A La Carte (4/30)

A Deeply Needy People – “Have you ever considered why there are so many diverse spiritual gifts in the body of Christ? … As I’ve reflected on this diversity of gifts, it comes to my mind how significant they are to the promise of Christ to build His church. His ongoing work extends through the ministry of His Spirit to and through His body in order to minister to the needs of the saints, strengthening them in faith. Simply put, the diversity of spiritual gifts reveals the incredible depth of our need.”

What If Life Was Complex? – I love it when Carl Trueman roasts us (all of us!) and he does it well in this thought experiment.

Playing It Safe? – I enjoyed reading Darryl’s reflections on a famous parable. “For the past couple of years, I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus’ famous parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). It’s been one of those passages I can’t get out of my mind.”

The Tender King of Kings – “Sometimes in conversation we hear ourselves describe a person that we love, and as our unedited thoughts leave our lips we realize anew why it is that we love this person so.”

Surveillance after Boston – “We were living in an age of surveillance before the Boston Marathon bombing, but the event and its investigation produced calls for much greater monitoring of our cities and our lives.” Time will tell what laws and rules come about as a result of the bombing.

If People Don’t Remember Your Sermons – This is a bit of a cheeky look at preaching, but I think he’s on to something. He wants you to know that it doesn’t matter if people don’t remember your sermons.

The Alien World of the Bible – This short reflection is well worth reading. It takes issue with a statement like this: “The world of the Bible is not our world—its context, language, customs, knowledge, beliefs and social systems are far from those we experience in the twenty-first century. It is in many respects an alien world, where it is easy to become lost or confused.”