nawinter.com

I’ve haven’t posted a Bits & Pieces in a while due to some unexpected time away from blogging. I’m still catching up, but here are some links you might enjoy this Labor Day holiday.

• Kindle Deals – Tim Challies has links to several Kindle deals in today’s post.

• The Beloit Mindset – A fascinating list released every year containing facts on entering college freshmen. Read it and be reminded of how much the world has changed in 18 years. (H/T)

• When Friends Fail Us – A beautiful reminder from John Piper on how to respond when friends, even Christian friends, fail us.

• Trusting God Through Trauma – After his mom was involved in a terrible accident, Patrick Schreiner shares some of the thoughts that comforted him as they waited for answers. (H/T)

• Has Anyone Seen God? – Tim Challies tackles this perplexing question.

• Public v. Private Worship – This post makes the case that there are benefits to public worship that are not present when we worship in private. (H/T)

• By This All Will Know – “After we have given all the arguments, the defenses and the evidences, loving one another is the final apologetic.”

• The Magnificent Defeat – “And there is truth to the thought that surrendering to God is a struggle that begins again every day as if nothing had yet been done. But it is in this great surrendering where we find not battle but mystery, not struggle but release. We find, as Fredrick Buechner observes, ‘the magnificent defeat of the human soul at the hands of God.'”

• Churchgoers Believe in Sharing Faith, But Most Don’t – Some new research from Lifeway about what many churchgoers say about evangelism, and what they actually do about it.

• The Threats of Man – “Jesus has something very specific in mind that is threatened by fear and advanced by courage. He says in Matthew 10:27-28, ‘What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear . . .’ In other words, the fear Jesus focuses on in this passage is the fear of speaking clearly (in the light) and openly (on the housetops) when that speaking might get you in trouble. So here’s the demand: ‘Don’t be afraid to speak clearly and openly what I have taught you, even if it costs you your life.” The rest of Jesus’ words here are motivation—five reasons why we should have courage in the cause of truth.'”

• Pilgrims in a Post-Christian Culture – “For Christian, there is the constant tension between the call of the Celestial City and his love for friends and family who have not ‘seen their danger as he saw his.’ And he, like all pilgrims, must recognize that leaving the path is not only unthinkable from the standpoint of his calling, but also catastrophic for those whom he desperately yearns to join him. The only way to commend the path to others is to stay on it.”

• Love for God– “Love for Jesus makes us generous, joyful, patient, and loving toward others.  It is love for Jesus that compels us and propels us. How do we cultivate our love for Jesus?” This article provides a few suggestions.

• 11 Brilliant Ways To Get a Faster Email Response – These are pretty funny.