“behind many of these questions is a general unease or fear of the unknown. We simply want to address some biblical principles that may guide developing answers while confronting lurking fears about this new and complex technology.” - TGC

“The 2022 edition of the General Social Survey (GSS)…. shows that a combination of marriage and parenthood is linked to the biggest happiness dividends for women.” - IFS

“Sixty years from now… will the then 73-year-old wish that his church sang some of the good old songs he grew up singing, like ‘The Power of the Cross,’ ‘His Mercy Is More,’ ‘My Jesus Fair,’ ‘Behold Our God,’ and ‘In Christ Alone’?” - DBTS Blog

“In God’s economy, men are neither disposable accessories nor bronze-age perverts. Instead, it calls me up from foolishness into a rich life of hard work, faithfulness, and self-sacrifice.” - Dan Darling

A never ending gladness in God: Part of the title of this post is taken from chapter forty-five in John Piper’s book, Providence. The title of the chapter is “New Bodies, New World, Never-Ending Gladness in God.”

Some preliminary side-tracking

John Piper has received criticism over the years. I think rightly so on some counts. So I get it. But there are those who write him off completely and warn others to not read him altogether. We must practice discernment.

Reposted from Zeteo 316.

“Fear of becoming obsolete, or FOBO, remains uncommon among U.S. workers, but it has grown more in the past two years than at any time in Gallup’s trend since 2017.” - Gallup

“I’m also realizing that I too often take confession lightly. Maybe one of these quotes I’ve recently encountered will help you think about this important step in our Christian walk.” - Chuck Lawless

“Earlier this year, a joint effort …resulted in the creation of synthetic embryos using only stem cells. However, the latest achievement is being hailed as the first ‘complete’ embryo model” - Relevant

“Located in all 50 American states and in most countries around the world, CEF’s newly-established goal is to minister to 100 million children each year globally with the Gospel in the near future.” - CPost

Robert Chambers “has sued the religious-right group, accusing leaders of firing him after he reported alleged sexual harassment and financial irregularities….AFA denies all of Chambers’ claims.” - RNS

This article (part 5 in the series) posted at Sharper Iron in 2019. Read the series.

“The question of whether to mention the latest blockbuster from the pulpit requires wisdom. When are pop culture references from the pulpit distracting? When are they appropriate?” - TGC

“Those with a close personal relationship to someone who is transgender are only slightly more comfortable with learning that a friend is transgender (62%) than those who know an acquaintance who is transgender (57%)… one-third of those who don’t know anybody who is transgender say they would be comfortable learning that a friend is transgender (32%).” - PRRI

“Assistant Bremerton High School coach Joe Kennedy made the announcement on his website, citing several reasons, including that he needed to care for an ailing family member out of state.” - RNS

Alister McGrath: “…the world has moved on and has rather left the New Atheism behind…But that’s no cause for rejoicing, because we have new problems to worry about.” - CToday

“This year, when churches follow the Bless Your Pastor Easy as 1-2-3 program, the NAE will send their senior pastor access to free and discounted retreat and vacation opportunities across the country” - NAE

“The high court on Wednesday threw out all federal criminal penalties for abortion in a ruling that will require the federal public health service to offer the lethal procedure to anyone who requests it.” - BPNews

Read the series.

It’s always a great privilege to speak in a new church, but it’s a privilege that also requires precise preparation!

As I have written previously in this series, I strive to ask the following questions before I go into a church to speak for the first time:

“…the Court is in fact on the right track, returning us to the sorts of compromises that long characterized the American political tradition and invite a pluralistic—if cacophonous—public square.” - L&L

“The front lines today are battles over sex, gender, and identity. We must be ready for a fight in precisely these places.” - Kevin DeYoung

Eden Baptist Church, Burnsville, MN

There are 10 seminars (5 per year) which fall under the following headings:

More information: https://www.edenbaptist.org/shepherding-seminar-year-2

“without this value (of upholding truth) the institution of science would soon sink into a morass of lies and deception. It’s obvious, but where does this value come from? You can’t prove it scientifically.” - Reasons

“Christian theology, however, can cut through partisan debates on loan debt to the underlying moral issues through its teaching on the sin of usury.” - Acton

“Some 17% of U.S. adults regularly attend religious services in person and watch them online or on TV….Roughly three-quarters of this group…say they prefer attending in person” - Pew

In his classic work, How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler writes, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.” In order for good books “to get through to you,” consider some of the following…

Micah is the discipleship and outreach pastor at Community of Grace Church in Buffalo, NY. He is also the author of two outreach books: Good News for All Nations and Discovering Hope. Micah enjoys reading, coffee, hearty conversations, and time spent with his wife and four children.

“I still wish the editor might have found something positive to say. But ultimately, I was thankful for the correction because it led to a vast improvement in my writing and a new watchfulness.” - P&D

“…the view that your choices have a real impact on your life, tends to predict socioeconomic success. The opposite is also true: When someone views themselves as mainly a victim of things beyond their control, it often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.” - Breakpoint

“If God, or biblical truths, or anything in a worship service is simply means to achieving a religion emotion, then the religious emotion is the true object of our affections.” - Churches Without Chests