Bits & Pieces (4/9/13)

Three More Thoughts – “I fear that younger Christians may not have the stomach for disagreement or the critical mind for careful reasoning. We’re going to need a good dose of the fundamentalist obstinacy that most evangelicals love to lampoon. The challenge before the church is to convince ourselves, as much as anyone, that believing the Bible does not make us bigots, just as reflecting the times does not make us relevant.”

The Amazing Call of Being Mom” – “We don’t need to shed this God-given title of “Mom.” We are called to maximize what it means for the glory of Christ. We can embrace our role without grumbling and with the full assurance of God’s sovereign goodness. God promises that as we shine light into this world (and that includes our kids) we will know that our labor was not in vain (Philippians 2:12–16).”

You Could Give Up, or Do This – “The reality is, God constantly places us in situations that are far beyond our ability to bear. He places us smack dab in the middle of befuddling, perplexing, overwhelming, even crushing circumstances. Why does God do this? To humble us. To make us painfully aware that we cannot make it through this life apart from him. To highlight our desperate dependence on him. God strips us of our own strength to make us totally reliant upon his strength.”

We Hear What We Are Trained To Hear -“According to Jesus, there are two kinds of hearing. This is what Jesus means when he says, ‘If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear’ (Mark 4:23). Jesus calls us beyond recognizing sounds to obeying or responding or discerning the meaning of the sounds.”

Lay Aside Every Weight – “Could it be that you’re not taking this race seriously enough? You can tell by how much extra weight you’re trying to run with.”