January 5
Every Saturday I intend to post some links from other blogs that I enjoyed. Others do a great job of this, like Tim Challies (A la Carte), Mike Kelley (Wednesday links), Aaron Armstrong (Links I Like–I didn’t borrow from him, seriously!), Stephen Bedard (Midweek Apologetics Roundup and Weekend Leadership Roundup) and Mike Leake (Read This!) among others.
Some of the links I read and liked this week were these. Click on the blue title and a link will pop up, then click that.
Practical Tools to Grow Your Love Bank
Kavitha Goldowitz says “What do relationships and financial planning have in common? Both need constant monitoring, attention and consistency. You don’t just open a bank account and then lay back, relax and say, “well, I’ve done it…that’s it”. We all know that opening a bank account is only the beginning of a long and continuous process of monitoring your spending and making consistent deposits to grow your balance.
She offers three ways to grow your love bank. I wish she had fleshed out the first one more.
It is only January 3, but some of us already need to hear Jesus say, “Come away by yourselves… and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Jeremy Bailey, writing for Evangelical Magazine, says we need the sabbath. He says that our sabbath is not a particular day and has been invested with “a greater and more glorious meaning.” I think what he means is that through Jesus Christ, we can rest from our efforts to please God.
Mary Poppins Returns: Echoes of the Gospel?
Seven Things to Know about Mary Poppins Returns
Becky and I had the opportunity to go see Mary Poppins Returns at the Silver Screen in Mena, Friday night. It is a great family movie, as full of magic, creative music, and family values as the original (with even a cameo appearances by Dick van Dyke–not as Bert but as Mr. Dawes Sr. (he had double roles in the original), a role he picks up in Mary Poppins Returns.
In Mary Poppins Returns: Echoes of the Gospel? Steven Ingino explores some of the possible intersections between the movie script and music and the gospel.
Seven Things to Know about Mary Poppins Returns is a good introduction to the film, how it differs from the original and how Julie Andrews intentionally distanced herself from the movie so Emily Blunt could develop her own persona.
Caring for a Friend with a History of Promiscuity and/or Abortion
I included this one by Brad Hambrick because he always has good insights on counseling. My favorite insight was his fifth point that “redemption is as eager to see suffering comforted as it is to see sin forgiven, because it reflects the heart of a Good Father.” In counseling people who have entangled themselves in this lifestyle, it is just as important to comfort them in their suffering as it is to confront them with their sin.
Another article mentioned in the above article by Brad Hambrick is…
How Do I Find a Counselor Who Is a Good Match for My Needs?
There are seven steps to identifying a counselor who is a good match for your needs.
Grace Still Amazes 