Thank you for your pre-orders of When Prayer Is a Struggle! I’m encouraged to hear of churches, small groups, and individuals who have preordered and are eager to grow in prayer. Launch date is on the 25th! There is still time to pre-order from a number of online stores.
I’m planning on uploading videos on prayer to help promote my book, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Speaking of prayer, one of my favorite resources to recommend is this sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer by Colin Smith, my pastor.
Cross-Points has a good roundup of free Christian books for this month.
How to Pray for Afghanistan—and the Taliban by Joe Carter
The Perils of Being a Young Phenom by Dan Darling, in which he reflects on the new podcast documenting the rise and fall of Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll. (Keep an eye out for me on Dan’s podcast.)
Prepare Teens for Challenges to Free Speech by Chloe Folmar
Work That Makes a Difference: An Interview with Dan Doriani. Here’s a sneak peek at one question:
12 fundamental principles about work from a Christian perspective?
1. The Lord works and ordains that humans work.
2. When God worked six days and rested one, he established a pattern.
3. The Lord honors both manual and mental labor.
4. After humanity rebelled, God cursed the ground so that work became toilsome and frustrating.
5. We must work in order to live.
6. Our work shapes us.
7. It is biblical to distinguish work and jobs from vocation.
8. The Lord assigns places of work, yet believers can move.
9. God respects all human abilities.
10. Many professions would not exist apart from the fall.
11. God calls everyone to full-time service.
12. Through our work, we become the hands of God.
“Recommended”—A Short Story. An insightful imagining of what a typical young person deals with on social media—a helpful read especially for pastors of young people.
10 Safeguards for Church Nurseries and Children’s Ministry by Sarah Rainer
A Biblical Theology of Education by D.A. Carson. This is a long one, but worth it!
Echo Chambers Don’t Cause Polarization by Chris Martin. Some thoughts worth contemplating, especially if you engage in political twitter.
Advice for Christian Students As They Begin College by Nathan Finn
ICYMI: How the Lord’s Prayer Helps Us Overcome Our Prayer Struggles (Watch on YouTube)