is it cheesy to link to my husband's blog?

oh well, i'm doing it anyway.

"Marriage refers to Christ and the church--every marriage, no matter how pendulum-like because of our sin; every marriage, even if the couple doesn't care a bit about Jesus."


--Noel Piper, Foreword to This Momentary Marriage by John Piper

Just Do Something

So I just started reading Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung (yes, it seems that I am a on a Kevin DeYoung kick).


I'm not even half-way through the book, but I already decided I'm going to read it again when I'm done.


That's how good it is.

On when to share the gospel...

"...Test yourself to see whether or not Jesus is really precious to you, and whether you believe this person is really lost without him and that it would be the best thing in the world for them to know this, believe this, and be redeemed by this. And if you really believe that, then probably sooner rather than later you're going to find some way to share this with the person that you know."


--John Piper

I'm far from knowing anything about parenting...

but I read this blog post about a mother explaining why she's letting her 11-year-old daughter dye her hair pink.


You hear people say "pick your battles" a lot, and she's presenting a similar case--not picking battles out of exhaustion or defeat, but out of a realization of what's important and what isn't.


Just something to file away...


HT: Abraham Piper

Brokenhearted Love

Molly Piper writes a beautiful, and beautifully accurate, blog post about how to grieve with those who grieve. 

Justin Taylor's Holy Week series

Last week, Justin Taylor did a series on week leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. He arranged all the accounts of Holy Week in a day-by-day format. I thought it was really helpful, and I know that Easter was last week... but it's never a bad time to reflect on what happened that week--that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.

Here are the links to the blog posts:

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Sunday

so i subscribe to the RealSimple blog

... don't make fun of me.

anyways, i read this post the other day, and it got me thinking... about several things. (remind me not to use any more ellipses in this post.) [i really encourage you to read (at least skim!) the article, but a brief overview is that you should ask several questions about every item you think about purchasing (is it necessary? do i have something else that is similar? etc.) basically to keep your life simple by means of less stuff and clutter. she uses an anecdote/analogy about how she had a set of rules for her romantic relationships that she would inform potential suitors on each first date.]

alright, so first: her rules for dating really impress me. it seems that she is using them to accomplish the same purpose as the rules/questions for purchases. she wants simplicity, a life free from clutter, from unnecessary things. she doesn't want unnecessary dating relationships. she wants to rule out the relationships that aren't going to work right away--the ones that are going to be dysfunctional, unhealthy, incompatible, directionless. she doesn't want to clutter her life with unnecessary pain from romantic relationships that could have been avoided with clear communication about expectations at the very beginning.

this is impressive in a generation of people that almost crave directionless, unhealthy, and communication-deprived relationships. (note: i'm not trying to offend or make generalized assumptions, i'm just speaking out of observation and former experience.) to see someone desire fruitful relationships, and to respect herself enough to fight for that--impressive.

second (and let's be honest, less important): she takes the same kind of approach to what she brings into her home. she takes every purchase seriously. she doesn't want unnecessary things in her home, clutter. she's spending her money wisely.

gosh, what my life might be like if i took that same approach. if i took seriously how i spend money. if i asked myself questions before i made a purchase. if i wanted to steward the money i have so graciously been blessed with...

and to think, i'm being convicted about my money-spending habits by a blog post on the real.simple blog. :)

so what are your thoughts? do you think she has good points? does she think about money and purchases well? what about her "dating rules"?

encouraged by the chandlers

when i first heard this sermon, it was one of the most influential in my life.

it was preached less than two weeks before matt chandler suffered a seizure, and a grade 3 tumor was discovered in his brain.

this video was recorded at the end of his second week of chemotherapy. it shows his great faith in the Lord, trusting that God is sovereign and good despite the suffering that has--and will--take place in his life.

and then today, i read this article about the chandlers; a realistic picture of family walking well through suffering.

i have literally nothing to add to anything of this. i just am so encouraged by it all, and i want to encourage all of you to be encouraged by this family. because God is good--all the time.

are we "the most aggressively inarticulate generation"?

a friend of mine posted a link to this video the other day.

it speaks some real truth about our generation.

http://vimeo.com/3829682

do i speak with authority?

or do i speak in a way that causes people to immediately not take me seriously?

and what impact does that have on how i communicate the gospel effectively?

i just can't seem to get this video out of my head.