I’m digging what I’m seeing Kindle deals this week. First up are a few books on the authority of Scripture from Crossway:

• Ancient Word, Changing World by Stephen Nichols and Eric Brandt—$3.99
• Understanding Scripture edited by Wayne Grudem—$4.99
• Why Trust the Bible? by Greg Gilbert—$4.99
• Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? by James Hoffmeier—$6.99

Matthias Media is also offering a number of leadership-focused titles at discounted rates:

• Then Sings My Soul by Philip Percival—Free
• Making the Most of the Cross by John Chapman—99¢
• One-to-One Bible Reading by David Helm—99¢
• Saving Eutychus by Gary Miller and Phil Campbell—$1.99
• Wisdom in Leadership by Craig Hamilton—$299
• Do You Feel Called by God? by John Bennett—99¢

When It Is and Isn’t Plagiarism

Randy Alcorn:

From time to time, I’m reminded of how common it is for people to believe a writer or speaker stole his or her material. Sometimes material is indeed used word for word without crediting the source, and this is unethical. But other times, people assume an idea or material has been stolen when it isn’t the case.

8 Lessons God Is Teaching Me through Cancer

Dave Hall:

In late December 2015, my physician informed me that a biopsy result had returned positive for melanoma. Doctors removed the lesion and proposed an aggressive treatment plan. Surgery and four months of chemotherapy followed.

It has been an unexpected and at times frightening medical journey, but God is teaching me many heart lessons through this confrontation with cancer. These lessons are ongoing chapters in a much longer story God is writing with my life. Here are eight.

Three Ways Fear Can Derail Your Ministry (& How To Fight Back!)

Rob Hurtgen:

Fear can be a powerful motivator. Not only do we more easily recognize fear in others we underestimate fears influence on our own lives. Positive responses to fear can protect you from dangerous and life-threatening situations. Negative reactions to fear will keep you from doing anything at all. Fear—when left unexamined—can easily take root and derail your life and ministry. Fear must be pressed back against.

Why I’m Reordering My Social Media Life

Glad to see Brandon taking these healthy steps. And as a bonus, it means less trolling. Maybe.

How Sewing Saved My Sanity

Ruth Moon:

Quilting is, for me, the perfect antidote to the socially networked and hyper-mediated world we live in. Practicing this craft forces me to single-task—to pick one thing and pursue it. I can rip out stitches or order more fabric, sure, but there comes a point when I must commit to a design and carry it through or there will be no quilt. Quilting also creates a space for me to be alone with my thoughts. Because my fingers are distracted with a rotary blade, a sewing machine, or a needle, I can’t check Facebook or read the latest news, and because a sewing machine is loud, I rarely watch TV while piecing. Choosing fabric textures and prints and slowly testing out color combinations is a stark contrast from the world of whirling bytes, where I can hop between 20 open tabs in Google Chrome to occupy my time while my email loads.

Alignment and 3 Types of Staff Members

Eric Geiger:

Inevitably, among the staff members who make the biggest impact in their ministry areas and the church culture as a whole, there is deep alignment between the church’s mission and values and the staff member’s mission and values. Every healthy ministry has values that guide the culture of the church.

At the same time, every leader or team member also has a set of values that guide decision-making and behavior. When there is alignment, the church and the staff member are in harmony as their values overlap with one another. Because there are varying levels of alignment, when it comes to mission and value alignment, there are three types of staff members…

7 Things I Miss About 90’s CCM

I don’t miss anything about 90s CCM, but then again, I wasn’t a Christian in the 90s. Still, this was funny.

When Christians say “I’m better than you”

A favorite from the archives:

There are some things we can say about those who don’t believe in Jesus that are wholly true and appropriate. There are others, though, that are either just plain silly or impossibly evil. Recently, I found myself considering one of the latter, which goes something like this:

I cannot respect unbelievers—they reek to heaven! It is impossible for me to honor them in any way.

How would you respond to this (and be honest)? If you were teaching a Sunday School class or participating in a small group and someone said this, what would you do?