I have just a short list to share today. I thought about saving these til next week, but that might make next week’s list overly long.
Ten Truths to Cling to in Your Fight Against Sin, HT to Challies. “When you feel caught somewhere between the guilt that clings to you and the truth of Scripture, what does it actually mean to leave a sin struggle at the foot of the cross?”
A Beautiful Dependence. “Several weeks ago, a single phone call turned a quiet Saturday morning into a flurry of panic. . . . Blair’s life has become a picture of something I too easily forget: dependence isn’t a problem to solve but part of God’s good design. Just as Blair relies on me, I am utterly dependent on my heavenly Father for everything I need.’
Caring for Women in an Abusive Relationship. “One of the ways we, the women of the church, can help is by holding these sisters’ hands as they go to their brothers to get help. Now, the church is not the police. The church is not an attorney or a judge. But the church does hold authority over its members. There’s a reason we take membership vows.”
The 11 Deceptive Tactics of Seduction. Peter Krol has been doing a series on sexual sin and temptation from the book of Proverbs, and this nicely summarizes the issue.
Every day is a fresh beginning, Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain, And, spite of old sorrow and older sinning, And puzzles forecasted and possible pain, Take heart with the day, and begin again.
I got caught up on some blog reading this week, so I have quite a few good articles to share:
Am I Good Enough? HT to Challies. “No matter what stage I was in or how much effort I put in, the feeling was always the same at the end of the day: it still wasn’t enough. There was always something more I should have done or done better. Maybe your story looks different from mine, but I imagine you’ve felt like you’re falling short of expectations—from the people around you, from your own inner voice, or even from what you think God expects of you.”
You Must Go On. You Can’t Go On. You Will Go On. HT to Challies. “God brings His people to do what they do not have the power to do themselves (walk on water, Peter) and God’s people choose to respond, knowing they can’t, but trusting that somehow—in some way—God will meet them with the power they need.”
A Three-Read Method for Understanding Scripture. HT to Challies. “A single pass over a passage, followed by a sprint towards meaning and application, will tend to produce either cold, informed Christians who never really worship, or busy and obedient Christians who never learn to delight. Our study needs to affect our whole being. It needs to impact our minds, affections, and will. There are methods that are close to what I do, but they mainly focus on the mind and will, while skipping the affections. The Beholding Method is my approach to improving this.”
Watered Women of the Word. “As rainwater replenishes gardens, we see the whole garden grow and each drop of rain is needed to bring forth the harvest. So it is with the Body of Christ. As we drink in Christ’s living water, it soaks into our hearts and replenishes us with His soul quenching love. Over the course of a fruitful season in the Word, I had the privilege to watch one woman water the seeds of faith in two precious beloveds, drop by drop of kindness, care, attentiveness, and love.”
On Women Who Think They Regret Motherhood. “A mother loves without condition, without reservation, without regret. I’ve seen podcasters frame this trend as women revealing that they hate their children. I disagree. These women love their children. But their love for their kids is being overshadowed by what I’m convinced is Satan’s most effective strategy to keep humans from flourishing, doing good, experiencing joy, or seeking God.”
Are You a Contentious Wife? HT to Challies. “This past Sunday I preached a sermon that contrasts two types of wives. One is a crown (Proverbs 12:4), and the other is contentious (Proverbs 19:13). One builds her home, while the other tears it down. One strengthens her husband, while the other slowly crushes him. One makes home a place of peace, while the other turns it into a war zone.”
2 Ways to Fail Your Child, HT to Challies. “There are two ways to fail your child, and they move in opposite directions. You can fail by keeping too much out. . . . You can also fail by letting too much in. . . . Both are failures of love. Most of us are guilty of one of them, and probably both at some point.”
Where Is God When Sleep Won’t Come? HT to Challies. “It’s difficult to overstate just how desperate I felt when I’d still be awake at 4:00am, 5:00am, and then 6:00am when the alarm would sound and the day would officially begin. Many nights I despaired. But then slowly, over time, a surprising thing happened: God trained me, as he has countless others of his children, to ‘kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.'”
When People Say Things About You. “So how should a Christian respond when people talk about us? I don’t think the answer is to believe everything people say about us. But neither is the answer to dismiss everything people say about us. Scripture calls us to respond with both humility and discernment. Here are four principles that have helped me think through this.”
How to Have a Soft Heart. “As women, we work hard to hide the visible marks of wear. We’re encouraged to roll ice over tired eyes and add concealer to circles revealing sleepless nights. But it isn’t just our bodies that carry evidence of hard days. Our hearts can weather too.”
10 Reasons Marxism Is Bad for Humanity, HT to Challies. “This type of message may be popular. But is it true? Hardly. Beginning with God’s Word as our standard for truth, let’s look at 10 reasons why Marxism is bad news for humanity.”
Your Social Media Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story. “Rage-stoking flaws and failures in churches move to the top of our news feed. But far more common is the care and generosity that takes place among Christians. As a pastor, I have a front-row seat in this theater of love.”
Don’t let me ever think, dear God, that I was anything but the instrument for Your story. –Flannery O’Connor
Some of the blog posts that stood out to me this week:
The Face We All Look For, HT to the Story Warren. “Somewhere deep in their little hearts, children know attention equals value and belonging, for we give our time and eyes to the things we value most. To a child, attention is also affection, and they long to be the objects of our affection.” “Believers, when we gaze on the person and work of Christ, we find the one our souls long for. We find home. Because of Christ’s redemptive work, we who were once blind now see with open eyes and can behold his beauty.”
By No Means Pardon the Guilty, HT to Challies “If we are willing to legalize abortion up until the point of birth, I assure you, we have been desensitized to the value of life and are unable to discern evil from good. We are not walking in Truth.”
Devotions: Duty or Delight? “Many people are hesitant to do their devotions if they don’t feel like it. After all, if they only read their Bible out of discipline, that would be hypocritical. Authenticity is all the rage these days. Reading my Bible if I don’t really want to read my Bible seems inauthentic. Warnings about checklist Christianity abound and are not entirely without merit. A Christianity that is based on merely doing the right things so that God will like me is no way to go about Christianity. But does that mean I should not read my Bible if doing so would seem fake?”
Seven Reasons Why Churches Fail. “All ministries seem to have a shelf life. It doesn’t have to be that way, but it most often is. The failure that comes at the end does not discount the great accomplishments for Christ over a long history of faithful ministry. However, our desire is to see Christian ministries—especially churches continue to prosper spiritually and in their effectiveness for Christ for as long as possible.”
The Only Thing Green Are the Weeds, HT to Challies “When the earth is starved of rain the only thing that grows are the weeds. They look healthy. Yet, if they are allowed to remain, they will strangle the growth of good plants and eat up, ruin and kill the grass of your lawn. It’s a parable of our Christians lives: if you starve yourself of God’s Word and Prayer, take yourself away from gathering with God’s people, you become impoverished. You dry out. But it is not only that, in the midst of the dryness, other things will grow. The seeds of sin manage to flourish in that arid ground, growing up through the cracks. “
The Dark Side of Mindfulness, HT to Challies “At that point, she had spent years both meditating and studying the brain. Because most kinds of meditation aim to enhance concentration, the practice can act like a stimulant. And just as chemical stimulants such as caffeine and Adderall can interfere with sleep, so, too, can excessive meditation.”
Neither Burnout nor Sloth: Honoring Christ in Our Work, HT to Challies. “Christians can debate about the Genesis 3 impact on the Genesis 1 reality, but they cannot deny the Genesis 1 reality—God made mankind in his image, and defined this in the context of our work, of our vitally important endeavors. In economics, we refer to this as ‘production.’ In Christian theology, it is service, it is labor, and it is worship. And today, too often, it is considered something to be frowned on.”
Am I Responsible? “I think one of the most important lessons to learn in life is recognising the difference between what we are responsible for and what we are not responsible for. I say that as someone with a tendency to feel responsible for everyone and everything around me. I can very easily feel like I have keep everyone happy or that if there’s a problem, it is up to me to fix it. Trust me, it’s a tiring way to live!”
When the Silence Is So Loud in the Hardest Times and Your Question if God Has Forgotten You. I’ve mentioned before the Dead Man Talking podcast, where Bob Roberts talks with long-time friends about his terminal cancer diagnosis, suffering, and faith. Occasionally they have a guest on, and this one spoke to my heart–a young man in his thirties had some kind of infection that went septic, causing doctors to have to continuously remove tissue a bit at a time to stay ahead of the infection. He almost died–his family was called in. His wife had their third child during the eighteen days he was unconscious. He’s had 40+ surgeries to remove tissue and skin grafts to repair the damage. He walked through some dark valleys, questioning why God allowed this to happen. I liked how they said his story of still processing it all shows that suffering and hard times aren’t always tied up in a bow, but the ramifications can last for years. Yet it’s through those times that God humbles us and shines His strength through our weakness. What I linked to is the You Tube video, but the podcast is available where most podcasts are.
On a lighter note, somehow Instagram put Melodies in Motion in my suggested accounts to follow. It’s memorizing to watch the little lighted dots hit all the notes. I am not a musician. I had one semester of piano which ended with just beginning to be able to play with two hands. Having both hands do something different was a challenge for me. I don’t know how composers and arrangers manage multiple levels of melody and harmonies. The site has a variety of music, old, new, classical, lighter fare, and even some Christian songs. This is probably my favorite piece of classical music.
Here are some of the blog posts that spoke to me this week:
I Joined a Violent Chicago Gang. Then a Church Moved onto the Block, HT to Challies. “I questioned how I had gotten to this point. How had I thrown my life away for people who had no regard for me? My situation was hopeless. I knew there was nothing I could do to change it. But all of a sudden, it occurred to me that God could change my situation. For years, I’d had conversations with church people about a God who could raise the dead to life. I thought of all the times a certain youth pastor had shared the gospel with me. And so, closing my eyes to my reflection, I prayed.”
Pleading My Righteousness? HT to Challies. When David prays for God to act according to David’s righteousness, what does he mean? And how does that gel with the Bible’s teaching that we’re not righteous in ourselves, only in Christ? I don’t think I have ever seen this dealt with, though it’s something I have wondered about. I think this article gives a good explanation.
How to Pray When You Feel Like You Pray the Same Thing Every Day, HT to Challies. “If you don’t want to pray the same things all the time, praying Scripture might be helpful. When we pray Scripture, whether it’s a psalm or any other passage, we have fresh ideas to fuel our prayers each day. And it helps us ask for things according to God’s will (1 John 5:14–15) because we’re praying God’s word back to him.” Courtney then gives a few examples of what that
Five Ways God’s People Minister Grace to Each Other, HT to Challies. “God has provided our counselees with Christian brothers and sisters—fellow church members—as vital means of God’s grace to help them know Jesus initially and grow in Jesus continually.”
The Ministry of Saying Less, HT to Challies. Though this is written primarily about preaching, I think it holds true for blogging, writing, teaching, even commenting during Sunday School or Bible Study. “In preaching, teaching, counselling, and leadership, there is something to be said for saying less. I am not suggesting that we become aloof and mysterious. But there is a danger that we can say so much that people start to miss what they most need to hear.”
Why Don’t We Ask God for Big Things? “Scripture and experience make it clear that God is not a genie in a bottle who is obligated to give us whatever we ask for. He is an omniscient deity who has His own counsel, will, and plan. Yet in mysterious ways known fully only to Himself, God invites humans into those councils and listens to their requests.”
Don’t Let AI Steal Your Blessing, HT to Challies. “What we lose in the process is blessing from God. ‘But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing’ (James 1:25). Who is it that receives the blessing? The one who ‘looks’ and ‘acts’ gets the blessing. If I let AI do all the looking, then I’m missing a crucial piece of the blessing.”
Taking Time Off Takes Humility and Faith. “Maybe you wrestle to slow down, delegate, or admit you’re weary and empty. Perhaps, like me a few years ago, you’re currently in a season where the brokenness of the world—and of life right under your feet—has become a heavy weight on top of you. Circumstances God has allowed are confronting you with your weakness, limitations, and, let’s call it what it is: your humanity! He is inviting you to trust and love him by stepping aside for a time—perhaps even stepping out of current responsibilities—for the sake of rest, recalibration, and renewal.”
The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.–J. R. R. Tolkien
I wasn’t online much this week, with family visiting and spotty Internet coverage due to our provider’s work in our area. But I found a few good reads to share:
When Unhealed Illness Brings Shame, HT to Challies. “As a Christian, as one who sincerely believes that God can and does heal in miraculous ways, I know that the God who worked wonders in the past is still working wonders today. If he wills it, he can heal me (Matt. 8:1–3). Which leads to the question for those who don’t get a miracle: Why does God not will my healing?“
Put It Somewhere Visible. “In our day of prolific productivity tools, one of the biggest battles we face is resisting the urge to overcomplicate everything.”
Help! My Child Is Entering Puberty, HT to Challies. “Though we love our children deeply, many of us feel unsure about how to talk about bodies, development, privacy, safety, and growing up. We want to be honest without saying too much and clear without sounding clinical. We want to protect our children without making them afraid. And some of us are trying to offer our children something we did not receive ourselves: calm, faithful words about the body.”
When Your Child Moves Out as an Unbeliever, HT to Challies. “I had developed some ideas about what this day would look like throughout the years, but as it draws near, I have to accept that he will be moving out as an unbeliever.”
How Do I Respond to My Gay Family Member? “I gave my students the chance to ask any question, and one student basically asked, ‘What do I do at Thanksgiving if my sibling living a gay lifestyle shows up?’ I had confidently told them I would answer all their questions in class, so I was stuck. It was a hard question, and I didn’t know that I had any nice, clean, easy answer. So I did what any good assistant pastor worth his salt would do, I went to my church’s senior pastor and asked him what he would say. His advice was spot on, as is often the case for senior pastors.”
“Our Lord in His infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon His people’s faith that He will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Some of the good reads that stood out to me this week:
We Need Humility to Study the Bible. “The very existence of the Bible should fill us with gratitude. How wonderful that God has made himself known! It should also kindle humility within us—we need him to reach to us because we could never reach him ourselves. Humility must be the beginning—indeed, the ongoing foundation—of Bible study. But it is also necessary in each stage along the way.”
Why Good Stories Have Bad Examples. “To be sure, stories can be written in such a way that presents negative behaviors in a positive light. In such cases, wise parents will talk with their kids about the issue or choose to pass over the story in favor of others that more clearly illustrate the good, true, and beautiful. And yet, let’s not be too quick to dismiss that a ‘negative example’ equals a negative effect on your child.”
Why Walking in Faith Can Be Our Place of Greatest Victory. “I understand why believers need supernatural help to soar. And to run. But why would we need God’s help to walk? Compared to flying or running, walking requires much less strength and stamina. Or does it?”
Young Woman, What’s Your Legacy? “When we hear the word legacy, our minds often go to older women––the wise ones at church with white hair and Bibles so well-loved that the gold edges have faded, pages have yellowed, and words that were once jet black have turned gray. We might think of the teachers and professors who have shaped us, the mentors who have poured into us, and the church leaders who have faithfully loved the Lord and His people. But when is the last time you took a minute to think about your legacy?”
Of Love and Keychains. “Sometimes those with the highest confidence and well-honed social skills hide a deadly insecurity underneath. Celebrities have 3 to 10 times the rate of depression vs. the general population. These are people who are beautiful, wealthy, and adored.It’s not just you and me. So where do we go with this inner ache? This hunger to belong? To be loved?”
Why the Internet Is Making Men and Women Hate Each Other, HT to Challies. “The Internet is, of course, very interested. And the way particular social media platforms and groups are participating in the discourse illustrates again one of the most important things anyone can realize about the modern Internet: It’s a place where each sex is learning to loathe the other.”
Advice for Parents of New College Students, HT to Challies. “But what about the parents? There’s plenty out there for all we’re supposed to do for the years, months, and weeks leading up to dropping them off to college. Yes, start that 529 savings account early. But my experience is that while a lot of parents are prepared for the lead up to “launch,” few have given much thought to what happens after.”
To be meek is to have a sane and proper estimate of one’s place in the scheme of things. Elisabeth Elliot, from Let Me Be a Woman
I haven’t been online as much this week, but here are some of the noteworthy articles I found:
The Sweetest Reasons to Read the Bible, HT to Knowable Word. “If we’re honest, we neglect the Bible for the same reasons: because we find something either more desirable or more delightful than God’s word. Sure, the consequences may not be as spectacular as Achan’s or Samson’s, but, if we’re honest, our excuses are just as lame. I’m too busy. I’m not feeling it. Understanding is hard. I just can’t focus. These are no better than Ooh, shiny! or Oh, sweet! They share the same tragic taste.Thanks be to God that the Bible itself cultivates our taste for something far better.”
This Old Prayer Changed the Way I Read My Bible. “Mindless prayer is always a danger, but particularly so when we recite memorized prayers. But one day I discovered a prayer that inspires me to slow down and ponder as I pray rather than speed up. This old prayer has become my new favorite to pray before reading my Bible.”
Store Treasure in Clay, HT to Challies. “The Clay Pot Conspiracy reminds us: our lives exist to showcase the worth of the gospel, not the strength of the vessel. When I appear strong, my progress says something about me. But when I’m cracked and still standing, still serving, still pressing on—it says something about God.”
15 Resolves for Maintaining Spiritual Balance in Severe Interpersonal Conflicts, HT to Challies. “The pain of interpersonal conflict may seem too acute to bear. Sometimes we see these conflicts erupt suddenly among families, or between church members, or at work or school. They may involve serious allegations that tend to rip people apart in ways that seem irreparable. In these most severe ruptures of confidence, when the necrosis of sin is eating up the lives of those involved, is it possible to rise above and maintain a spiritual composure? Certainly that must be so. But we have to apply biblical principles ruthlessly, without wavering.”
Family Prayer Is Inconvenient and Worth It, HT to Challies. “This happened most every night in our home. Everyone at the table prayed — out loud. Not just Mom. Not just Dad. It didn’t matter how old the kids were. If you could talk, you got to pray. Different than a dreaded duty, prayer was a valued habit around our table. My parents showed us what a privilege and joy it was to talk to our all-powerful God, who hears every prayer.”
Are Images of Christ OK? “Throughout history (especially in premodern times), visual representations of biblical stories have fostered biblical literacy. But there’s also a long history of opposition to biblical images. This opposition is largely rooted in the belief that the second commandment prohibits visual depictions of Jesus. Yet not all depictions of Jesus serve the same purpose. An icon, designed for veneration, doesn’t work the same way as an illustrated Bible storybook or a biblical show (like The Chosen).”
Lord, may we not allow circumstances to gnaw on our faith. Patsy Clairmont
Faith Over Fear: Meeting Christ in the Middle of the Storm, HT to the Story Warren. So many good observations here. “The disciples are caught in a situation they did not choose. They are doing exactly what Jesus told them to do—getting into a boat and crossing the Sea of Galilee—when trouble finds them. The wind rises, the waters churn, and progress becomes painful and slow (Mark 6:48). They are experienced fishermen, not novices, yet skill offers no relief. Darkness surrounds them. Exhaustion sets in. Control slips away. This matters because it confronts one of our most common assumptions about faith: that obedience guarantees smooth sailing. It doesn’t. Sometimes obedience places us directly in the path of difficulty. Faithfulness does not exempt us from storms, and competence does not shield us from fear.”
Does Rejecting Hell Really Set You Free? “We’ve separated eternal judgment from the larger story of Scripture and held it up in isolation, sometimes with devastating results. But the misuse of a doctrine does not make it false, and reshaping reality to ease our discomfort won’t bring us peace or freedom.”
Do I Resent the Life God Gave Me? HT to Challies. “Though I hate to admit it, resentfulness is a subtle but very real temptation in my heart, especially during times of deep pain and sorrow. Over time, I’ve learned how important it is to recognize this temptation when it comes, so that when I start to go down that path, I can take steps to realign my heart with the truth.”
When God’s Plans Seem Inconsistent with His Promises, HT to Challies. “What we see in God’s instruction to Abraham seems to show that there will be times when God asks things of his people that feel deeply confusing, yet we can be confident there is always more happening than what we can understand. We learn that God will allow trials in our lives that seem to contradict his promises, yet we can be sure he is steadfast and faithful beyond what we can see or understand in the moment.”
Peace Is Better. “I’m not advocating for being silent about the great injustices of our society. We have to speak the truth when it’s needed. But I am saying that most of the things we want to create conflict and confrontation about in this world are just ways for us to personally feel that we got to say our piece, for us to get some sort of validation that we’re right, or for us to let someone else know that they’ve wronged us or made us feel sad, angry, or disappointed. I would argue that in most instances, the better path is the one where we pray and ask the Lord to soften our own heart, forgiving the person who slighted us or made us feel a certain way, and moving on with our day in peace.”
You Are Not Enough (And That Is Not Failure), HT to Challies. “‘You are not enough. Not enough. Not enough.’ Those hard words have been the mantra accompanying me as I’ve parented our children into adulthood. However, I am continually and graciously reminded to embrace the freedom found in their somber tone. Words that once felt like a condemnation of me as a mother have become a necessary reminder of the One who is enough and abundantly more than enough. His burden, I’m reminded, is easy and light (Matt. 11:30).”
What to Do When Your Spiritual Leader Falls. “Hopefully we realize that if we get close to any of our spiritual heroes, we will begin to see cracks and flaws. But what happens when spiritual leaders fail in big ways, ways that ruin lives and bring dishonor to the name of Christ? What do you do when someone you look up to falls?” I would add one more point to the excellent ones Ben listed: remember grace. A sin that may disqualify a man from spiritual leadership doesn’t mean he is no longer useful to God and must become a pariah in Christendom. God has marvelously forgiven and used people who grievously sinned and repented in Scripture.
Worship is not an experience. Worship is an act, and this takes discipline.We are to worship in spirit and in truth. Never mind about the feelings. We are to worship in spite of them. Elisabeth Elliot
Three Ways to Know I Am a Real Christian, HT to Challies. “It is a common question from earnest and sincere people: how can I know I am a Christian? There are all sorts of answers we might give, some probably more helpful than others. But it would make most sense to look at the scriptures and see some of the signs it would highlight. So, to that end, here are three biblical signs that you are a genuine Christian.”
I Was Helped by a Hypocrite, HT to Challies. “I’d been a believer for a year when I met Walt. He captivated a crowd when he preached. His counsel was pivotal in my life, and God used him to strengthen my young faith. But Walt turned out to be a hypocrite. After proclaiming God’s glory, he’d visit prostitutes on his way home to his wife. After his divorce, he stole another man’s wife. Walt’s downfall disoriented me. How could I be so helped by a man who was such a hypocrite?”
The God Who Suffers with Us and for Us. “Some of my most enjoyable conversations over the past two-plus decades have centered on the colossal question, ‘How can you believe in a God who allows bad things to happen to good people?’ In fact, some of my favorite convos have been with those who disagree with me over this question—not because I possess any powers of persuasion but because I’ve lived at the crossroads of suffering and faith for so long, I welcome the chance to talk about the elephant in the room (and the pain behind the question).”
Long Suffering: A Longer Look. “Dear reader, are you carrying a heavy burden that you can’t yet put down? Are you wearied by the ‘too far’ and ‘too much’? Perhaps you’ve wondered as I have—How do I keep going? How can I keep a tender heart of hope when I’m tempted to give in to the weariness, despair, and bitterness?“
Please Don’t Pray for Me, HT to Challies. What’s a parent to do when child who isn’t walking with the Lord says, “Please don’t pray for me. I don’t want your prayers.” Some good answers here.
“This I Call to Mind,” HT to Challies. “Our sins they are many. It is tempting to start here when we come to God in prayer. We think, sometimes, that much groveling will somehow lift us up to a place of forgiveness, that if we can just grasp the muchness of our sin, we will then grasp the muchness of God’s mercy.”
The Lie of Optimization. I had not heard of “optimization” as a buzzword until this week, where I have heard it twice. “In so many ways, improvement is a noble goal, and we should keep pursuing the better. Christians have a word for changing for the better: we call it sanctification. But sanctification means becoming more like Christ, and it has very little to do with how you wrapped the present for the baby shower or whether or not those dairy products in your fridge are organic.”
Pastoral Time Guilt, HT to Challies. Though this is written to pastors, I think that feeling of never being able to meet all the needs is also felt by parents, teachers, and others. “Our greatest problem is not that we lack time but that we often fail to steward it according to God’s purposes. We cannot add a single hour to our lives (Matt. 6:27). Instead, we are called to walk wisely, ‘making the most of the time’ (Eph. 5:15-17). Every sermon, counseling session, leadership meeting, family dinner, and unexpected interruption exists within God’s providential design. He has already prepared the good works we are to accomplish (Eph. 2:10), and there is ‘a time for every matter under heaven’ (Eccles. 3:1). Paul even connects wise stewardship of time with faithful gospel witness, urging believers to ‘walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time’ (Col. 4:5).”
Love God with All Your Imagination: A Call for Christian Storytelling, HT to the Story Warren. “Beyond offering mere childish entertainment, stories shape minds and hearts, linger in the imagination, and depict virtues that we can grasp, savor, and turn in our hands. In fact, Tolkien, the father of modern fantasy literature, believed that the best stories thrill us because they resonate with gospel truth.” (I disagree with the last sentence of a quote by Humphrey Carpenter here, but otherwise loved this article.
Within Thy circling power I stand; On every side I find Thy hand; Awake, asleep, at home, abroad, I am surrounded still with God.
How to Hold onto Faith When You Feel Disappointed. “Do you sometimes feel as if life and maybe even God has disappointed you? We picture ideal scenarios for our lives, and sometimes (usually) our reality falls short of our hopes and expectations. Sometimes it’s our fault, and other times, despite our best efforts, life goes sideways. We end up feeling hurt, disappointed, and even betrayed by God. We know He is all powerful and can order the circumstances of our lives any way He chooses, so why this?”
You Still Have to Eat on Vacation, HT to Challies. “When life takes a turn, or when we leave town, most of us tend to push Bible reading aside until our circumstances return to normal. If we’re not able to sit down at our kitchen table for a quiet hour of in-depth study, we don’t even crack open God’s Word. Somewhere along the way, we’ve told ourselves that if we’re not able to feast, we shouldn’t eat at all, not realizing that a handful of almonds in the middle of the night is far better than allowing our souls to starve.”
When You’re Looking for Substantial Devotional Reading. I don’t usually put reviews here to books I have not read, because I don’t want to recommend something I haven’t checked myself. But I love what Michele wrote in the first few paragraphs here about devotions and devotionals. (Plus, I have read one other book from each of the authors she mentioned, so I think they are probably all right.)
A Liturgy with a Pause–for the Killing, HT to Challies.”Picture this scene: A person is sitting in a room. A member of the clergy is with them, offering them communion, with the classic formulation: “The body of Christ (given for you). The blood of Christ (shed for you).” Some other prayers are said. A few moments later, a nurse or doctor administers a lethal injection, killing the person. Is this a scene from some disturbing dystopian movie? Sadly, no—it is the disturbing reality of the state of the Anglican Church of Canada.”
10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality. “Easy sex will keep you from being wise. To make this point, Solomon lists ten consequences of sexual immorality in Proverbs 6:24-35. Before reading my list, I urge you to read the passage yourself and see how many consequences you can observe. Perhaps making your own list will help you to remember these things when you face temptation.”
We Weren’t Always This Way. “I’ve been surprised by the friendships that begin right now, the ones where we step into each other’s lives with decades behind us already—decades in which we did not know each other. Decades we can describe only in summaries and stories. We bring all these years with us into the conversation, yet we sometimes forget that not everyone was alongside us for them.”
Better than Me, HT to Challies. “What is my greatest weakness? A few weeks go by and I know the answer. As I sit on the couch and scroll through my phone I notice an icky feeling bubble to the surface. Social media used to provide inspiration, but it now breeds comparison. I compare myself to others and my past self, able to do more—and do it faster, better, and stronger. I used to fit into smaller clothes, do more jumping jacks, or stay up later. Despite my accomplishments, there’s always someone who performs better.”
What Is a Woman? The Question Our World Is Afraid to Answer. “Between ‘be exactly like a man,’ ‘fit this narrow mold,’ and ‘make it up as you go’—you’re caught in the crossfire. The confusion is real. The answers seem impossible to find. Everyone claims to know the answer, but their answers conflict. But what if, among all these competing voices, there’s one you can actually trust? . . . There is. It’s the voice of the One who made you.”
When Christians Don’t Get Along: How the Gospel Calls Us to Unity. “I don’t know about you, but the thought of being personally named in Scripture because you were causing division in the church is a horrifying prospect. Yet this passage also gives us a powerful reminder: the Lord cares deeply about the unity of His Church, and the gospel is far greater than our differences, preferences, or personal agendas.”
Long-View vs. Short-view Leadership. “Call me simple, but my capacity to absorb ‘revolutionary tips for transformative change’ has a pretty low threshold. And I don’t have much patience with Christian resources that seem to be driven more by marketing than by Scripture. That said, God has graciously allowed me to stumble on some life-altering principles along the way. I call it Long View Leadership.”
No Christian can afford to neglect his Bible. If he does, he will be stunted and dwarfed in his spiritual life, and he will be a prey to doubts and fears, and may be carried away by every wind of doctrine.–Harry A. Ironside
