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 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.”
While we do not always agree with everything these authors post, we share these resources because we find them challenging and enriching. As we often say around the Summit, “Eat the fish and spit out the bones.”
Articles of the Week
Seven Ways to Preach an Ineffective Sermon, Adrian Reynolds. Chances are, preachers don’t choose any of these ineffective sermons. But every preacher is prone to one of them. And most preachers, if they’re honest, will let you know they’ve done just about each of these at some point. Don’t despair: Let Reynolds lay your heart bare, and get back to the task with renewed desperation and prayer!
PreachersNSneakers and Pastors as Lifestyle Brands, Tim Challies. You know a social media phenomenon has gotten big when even I know about it. The Instagram account, PreachersNSneakers, takes photographs of well-known preachers and identifies the price of their shoes (or some other garment). Generally, the price tag is rather gaudy. But Challies turns the target, uneasily, back on ourselves: “I don’t think God gives a rip about labels, but I’m convinced he cares a great deal for the heart behind the labels.” Clothing matters, but character matters much more.
Digital Addiction Getting You Down? Try an Analog Cure, Cal Newport. If we haven’t convinced you already by commending Tony Reinke’s 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You or Andy Crouch’s Tech-wise Family, allow Newport to hop on the bandwagon. Our leisure time matters, yet many of us pour that time into digital devices, devices that are intentionally designed to keep us attached to them. What you do with your spare time matters, and your life should be bigger than a screen. So take the plunge into analog. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.
Why Is It Inappropriate (and Dangerous) to Alert an Alleged Offender of Abuse Before Calling CPS and/or the Police? Brad Hambrick. Scriptural texts like Matthew 18:15–17 and 1 Corinthians 6:1–8 are often brought up as reasons to confront an abuser before calling the authorities. Hambrick shows why this approach does violence not only to thee two passages, but to real, flesh-and-blood people.
A French Evangelical’s Thoughts on Notre Dame, Daniel Szabo. Szabo is, as Stephen McAlpine says, one of a “rare breed” in France—an evangelical. His reflections here on the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral shed light on why the fire was a tragedy to many—and what we might learn from it.
On the Lighter Side
Buzzfeed Title Generator, Ravi Parikh. We promise we have never used this to create titles on this site. Yet.
