nawinter.com

A Mother’s Day Letter – As you continue to honor and celebrate your mom (after all this activity shouldn’t be reserved for a single day), say thanks to all the moms who chose life for their child and who allowed others to be moms as well. (H/T)

Has God Left You in the Fire? – “God is no inattentive smith with the proverbial too many irons in the fire. Every moment of your trial is under his intense scrutiny. He brings infinite wisdom, infinite love, and infinite power all to bear on you when you suffer. His unlimited, eternal resources are engaged to ensure that your trial will not consume you, will not overwhelm you, will not burn you up and leave you wasted in the fire.”

10 Simples Strategies for Prayer – “I know very few people who don’t struggle with prayer. We know we should pray, but doing so consistently and fervently is not easy. Most of our praying is reactionary – that is, in response to a problem – rather than proactive, lifestyle praying.” Here are some strategies to try and change that.

The Power of a Parent’s Words – “My response to my children, whether it is with actual words or even just the tone of my voice, reveal the condition of my heart.” A convicting, and encouraging, post pertinent to any parent.

in Defense of Sports – “I believe sports are a gift, a good gift, that God gave through human creativity for our enjoyment. They should be participated in at every level and in every way as such. And just like all of life, we ought to approach them with thoughtfulness, discernment, and intentionality.” As one married to a sports fan, I appreciated this post.

There Really is a Reason – 12 Benefits of Afflictions – “God is the great artist who produces the ultimate masterpieces – sons and daughters in the likeness of his Son Jesus Christ. So he makes every stroke of the Master’s brush, every tap of the Sculptor’s chisel count.” Here are twelve ways afflictions may be used for good in our lives.

Stuff Christians Say – “It seems to me that there are at least two varieties of words in the Christian lexicon, those that are trite and those that are specific. ‘God thing’ is a trite phrase that has no objective meaning and there is not much to lose if we never use it again. ‘Propitiation’ is a very precise term that has a distinct meaning. It is this second category that I believe we need to hold on to and we need to hold on to such words without shame. We impoverish ourselves when we lose these words. We impoverish ourselves if we never learn and teach these words.”

Virtuous vs. Narcissistic Leadership – ” A virtuous leader will love those with whom he or she works but narcissistic leaders will not because they cannot. The bottom line is that leaders having skill alone is insufficient because, in the long-run, bad character sabotages skill every time.”

The Light Does Shine in the Darkness – A powerful reminder that in the midst of evil, we can still be witness to God’s glory.

He Is A Kind Man – R.C. Sproul, Jr. Writes a moving tribute about the kindness of his dad.

Undermining God’s Plan for Marriage – “The basis of a marriage reflecting God’s plan is how it reflects the gospel. In other words a marriage is reflective of God’s plan in so far as it reflects the marriage between Jesus the husband and the church the bride.” (H/T)

12 Terms for How Christians Participate WIth Christ – The title is pretty self-explanatory; the accompanying chart is helpful.