Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 61

A new look for Blogging Theologically

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You might have noticed that Blogging Theologically looks a little different today. This morning I launched the latest update to the site. The changes are, overall, pretty basic, with a new font set, repositioned search and social icons, and a new header, which features an adapted version of one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes:

I believe that many who find that “nothing happens” when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are...

Weekend reading (12/09)

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A Wise Woman Builds Her Home on Sola Scriptura

Jessalyn Hutto:

Many couples will be quick to turn to tradition for the answers. They will remember the homes they grew up in and seek to emulate their parents’ style of homemaking and child-rearing. Or perhaps they will turn to our romanticized notions of family life in the 50’s and 60’s. Some of these appeals to tradition will be rewarded as far as they conform to Scripture, but many practices handed down to us from our parents or society (no...

Six quick personal and professional updates

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Every so often, I like to share a few quick random updates to keep you all in the loop on what’s happening in the world of the Armstrong family, both from a personal and professional perspective. The last time I did one was almost six months ago, so it felt like it was time to give another glimpse into what’s been going on in our world.

Church + relationships: God has been very kind to us over the last several months. We’ve started to feel settled in at the church we’re attending (which is a...

Links I like (12/07)

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Just Say ‘Thanks’

Zach Barnhart:

Some of us have lost all of the thanksgiving in our Thanksgiving (and the days that follow), despite what the Instagram posts might say. But the Christian need not lose heart. Holidays, despite whatever they represent culturally, are powerful opportunities for us to remember, reflect, and, most of all, to recover Christian thankfulness, propelling us into the year to come.

The same God who can make dry bones live can revive even a dead consumerist back to his...

Three men who taught me to love theology

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One of the first Christian books I read as a new believer was GK Chesterton’s Orthodoxy. I’m still not entirely certain what motivated me to pick this book up—I could have chosen any number of other titles—but this was the one. I devoured it, leaving nary a page unmarked. My mind was on fire as I read each sentence. I didn’t understand most of what I read (Chesterton tends to not make it easy for his readers), but I didn’t care. Whatever else you could say about what he wrote, he was excited...

Links I like (12/05)

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3 Prayers to Help You Be Hospitable This Holiday Season

Michael Kelley:

Here we go, friends – it’s the holiday season again. And that means a lot of things, including an increase opportunity to practice hospitality. This is the season of the year when we tend to host more people in our homes and churches than most other times of the year. These few weeks, then, are a chance for Christians to take hold of this quality that characterized the New Testament church.

You are not indispensable: 6 o...

What I read in November

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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 November, I read 11 books to completion and started a couple of others that have yet to complete. Here’s what I read:

The Littlest Watchman: Watchin...

The (fourth) greatest gift is saying three words

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It’s sometimes fun to overstate special moments in our lives, declaring them “the dream” or the greatest gift we’ve ever received. Obviously, as a Christian, the greatest gift is Christ—to be reconciled to God in and through Him. My wife is the second greatest gift, and my children are the third, collectively.1

But today, I have a greatest gift—a special moment that may well be the dream for every writer. Three words that are the three that every writer longs to say from the moment they star...

Weekend reading (12/02)

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A Drug Dealer Led Me to Faith

Mark Clark:

The first time I did drugs, I was eight or nine years old. A guy from our neighborhood cooked up some hash and weed for me and some of my friends behind the local convenience store. By ninth grade, drugs were a daily part of my life. At one point, I took drugs that were laced with something dangerous, and my friends watched in horror as I lay in the middle of the street, eyes sparkling, skin gone cold pale.

Help for the Beat-Up Pastor

Erik Raymond:

I...

Lies We Tell Ourselves About Marriage

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Every so often, I go through the archives of the blog and see what I’ve written. Often I find something that I’m shocked anyone actually took the time to read and share because it’s not that great (I think). But every once in a while I find something that I actually liked, despite some typos and maybe questionable wisdom in when I chose to write on a particular subject.

Last night, I found one of these; a series, in fact. “Three Lies We Tell Ourselves About Marriage,” looking at three common...