Some of the good reads found this first week of December:

“You Are Enough” and Other Lies the Gospel Refutes. “As our culture elevates the self as the highest good, we are seeing a steady—and significant—decline in confidence and drive. Could it be that we’re chasing the wrong solution? Maybe a steady diet rich in vitamin ‘self-esteem’ doesn’t provide the solid foundation we need for true, biblical self-confidence. In fact, if we want to find the real solution, we must turn the world’s answer upside-down.”

Am I Spiritual? Or Just Comfortable? “Is my joy an evidence of spirituality,
or merely a byproduct of ease in life?“

We Have not Arrived YET, HT to Challies. “In sanctification, we are works in progress. We are not yet finished. We have not arrived yet in the final destination. What is the implication of this truth? The implication of this truth is that we should be patient with ourselves and with others.”

A Sign in the Dark, by our pastor emeritus. “Every Christmas light felt like it was shining on our anxiety. What steadied us was not a guarantee that things would work out the way we wanted. It was the quiet truth that God was with us in the dark.”

Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Minds? “At one time or another, most of us wonder whether Satan has somehow been influencing us from within. We wonder whether he has the ability to plant thoughts in our minds or insert evil desires within our hearts. This topic is not a mere theological thought experiment, but a real and pressing issue, for many of us have had such experiences.”

How to Make a “To-Love” list. “It’s not like we deliberately set out to neglect our relationships. Life gets busy. We have a lot on our minds. But that’s no excuse. The relationships in our lives are a stewardship. They are part of our responsibility before God. . . . So we’ve got to do more than just wish we were better at it. We make time for the things we value. We create systems so that we don’t forget. And we can do that for our relationships as well.”

Rightly Ordered Love in the Sound of Music. “Beyond the restoration’s beauty, what stands out on rewatching The Sound of Music today is not only its visual clarity but its moral clarity.”

‘Wicked, Part 1′ Honors the Weak, not the Woke. I appreciated this take on the first Wicked movie. As Christians, we’re to be watchful and discerning, but wise and careful. Too often we read problems into films and books that aren’t intended. I also appreciate the warning about the book, which is not as clean as the film and musical.

Lives hinge and eternal destinies hang in the balance when men and women come face to face with Jesus the Christ. It isn’t always peaceful. It isn’t always painless. It isn’t always easy. But bowing the knee to Jesus Christ is always right. No matter what. Joni Eareckson Tada, A Christmas Longing