Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Infographic of the Week
Who Wrote the Bible? Jeffrey and Laura Kranz. This article has a helpful chart, which is handy, but it also has artistic renderings of each author (courtesy of Laura Kranz). Pretty spiffy stuff. Mark, for instance, looks a little hipster. The Apostle Paul looks intense—and rightfully so. And for reasons unexplained, only poor Isaiah gets stuck with the “not pictured” label.
Articles of the Week
Twelve-Step Digital Detox, Tony Reinke. Some of us dream longingly of days gone by, when smartphones and constant internet access were not yet a reality. But short of a zombie apocalypse, there seems to be no return to those days of yore. Still, whether your daily intake of social media is 15 minutes or 4 hours, chances are you could use a detox every now and then for your spiritual health (especially if the suggestion of it seems impossible). Reinke provides you with 12 steps to get clean. Try it sometime. We promise we’ll be here when you get back.
Five Levels of Trust After an Affair, Dave Dunham. All betrayal is difficult to overcome, but betrayal from someone as close as a spouse seems insurmountable. Many couples can’t reconcile after an affair comes to light. Part of the problem is assuming that there are simply two categories—trust or no trust. But as Dunham points out here, rebuilding trust comes in stages. You need to know this, if not for yourself, than to walk through this with others.
Recommended Reading for the Summer, Danny Franks. We’re always on the lookout for new books to read, and we especially appreciate when people we trust have done our homework for us. The books on this list are either (1) books that we’ve read and would heartily recommend or (2) books that J.D. and I (Chris) will swiftly purchase from Amazon. (Related: Danny has also opened up his beach bag for the summer, to show us what he plans to read. Check it out. Full disclosure: two of them are “my” books—one that I co-wrote, and one that Danny borrowed from me forever ago. That’s right, Danny, I haven’t forgotten.)
Do Biological Facts No Longer Matter? Nancy Pearcey. We in the church have a lot of thinking to do if we’re going to engage the transgender debate with grace and truth. Pearcey gives us some help in that directing, drilling down on some of the roots of transgender ideology. Good counsel here: “Contrary to what progressives say, there is greater diversity when we anchor our gender identity in the objective, scientifically knowable reality of our biology as male or female.” Solid ground isn’t oppressive at all; it gives us a place to stand.
On The Lighter Side
Disney & Pixar Sing Adele’s “Hello.” Brian Hull. I (Chris) am a sucker for impersonation songs. And Brian Hull had one of the best with Disney’s “Let It Go.” This sequel is even more impressive. What strikes me most is that he only repeats about 5-6 voices. (Also note: hearing anyone other than Adele sing “Hello” really heightens her amazing talent.)
Wisdom For Your Weekend is presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from J.D. Greear. 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.”
