Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 46

S3, Ep. 17: The Mary Wiley episode (part deux!)

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A long time ago when Nashville was experiencing something that resembled winter, Dave and I recorded an interview. And it was good. Sadly, it’s one that you will never hear because something terrible happened—we lost one of the audio tracks!

And so, we did it again, about two months later.

Fortunately, our friend Mary Wiley, host of the excellent Questions Kids Ask podcast, was gracious and joined us for “part deux” as Dave likes to call it. We had lots of fun talking about raising readers,...

Weekend reading (5/26)

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Today is a special day in our family’s lives: it’s precisely 2 years since we learned that my visa was approved and we were officially moving to America. Now for a little bit of extra good news: my visa has been extended for an additional 30 months!

Now, onto a few items worth reading and watching.

A Time of Chastening in the SBC

I agree with JD on this.

4 Questions: Tim Challies and Justin Taylor on Blogging

This is a good discussion.

4 Truths to Combat Laziness

Michael Kelley:

There is a...

How do we know Jesus was a real person? [Interview]

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One of my favorite podcasts right now is Questions Kids Ask hosted by my friend Mary Wiley. In every episode Mary and her featured guest discuss a big question about faith that kids ask, like why do bad things happen, are heaven and hell real, why do we pray if God knows everything, and many more. This week, I had the pleasure of being on the show to answer a big question:

How do we know Jesus was a real person?

I hope you’ll check it out on iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Ap...

Links I like (5/24)

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Matt Chandler: Holding Fast to the Gospel

This was one of my favorite sessions from The Gospel at the Center:

The Wrath of God Poured Out — The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention

Whoa.

Are You Flexible for the Gospel?

Don Carson:

It is also important to recognize that becoming a world Christian—one whose commitment to Jesus and his kingdom is self-consciously set above national, cultural, linguistic, and racial allegiances—cannot be an end in itself. The aim is not to become so...

How Christians should respond to leaders falling

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Lately, it seems that hardly a day goes by that I’m not hearing about someone committing a “moral failure”, or past foolish and/or sinful words and actions come back to haunt Christian leaders. And, frankly, I’m getting sick of it to the point that my initial reaction often slips into something decidedly un-Christlike (a fact my wife graciously reminds me of whenever it happens).1

While I have lots of opinions about the individual incidents that flood my Twitter feed, those aren’t what I wan...

Links I like (5/22)

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Podcast: on the latest episode of The Hero of the Story, Brian and I tackle 2 Samuel 9 to see what we can learn about God’s kindness to us in Christ.

How To Tell if it’s a Prosperity Gospel Church

Tim Challies:

The prosperity gospel is a diverse, popular, and worldwide movement that understands faith to be the instrument through which Christians can attain physical health, material riches, and divine favor. There are countless thousands of these churches around the world with various levels...

S3, Ep. 16: What’s the deal with killing dogs?

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One of the incredible things about fiction is that it is true. What does that mean? And what’s the deal with authors killing dogs all the time in books? Barnabas Piper joins Dave and me to discuss this and more on today’s episode of Reading Writers.

Among the many books discussed in this episode:

Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season by Jonathan Eig Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Canadian History for Dummies by Will Ferguson The...

Weekend reading (5/19)

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God Uses “Mordecais” and God Uses “Esthers”

J.D. Greear:

Esther is actually a pretty controversial book of the Bible, because God’s name is not mentioned—not even once—in the whole book. I believe Esther’s story serves two purposes: It shows us the remarkable way God brought Jesus into the world, and it shows you the way God wants to use you in his global purposes. Esther’s story shows you how to act with integrity and courage at a defining moment of faith.

How many hours is the optimal work...

S3, Ep. 15: Prayer isn’t just for private moments

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Before Dave joined the show as my super-talented co-host and brought up the quality of the show, I was frequently joined on the show by a number of special guests where we’d talk about books they were writing and what they were reading. Well,  today, we’ve got a special bonus episode for you because we’re sharing one of these that’s never been heard before.

Some time ago, Megan Hill and I had a great conversation via Skype to chat about her book, Praying Together. In this episode, you’ll her...

Links I like (5/17)

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Discerning Your Next Ministry Move

Mark Dance:

We all have a call to follow and want to hear clearly from God. This time of year in particular is flush with requests for resumes and recommendations. Perhaps it is because we are fast approaching the end of our school and church calendar year.

Blessed: The Prosperity Gospel in (and Beyond) America

Tim Challies:

The United States has a dominant economy and is a powerhouse for exporting goods to other nations. What is America’s most significant...