identity | Stray Thoughts

I don’t understand when people say blogging is dead. There are multitudes of good bloggers out there. Here are a few:

AI Is Coming for Your Systematic Theology as well as other books. The problems with AI-generated books and ways to spot them.

Finding True Identity in an Age of AI. “People turn to AI for lots of things, and I see value in many of the services it provides. It helps organize my scattered ideas into a logical flow. It’s great at suggesting conversation starters to spark deeper connections. It can generate a meal idea from the random ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator. It can even take an existing talk and swiftly build a slide deck. But if we look to ChatGPT to speak into our identity, we begin cultivating something artificial. AI cannot replace personal connection or Spirit-led truth—and it must not replace Christ-centered encouragement. “

Because of Jesus, Our Best Years Are Always Ahead of Us, HT to Challies. “The words ‘finish well’ mean more to me than they ever did, and I am more determined than ever to complete my race to the glory of God. Especially because I know that after the finish line, what awaits us is eternal goodness, glory, beauty, a restored earth, and a depth of relationship with God and each other beyond what we can imagine.”

Courageous Waiting. “We tend to see waiting as a pause in activity. As in ‘I’m going to wait out this economic downturn.’ Or ‘you’ve been added to the waiting list.’ But in Psalm 27, David presents a dramatically different perspective on waiting. I call it ‘courageous waiting‘. Let’s consider David’s mindset in these two verses.”

Weakness as a Canvas: The Anatomy of a Sacred Lament. “Suffering is not a sign of God’s absence, but a unique venue for His presence. What does this look like?”

Fur Babies and Pet Stewardship, HT to Challies. I don’t think I have ever seen an article on this topic, but this brings out some good things to think about.

“Acceptance of the will of God means relinquishment of our own. If our hands are full of our own plans, there isn’t room to receive His.” Elisabeth Elliot

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

Who Christ Says I Am: Embracing My Identity. “I don’t know about you, but one of the biggest things that makes me feel loved is how I’m spoken to. What a person calls me has great power to make me feel cherished and to affect the perception of my identity. That’s why it’s so important to look for identity in the right places. I should say the right place because the One who made and redeemed me is the only One who can give me identity.”

Teach Your Kids What to Think, HT to Challies. “You say, ‘But I don’t want to teach my kids what to think, I just want to teach them how to think.’ Yes! You should teach them how to think. But not teaching them what to think communicates something to them. It communicates something about truth. If I’m not willing to teach them what to think, then I am most certainly teaching them that truth is something that can be decided on.”

Scheduling Hospitality: Making Space for Others In Our Calendars. “Most of us acknowledge that hospitality is a wonderful thing. We desire to do it. But if we wait until it’s convenient or feel like doing it, we probably never will. That’s why there was a time when my husband and I decided to invite people over every other Sunday. If we put it on the calendar and invited people, we couldn’t back out.”

Is the Cultural and Historical Context of Scripture Necessary, Helpful, or Distracting? “Yes, depending on the text being studied and the background information being used, historical and cultural context can be necessary, helpful, or distracting. On the whole, I think that it is normally helpful. Sometimes, in the rarest of circumstances, it is necessary. When theologians and academics are careless or ideologically driven, it can be distracting or worse.” The author shares some examples of each.

Softly, Softly, Break a Bone, HT to Challies. A couple of sweet stories about how “a soft tongue will break a bone.” (Proverbs 25:15).

It’s OK to be Obsessed with Something. “Parents of young children can often scold themselves for getting distracted over things like these: little side trips into things that interest them for one reason or another. But I want to encourage you: it’s good for you to be curious. It’s good for you to be interested. Maybe it’s good for you to be a little bit obsessed with something or other.”