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I worry that’s what happens when “brave” is so overused, becoming a catchall term for wisdom, truth, self-care, confidence, vulnerability, and provocation. Sure, these expressions can sometimes be brave, but not inherently. Speaking a difficult truth, for example, is not always brave; sometimes it is just honest, or loving. It can even be judgmental, or intentionally outrageous. Likewise, courage is not the same thing as survival. One can overcome an illness, a heartache, or the death of a loved one begrudgingly or timidly. Christian courage, with its emphasis on love, asks us to consider how we endure.
Baltimore violence and the lack of black men in the city
I asked 28-year-old Zachary Lewis about the absence of older men. He stood by a makeshift memorial placed at the spot where Freddie Gray, the man whose death ignited the riots, was arrested.
“This is old here,” he said, pointing to himself. “There ain’t no more ‘Old Heads’ anymore, where you been? They got big numbers or they in pine boxes.” In street syntax, that meant long prison sentences or death.
We hear about the absence of black men from families, but what happens when they disappear from an entire community? West Baltimore delivered the answer to that question this week.
How Christianity invented children
We have forgotten just how deep a cultural revolution Christianity wrought. In fact, we forget about it precisely because of how deep it was: There are many ideas that we simply take for granted as natural and obvious, when in fact they didn’t exist until the arrival of Christianity changed things completely. Take, for instance, the idea of children.
The Best Ways for the Church to Reach Millennials
You don’t have to be hip and cool to reach millennials. You don’t have to know all the latest research to reach millennials. In fact, it would probably be better if we were more like Paul and decide to “know nothing…except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
There’s no magic formula. Just get out there, serve people, build relationships with people, and teach them about the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ.
What is going on with that church in Abilene?
So I have to tell them that I don’t have time or energy to worry about what other congregations are doing. I am an elder at Southern Hills, and I can barely keep up with what we are doing. I am way too busy reaching people and living life with my Southern Hills family to worry about what anyone else is doing. If they still persist, here are things I go on to tell them. And to tell you.
I doubt I agree with everything they are doing. I don’t even agree with everything Southern Hills is doing. I doubt I agree with everything your church is doing. But I am not responsible for those other congregations.
Natalie Portman Says Her Oscar Is a ‘False Idol’
The actress, 33, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her Black Swan performance, explained why she isn’t one to worship the gold statuette or dwell on the big win.
“I was reading the story of Abraham to my child and talking about, like, not worshipping false idols,” she said. “And this is literally like gold men. This is literally worshipping gold idols – if you worship it. That’s why it’s not displayed on the wall. It’s a false idol.”
In Judges 8:22 we first see some Israelites approach Gideon seeking to establish a hereditary monarchy. Gideon’s response seems to have become the orthodox thought of the faithful from that point forward. “But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.””
So when Samuel appointed his sons as judges (1 Sam. 8:1) it seems that he was taking matters into his own hands. Was he trying to establish a hereditary judgeship? He apparently didn’t even know his sons well enough to recognise their greed and corruption.
Man Installs a Charity Fridge Outside His Home
According to the BBC, the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, hoped that he could restore people’s dignity by sparing them from having to beg for food. And though he pays for the electricity to keep the icebox running, he isn’t filling the fridge alone. When friends and neighbors heard about the effort, they rushed to fill the shelves, not just with leftovers, but with freshly cooked meals for the hungry to access.
Watch an Entire Flight Sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Disabled Little Girl
With all the bleak news out there, it’s nice to occasionally remind ourselves that the world ain’t so bad. Take for instance this video of an entire Southwest Airlines flight not only singing “Happy Birthday” to a disabled 4-year-old girl, but somehow managing to turn the entire plane into a “birthday cake,” using flight attendant call buttons as the “candles” for her to blow out.