Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Blog of the Week
Conventional Futures: Discussions on the Future of the SBC. Over the past couple weeks, Pastor J.D. has been hosting a series of articles in the lead-up to this year’s Southern Baptist Convention (in St. Louis…you should join us). “Conventional Futures” tackles some of the biggest questions in SBC life today, coming from a variety of wise perspectives. Certainly worth a gander.
Articles of the Week
We Shall Not Weary, We Shall Not Rest, Richard John Neuhaus. Delivered at the 2008 National Right to Life convention, this speech has been hailed as “the greatest pro-life speech ever given.” And rightly so. This is a beautiful call to keep pressing on in the fight for life. “We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until the culture of life is reflected in the rule of law and lived in the law of love.”
What #GiveElsaAGirlfriend Really Means, Melissa Edgington. What? You were blissfully unaware of this rather unsettling hashtag? Well, it may be time to wake up, as Edgington advises here. Our culture is, in fact, becoming increasingly anti-Christian. Even precious cartoons, that seemingly safe form of kids’ entertainment, is going to try to convince our kids that Christianity is backwards and that the Bible is dangerous. This is no time to wallow in self-pity. It’s time to embody truth, graciously and lovingly, but also unflinchingly.
Three Errors to Avoid As You Seek God’s Will, Rick Warren. This may be the most common question among the college-aged crowd: how can I know God’s will for my life? (To which the first answer we generally offer is, read this helpful book). The trouble with wringing our hands over God’s will is that once we think we’ve found it, the slightly hiccup along the way makes us question whether we should keep going. Warren helps us see three common pitfalls as we seek to follow God and live in his will.
Mission Is An Act of Worship, Ben Connelly. As Charles Spurgeon famously said, “Every Christians is either a missionary or an impostor.” Connelly gets that, and he’s calling those of us in leadership to get that message across to our people. The good news is, we can motivate our people to engage in mission without having to resort to guilt tactics. As Connelly says, “It’s not as hard as you think.”
On The Lighter Side
Oh, I’m Such a Happy Chewbacca! This video went from zero to viral in about 3 hours. And why not? It is amazing. I would like one of these, if any of you fair readers are looking to show your appreciation in an unconventional way. (PS – You can jump to about 1:50 to get to the good part.)
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.”
