Welcome to July! Today is Canada Day in my home and native land. Here are a few facts you might enjoy about us on this momentous day, the 34th anniversary of the establishment of our constitution (and our 149th year as a semi-independent nation). In honor of the day, enjoy our national anthem:

Book lovers, you may find something interesting in Amazon’s monthly Kindle deals, which features hundreds of titles across all genres for $3.99 or less. Be sure to also check out Christian Audio for their free audiobook of the month, and the free resource for Logos users.

Why I Am Not Egalitarian

Tim Challies shares his perspective:

I am not egalitarian and never have been, but that is not to say that I have not been challenged by the strengths of the position or the excesses of some definitions of complementarianism. I have carefully examined what I believe about manhood and womanhood. I have read widely and, as much as possible, with an open mind and open Bible. I have worked carefully through the relevant biblical texts. As I have done all of this, I have become more and more persuaded by the complementarian position but also more and more concerned about those who misuse or full-out abuse it. In that way I have not only had to define myself as complementarian but to define what kind of complementarian I am.

Gather with All Ages

Ryan Higginbottom:

A decade ago, my wife and I moved to a new city. We were three years into our marriage and didn’t yet have children.

After months of visiting, we decided to attend a large Bible church and wanted to get involved in Sunday school. We picked a class, asked directions in the lobby, and found the classroom.

God says “Let’s Start Over”

David Murray:

Three times in two verses, the Lord says, “I will betroth you to me.” Some commentators believe that this reflects the involvement and commitment of each Person of the Godhead in this betrothal. In other words, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are each saying, “I will betroth you to me.” It is, however, more likely that the threefold repetition of “I will betroth you” is for emphasis. It emphasizes the eagerness of the Lord to unite with those who have divorced Him and are now separated from Him. Israel did the separating, but God does the uniting.

10 Pointers for Preaching a Touchy Issue

Peter Mead shares some sound advice.

A Different Kind of Hypocrite

Mike Leake:

You’ve likely heard it said that Christians are hypocrites. It’s such a common thing to hear that I’ve got a neat little joke that gets a laugh about every time. If someone objects to coming to church because it is “full of hypocrites”, I usually tell them, “Don’t worry, we’ve got room for one more.” This little quip isn’t original with me. But I’ve used it because it is an effective way of saying we are all hypocrites in some way. Yet, there is a way in which a Christian is a different kind of hypocrite from an unbeliever.

Why Can’t We Christians Laugh Anymore?

Leslie Leyland Fields:

What’s happening to us? We seem to have lost not only our sense of tolerance and civility, but worse, our sense of humor. When I first noticed the phenomenon, I thought we Christians were creating our own lonely dystopia, but now I think we’ve simply joined the larger culture’s misery. There’s little mystery why we’re so unhappy. We’re all caught up in a particularly vicious election cycle. We’re depressed by mass shootings and gun violence. Terrorism can strike at any time. Heat waves and wildfires are raging, the environment is degrading, and a hundred other ills unfold before us every day in the media.