Here is a collection of links to good reads gathered over this past week:
Help Me Face Today by Amanda Knoke http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/help-me-face-today
What did the temptation to fear look like for the One who identified with us in every way, yet was without sin? With the cross before him and complete separation from his Father, how was Jesus able to avoid sinful fear? He cried out to his Father.
On sexuality: The Dead End of Sexual Sin by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-dead-end-of-sexual-sin
Conversion brought with it a train wreck of contradictory feelings, ranging from liberty to shame. Conversion also left me confused. While it was clear that God forbade sex outside of biblical marriage, it was not clear to me what I should do with the complex matrix of desires and attractions, sensibilities and senses of self that churned within and still defined me.
On evangelism: Remembering Who You Were by Mike Leake http://www.mikeleake.net/2015/04/remembering-who-you-were.html
Rather than throwing stones at the world and distancing himself from the emptiness, Newton went back to where he once was. He put himself in the place of the lost person and allowed himself to feel the weight and burden of this lostness again. He did this so he could appeal to them to come to Christ and find rest.
On children and the church experience: Helping Children Benefit from the Sermon by Erik Raymond http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erikraymond/2015/03/31/helping-kids-to-benefit-from-the-sermon/
Read the Passage as a family before Sunday morning. This is easy and so very important. They hear the passage read by Dad or Mom and see your commitment to the Word of God. This goes further than you can imagine.
On the purpose of church buildings: Church Buildings Should Serve People, Not Vice Versa by Karl Vaters http://newsmallchurch.com/church-building-should-serve-people/
It’s because we have a mission to love God and serve the people in our community. That’s what using our building to fulfill our mission looks like for our church. It will look different for your church and your community. But maybe what we’ve done can inspire other churches to imagine what putting people ahead of their building might look like for them.
First Baptist Church 