O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more
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The issue is can men and women be friends, that is Are cross-gender friendships do-able? I came across this post at Live Better America blog and thought I’d clip a bit for here: What are your guidelines or rules? What policies are in place in churches? Men are men. Women are women. We’re genetically wired to, if not check each other out, at least notice when there’s attraction. Behavioral scientists say it’s primal: We can’t help it; the survival of... Read more
By Abigail Rine, at The Atlantic: One of the issues here is that sex is devalued when women (not so often men) are seen as damaged goods, impure, contaminated, deflowered, defiled… so Richard Beck, and others, are exploring new metaphors for sexuality. Denunciations of purity culture are beginning to emerge from the evangelical ivory tower as well. Richard Beck, Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at Abilene Christian University, an evangelical school, expounds on the deeper implications of purity... Read more
Wisconsin’s biggest brat ever! “Brat Fest officials said they grilled a brat measuring 54 feet 10 inches to surpass the record brat of 52 feet, 2 inches set last October in Prescott. The monster brat made by Johnsonville Sausage consisted of 28 pounds of pork, and fit perfectly on a bun made by Pan-O-Gold using 45 pounds of dough. The brat was grilled on a handmade cinder block grill. It took about 20 volunteer grillers to rotate the brat, which took... Read more
Strange Driving Rules from around the world infographic Read more
From USAToday: A record 40% of households with children include “breadwinner moms,” according to a report out today. These moms are the sole or primary source of income for households with children younger than 18, a Pew Research Center analysis finds. Theanalysis looked at data from the U.S. Census Bureau. “The share of households with children where there is a mother who is the sole or primary breadwinner is up about fourfold from 1960, when it was only 11%,” says report co-author Kim... Read more
From the Shepherd’s Nook, a weekly column from pastor John Frye One rumor in pastoral land is that preaching does not foster Christian formation. Since Christian formation is vital, then as the rumor has it, the preacher is not. If by the rumor it means that preaching in itself does not produce full-blown Christian formation, I would agree. Yet, preaching has had a trigger role in God’s ways of changing lives. Preaching is not the only way, but it is... Read more
Brian Orme, at ChurchLeaders, lists his five most misused, overused, abused, misread and misinterpreted Bible verses. What is at the top of your list of most misused Bible verse? The Bible is a sharp, double-edged sword — able to piece the heart. However, when portions of the Bible are used in the wrong context, it’s like trying to fight with the butt of the weapon instead of the blade. It’s just not effective. Over my years in ministry and as... Read more
Excellent set of ideas from Gary Gutting: I’ve concluded that the goal of most college courses should not be knowledge but engaging in certain intellectual exercises. For the last few years I’ve had the privilege of teaching a seminar to first-year Honors students in which we read a wide range of wonderful texts, from Plato and Thucydides to Calvino and Nabokov. We have lively discussions that require a thorough knowledge of the text, and the students write excellent papers that... Read more
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