Family Collection

On April 3, 2019April 1, 2019 By BrianIn Current Collection, Family Collection

Here are some good posts to help parents think about their children and smartphones. You may not agree with everything, but these posts address some important issues and possible approaches.

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? – Jean Twenge (Atlantic)

Should Teens Own Smartphones? – Tony Reinke (DG)

Twelve Tips for Parenting in the Digital Age – Tony Reinke (DG)

Passion Points

On April 21, 2018 By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

The Unexpected God: How He Meets Us in Disappointment – Brian Tabb (DG)
Unmet expectations. They are the constant thieves of our happiness and contentment. One of the greatest evidences of human falleness and finitude is how quickly we expect the wrong things, or the right things at the wrong time. But the very heart and center of the Christian faith should remind us daily that our expectations do not typically map onto the grandeur and goodness and wisdom of God. The cross reminds us that God sent us the Messiah we really needed, not the one anyone expected.

Slay Sin by Savoring Christ – Erik Raymond
Too often professing Christians can be lulled to sleep with a false sense of security. Unwittingly they starve themselves of Christ and make provision for the flesh. This is a spiritual suicide mission! Instead of caring for and nurturing the flesh and its desires we are to starve and kill it.

Turn My Eyes from Worthless Things: Curbing Our Infinite Appetite for Distraction – Tony Reinke (DG)
Our endless desire for “the totally irrelevant” has finally been matched by the endless offerings of irrelevance in our smartphones. We love to be fed worthless things. This onslaught of produced media is a major problem for us all because we can focus our minds only on a limited number of stimuli that come at us. So, how do we discern and navigate the digital age with wise discretion?

10 Prayers to Pray Before Church – Colin Smith
Going to church is not like a trip to the grocery store, visiting a friend, or a Christian task to complete. It is a declaration that worshiping the risen Christ is more important to you than sleeping in, eating brunch, playing sports, or working around the house…. As such, we should not enter church like any other place, but should prepare our hearts in prayer. Let these 10 prayers set your mind on God’s purposes for church and prepare your heart to worship the King.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating our Savior with your local church!

Smartphone Collection

On February 7, 2018February 6, 2018 By BrianIn PASSION Collections

Here are some helpful posts on your smartphone:

Why Do You Have a Phone? – Marshall Segal (DG)

Denzel: Your Phone Is Changing You – Tony Reinke (DG)

Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can’t you put it down? – Eric Andrew-Gee (G&M)

Passion Points

On January 13, 2018 By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Why You Should Live in the Psalms – Scott Slayton (One Degree To Another)
The Psalms provide a welcome antidote to our craving for shallowness. The Psalms, which seem so easy to understand on the surface, invite us to deep study and contemplation. They show the blessing of cultivating a deep and abiding trust in the Lord and beckon us to leave behind our life of distraction so we can know and love God more deeply.

Learning to Say Hello Again – Douglas Groothuis (CT)
It seems like a small thing, but it really isn’t. How we greet—or fail to greet—others says much about our character. But in the power of the Holy Spirit, we may practice the presence of people by acknowledging and recognizing them for who they are: creatures made in God’s image.

Will Your Phone Dominate Your Life in 2018? (Crossway)
Technology use is an area with which many of us struggle to find balance. How much is too much? What is it good for? How can we encourage our families to hold it in its proper place?

How to Discourage Your Minister in the New Year – Paul Levy (reformation 21)
I want to give you 6 ways to discourage your minister in the New Year…

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!