Here is a collection of good reads gathered from across the internet this past week. Enjoy!
On anger and parenting: When Anger Rears Its Ugly Head by Christina Fox
As I watch both of our children battle against the very same anger their parents both fight with, I feel afraid. I hear stories of friends who as children crawled into bed with a sibling or locked themselves in another room when their parents argued, and I want to take action, because this cannot be the story my children are going to tell. So, I read blogs and vow to change. I seek counsel from wise people who can give me a plan–something I can get started on today, something that will work. And whatever I settle on works for a little while, until it doesn’t. Failure. Shame. Condemnation. More resolutions. I’m right back where I started, and the cycle continues.
It happened again, at the end of a very long day with our young children, when my husband called on his way home from work and asked me how I was. I told him. And it wasn’t pretty. And when he got home I told him again. It was loud, it was thoughtless, and our kids witnessed it all. I almost believed the evil one again, but right on the verge of despair the Spirit was so gracious and reminded me of Romans 7-8, nudging me to read it out loud. (click here to read more)
On adoption: Adopted to Show Them the Image of God by Lisa Blanco
The children who have come to us are asking to be shown a God who will never forsake them. They need this, not just in words, but in our healthy touch, our immediate arrival upon their cries, our endless reminders of our love for them, and our willingness to start over no matter how many tantrums or how much time they take from us.
Whether their experience was fearful neglect, horrific abuse, or anything in between, the effects on these children are clear. Life for them had to be an “all about me” perspective. When you see your caregivers on auto-pilot most of the time, then yes, it had to be about “how to take care of me”.
Now they’re in our homes. We know they’ve been brought to safety, but they don’t know that yet. As we teach them to not take their anger out on our children, or break the T.V, we remember they’re in immense need of healing – a healing that’s beyond a few lectures or time-outs. (click here to read more)
On faith and contentment in the face of hardship: Contentment in Trials: How God Prepared Us for a Brain Tumor by Nancy Wilson
So, now what? Do I believe what I wrote about being content in our good God? Absolutely. He will never leave us or forsake us. He wants us to exercise our faith and lean on him, and this happens most when we are in the midst of trial. As God tests us, he wants us to test him, to see if he is as faithful as he promised. And he is. He wants us to have practice knowing that our lives are governed entirely by his wisdom and grace.
God knows what he is about, and he’s told us what to do: we are to cast our cares on him (1 Peter 5:7), set our minds on things above where Christ is (Colossians 3:1–2), and walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). And on top of this, he wants us to rejoice in all things, giving thanks for everything (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). This is not amazing, super-special Christian living. This is basic Christian living. (click here to read more)
On hospitality: Creating a Culture of Hospitality by Bryan Elliff
Church doesn’t just happen on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. We all know that. In our busy and self-isolating culture, we have to make intentional, personal contact with each other if we want to be a real community. But how do we do it? Let me suggest one centuries-old method: invite people over.
There is something bonding about being in someone’s house. You enter their world. You see their interests and their style of life. You see their kids schedules and get a feel for some of the daily challenges they face. In other words, you step beyond the neutral-site church meetings and begin to understand them in context. That’s why a church whose members invite each other over can develop a stronger community. (click here to read more)
First Baptist Church 