A Mother’s Nightly Ritual

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Around this time of year, I see blog or Facebook posts from moms processing their children’s graduation from high school or college and the realization that they are about to leave the nest for good.

That time is such an emotional roller coaster–happy and excited for them, yet lamenting over the changes to come. Wondering what life is going to be like without the daily presence of one we nurtured and loved for 18+ years. Hoping we adequately taught them what they needed to know. Missing them before they even leave. Being concerned for the life changes and multiple decisions they’ll face as they step into adulthood. Praying, praying, praying.

When my children were little, I had a habit of going to their rooms and checking to see that they were breathing before I went to bed. That practice morphed a bit as they grew up. In their teen years, it looked like not being able to go to bed until I knew they were safely home.

I don’t delve into poetry often–I have trouble getting the meter just right. But several years ago, I wrote this poem based on that experience. I’ve shared it before, but it seemed timely to share it again. I hope it’s a blessing to you.

A Mother’s Nightly Ritual

Before a mother goes to bed
She checks each little downy head,
Places a hand on back or chest
Of each sleeping child at rest,
Making sure that all is well
Before succumbing to sleep’s spell.

As children grow and youth abounds,
Yet Mother still must make her rounds.
She can not rest at ease until
Her little ones are calm and still,
Safely tucked into their beds.
Then softly to her own she treads.

From childhood into youth they grow,
And she waits up until she knows
They’re settled safe and sound at home
Til the next day when they roam.
Though now they stay up long past her,
She can’t rest til they’re home, secure.

Her birds fly later from her sight.
Their beds are empty now at night.
She cannot check the rise and fall
Of sleeping breaths within her walls.
Yet she trusts they’re safely kept
By Him who never once has slept.

Though now they sleep beyond her care,
They never move beyond her prayer.
Her nightly vigil now is to
Trust them to the same One Who
Watched o’er Jacob while he roamed,
And kept him safe though far from home.

Barbara Harper
Copyright 2010

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Barbara Harper

I have quite a few good links to share this week. I hope you’ll find some of them of interest.

What Biblical Women Reveal About the Journey To and Through Motherhood. “One seminar I would pay a small fortune to attend would be one on motherhood, led by the mothers in the Bible. I’m not sure if a week would be long enough to learn everything their stories teach us about mothering, about God, even about marriage, but I’d settle for a weekend.”

Don’t Let Her Die Before You Say This. A young believer asks John Piper how to minister to his dying, unbelieving mother. “The best thing I could do is to make the connection between your love for your mother and the love of Christ for you. It seems to me that you already have the right instincts for how to love her, because you say you’re going to stay by her and comfort her, and that you’ve tried to share the gospel with her. And I would urge simply that you keep on doing what you’re already doing, and that you see it as an expression of Christ’s love for you and through you to your mother.”

A Prayer for Graduation Day. A mother’s prayer amidst the mixed emotions when a child graduates.

Not Every Hurt Is Church Hurt: Discerning the Difference, HT to Challies. “Not every pain that happens in a church is ‘church hurt’ as we often frame it. Sometimes it is human sin, human immaturity, and human blindness. If we don’t learn to carefully separate those, we risk letting our wound reshape our entire view of God’s people.”

Your Body is a Temple, So Act, HT to Challies. “It’s one thing to read that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). It’s another thing entirely to believe it and live it. This is especially true in a culture that degrades the body, that consumes the body, that commodifies the body, that abuses the body, that teaches men that women’s bodies are there to be tortured for sexual gratification, that teaches women to torture their bodies for the male gaze, that teaches both sexes to give into their fleshly passions instead of developing chastity.”

What Changed When I Taught My Small Group Leaders to Slow Down. “The most important thing they can do for their group is not to have all the answers. It is to help people see what is on the page. If your group can learn to read carefully before they respond quickly, you have given them something that will shape them long after your group semester ends.”

Searching for a Sign, HT to Challies. “‘God, please give me a sign’, I said quietly, as I stepped outside. I was in the middle of a confusing situation. I didn’t know what to do, or how. I couldn’t see how anything could work out well. I wanted to know that God was near, and involved. I wanted to see a display of his care, and power. I’m not sure what kind of sign I was looking for, exactly.”

The Foundation of Christian Time Management. “Everyone has a motivation for getting stuff done, whether they can name it or not. For most of the world, it’s something like status, money, survival, or career advancement. But for the Christian, the motivation should be categorically different. In fact, if we miss this we are missing Christian productivity altogether. Our motivation is the foundation.”

From Friend to Friend, HT to Challies. “The gospel has always had a way of moving in the most beautiful and ordinary way. Indeed, it has crossed oceans, shaken cities, overturned temples, angered kings, outlived empires, and outburied its enemies. This is fascinating alone, but very often it has moved in the simplest way imaginable, from friend to friend, from brother to brother, from one ordinary conversation to another, from one man saying to another, with whatever mumbling, stumbling, and trembling he could manage, ‘I want to tell you about Christ.'”

5 Things We Lose When We Subtract Evangelism from the Christian Life. HT to Challies. “If we’re ever to overcome our fear of evangelism, not only must we love others more than ourselves, but we must also believe that evangelism’s benefits outweigh any risks involved. But what are the benefits associated with sharing the gospel? Rather, what might we lose if we subtract evangelism from our lives? Here are five things to consider.”

Peacemaker vs. Peacekeeper: Understanding the Biblical Difference. “When Jesus said peacemakers are blessed, He wasn’t calling us to avoid hard conversations. He was calling us to pursue true peace—even when it’s uncomfortable.”

Help Her Go: Why World Missions Needs Women, HT to Challies. “Ever since Mary Magdalene ran from the tomb to tell the disbelieving disciples, ‘He is risen!’ He is born again! God has used women — single and married — to take the good news of Christ’s resurrection to the ends of the earth. Sometimes, however, our sisters face greater difficulties finding acceptance, financial support, and even respect on their way to the field.”

So Much of Parenting Is Just This Simple Easy* Thing, HT to Challies. “So much of parenting is holding the balance, arms stretched across chasms. So much we don’t say;
so much we wish we had. So much I can’t change; probably a lot I should change if I knew better. Swallow my pride, swallow a million words, spare them the lecture and step into the gaping empty room of silence with head nods and ‘Tell me more.'”

More Than Wrinkles: 11 Blessings of Growing Older, HT to Challies. After reading a native post about aging, the author began to “think about what the blessings of aging could be, and also of what our biblical response must be. Is this just a cruel joke at end our life – that of getting old? Has God forsaken us who are over 60? No!!!”

Faith of our mothers, living still
In cradle song and bedtime prayer;
In nursery lore and fireside love,
Thy presence still pervades the air.
-From “Faith of Our Mothers”
by Arthur Bardwell Patten

Laudable Linkage

Posted on April 25, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good reading found this week:

The Kind of Man It Takes to Marry a Woman with Past Sexual Sin, HT to Challies. “It seems to me that the kind of man who would choose to marry a woman who has been redeemed by God and transformed by his grace, willing to take upon himself any burdens that might come along with her past, is a man who is like Jesus. In taking me as his bride, my husband is a picture that points to what Christ has done for us. It doesn’t get more godly than that.”

The Paradox of the Brightening Path, HT to Challies. “There’s a paradox you’ll encounter the longer you walk with Jesus. The more you experience the light of his love, the more clearly you see the remaining spots and stains in your life. Progress seems lacking. Stumbles continue to mark your journey. The more you know the Lord’s love for you, the more you feel your unworthiness and your dependence on his grace. This doesn’t mean you’re going backward. I call it the paradox of the brightening path.”

Stay in the Present Moment During Your Seasons of Transition. “The weather and the calendar eventually reconcile, but we all know that other transitions don’t resolve themselves so dependably. Here’s the question, then: What can I do with what’s right here in front of me today?”

5 Simple Ways to Extend Biblical Hospitality. “Thankfully, we can live out God’s command to practice hospitality in ways as different as we are. Remember—there’s a huge difference between entertaining and hospitality. Entertaining usually involves fancy dishes, silverware, and expense. Hospitality can be as simple as takeout pizza on paper plates. If God is nudging you out of your comfort zone and into greater obedience in the area of biblical hospitality, consider these five simple ways to practice it.”

Is Your Fatherhood Like a Rubik’s Cube? HT to Challies. These truths are good for mothers to remember as well as fathers. “I call this The Rubik’s Cube Effect. One side starts to come together, but in the very act of bringing order there, something else is thrown out of place.”

Random Thoughts About Preaching and Being Preached To. “There are few matters more foundational to pastoral ministry than preaching, and few matters more common to the Christian experience than being preached to. Most pastors will preach thousands of sermons over the span of their ministry, and most congregants will listen to thousands of sermons over the span of their lifetime. This means we should think about preaching often and well!”

The deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: “Thy will be done.”–Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity

Laudable Linkage

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good blogging found this week:

He Is Strong Enough. “Now I have been a mother for 21 years, and I struggle to carry the burdens of four children on these two shoulders. I think back and wonder how my wonderful mom did it. And then I remember that she had a Savior who is in the business of carrying burdens–One who invited the weary and heavy-laden to come to Him for rest.”

A Testimony in Sorrow. “The odd thing about this time is that I remember God using me so much more than in the seasons of life when I believed I ‘had it all together.’ My brokenness was the platform for His glory. Yes, I was weak, but my face was constantly turned toward Him, relying on Him for every breath and step. So many people came to me during that time for counsel and I consistently told the Lord that I was not in the battle at the time; I was on ‘sabbatical’ from the Christian life. He would have to wait to use me until I was self-sustaining again. I was a mess and freely confessed to others that such was the case. The truth was, I couldn’t point to myself as the standard for their help anymore. I needed help; I was a beggar pointing other beggars to the Bread of Life.”

How Do I Start Sharing the Gospel in the New Year? “A pastor shared this with me, and I’m wondering if you feel the same way. He knows the gospel well. But he finds that the hardest part of sharing the good news of Christ is getting started. Many of us feel this way, don’t we? But what if we are making a false assumption that is stopping us in our tracks?”

Godly Motherhood and Pinterest Dreams: The Mom I Long to Be, HT to Challies. “We can make many assumptions about the photos we see. We can long for the perfection depicted in tiny boxes on a glowing screen. Yet what truly matters in the eyes of the Lord, the hearts of our children, and in our souls, is the glorious work God is doing through the holy and hard moments of mothering. For every Pinterest mother we crave to be, God is molding in us a beauty that cannot be captured in photos.”

15 Devotional Gleanings from Reading the Old Testament Law. “What we want to know as we read is: What was God teaching Israel through these portions of the Law? What does God teach His Church now through these same chapters?”

When You Want to Trace In Your Specific Clay-Like Conditions. “Maybe like me, you delight in being a clay jar filled with the treasure of Jesus, yet struggle when the clay feels extra fragile, sad, or worn out. In those conditions, I can be tempted to want to click a ‘return’ button as simply as it is to send back an unwanted Amazon package.”

My house, my kitchen, my desk, my very body are meant to be holy places in this world for the eternal God. Elisabeth Elliot

Laudable Linkage

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Barbara Harper

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.”

Peace is as infectious as panic. If my soul is quietly at rest in God, then others will share my peace, because I share His. — Elisabeth Elliot

Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Barbara Harper

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

Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good reads found this week:

Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Heads? “‘Can Satan himself put thoughts into our heads?’ Yes, he can and he does. And of course, the urgent questions then are, How do we recognize them? And how do we resist them and not get controlled by them?”

10 Things to Pray for Children Who Have Walked Away from Jesus, HT to Challies. “God is never too busy or preoccupied to receive you when you bring your burdens into his presence. God cares for your children. That is such an encouragement when we are struggling to persevere in prayer. But it’s hard to know what to pray sometimes; or we’ve been praying for so many years that we’ve run out of steam and lost momentum. So, to reinvigorate your prayers for your children, here are ten ways you can pray.”

Making Space for Others In Our Conversations. “I walk into church and spot a new person. I know I should go over and engage her, but such actions often end in stilted exchanges or awkward pauses. Making conversational space for people I don’t know well takes much more effort than the comfort of finding my seat or chatting easily with friends. Do I take the path of least resistance and avoid eye contact? Maybe I offer an acknowledging smile, but continue to my familiar chair? Or do I practice Christ-like hospitality and in love, make my way over to her?” The author includes ideas for conversation starters besides the usual “How are you?” and “What do you do?”

To My Almost-Adult Kids: Don’t Be Afraid of These Three Words, HT to Challies. “I try not to tell you about all my worries. But one fear that I want you to know about? I worry you will be afraid to say these three words.”

How to Provoke Your Children to Anger. “Apparently if you want to be a good parent, the thing that Paul is most concerned about is that you not provoke your children to anger. The somewhat frustrating part of this, though, is that he doesn’t stop to explain what he means by this phrase or explain how it should be done! So what does it look like to provoke your children to anger?”

The Cost of Slowing Down. “Recently a friend asked me when we start ‘locking in’ activities for our daughters. ‘When does it become their thing?’ he wondered, meaning when do we encourage them to commit to a single sport and dig in deep.”

How Can We Bless the Lord? “God’s blessings abound, but we can’t return these favors because He needs nothing from us. Yet, Scripture contains the concept of blessing the Lord.”

10 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor. “I’m sure a million requests could be added, but here is a brief post to offer at least 10 ways that you can pray for your pastor, compiled by a pastor.”

Time Is NOT Money: Redeeming the Hours God Gives Us. “While many modern translations have chosen to steer away from the financial metaphor, Paul’s Greek word choice for ‘making the most’ of time is actually a money word, used like our English word ransom or redeem. Thus, we can legitimately make the case that time and money have correlations. But let’s hit pause right there and consider the many contrasts between the two.”

The Art of Thankfulness. I enjoyed seeing a piece of art here that was discussed in Russ Ramsey’s Rembrandt Is In the Wind: Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Thankful Poor. This post ties in observations about the painting with Philippians 4: 6-8.

God uses people who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him.–Hudson Taylor

Review: Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Imagine what your reaction would be if you gave birth to a child born without arms or legs. You would likely grieve and then wonder how in the world you would raise him to live any kind of normal life.

Boris and Dushka Vujicic experienced those reactions when their son, Nick, was born. “We were burdened not by Nick but by our doubts and our fear that we were not capable of giving him all he needed to succeed (p. 163).

Nick grew up to become an internally known evangelist and motivational speaker, telling his story in Life Without Limits. But there were many hurdles and trials before that happened.

Boris shares their experience in Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing Challenges with Strength, Courage, and Hope. The book is part memoir, part encouragement to other parents.

After the Vujicics got over their initial shock at Nick’s condition, they found that, in many ways, he was a baby like any other. He needed love, cuddling, food, and diaper changing. The rest they had to figure out along the way. There weren’t many resources available to help.

Their faith was shaken. As Christians, they wondered why God would allow such a seemingly cruel thing to happen.

With our limited vision, Dushka and I could foresee only struggle and anguish for Nick and for us. We were so wrong, of course. Our son and our experiences with him have enriched our lives beyond measure and taught us many lessons at the heart of this book. Nick gave us a new definition of the ideal child and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of our Father’s divine vision.

Nick taught us to find new meaning in the psalm that says we are “wonderfully made.” We came to see Nick as God’s beautiful creation, lovingly formed in His image. We lacked the wisdom, initially, to understand that. We saw Nick as disabled rather than enabled. We could not grasp that his missing arms and legs were part of God’s unique plan for our son.

Chapters cover accepting and loving your child, giving yourself permission to grieve, allowing friends and family to help, advocating for your child’s medical care, meeting the needs of siblings, education, preparing your child for adulthood, keeping marriage bonds strong, and building a spiritual foundation. Boris encourages taking cues from your unique child as to what he needs and the best way to help him.

It would be easy with a child like Nick to swoop in and do everything for him. But his parents raised him to do as much for himself as possible.

My favorite aspect of his book is that Boris writes humbly and practically. Nowhere does he hint that readers should do everything just like he and his wife did. He just shares insights gleaned along the way.

Some of the quotes that stood out to me:

Nick is proof that none of us are limited by our circumstances and that all of us can create meaningful, fulfilling, and joyful lives if we choose to focus on our gifts rather than on what we may lack. All of us are imperfect. All of us are perfect (p. 10).

All children have strengths and weaknesses, and they can surprise you in so many ways. Our duty is to nurture, encourage, and motivate them, and help them build upon their strengths (p. 11).

Perhaps the greatest gifts we can give our children toward their success in adulthood are a foundation of unconditional love, a sense that they have a purpose in this world, a value system to guide them, and a spiritual base as a perpetual source of hope (p. 157).

Our imperfections have a purpose. We often can’t discover that purpose without first accepting that it exists and then searching to find it (p. 187).

God makes no promises that our lives will be pain free; He promises only that He will always be with us if we believe. We realized that we had to trust in His wisdom and good purposes, in His Word rather than in our feelings, and in His grace, which is sufficient for any trial (p. 191).

I might not be the target audience for this book since my children are grown now, and none of them had physical disabilities. But I enjoyed reading it and learned from it all the same.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good reads found this week:

Awaken Your Hunger, HT to Challies. “Like tamping down my appetite as I’m tasting and assembling ingredients for dinner, I find myself quieting my hunger for God by tasting too many things that don’t satisfy. Sometimes it’s not the quality so much as the quantity: a half hour of mindless scrolling here, a couple of hours of Netflix bingeing there, the incessant input of a podcast or audiobook every time it gets quiet. I keep filling up my soul with so many things that leave me hungry but not for what I need.”

What Martha’s Problem Really Was. “Martha’s problem had nothing to do with her to-do list and everything to do with how she handled her thoughts. Luke didn’t include this account to caution women away from vacuuming, doing dishes, or cooking a nice meal for company. He included it as a warning against unguarded thoughts. Thankfully, he does include a solution.”

You Are “The Next.” “Who will be the next Nancy? The next Charlie? The next John, James, Voddie, or Kay? This may come as a surprise, but there is an answer. The answer is no one. And it’s also . . . you. Confused? Let me explain.”

When Dad Will Not Lead in the Home, HT to Challies. “One of the saddest verses of the Bible is Genesis 3:6 where God’s Word records, ‘[Eve] took of it and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.’ In other words, Adam was standing with Eve when Satan tempted her. The one who should have defended his wife from the tempter, didn’t do anything. He was passive. And that’s what we’re talking about. Instead of spiritual leadership and initiative, we have passivity. How do we approach this problem?”

DO Something When You Are Maligned, HT to Challies. “When stressed through the ill-will or stinging insults and persistent opposition by someone who wants to cause you trouble, we know there is something to think. We are to think the truth about God and ourselves. We don’t take their evaluation as true, but only God’s. Also, we are to think of God’s loving and purposeful sovereignty over his children, meaning that difficulties can bring about good results in character and progress for the gospel. But there is also something to DO.”

The Worst Kind of Parenting Advice, HT to Challies. “I’m grateful to God that I learned early on to chew the meat and spit out the bones regarding much of the Christian parenting advice I was given, and instead to do what was right for our kids and our family. But when it comes to formulaic parenting advice, it sure is interesting that the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Social Media Pushes Pornography on Children Within Minutes, Report Finds, HT to Challies. “Social media is now one of the primary pipelines to porn addiction for both children and young adults. Global Witness, a campaign organization that investigates the impact of Big Tech on human rights, recently conducted a number of tests to determine how quickly children could access pornography on social media platforms. According to the Guardian, Global Witness conducted one test before the implementation of the U.K.’s Online Safety Act in July, and one after. In just a few clicks, TikTok directed children’s accounts to pornography.”

“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.”–Charles Spurgeon

Laudable Linkage

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Barbara Harper

I’m happy to share some thought-provoking reads found this week:

No Confidence? No Problem! “I used to think it was important to project confidence when it comes to parenting, and I wanted everyone to think that I had everything under control at all times. But the deeper I have gotten into this lifelong job, the more I have realized how complicated and special each little soul in my care is, and I have learned that there are very few one-size-fits-all philosophies of motherhood. Each child and each phase is its own adventure, with its own set of variables, and I have learned that I need God’s help with each and every bit of it.”

Is ChatGPT Forming Your Faith? “ChatGPT and similar tools have made it easier than ever to locate and interpret Bible verses, to receive guidance on challenging topics, and to get answers to questions we’d normally hesitate to ask out loud. Is that a bad thing? Are the alarms unwarranted? As I’ve talked to friends about their ChatGPT usage and paid more attention to my own, it’s clear that using the latest AI to find answers for our spiritual lives involves a degree of danger that would be foolish to ignore.”

The Devil Hates Context. Use It, HT to Knowable Word. “You can see why the devil left out Psalm 91’s context. Verse 13 preaches his demise. It reveals Christ’s victory over him. I’m sure the devil hates context. So, in our spiritual warfare, in wielding the sword of the Spirit, use the whole weapon—the whole canon—context and all.”

Is Tribalism Bad? HT to Proclaim and Defend. “Why can’t individuals assess the values and ideas held by themselves and others, then socially associate with respect to those shared values? An us-versus-them social landscape emerges for every possible topical issue in our free society because we occupy an idea-versus-idea environment. Rather than shriek about the human impulse to join a tribe, it’s more productive to explain which tribes are worthy of members — and doing so is necessarily a form of intertribal competition. Alternative strategies end up with the self-defeating claim: Join me in the fight against tribalism.”

What Does the Bible Say God Can’t Do? “In the back of my mind I thought I remembered hearing that there were only 2 (or was it 3?) things that God cannot do. I did a quick search online to refresh my memory. Well, I was surprised to find that everyone had a different opinion on how many things God can’t do!”

Ordinary Faithfulness: A Life That Says Come and See. “Life right now is normal. For some reason the thought of this being ‘all there is’ can feel almost startling. But when I take a step back to assess this dread, the Lord uses His Word to whisper a quiet question into my heart. What’s wrong with a life filled with ordinary faithfulness?“

The Foibles and Fallibility of Christian Leaders, HT to Challies. “Encourage your leaders, pray for them, help them serve Christ as they serve you, overlook some things just as they overlook the faults you have, confront them with love when necessary if you are prayerful and spiritually-minded and aware of your own sins, follow them as they follow Christ, but don’t idolize them. Encouragement is different than that.”

Learning how to love your neighbor requires a willingness to draw on the strength of Jesus Christ as you die to self and live for Him.–John C. Broger