One for the Guys

6 Ways to Meets Your Wife's Need for Affection is a short, helpful article from Crosswalk - one for our guy readers and one to pass on to our husbands.

1. Touch her arm or knee when you talk with her. Your gentle touch communicates, “I’m here. You’re not alone. I enjoy you. I’ll take care of you.”

2. Make an effort to spend time alone together – go out for dinner, for a walk, or out for coffee. Show her (and others) that you enjoy the intimacy of being alone with her.

3. Grab her hand and hold it when you’re out in public.

4. Give her a kiss and a hug when you leave and return home.

5. Don’t see every complaint as an attack. Women think as long as they feel the marriage is working, they can talk about it. On the other hand, most men feel the relationship isn’t working if they have to talk about it. Allow her to express what’s on her mind.

6. Recognize her strong emotions as exclamation marks. When she is upset, angry, or frustrated, realize that these emotions are her way of letting you know how much the issue at hand matters to her.

Read the rest of the article here.

The Good Book Available in the U.S.

Here in the UK we have a wonderful resource in The Good Book Company. As from next Monday TGBC will be open for business in the US. Their press release states:

"We are pleased to announce the launch of a new, Bible-centered, Christian resource provider in North America. From the 2nd February 2009, The Good Book Company will make available its full range of resources to churches and individuals in North America from its new US-based website.

The Good Book Company is a Christian resourcing agency that began in the UK and grew out of the need for attractive, quality, practical materials for gospel work, which don’t compromise on the essentials of the Christian faith. It has a particular focus on daily devotional reading, small group Bible study, outreach, discipleship and resources for youth and children.

A number of The Good Book Company’s resources already have a strong following in the US and Canada, including Christianity Explored, The Gospel Centered Church, Christianity Explained and If you could ask God one Question. Now they are cheaper and easier to get hold of than ever before.

Editorial Director Tim Thornborough said, ‘When we exhibited at Together for the Gospel last year, we saw a real hunger for sound gospel resources which are faithful to the Bible but which also engage with an increasingly post-Christian culture. That's what we specialize in and our prayer is that the range of resources we've developed over the past two decades will serve to equip local churches in discipleship and reaching out with the gospel.”

US Ministry Director Brad Byrd said ‘February 2nd may be Groundhog Day on the calendar but, no matter what our furry friend may predict, spring has come early with the launch of The Good Book Company in the USA. A wave of fresh ideas, new perspectives and tried and true Biblical insights are available for the first time in North America.’

The launch has been timed to coincide with the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference in Minneapolis where two of The Good Book Company’s key resources - Christianity Explored and Christianity Explained – are being commended to delegates.

To celebrate the launch, visitors to thegoodbook.com will receive 10% off all purchases until the end of February."

For more details of the Good Book Company range, contact US Ministry Director, Brad Byrd at brad.byrd@thegoodbook.com or on 866 244 2165 (toll free). To browse the site, please visit http://www.thegoodbook.com

A Message for Women

Want to know what the ultimate meaning of true womanhood is? Watch here.

Biblical Womanhood

This week at our church we are beginning a year long, once a month women's study on Biblical Womanhood. We'll be using Sarah Young's study to guide us as we explore what the bible says about,

• God's Creative Design for Women
• Women and the Fall
• Women and Marriage
• Women and Singleness
• Women and Beauty
• Women and the Family of God
• Women and their Brothers
• Women and their Sisters
• Women and their Lord

We like to encourage a little bit more reading besides the studies, so we're also compiling a resource file of books & articles to read and a list of good talks/sermons on the net. This week I've been scouting out some good articles and talks on God's design for women at creation. Here's a few articles and sermons (so far) I've found worth passing on.

• Gender Identity in Creation by Mark Dever
• Men & Women: Similarities & Differences by Wayne Grudem
• Man & Woman Before Sin by John Piper
• Male & Female He Created Them In the Image of God by John Piper
• The Order of Creation by RC Sproul
• Male-Female Equality & Male Headship by Ray Ortlund Jr
• Male & Female Complementarity & the Image of God by Bruce Ware

Johnson on Calvinism

I've found Phil Johnson's recent posts over at Pulpit Magazine on Calvinism very helpful. Have a quick read and take some time to listen to his conference message, The Story of Calvinism here.

Clarifying Calvinism Part 1
Clarifying Calvinism Part 2
Clarifying Calvinism Part 3
Clarifying Calvinism Part 4
Clarifying Calvinism Part 5
Clarifying Calvinism Part 6
Clarifying Calvinism Part 7
Clarifying Calvinism Conclusion

Online Books

If you're a bit short of cash after the Christmas season, or due to the "credit crunch" you're "tightening your belt", there is still no excuse for not getting a hold of a new book to read. Our amazing friends over at Desiring God not only give us free sermons, but books too. You can visit their online book section to get your pick of around 50 books. Happy reading!

Don Carson Resources

Andy Naselli has recently finished compiling a comprehensive collection of Carson MP3's to be hosted at The Gospel Coalition website. So if you have some spare time on your hands, start searching through all of the 443 free MP3's available here.

HT: JT

Not To Us

This next week will bring a measure of sadness as two friends leave Edinburgh to embark on journey's that the Lord has mapped out for each of them. Catriona and Rachel (a.k.a fellow bloggers) are moving on. On Saturday our church will be rejoicing with Rachel as she marries John and then moves down to London. Not only will she be beginning married life with John, but she will become a pastor's wife!

Next Thursday sees my closest friend over the years move over to Charlotte, North Carolina. Catriona also embarks on a new chapter of life as she supports James in his new teaching role at RTS and takes up the privileged opportunity of giving up paid employment to work at home with her two lovely girls.

At times like this it is easy to become wrapped up in ourselves. We dwell on our sadness and become quite selfish as we think about the ways in which we will "lose out". We aren't always mindful of our sovereign God whose ways are altogether good, sanctifying us and bringing glory to his name. I'm therefore reminded, even in these difficult times, the words of Psalm 115;

Not to us, O Lord, not to us
But to your name be the glory,
Because of your love and faithfulness

And it is because of His love and faithfulness that I have had the great joy of partnering with these two amazing women in the work of the Gospel. And so, to God be the glory.

Wisdom

In Piper's sermon, "The Mind of Christ: Looking Out for the Interests of Others" he defines wisdom as:

The ability of the soul to perceive God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, gospel-fashioned, people-helping ways to live, with the knowledge God gives us. Wisdom is not the ability to memorize specific biblical rules of behavior. Wisdom is needed because so many of our decisions are not explicitly regulated by specific rules in the Bible.

Watch, read or listen to Piper's sermon on here. What he says is indeed beautiful.