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
How Radically Ordinary Hospitality Changed My Life, Rosaria Butterfield. “Hospitality is the ground-zero of the Christian faith. It takes strangers and makes them neighbors; it takes neighbors and makes them the family of God.” We’ve heard some amazing things about Butterfield’s new book, The Gospel Comes with a House Key. And this video has clinched it for us: We’re reading this one this summer.
Articles of the Week
When Motherhood Feels Like Death, Courtney Reissig. “There’s not a lot of obvious glory in the job description for motherhood. And that’s okay.” What a beautiful and candid reflection on the sacrifice of parenthood. There is glory in the mundane, but that glory is inextricably bound up in sacrifice and death. Yet, through the humbling and painful process of parenthood, we follow the way of Christ, who embraced death so that we could share in his life. What higher calling could there be than following Jesus on the path to Calvary?
How Not to Fight Pornography, David Briones. The true struggle against pornography should never be limited to one quick fix. Fortunately, the Bible not only addresses the root causes of pornography, but provides a multitude of resources to help us win the battle against it. Cherish both God’s warnings and God’s promises and change will be possible.
More Pressing than Women Preachers, Jen Wilkin. This one is from a few years back, but it remains relevant, as Wilkin points out, “since many seem to have a habit of confusing a simple plea for women in leadership as a secret ploy for women’s ordination.” Are we doing everything we can to encourage, equip, and empower women to leadership in ministry? To fail to do so not only demeans our women; it also cheapens the ministry of the church.
When Your Son Needs Fatherly Approval, David McLemore. I (Chris) assume that McLemore limited his scope to sons because he’s got three of his own. But everything he says about the need for fatherly approval applies to daughters as well. It is tragically common for fathers to be stingy with their praise, assuming that their children will know they are affirmed and approved. What if, instead, we were generous in the ways we poured out approval for our children?
On the Lighter Side
Honest VBS Volunteer, John Crist. Is it time to just rename “On the Lighter Side” more honestly as “Fridays with John Crist”?
