Iraq crisis: 'Every single Christian wants to leave'
One in 10 Church of England bishops 'could be secretly gay' – says bishop
100 Christians, Including Children, Arrested During Major House Church Raid in China
Costa Ricans Celebrate 'Day of the Bible'
Former Bishop of Winchester Michael Scott-Joynt dies aged 71
Disclaimer: The Good Book Company is not responsible for the content of external sites and does not necessarily agree with the content of articles listed.
Let me ask you a strange but important question: Are you more hippo or frog?
I’m not talking about physical stature (you’ll be pleased to know), but about the way you respond to discovering there are idols in your heart. Are you more of a wallower or a jumper?
Hippos are wallowing creatures. If they see a patch of warm, muddy water deep enough to envelop their enormous bodies, they will head for it and sit in it for hours. They snort and they snuffle, they rub and they roll in the filth that surrounds them.
And some of us do that with our idols. We see the things we want more than God—maybe we see them clearly for the first time—and we get overwhelmed by the dirt and rebellion present in our lives. We get hit by a tidal-wave of realisation that we are not the beautiful people God calls us to be, not even the half-beautiful people we thought we were, and we become paralysed by the enormity of who we’ve become. We wallow. We sit, inert in our sin, shrouded in despair and unable to believe that change is an option.... continue reading
So many Christian women struggle with a secret fantasy life. So many Christian women dip into books like 50 Shades of Grey. So many Christian women - up to 20% - log on to porn sites either regularly or occasionally. And the implications for our personal lives, our relationships with others and our relationship with God are serious. But there is hope - there is help - there is forgiveness - there is a better way ...
If you have a secret life of fantasy or pornography use, or have a heart to stand alongside those who do - why not pre-order Purity is Possible?
It was an unpleasantly hot autumn afternoon on the London underground. Having read all the adverts and glanced one too many times at my neighbour's newspaper, my eyes settled on the man opposite. His t-shirt was blue, slightly grubby and bore these words: "You are what you watch"
I imagine it was a commentary on film or TV watching. If so, that would make me James Bond or a character from NCIS - for better or for worse. But the concept intrigued me - a deeper truth lurked in those crumpled words.
Where we put our eyes impacts our Christian walk:
I guess, in part, that's why the writer of Hebrews encourages us to live our Christian lives with our eyes very carefully positioned:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
It's an inescapable fact: you are what you watch.
It's a subject that's taboo. A reality that many find shocking. A fact that some would prefer to deny. But the truth is out there: women use porn too.
Accurate statistics are difficult to source but a quick trawl of the web seems to suggest that about a quarter of those who visit internet pornography sites are female. Some pages suggest that up to 60% of women have used porn at some point in their lives. And while we might prefer to think otherwise, it's fairly safe to assume that some of those surfing such sites will be Christians who are confused, ashamed, addicted or desperate. Indeed over the last decade I've had quite a few Christian sisters confide in me - each convinced that they are the only one. Far from being a solely male pastoral issue, porn is something that affects women too and those involved in women's ministry need to be addressing the subject proactively.... continue reading
1. Connected ebook just £4.99 till midday Monday
Get the ebook version of Connected by Sam Allberry for just £4.99!
2. 5 worst tips for freshers
A list of 5 don’t’s for those just starting university.
3. Daily Dose of Greek
A website from Rob Plummer where you can learn Greek from scratch or review the fundamentals.
4. Seven Dangers of Social Media
Richard Perkins shares seven dangers of social media.
5. Encourage One Another: Giving Grace with Your Words
A useful article about encouraging others from 9Marks.
6. Three Things to Remember When You Read the Bible
Three things to remember when reading the Bible, from Desiring God.
7. And finally...
Our video of the week, Dai Hankey introduces his new book, A man’s greatest challenge:
Found something that you think should make it on to the On to a Good Thing round-up? Send it to: ontoagoodthing@thegoodbook.co.uk
A life has been lived that was supremely, perfectly, beautifully self-controlled. Self-control has been modelled for us by Jesus Christ. It’s worth reading through a Gospel account of his life with this theme of self-control in your mind. You see temptation under control (Matthew 4 v 1-11); fear under control (26 v 36-46); power under control (26 v 47-56); speech under control (27 v 11-14); and those are just a few snapshots from the life of Christ.
That’s the kind of man I want to be. How about you?
But… it’s tempting at this point to try to find some gaps in Jesus’ resumé:
“What about family? Jesus was never a dad, so what does he know about being pushed to the limit by sleepless babies, tantrum-throwing toddlers or hormone-crazed teenagers?”
“What about work? Jesus didn’t have a proper job, so surely he can’t relate to the demands of working a long day, the pressure of paying bills, or what it’s like to have a boss who does none of the work and takes all of the praise?”
“What about… (insert your issue here)?”... continue reading
The Trinity is one of the least examined areas of the Christian life and often one that is least understood or grasped. Connected unpacks the practical implications of the truth that God is Father, Son and Spirit - transforming how we think of God and providing a vital perspective on key topics like:
Read more HERE and get the ebook for just £4.99 until midday on Monday. Use code tri1014 at the checkout.
Last week was an exciting time of filming in the States. Here, cameraman Luke Stanley adjusts the microphone for Erik Raymond, pastor from Omaha and writer of the Ordinary Pastor blog. Watch this space for more news of the Gospel Shaped Church curriculum we're working on with The Gospel Coalition.
This week we're getting ready to launch two fantastic new books in our Live Different series.
Here author, Dai Hankey introduces his latest work: A Man's Greatest Challenge:
