I have quite a long list of links that piqued my interest to share this week. I hope you’ll find some useful reading here.

Occasionally I like to repeat the reminder that links don’t imply 100% endorsement of everything on a site.

What Does Trouble Do? “To live is to experience trouble. There is no path through this life that does not lead through at least some kind of difficulty, sorrow, or trial—and often through a cornucopia of them. This being the case, we rightly wonder: What does trouble do? Though we may not see an answer in the immediate circumstances of our lives, we can begin to put one together as we look at the lives of other believers.”

On Mother’s Day, Rinse and Repeat with Truth. This is one of my favorites from Michele–good not just for moms and not just on Mother’s Day. “As mothers, as women, as grace-dependent creatures, we rely on the cleansing properties of God’s Word as it removes the gunk, as it scrubs away the Slime that the culture leaves in our thoughts and our habits. And since we are constantly swimming in lies, we constantly need the truth before our eyes, in our ears, and in our minds to counteract the Slime.”

Tell the Truth About Children, HT to Challies. I’ve been considering writing a post about the worth of children. This author does an admirable job. “Perhaps we zealously undertake the rescue mission of motherhood while our hearts still cling to the names the world reserves for children: Chaos. Burdens. Busyness. Craziness. But God bestows on them different names: Heritage. Power. Blessings. Gifts. Our children do not need to ‘grow up’ to earn given titles. Rather, mothers’ hearts need to hear afresh God’s words about children.”

When Prayer Starts With Panic, HT to Challies. “Notice what Paul actually says. He does not say, ‘don’t feel anxious and then pray,’ but rather, ‘in everything, by prayer and supplication… let your requests be made known.’ It’s a call to bring our panic into conversation with God, while it’s still happening. And he even includes thanksgiving, not as a command to pretend, but as a practice to remind ourselves that God’s character remains steady—even when everything else feels fragile.”

When Christ Is En Vogue, Christians Beware, HT to Challies. “I want to have the perspective of Paul, that ‘whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice’ (Phil 1:18). But with this widespread cultural acceptance comes a level of danger. I want to give three warnings about the dangers of Christian popularity.”

Sharpen Your Sword for Victory in Spiritual Battles. “Sometimes we use fleshly methods to deal with spiritual matters, like lashing out when people mistreat us. Situations never end well when we utilize worldly ways. But when we use the Sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God—we invite the Lord to intervene in our circumstances, and the outcome is different. Do you know how to sharpen your sword? It’s crucial we understand how to skillfully use and maintain the Sword of the Spirit.”

Wounded Intercession: Turning Pain Into Prayer. HT to The Story Warren. “What we see in these examples is something deeper than mere forgiveness. It’s wounded intercession: taking the wounds inflicted on us by others and turning the pain into prayer.”

On Silence During Chaos. This post is the fifth in a series by Dan Olinger about caution with how we express ourselves over political issues or news in public forums.

17 Gospel Encouragements to Overcome Barriers to Biblical Hospitality. “Hospitality is a beautiful calling, but sometimes the reality of our lives looks very different from the picture we have in our minds. We might feel like our circumstances create barriers to offering the kind of welcome we long to extend. What if biblical hospitality is simply about welcoming others as Christ has welcomed us? Many barriers to hospitality can be overcome by embracing the gospel and looking to Jesus as our example.”

How Moms Can Care for Women Experiencing Infertility, HT to Challies. “The weight of infertility is heavy, and those experiencing it need all kinds of women in the body of Christ to help carry their burden (Gal. 6:2). If you’re a mother who hasn’t experienced infertility, you can still minister to women navigating it. There are no magical words to say, but in my experience, some attitudes and actions can be a soothing salve to a wounded heart.”

Why Boys No Books? Though the topic of this post is why boys don’t read, I was especially interested in a discussion there about an essay C. S. Lewis wrote on chivalry. He says men are mostly divided into the warrior/jock type (which he calls “stern”) or the nerd/artist type (which he calls “meek”). But every now and then comes a man who is a blending of the two, which he calls a “knight,” which this author says is “A Davidic kind of man with gentle hands that can deftly strum a harp, or chop off Goliath’s head.” He then discusses how reading can help point boys to this ideal.

More Than Skin Deep, HT to Linda. “We’re urged to focus our finite energy on fixing our external appearance, as though that will bring us some sort of deep and lasting life satisfaction. Unfortunately, spending too much precious life energy on the externals is … exhausting. And although I enjoy feeling reasonably put together as occasion warrants, I really don’t want to spend my remaining lifetime on a fruitless quest to look like the me of thirty years ago.”

Job’s Friends Versus Bob’s Friends. I mentioned a few weeks ago this podcast called Dead Man Talking by Bob Roberts, someone from one of our former churches. He has stage 4 liver cancer and wanted not to “waste” it, so he and four friends from college days meet to discuss various facets of what he is learning and going through. Someone suggested the subject of Job’s friends compared to Bob’s as a joke, but a valuable discussion grew from there. I linked to the YouTube version, but the podcast is also on Spotify and Apple podcasts.

“We often treat Jesus the way Saul treated David. We want him to slay giants and sing evil spirits away, but we don’t want him to be King.” – A.W. Tozer