Hey friend in Christ,
In this newsletter, I share:
- A devotional nugget from my walk with the Lord
- A couple of book reviews
- Some of the best links I’ve found of late
Hope it’s a blessing!
I’ll soon be traveling to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, for a ministry trip where we’ll be teaching on the storyline of the Bible and sharing resources from Open the Bible’s Spanish ministry.
Would you pray that the church in Honduras would be strengthened through this trip, and that my colleague Jorge and I would be safe, healthy, and spiritually fruitful?
Thank you.
The Dangerous Prayer That Deepened My Worship
I’m a fan of what I call “dangerous prayers.” These are prayers that God uses deeply, but often painfully—at least at first. In the end, they accomplish His good and wise purposes, and for that reason, they are worth praying.
Earlier this year, I began praying one of those dangerous prayers: “Lord, give me a more worshipful heart.” I had noticed that my heart was often distracted in worship. I was too focused on what I was doing for the Lord, and not enough on the Lord Himself.
God has answered—and is still answering—that prayer. But He did it in a way I did not expect.
He exposed an idol.
A project I had worked on for a long time was suddenly taken away from me. It was painful. But as my heart began to heal, and as I learned again to seek God and trust His good purposes, my worship deepened. My perspective became more biblical. And in the end, I can honestly say I am grateful.
God used pain to lead me into greater reverence, deeper trust, and more joyful worship.
Brother or sister in Christ, I encourage you to pray for a more worshipful heart—even if God answers that prayer by first exposing what has been competing for it.
Just a reminder: if you’ve read When Prayer Is a Struggle or A Short Book on Effective Prayer and wouldn’t mind leaving a review on Amazon, that would be a simple way to say “thanks” and recommend the book to more people.
My latest two book reviews:
- Saved to Sin No More: How Union with Christ Empowers a Life of Holiness by Brad Wetherell
- From Eden to Egypt: A Guided Tour of Genesis by Alex Duke
Recommended Links
A Book that Recentered My Soul and My Sermons by Gary Millar. You can get the digital version of the book Millar references for free. This paragraph especially encouraged me:
I had longed for people to come to God, and even to come to know God, for many years, but after reading this book, I yearned for people to come to delight in God through Christ. Because of this, the tone of my preaching and conversations began to change, as a dominant note of enjoying God — Father, Son, and Spirit — enhanced and enriched my proclamation of the gospel.
AI Is Coming for Your Systematic Theology. Tim Challies warns how AI slop is invading every sphere of book publishing world and how you can be aware of it.
On a related note, you may enjoy this video: How to Tell What’s Real and What’s AI-Generated on Social Media (although you’ll have to watch it soon before it’s outdated!)
I found this refreshing: More than Wrinkles: 11 Blessings of Growing Older
The Sin We’ve Stopped Taking Seriously by Trevin Wax writes on a common sin that’s hard to nail down. But it’s a serious one you—and I—struggle with daily.
The Mortification Equation. Joe Smith shares a practical equation for fighting sin that is biblical and effective: memorization + meditation = mortification.
I’ve been enjoying videos from Frank Turek recently, and here’s a good one “9 Discoveries That Support the Biblical Exodus” that ties into one of my favorite Bible books.