Category: Points To Ponder

Disclaimer: These are articles or blog post that I have found interesting over the past few weeks. This does not mean that I agree with each and every point.

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WHY WOMEN ARE CRITICAL TO THE CHURCH’S MISSION

by Katie McCoy – Radical Blog

While Scripture teaches that God has given the responsibility of the pastoral role to men (1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1-13, Titus 1:6-9),[1]  there are a myriad of meaningful ministries for women. Unfortunately, many women culture mistakenly associate being “out front” or “in charge” with being more valuable. However, when we shift our focus away from the few roles God has reserved for men, we’ll find that the ministries available to women are part of the lifeblood of a local church’s witness to the world.

Read Full Article…

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Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Can Fill the Role Played by Churches

by FoxNews Insider – The Story with Martha MacCallum

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants his social network to fill the role that churches and social clubs once did in communities.

During a speech at the first Facebook Communities Summit last week, Zuckerberg said membership in all kinds of groups has declined in the last several decades.

“That’s a lot of of people who now need to find a sense of purpose and support somewhere else,” Zuckerberg said, promoting Facebook’s large community-support groups as a substitute.

Read Full Article…

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Raising Kids Who Love God and Serve Others (Audio)

By Dr. Joshua Straub – Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson

So often we feel alone as parents. But we aren’t supposed to do it alone. Raising kids who love God and love others doesn’t have to be filled with shame. We don’t have to fear that we’re somehow messing them up. In this episode, we break down Proverbs 22:6, and how we can raise our children “in the way.”

Leading our children in “the way,” is about the environment we raise them in. Which is why we created a community called TwentyTwoSix.  A way to connect with our kids at a heart level. Without needing to add anything more to our already busy day, we lay out content for the four key times of the day prescribed by Moses–morning prayers, drive-time games, dinnertime stories, and bedtime questions.

Listen to Full Audio…

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Video: Francis Chan: Why I Left The Megachurch I Created

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Do you have any blog post, videos or articles that you have found interesting? Leave a comment below with the link and I’ll take a look at them.

Disclaimer: These are articles or blog post that I have found interesting over the past few weeks. This does not mean that I agree with each and every point.

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Fathers, Direct Your Kids Toward that Which Matters – Part 1

by Casey Lewis

A couple of years ago, I came across an article put out by Desiring God entitled: Dad’s Write in Your Bible. The article was written by Jonathan Parnell, who is a pastor in Minneapolis. In the article, he picks up on the idea that our time in God’s Word and prayer not only benefit us but those around us. That’s because God’s Word transforms us into a river of living water that flows from us to our friends, family, co-workers, and community.

Read Full Article…

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How to Defend Your Faith Without Being a Jerk

by Drew Dyck (Boundless)

Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

So there I am, a sophomore in college, half asleep in my 9 a.m. Philosophy 101 class. Half asleep, that is, until the professor’s lecture takes a sudden turn from Kant to Christianity.

“Jesus didn’t want people to worship him,” he informs the class. “Paul introduced that idea much later. Most people don’t realize that Paul invented Christianity.”

A few moments pass as I chew on the professor’s foray into theology. I’m a Christian. I should say something. I raise my hand.

“That’s an interesting perspective about Paul,” I say. “But I have a question. Before Paul accepted Jesus, he traveled from city to city to persecute members of the early Christian movement. He put Christians in prison. He even had some killed.”

“What’s your point?” the professor asks, looking a little annoyed.

“How could Paul spend years of his life persecuting members of a religion that he supposedly invented?”

Read Full Article…

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Don’t Assume Anything When Sharing The Gospel With Mormons

By Kyle Beshears

Talking about your faith with a Latter-day Saint (Mormon) can be challenging. An evangelical friend recently told me about such a conversation. “I know that we hold different beliefs, but you couldn’t tell that from our conversation.” I asked her what she meant. “Well, I asked him if Mormons believe that salvation is by grace alone. He actually agreed! But I thought they believe in a works-based salvation.” She concluded that he was lying.

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Right and Wrong Approaches to Countering Culture

by Radical

When some Christians hear about countering culture, they resonate with the idea that we need to take a stand against certain sins in our day—materialism, sexual immorality, a disdain for human life, etc. Other Christians hear about countering culture and they worry that it’s a call to put up your fists, vote for a certain political candidate, or become antagonistic toward your unbelieving neighbors. Sometimes the difference between these two groups can be seen in whether one views the culture as the enemy or as the mission field.

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How Youth Like Me Learn Expressive Individualism

by The Gospel Coalition

Kids today are growing up in a compulsively connected world. Information is incessant, smartphones are ubiquitous, and with a click or a tap young people have 24/7 access to a never-ending digital conversation.

Of course, such connectivity comes at a cost. Much of this information is pumped out by an agenda-driven media with a message of their own—a message that sounds good, nice even, but is inherently poisonous. It is becoming louder, stronger, and constant. And young people are drinking it in.

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Why Do We Give Up On Bible Reading?

by Desiring God

So you’ve committed to reading the Bible again this year. Praise God.

Maybe this is something new for you, one of your resolutions for the New Year. Or maybe you’re a seasoned, veteran reader, just hoping to maintain the patterns God has blessed over many years now.

However much or little you have read in the past, though, will not change what’s going to happen soon, probably even sometime in the next week. Maybe it’s happened already. You’ll sit down for your time in the word, spend half an hour in Genesis or Deuteronomy or Psalms or Romans, close the book, and have no idea what to do with what you just read.

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How Well To You Know Your Hymns? (A Quiz)

by Tim Challies

As Christians, we are blessed with a long legacy of great hymns. As contemporary Christians, we are blessed with many modern-day hymn writers who are carrying on the art. So how well do you know your hymns and their authors? This little quiz is designed to find out!

Take the Quiz!

If you take the Hymn quiz, please come back and leave a comment on just how well you did!