Saturday Snippets (January 9)

As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…

Opinion: Covid-19 Represents an Existential Crisis for the Church

Very thought provoking article from a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, worth a read. This article will challenge your views on the church and maybe your response to COVID and lockdowns.

WHAT TERMINAL CANCER TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE

“Living with cancer can be terrifying: the sword of Damocles dangles over my head. I have been fortunate in getting longer than my initial diagnosis suggested. Still, I know that my days are numbered. I have scans every couple of months. Each test brings with it an anxious wait for results. Yet cancer also brings with it the unexpected; a simple joy at being alive. Each day that comes is a blessing.”

A Call for Content Creators to Cultivate Discernment

“why should we worry about getting the tone and the content right when we know fewer people will read an article if we write with discernment? We bother because God is God, and on the day of judgment we will give an account for every careless word we have ever blogged (Matt 12:36). In the section of his epistle on our inability to tame our tongue, James writes that not many should become teachers, for we will be judged more strictly (3:1). In the same way, not many of us should become bloggers, let alone discernment bloggers.”

Do Not Build Your Faith On The Sand

“building our faith on the sand will lead to pain, discouragement and disaster. It can mean that we put our faith in political leaders, in church leaders, in experiences and in everything else under the sun. Each of those things has an end date. The gospel does not. The Son of God has no end date. The Word of the Lord will not pass away. Build your faith on the solid rock that is Christ, only in Him and through Him will you be secure through the storms of life that will come your way.”

The State of Theology

Every two years survey results are published that unpack the state of theology amongst church members in the US. This article unpacks the 31 questions to help the reader understand the orthodox Christian views on some theological and ethical issues. Really interesting.

Want to Read Your Bible Well in 2021? Don’t Do It Alone.

“Christianity is not a solo sport, thankfully. It is a community project, a team effort.”

Why Is There Only One Way To Heaven?

“Ultimately, there is only one way into relationship with God because there is only one way out of relationship with God—sin. There is only one way to heaven because there’s only one way to hell—rebellion. There is only one way to be saved because there is only one kind of person who needs to be saved—sinful rebels like you and me. The only path to heaven leads through the only Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Heavenly Helps for Pastoral Problems: 7 Ways Heaven Helps Us Overcome Challenges in Ministry

“As pastors, the reality of heaven shapes our ministry. Of course, we know we are laboring for eternal ends. Yet I fear that for many pastors (myself included), “heaven” has yet to step out of the ethereal and theoretical of the next world and into the physical and practical matters of this world. But in Scripture, future glory is intended to have a profound impact on our current ministries.”

John Piper Talks Books

It’s a long one to listen to, just shy of 1 and a half hours, but I always enjoy listening to other peoples reading lists, books they’ve written and books they come back to again and again.