The Tenth Leper

Around the InterWeb (6/19/12)

Lately I’ve been extremely blessed by the Desiring God blog. For a while now I’ve tended to shy away from most Christian blogs. That’s not because I don’t believe they’re worth reading. It’s rather the opposite. There’s just so many good articles out there in the blogosphere that are written every single day that I feel overwhelmed by the thought of even attempting to stay current. But I’ve been opening myself back up to the idea of reading at least some articles, and I’ve been the better for it. So here’s today’s “Around the InterWeb”- the Desiring God edition.

• Being Comforted by God’s Wrath. Comfort and wrath are rarely talked about in ways that suggest that they are interdependent. But John Piper and Jonathan Parnell helpfully remind every believer how practical it is to your comfort and well-being to remember that it’s God’s job to avenge, not yours.
• Going Deeper in Bible Study. Pastor Piper recently responded to a thirteen-year-old who wanted to go deeper in her Bible study. If nothing else, it’s humbling/encouraging to hear a young teenage girl ask this. (Wish I’d been writing John Piper letters at thirteen!) But it’s also a helpful reminder to all of us of some basics of Bible study. On top of that, it’s a helpful resource for us to give to those who ask us the same questions.
• The Emotions of the Psalms. Here’s a compilation of some of the many human emotions that became part of the inspired word of God. I’ve recently had a growing appreciation for the Psalms as I’ve been reminded that some of the very inspired words of God are words penned by people who were lonely, sorrowful, angry, and brokenhearted. I think too often we completely remove the humanity of Scripture (and Jesus himself) and feel guilty when we’re not constantly in a singing mood.
• The Bible in a Smartphone World. I appreciate that John Piper isn’t a curmudgeonly old man who thinks that we should all go back to writing with quills. Rather, he consistently sees the opportunities that new technologies present. So instead of making a sweeping declaration that smartphones constantly distract us from spiritual things, he reminds us that they also present opportunities for us to constantly deluge ourselves with the Word of God.

Around the InterWeb (2/14/12)

People Are Not Distractions.  Good reminder from my buddy Paul on something I need to consistently be reminded of.

When Your Preacher is Not John Piper.  Great, great article. I’d been wanting to write this article for years, but Steve Burchett did it better than I ever could. In the age of the sermon podcast, churches need to remember to give thanks to God for faithful pastors, whether they’re celebrities or nobodies.

6 Ways to Help Those Suffering a Dark Night of the Soul. Some helpful reminders about ministering to those who are suffering. The first point I believe is especially helpful.

Earliest Manuscript of the New Testament Discovered?  Now this is pretty legit. Dr. Dan Wallace from Dallas Theological Seminary discusses the recent discovery of a first-century copy of the Gospel of Mark. This would be the earliest piece of the New Testament ever recovered up to this point.

Around the InterWeb (1/10/12)

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, both as a way to share the love of things I’ve read/been blessed by online as well as a way to store good articles without creating a million bookmarks on my computer (something I am prone to do).

Women, Stop Submitting to Men.  Great article by Russell Moore that corrects many of evangelical culture’s misunderstandings about submission.  It also serves up the much-needed reminder that submission isn’t a calling on women only but that all believers are called to submit to someone.

We Three Kings of Orient Aren’t.  David Mathis does a nice job sharpening our vision concerning who the magi were who visited Jesus, breathing new life into these characters of the Christmas story we’re all too familiar with.  (Side note: they weren’t at the manger!)

If You Want to Be a Writer You Have to Be a Reader.  Stephen King via Justin Taylor (two names I never thought I’d use in the same sentence except to say that those are two names I would never expect to use in the same sentence), reminds any would-be writers out there (me! me!) of the importance of reading being a regular joy and discipline.  There’s also an excerpt of King’s memoir On Writing in which he reminds his audience of the great effect even terrible books can have on the writer.

Around the InterWeb (3/24/09)

1.  The Guardian posted a brief article about a month back showing the effects that sexy images of women had on men’s brains.  While the findings of the article are important, most of the conclusions will make you say “Doi.  Knew that.”   There was a particular bit which I found interesting, namely how the pictures stimulated activity in the region of the brain called the premotor cortex, “which is involved in urges to take action.”  It’s cool seeing how God has hardwired men to be initiators.

2. Addicted to Facebook?!  Tara Stiles has 10 indicators that you might be.  Have to admit, I was a little convicted by a couple of them, which has caused me to pull back.

3.  I just discovered a contemporary theologian named Arturo Azurdia, and I’m enjoying what I’ve heard of him so far.  He has a massive library of expositional sermons on Revelation, and I wanted to link his sermon on Revelation 20:1-3 here.  This is the beginning of the passage dealing with the millenium, and Azurdia (like me, incidentally) is coming from an amillenial perspective as opposed to a post-millenial or pre-millenial one.

4.  I’m a ‘Lost’-aholic.  Let me get that out of the way.  During last week’s episode, there was a wonderful exchange between two characters.  As a reader, I think it’s well said.  Hopefully fellow book-lovers will agree!  Enjoy:
JACK: So where do we go from here?

SAWYER: I’m working on it.

JACK: Really? Because it looked to me like you were reading a book.

SAWYER: [Chuckles] I heard once Winston Churchill read a book every night, even during the Blitz. He said it made him think better. It’s how I like to run things. I think. I’m sure that doesn’t mean that much to you, ’cause back when you were calling the shots, you pretty much just reacted. See, you didn’t think, Jack, and as I recall, a lot of people ended up dead.

JACK: I got us off the Island.

SAWYER: But here you are… [sighs] right back where you started. So I’m gonna go back to reading my book, and I’m gonna think, ’cause that’s how I saved your ass today. And that’s how I’m gonna save Sayid’s tomorrow. All you gotta do is go home, get a good night’s rest. Let me do what I do.