There are a few Kindle deals worth checking out. We’ll hope for more as a new month begins.
(Yesterday on the blog: If the Bible Is Wrong, I’m So, So Wrong)
Faith, Friendship, and Tragedy at Santa Fe High
This is a powerful read. It’s beautiful, and tragic, and so very well told.
How to Fall in Ministry: And What to Do if You Do
Jared Wilson: “Each time it happens, we get less adept at incredulity, less inclined to outrage and distress. We’re not happy about it, of course, but we are, sadly, getting used to it. Then the backward troubleshooting begins, the diagnosing of sicknesses long after the deaths. Ministry post-mortems tell us so much, but it would be great if we could see the falls coming. But can’t we?”
Six Characteristics of Pastors You Need to Avoid
And, in a similar vein: “The church today needs pastors who will faithfully represent Jesus in their preaching and lifestyles. If you sit under this type of ministry, give thanks to God. If you’re not sure whether you do, here are six characteristics of pastors you need to avoid…”
Chinese Christians in Kenya
CNN has an interesting article on the growing Chinese churches in Kenya.”Every Sunday morning in an affluent suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, the soaring song of Chinese hymns fills the empty corridors of a Monday-to-Friday office block.”
When Christian Controversy Loses the Gospel
“It is in these very moments that the gospel comes to bear. The gospel of Jesus Christ speaks not only to our agreement in Christ, but it also guides how we disagree in Christ. Disagreeing with another brother or sister is not inherently wrong, nor is it off-limits to publicly call that brother or sister to account for their actions or views.”
When a Country Bans Social Media
Here’s an interesting look on how Facebook in North America is not quite the same as Facebook in Sri Lanka (or many other places). “Sri Lanka’s ban on social media carries an implicit, and crucial, assumption: that the internet can produce good and ill effects, but its fundamental structure—a global information network that works more or less the same anywhere on Earth—is an unimpeachable given. But what if it’s not? What if the very fact of a global social network is impossible?”
Millennials Tried to Kill the American Mall, But Gen Z Might Save It
It’s hard to tell if Gen Z is creating trends or being manipulated into them. “They’ve shunned beer, they want companies to take political stands and they trust Kardashians to make their makeup choices. But perhaps the biggest surprise about this new cohort of teenagers is the most unexpected of all: They love the shopping mall.”
Flashback: Protect Your Church in One Simple Step
The church that remains faithful to God is the church that remains faithful to the Word of God. The healthy church is the preaching church.
All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose he has given them.
—Oswald Chambers
