Bits & Pieces (7/19/12)

  • Online Dating – Tim Challies responds to a question by a reader regarding online dating services and gives some practical wisdom about their use.


  • Co-Belligerence” –  Denny Burk looks at some of the new provisions laid out by the Department of Health and Human Services (as a result of “Obamacare) and how that as resulted in some unlikely cooperative relationships on the issues of religious freedom.


  • Painful Discipline – When it comes to discipline, “[p[erhaps we prefer that our Heavenly Father delivers only a “tippy, tap, tippy, tap” or “light pressure.” And that’s all we want to attribute to God. But the really hard and painful times of suffering in life — those memorably painful times — may be stinging discipline from our Heavenly Father.”


  • The Laity-Clergy Caste System – “Laypeople often think that this means their job is to pay, pray, get out of the way. To make sure we are not communicating a low, irresponsible view of laypeople one thing is critical. We must create an atmosphere of expectation.”


  • A Mother’s Mission – “Truth is, we can’t effectively train our children on the side. We can’t discipline them here and there. We can’t teach when we’ve got a free moment. We can’t mother intermittently. Inconsistent training is ineffective training.”


  • The Currency of Conviction – Kevin DeYoung examines our culture’s tendency to view something as “wrong” if a victim can be easily identified and discusses the consequences of such a belief.