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
God Sent His Son to a Stable, John Piper. It’s been a while since we highlighted John Piper’s fantastic little video series, “Look at the Book.” The series shows Pastor John as he studies a passage of Scripture so that we can learn ways to mine the riches of the biblical text, too. This video features one of the most famous Christmas passages, a story so familiar that we are tempted to lose the wonder it deserves.
Articles of the Week
Celebrating Christmas with a Broken Heart, Brittany Salmon. Brittany, a close friend of ours, was a Summit member for years, prior to her recent move to the grand nation of Texas. We were excited to see The Gospel Coalition pick up an article of hers that beautifully addresses the dark side of Christmas. If Christmas is a time of grief and suffering for you, don’t bail on Christmas. Listen to Brittany and fight for gratitude. Let the fills and fluff of the Christmas season grow strangely dim, and watch as the holiday’s true meaning is lifted out of the ashes of your grief.
R.C. Sproul, Justin Taylor. “Presbyterian minister R.C. Sproul, one of the most one of the most influential popularizers of Reformed theology spanning the late 20th and early 21st centuries, entered into the joy of his Lord and Savior on December 14, 2017, following complications from emphysema. He was 78 years old. Because he preached the whole counsel of God and had a heart to equip God’s people to live before the face of a holy God, he often taught on suffering and death over his five decades of ministry.”
A Letter to Christians Living in America—from a Christian Living Abroad, Jonathan Trotter. It’s easy to look at the state of society—and the church—in the United States and get depressed. The culture wars seem to be breaking the wrong way. Recent politics have been gloomier than usual. As Trotter aptly puts it, many people “feel like the American church has sold her soul and is rejoicing about the bargain.” But Trotter doesn’t want us to trust our short-sighted “vision.” Life up your eyes and look at the global church, because she is beautiful. And look at Jesus, because his promises to this church are true.
5 Ways to Murder Your Marriage, Josh Squires. Marriage is tough work. But killing a marriage? Not quite so tough. In fact, as Squires argues, you can probably make it happen in the span of just 12 months. We wouldn’t recommend you put “Murder Your Marriage” on your New Year Resolution list for 2018. In fact, we’d much rather you learn from Squires’ lessons and protect your marriage from both murder and manslaughter.
On the Lighter Side
Monday Morning Pastor Press Conference—PART 2, John Crist. Pastor Trent is back with more Monday morning quarterbacking pastoral performance. I’m pretty sure this isn’t real … right?
