Take up and read has been on vacation since early December. But like all of us he has to get back to work sometime. So here is the latest edition.

Here is great post about why you need to pray from your pastors and elders. We all struggle to do what is right day in and day out. It is easy to become a shell, especially when people have expectations for us that do not involve the word and prayer. But if we do that we become empty with little inside and we lose power. Pray that we would do what is most important, not what everyone thinks we should.

It has been amazing to see the various reactions by Christians to the movie Les Mis. Some have loved it. Some have hated it. Some think it speaks too little of the Gospel. Others think it is a great picture of the Gospel.  Here is Steven Wedgeworth’s evaluation of it. I have not seen the movie, but my guess is that Steven gets a lot right in his review.

Randy Alcorn, who continues to do great work in the pro-life movement, explains why a child conceived by rape is still a person and should not be aborted.

Hospitality is something we emphasize at our church. Every Sunday I hear of this family going to that family’s house or of our young men hanging out together till the wee hours of the morning. All of this is good. It builds lasting relationships that help people love Jesus and obey his commands. That is why I enjoyed this post about hospitality without grumbling.  I would only add that our greatest temptation is to grumble after they leave, not before they come.

A couple of years ago I preached through the Minor Prophets. I remember being stunned by Zephaniah 3:17. It speaks of the Lord singing over us, his people. That verse is a great one to keep coming back to. Sam Storms talks about the verse here. It is a good reminder that God actually loves us.

Over the years I have become convinced that children should be included in regular Sunday morning worship. Here are two excellent posts that show why children should be sitting there with us singing, praying and listening: Rob Hadding and Toby Sumpter. Jesus tells us to let the children come to him. If  we preach, pray, and sing about Jesus in worship why would we not want our children there?

My favorite Christmas/Advent song is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” One of my favorite authors is Keith Mathison. Conveniently, Ligonier has brought two of my favorite things together here. 

Here is a post claiming that everything we were taught about church growth is just old wives tales.  It is worth your time, though you have to click through a couple of pages.

Paul Tripp gives us five signs that we are glorifying ourselves.

I am not a big fan of the Twilight movies or books. So I enjoyed and recommend Mark Driscoll’s take on them here. He warns of the dangers of what these types of movies and books can teach our children, especially our teenage daughters.

Finally, Advent began on November 30th. The pastors in our denomination have created an Advent/Christmas devotional. It runs from November 30th through January 6th. You can find it in PDF here. I would encourage you to read the selection for each day. They are an excellent way to direct your heart and mind towards God this Christmas season.

Peter Leithart writes so many books that one wonders if he isn’t a machine in a human body. And he doesn’t just write he books. He writes books that can make your head spin and heart skip a beat. Sometimes I agree with him. Other times I don’t. But he always makes me think about God and his ways more thoroughly. How does he write all those books? Here is a semi-serious look at the five stages he goes through in writing a non-fiction book.

Kevin DeYoung just took a media fast. He explains the benefits of shutting down for a little while. I noticed that many of his points had to do with fact that the Internet makes us feel more important than we actually are.

I don’t know much about this blog or the people who run it nor do I like the picture in the post. But the point they make is excellent. If you need to intimidate to lead you do not have the respect of your people. Fathers should remember this. If the only way we get people to obey is by force there is a problem. I might add that someone can intimidate without being loud or obnoxious. There is a subtle intimidation that many people use to get what they want.

George Grant takes about four sentences to explain what the fiscal cliff is all about. In one brief glance it shows how upside down politicians are financially.

John Piper will pass the baton on Easter 2013 to another minister. This is the final Advent season he will be pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church. I really enjoyed this excerpt from his newsletter to his flock. Pastor Piper has done many wonderful things during his thirty-three years at Bethlehem. But his most enduring legacy will be his flock.

Here is a sobering post by Carl Trueman. He reminds us that often our legacy is written after we are dead and gone by the people we put in place to follow us.

The Meaning and Mode of Baptism by Jay E. Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good solid defense of pouring/sprinkling as the Biblical mode of baptism. I appreciated that he took the mode seriously. So many Presbyterians argue that mode is irrelevant. His exegesis of John’s baptism, Jesus’ baptism,and Pentecost are excellent. He also forces you to look to the Old Testament to provide some warrant for what John did. I did not agree with him that Romans 6:3 and I Corinthians 12:12-13 could not refer to water baptism. But this mistake has really no effect upon the immersionist vs. pouring/sprinkling argument. My trek towards pouring as the primary mode continues.

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