Here are some of the good reads found this week:

Will God Forgive My Worst Sin? “When I hear this question that’s so filled with self-recrimination and doubt and fear and guilt, I want very much to introduce this woman — I wish I knew her name, as I could call her by name — to what I have for many years called ‘gutsy guilt.”

God Is Good to Forbid Sin. A helpful lens with which to view God’s commandments.

How Do Spiritually Mature Christians Handle Suffering? “Much of our thinking about suffering is unbiblical. We tend to think that spiritual maturity somehow inoculates us against the pain of suffering. We falsely imagine that the more spiritually mature we are, the less emotional pain we will experience when we suffer.”

What If the Worst Happens? “I found myself growing fearful. Not a heart-stopping, all-encompassing fear, but the kind of constant gnawing that occurs when you look at the discouraging trends of the present and assume things will never change. When you think about the future and wonder, ‘What if the worst happens?'”

John Piper on Brokenhearted Boldness: A Christian Alternative to Outrage Culture. “Boldness can become brash, harsh, severe, cruel, angry, impatient, contentious, belligerent, coarse, crude, snarky, snide, loud, garish, obnoxious — all in the name of Christian courage. Or more subtly, boldness in the cause of truth can become, even if less brash and severe, more all-consuming. It can become such a fixation that all other beautiful affections and dispositions are eaten away from within.”

How to “Get Over It” When You Taught Poorly. “If you teach the Bible regularly, you know the experience of wishing you had done better — sometimes much better — immediately after you finished.” This is true for writing as well as speaking.

Is That Person Male or Female? “Is there a scientific and effective way to discern whether someone is male or female? The answer is yes. There have been established methods for a long time. It’s only with the recent rise of transgender ideology that there has been any substantial pushback to these methods. Here are three ways to determine whether someone is male or female.”

How to Have Better Conversations. “The problem is that if asked, most of us would have no plan for how to improve our conversation skills. We have goals for our weight and physical exercise but not for what occupies more time than anything else in our day. If you don’t have ideas on how you can improve your conversation skills, you won’t.” This is something I have struggled with over the years. Numbers 1 and 2 have been the most helpful to me.

In the past, I’ve included a phrase a phrase behind the links in these posts—a “HT” to another site. Occasionally someone will ask me what “HT” means. It refers to “hat tip,” a way of giving a nod to the place where I saw the link I’m sharing. I used to see this designation in many places, but it occurs to me that I don’t anymore. So I decided to take it out. Let me know if you have a preference for it to remain.

God shields us from most of the things we fear, but when he chooses not to shield us,
he unfailingly allots grace in the measure needed.
–Elisabeth Elliot, Secure in the Everlasting Arms