Thus & Such, Vol. 21

Still a bit busy this week, but hope to be back to normal soon.  Till then, the usual:

1. "Any Peace and hope we have in our lives right now can be traced to the fact that God alone is God, that he is the sovereign power behind everything.  And this has future-creating wonder."  One theme that has been manifesting itself in my life in recent weeks is that of risk-taking.  I can take risks because of who and what God is.  Read this article that lists 9 reasons you can face anything.

2. Sex is playing a more prominent and regular role in our society, and this role is only bound to increase in coming years.  While this reality is perhaps not so desirable, it does come with an ironic twist: the pornography industry is losing ground.  Due to the increasingly overwhelming role of sex in everyday life, and the increased mediums in which it is manifested, it seems people have no desire for porn.  Tim Challies writes about how porn has no one to blame but itself.  

3. I'm a big fan of the regular inclusion of children in worship services.  It models for children what worship looks like, and it shows them that their parents find it to be valuable enough to humble themselves and devote a segment of their time each week to corporate worship.  It is also beneficial for the unity of the church, I think, in that young and old - though separated by generational differences - find commonality in worshipping the same God.  But, there are of course challenges that come with including children in worship: disruptions, noises, loud talking, the occasional passing of gas, etc.  Here, a helpful mother offers tips for how to keep children in worship.  

4. "The new mark of being culturally acceptable is affirming homosexuality as virtuous (not merely okay, but virtuous, even exemplary).  This is the litmus test.  I don't think many of us expected that it would so quickly fill this role, but it has.  The mark of being a progressive, kind socially courageous person today is simply this: affirming same-sex marriage."  Read more about this scary new litmus test.

5. Some friends of ours have recently embarked on a God-ordained journey of adoption.  They've started a blog that details their journey and how they see God in this process.  Take a look, but only if you've got time.  When I first discovered the blog I spent an hour and a half reading it from front to back!