Blogs
10 Things The Right Can Teach The Left About Accepting The Reality Of Trump
Mollie Hemingway is always worth reading.
Couples Who Stay Married Think Differently From Those Who Divorce
“What separates those who choose to stay married from those who don’t is attitude. Your attitude is the single most important determiner of your success in life, be it a job or a relationship. Life will throw you a thousand curve balls. So will marriage. But it isn’t the curve balls that matter—it’s what you do with those curve balls. And what you do stems from how you think.”
Mark Zuckerberg says he’s no longer an atheist, believes ‘religion is very important’
Let’s hope this is not the end of his journey:
Zuckerberg identified himself as an atheist for years, but on Facebook on Christmas he wrote back: “No. I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important.”
Reforming a Church
Mortification of Spin podcast with Dr Timothy Witmer on how to lead a congregation to Reformed theology.
How long should I preach?
Brian Croft says that the answer to this question largely depends on the kind of pastor you are, the quality of preacher you are, and the kind of congregation you serve. He offers three guidelines.
You Can Improve Your Default Response to Stress
From a TV journalist writing in the Harvard Business Review:
Rewriting our response to stress can take time, but it is possible, and that effort can have a lasting effect on our success and happiness for the rest of our lives. For me, learning the skill of being cool under pressure helped me better navigate unexpected situations both on TV and off, and that has made all the difference in my life and my career.
The Remarkable Legacy of Charles Hodge
Thomas Kidd says that he finds Hodge’s example particularly useful and encouraging.
No one can really aspire to match the intellectual skills of a Jonathan Edwards, but all Christian thinkers can seek to pass on the historic faith to congregations, students, and readers in their place and time. Charles Hodge, in that sense, is one of the heroes of American Christian history.
The Pastor and Counseling: When to refer
I’d add some more but here are four indicators of when a pastor should refer:
Your congregation is unhealthy, the pastor is maxed out, and there are no other godly leaders willing to lend a hand with discipleship. You are spinning your wheels, and have tried to help the person for months without any perceived effect. There is a need for medical help. Obviously people should always get medical advice from a doctor, but sometimes people’s physiology is deeply disturbed in a way that can only be explained by a medical issue. You have to disclose information to protect people from abuse or deadly harm, such as a person who is threatening suicide, or confessing to abuse (119).
Friends Your Age Are Not Enough
You don’t need to a member of the “Family INtegrated Church” movement to agree that “Age should not build walls. Jesus should tear them down. When we put aside our preference for people just like us, we broadcast the beauty of our shared union with Christ.”
Kindle Books
Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do by Paul Tripp $4.99.
The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity by Barnabas Piper $2.99.
We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong by Al Mohler $1.99.
New Book
The Gospel of Jesus Christ by Paul Washer. This is a new evangelistic booklet that you can buy in packs of ten.
Video
Faculty Spotlight: Dr Michael Barrett
Here’s a neat little video profiling my colleague Dr. Michael Barrett. As a staunch non-reader of blogs, it’s a pity he’ll never see this!