Wisdom for Your Weekend is your regular installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web. Presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from Pastor J.D., this is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
Video of the Week
Spoken Word on Martin Luther King, Jr., Isaac Adams. This is a powerful piece about the dignity of all human life and the enduring importance of Dr. King’s dream. “Dr. King’s body was gunned down, but not the dream. Ray’s bullet could have killed the man, but it couldn’t clip his wings. … Though Satan may destroy the body, God almighty thus far has seen fit to preserve the dream.”
Articles of the Week
Ten Rules to Read More Books This Year, Joel Miller. We’re still close enough to January 1 for you to be thinking about New Year’s resolutions, right? Hopefully by now you haven’t completely fallen off the wagon, and there’s still time for you to get in the groove of some new, helpful, healthy habits. If one of those is “Read more books”—as it should be—listen to Miller’s advice. I (Chris) particularly commend #2 (a recent switch for me), #4 (a drum we continue to beat round these parts), and #10 (a lesson I first learned from Pastor J.D.).
Millennials Can Leave Evangelicalism. But Not Its Pop Culture, Morgan Lee. Interesting reflections here about the Christian “pop culture” sub-culture we’ve created. Christianity in the United States is alone in its capacity to create a robust system of art and entertainment surrounding a particular religion. (Just try to find the Scientology music station.) And while the art we’ve produced has often been sub-par, it was wide-reaching, leading to a unique nostalgia—even among millennials who might otherwise ditch the whole scene.
Seven Rookie Errors for New Preachers , Dave Harvey. Even the best preachers out there would benefit from an honest look through this list. Not only are these seven errors troublesome, but they are incredibly easy to make. Preaching poorly is simple. As Harvey puts it, it’s just a matter of “starting wrong and sticking with it.” Break out of the rut, my friends.
Andy Savage’s Standing Ovation Was Heard Round the World. Because It Was Wrong, Ed Stetzer. “TIME magazine announced ‘The Silence Breakers’ as their 2017 Person of the Year. Oprah Winfrey drew widespread praise for her speech at the Golden Globes earlier this week, proclaiming, ‘The time is up’ for sexual harassers.
“All of this is good news. These stories are finally coming out of the dark.
“As I have written before—and will continue to speak out on—we cannot ignore the stories of these victims, even if we find ourselves numbed by the sheer quantity. The church must lead, not merely follow along, in support of all who have endured abuse, neglect, and injustice. This is at no time truer than when it hits home. This week it did.”
On the Lighter Side
Baby Names, John Crist. Our apologies to anyone named “Amber” and “Cody” out there.
