THIS & THAT and Favorite Quotes of the Week

CHRISTIAN LIVING:

• The Darkness of Porn and the Hope of the Gospel. Denny Burk writes “TIME magazine has published one of the saddest, most horrifying cover stories I have ever read.” Here is Russell Moore’s response Why Porn Kills Sex.
• How to Resist Temptation’s Mirage Moment. Jon Bloom writes “In temptation, the mirage moment occurs as we are tempted by a vision promising happiness. Some shimmering oasis of promised joy or relief from despair appears where God said it shouldn’t be.”
• 5 Reasons Not to Waste Your Leisure Time. Jeff Robinson shares five lines of biblical reasoning on a Christian’s involvement in leisure and hobbies.
• Writing Advice. David Qaoud shares these writing tips from Tim Keller, John Piper, J.I. Packer, Randy Alcorn and Kevin DeYoung.
• The 15 Best Christian Email Sign-Offs of All Time.  If you’re looking for a not-so-subtle way to broadcast your faith to the world, look no further.
• How Do You Use Your iPhone and iPad in Christian Growth? Check out John Piper’s response to this question on his “Ask Pastor John” podcast.
• Past, Present, and Future Grace. Here is our weekly prayer from Scotty Smith. I’d encourage you to sign up at this link to receive his daily prayers.
• Complete Assurance for Incomplete People. John Piper writes “So take heart. Fix your eyes on the once-for-all, perfecting work of Christ. And set your face against all known sin.”
• When an Unbeliever Dies: Offering Comfort without Distorting the Truth. George Lawson writes “Thankfully, there are words of comfort and truth that we can share with those who grieve, even when we are uncertain about the eternal destiny of their loved one who died. We don’t have to abandon the truth of Scripture in order to offer consolation.”

FOR PARENTS:

• Teach Your Children about the Happy God. Randy Alcorn writes “What if our children and grandchildren learned from childhood that to know God is to know happiness—and to not know Him is misery that propels us to search for happiness where it can’t be found?”
• The Great Parental Freak Out. Kevin DeYoung shares four things parents should stop freaking out about.

IN THE NEWS:

• Can You Vote for Donald Trump with a Clear Conscience? Andy Naselli writes “To answer the question, you first need to consider three other questions.”
• Engaging in Politics in a Grown-Up Non-Judgy Way. Scott Sauls asks this helpful question “For whom do I feel greater affection — people who agree with my politics but don’t share my faith, or people who share my faith but don’t agree with my politics?”
• Did God Break the Law for Love? Steven Furtick preached a sermon where he made this claim: “God broke the law for love.” Tim Challies writes “Does God break the law? No, he does something far, far better. He upholds it while Christ fulfills it. In all of earth and heaven there is no greater demonstration of love than God keeping his law.”
• 3 Reasons Why Religious Liberty Laws Don’t Discriminate. Andrew T. Walker shares three reasons why religious liberty legislation does not protect or allow for invidious discrimination.

CHRISTIANS AND CULTURE:

• 4 Ways Christian Respond to Culture. Steve Graves writes “When it comes to taking a position on culture, Christians, in my experience, tend to fall into one of four groups.”
• Keeping the Faith in a Faithless Age: the Church as a Moral Minority. Albert Mohler writes “The church must awaken to its status as a moral minority and hold fast to the gospel we have been entrusted to preach. In so doing, the deep springs of permanent truth will reveal the church to be a life-giving oasis amidst American’s moral desert.”
• Cheerleaders for Christ. Emma Green writes “The cheerleaders in Kountze, Texas, have been painting Bible verses on the banners they hold up at football games for nearly four years. Ever since, they have been embroiled in the high-profile legal battle those banners sparked.”

THEOLOGY:

• Wisely Handling the Book of Proverbs. R.C. Sproul writes “We need to listen to the wisdom of God so that we can cut through the many distractions and confusions of modern life. But, as with the entirety of the Word of God, we need to be zealous to learn how to handle the book of Proverbs properly.”
• Spirit-Empowered Preaching. Steven Lawson writes “Throughout his preaching ministry, Lloyd-Jones was consciously aware of his complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit to ensure the effectiveness of the sermon.”
• Abandoning Christ’s Gospel. John MacArthur writes “The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer.”
• How Did You Become Reformed? In this new seven-minute roundtable, Trip Lee (hip-hop artist and pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta), Alex Medina (creative director at Reach Records), and Jemar Tisby (co-founder of Reformed African American Network) tell us how they came to embrace Reformed theology.
• Common Misconceptions about Calvinism. Cole Brown writes “I confess that I hate — and I mean really, really hate — the label Calvinist, not because I have any shame over believing in the oft-controversial doctrines of grace. Rather, there are so many misunderstandings about what Calvinism actually is — both from those who are critical of Calvinism, and from those of us who say we believe it.”

• The Bible is one book, by one author, with one subject-the Lord Jesus Christ. Alistair Begg
• Do you believe it honors Jesus more to trust him to forgive the sin you are about to commit, than to trust him for the power not to do it? John Piper
• We find no rest for our weary bones unless we cling to the word of grace. Martin Luther
• If we’re more obsessed with the insanity of this election year than preoccupied with the occupied throne of heaven, let’s get that fixed. Scotty Smith
• The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible. L. Moody
• If you belong to Jesus, you will keep company with those who wear the uniform of the cross. Charles Spurgeon
• Religion says, ‘I obey; therefore I am accepted.’ Christianity says, ‘I’m accepted, therefore I obey.’ Tim Keller
• Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God. William Carey
• We actually are saved by works, but not by our works, rather by the finished work of Jesus Christ. Steven Lawson