Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 77
July 3, 2017
One of my favorite definitions of “theology”
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What is theology? Ask five Christians and you’ll probably get six different answers. When some of us think of theology, there’s a tendency to approach it as something abstract, or belonging to the world of academia that doesn’t really matter in the trenches of life and ministry.
But theology isn’t just writing papers on the minutest implications of an accent on a Greek word that may or may not have any impact on our day-to-day lives. Theology is something entirely different. It matters in ev...
July 2, 2017
How do I get the same passion as the Psalmists?
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One of the things that is absolutely astounding to me is when I see professing Christians trying to create a division between God and his Word. That is, to attempt to disconnect what he says from who he is.1 To treat the Bible as a barrier for knowing and loving the Lord.
But this is something I don’t see the writers of Scripture even attempt to do. Instead, they, especially the psalmists, have a deep and abiding affection for the Scriptures. They love the Bible. They delight in it. They are...
July 1, 2017
Weekend reading (7/01)
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The Order MattersLuke Holmes:
As the Israelites came into the promised land, the book of Deuteronomy records that Moses told them their history. A whole generation passed away while in the desert, so it was important for them to have everything straight before they crossed the Jordan.
In Deuteronomy chapter 7, Moses warns about the need for Israel to stay away from the gods of other cultures. Just so they know who they are, just so they don’t forget where they came from, Moses reminds the...
June 30, 2017
What matters most in prayer
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A number of years ago, I read a book by a well-known pastor that described a God-focused church as a praying church. That is, it is a group of people who are passionate about prayer. They’re fervently pleading before God, on their knees in tears. That’s certainly true, sometimes. But there are also times when prayer is a struggle. When my prayers feel weak, and nothing at all like what I’ve just written.
I know I’m not alone in this; it’s just that most people who feel weak as they pray, ten...
June 29, 2017
Links I like (6/29)
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2 Signs You’re an Insecure LeaderChad Williams:
Insecurity is a heart/identity issue that is uniquely manifested in how we lead others. Every leader struggles with it in some way due to both the demanding nature of leadership and the depraved nature of our own hearts. Leadership drags out our insecurities because leadership is a difficult and public enterprise. As a result, we feel the pressure to have all the answers, to make great decisions, and to generally make those that follow us feel...
June 28, 2017
What the disappointed and grumblers need to remember
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A number of years ago, I went on my first missions trip. At the time I was excited, but really wrestling with questions of what I was supposed to be doing with my life, frustrated and a little bitter when I saw others around me—some friends and some not-so-much—finding great success. Rather than rejoice at the good fortune of friends who the Lord had blessed, I found myself grumbling over the fact that others who I was working harder than those finding good fortune.
“Didn’t I deserve better?...
June 27, 2017
Links I like (6/27)
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Loving the People You Love to HateJared Wilson shares about his latest read-through of Mere Christianity.
The Church’s Biggest Challenge in 2017Mark Galli:
In fact, prejudiced evangelicals are cause not for rejection but love that goes the extra mile. If they are believers who don’t go to church, the first step might be to invite them back. If they are already in church, they are ripe for discipleship. Go therefore and teach them to observe all things whatsoever our Lord has commanded us—w...
June 26, 2017
What do we do with Psalm 137?
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The psalms of lament are nothing if not intense. One of the most difficult passages in the Bible is Psalm 137:7–9, one that displays the white-hot anger of the psalmist over what had been done to God’s people:
Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said that day[a] at Jerusalem: “Destroy it! Destroy it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who pays you back what you have done to us. Happy is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the ro...
June 25, 2017
Jesus: the helper of the helpless
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In Psalm 10:12–15, the psalmist calls on the Lord to act, to “lift” his hand and remember the afflicted. To “break the arm of the wicked and evildoer.” All throughout the Scriptures, we are told that God will defend the defenseless—he is a friend, a father and a helper to the fatherless. To quote Spurgeon, God “chastises the oppressor,” but “befriends the oppressed.”
The psalmist reminds himself of this reality. To himself and to all the faithful, he says, “God will act. Remember who he is—r...
June 24, 2017
Weekend reading (6/24)
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‘But This I Call to Mind’: Reflections on the Philando Castile VerdictDante Stewart:
India’s da...Though far, his death felt near. In some way he represented my brother, my cousin, and my friend. I found myself repeating the words of Wolterstorff that “if he was worth loving”—a fellow image-bearer—“he is worth grieving over.”
As I grieved, I searched for help in navigating this grim reality. I found that help in a seemingly unlikely yet safe refuge: Lamentations 3. Here are three reflections.
