Links for the Weekend (2025-05-30)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

Four Good Questions To Ask Your Tech

The last of these four questions, posed by Tim Challies, is especially important: What are you doing to my heart? These are important questions to ask of our technology, and I fear we think about such things too infrequently.

The wise consumer of technology will realize that the technology he uses today, the technology he has come to love and depend on, will have unintended consequences in his life and in the world around him. He will look not just to the technology itself but to the function for which it was created, the problem it was originally supposed to address.

Listening is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do

This writer thinks that intense listening to other people might be on the decline. He offers an exhortation to pay attention in our conversations.

The more you learn to listen and put this into practice, the more people will tell you. They will feel heard. You might have deeper conversations with your spouse or your parents or your kids. All it takes is some effort and the attitude to place others first.

A Sonnet for Ascension Day

Our poem of the week: A Sonnet for Ascension Day, by Malcolm Guite. I especially like the repetition of singing through this sonnet.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Jesus Takes Office Through His Resurrection. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

    Jesus Takes Office Through His Resurrection

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    The Christian faith is based in history. Jesus of Nazareth was a man who lived, died, and came back from the dead.

    These are historical claims of fact, and Christianity rests on the truth of these claims. As Paul wrote, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

    Jesus’s resurrection is central to our faith and has scores of implications for Christians throughout the ages. But in this post I want to direct our attention to what Jesus’s resurrection tells us about Jesus himself and the offices he occupies.

    Jesus is a Prophet

    While it is true that Jesus is The Prophet, the one spoken of by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15–19), that is not my present concern. In this post, I’ll only argue that Jesus was confirmed as a prophet of God by his resurrection.

    Jesus predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection multiple times (see Luke 9:22 and Luke 18:31–33 among other places). Further, the two men at the tomb told the women,

    “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:5–7)

    These prophecies were a regular part of Jesus’s teaching. His contemporaries recognized that Jesus was a prophet, and the Old Testament teaching on prophets is clear: false prophets can be identified when prophecies do not come to pass.

    This means that Jesus’s credibility was on the line on the third day after his death. His resurrection proved that he was a true prophet of God.

    Jesus is a Priest

    The book of Hebrews spends a lot of time explaining that Jesus is a priest. The author contrasts the priesthood of Aaron (the Levitical priesthood) with the priesthood of Melchizedek and concludes that Jesus is a priest of the second kind.

    How was Jesus qualified for this priesthood?

    This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:15–17)

    Jesus’s resurrection proved his “indestructible life”—he was victorious over death and therefore stepped into his eternal priesthood. In his death, Jesus was both priest and sacrifice (Hebrews 7:27), and he now lives to make priestly intercession for his people (Hebrews 7:25).

    Jesus is a King

    Jesus’s resurrection declared him to be the king of the world.

    Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:1–4)

    Paul writes that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God … by his resurrection from the dead.” The title “Son of God” was, in part, a royal title, so Paul is connecting Jesus’s resurrection to his kingly office. (I have written more about the title “Son of God” and its use in the Gospels; you can find that post here.)

    The Centrality of the Resurrection

    It is not a stretch to start with Jesus being a prophet, a priest, and a king and end with the fact that he is the prophet, the priest, and the king. In other words, Jesus occupies these offices in a way that is so unique, powerful, and unending that there can be no comparison with other human prophets, priests, or kings.

    The resurrection of Jesus starts us down that road. In addition to being a necessity for our faith, Jesus’s resurrection reveals some of the historical and ongoing work that he does for his people.

    Post credit | Photo credit

    Links for the Weekend (2025-05-23)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

    How do I find hope when I struggle with persistent sin?

    I appreciated the answer to this question by CCEF counselor Lauren Whitman. She talks about the struggle against sin and points us to hope in God’s mercy. (This link is to a video, and there is a transcript on the page as well.)

    So where sin is persistent, our Jesus is more so. When sin is persistent, Jesus’s love will not stop. He will persist in remaking you. He will prove to be doggedly more persistent than your sin. He is the most persistent person in the universe and he will have his way with you, and his ways are good, they’re for your good, and he will prevail over your sin. So every day, look to the one who has loved you and loves you with a persistent love. He is not giving up on you, and he never will. 

    How to Support the Caregivers in Your Church

    If you’ve never been a caregiver for someone who needs long-term help, you might not know the best way to support such a person. I’m glad that Simonetta Carr wrote this post to highlight some of the most needed areas.

    The best thing to do is to be present as faithful friends, ready to stick around, listen, and learn. Getting involved in the lives of caregivers and their loved ones may seem like a sacrifice, but it’s well worth it for everyone involved. If we are convinced that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14), and each is necessary for the building up of the church, we will treat each other as such and—in the process—grow in maturity, love, and wisdom.

    The Windows

    Our poem of the week: The Windows, by George Herbert. This poem, written by a Christian poet in the 1600s, is about how our words must be combined with our life to point to God’s grace.

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

    Links for the Weekend (2025-05-16)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

    Why Does God Make Us Wait for Good Things?

    Mark Vroegop says this is a fair question with uncertain answers. He helps us refocus, from wondering about why to looking at who. Waiting is for our good. (There is a video at this link as well as a transcript, so you can watch/listen or read, according to your preference.)

    Waiting is part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It’s part of what it means to trust that God knows what he’s doing. And so when you’re waiting for something good and it’s not coming, the hope and the comfort that the Bible offers to us, like from Psalm 27, is that our hearts can take courage as we wait on the Lord.

    The One Virtue Every Young Man Needs

    Trevin Wax writes about self-control, and he frames this virtue in terms of sanctification instead of stoicism.

    The gospel takes the ancient virtue of self-control and transposes it into a new key. It’s not first and foremost about you. It’s about God. It’s self-control in service of love. Love depends on self-control, yes, but love also deepens self-control. Love turns self-control upward and outward, toward God and toward others. It’s not about independence of self but dependence on God. It’s not about self-mastery; it’s about Spirit-mastery. It’s not about controlling yourself for your own sake; it’s about being controlled by Christ for the sake of others. It’s yielding to the One who loves you with an everlasting love and who wants now to love others through you.

    Two Poems

    I’m sharing two poems this week, both courtesy of the Rabbit Room Poetry Substack.

    • Mary and Eve, by Michael Stalcup — This poem is inspired by the illustration from Sister Grace Remington which imagines a meeting between Eve and a pregnant Mary.
    • Tell No One, by Elizabeth Wickland — This poem describes some of the wonders of spring and insists that they must be experienced (not just heard about) to be truly enjoyed.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article written by Maggie Amaismeier called Books and Podcasts, May 2025. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

    Books and Podcasts, May 2025

    Posted onAuthorMaggie Amaismeier

    It’s been a while since I shared some podcasts and books I have been enjoying, so here we go.

    Books

    A Still and Quiet Mind: Twelve Strategies for Changing Unwanted Thoughts by Esther Smith. This is a practical read on using Scripture to take your thoughts captive. Not exactly a beach read but a helpful one if this is an area of struggle. 

    Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age by Melissa B. Kruger. This is my second time reading this book and honestly as someone who works and lives with teens it will probably be a yearly read for me for the next 10 years (at least). Please find me if you read it because I would love to chat more about what God taught you through this book. This time I enjoyed it as an audiobook on Hoopla (a FREE resource from the library, thanks to Ashley Bennett for that tip)! 

    Peace Over Perfection: Enjoying a Good God When You Feel You’re Never Good Enough by Faith Chang. An easy read that I digested one chapter at a time. 

    God Does His Best Work with Empty by Nancy Guthrie. I also listened to this as an audiobook (Hoopla for the win) and enjoyed her detailed use of Biblical stories to encourage us. I wasn’t able to take enough notes and will probably reread it as a physical book in the future!

    Podcasts

    Deep Dish Podcast with Melissa Kruger and Courtney Doctor. I LOVE this new podcast from The Gospel Coalition. It is like listening in on a conversation. The topics are fantastic and it has been one I have started looking forward to each Thursday. 

    Journeywomen. This season was focused on discipleship and I loved the continuity of the messages with strong emphasis on Scripture. Warning: it was convicting to me and if you are not yet in a discipling relationship and/or discipling someone else, it just might change your thoughts on that! 

    Encourage Women Podcast. Current seasons have been focused on a conversation format. It is a lighter podcast that often is perfect for my drive home from work when my brain isn’t functioning at full capacity but I still want to fill it with an encouraging Scripture-based conversation.

    The Humble Skeptic. This podcast was introduced to me by a new friend at the church. I have listened to the faith series (way at the beginning). It makes me think critically and challenges me.  For me, this is a great podcast to listen to while I am doing something else (like dishes or folding laundry) because it requires me to engage intellectually in a different way from other podcasts.

    Photo credit

    Links for the Weekend (2025-05-09)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

    Listening Might Be the Best Evangelism Tool You’re Not Using

    When we fail to listen to our unbelieving friends, we end up giving answers to questions they’re not asking.

    However, if we don’t also listen, we tend to share the good news of Jesus in a way that applies primarily to our lives, the way it was good news to us, but fails to address the situations others are facing. We can become proclaimers of the good news while remaining ignorant of the ways in which others need to hear it. This doesn’t negate how good the news of Jesus is at all. However, if we read the rest of the story of Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman, we find that while her testimony created intrigue, the people in the village had to meet Jesus for themselves. It wasn’t enough for her just to share her story. They had to get to Jesus as well.

    3 Truths Your Daughter Needs to Hear About Beauty

    Kristen Wetherell’s article offers good counsel to parents, helping them teach young women a biblical view of beauty.

    What might change if we emphasized the eternal in our most basic conversations, especially within the family of Christ? What if, instead of commenting on another female’s appearance, we simply said, “It’s wonderful to see you! Tell me how you’re doing today”? Our littlest girls would feel warmly welcomed not because they’re wearing pink but because they’re a valuable part of God’s precious body.

    Mirth

    The latest issue of Clayjar Review is on the theme of mirth. Here are two poems from this issue I have read and enjoyed.

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

    Links for the Weekend (2025-05-02)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

    The Ever-Present Search for an Easy Christian Faith

    Does anything about the Christian faith make you uncomfortable? Trevin Wax proposes that should probably be true in some area of your life.

    We should test ourselves. Do we pledge our allegiance to God as he truly is, or do we settle for fashioning a god of our own imagination? Are we shaving off the rough edges of his revelation to suit our preferences? Or are we willing to submit to what he says about himself—even when we don’t understand (or don’t want to)?

    The Problem With Habits (and Why We Still Need Them)

    Darryl Dash has a good perspective on habits (and a good analogy for them too). He writes: “habits alone cannot transform us, yet we cannot grow without them.”

    God has established means of grace. They’re ways through which he promises to work in our lives. When we seek him through Scripture, our hearts are changed. The transformative power lies not in our routine of Bible reading, but in the living word itself. God’s Spirit actively works through his word. God’s word has the power to change our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The same applies to prayer. God promises that those who seek him will find him (Matthew 7:7-8). The power isn’t in habits; habits just get us to God’s means of grace.

    In Waiting

    Our poem of the week: In Waiting, by Joshua Fullman. This is a poem about visiting a loved one in the hospital.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called 3 Essential Ingredients for Understanding the Bible. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

    3 Essential Ingredients for Understanding the Bible

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    It’s not popular these days. So many people are counting carbs and dodging gluten. But it’s true: I love bread.

    Bread is one of God’s great gifts—a gift so great that even someone with my paltry cooking skills can throw together a passable loaf.

    While there are thousands of variations, the core bread recipe is remarkably simple: flour, water, yeast, and salt. That’s it.

    Experts can punch up the flavor with add-ins and fancy baking techniques, but those four ingredients are essential. Without them, you might whip up something delicious, but you don’t have bread.

    It’s the same way with understanding the Bible. There are a few essential elements that must be present if we’re to learn from God’s word.

    The Bible

    This may be obvious, but it must be said. In order to understand the Bible, we need to actually read the Bible!

    We don’t need to be Hebrew or Greek scholars. God has been generous in providing plenty of quality English translations. And for most of us, these translations are easy to access.

    But we do need the actual words of the Bible. Not study notes or a friendly devotional or a commentary. Not at first. We need time to read, hear, and meditate on the words of God.

    The Bible is meant for Christians to read and understand. God is not trying to hide its meaning from you. You are smart enough to read and study the Bible.

    Humility

    If we aim to understand the Bible, we must approach it with humility.

    What is true in our personal relationships is also true in our approach to the Scriptures—in order to learn, we must be convinced that we have things to learn! When we draw near to the Bible, we are submitting to an authority. We approach the bench in handcuffs, we do not bang the gavel. The posture of the Christian disciple must be one of open hands, bowed head, well-worn knees.

    As we meet with God in his word, we acknowledge that we are naive and foolish. Ignorant and forgetful. Frail. Incomplete in our understanding.

    But God is wise. He is experienced. All-knowing. Never forgetting. Strong. On top of all that, he loves to communicate about himself and his world through his word.

    When we call the Bible “God’s word,” this is not just a synonym. This is a reassuring, bulls eye-accurate description. We must come humbly to the Bible because the God of the universe stands behind these words.

    The Holy Spirit

    Finally, we need help to understand the Bible. This is help that God loves to give, but we cannot understand the Bible on our own.

    God helps us grasp the Bible by coming to us himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. We need the Spirit’s work and power to give us both insight and the gift of repentance.

    The Holy Spirit is described as our helper and teacher (John 14:26). Paul writes that we have received the Spirit of God “that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12), and that, because of the Spirit, “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

    If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Pray and ask for his help as you read the Bible.

    More to Say

    There is more to say about studying the Bible, of course. (This website is devoted to saying more about studying the Bible.) But this article is about the essentials.

    Remember this the next time you seek out God in the Scriptures. Read the Bible. Approach with humility. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. And God will give you hearty, nourishing, sustaining food that will bring deep satisfaction to your soul.

    Post credit | Photo credit

    Links for the Weekend (2025-04-25)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

    He Cares for Us

    Paul Levy reflects on both caring for others and being cared for by others. He connects both to God’s care for us.

    We care for those things and people that are precious to us, and God cares for us because we are precious to Him in His Son. So cast your cares and your worries on Him, because He cares for you.

    The Themes of Exile and Return Are Seen Throughout the Psalms

    This Crossway article explains how the structure of the book of Psalms helps us to see some of its themes emerge.

    Gerald Wilson has argued that the psalms that begin and end each book serve as thematic “seams” that stitch the otherwise diverse psalms together. Thus a discernable pattern emerges that matches the narratological flow of the entire Old Testament, emphasizing exile and hope for return. The definitive turning points are the rise of David, crowning of Solomon, descent into exile, and rising of Israel out of exile into a new creation.

    Two Poems

    I have two poems to offer you this week.

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here. 

    Links for the Weekend (2025-04-18)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

    Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.

    Resurrection Déjà Vu

    Here’s a reminder (including lots of links) about the evidence for Jesus’s resurrection. The Christian faith is built on historical facts, and despite claims to the contrary, there are plenty of good reasons to believe those facts. (You can read or listen to this article.)

    Good News! God Hates Sin.

    Yes, God hates sin. But it’s important for us to understand the reasons why, because there’s good news in there!

    This is why we must do better at explaining why God hates sin. It’s not enough to say sin is bad. We must show how sin is a parasite, feeding on the good and beautiful things God has made, warping our affections, deceiving our hearts, and leading to destruction. Sin is what keeps us from the God we were made for. Sins are like spiders that must be stomped.

    Overcoming Discouragement

    A number of CCEF counselors discussed discouragement on a podcast episode recently. They talked about why having language about the feeling of discouragement is important, along with how to overcome discouragement. (For those not into podcasts, a transcript is also posted.)

    Thanks to Cliff L for his help in rounding up links this week!

    Note: Washington Presbyterian Church and the editors of this blog do not necessarily endorse all content produced by the individuals or groups referenced here.