W4YW: Giving Up Alcohol, Terrible Grad Speeches & Ready For Marriage

Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading around the web.

Infographic of the Week

The 10 Least Popular Books of the Bible, The Overview Bible Project. What in the world is Jonah doing on this list? Jonah is awesome! The 2-3 paragraph summaries of each book included with this infographic are superb, as is the analysis for why these end up at the bottom of the barrel.

Articles of the Week

Why I Gave Up Alcohol, D. L. Mayfield. “My peers, most of them traveling along upwardly mobile career paths, constantly reference alcohol, especially on social media. Posting pictures of a frothy, dark Guinness. Tweeting about needing a glass of wine after a long day with a toddler. Hosting a birthday party in a hipster whiskey bar. Churches are hosting small groups like “Think and Drinks,” talking theology over craft beer. And with every picture, tweet, and event that centers on alcohol, I wonder: Isn’t anyone friends with alcoholics?

Six Lies Grads Will Be Told, Mike Leake. Most graduation speeches follow the same format. And they are filled with inspirational quotes and silly sayings that somebody’s mom will post on Facebook three years later with pretty little flowers and a demand to share. Or maybe the saying will be really good and you’ll see it on one of those overpriced placards that people buy to put in their storage sheds. Usually the graduates are just lied to. Here are six lies they’ll likely be told.”

What I’ve Learned in 20 Years of Marriage, Russell Moore. Here are excellent words for all those wondering if they are “ready” for marriage (or, for that matter, for children, for adoption, etc.). As Russ Moore points out, he certainly wasn’t ready. Most important moments in life aren’t ones you can really be ready for. But the answer isn’t to prep more: it’s to see marriage as God sees it.

Do You Listen When You Apologize? Alisdair Groves. Apologies require us to say something. It could be something as simple as “I’m sorry” or “I shouldn’t have done that to you. Will you forgive me?” All of this is as it should be. But sometimes even wise, appropriate words like these miss a crucial step in the process of reconciliation. That crucial step is listening. When you apologize, it’s as important to listen as it is to speak.” 

On The Lighter Side

If you care for angels at all, then you shouldn’t be retweeting compliments about yourself.