This Week’s Good Reads

Here’s some great reads from around the web:

1) “Notes from the Margins: What We Talk about When We Talk About Abuse in the Church” by D.L. Mayfield

I am stunned and saddened by recent news about accusations against Sovereign Grace Ministries. But I wholly appreciate the perspective of this piece that calls us to be careful how we talk about abuse in the church. Our concern as Christians ought always to be for the protection of the vulnerable. How we talk about abuse in the church can either be about uncovering the truth for the weak or protecting the powerful. Christians should always choose the former.

2) “Is the Future of Church Planting Bi-Vocational?” by J.D. Greear and Mike McDaniel

9 Marks asks this question and Greear and McDaniel respond by saying “yes” and “no”.

3) “Couple Set To Hike the Appalachian Trail” by Wayne Allen

Some wonderful folks from our church are off hiking the Appalachian trail which runs from Georgia up to Maine. Here’s a story about them from our local paper, but please remember to pray for them.

4) “Top 200 Ministry Blogs” by Church Relevance

Well, yours truly is not on here, but there’s some great resources on this list (also some bad ones so be careful).

5) “How Do We Pursue Racial Integration? Some Practical Considerations” by J.D. Greear

Greear offers us some helpful considerations for how we ought to address this difficult and delicate subject in our own churches. I appreciate his frankness and the proper balance he gives to this important topic

6) “Desolation Angel” by Detroitblogger John

I was both excited and discouraged by what I read in this piece about a ministry in downtown Detroit. In a lot of ways it sounds very similar to the demographic we are reaching out to at Revolution Church, but their services don’t sound like ours. I hope and pray that the Word of God is being clearly communicated to the people at this storefront church, and I hope and pray that it is that Word and God’s Spirit which are changing the people of Detroit.

7) “In Defense of Hipsters” by Jewel Evans

I am so glad somebody wrote this piece!

8) “A Prayer About The Entanglements of Pornography” by Scotty Smith

Because I counsel so many young people on this subject I really appreciated this prayer from Smith.

9) “Youngstown’s Improbably Comeback Attracting Attention and Creating Jobs” by Robert L. Smith

I lived for a year in Youngstown, OH and so I really enjoyed reading this piece on the city’s “comeback.”

10) “Beyond Color Blind: Why Race Still Matters” by Trillia Newbell

This is a powerful piece over at Christ and Pop Culture and worthy of your time, especially if you never think about racial issues.