Some of the blog posts that stood out to me this week:

Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith. “Few things are sadder to witness than people who once professed faith leaving it all behind. This is especially true when those people were raised in Christian homes by God-fearing parents. These children were given every opportunity to put their faith in Jesus but determined instead to turn their backs on him. Why would they make such a tragic choice?”

Beauty Bears Witness to God, HT to the Story Warren. “Art is haunted by beauty, and beautiful things point beyond themselves to more perfect beauty. Psalm 50 says, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth” (v. 2). We’re meant to trace this world’s splendor back to its Creator.”

What to Consider When a Loved One Is Critically Ill, HT to Challies. “The Bible remains a lamp to our feet and a light to our path even in the ICU (Ps. 119:105). Although Scripture doesn’t explicitly mention CPR or ventilators, it does offer key guidance on the sanctity of mortal life, God’s sovereignty over life and death, mercy, and our resurrection hope. These four truths can provide a framework as we strive to honor God at a loved one’s bedside.”

Gratitude In the Midst of Grief: Finding Hope in the Lord’s Kindness. “Gratitude doesn’t cancel grief—it coexists with it, transforming sorrow into worship.”

Three Thanksgivings In Heaven. “While we celebrate Thanksgiving on earth below, what’s going on in heaven? We could answer this question in part by examining the three instances of the word “thanks” in the book of Revelation.” Interesting–I never thought about this before.

No Heart Too Hard: Thanksgiving and the Power of God’s Mercy. “Somewhere along the way, have you stopped expecting that God is able to move in their story? What if this year, gratitude includes trusting that God is still softening hearts—even the ones that seem impossible to crack open?”

Why Contentment in Christ Is the Best Gift This Season. “Paul found contentment in prison. Eve lost it in paradise.”

Negativity Bias and the Praying Imagination, HT to Challies. “Negative information has a greater impact on our thoughts and emotions than positive. If you give a person three bits of good news and one bit of bad news, he or she will likely zoom in on the bad news so much that the good news has little impact. Bad news sticks like Velcro.” The author shares the Christian antidote to negativity bias.

Just for fun, 27 Best Thanksgiving Facts to Impress Your Family, HT to So She Reads. One example–apparently Black Friday was originally called that to discourage shopping on that day.

Trials are intended to make us think, to wean us from the world, to send us to the Bible, to drive us to our knees.–J. C. Ryle