Happy 500th Reformation Day and Happy Halloween! I hope you and yours have a safe and memory making 24 hours filled with candy and fun. This is the post where I share anything noteworthy I have been reading this month. Lots of great blog posts below to ponder on and read from this month.
Don’t Waste the Darkness
“These are the lessons that Halloween can teach us: the darkness is real, it’s relative, and it’s routed. But this is why, traditionally, All Hallows Eve was followed by All Hallows Day (also known as All Saints Day). That’s how it was meant to be. In modern times, though, we seem to have lost our confidence in the day.”
The Gospel Coalition Reformation 500 Statement
“Wherever we find Scripture alone as the highest and final authority, grace alone as the only hope for resurrecting spiritually dead sinners, faith alone as the only instrument by which we are joined to Christ and justified by the imputation of his righteousness, Christ alone as the only atoning sacrifice for sin, and God alone as the ultimate object of our worship—wherever we find these truths sung, savored, and celebrated, we have reason to rejoice in the Reformation.”
Let’s Get Real About Women’s Discipleship
I really appreciated this. “I know too many women who are desperately holding out for a discipler that looks more like a unicorn than an actual human being. In our minds we sometimes conjure up this image of what sort of woman we want pouring wisdom into us: at least twenty years older, maybe she’s the pastor’s wife or women’s ministry leader; she’s got kids, preferably a lot of them. Yet this older woman with a pastor husband, a women’s ministry to run, and a bunch of kids to raise can magically find the time to meet with us three times a week at a coffee shop to read the Bible.”
Where Are You on the Adultery Trail?
After reading this extract from Tim Chester’s new book, 2 Samuel for You, I added it to my book list for next year. Here he reflects on how physical adultery springs out of two other, less recognised adulteries.
Letter to a Church Member (or a Letter to Myself)
“Your church is here, not to give you a good self-image, but to give you a true self-image.”
God is With You in Your Panic Attack
As a person who has suffered from panic attacks in the past this post offered many helpful suggestions that I have used myself. “God hasn’t given me a shortcut through panic. He cares more for my long-term growth than for quick fixes that bring momentary relief but leave me unchanged. Along the way, He has graciously equipped me with some very helpful handles—ways to turning to Him physically and emotionally—that minimize the frequency and severity of my panic attacks. (I’m not a doctor, so I’ll leave issues of medication, exercise, and diet in the hands of the professionals.)”
How a Church Can Help or Harm a Newly Adoptive Family
I really love this honest post on ways that church members and attendees can be a blessing to newly adoptive families. There are great nuggets of truth here. If you are unfamiliar with the “cocooning” that takes place after adoption and how to be a blessing to a family walking this path this is a must read! Plus there is a helpful list at the end of what not to say to an adoptive family.
Is it Really God Speaking to You?
“I’ve prayed about this and I really feel like God told me that it would be okay. Those were the words that I heard when a young lady informed me that she was leaving her husband in order to live with another dude. She was happier with the other guy. She knew that God didn’t want her to be unhappy and so as she prayed that voice in her head confirmed that she had permission from the Almighty.”
Christian Yoga is Happening and Old School Yogi’s aren’t Thrilled
“Yoga’s been shown to be good for the mind and body. Now, devout Christians are making yoga good for their souls, too. In order to feel comfortable taking to the mats, churchgoers have had to make the centuries-old practice gel better with their belief system.”
To read why I stopped teaching “Chrisitan” yoga click HERE.
