Monday

Books::free books and a critique...

Open seedpod
Our lifegroup finished reading and discussing Unpacking Forgiveness last week, and what an excellent study it was. Most of us came to realize that even as mature Christians we have held onto beliefs about forgiveness that are not Biblical, and that realization challenged and motivated us to dig deeper into the Scriptures for the proper understanding. Unpacking Forgiveness is a book for everyone, especially those of us who don't think we need it.
Loggerhead Shrike and Fledglings
The author of Unpacking Forgiveness, Chris Brauns, is hosting a fantastic Summer Book Blast, with an opportunity to win one of 10 books including a calf-skin ESV Study Bible that retails for $239.99, or 1 of the following:
2 signed copies of Unpacking Forgiveness 2 copies of, What He Must Be if He Wants to Marry My Daughter, by Voddie Baucham, 2 copies of Don’t Waste You Life, by John Piper, 2 copies of What is a Healthy Church?, by Mark Dever, and 2 copies of Worldliness, by C.J. Mahaney.
Male (top) and Female (bottom) Red-bellied Woodpeckers
Don't tell Louis because he just bought one for me at Christmas, but World Magazine is offering a free hardcover ESV Study Bible to new subscribers. (HT - Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds)
While I am on the subject of books, Mary DeMuth critiqued a pitch to my work in progress last week. If you are a writer "wannabe", I hope you subscribe to Mary's blogs. Not only is she an excellent writer of fiction and non-fiction, her encouragement and inspiration for other writers is the best.

By the way, did I mention that God willing I am going to Texas in less than two weeks, and that Emily is going to Rwanda this summer and maybe DC in the fall?

Photos - Pollywog Creek the last weekend in April. The second photo is a collage of Loggerhead Shrike (or Butcher Birds). They have a nest with what I think are 4 fledglings atop one of the very tall long-leaf pine trees in the pasture and without a good zoom on my camera, those were the best photos of the babies that I could get. Whenever I ventured close to the tree, one of the adult loggerhead shrikes would swoop down and try to avert my attention from the babies.