YOUR SATURDAY SEVEN

Each Saturday we will post 7 recent articles from that current week! Enjoy Your Saturday Seven!

1. DISCOVER THE MINISTRY OF ASKING OTHERS QUESTIONS.

By: Blake Glosson

What are you more guilty of? Listening with the intent of understanding? Or, listening with the intent to reply?” This statement is credited to Stephen Covey in this article (With some paraphrase action taking place of course.) This article, short in nature will help those who struggle with not listening to others well. A quick excerpt, “Most people don’t actually listen—they wait. They wait for you to stop talking so they can talk. Some of this is a matter of attention span—trained by short videos on social media, minds quickly wander. But at a deeper level, most people are simply more interested in what they have to say than what the other person has to say.” 

2. REVIEW: “LOSING OUR VIRTUE.” By: David F. Wells

By: Caleb Greggsen

This article is such a huge help. It is a review of David F. Wells’s book, “Losing our Virtue.” About a 5 minute read that will likely prompt you to get the book! “The diminishing of God leaves people without external, objective morality. And as moral standards go, so does a clear sense of guilt over wrongdoing. In its place has arisen shame and anxiety—internal, subjective indicators of wellbeing.”

3. FOUR REASONS PROPER PRONUNCIATION IN THE PULPIT MATTERS.

By: Todd Lynn

When I watch my own messages online, I often cringe and even wonder how could anyone let this baffling buffoon preach the word? In spite of my cringe-worthy sermons, the desire to get better is always present. We are human, and even as Dr. Lynn in this article states, “Let me start this post by saying that it’s simply unrealistic to expect that speakers will always use the exact word, precise phrase, or even the correct grammar and usage. Plus, many have been blessed by messages even when they contained mispronunciations or other blunders.” And yet, this article will highlight simple reasons why it is still important to practice pronouncing our words correctly in the pulpit.

4. WHAT ARE JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION?

By: Guy Waters

The more I read of our justification in the Scriptures, the more I am in love with our Savior! For He alone is an amazing God and Savior of all who through faith “confess their trust in Christ!” An excellent short read on justification and sanctification and how they accompany one another in the gospel! “Sinners are justified through faith alone when they confess their trust in Christ. We are not justified because of any good that we have done, are doing, or will do. Faith is the only instrument of justification. Faith adds nothing to what Christ has done for us in justification. Faith merely receives the righteousness of Jesus Christ offered in the gospel (Rom. 4:4-5).”

5. ENCOURAGEMENT FOR A FATIGUED CAREGIVER.

By: Katheryn Butler, MD

An extremely brief 2-minute article/video that will provide you with a quick encouragement if you are the caregiver of a loved one. Dr. Butler provides just a quick word of encouragement, “But it’s a huge comfort to know that God sees them, who they are has not changed in his eyes, their identity is unchanged, and that—even now, while you might be scared for what the outcome will be—they’re in his grip. God sees you too. What you are doing is kingdom work.”

6. FIVE REASONS MY FAMILY LOVES (REALLY!) MINISTRY TOGETHER.

By: Sam Rainer

Ever-growing and ongoingly looking for ways to grow together as a family. I must readily admit, that while I am not the best at this, I am not content nor complacent in the matter of looking for ways to do “all this” together with the best people I know and love most – my family. “Shepherding my family and my church are intertwined. Some might advocate separating the two, but it’s impossible since my household is part of the local church. When I leave the church building, I come home to church members. The call to pastor a church is not an individual decision, but rather a collective determination by a family.”

7. YOUR FRIDAY FIVE.

By: Dr. David Allen

This week Dr. Allen compiled five excellent articles. I would highly recommend reading all of them of course, but if you typically skim these compilations of articles (I am not bitter) make sure to read the fourth entitled, “9 Ways a Church can Hospitably Host a Guest Speaker.” By Darren Carlson