Today’s Kindle deals include some good titles from Crossway (as well as another book or two). Also, The Good Book Company has a free e-book for you in exchange for your email address.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Beauty of a Gentle Heart)
Sexual Abuse in Student Ministry
A lot of abuse happens in and around youth ministry. “Student ministry should be a safe haven for students in a dark world. But in some churches, the student ministry is a prime place for predators to groom and abuse their victims.” This article offers some observations and solutions meant to protect vulnerable young people.
Be Gentle So That God May Grant Repentance
“Paul writes to Timothy, encouraging him and explaining how Timothy ought to defend his flock against false teachers (2 Tim 2:14–19). Two particularly troublesome men, Hymenaeus and Philetus, had wrongly claimed that the resurrection already happened (2 Tim 2:18). His advice to Timothy, however, is somewhat counter-cultural for us today.” Indeed. Let’s learn to be gentle!
What is the Difference Between Bees, Wasps, and Hornets? (Video)
I expect you’ve wondered this before. Here’s a short video to provide an answer.
Our Culture of Contempt
I think there are a lot of really good takeaways for Christians from this article. “People often say that our problem in America today is incivility or intolerance. This is incorrect. Motive attribution asymmetry leads to something far worse: contempt, which is a noxious brew of anger and disgust. And not just contempt for other people’s ideas, but also for other people. In the words of the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, contempt is ‘the unsullied conviction of the worthlessness of another.’”
Why I “Youth Group”
“I’m in my 50s, and any cool I may have had is long gone. So why am I in the midst of my ninth year running our church’s youth group? The simple answer is because I love the kids and I believe it is a valuable ministry that God is using.” I appreciate this moderate position that eschews the extremes of youth ministry being everything and youth ministry being nothing.
Has Christian Apologetics Failed?
What a fascinating article on apologetics! “In the past year, I have been writing extensively about the Jordan Peterson phenomenon and what the Church can take away from it. As I and friends of mine have observed, Peterson’s rise has been sparking a surprising and heartening renewal of interest in spiritual things generally and Christianity specifically. … Today, I want to look at one specific sub-question that Peterson’s rise has induced in some of my discussion circles: Has Christian apologetics failed?”
High School Wrestler Forfeits Final Match Rather Than Face a Girl at Colorado State Tournament
I consider this young man’s actions honorable. Why did he forfeit rather than wrestle a girl? “Because he didn’t want to ‘treat a young lady like that on the mat.’I’m not really comfortable with a couple of things with wrestling a girl,’ Johnston told the Denver Post. ‘The physical contact, there’s a lot of it in wrestling. And I guess the physical aggression, too. I don’t want to treat a young lady like that on the mat. Or off the mat. And not to disrespect the heart or the effort that she’s put in. That’s not what I want to do, either.’”
Flashback: It’s Not Just Sabbatarians Who Need Sabbath
Sabbath reminds us that we cannot do it all, and that we do not have to do it all. As we acknowledge our weakness, we learn to lean upon God’s strength.
The Father’s very identity consists in his love for the Son, and so when we love the Son we reflect what is most characteristic about the Father.
—Michael Reeves
