One Last Shot Over the Left Field Wall. Andy Andrews writes a tribute to Hank Aaron, the home run king, who died January 22 at age 86. My favorite Hank Aaron memory took place at a 1965 game at Busch Stadium 1 (also known as Sportsman’s Park) in St. Louis. My Dad, Mom, brother Mike (age 6) and I (age 8) were attending the game between the Cardinals and the Milwaukee Braves. Cardinal pitcher Curt Simmons got Aaron out throughout the game with a big lollypop pitch. Aaron was frustrated, but ready for the pitch late in the game, and crushed the ball out of the park. But Aaron was so anxious to hit the pitch that he actually stepped out of the batter’s box and was called out. Read about it here.

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• More interesting links to articles about Christian Living, Thinking Theologically, Good Questions and Recommended Resources
• Favorite Quotes of the Week

• Abortion: The Central Sacrament of the Political Left. Albert Mohler writes “There is a lot to consider as we weigh through the moral complexities of our time. Christians, moreover, have a grave responsibility in this secular age: We must think and live in a way that is genuinely biblical and theologically orthodox. We must understand the conflict of worldviews that rage in our day. When it comes to abortion, the difference is a matter of life and death.”
• Roman Catholic Archbishop Admonishes President Biden over Abortion Policies. Denny Burk writes “I have serious differences with Roman Catholic theology, but I resonate deeply with much of the church’s teaching on life and sexual ethics. We have much common ground on these issues, and I am grateful for the archbishop’s admonition of one of his church members. We should pray that President Biden will listen.”
• The FAQs: What You Should Know About the Mexico City Policy. Joe Carter writes “On January 28, President Biden issued a “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad.” The order overturns the “Mexico City Policy” and allows federal funds to be used to pay for abortions.”
• The Radical Incoherence of Biden’s Transgender Policy. Joe Carter writes “Biden has adopted a policy that is not only radically incoherent but that will have profound effects on both the military and the American people.”
• Economics for Church Leaders: How Minimum-Wage Laws Affect the Poor. Joe Carter writes “To help church leaders better understand the issue and how it affects the working poor, here are 10 mostly undisputed points you should know about the minimum wage.”
• Critical Race Theory Isn’t a Threat for Presbyterians. Anthony Bradley writes “If you are Presbyterian, believe in the authority of Scripture, and have a theology that summarizes the Bible’s teachings in the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and understands covenant theology, one could easily see the strengths and limitations of CRT and propose something even better to account for what we see in the world today on the intersection of America’s racial history with contemporary culture.”
• Vaccines and the Christian Worldview: Principles for Christian Thinking in the Context of COVID. Albert Mohler writes “This is an absolutely historic and crucial moment. This pandemic has wrought untold destruction—and we are, I pray, in the final months of this contagion’s deadly advance. The creation of vaccines in such a short amount of time is something to be celebrated. And as Christians begin to decide whether or not to take the vaccine, it is important to understand the serious moral complexities involved. We must think biblically about this vital issue.”
  

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• 4 Misconceptions about Contentment. Melissa Kruger writes “One of our greatest struggles with contentment is that we often have an incorrect picture of what it means to be content. It’s helpful to understand what something is notin order to have a more correct understanding of what it is.”
• How to Pray When the Wicked Prosper. Kevin Halloran writes about five Psalms that teach us how to pray when the wicked prosper.
• How to Find Joy Amid Tensions with Other Believers. Trevin Wax writes “One of the best places to find joy in challenging circumstances is the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians.”
• Not Your Typical Pro-Life Leader. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra highlights the pro-life work of former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson.
• Rejoice Always.B. Charles Jr. writes “The tribulations of life are inevitable. But they do not have the last word. The crucified and risen Christ is the world conqueror. The Lord Jesus Christ reigns over heaven and earth. This includes all of the blessings and burdens of your private world. Rejoice in this glorious truth now and forever.”
• Before You Tweet Criticisms: Six Considerations. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper gives us some advice as we use social media.
• The Importance of What We Do in Secret. Derek Thomas writes “According to Jesus, it is what we do in secret that matters most.”
• How to Deal with Dark Times. Tim Keller speaks on Psalm 88 and how to deal with hard times.

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• When Fear is Sinful. Michael Reeves looks at the different types of fear of God we meet in Scripture.
• How Should We Think About Sinful Heroes? Paul Levy writes “The search for heroism and greatness ultimately leads us to the one man, Jesus Christ, who has no skeletons in the closet, no past to be ashamed of, no hidden secrets that might be exposed, no vanity, and no ego.”
• Five Truths About the Holy Spirit. Alistair Begg shares these five helpful truths about the Holy Spirit.

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• Why Did God Create Us? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper addresses this important question.
• Some Teachers Claim the Old Testament Is No Longer Relevant. Is This True? Today, some teachers are claiming that the Old Testament is no longer relevant for Christians. From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Robert Godfrey exposes the danger of this view and the negative effects it can have on the church.
• Since Everyone Knows God, How Does That Affect Our Defense of the Faith? The denial of God’s existence is ultimately a moral issue, not an intellectual one. From one of Ligonier’s Ask C.events, R.C. Sproul examines how our defense of the Christian faith is informed by the fact that God has made Himself known to everyone on earth.
• How Is Total Depravity True When Many People Appear to Act Morally and Do Good Deeds? Does the doctrine of total depravity suggest that people are as evil as they can possibly be? From one of Ligonier’s live events, Derek Thomas corrects this common misunderstanding about the radical corruption of man.
• Does God Love Us Just the Way We Are? It is dangerous to tell a nonbeliever, “God loves you unconditionally.” From one of Ligonier’s live events, C.Sproul and John MacArthur express how the gospel provides us with a far greater message to proclaim.

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• Tim Keller on Being Born Again. Watch this message, titled “You Must Be Born Again” from John 3, from Tim Keller, delivered at the Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis.
• Let’s Talk: Our Spiritual Heroes. In the first episode of season two of the Gospel Coalition’s Let’s Talk podcast, Jasmine Holmes, Jackie Hill Perry, and Melissa Kruger consider the men and women, both living and dead, who have been their spiritual role models.
• The Temptations of Socialism: A Conversation with Economist Iain Murray. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Iain Murray, Vice President of Strategy and senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and author of the book, The Socialist Temptation, which is the topic of this episode.
• A Conversation with Tim Keller: On Cancer, Book Recommendations, Celebrity, and the Reformed Resurgence. On this episode of the Life and Books and Everything podcast, Kevin DeYoung, Collin Hansen and Justin Taylor visit with Tim Keller.
• Ask Ligonier with Derek Thomas. On February 4, Derek Thomas participated in an Ask Ligonier session, answering biblical and theological questions live online.

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• Satan would be quite pleased if the entire world focused only on a baby in a quaint manger scene and neglected the baby grown up, tortured, blood running down his face, naked, dishonored, despised, dead on a cross, buried, raised, ascended, and returning redeemer and judge. Burk Parsons
• We set standards that we use to judge not realizing that we will fail our own criteria. Tim Keller
• The gospel is meant to control and govern everything in our lives. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• True faith will always be followed by growth in grace and virtue (Eph. 2:8-10). That is to say, while Jesus invites us to come as we are, he does not want us to stay as we are. Scott Sauls
• Once we refuse to honor God as God, our whole view of life and the world becomes distorted. R.C. Sproul
• Learn to give Jesus Christ His full honour, which God His Father hath given Him. Thomas Goodwin
• The Resurrection is a giant receipt stamped across history saying your debt has been paid for and you don’t have to pay it ever again. Tim Keller
• If you need something in addition to God to make you happy, that is your true King. Tim Keller
• The faith that God gives is a persevering faith. A believer may stumble and fall, but will never fall away from Christ. No true believer will ever become an unbeliever. Steven Lawson