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.”
Articles of the Week
7 Marks of a Good Apology vs. 8 Marks of a Bad Apology, Brad Hambrick. Scratch Pastor Brad and he’ll bleed two things—baseball strategy and biblical wisdom. We’re still working on hitting the slider, so we’re thankful that this post lands in the latter category. The next time you need to apologize (and you’re human, so you will), make sure you’re actually apologizing. Not sure if you’re doing it right? You’ll find no more comprehensive and helpful rubric than this right here.
Women in the Storyline of Redemptive History, Eric Schumacher. We have long known (and taught) that women are critical to the story of redemption in Scripture. How can you ignore, for instance, the women intentionally mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy, or the fact that women were the first witnesses of the resurrected Christ? But we had yet to see this idea traced from Genesis to Revelation. Here are 21 observations about women in redemptive history—several of which were new to us!
Why Politics Overwhelms the Church, Russell Moore. When it comes to evangelical engagement in politics, Moore identifies a major problem: We are perennially tempted to align more with a particular voting bloc than with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Politics matter, but if our burden for the church doesn’t overshadow our burden for political action, we’re headed for disaster.
Our Pro-Life Future, Rachel MacNair. It’s hard to go wrong with anything from First Things. MacNair gives an update on the pro-life (specifically anti-abortion) cause, showing that the statistics are increasingly promising. Not only that, but she shows a blueprint for building on recent successes. Eradicating abortion may seem impossible, but it’s surprisingly within our reach.
How to Not Be an Online Troll, Jaclyn S. Parrish. “Truth be told, the road from responsible cyber citizen to raging troll is short and well traveled, and many denizens of the latter are unaware they’ve vacated the former.” Chances are you don’t want to troll the cybersphere. (If you do, well, we’re praying for you.) But the combined inertia of the internet and our sinful hearts makes all of us potential trolls. Fortunately, there is a way out. Listen to Parrish’s three ways to ensure that your online conversation is as gracious and Christlike as it should be.
On the Lighter Side
Ryu vs. E Honda (Street Fighter) in Real Life. Pardon me while I (1) enjoy this little clip and then (2) waste 15 hours next week playing Street Fighter in an uncontrollable fit of nostalgia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg2YViUq_I8
