Good morning, folks! It’s Saturday morning and I’m starting something new. At least, I’m going to experiment with it for a month and see how you all like it.
I call it “Weekend Roundup.” What this means is that every Friday I’m going to roundup the best articles I’ve read the previous week and think would of interest to you and link to them with a brief description of what they’re about. I will also link to the post that was most read on my blog this week (just in case you missed it), as well as give you a behind the scenes update of what is happening in my life or with the blog.
Also, I am going to start a daily Kindle Deals page. Every day I will scour Amazon for good deals on Kindle Books that are of particular interest to Christians and link a few of the best. Today’s have mostly to do with marriage. You can check them out here.
Eugene Peterson on Same-Sex Marriage
In the last week, there’s been a lot of uproar over Eugene Peterson’s comments on same-sex marriage in an interview about his most recent book, As Kingfishers Catch Fire. For those of you who don’t know who Eugene Peterson is, he is most well-known for his translating The Message Bible. The news headlines last week were that Peterson affirms gay marriage. The following day, the headlines were that no, he doesn’t affirm gay marriage. The whole thing ended up being weird and confusing.
When I first saw the news, it took me aback. And it made me feel disappointed. But upon further review, I discovered 84 year-old Peterson may have been victim of a rhetorical power-play. Amidst all the confusion, I found Preston Sprinkle’s take on it to be a good reminder for us all. He wrote a post the day it came out Peterson was affirming. And one the day it came out he is not affirming. Check them both out.
Should We Still Read Eugene Peterson?
In light of this whole fiasco, I also found what Russell Moore had to say about reading Eugene Peterson to be full of wisdom.
What to Do When Your Friends Start Moving Away
On a different note, I was moved by this article on Relevant Magazine on processing transient friendships. I know quite a few people who live in places where people come and go. I just finished three years of teaching students who face this all the time. I felt this article would minister to all of us who have people come and go in our lives.
How to Grieve with People Who Have Lost a Loved-One
The most-read post on my own blog this week was one I wrote about what to do when you don’t know what to do in helping your friends who are facing deep grief. It’s uncomfortable and hard for all of us. But it is important to know how to grieve with people, and in this article I share from my own experience with grief about how we can grieve well with others.
In Other News
- After seven weeks of travel, we finally landed in Los Angeles and are getting set up for our home. Notice, I said “for” our home. We thought we had an apartment lined up, but it’s been a run-around and now we’re not sure if it will actually work out. So, you can pray for us as you think about it. 🙂
- I will be starting Bible College in January 2018. Until then, I plan to complete and publish my first book. I will be writing more about it in the next couple of weeks.
- I am experimenting with a few things for the next month. One is these “Weekend Roundups.” Another one is advertisements. I’ve pushed off advertising for a long time. My favorite way of monetizing the blog is by creating valuable products, such as eBooks or the book I’m writing. (You can check things out at the Store.) Next to that, I have a Patreon account where fans can show their support of the work by giving monthly tips. I also use Amazon Affiliates some, although that is quite marginal in return. But I am looking for ways to expand income through this blog and so I am testing with advertising. I’d love to hear your feedback over the next month about whether or not you like the advertisements. Ultimately, I want to serve you. One of the ad platforms I am using tailors the ads specifically to you, so I cannot necessarily see what you’re seeing. I have tried to only show categories of ads that I’m confident would serve you, but please let me know they feel more like a nuisance than service. You can contact me through the About page in the footer of the blog.
- Also, if you or anyone you know would like to advertise on my blog, contact me and we’ll see what we can work out. I’d prefer running ads that I know are directly helpful to my readers. If you can fulfill that, it would be awesome! 🙂
