This is my Kindle-free week. Things should be back to normal by Monday.
4 Reasons to Stop Grumbling
“The Bible shows that grumbling has been a problem for humans for a very long time—and that it’s not acceptable for Christians. Here are four biblical reasons why we should stick a lid on our complaints.” We probably all need a bit of help with this.
Why I Wish We Hadn’t Lived Together Before Marriage
These are just a few of the many very good reasons not to cohabit before marriage. “There was a lot I didn’t know at 19 (there’s a lot I still don’t know). While I wish we started our relationship differently, I’m thankful for what God has taught us through it. Eventually we did get married. But if I could sit down with a similar, bright-eyed 19-year-old girl, here are the reasons I’d tell her why I wish my husband and I hadn’t moved in together before tying the knot.”
Do Your Sermons Make Your Congregation Think You’re Angry?
It is important to call your congregation to obedience to God, but also important to commend God’s grace in their lives. “While our responsibility as preachers is to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness, to equip the saints for good works, I’m not convinced that every sermon needs to start out with such stern exhortation. Perhaps we could be more gentle as we begin our sermons and praise our listeners before we correct them.”
The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet
It’s important to know who has the most influence over society. TIME rounds up their picks for those who have the most influence online.
Inside China’s “Thought Transformation” Camps (Video)
Here’s just some of what goes on inside China’s camps.
The Faithfulness of Christ in the Little Things
Sinclair Ferguson: “It is a principle in Christ’s kingdom that ‘one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much’ (Luke 16:10). But in that kingdom, the Lord Jesus also practiced what He preached. His whole life illustrated ‘little-things faithfulness.’ The theme merits book-length treatment, and this brief essay is intended simply to encourage us all to notice some of the little things we may have tended to overlook in the life of the Savior.”
Katy – A Scottish Single Mother’s Story (Video)
Learn about Katy and what the Lord has done in her life.
Flashback: The Lingering Stench of Sin
We ought to labor to find the best possible solutions, to bring the deepest and truest healing. But we simply can’t expect there will be perfect solutions to messy problems. Not on this side of heaven, at least. The stink of sin always lingers.
The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed. He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland. You will certainly not turn goats into sheep by pandering to their goatishness.
—William Still
