Wisdom for Your Weekend is your regular installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web. Presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from Pastor J.D., this is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
Video of the Week
How Is the Gospel Race-Transcending? H.B. Charles. The gospel may transcend race, but it never does so by ignoring race. In fact, as Charles points out, we simply cannot accept the reconciliation Christ offers between man and God without also accepting the practical application of unity between man and man. That inter-racial unity was one of the first marks of the gospel in the ancient world, and it continues to provide strong evidence of the gospel’s truth in today’s racialized times as well.
Articles of the Week
Why Aren’t Men Reading Women Authors? Jen Michel Pollock. It probably won’t surprise you to know that Christian women tend to read both male and female authors (about a 50%/50% split), while Christian men tend to read nearly only male authors (90%/10%). Pollock asks the needed question: Why? Her question has started a healthy discussion in the evangelical world, a discussion in which both men and women have offered their own answers. Some place the blame on men doing the reading. Others point the finger at female authors. Others still suspect that publishers are creating this unhealthy cycle. How would you answer this question?
How Billy Graham Changed My Life, George W. Bush. It is difficult to overstate the profound influence that Billy Graham had during his life. Here is just one of thousands of anecdotes about the way that Graham’s faithful ministry impacted the White House. As President Bush says, “Those of us who were blessed to know Billy Graham benefited from his deep convictions and personal example, his wisdom and humility, his grace and purity of heart.” May God raise up thousands more like him.
Parents: Don’t Use Sarcasm With Your Kids, Jen Wilkin. As a general rule of thumb, it’s worth reading just about anything Jen Wilkin writes. This reflection on the nature and danger of sarcasm is pure gold. Sarcasm has a strong allure, and it can be an easy haven for the stressed parent. But as Wilkin points out, sarcasm takes ironic wit and adds a victim. That’s not a winning combination in any area of life. (PS – There’s pun potential with “sarcasm = wit + victim,” but I haven’t quite landed on it yet. “Wictim”? Needs work.)
Why I’m Happy My Son Married at 20, Rebecca Brewster Stevenson. If you’re old enough (no need to raise your hand), you probably remember when marrying at 20 was standard. Now it’s downright counter-cultural, and anyone who intends to marry that young will have troops of counselors trying to talk them out of the “hasty” decision. But here’s to much more of this kind of counter-cultural defiance. In today’s hookup culture, young marriages—far from being hasty decisions—can provide one of the best foundations of a lifetime of commitment, compassion, and contentment.
On the Lighter Side
Mr. Chicken sings Despacito. If the time needed to learn to make a rubber chicken “sing” like this is anything less than 20 hours, I’m pretty sure that’s a wise investment.
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