Aaron Armstrong

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New American Commentary sale

B&H has put most (if not all) of the New American Commentary series on sale for $2.99 each:

New Testament:

A few additional Kindle deals include Text-Driven Preaching by David Allen  for $2.99, Real Christianity by William Wilberforce for $1.99, and But Don’t All Religions Lead to God? by Michael Green for 99¢.

What to Do If You Wake Up Feeling Fragile

An article from 2011 by John Piper:

There are mornings when I wake up feeling fragile. Vulnerable. It’s often vague. No single threat. No one weakness. Just an amorphous sense that something is going to go wrong and I will be responsible. It’s usually after a lot of criticism. Lots of expectations that have deadlines and that seem too big and too many.

You Can’t Keep Up This Pace

Erik Raymond:

A couple of months ago my wife lovingly talked to me about some concerns with my health. She has been an advocate for healthy living for years and I’ve largely spurned her advice because I have to run hard. Now she has objective items related to things she has observed. She called a timeout and told me to take my own advice and reel things in.

Here are some of the areas I’ve made adjustments or recommitments to:

7 Joys of Pastoral Ministry

David Murray:

What’s the worst day of the week for pastors? Probably Monday. For the previous seven days we’ve poured ourselves into sermon preparation, pastoral visitation, counseling, evangelism, problem solving, prayer, etc. The Sunday climax (anti-climax?) has come and gone. We may have been discouraged by low attendances, limited or negative feedback, etc. Our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual reserves are in the red. Yet we have to climb the mountain all over again. Monday “blues” can very quickly become Monday “blacks.”

However, without ignoring the real difficulties, let us also remember the joys of pastoral ministry. Here are seven I try to keep before me, especially on Monday mornings.

It’s Better to Avoid a Toxic Employee than Hire a Superstar

Nicole Torres:

Overconfident, self-centered, productive, and rule-following employees were more likely to be toxic workers. One standard deviation in skills confidence meant an approximately 15% greater chance of being fired for toxic behavior, while employees who were found to be more self-regarding (and less concerned about others’ needs) had a 22% greater likelihood. For workers who said that rules must always be followed, there was a 25% greater chance he or she would be terminated for actually breaking the rules. They also found that people exposed to other toxic workers on their teams had a 46% increased likelihood of similarly being fired for misconduct.

Was Jesus Anxious to Start His Ministry?

Phil Wade:

I don’t think the Lord has the same concept of time I do. Just look at the incarnation. Christ Jesus did not appear to us like Melchizedek in Genesis, an established priest and king of the city of peace. He didn’t walk out of the desert and begin casting out demons like a fabled dragon slayer. He came to us as an infant. He spent years growing into adulthood, asking questions of his parents, learning his father’s trade skills, and studying at the synagogue.

Nine Consequences of Debt

Randy Alcorn:

Scripture discourages debt. It condemns the misuse of debt and the failure to repay debts (Psalm 37:21; Proverbs 3:27-28). If we take God’s Word seriously, we should avoid debt. In those rare cases where we go into debt, we should make every effort to get out as soon as possible (2 Kings 4:1; Matthew 5:25-26; 18:23-24). The question isn’t, “Why not go into debt?” but why? Unless the answer is extraordinarily convincing, we shouldn’t do it.

What are some of the consequences of a debt-laden lifestyle?

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