A Few Good Reads

“The System I Use for Long Term Scripture Memorization“
“I have hidden your words in my heart that I might not sin against you.” The Psalmist’s words from Psalm 119 remind us of the necessity of storing away God’s word in our minds and hearts. While we live in an age avert to rote memorization, it is still the best way to remember God’s word. Chris Brauns shares his system for long term memorization and the person devoting themselves to his recommendations will see tremendous long term benefits. “Systematic long term memorization of Scripture requires only minutes on any given day. I took a break while writing this to review 10 verses. It took me one minute and twenty-two seconds to recite them. It was a minute and twenty-two seconds well spent.”

“Can You Be a Sold Out Christian in the Suburbs?“
We must be honest and admit many recent Christian books sound like the author believes a person who settles down and lives a faithful Christian life in the suburbs has settled for less than God has called them to. While the suburbs possess many subtle temptations which can pull us away from our devotion to Jesus, many wonderful opportunities exist as well. Owen Strachan, building on his book Risky Gospel, shares his call to Christians in the suburbs. “I want people to leave everything they have and go to closed countries and share the gospel. That’s glorious! But it’s also glorious when you keep going to your church, you keep teaching Sunday School to third graders, you keep building a vocation for yourself by which to honor Christ, you keep sharing the gospel with your FedEx driver, and so on and so forth.”

“15 Habits That Will Totally Transform Your Productivity>
This post from Fast Company points to some helpful tips for becoming more productive. Nothing in this post is new or earth-shattering, but they serve as helpful reminders. “No matter how crazy your days get, make sure you carve out and ruthlessly protect just 90 minutes—20% of an eight-hour day—for the most important tasks. “Even if you squander the remaining 80% of the day, you can still make great progress if you have spent 90 minutes on your goals or priorities,” says Charlotte, North Carolina–based productivity coach Kimberly Medlock.”

The Dude’s Guide to Marriage
Every man struggles to know how to love his wife well at times. Even the strongest husbands need help to grow. Darrin Patrick and Amie Patrick just released a great new tool to help husbands grow with his new book The Dude’s Guide to Marriage. “As Darrin and Amie Patrick reveal in this profoundly practical and transformational book, God designed your wife to want to need to be loved. And that design is an invitation for you to love her deeply, intentionally and passionately. Practicing ten powerful actions including listening, pursuing, and serving will transform you into your wife’s lifelong champion and have her nominating you for the Husband Hall of Fame. The Dude’s Guide to Marriage is for guys who want to grow, who want clear steps to improving their marriage. It’s for men who want a marriage that thrives rather than just survives. Grab this guide, and get ready to be a better husband by becoming a better man.” (Also check out Darrin’s book The Dude’s Guide to Manhood.)