Here is a collection of good reads gathered from across the internet this past week. Enjoy!
On living for Christ through your work: Labor for Christ in the Workplace by Matt Moore
As I grew to understand that God laid claim on my entire life and desired to redeem every area for his glory and purposes, everything—including my job—began to take on a different light. I realized that performing my job duties well was actually an act of worship (Colossians 3:23, Ephesians 6:7). Being mindful of God as I worked with integrity brought glory to God, and realizing this gave the day-to-day tasks of running a gym new meaning for me. But what was even more transformative was realizing God had put me in that position mainly for the purpose of mission.
He placed me smack dab in the middle of a multitude of unbelievers whom I was to talk with and befriend (per my employer’s wishes!). As general manager of the club, it was my primary responsibility to cultivate a sense of community where everyone felt welcomed and accepted. I was to spend the majority of my time getting to know the members, initiating friendships, and connecting members with other members. My eyes were finally opened to the most amazing thing I had been blind to for years: my job was a breeding ground for relational evangelism! (click here to read more)
On life and death: Live Like a Person Who Will Soon Be Dead by Adam Ford
A great webcomic on death and how Christians should live knowing what we know about death, at adam4d. (click here to read more)
On helping your children (sons, especially) avoid the traps of pornography: 5 Sure-Fire Ways to Motivate Your Son to Use Pornography by Rick Thomas
Before I get into five sure-fire ways to motivate your son to use pornography, let me establish two important points. First, no parents want their child to become involved in porn. We all can agree. The problem for many of us is we don’t understand the insidious allurement of pornography and how our behavior, though unintentional, can help shape a child to crave something that can lead him into a lifetime of slavery.
Second, porn for a man isn’t primarily about the physicality of a woman. A woman’s appearance is an external magnet for the eye to enjoy, but the greater problem for the man are his insatiable mental cravings. Porn is first and foremost about the theater of the mind, where the young male can enter into his virtual world and be king for a day—or, in this case, king for a few minutes—as he satiates his mind with the risk-free intrigue of the cyber conquest.
And in most cases, the porn addict’s allurement began in the theater of his mind while he was a child. This is a consistent pattern I’ve seen in counseling. You’ll see in my five sure-fire ways to motivate your child to use porn how any child can be in porn training without his parents realizing it. (click here to read more)
On older women mentoring younger women in the church: Why Older Women Must Invest in Younger Women in Your Church by Chuck Lawless
Many younger women have had few or no healthy female role models in their life. Mothers have a unique bond with their children, but not every mother is a model of godliness. Some young women are still waiting to become close friends with a godly female. (click here to read more)
On investing in younger men in the church (a companion piece to the post on women above): 10 Ways to Minister to Young Men in Your Church by Chuck Lawless
Take a walk with him. That probably sounds too emotionally driven, but here’s the point: if you’re willing to just hang out with a young man, I’m certain you’ll find somebody who’s been waiting for such an opportunity. Go to a game together. Share a hobby. Take a camping trip. Hike together. (click here to read more)
First Baptist Church 