Here is a collection of good reads gathered from across the internet this past week:
On prayer: 3 Tips for a Healthier Prayer Life by Joel Lindsey
Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar: You decide it’s time to pray, so you close your eyes. Fifteen seconds in, out of nowhere, tomorrow’s to-do list pops up and your thoughts are off on a tangent. Before long, you realize what’s happening, and by sheer force of the will, you get back to business. Before you know it, it has happened again. Now you’re definitely not praying, but doing a confused mix of worrying and problem solving. (click here to read more)
On craving and enjoying the glory of God: Chasing Sunsets by Becky Wilson
Oh, that I might treat the glory of God like a sunset! That I might crave its brilliance and long for its majestic beauty! That I might make every effort to move closer and closer to it, leaving behind every hindrance between us. That I might set aside every other task before me to chase after it, to bask in it and soak it in, to study every nuance and gaze past every distraction into its radiance. That I might long with all of my heart for others to experience it with me. And that I might carry in the very depths of my soul this constant desire: I wanna see the rest of it… (click here to read more)
On ways that we can glorify God: There Is No Better Life by Tim Challies
God does all things for his glory. If you can get this in your mind and into your heart, it will transform the way you look at the world and the way you live in the world. It will change everything. It will allow you to give up pride and position as long as God is glorified. It will allow you to give up lifelong dreams and treasured sins as long as God is glorified. It will even allow you to joyfully give up your life, firmly believing that God will be glorified. There is no better life than the life lived for the sake and the glory of God. (click here to read more)
On finding extraordinary joy in the ordinary things of life: Stop and Enjoy the Ordinary by Tom Schreiner
We give thanks to God for what he has called us to do. We thank him for the jobs we have. We don’t master life, and we don’t know what the days ahead will bring. But we put our trust in God, and eat and drink every day with joy. We give thanks for our daily bread. We find joy in the ordinary things of life: in taking walks, in exercising, in regularly attending church, and in meeting with friends. (click here to read more)
On avoiding the trap of constantly comparing ourselves to others: The Danger of Comparison by Trish Hedger
Recently I was sitting in the back of my mini-van with my 5 month-old after a 10-hour road trip. The truth is, I wasn’t thinking about my unwashed hair or the spit up (and coffee) on my clothes or the fact that I honestly couldn’t remember if I had put on makeup that morning. That is, I wasn’t thinking about it until I saw my beautiful friend walking up to say hello. For a half a second I wondered how tinted our windows were and if I should throw myself on the floor-board out of sight. Then I decided I was actually very happy to see my friend and I chuckled at life and myself as I watched her walk up with her washed hair blowing in the wind. I told my comparisons to hush and enjoyed a chat with a dear friend. (click here to read more)
First Baptist Church 