I haven’t been online much this week, but I did find these thought-provoking reads:
You Are in the Circumstances in Which You Can Best Serve. “While it is no sin—and may in fact be very good—to pray for such circumstances to change, we must always understand that God’s calling upon us is to serve him in our current circumstances, no matter what they are. We are to be faithful in what is, not in what we wish could be, to be faithful in his reality rather than in our dreams.”
Singing Through Christmas in Major and Minor Keys. “Even at Christmas when it seems everyone around us is jolly, Christ loves to hear our lament. It is good and right to grieve the pain caused by sin. What better time than Christmas to remember that He entered into our suffering and sympathizes with our struggles because He endured them as well (Heb. 4:15). Yet He provides hope in hard times: though He came once as a baby to deliver, He will return as the divine warrior to rescue us again.”
Light in the Darkness, HT to Story Warren. “In a good story, the characters’ growth so often comes through experiencing struggle, danger, fear, and even evil while steadfastly refusing to let those things win. These stories can inspire our own resolve, pushing us forward in our own growth in the face of trial.”
Using AI for Bible Study Misses the Point of Bible Study. “Bible study should produce new and renewed people, not merely people who are smarter or more informed. This happens in application, but observation and interpretation are not incidental . . . We are far better equipped to apply a passage after studying it ourselves instead of reading a summary.”
Stuff . . ., HT to Story Warren. “All of these things and many others make our house home, and homey, but they do take up space. There are times when I wonder why I hang on to them, or I realize the empty value of stuff in light of a finite life.”
“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world.
The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.
The only requirement is to believe in Him.
The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
—Corrie Ten Boom
Stray Thoughts 
“Stuff. . .” was quite an interesting article. I certainly can identify with that dilemma. When I moved from Florida to Tennessee, I had to downsize from a 3 bedroom home to a 1 bedroom apartment. And I’m still downsizing when I start to feel crowded.
We’re getting rid of a little more each year. The sentimental stuff is hardest to get rid of. It’s irreplaceable. But the next generation doesn’t care about those things so much.
Barbara, the article about our current circumstances really spoke to me this week. And the one about using AI for Bible study also caught my eye … I don’t use AI much at all, but now I’m wondering if you might be addressing this in your book? I hope you have a lovely Christmas!
I hadn’t thought about addressing AI usage in the book, but probably should. I haven’t used it at all, except that spell check is a form of it.