Good morning, my friends. May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
(Yesterday on the blog: When the Sermon Fizzles Instead of Sizzles)
Marriage Is Better for Your Adult Kids Than You May Think
I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate this one. “While there are a variety of cultural forces shaping people’s choices around marriage and children, I’m most intrigued by the way Western culture has convinced multiple generations that life’s highest value is personal autonomy, as measured by financial independence. From that perspective, family commitments will naturally be viewed as obstacles to overcome—if not completely avoid—because they hinder the good life.”
A Pastor’s Journey with Anxiety
Roger Sappington explains his long journey with anxiety and offers counsel for others who are prone to it.
Was Charles Spurgeon “Woke?”
The Prince of Preachers was widely regarded for his care for the poor, but was he “woke” by today’s standards? While his chief concern was always the gospel, Spurgeon argued that benevolent social concern has always been a distinguishing trait of the people of God. (Sponsored Link)
Is There a Danger of Worshipping the Bible Instead of God?
Randy Alcorn takes on so-called bibliolatry: “I agree that there is a danger of having our faith in the wrong object. And there have been some people who seemingly hold the Bible in higher esteem than they do Jesus. But seen properly, the Bible is not a competitor with God; on the contrary, it is our God-given means of knowing Him through His revealed truth.”
Don’t Share That Clip
Samuel James wants you to consider “that the Internet is an ecosystem that treats everything like a kind of pornography. Separated from physical reality by the screen, the digital user encounters all of existence as a consumable substance, a substance that often distorts the true nature of the thing being depicted.”
For Worship Bands, Auto-Tune Covers a Multitude of Sins
What a strange time we live in when churches are turning to auto-tune to perfect their production. “Ryan Flanigan, a longtime church musician who is now an artist in residence at Baylor University, worries that pitch-tuning is one more sign that church musicians are trying to aspire to be performers—rather than leading people in worship.” Amen to that!
My Most Influential Teacher: A Tribute to Daniel Fuller (1925–2023)
John Piper says that “until June 21, 2023, I would have said that Edwards was my most influential dead theologian.” He sweetly pays tribute to his most influential teacher.
Flashback: Follow the Way You Want To Be Followed
We should follow in such a way that if people imitate us, they themselves will be good followers. We should follow in exactly the same way we want to be followed.
Scripture is our bookshelf; tradition is the record of what the church has read or misread there; reason is the set of spectacles we wear as we seek to make sense of what we read.
—Michael Reeves
