Book of the Week: The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken. The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage but discovered it would be anything but. After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, “Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place? It sure didn’t work in Somalia.
Podcast of the Week: J.D. Greear on Future Hopes for the Southern Baptist Convention Sarah Zylstra and J.D. Greear discuss his future hopes for the SBC, the global church, and the importance of keeping the gospel at the center of it all.
Thought provoking articles I have read this week:
- How to Rearrange Your Post-Pandemic “Friendscape” This interesting New York Times article explains how friendships are only beneficial if they have something to offer us. The isolation of the pandemic allows everyone to decide which friendships we want to continue having and which ones we don’t. Though I’m afraid I have to disagree with the article’s premise, I think it helped me examine how I, as a Christian, pursue friendships.
- What Teens Need From Parents: A Counselor’s Perspective It can feel overwhelming to parent teens in the secular age that we are in. This article provides a hopeful perspective and advises how parents can help kids navigate these tough but important years.
- Don’t Stop at Changing What You Do, Change What You Believe As I read this article, I think of my own struggles with health and areas of my life that I trust God will change. True lasting change begins with right belief, not with the right behavior.