Here are some good reads found this week:

Living with Hope in Mental Illness, HT to Challies. “In this day and age, people are easily and haphazardly diagnosed with mental illnesses. There are times that sin (e.g. anxiety) is labeled as mental illness. But I believe that there are also times when mental illness proves to be real. Mental illness is a normal and natural part of the brokenness of this world.”

The Uncarnation of Christ? HT to Challies. “Doctrine is vital to the Christian life. I must state that upfront for the sake of everything else I’m about to say, lest I’m misread. We can never diminish or dilute the importance of sound doctrine. My concern is when our theology never rises above the ink set on the page. I want to warn us about doing theology in a way that depersonalizes our Lord. Any approach to doctrine that dehumanizes Jesus of Nazareth is deadly to our spirituality.”

Rome’s Seven Deadly Errors, HT to Challies. “Let me lay out again the reasons we should be seriously concerned with Roman Catholic teaching — and that, at numerous levels, its contradictory stance toward Scripture produces, I think, a kind of religion that I fear has led many people astray, even into destruction. And I do not mean that Roman Catholicism has a corner on that kind of misleading teaching. There are lots of brands of so-called ‘Christian’ tradition that have damaged people by the errors that they represent.”

Leading Children Into a Wider, Deeper Love of Jesus.”‘Jesus loves me, this I know.‘ What a sweet sound it is when words about Jesus flow by memory out of even the youngest child. Simple truths like these help kids start to see the beauty of the gospel. But a common pitfall is to stop there. When we teach our kids about Jesus only in simple, general terms, they may come to know Jesus only vaguely or even wrongly. The love of Christ is broad, long, high, and deep (Eph. 3:18). How can we help our children to know Him more fully? One way is to help them see Him in all of Scripture. Here are four questions to keep asking as you open the Bible with your family.”

The Calling of Motherhood, HT to Challies. “It had been a good day. A day of errands, laundry, reading books together, playing, and caring for my children. I tucked my 3 and 2-year-olds into bed, came downstairs and sat my tired body on the couch. I opened social media for a few minutes before cleaning up from the day. In a matter of moments, I felt my heart go from thankful and satisfied to longing for more and dissatisfied with what I hadn’t accomplished that day.”

Exposed to Hope: The Evangelism of Welcome, HT to Challies. “I have long admired bold and courageous people who aren’t afraid to share the gospel with strangers. But for many years, I felt ashamed that I would rather eat a hundred stuffed peppers than “evangelize.” What kind of a Christian wasn’t eager to share the Good News with others? I wondered. I never considered that evangelism could also be a way of living, rather than a frightening obligation.”

Slow and Costly in a World of Fast and Cheap, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “I’m worried about a world in which A.I. and algorithms are in control, and we’re reduced to passive consumers. There’s a solution. . . . ‘People are seeking things that are rare and valuable right now. In a world of cheap and fast, people desire slow and well-crafted.'”

A Letter to Mentors with lots of ideas of what such a letter could include.

When I looked at that person who had offended me through the “spiritual eye,” I saw in him one of God’s instruments to teach me, instead of one of the devil’s to torment me. I saw something more. I saw a person God loves, and whom He wants to love through me. — Elisabeth Elliot