Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 58
January 17, 2018
15 days in Genesis
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A couple days ago, I wrapped by my latest read-through of Genesis in the quest to read through the entire Bible this year. I’ve read this book many times, but I never tire of it.
I love seeing how the Holy Spirit inspired the crafting of this book to display his power and glory as the Creator of all things. How he continually shows mercy and compassion to undeserving sinners, sparing humanity from destruction by commanding Noah to build an ark. How grace flows through each page as I recogniz...
January 16, 2018
Links I like (1/16)
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The Easiest Sin to JustifyTim Challies:
Why Do We Love Music?Even before we put sin to death, we discover an increased awareness of what our sin is, what it does to us, and how it affects others. We stop making excuses for our sin and confront it as the evil it truly is. But not always and not all the way. From observation and hard experience I think there is one sin more than any other that we tend to continue to justify. It’s the sin of unrighteous anger.
Gavin Ortlund:
Most of us have s...
January 15, 2018
January 6, 2018
Weekend reading (1/06)
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How Podcasting Hurts PreachingRead Mercer Schuchardt:
Of course, churches’ motivations are sincere: They want to provide preaching for the shut-in, the elderly, the infirm, and those incapable of traveling. They also want to spare you the solitary hell of a daily commute that amounts to hours stuck in traffic each week. (For the few who sincerely can’t make it on Sunday, pastors should also be visiting them in person, bringing the Eucharist, and perhaps dropping off a text of the sermon or...
January 5, 2018
Reading God’s Word out loud
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I don’t do this all the time. In fact, it’s pretty rare. But the other night, I decided to do something different as I prepared to start a new Bible reading plan: I read the first chapters of Genesis out loud. The creation story through the fall of humanity.
It wasn’t a terribly dramatic reading at least not at first. But as I read, I found the drama seeping into my voice. The excitement of creation building with each “Let there be.” The sinister sweetness of the serpent’s question, “Did God...
January 4, 2018
Links I like (1/04)
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How Obsession with Youth Hurts the Church (and the Youth)Jaquelle Crowe offers a helpful review of Faith Formation in a Secular Age: Responding to the Church’s Obsession with Youthfulness by Andrew Root.
The Preacher’s ProclamationCosti Hinn:
The preacher and the people are both responsible for protecting the pulpit in the church. When the pulpit isn’t held in high regard, sheep become malnourished by fast-food style preaching that contains little nutritional value. When pastoral ministry...
January 3, 2018
What I read in December
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I am always consuming books, whether they’re physical, digital or audio. Every month, I like to share a breakdown of everything I read, including the books I abandoned. I do this because it gives me an opportunity to introduce you to books you might not have had an opportunity to read while practicing the art of writing concise book reviews.
In December, I read 12 unique titles to completion, read one of those twice, and started several others that I have yet to complete. Here’s what I read:...
January 2, 2018
Links I like (1/02)
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One of the Only New Year’s Resolutions Worth RepeatingMichael Kelley:
Here we are, the first week of the new year. And because we are, most of us are considering resolutions. There are the standard promises of weight loss, gym membership, more reading, and a host of others. Chances are, you’ve made one of these resolutions before. Maybe it worked out, and maybe it didn’t. If it didn’t work out, then perhaps you’re redoubling your efforts this year. Maybe you have some kind of plan that will...
January 1, 2018
Real wisdom for daily life
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What is wisdom for? Who gets it? How do you grow in it? When I was much younger, I believed wisdom and knowledge were more or less the same thing. So if I could just learn enough, I’d be wise.
But then I became a Christian, and I slowly began to think differently. I still saw that wisdom and knowledge are connected, but they’re not the same. Wisdom is the result of applying our knowledge—and especially, knowledge that grows us into the image of Christ.
When I think about the year ahead, this...
December 31, 2017
Praying to see his grace as sufficient
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Here we are, once again preparing for the calendar to roll over to a new year. As I shared recently, this past year was good in many ways, but it was also extremely difficult, an experience I know is not unique.
Every year, even our best years, have a mix of joy and sadness.
Some years, the sadness wins more than joy.
Others, joy comes out on top.
And as we look ahead to the next year, some of us can only pray, “Lord, let this year be a little better than the last.”
I’m tempted to pray that...
