Curated content for Christians
This has been a bit of a slow week for Kindle deals. That is, in part, because so many of the deals cycle on a regular basis and I try not to link to them if they’ve come up recently. There should be some new ones on Monday. Until then, here’s some reading for you:…
From Slum to Shining Sea “Growing up in a solid, Christian, God-fearing home, at some indefinable point between child-like faith and adolescent angst, my two-dimensional version of God had become synonymous with rules, broken rules, and never-ending failure. So I left.” Calvin’s 4 Rules of Prayer Joel Beeke explains what Calvin believed about prayer. (Also,…
True Reformation You’ll enjoy Burk Parson’s short but powerful meditation on true reformation. Counseling Wives of Addicts The most recent episode of Mortification of Spin begins with a discussion of counseling women whose husbands are addicted to pornography, then goes on to discuss a host of other important areas. This is a very helpful discussion.…
Your 7 Job Responsibilities as a Church Member Just imagine what a church can be when all the members are functioning like this. 5 Reasons You Should (Probably) Leave Your Attractional Church Jared Wilson is a big believer in the local church, so he isn’t being flippant when he tells you to consider leaving your…
The 2016 Reading Challenge is well underway and it has been fun to see people doing their own roundups. Here are a few: Nate Claiborne, Eric Dodson, Julie Thompson. There are way more at Goodreads. Facing a Task Unfinished This is a great idea: “Getty Music is inviting thousands of churches around the globe to…
Patient Parenting Sometimes parenting is really, really hard. We’ve been experiencing some of those times lately, so this article was a joy to read. You Can Trust God with Your Kids Speaking of parenting, here is encouragement that you can trust God with your kids. Ten Biblical Truths on the Obedience of Children Sticking with…
Don’t Theologize or Spiritualize Ministry Mediocrity This is an important challenge to churches that love good preaching. “Why is it that so many churches that profess a commitment to the primacy of expository preaching, settle for mediocrity in so many other facets of the church’s ministry?” The Most Dangerous Place On Earth And speaking of…
A Matter of Inches You will eventually breathe a sigh of relief. “My wife and I got into the car and drove across town to the hospital, fearing the worst and yet trying to hope for the best. We offered short, pathetic prayers as we went.” Uncool Coins There’s probably a sermon illustration in this…
Our Prayer Instincts Are Backwards “Approaching the Queenstown airport in mid-winter—with mountain ranges on both sides and a huge lake straight ahead—we were caught in a giant wind tunnel. The plane was shuddering and sporadically dropping 50 feet at a time. The cabin filled with shrieking and praying. Many people were crying out to a…
Announcing the all-new PrayerMate v5 One of my favorite everyday apps has gotten an update. I was part of the beta test and have already enjoyed this new version. Do Something Small For God I think we all need these reminders from time to time. “We can feel like if we don’t do something great…
Sex Abuse in the Church Catherine Parks writes about the ugly reality of sexual abuse in the church. “In recent months, I have thought frequently about abuse allegations in the church. I have read story after story about abuse victims who went to church leaders and either were not believed or were blamed in part…
Scruffy Hospitality This is good: “Scruffy hospitality means you’re not waiting for everything in your house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home. Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and serving a simple meal of what you have, not what you don’t have.” The Most Important…
Freedom in Grief, Not Freedom From Grief This is an important distinction for those who are grieving (and those who are grieving alongside them). When Abortion Suddenly Stopped Making Sense “We thought, back then, that few abortions would ever be done. It’s a grim experience, going through an abortion, and we assumed a woman would…
The Lady Bible Hunters Here’s a great tale: “Scottish twins Agnes and Margaret Smith were the last people you’d expect to discover one of the earliest known copies of the gospels, but in a dusty closet in an Egyptian monastery in 1859–without a university education or formal language training between them–the God-fearing twins uncovered the…
Down’s Syndrome Extinction While this article is still pro-choice, it expresses great concern about the coming extinction of people with Down’s Syndrome. The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy Al Mohler: “We will not believe more than we know, and we will not live higher than our beliefs.” Husbands, It’s Time to Start Leading Family Worship Don…
Elderly Missionary Couple Kidnapped It’s quite a religion that kidnaps medical missionaries in the name of its god. Frozen Soap Bubbles What an amazing little video. How can there be so much beauty in something so simple and so ordinary? The Future of Retail “Amazon Books is now open for business in Seattle. The floor…
Is God Sovereign Over My Free Will? John Piper ventures into difficult territory with an answer to these questions: “Will God use His sovereignty to overwrite our free will at times to exemplify His perfect will? And if so, do we truly have free will?” How Diverse Was Early Christianity? I’ve really been enjoying Michael…
Why Daughters Need Their Dads I needed to read this. “I have watched daughters talk to fathers. When you come in the room, they change. Everything about them changes: their eyes, their mouths, their gestures, their body language. Daughters are never lukewarm in the presence of their fathers. They might take their mothers for granted,…
Is It Bad to Skip Breakfast? Apparently it’s not quite as bad as you’ve heard. But I’m still going to start every day with my toast and eggs. A Modest Proposal for the “Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God” Debate Justin Taylor brings some much-needed reason to the debate. A New Podcast Podcast…
It has once again been a bit of a slow time with Kindle deals, perhaps because we were spoiled so badly in December. We will hope for some more exciting deals next week. In the meantime, here are some links worth checking out. Ten Theses on Immigration This column from Ross Douthat has been gaining…