Here is a collection of good reads from various sites and blogs from this past week:
On dealing with sin in our lives: The Sins We Don’t Speak Of by Courtney Reissig (click here)
I don’t know what your forgotten, unspeakable sin is. But I know mine. I know that even after years of victory it can come back without any warning, reminding me that I am still in need of a great Savior.
On the Christian’s view of work: Christian, Your Job is a Ministry Job by Jon Bloom (click here)
In other words, Christians who serve in “secular” vocations are the ones who do most of the ministry and kingdom-expansion work that happens in the world. It’s the job of vocational ministers to equip these folks so they can do their various ministries effectively.
On the meaningful moments in life: The Fullness of Empty Spaces by Becky Wilson (click here)
Meaningful moments of fullness in all those empty spaces—each attached to a person, a relationship, in many cases someone I now consider family. Bitter to leave them? Well, sure. Of course. But how sweet of God to give them to me in the first place! And how sweet to know He wants to do it again!
On teenagers and smartphones: Letter to Teens Unboxing Their First Smartphone by Tim Challies (click here)
Technology is a gift from God. When we read the Bible, we find that at the beginning of time, God created two people, naked and alone in a little garden, and gave them a worldwide task: to spread out across this world and exercise dominion over it. In order to do that, they would need to invent technologies…. Unfortunately, there is far more to the story.
About hypocrisy and honesty: The Cure for Hypocrisy by Tyler Edwards (click here)
But, the reality is, we’re not hypocrites because of what we say or because of what we do—we’re hypocrites when we hide our faults and try to act like we’ve got it all figured out. It’s easy to fall into this trap. Sometimes we start to think that God’s love is based on our performance. How often do we get in the car on Sunday morning and everyone’s fighting and yelling. From our house to the church it’s chaos, but when we walk through the doors, we are suddenly transformed from Mad Max in the Thunderdome to the Brady Bunch.
First Baptist Church 