Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 63

You are not your personality profile

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Something I’ve noticed as a result of reading a whole lot of leadership books in the past year or so is folks really, really love personality and skills profiles. There’s not just the Myers-Briggs anymore. There’s DISC, Predictive Index, StrengthsFinders, Enneagram, something about how strategic vs implementation oriented you are…

Sweet Christmas, there are a lot, and more on the market every day.

I actually think personality profiles are pretty helpful. They can help you navigate the quirks...

So good it can only be true

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There’s something in us that is hardwired to behave and believe as though we have to clean ourselves up in order to come before God. For those who aren’t (apparently) completely opposed to Christianity, this is a major stumbling block. For so many it seems like a copout—but for others, it’s something else. “It’s too good to be true. Even if Jesus can save the worst of us, surely that can’t include me.” But Spurgeon reminds us that the good news is so good it can only be true—and the salvatio...

Weekend reading (11/18)

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The Pronouns Preach

Jim Elliff:

When reading the Bible, parts of speech make a big difference in our understanding. There are many examples, but here is one that demonstrates my point perfectly. It is found in Ephesians. I will be so bold as to say, if you miss the pronouns, you miss the entire meaning of the epistle, and you will miss a particularly important lesson we need today.

Have you heard about the new Museum of the Bible?

Michael McAfee:

This museum is one of the tallest buildings i...

Luther: Now streaming with Amazon Prime

Yesterday I learned something pretty exciting: Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer is now available to stream with Amazon Prime. If you’ve not already had an opportunity to watch the film, this is a great way to do it.

Discover the story behind the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation. Told through a seamless combination of live-action storytelling and artistic animation, Martin Luther’s daring life is presented in extensive detail while still making the film relevant, p...

Links I like (11/16)

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Netflix Thinks You’re Bored and Lonely

Trevin Wax:

But is boredom always a problem, or could it be a possibility? Talk to people whose job it is to make things with their hands or create things in their head and they’ll tell you that great things happen when your mind runs free.

For most people, eliminating boredom means choosing activities that demand little to nothing of you. But there are better, more rewarding ways to respond to boredom. You can pick activities that stretch your mind and...

Give it five minutes

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Yesterday I finished listening to How to Think by Alan Jacobs (a book I highly recommend). Something that’s incredibly powerful is a story he shares at the beginning of the book. Jacobs was listening to a lecturer, and strongly disagreed with what was said, so much so that he went up to him right after the lecture was over and told him so. The lecturer listened patiently and simply responded, “Give it five minutes.”

This theme comes up again and again throughout the book, as Jacobs encourage...

Links I like (11/14)

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On Getting Un-Dragoned by the Light of Christ

Jared Wilson:

One of my favorite scenes from Lewis’s Narnia stories comes from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Eustace Scrubb—who is about as cuddly a personality as his name would suggest—finds himself in a scaly predicament. Eustace comes across a great treasure; overcome with greed he begins to imagine all the comforts of life he could enjoy with this treasure. He goes into “hoarding” mode. Eventually he falls asleep and when he wakes up...

The Littlest Watchman

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We don’t have a lot of Christmas traditions in the Armstrong home, but there are a few (and not just the one to two week window for how long we have a tree up). Our traditions tend to center around books we like to read around the holidays. I’ll usually wind up reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol by myself, and we cycle in a few different family options. Last year, we introduced the family to Scott James’ excellent little devotional The Expected One. Every day was a beautiful time of explorin...

A surefire recipe for failure

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One of the most beautiful truths Christianity teaches is justification by faith: solely through trusting in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are we declared righteous before God. Nothing to earn, nothing to deserve, none of that. Enemies are adopted into God’s family by faith in Christ.

But it’s also the most unnatural to us. We are hardwired to want to earn… well, anything, but especially our standing in the eyes of others. And doubly so from a religious or spiritual perspective. Just...

Weekend reading (11/11)

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Saying Goodbye Well Is Hard to Do

I agree with Dave on this.

The Presence, Compassion and Prayerfulness of Jesus

Rob Tims:

It is all too easy to “minister” in a detached and sanitary manner … to “help” people to the extent that it doesn’t overly involve or inconvenience us. Not so Jesus. As vv. 35-36 illustrate, He was very present … mindful of the people He ministered to in an intimate way.

Don’t Leave Your Husband for Her: Letter to a Would-Be Adulteress

Rosaria Champagne Butterfield:

I’m...