Jesus Creed
Walking is healthy, healthier than you might think: “Regular exercise, such as brisk walking, may be one of the best prescriptions for improving your health, recent research confirms. One study showed that taking a 15-minute moderate-paced (3 mph) walk about 30 minutes after a meal helped control blood sugar in people who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Other research found that exercise may be as effective as medication in preventing early death in people who have had heart attacks or strokes. About 25% of all breast cancer cases in women of all ages could be avoided by maintaining a healthy body weight and doing regular physical activity, research shows. These studies add to a large volume of research on the benefits of regular physical activity. Exercise has been shown to lower the risk of early death, help control weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, some types of cancer and a host of other conditions.”
Good article about Russell Moore.
Jana Riess on reading the manuscripts of others: “Can you read my book for free, then hook me up with an agent or editor? Um, no. Let’s think about this for a moment. People don’t assume that accountants will do their taxes for free, or that a doctor will diagnose their heart condition for free. Published writers with years of experience are professionals too, and they deserve the same consideration…. So, no, I do not read manuscripts for free. Writers deserve to be paid for evaluating manuscripts. Writing is hardly a lucrative career to begin with; let’s not compound the problem by refusing to treat it as a real job. So if you’re a prospective author who wants a published author to “just take a quick look” at your manuscript, either to tell you if you’re on the right track (I get that phrase a lot) or to introduce you to an editor or agent, understand that it’s perfectly legitimate for Author #2 to ask whether you are paying by cash, credit card, or a favor in kind.”
Richard Beck on complementarianism: “Complementarianism is a label for a softer, nicer version of patriarchalism when it comes to traditional gender roles in marriages, families and churches. But the label “complementarian” obscures that connection because it’s not precise enough. Generally speaking, complementarianism has two parts. The first part is that, according to complementarianism, a man and women are endowed with certain gifts and skills that, when combined in a heterosexual marriage, “complement” each other, two puzzle pieces that fit together to make a whole that reflects the image of God. This aspect of complementarianism–that a husband and a wife “complement” or “complete” each other–isn’t inherently hierarchical/patriarchal because there are egalitarian arrangements where this sort of thing happens all the time. The Apostle Paul’s famous body metaphor for the church comes to mind. We can also think of any team or organization where our various gifts, skills and interests are lined up in a way that is “complementary”–you do that and I’ll do this because I’m good that this and you are good at that–to get the best result for the group. If that is all complementarianism was naming then it would be well named. But that’s only half of the complementarian position. The other half of the complementarian position is this: men and women have different gifts that combine to reflect the image of God and God created the man to have the gifts of leadership. That’s the critical part. That is, when God divided up God’s nature between the genders God gave the attributes of leadership to the male, putting him “in charge.”
Want to know about the rise of Calvinism, which is probably most accurately called “NeoPuritanism,” this article tells most of the story. I agree with Dever about the influence of Piper, but Piper’s platform was enhanced greatly by Louie Giglio through the Passion Conferences.
Why is Denmark so happy? “Last month, Denmark was crowned the happiest country in the world. “The top countries generally rank higher in all six of the key factors identified in the World Happiness Report,” wrote University of British Columbia economics professor John Helliwell, one of the report’s contributing authors. “Together, these six factors explain three quarters of differences in life evaluations across hundreds of countries and over the years.” The six factors for a happy nation split evenly between concerns on a government- and on a human-scale. The happiest countries have in common a large GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy at birth and a lack of corruption in leadership. But also essential were three things over which individual citizens have a bit more control over: A sense of social support, freedom to make life choices and a culture of generosity.”
Michelle van Loon on what happens when you leave a church: “When I read sad posts like this one from a former church leader who slowly awoke to the fact that something was terribly wrong at the top level of his organization, tried to reform it, and ended up leaving the congregation, I feel for the author. Been there. Twice. In both cases, we ended up leaving the congregation. When I think of the years my husband and I devoted to meetings, prayer, discussion, meetings, letters, more meetings, phone calls, and emotionally-draining and time-sucking drama leading to the decision to leave, here are seven things I wish someone had told me about what life would be like after the big exit…”
From the Village: “LIBERTYVILLE (AP) — Libertyville teenager Max Kollman holds his video camera low as he flies on his skateboard around a dilapidated, outdoor basketball court. He’s trying to capture his friend Scotty Brooke as he nosegrinds on a metal bench, heelflips his board, lands a nollie 360, hits a 5-0 and ends with a hard flipback 50/50. If that last sentence didn’t make any sense to you, don’t feel bad. You’re just probably not familiar with lingo used to refer to skateboard tricks.”
Your personality fits into which State the best?
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