Happy Friday! Here are a few articles for your weekend reading, as well as one of my favorite book recommendations from last year:
“Concussion” Makes A Christian Argument Against Football
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but this review by Ian Crouch made me want to watch it for a variety of reasons. He writes, “But as a polemic, this evangelical argument is interesting and novel, suggesting that football’s dangers are not merely physical, but spiritual as well. This might be the movie’s most subversive message: not that the N.F.L. stood in the way of scientific research about the health of its players but that it occupies a false place within the religious and patriotic beliefs of so many of its fans, whose Sabbath routines are timed perfectly so that Sunday service ends just in time for kickoff.”
A Challenge to Read More in 2016
This post convicted me of my need to be more thoughtful in my approach to what I’m reading. Tracing Lines writes, “My hope is that you’ll see an ordinary person who’s life does not require him to read, read a good bit in a calendar year. In the midst of being a husband and father to a growing family of 5, a churchman, and playing a role in a growing startup company, I made choices with my small window of “free” time and this was the result.”
How the Bible Changed My Appetite
Heidi Jo Fulk shares about how her appetite for God’s word grew. She explains, “I had a desire. I found a time. I craved depth. And He answered through His Word.”
Simple Rules for Healthy Eating
In the midst of a million and one diet plans (this month in particular), I found this article offered a balanced approach to healthy eating. Aaron Carroll writes, “I’ve avoided treating any food like the devil. Many nutrition experts do, and it may turn out they’re right, but at this point I think the jury is still out…I think you’ll find that many other diets and recommendations work under these rules. These are much more flexible and, I hope, reasonable than what some might prescribe.”
Why Courtship is Fundamentally Flawed
Sitting around the table last week with a group of girlfriends, our discussion was centered on the topic, “What are we going to encourage our children to do about dating?” While none of us had any easy answers, I thought this article from Thomas Umstattd provided helpful insight. I particularly liked the Primary Rule: “Don’t go out with same guy twice in a row.” This dating rule came from his grandmother and he shares her rationale behind it, “She explained that the lack of exclusivity helped them guard their hearts and kept things from getting too serious too quickly. The lack of exclusivity kept the interactions fun and casual.”
Book Recommendation: Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis
Mission at Nuremberg was one of my favorite reads this past year. It tells the story of the Chaplain assigned to care for the spiritual needs of the twenty-one imprisoned Nazi leaders awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. I highly recommend it for both the historical insights and the compelling reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
