Category: World Wide Weekend

Hey there! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, fun, and maybe even some football!

This is a big batch of links. I highly recommend a careful reading of each one.

• “The Real Reason Churches of Christ are Shrinking” by Andy Brewer – Have you seen the articles that have been circulating the social media lately about how much the church needs to update and conform to become more popular? Andy offers some great thoughts in response.
• “Married men: your porn habit is an adultery habit” by Matt Walsh – According to Covenant Eyes, 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women say they are addicted to pornography. This article is written to husbands about the need to keep the vows we made to our wives and to not accept the excuses that our culture puts in our minds.
• “On the Seriousness of Sunday School for All Ages” by Caleb Colley – I really believe that Bible class is key to the stability and spirituality of a congregation.
• “10 Ways to Do Adulthood Well” by Jared Lafitte (Relevant) – “If anything, adulthood is a daily and gradual process of choosing maturity over immaturity. It doesn’t happen in one big moment, but over years of wise decisions. Adulthood is a sculpture carved over time. It’s a process of a person casting away their childishness and taking the shape of Godly maturity in their thoughts, words and actions.”

I have a fresh batch of links hot out of the oven! But first, enjoy some tweetables from this week.

Whether in the church or the home, Satan thrives in any environment where people are too afraid to speak the truth to one another.

— Wes McAdams (@wesmcadams) November 10, 2013

Never forget-for good or bad-the harvest comes later.What seeds are you planting today, intentionally that will produce what you want later?

— dalejenkins (@dalejenkins) November 11, 2013

 

Before there was guilt, there was grace. Before there was a sinner, there was a Savior.

— Steve Higginbotham (@s_higg) November 11, 2013

If every rock could speak, it would praise God (Lk. 19:30,31). If the stars could sing, their song would be one of praise.

— Allen Webster (@allenwebster) November 11, 2013

In the face of ACA hand-wringing 24/7, remember Matthew 6:24-34.

— Neal Pollard (@bvpreacher) November 14, 2013

We are spiritual farmers. It isn’t fair to be discouraged about the harvest if you haven’t been sowing plenty of seed. John 4:35-38

— Ben Giselbach (@bengiselbach) November 15, 2013

Just because your name is in a church directory somewhere, doesn’t mean you’re the church member God expects you to be.

— Wes McAdams (@wesmcadams) November 15, 2013

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• NEWS STORY: Amazon Hires US Post Office for Sunday Deliveries – Amazon announced this week that it will hire the US Postal Service to make Sunday deliveries.
• BLOG: “Justifying Our Choices” by Steve Higginbotham – A needed reminder for preachers about how we use our time.

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Tomorrow is the Lord’s day! Are you ready to worship Him? Check out the archives of TLN’s podcast Ready to Worship for a short devotional to prepare your mind for worship. If you’re around Pulaski, come worship with us at East Hill! We meet at 9:30, 10:30, and 6:00 on Sundays.

Here’s a batch of links that I’ve enjoyed lately:

• BLOG: “Proper Online Communication for the Christian” by Adam Faughn – Our Christianity should remain with us at all times, even in our virtual conduct.
• BLOG: “Eight Last Words of a Dying Church” by Chad Landman – Chad considers eight little words that reflect a harmful attitude and produce Christians who are spiritually dead. Spiritually dead Christians make for a spiritually dead congregation (consider the church at Sardis, Rev. 3:1-6). “Revive us again!”
• BLOG: “Five Different Ways Leaders Respond to Anonymous Critical Letters” by Thom Rainer – Offering criticism – even constructive criticism – through anonymous letters is not God’s plan. Christians, don’t send anonymous critical letters. Instead, do it Christ’s way (Mat. 18:15-17). For those of us who have received anonymous letters from time to time: let’s learn how to deal with them in a way where the work of the Lord (which is so much more important than a discouraging note from someone who won’t even identify themselves) is not hindered.
• VIDEO: “Who is God?” by Kyle Butt – Who is God? People have asked this question for years. Some people say God is a life force, others say that He is a personal Being, and still others say that God is only made up to control people using religion. This video from WVBS gives some answers.
• VIDEO: “Where is God?” by Kyle Butt – Can God be seen with a microscope or maybe a telescope? Is He high on a mountain top or deep within the ocean? There is no single, physical place that God resides in our Universe. Learn more in this next installment of the WVBS series.

[highlight]Tomorrow is the Lord’s day.[/highlight] Are you preparing right now to worship God? If you’re in the area, we’d love to have you worship with us at East Hill!

Looking for something good to read or to watch online this weekend? Here’s a fresh batch of links that I think you’ll enjoy.

• POEM: “My Eyes” – My wife is an all-around great writer. She posted this incredible poem this past Thursday.
• VIDEO: “The Truth About … Dressing to Worship” – Great thoughts about what we should wear to worship services. Definitely some challenging content as we prepare for the Lord’s Day tomorrow.
• BLOG: “Small Churches are Good for Your Kids!” – Daniel Howell posted this blog this past Wednesday on his site, and it has been widely circulated since then. If you haven’t read it yet, go check it out! It was the “small” congregations (that is, small in size) that gave me many preaching opportunities and encouraged me to continue preaching. These churches are small in number, but their impact on our lives is enormous.
• BLOG: “Three Reasons You Need to Stop Complaining” – This one is a few weeks old, but it’s a great post. Do you believe that complaining is a sin? If it isn’t, then please explain Philippians 2:14-15. Many of us have a lot of work to do on ourselves to overcome this sin. Wes McAdams helps us to see why it’s so evil.
• TECH BLOG: “Is Your Password Really Protecting Your Information?” – If you use the same password on multiple websites, then this blog post is a MUST READ. Right now.

[highlight]Tomorrow is the Lord’s day.[/highlight] If you’re looking for something that will help you be prepared for it, then I think you’ll like The Light Network’s podcast, Ready to Worship.

This Sunday also happens to be Friends and Family Day at East Hill! If you’re in our area, we’d love for you to come study and worship with us. Bible study begins at 9:30am and worship is at 10:30am and 6:00pm.

Each weekend, I’ll give you some of my favorite links from the week. Many of these will be helpful articles regarding Christian living or issues facing God’s people. Other links may be about tech, and still others may be just for fun. Here’s your world wide weekend for August 3.

• VIDEO: Is There A God? by Kyle Butt – This is yet another top-quality production of World Video Bible School in Maxwell, TX. It was uploaded on Thursday. As always, Kyle Butt does an incredible job communicating the truth. It’s definitely worth four minutes of your time.
  
• VIDEO: Why Jase & Missy from Duck Dynasty Saved Themselves for Marriage – Are you a Duck Dynasty fan? Hear their response to their recently acquired riches, and the foundation upon which they have built their lives.
• BLOG: “‘I Am Not a Monster’—Ariel Castro as Sinner and Sociopath” – Dr. Albert Mohler is a current events podcaster and blogger. His daily podcast, The Briefing, confronts cultural issues from a Christian worldview. I cannot endorse everything he teaches and practices, but you’ll find some great points in all of his content. This article, published yesterday, is no exception.
  
• BLOG: “The Heart of God Our Father” – Chris Clevenger is a close friend and brother in Christ. I’m happy and honored to work with Chris in Christ’s kingdom, especially through TV work and our podcasts. Though we are contemporaries in age, I look up to Chris as a great example of a Christian, a husband, and a preacher. I love all of his blog posts, but yesterday’s article touched my heart.

[highlight]Tomorrow is the Lord’s day.[/highlight] I’m looking forward to worshipping my Father with my brothers and sisters at East Hill. If you’re in Pulaski, I’d love for you to come worship and study with us! We meet at 9:30am, 10:30am, and 6:00pm each Sunday. [highlight]Are you seeking the Father? He’s seeking you (John 4:23-24).[/highlight]