John Beeson

July 29, 2021

Recommendations, Relationships, Christian Living, Identity

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

July 29, 2021

Recommendations, Relationships, Christian Living, Identity

Jesus and the Reality of Hell: Jared Wilson details Jesus’ teaching on hell. Despite many who are reluctant to preach on hell, “…Jesus was not skittish about preaching hell. He knew the stakes couldn’t be higher. “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you,” he tells the healed paralytic (John 5:14). Because he knows there are worse things than being paralyzed. He knows there are worse things than dying.”
When God Seems Deaf to Our Cries: Tim Challies does a wonderful job of placing us in Joseph’s sandals and having us consider what it would have felt like for years to feel as though God wasn’t listening. He says, “Surely he would have begged God to rescue him through means ordinary or miraculous. Surely he would have been disappointed when God seemed deaf to his cries, when he was sold to Midianite traders for a mere handful of silver, when he was hauled off to a life of captivity in Egypt.”
3 Biblical Truths That Challenge False Foundations of Identity: Y Bonesteele’s commentary on a recent Lifeway Research study caught my eye because of the forthcoming book my wife and I are working on regarding identity. Bonesteele says, “When asked the open-ended question, “When you think about who you are, what are the first three things that come to mind?” Americans say being a parent (25%), being intelligent (12%), their job (11%), being compassionate (11%), being a husband (10%), being kind (10%), being trustworthy (10%), being a wife (8%), being a friend (8%), being hardworking (8%), being honest (8%), being a Christian (8%), and being religious/spiritual (2%).”
Assume the Best of Others: Greg Morse’s reflections here are so important. He says, “Cynicism and suspicion, I know firsthand, crawl into our minds and make us traitors to ourselves, dangers to our families, and toxins to our churches. Our suspicions can make us strike at those dearest to us. They contain a self-fulfilling prophecy: the more we suspect, the more reasons we find to suspect; the more we distrust, the more reasons we find to distrust. Every creak of the floor becomes a burglar.”
The Power of Encouragement: I dare you not to smile watching this adorable clip. How much do we underestimate the power of encouragement?

John Beeson

February 25, 2021

Recommendations, Christian Living, Culture, Suffering

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

February 25, 2021

Recommendations, Christian Living, Culture, Suffering

1. Can We Do Better Than the Enneagram? Psychologist Sarah Schnitker believes we can. She says, “At present, there is scant empirical evidence that the Enneagram accurately describes human personality or spirituality. The nine types do not align with any scientifically evaluated models of personality.”

2. The Dangerous Love of Ease: Greg Morse warns us, “We might assume that there is no danger in a world that feels so safe. If no one is violently banging at the door, we assume we don’t need the same strength as poor or persecuted Christians. We do. We too need Christ’s strength in the prosperity we face.”

3. Anger with God Amidst Great Pain: Brad Hambrick considers how to walk with someone who is angry with God. “As a theologian, our first question might be, “Is it right for our friend to be angry at God?” As a counselor, our first question would be better stated, “Do you mind telling me about the things that have been hard and the ways you see God being involved with your pain?” That doesn’t mean there is a contradiction between being a theologian and being a counselor. It does mean that the order in which topics enter the conversation is likely to be different.”

4. You Weren’t Meant to Be Isolated: Michael Kelley reflects, “COVID has robbed us of many things, but it also presents us as church leaders with this opportunity—to help people embrace the nature of the true community of the faith.”

5. YouTube Wins 2020 Teacher of the Year Award: From Babylon Bee (with a wink, of course), “"Where some teachers' unions have failed our students, YouTube has been there 24/7," said the event's emcee. ‘YouTube has done a better job than almost any schoolteacher in 2020, instructing kids in any practical topic they wish to know about. YouTube never gets tired or cranky or hungry, and if you don't like the worldview of a particular video, you can just turn it off instead of being brainwashed.’”

6. How Amazon’s Super-Complex Shipping System Works: Holy moly. Crazy stuff. The logistics involved are mind-boggling.

John Beeson

February 18, 2021

Christian Living, Recommendations, Prayer, Politics

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

February 18, 2021

Christian Living, Recommendations, Prayer, Politics

1. A Prayer and a Prayer: My friend John Starke compares two prayers, “The first prayer, “Lord, give me patience,” is a prayer that she has learned she ought to pray. But the second is something deeper than a request “give me,” but a lament.”

2. The 50 Countries It’s Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus in 2021: Open Doors’s new list includes North Korea, Afghanistan, followed by Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, and India as the top ten. This Christianity Today report begins with the sobering news that, “Every day, 13 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith. Every day, 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked.”

3. Our Patriotic Idolatry: Danny Friederichsen with a timely warning, “Patriotolatry is dangerous because it flies under the radar for so many American Christians. After all, it can feel dangerously like faithfulness.”

4. The Blessing of Our Weariness: David Qaoud with a great reminder and encouragement, “weariness is a reminder that God created you to get stuff done for his glory (Ephesians 2:10). To use an N.D. Wilson expression, “Life is meant to be spent.” Workaholism is bad, but laziness is equally so…Weariness reminds us that idleness is sinful and that our lives are meant to be poured out for the glory of the triune God.”

5. Secret Sins Will Hurt Others: Greg Morse reminds us how significant our battle against sin is, “In this, Satan is a crafty spider, spinning a web of concealed threads sticking to those we never intended to harm.”

6. How to Respond to the News About Ravi Zacharias: Speaking of secret sins: this week a report was issued about an in-depth investigation of Ravi Zacharias which revealed a horrific history of sexual sin and cover-up. Randy Alcorn offers wisdom in how to consider such a devastating report.

John Beeson

October 22, 2020

Recommendations, Christian Living

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

October 22, 2020

Recommendations, Christian Living

1. Woe is Me: Abigail Dodds reflects on the sin of self-pity and how to be free from it. She reframes the biblical story, “There is a sense in which the entire story of the Bible exists to wake us up from the stupor of deadly self-pity and cause us to receive the only pity powerful enough to save us — the pity of God.”

2. Autumn and the Beauty of Death for the Christian: Tim Counts with a beautiful piece reflecting on fall in New England. He concludes, “Winter can be long and bleak. After the leaves fall, our trees will be barren here for over 6 months. But lift your heads, brothers and sisters, because spring follows winter. It may be fall now, but springtime – and Resurrection Morning – is coming.”

3. What Christians Can Bring to Online Conflict: Greg Morse with an important reflection on the power of fire and our tongue. He concludes, “And instead of setting flame to everything it comes in contact with, it hopes, ‘May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.’”

4. The Goodness of the Wrath of God: My friend Sarah Sanderson with a very helpful consideration as to why even God’s wrath is good news. She asks an important question: “Practically speaking, if you have a high view of God’s sovereignty (as I always believed that I had), it means, (or I always took it to mean) that whatever happens is whatever God wanted to happen. If God has the power to do anything, and the ability to control everything, then surely anything and everything that happens has been willed and controlled by God?”

5. Pride is Meant to Be Swallowed: My friend Anne Imboden shares about pride, humility, and love. She shares of the moment repentance breaks through her son’s proud heart, “When I hold my arms out to reassure him, the weight of sin is lifted and the freedom of humility releases his heart. Owning up to God first helps us own up to others, because we can approach them with a heart that has been humbled by God’s great grace.”

6. How to Stop Hating Yourself: Emma Scrivener’s piece is clear and important. Maybe you need to hear these truths today.

John Beeson

August 6, 2020

Christian Living, COVID-19, Culture, Family, Biblical Studies, Recommendations, Parenting, Sexuality

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

August 6, 2020

Christian Living, COVID-19, Culture, Family, Biblical Studies, Recommendations, Parenting, Sexuality

1. Kids Spending 500% More Time in Front of Screens During Quarantine: James Lang suggests that, “The trouble with excessive screen time is that it eclipses healthy behaviors that all children need.”

2. Will Hell Really Last Forever? This is a thoughtful and thorough response by Greg Morse. I find this part of his argument most persuasive: "The answer is clear enough in Revelation 16:8–11, where people under God’s judgment 'gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.'”

3. 4 Disturbing Trends in Global Persecution: Please pray for Christ's church. The fourth in Aaron Earls's report is, "Christianity is on the verge of disappearing in Iraq and Syria. The presence of terrorist groups and conflicts in both Middle Eastern countries have led to the rapid decline of the Christian populations. Before the extended conflicts began, Iraq and Syria had 3.7 million Christians. Now that has dropped to around 946,000, according to Open Doors."

4. Here come the Skinny Cows: Mark Deymaz and Harry Li with a disturbing forecast of dramatically decreased giving to churches in the coming years. They explain four factors that might lead to a decline of up to 30% drop in giving. One of the four factors is a decrease in giving to religious institutions, "Individual giving in general is trending down, the report said, but religious giving is being hit by other factors like the growing disaffiliation of Americans with religious groups."

5. 4 Principles for Talking to Your Kids About Sex: Julie Lowe’s short article is on point. Her final point is, “Fourth, talk soon. Be the one who shapes your child’s view on sex and sexuality. It is far better to proactively inform your child’s view on a subject, than to have to go back and debunk an inaccurate view.”

6. Hawaii's Forest Eater: Stunning up close footage of the devastating 2018 volcano in Hawaii.

John Beeson

April 11, 2019

Recommendations, Church, Marriage, Theology

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

April 11, 2019

Recommendations, Church, Marriage, Theology

1. 8 Reasons Young Adults Leave Your Church (And 8 Reasons They Stay): Ben Trueblood reflects, "There simply isn’t an understanding of what the church is, how it functions in their life, and how they are meant to be function as part of it.”

2. May She Be My Delight: Greg Morse reflects on Christ's love for the church and our call to love our wives with that same delight, "God does not tolerate his church. He does not ignore her. He does not wake up in the morning thinking he married the wrong girl. Familiarity does not dampen his passion."

3. Behind Every Good Woman Stands a Good Man: Courtney Reissig concludes, " Our gifts both in the marketplace and in the church are not for ourselves, but for others. So when I free him to work and serve, I’m part of that work, too. And vice versa. Behind every good man, stands a good woman. And behind every good woman, a good man stands, too."

4. Secularism is Boring: Nicholas T McDonald's long and dense post is well worth the read. He dissects the layers of problems of our secularist world, "'Irony tyrannizes us.'...Most likely, I think, today’s irony ends up saying: ‘How totally banal of you to ask what I really mean.’”...Because we are a plotless people. We’re banging our heads on the nothing wall."

5. Belief in Hell and Psychological Health: David Briggs Arda compiles some interesting studies on belief in hell. He shares,"The findings, some of which even surprised research team members, included: The more religious an individual was, the less likely they were to display hell anxiety. Unhealthy fears were not related to dogmatism or religious fundamentalism."

John Beeson

November 15, 2018

Recommendations, Marriage, Culture, Prayer, Science

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

November 15, 2018

Recommendations, Marriage, Culture, Prayer, Science

1. The Lie of "Happy Wife, Happy Life" Greg Morse picks apart this oft-told piece of advice, "In the end, a nearsighted “happy wife, happy life” mentality throws the toys in the closet to go outside and play. Happy wife, easier life does not lead to happiness, but to a closet full of regret, bitterness, and selfishness, which we all must open eventually."

2. Yale and Stanford Psychologists say, "Find Your Passion" is Bad Advice: Quartz reports, "The answer to these questions, it turns out, hinges on our approach to interests. Based on the latest findings, people who have a fixed mindset—the almost mystical belief that passions are revealed to us magically—seem to be less curious and motivated than those with a growth mindset, who understand interests unfold as a process."

3. Her Name is Monroe Christine: Brandon McGinley reflects on the disgusting saga around the birth of a beautiful girl to a surrogate mom while her reality television star dads watch, "Her name is Monroe Christine. She is a little girl who was paid for by two men. Her mother was picked out of a catalogue; the woman who gave birth to her was a contractually obligated guest star on a television show who was publicly humiliated by her father."

4. God Wants You to Ask Him Again: Marshall Segal encourages us to pray the prayers we've stopped praying, "But in Christ our trials are not trivial in his eyes. Our burdens are not small or irrelevant to him. His global purposes do not draw him away from us. Our prayers are not peripheral in his priorities, because our trials and prayers are deeply and intimately connected to his greatest burden as a good Father: his own glory."

5. Revisionist History: All three series of Malcolm Gladwell's podcast have been excellent, but I think his most recent third season is best. His episodes on Elvis, Brian Williams, and Sammy Davis are particularly interesting.

John Beeson

November 16, 2017

Marriage, Leadership, Recommendations, Christian Living, Church

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

November 16, 2017

Marriage, Leadership, Recommendations, Christian Living, Church

1. Safety is Not the Antidote to Fear: A brief video by Gary Haugen that shakes our expectations of what God wants to do in the midst of our fears.

2. Learning About the Wolves: Kevin DeYoung reflects on who are wolves in the church and how we should respond to them.

3. How Our Churches Can Grow in Diversity: We have so far to go in this. I'm grateful for Greg Morse presenting not just the seriousness of the issue: "The father of lies devours minority souls, barring them from the gospel of grace and eternal life, simply by whispering, 'Christianity isn’t for you. Whites only.' When Christianity is whitewashed, when the church becomes associated with suburban country clubs, when our celebrated leaders and theologians throughout time have almost exclusively white faces... minority souls close their ears to the gospel and die in their sins." Morse also calls us forward. Among his admonitions he asks us to re-evaluate our stance on justice issues: " Social justice is not the gospel — but it is a result of the true gospel, and can be instrumental in directing souls to the true gospel."

4. Why the End of Marriage in Eternity is Good News: John Piper shares hard to believes news, " If the age to come is not only an improvement over the worst of this world, but over the best, then the end of marriage is spectacularly good news. Do you see this? Marriage in this age, at its best, offers some of life’s most intense pleasures, and sweetest intimacies. If you have ever tasted these, or have ever dreamed of tasting them, then you can feel the astonishing force of the promise that marriage will be no more because it was too weak to carry God’s best eternal pleasures."

5. Match Made in Marrow: Radiolab is one of my favorite podcasts, it is also done from a secular scientific worldview that is atheistic in slant. I was shocked when they made the story of a man who came to faith in God because of his atheist bone marrow donor the centerpiece of their podcast last week. It is a fantastic listen.

6. Penguins Don’t Belong in Antactica: Kellen Erskine is too funny: “Have you ever seen the way penguins walk? They walk the same way you would, if you were wearing cold, wet pants.”