Here are some helpful and informative posts about the transgender issue:
National Geographic’s “Gender Revolution”: Bad Argument and Biased Ideology – Andrew Walker ad Denny Burk (PD)
Federal Court Protects Children and Doctors from Harmful Transgender Regulation– Joe Carter (TGC)
The Transgender Conversation You Need to Have With Your Family – Tim Challies
Alarmism And Transgendered Kids – Rod Dreher (TAC)
What Christianity Alone Offers Transgender Persons – Sam Allberry (TGC)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
10 Things You Should Know about the Presence of God – J. Ryan Lister (Crossway)
Scripture is clear that all of life—and, principally, the gospel life—is about being in God’s relational presence.
Self-Control and the Power of Christ– David Mathis (DG)
True self-control is a gift from above, produced in and through us by the Holy Spirit. Until we own that it is received from outside ourselves, rather than whipped up from within, the effort we give to control our own selves will redound to our praise, rather than God’s. But we also need to note that self-control is not a gift we receive passively, but actively. We are not the source, but we are intimately involved. We open the gift and live it. Receiving the grace of self-control means taking it all the way in and then out into the actual exercise of the grace.
Things Christians Just Don’t Get To Do – Tim Challies
These are all things—just a few of the things—Christians don’t get to do. These are things we don’t get to do because they are associated with godlessness rather than godliness, with sin rather than salvation. In every case God has freed us by his gospel to a new and better way of living—a way of love, forgiveness, generosity, encouragement, community, submission, industry, purity, and freedom. We don’t get to do those things that would only ever harm us and the people around us.
Keeping Our Commitment – Jeremy Walker
Are you not part of the body? Are you not a living stone in that divinely-indwelt temple? Are you not covenanted together with those fellow saints to minister to them and to be ministered to by them? Are you not persuaded that in this service heaven will draw near to earth, that the Lord will speak, more or less powerfully, through the preaching of the Word? That you will genuinely and really render prayers and praises to the Most High God in your participation in the whole service? That heavenly manna will be there for you to eat? That this might be the morning or the evening when you might obtain an unusual blessing, or your friend, or your child, or your neighbour, attending with you, might be converted? That, if nothing else, you have said, more or less formally, that you will not forsake the assembling together of those saints to whom you have made a commitment to love them and to be loved by them?
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church in the presence of our great God!
Here are some good posts to read as we wrap up 2016 and look towards 2017:
My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2016 – Collin Hansen (TGC)
10 Ideas and 10 Tips for Family Devotions in 2017 – Tim Challies
Bible Reading Plans for 2017 – Nathan Bingham (Ligonier)
5 Bible Inputs To Grow, Grow, Grow – Colin Adams
What will you read in 2017? Here is a collection of favorite books from some other bloggers to give you some ideas.
My Top Books of 2016 – Tim Challies
10 Favorite Reads of 2016 – Trevin Wax
My Top 10 Books of 2016 – Jared Wilson
Top Ten Books of 2016 – Kevin DeYoung
2016 TGC Book Awards – Collin Hansen & Ivan Mesa (TGC)
50 Books J.I. Packer Thinks You Should Read – Matt Tully (Crossway)
Here is another collection of good Christmas posts:
The Irrepressible Christ of Christmas – Sam Storms
Why I Changed My Mind on Nativity Scenes – Alistair Begg (TGC)
Christmas Songs Are Freedom Songs – Stephen Miller (TGC)
10 Things You Should Know about the Incarnation – Stephen Wellum (Crossway)
10 Things You Should Know about Christmas – Andreas J. Köstenberger (Crossway)
The Fullness of God Dwelled in a Womb – Jared Wilson (FTC)
Hope you have a wonder-filled Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus!
Here are some good posts for Christmas:
Jesus Isn’t Threatened by Your Christmas Gifts – Tim Challies
10 Ways to Be a Christian this Christmas – Kevin DeYoung
How to Show Your Kids Grace This Christmas – Jessica Thompson (Crossway)
3 Ways to Become a Christmas-Loving Pastor – Ronnie Martin (TGC)
Here are some good posts for dads:
10 Reasons I’m Thankful To Be a Dad – Tim Challies
Dad Enough to Sing – David Mathis (DG)
Why Daughters Need Their Dads – Meg Meeker (Lifeway)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Using Self-Examination for Spiritual Formation – Joe Carter (TGC)
The Christian life requires frequent self-examination to ensure we are overcoming sin and growing in obedience.
Fears and Fleeting Faith – Tim Challies
…there is no situation beyond God’s knowledge, no condition beyond God’s control, no circumstance beyond God’s power. The one who holds us in the storm is the very same one who holds the storm.
3 Mistakes to Avoid When Helping the Hurting– Dave Furman (TGC)
No one wants to be like Job’s friends. We have hurting people in our lives, and we want to help them, but how do we manage to not make fools of ourselves? And how can we actually help hurting people without discouraging them even more?
The Best Day of the Week…for Your Kids – Nick Kennicott (TCC)
Here are eight ways we can help our children view Sunday as being the best day of the week…
Hope you have a great best day of the week!
Here are some good posts on preaching:
8 Reasons to Preach Through Books of the Bible – Jared Wilson (FTC)
The 5 C’s of Preaching – Jared Wilson (FTC)
What Questions Should a Pastor Ask Himself after Preaching a Sermon? – R. Kent Hughes (Crossway)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Practical Suggestions for Cultivating Communion with God – Kelly Kapic (Crossway)
But interpersonal relationships are not “things” to be accomplished. They are more about “being” than “doing,” and they need attentiveness, mutual exchange, and care to flourish. Relationships cannot be life-giving sources of strength if we are not present in and to them. Communion with God is a deep need for every human, whether we acknowledge the need or not. Communion with God is how we were made to function, and it is ultimately about a loving and very present relationship with the triune Creator.
The Hidden Power in Every Idol – Tim Challies
If we worship the idol of the perfect body, the sweeping curves or the chiseled abs, we will become as vain and self-focused as the models in the magazines. If we worship the idol of money, we will become as greedy, selfish, and cut-throat as the worst wolf on Wall Street. If we worship athleticism, we will imitate superstar athletes in their arrogance, their moral depravity, their self-obsession. If we worship the idol of power we will mimic the flip-flopping, anything-goes, popularity-obsessed politician. On and on it goes.
5 Reasons Not to Waste Your Leisure Time– Jeff Robinson (TGC)
In today’s work force, some researchers have found the average work week for an American man is creeping beyond 50 hours. Thus, after a long and laborious work week, our finite bodies and minds often stand in need of refreshment. God set a pattern in the created order (evening/morning/end of the day) for six days, and then established a day of rest on the seventh.
Why the Local Church Really Matters – Tim Challies
As we prepare to worship God tomorrow, it may do us good to pause for just a few moments to consider the local church. What is the church? Why has God called us into these little communities? Does the local church really matter? It does! The local church is foundational to God’s plan for his people.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church!
Brian J. Mikul 