This article is a reminder that faithfulness is not defined by a single behavior, though we often slip into that mindset of thinking. We think one type of good behavior determines God’s love for us.

This article talks about the need for balance in preaching. Often times we give an application that’s critical of one side, but we leave out the opposite side of the same coin. One example given is about worry. We are told to repent and leave our worries to God. However, just because some of us may not worry doesn’t mean we’re doing well in this category. Do we not worry because our lives our simply easier?

This article talks about why the trend of empathy over sympathy is not good. Sympathy is often viewed as compassion from a distance, whereas empathy involves entering into and sharing emotions. Empathy seems more compassionate, but it can also leave us vulnerable. Our goal should be to do good to people, and empathy can actually get in the way by preventing us from making wise decisions that would be for that person’s good.

In a time where Christians find themselves bored, they should make sure they don’t leave such a season with regrets of: Not spending time in the Bible, when they were previously “too busy.” Similar to the first point, with prayer. Not addressing “what’s concealed in the heart of having” that “is revealed in the losing of things.” This could be fears or idols, both of which boil down to similar things.

Over against NT Wright’s article, which challenges divine impassibility, Kevin DeYoung outlines why God isn’t crying over us in heaven. The two most persuasive reasons I found at the time of writing are that it would make heaven into a state of grief rather than joy, and that the language of God’s grief in the Bible is always expressed over our sin, rather than other things, such as the coronavirus.

This article highlights the “liberal colonialism” in the recent announcement to split the United Methodist Church. The attitude towards the African Methodists has been condescending and even racist. A similar attitude has appeared in the past when African Anglicans were caught between liberal and conservative factions of the Episcopal church in America.

This article highlights how the the progressive agenda has its own form of colonialism, even though it denounces it in Western history. When it comes to the LGBT agenda, a minority is no longer respected if they hold traditional views; those views must be eradicated, with repercussions to those who disagree. This is, as the author puts it, “sexular colonialism.”

This article has several suggestions for improving Bible knowledge. Ones I’m interested are: Read How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth Read From Creation to the Cross Read James Gray on Mastering the Bible. The main idea is to simply read the same books of the Bible repeatedly.

This article is a reminder that suffering well can be fruitful, citing Philippians 1, where Paul explains that his suffering has served to advance the gospel. To still be able to have joy in the midst of suffering is more powerful than joy in the midst of plenty.