[Reminder about the links: I should repeat that I don’t necessarily agree with everything said in the links I provide. I may not agree with any of it! I try to provide links to things that I find interesting and thought-provoking. Thanks for reading!]
Debunking the Fourth: Top 10 Unsightly Facts about the American Revolution
W.R. Inge once wrote, “A nation is a society united by a delusion about its ancestry and a common fear of its neighbors.” One need look no further than the American Revolution to see that this claim has merit. This week a lot of American Christians are experiencing a patriotic fervor that’s premised upon historical falsehoods concerning our country’s origin.
For far too long the church has fooled itself thinking it can walk with one foot in the new world to come, the kingdom of God, and the other foot in a kingdom that will not stand. All the while, the left and right of American culture, which are nothing more than different sides of the same secular coin, are more than happy to have the church its corner so long as the church accommodates itself to their ideologies and means of achieving those aims.
3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don’t Leave the Church
It’s hard to sort through the various reports and find the real story. And there is no one easy solution for bringing all of those “lost” kids back into the church, other than continuing to pray for them and speaking the gospel into their lives. However, we can all look at the 20-somethings in our churches who are engaged and involved in ministry. What is it that sets apart the kids who stay in the church?
I want to forgive Paula, mostly, because I’ve been forgiven of so much. Not just words but actions .. and inactions when there should have been actions. I have no doubt that legions of her fans, of every hue, will forgive her and love her. But I really want my reason to love her and forgive her to be because Jesus has forgiven me over and over. He paid a terrible price to redeem me because I couldn’t control my tongue, or my thoughts. Jesus’ blood brought about the forgiveness I needed because I refused to control myself and because the list of my sins and shortcomings is so long that I could never fix it myself.
Kirsten Powers: I Don’t Stand With Wendy Davis
If the majority of Americans oppose elective late-term abortion, why do we have Davis complaining to CBS’s Bob Schieffer that the male politicians who are championing the late-term abortion ban are “bullying women”? Maybe it’s she who is bullying the rest of us into supporting a view that is mocked by scientific advancement; namely 3-D sonograms. Maybe we should be thankful for the men and wonder what is wrong with the women who think protecting the right to abort your baby for any reason up to the 26th week is a “human right.”
Finding the Right Words for God’s Word
When I first went to Papua New Guinea, I was committed to translating God’s Word as faithfully and as accurately as possible. I thought I had a good idea of what that meant, but I quickly realized that I had oversimplified the actual task of Bible translation. I heard people articulate proposed standards for faithfulness and accuracy. But I found that many of those standards are based on English grammatical features that do not exist in Lamogai or many other languages. So, if those standards are really God’s universal standards, then Lamogai would automatically be disqualified from having a faithful and accurate translation.
How a Biblical Worldview Shapes the Way We Teach Our Children
What this means for followers of Jesus is that every child is far more than a child. Every child is a potential or actual brother or sister in Christ; each one is an eternal soul whose days will long outlast the rise and fall of all the kingdoms of the earth. They and their children and their children’s children will flit ever so briefly across the face of this earth before being swept away into eternity (James 4:14).
Seven (Hopefully) Helpful Hints after Seven Months of Visiting Churches
Though I’ve not been a church consultant for several years, I do seem to see churches through consultant’s eyes. That reality has been especially apparent as I visited many churches during the past seven months. So, even if I am the guest preacher, I enter the church grounds as a guest. I drive my own rental car, and I have to find parking and entrances just like everyone else.
So what have I found these past seven months? I could give you a fairly extensive consultation report about the churches, but I prefer to distill my words into just a few helpful hints.
Ira Glass: Christians Are Horribly Covered by the Media
In this interview with spiritual anthropologist Jim Henderson, This American Life host and professed atheist Ira Glass says he thinks Christians get a really bad rap in the media. The NPR star said the way Christians are often portrayed in pop-culture is totally different from the way the Christians he knows personally actually are in real life.
News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier
Society needs journalism – but in a different way. Investigative journalism is always relevant. We need reporting that polices our institutions and uncovers truth. But important findings don’t have to arrive in the form of news. Long journal articles and in-depth books are good, too.
I have now gone without news for four years, so I can see, feel and report the effects of this freedom first-hand: less disruption, less anxiety, deeper thinking, more time, more insights. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
In our culture, making more money feels like winning, and winning feels like the point.
Five Simple Ways to Get More People to Read What You Write
All writers want someone to read what we write. We may not admit this openly, we may dress up our explanations of why we write in more noble sounding language, but the bottom line is: we want to be read.
Book Titles With One Letter Missing (20 Pics)
The hashtag #bookswithalettermissing was trending on Twitter. In response, user @darth decided to do us all a favor and Photoshop some of the best entries.
OK, so this one gets special billing. My daughter started blogging… and she writes very well. Enjoy!
Hello, My Name is Child of the One True King
I knew God was proud of me, too. But actually hearing those words and knowing it was God speaking through this man, straight to me, was a completely different story.
Thanks for the linkup Tim! You always provide quality links…not sure how mine slipped in there, but I’m thankful!