Atlanta’s Dream
All powerful articles that remind us of the richness and texture of the black church in America. Thank God for the church!
Richard Luckett (Facebook)
I really appreciated this @CTmagazine profile by @terashaburrell of black-owned businesses in Atlanta, and the vision of Christian entrepreneurs for building up communities. Atlanta keeps popping up as a place that is doing things the right way.
@AnthonyMBarr
Y’all, @CTmagazine did #Atlanta up right in its latest issue. So many amazing folks call this place home. Great writing all around and gorgeous shots from @benrollinsphoto.
@TousledApostle
The Next Mission Field Is a Game
I’m surprised how little Christian media interacts with games. Movies, books, and TV are often reviewed, but little space is allotted for game reviews or in-depth theological discussion.
@MillennialPastr
Who Will Help Gen Z with Anxiety, Depression, Suicide? Youth Pastors Turn to Counseling.
The church is not equipped to deal with mental illness. I speak from personal experience. I’ve battled severe depression for almost 50 years. Therapy will help deal with the behavioral aspect, and medications can help to correct an imbalance of brain chemicals. Of course, staying in prayer, listening to Christian music, and being intentional about reading Scripture like what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:6 give us hope. David, while hiding in caves and holes in the ground from those trying to kill him, was very depressed. You can tell from his psalms. But he also kept his faith in God because he knows God can do all things.
John Haake (Facebook)
According to a LifeWay poll a couple years back, many evangelical senior pastors never talk about mental health in a way that reduces stigma. Too often, unqualified people are offering “counseling” and a number of churches do not encourage the use of trained mental health professionals. As the suicide rates of LGTBQ youth tend to be two to three times higher (often due to stigma and non-acceptance), I wonder how the program by Focus on the Family (referenced in this article) addresses these concerns, as they have been very clear over the years on where evangelicals stand on this issue, and it’s not been [a place] of support or acceptance.
Ben Keller (Facebook)
Sign Language Bible Complete After 39 Years
I’m a CODA, a.k.a. a child of deaf adult(s). This is awesome to see. God’s Word continues to spread in every language!
@HisWordnCoffee
Your Devotional Is Not a Bible
Jen Wilkin’s article was an excellent reminder that even the best religious devotional should not replace Scripture itself. Similarly, the appropriate desire to address systemic cultural issues should not replace our focus on Jesus’ commission to proclaim the gospel to every person and make disciples of all nations. The larger the collective body of Christ, the greater the potential impact on society. However, Daniel Harrell [in “Christianity Is About Systemic Change”] may have stretched Revelation 7:9 by implying it speaks of WHOLE tribes and nations and peoples and languages coming to Christ.
John Higgins Kernersville, NC
Devotionals have always seemed like M&Ms: sweet but lacking any nutritional value.
Dick Lloyd (Facebook)
The Best Way to Memorize Scripture Has Little to Do with Learning Words
I’ve never been able to memorize passages. Something I did notice in the late ’70s … I could read my Bible, and then when someone asked me what I’d read, I could visualize the page and the contents and then go to the page and show them. Over the years, I’ve found that God just brings to my recall when I need it—address included. One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to remind us of what Jesus taught us, so we can give it to the people whom we’re telling about Jesus.
Steve Buckley (Facebook)
Good News: Tomorrow We Die
It seems that everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. As a young man, I feared death. Now as an older man with faith, I’m looking forward to being with my Lord Jesus Christ. Thy will be done.
Richard Knoggin (Facebook)
Pursuing Racial Justice Requires More Than Lament, but Never Less
I have been reading [Mark Vroegop’s] first book, and I agree that lament is sorely lacking in our churches. And when I enter into someone else’s pain, there is no need for me to have a solution for that person’s pain but to simply listen!
Linda Watt (Facebook)
