Blogs

New Harvard Research Says U.S. Christianity Is Growing Stronger
Here’s an encouraging report:

The percentage of Americans who attend church more than once a week, pray daily, and accept the Bible as wholly reliable and deeply instructive to their lives has remained absolutely, steel-bar constant for the last 50 years or more, right up to today. These authors describe this continuity as “patently persistent.”

Healing from the Trauma of Abortion
“One in four women will have an abortion by age 45. Women like me are hidden in our churches—your church—grappling with haunting cycles of shame and regret despite what we know to be true about sin, forgiveness, and grace. Here are three things I’ve learned in the midst of my struggle toward healing. I hope they offer a helpful perspective for those trying to minister to post-abortive women. And I hope they encourage those silently suffering. You’re not alone.”

Parents, Take Note of the Spiritual Practices Common to Kids Who Flourish As Adults
Fellow parents, the biggest factor in your kids staying in the church is Bible reading!

Children who regularly read the Bible while they were growing up were more likely to have a vibrant spiritual life once they became adults. This statistic doesn’t surprise me. God’s Word is powerful. The Bible lays out the great story of our world and helps us interpret our lives and make decisions within the framework of a biblical worldview. Bible reading is a constant reminder that we live as followers of God. Our King has spoken. He reigns over us. We want to walk in his ways.

Seven Thoughts on the Billy Graham / Mike Pence Rule – Tim Challies
Sanity as usual from Tim:

The long and short of it is that there is great freedom within the Christian life to hold or not to hold to the Billy Graham slash Mike Pence Rule. In this, as in so many other areas, “each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).

The Battle for a Man’s Mind
“Every man must realize that of first importance in winning the spiritual battle of our lives involves framing his life according to biblical truth. Here are some suggested reminders to help a man frame his thinking (and his sons) in the battle for a renewed worldview:”

Disabled by Design: My Abundant Life Without Arms
“Blindness, deafness, amputation, and mental disability do not detract from any person’s worth. The church must be faithful to proclaim and defend that every unborn child, regardless of disability, has a right to life. Every unborn child can display the works of God.”

Seven reasons why church is difficult for those touched by mental illness
“In my experience, families in which a child or parent is being treated for a mental health condition are significantly less likely to regularly attend worship services or participate in small groups, Christian education, or service activities than their friends or neighbors. Given that one in five children and adults in the U.S. experience at least one mental health condition at any given time, their families represent a large population desperately in need of tangible expressions of the love of Christ and the spiritual benefits associated with active participation in the life of a local church.”

Kindle Books

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

The Pastor’s Wife: Strengthened by Grace for a Life of Love by Gloria Furman $4.99.

Word-Filled Women’s Ministry: Loving and Serving the Church by Gloria Furman and‎ Kathleen Nielson $3.99.

Kept for Jesus: What the New Testament Really Teaches about Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Security by Sam Storms $2.99.