Biblical Archaeology’s Top Discoveries of 2022: I missed several of these. The monument to Hezekiah is really neat. And so is the new magnetic dating technology.
In the End, There are Yellow Tulips: Madelyn Canada’s post is stunning. Don’t miss this one. ““You look beautiful in ‘lellow,’ Ms. Madelyn.” She was in my arms, had put her little hands on my face and said it with the deepest sincerity. I chuckled and thanked her, setting her back down on the floor so she could join her other friends playing with baby dolls.”
The Five Not-Points of Calvinism: Speaking of TULIP(s) ;), Scott Hubbard shares, “The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) once described Calvinism as a lamb in wolf’s skin: “cruel in the phrases,” but “full of consolation for the suffering individual.” The words unconditional election, for example, can feel rough on the surface; they can seem to snarl and bare their teeth. Yet as countless Christians have discovered, beneath Calvinism’s wolfish exterior is the softness of a lamb.”
Nurturing Emotional Well-being: Betty-Anne Van Rees begins, “One of the great misunderstandings about the human experience in our era is the idea that our emotional state is something that happens to us; that we are powerless to impact it. The truth is we make choices throughout our day that profoundly impact our emotional and mental well-being.”
5 Things a Leader Always Gets Right: Carey Nieuwhof is right on with this. “Knowing how to handle failure well is essential to success in leadership. But do you know what is harder? How you handle success. You would think success would be harder, but it is, and I’ve seen far more leaders blow success than I have leaders blow failure. Failure is, by nature, humiliating. It crushes pride. Success does the opposite. It naturally inflates a leader’s pride. It’s intoxicating.”
Visualized: the World’s Population at 8 Billion: I love looking at these sorts of infographics. The world just hit 8 billion people: how does that break down over across the globe?

1. One in Three Practicing Christians Has Stopped Participating in Church: A sobering report from Barna.

2. Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2020: I always appreciate these recaps from Christianity Today. Gordon Govier reports, “Turkish archaeologist Celal Şimşek discovered sacred items used in Christian worship while excavating a house in Laodicea. The peristyle house—built around a central garden or courtyard—was located next to a theater and was likely owned by wealthy people. The apostle Paul sent an epistle to the church at Laodicea, which is mentioned in Colossians but appears to have been lost. The church is also mentioned in Revelation…”

3. Don’t Be an Esau: Ray Majoran exhorts us to not sell our birthright for stew. He says, “In 2020, I saw many (professed) Christians giving up their birthright for a bowl of soup.”

4. Wait for it: Susan Lafferty with a delightful reflection on anticipating what we’ve already seen.

5. When God Goes Big and I Go Small: Tim Challies says that our impulse to wriggle out of sweeping biblical commands is dangerous. He says, “The Bible speaks in broad words, in great sweeping statements. There are times to interpret those words and statements, to apply wisdom to them. But first we must deal with them as they are, to allow them to hit with all of their force, all of their impact. Then, and only then, do we ask our “what if” questions.”

This Week's Recommendations

This Week's Recommendations