Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Articles of the Week
Prince: “Don’t Die Without Knowing the Cross,” Denny Burk. It’s been 8 days since the one-of-a-kind rock icon Prince passed away. I (Chris) don’t recall as much of his career as Burk does here—though I do remember the 2007 Super Bowl performance, where it actually rained during “Purple Rain.” Epic. But I join with Burk and many others in reflecting on Prince’s life, wondering if—and hoping that—he truly believed what he wrote 29 years ago: “Don’t cry, he is coming. Don’t die without knowing the cross…”
Why We Need Anonymous, Plodding Church Planters, Scott Slayton. If you’re looking to make a name for yourself quickly and with minimal work, church planting probably isn’t for you. (Also, shame on you.) We are used to hearing about church planting success stories. And while we pray for more of them, we recognize that most church plants are “plodders.” They grow slowly. They have a tough time. They aren’t glamorous. And we need many, many more of them.
8 Excuses We Use to Justify Not Reading the Bible, Rob Tims. Excuse #5 is simultaneously the most amusing and the most convicting. But I (Chris) have fallen victim to each of these at one time or another. Have a look, be honest, and see if you’re avoiding the Bible for a really, really silly reason. (Hint: if you’re avoiding the Bible, it is for a really, really silly reason.)
18 Things to Pray for Your Church, Jonathan Leeman. Prayerlessness is a sign that either (1) we believe we no longer really need God’s help, or that (2) we are unaware of how willing he is to give it. Both are dangerous places to be. Let Leeman give you a few handles upon which you can hang your church-based prayers. God may do more through your prayers than you could ever imagine. After all, he’s been doing it for centuries.
Don’t Just Pray FOR; Pray WITH, Megan Hill. Speaking of prayer, how often are you praying with others? Back in 2011, an organization called the “Christian Prayer Center” began to charge folks between $9 and $35 to submit a prayer request. This went on for four years, with 125,000 requests sent in…although it recently came out that the service was a fraud. But it raises an important issue: praying with one another is a privilege, and one that we too often avoid. What would it look like if we stopped saying, “I’ll pray about that” and started saying, “Can I pray with you about that … now?”
On The Lighter Side
“Math for Grownups.” Sounds about right.
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.”
