards you? Does He love you, or hate you?... continue reading
1. Four Points on Preaching by Tim Keller
Glen Scrivener shares four helpful points from Tim Keller.
2. 10 Things to Pray for Your Wife
Jonathan Parnell at Desiring God looks at these ten things, including a PDF version and lock-screen versions for your iPhone.
3. 5 Challenges for Women Teaching the Bible
Mary Willson lists five challenges for women at The Gospel Coalition.
4. Still Not Professionals (Free eBook)
A free e-book from Desiring God for pastors.
5. And finally…
Our video of the week, Mike McKinley introduces his new book, Passion:
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
The European Court of Human Rights has just given its verdict on four cases, all involving Christians:
Name your idols. Maybe you’re thinking of people you look up to and admire — a sports star or a singer. But what is an idol? When the Bible uses the word, it isn’t thinking of the latest winner of a TV talent show.
Stupid statues
Idols feature loads in the Bible, even in the Ten Commandments, where God tells His people: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20 v 4–5). So an idol is something that we worship instead of God.
In the Old Testament that mostly meant worshipping statues or idols made of metal, stone, wood etc. It should have been self evident that these home-made gods were a joke, but from the golden calf onwards (Exodus 32 v 1–4), God’s people kept falling into the same old trap. Isaiah 44 v 9–20 is a blistering attack on how stupid the whole thing is. Check it out for a moment.... continue reading
You may have heard people talk about the “big but’s” of the Bible; for example: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. BUT now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” Colossians 1 v 21-22. But I’ve been thinking about the “yet’s” of the Bible.
I know many people who have had a hard time during the autumn, including illness, bereavement, church issues… Others are facing a difficult start to 2013. And some of us are experiencing both. Which is what got me thinking about biblical “yet’s”. Here are a couple to mull over:
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will YET praise him,
my Saviour and my God.
Psalm 42 v 5... continue reading
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1 v 5-7
Simple words, huge truth — God is light. That’s total perfection. Flawless truth. All-revealing power. The false teachers claimed to be connected to God, yet the way they lived showed they were living a lie. Nothing we can do can put us right with God. Only Jesus’ blood — His death on the cross — can make us pure, connect us to God and to other believers.
Tim Chester has just released a great little book called Will you be my Facebook friend? in which he addresses the joys and perils of this social networking phenomenon.
You can pick up a copy for just £2 for the next 72 hours. Just use the code fbfriend at checkout.
