nawinter.com

May we rejoice that this is the day that the Lord has made, and may we find great joy in doing all He has called us to do.

•  5 Ways to Pursue Holiness – “We’ve tended in recent years, for understandable reasons given our secular age, to focus on engaging with culture. But I’m concerned that we’ve lacked focus on integrity of character. We need to talk about holiness again. How can church leaders clearly call Christians to holiness? How do we cultivate maturity? Here are five ways.”

• Life Without Father  – A sobering report of how boys are affected when their father abandons them. As Christians, it is important to recognize the pain that many are enduring and to do all we can to be faithful ministers of Jesus to those who are bearing it.

• Trusting God with Your Fertility – “God is in control of our lives, not us—most of us would happily assert this truth. While this is the case in all circumstances, particularly trying life situations can spotlight God’s sovereignty in a way that leaves us shaken in our faith. One of these is fertility.”

• 6 Simple Strategies that Help Me Pray More – Some of these may already be familiar to you, but I especially love the first one. May you will find one that is beneficial to your prayer life as well.

•  A Bridge to Nowhere – “As someone who has been involved in conversations about civility and politics for a long time, I’m often asked by folks why this work can be so frustrating. We’ve been talking about breaking down walls, bridging differences, and crossing the aisle for a long time and yet Americans seem as polarized as ever. Are our efforts not working? ….here are some common mistakes that might lead to disappointment. 

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From earlier this week on the blog – “When the Donkey Objects“

Salutations. May the love of Christ strengthen and encourage you as you serve Him today.

• 20 Hymns to Sing With Your Family – Download this FREE hymnal (and digital recordings) and be recognize that “[n]ow is the time to build in our families a songbook of hymnsthat last a lifetime, through every high and low for decades to come. Let’s use the songs we sing to build memories—ones that remind our kids even years from now that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Be aware – I think each recording must be downloaded individually.)

• What Did You Expect God to Do? – “We’re not trained or skilled in looking for the riches of God’s mercies because our culture has trained us to “get it, girl!” by going in search of whatever we want and not settling until we’ve “believed and received.” But what if we haven’t learned to treasure what we should or desire what God wants? We are often emptied of our ability to trust God because we wrongly presume upon mercies that aren’t promised instead of looking to God’s promises and trusting he’ll provide good.”

• Maturing Toward Childlikeness – “To a child, worshipful wonder is natural. Children possess a delightful curiosity that causes them to run toward that which astonishes them, rather than shrink back from it or simply shrug it off. When it comes to awe, children are the experts. “

• My Reconstructed Faith – “What I don’t often hear are stories of those who have reconstructed their faith. Since I couldn’t find many, I thought I would offer my own story of reconstruction after I abandoned Christianity for progressive Christianity”

• The Preciousness of Christ to His People Above Everything – “Christ himself said that where your treasure is there will your heart be (Matthew 6:21). I am highly persuaded that the reason why we see nominal Christianity, lack of seriousness, joyless Christianity, burdensome Christianity, and lifeless Christianity is primarily because Christ is not the treasure of our hearts. We acknowledge that he is good and beneficial, but we do not know that he is absolutely good above all things in all the universe. “

Yesterday’s post on the blog: The Testimony of Parenting