Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 57
January 27, 2018
Weekend reading (1/27)
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The Top 125 Influences on the Gospel-Centered MovementThis is a fascinating list compiled by Jared Wilson. (Note: read the caveats. They really do matter.)
The Great Irony of God’s ProvidenceRob Tims:
Reading through the first chapters of Exodus, I see this same irony at work. In Exodus 1 and 2, the more the king of Egypt tried to curb the “problem” of a burgeoning Jewish population, the more they grew. In his frustration, he tried to use tools at his disposal that were even more harsh. Da...
January 26, 2018
A book without a conclusion
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The book is nearly done, but the conclusion is not yet written. There’s probably a sermon illustration in that.
I’m flying through my edits on Devotional Doctrine, and have maybe half a dozen small things left to address. But one big element I didn’t include when I was writing it the first time: a conclusion.
Like many authors, I’m not great at writing these. Like many readers, I hate when they don’t appear. So that’s what I’m writing today, trying to wrap up this book—one that sat in the ba...
January 25, 2018
Links I like (1/25)
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What is Artificial Intelligence?Jason Thacker:
The Incredible Testimony as a Former Gymnast Co...My son is learning different animal sounds, and his favorite sound to make is “moo.” We discovered that our Google Home will make animal noises on command, and he loves to hear its sounds. A few weeks back, we asked our Google Home to make a number of different animal sounds, and it’s response to one that it couldn’t find struck me. “I can’t help you with that right now. But I am always learning.”
January 24, 2018
Surprise! I wrote another book
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So the news got out yesterday; I wrote a new book, my first book-book in six years:
Editing @AaronStrongarm's new book "Devotional Doctrine." This brief read walking through @Gospel_Project's 99 Essential Doctrines will be so helpful showing doctrine is not sterile and dry, but transforming. Look for it this spring.
— Brian Dembowczyk (@BrianDembo) January 23, 2018
I’m going over the last round of changes from Brian Dembowczyk, who is a fair and judicious editor, before I can officially ca...
January 23, 2018
Links I like (1/23)
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6 Ways Unbelief Works Itself OutMichael Kelley:
Youth-...It happens instead over time. Slow. Steady. Drift. But while we might not recognize our drifting toward unbelief as it’s happening, we can often see signs of that unbelief played out. These things might seem like, on the surface, just character flaws or lack of resolve, but chances are these signs are indicative of something much deeper going on. Here are six examples of how unbelief might start to work itself out in your life and mine.
January 22, 2018
10 of my favorite quotes from Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
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Recently I’ve been reading Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders, which is a classic as far as Christian leadership books go. Sanders packed so much wisdom into this little book that every time I’ve read it, I find something new. Today, I want to take a moment and share a few of my favorite highlights from the book. These are sentences and passages that I find particularly challenging, convicting or encouraging (or some combination of all of the above):
“Desiring to excel is not a sin....January 21, 2018
The cost of being a Christian
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About 100 years ago, GK Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” There is much wisdom in this. The Christian faith is not easy for the human mind to grasp in so many ways, and not just because we believe God became a man, and died for the sins of the world.
What is so hard to grasp is its cost. Not simply that which was paid by Christ himself, who set aside his glory to live among us, so that we might live fo...
January 20, 2018
Weekend reading (1/20)
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Wonderfully MadeWe’ve got a new special study for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday at The Gospel Project. Check it out.
Ordinary ThingsLuke Holmes:
I remember it like it was last week. The Sunday started just like any other Sunday. I went up early to turn on the lights and make sure the heat was on like I always do. As the morning moved along, we had a great time of worship through song. Someone prayed and I moved towards the pulpit and looked out over the congregation. I was eager to see how...
January 19, 2018
The secret of obedience
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Because my kids are getting older, I am starting to have some interesting conversations with them. One particular subject is about why we obey God if we are saved by faith in Jesus. What is the motivation for doing what God says?
The answer is one that I suspect many of us forget or at least overlook. The role of obedience seems unnatural to us—largely because we are wired to work from reward or punishment model. But in Christ, we already have our greatest reward. So what motivates us to obe...
January 18, 2018
Links I like (1/18)
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Lord, Help My StupidityJeff Medders:
You ...When the Bible talks about stupidity, it’s not merely addressing book-smarts or street-smarts, I.Q. or knowing lots of information about a lot of things. You can be really smart and still be super stupid. Knowing the superfluidity factors of quantum mechanics pales in comparison to knowing how to live wisely before the Lord.
When God is addressing our stupidity, he’s talking about our lack of wisdom—a kink in our walking in holiness before the Lord.
