Here is a collection of good reads gathered from across the internet this week:
On thanksgiving and worship: Thanksgiving Starts on Sunday by Matt Boswell
When we gather together to worship, something wonderful is happening in us. While opening the Scriptures, singing, praying, and giving our offerings, a formation is underway: God is performing the slow and steady work of making us a thankful people. (click here to read more)
On the fight against sin: Keep Fighting by Adam Ford
Ford drew a comic that serves as an awesome reminder of our fight against sin: Click here to read the comic.
On the church and the refugee crisis: Building HIs Church in a Refugee Crisis by David Crabb
To the average person at the library that morning, Stephanie and Fatimah couldn’t have seemed more different. They had radically different upbringings, spoke different languages, and dressed and acted differently. Stephanie is an evangelical Christian. Fatimah is a Sunni Muslim. And yet, because they share a common humanity, they are remarkably similar. They laughed as they talked about raising toddlers, swapped pregnancy and birthing stories, and shared tips on their favorite local parks and restaurants. Towards the end of their conversation, Fatimah shared that she was lonely most days. Stephanie invited her over for lunch and exchanged contact information with her.
And so, because of a bloody, senseless civil war, a Muslim from a remote village in North Africa found herself forging a new friendship with a Christian. By every account, her life seems a tragedy. She’s certainly a victim of great evil. But what is equally clear, for those with eyes to see, is that God is up to something good. (click here to read more)
On faith when God seems distant or asleep: Jesus Fell Asleep by Wendy Alsup
But as time goes on and I can look back, I recognize that He really seemed asleep because He was at complete peace in how He was moving in my life—what He was teaching me and how the circumstances would resolve for His purposes in my life. He didn’t give me direction for a year because it was the absolute lack of direction that would funnel me into His next steps for my life. (click here to read more)
On the goodness of Scripture: Why You Shouldn’t Just Believe the Bible is True by Owen Strachan
The truthfulness of Scripture is a perpetual issue for evangelicals. Today, however, the church faces a related challenge: the goodness of Scripture. We are being asked at every turn to prove why Scripture’s perspective is morally sound. If the preeminent question of past generations was “Is the Bible true?,” today we’re being asked “Is the Bible good?” Sure, Scripture may have epistemic authority. But does it have moral authority? (click here to read more)
First Baptist Church 