Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 76
July 13, 2017
Links I like (7/13)
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If You Don’t Care for the Poor, You Don’t Understand the GospelJD Greear:
Karl Marx famously called Christianity the opiate of the people, but I think it’s actually the smelling salts. Because when you really understand God’s grace, you wake up to injustice, and you are moved by compassion.
The reverse is true as well: When you are blind to the needs of the poor, it raises the question of whether or not you’ve actually ever believed the gospel, because you are unaware of your own pressing n...
July 12, 2017
One year later, how’s the new blogging schedule working out?
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One year ago, as I prepared to make the big move from London, Ontario, to Franklin, I made a change to my blogging schedule. I was still posting daily, but what I was posting changed. Instead of newly written content every day, along with curated content, I moved to a schedule that looks like this:
Sunday: New article (usually in a devotional form) Monday: New article Tuesday: Links I like Wednesday: New article/podcast Thursday: Links I like Friday: New article Saturday: Weekend readingM...
July 11, 2017
Links I like (7/11)
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13 Books to Read with Your Kids This SummerI love lists like this.
5 Reasons We Struggle to RestEric Geiger:
July is often a time many ministry leaders rest. For years it has been a time when I have taken some extra time to slow down, read more, vacation with my girls, and not go to the office as much. Whether you rest in July or not, you do need to rest. Rest is not an option; it is a command. When the Lord instituted the Sabbath in the Old Testament, He was declaring that His people must...
July 10, 2017
The most personally convicting book I’ve read in ages
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Right now, I’m about halfway through David Murray’s Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture. I probably should have been done it about a week ago, when I started reading it on a plane, but I can’t finish it. At least not yet. It’s been a challenge.
The challenge doesn’t come from the writing itself. Murray’s style is inviting and the language is accessible. It’s not from a lack of interest in the book’s topic, either. If that were the case, I wouldn’t even be reading it. The ch...
July 9, 2017
The stuff (accidental) heretics are made of
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When it comes to certain biblical concepts, it’s really okay to admit, “I don’t know.” If you’re like me, you probably have a list (maybe even a big one). How God’s sovereignty and our moral agency work together. The problem of evil. The continued existence of The Bachelor. And of course, the Trinity.
Defined at its most basic level, the doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one God who exists as three persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all of whom are equally God, yet distinct...
July 8, 2017
Weekend reading (7/08)
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Introducing the Director of the New Send InstituteDaniel Yang:
How ...From the Sun Belt of America to the Prairies of Canada, the North American landscape is changing quickly. While demographics isn’t destiny, it does indicate that the diversity in America and Canada will soon be at unprecedented levels. Now, and even more so in the future, planters and networks must learn how to navigate through a plethora of diversity issues in an increasingly post-Christian and post-European North America.
July 7, 2017
The secret of cultural change
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I am continuing my slow (very slow) trek through John Frame’s Systematic Theology. I can rarely get through more than a couple of pages at a time because I just have to stop and think. To carefully consider each section as I go, because there’s so much.
One of those hit me recently while reading through Frame’s chapter on the Kingdom of God. There, he discusses Jesus’ command to go into all the nations, and addresses the fact that the word in the Great Commission for teaching is one that foc...
July 6, 2017
Links I like (7/06)
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Should We Move On From Talking About the Racist Past of the SBC?Mike Leake:
We Southern Baptists have a racist past. We cannot get around this fact. In 1995, on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the SBC, the messengers overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning racism and apologizing for our past. So is that the end of the story? We asked for forgiveness—now is it up to our African American brothers to grant this forgiveness and bury the past in the past? Shouldn’t we just move...
July 5, 2017
What I read in June
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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 June, I read 11 books to completion and started a couple of others that have yet to complete. Here’s what I read:
Aquaman, Vol. 1: The Drowning by D...July 4, 2017
Links I like (7/04)
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3 Reasons Kids Ministry Is ImportantEric Geiger:
The last two weeks have provided great reminders to me about why kids ministry is so important. I served as camp pastor at CentriKid camps for a week. The whole family came and we had a great time. The kids participated in Bible studies, recreation, track times based on their interests, and morning and evening worship gatherings. Then the next week, Kaye hosted a backyard kids club in our neighborhood for neighbors and friends from school. Fr...
