“Though the absolute sovereignty of God over our lives is consistently taught throughout Scripture, it is not the uncaring sovereignty of a despot but of a God who is just as loving and caring as He is sovereign. But we have to by faith believe that truth when His ways are different from that which we desire.” (Jerry Bridges, God Took Me by the Hand: A Story of God’s Unusual Providence)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Summer is coming, and you may be thinking about vacations or fun times. Let this be a call to not waste your summer. Having said that, here are this week’s links:

• Is it possible to worship God as idolatry? The True Woman blog has some great insight about false worship that’s worth giving your time to.
• In conjunction with the TGC Women’s Conference, a new album is available for free download: ‘When Trials Come: Resurrection Songs for a World of Suffering.’ This looks like a great new album to listen to.
• Steve Lawson writes about self-discipline: what it isn’t, what it is, and what it’s worth. If you find yourself in need of self-discipline, may this be a helpful corrective of your current thinking.
• With the recent shooting in Orlando, a number of responses followed. Here are the ones I’ve found most helpful: Al Mohler, David Wood, James White, and David Inserra.
• Do you know what to look for in a church? Can you give wise counsel to someone who is transitioning to a different stage of life and plans to move in the near future? If so, consider seasoned counselor Jim Newheiser’s list of 10 qualities of a good church.
• What do you know about apologetics? How about biblical counseling? Well here’s 10 things to know about the former, and 10 more things to know about the latter.
• What are some reasons families fail at family worship? It helps to know the problem before coming to a wise solution. May this be a catalyst to pursuing growth together as a family, to God’s glory.
• If you still want to follow the discussion concerning the Trinitarian issue concerning the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son, this post seems to collect all the relevant posts in order from oldest to newest.
• Over at the Women’s Hope podcast, Felecia Stephens discusses God’s blessing of cancer. Such a beautiful perspective on suffering with hope in our good God.
• There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the recently discovered ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.’ Michael Kruger gives a summary of the most recent discovery: the author of the forged document.
• Tim Challies continues his series on why he isn’t many different positions, this time a paedobaptist.

That’s all for this week! Please keep the LBC ladies who are attending the TGC Women’s Conference in prayer for their edification and return tomorrow. See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria