I am grateful to Boyce College for sponsoring the blog this week. They wanted you to learn why one pastor and parent trusts Boyce College, and though the article is not about me, I am glad to say that I am another pastor and parent who trusts the college and is thankful for it.
Today’s Kindle deals include a bit of a grab bag with lots of different options crossing lots of different genres.
(Yesterday on the blog: Invisible Grief)
Harder Is Not Always Holier: The Dangers of Abstaining From Pleasure
Tilly Dillehay: “When people’s consciences lead them to a stricter line than ours, a subtle question rises in our hearts: Am I wrong to do this? The burden of proof seems to fall not on the stricter position but on the more permissive one. Even if we rehearse all the reasons we concluded we could partake with a clear conscience and reaffirm, Yes, this is lawful and right for us, we may still feel on the defensive.” So why does the harder way often seem holier?
Is Claude My Friend?
As more and more people regard AI as a kind of friend or therapist, Brad considers whether this is wise or good. “They like to call themselves ‘AI labs,’ because it makes them sound all scientific and sophisticated, but in reality we are the AI labs—all of society, and especially our children. Although we would never allow a pharmaceutical company to simply try out a new mind-altering drug on the general public, for some reason we cheer and applaud when Silicon Valley does it.”
How Christians Can Out-Narrate Nietzsche
This is a thought-provoking consideration of Nietzsche’s influence on the world today. “Nietzsche attempted to break apart the foundations of Western moral history, which he believed had been distorted by Christianity, and then propose an alternative.”
Moving From Survivalist to Convictional Leadership
Pastors and other leaders may find a helpful challenge in this article. “This is when many pastors slip into survival mode without realizing it. Sermons get safer. Challenges become softer. Hard conversations get pushed out further. The goal becomes survival, not renewal…preservation, not transformation.”
The Songs I Once Found Dreary
Kara Dedert: “Pain in this fallen world can knock us off our feet. It comes uninvited with no apology. It undoes vital plans, good hopes, and even God-glorifying purposes. ‘In the world you will have tribulation,’ Jesus said (John 16:33). But this? The truths I believed felt suspended in the air, unable to hold me.”
Wild, Unorganized, and Totally Worth It
Jacob celebrates family life as wild, unorganized, and totally worth it.
Flashback: Do I Really Need To Suffer?
Should I want to suffer? It’s my desire to grow up in every way possible, to experience the greatest spiritual maturity. And, according to these trustworthy mentors, it seems like it can’t be had without pain.
When Satan tempts, God is always present, just as when God blesses, Satan is never absent.
—J.I. Packer
