Category: Links

Links for the Weekend (2026-03-06)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Six Gospel Antidotes to Anxiety

As this article says, “We live in an anxious world.” But the Bible speaks to anxiety! Brady Hanssen writes about the portions of the Sermon on the Mount relevant to those who are anxious.

In verse 27, Jesus asks, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” The answer is obvious: nobody. Anxiety accomplishes nothing; in fact, it is counterproductive. Psalm 139:16 reminds us, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” The Lord has sovereignly ordained the number of our days before we were even born. Worrying about our life will not extend it beyond the days that God has given us.

How Do You Know If You Are Called to Write a Book?—Five Questions Every Artist Should Ask

Andy Patton had a conversation on a podcast with Will Parker Anderson about vocation and calling. (At that link is a written summary of the highlights.) Even for non-artists and non-writers, this might be helpful for thinking about what God might have you do.

God is personal, present, and near. He wants us to walk in His way, and He has given us means of discernment. Some people have dramatic, unmistakable moments of calling. Most do not. For most of us, calling is discovered through prayer, patterns, community, Scripture, desire, slow obedience—and, to be honest, simply trying things and stumbling around.

Hillside Vigil

Our poem of the week: Hillside Vigil, by Thomas McKendry. This is a quiet, sobering poem about a man mourning by a grave.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Context Matters: Bear One Another’s Burdens. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

Thanks to Phil A 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. 

Links for the Weekend (2026-02-27)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

4 Practical Tools to Help You Pray

Sometimes we talk about prayer in the abstract. (And this can be helpful!) Courtney Reissig wrote an article to help us put prayer into practice.

Let’s get really practical about the “how” of prayer. Different strategies will work for different people, but I want to show you practical ways I’ve found to be helpful in making my prayer time more intentional. The point is not for you to replicate what has worked for me but to find something that works for you.

How do I know when my actions are a result of sin in my heart or because of bodily weakness?

Mike Emlet (from CCEF) answers this question about the connection between sin and our bodies in a video. (There is a transcript as well.)

The most accurate way to conceive of our human makeup is that we are constituted as a duality—body and soul. The Bible uses terms like soul, spirit, and heart interchangeably to refer to the immaterial aspect of our personhood. But how should we understand the relationship between the immaterial and material aspects of our personhood, and how might that help us answer the question regarding sin?

Elegy for a Tow Truck Driver

Our poem of the week: Elegy for a Tow Truck Driver, by James Matthew Wilson. This is a poem demonstrating love and curiosity for someone the speaker didn’t quite get to know.

    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 (2026-02-20)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    The Only Way Out Is Through

    Marc Sims contends that every difficulty presents us with a choice: will we give up or make it through? He points to Jesus as our hope and help in these moments.

    I’m grateful for many technological innovations we have. I am grateful for the computer I am writing these thoughts out on. But I am aware of how the material circumstances of my culture have imprinted something deep in my lizard-brain: I should not have to do hard things. I am certain that every human being in every age would feel exasperated trying to get a key off an overly tight key-ring, tie a wiggling toddler’s shoes, or navigate an automated customer-service phone call with a health insurance company…but I think I feel it uniquely. I, who have been given titan-like powers through my iPhone and computer, can find it more plausible than any other previous generation that the material world should bow to my will. It doesn’t, of course. But it feels like it should. When most of my life is spent sinking digital nails effortlessly into digital boards, it feels mildly outrageous when a real one bends crooked.

    Three Things That Make Temptation Flee

    Jacob Crouch offers us just what his title promises: three things to think about to help in the fight against temptation.

    But for the Christian, there is a real sense in which these temptations no longer lord over us. We are no longer bound to obey them anymore. Even on this side of heaven we experience real victory over sin and temptation. Those are glorious seasons when our hearts are lifted to heaven and we do the things that we really want to do. What are those things that make sin seem so silly? What is our frame of mind when temptations lose their shimmer? I want to point out three things that make temptations flee.

    The Flood

    Our poem of the week: The Flood, by Kate Bluett. This poem reflects upon creation and the mercy of God in his Son.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called The Uncomfortable Reason God is Kind to His People. 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. 

    Links for the Weekend (2026-02-13)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    In Praise of Godly Mothers-in-Law

    Tanner Kay Swanson has written a helpful article describing her relationship with her mother-in-law and what it takes for that relationship to be healthy.

    Beneath my mother-in-law’s lack of boasting is a lack of envy. She sees me not as her competitor in all things marriage and motherhood. She sees me as her son’s wife, the woman to whom he now owes first allegiance. She sees me as her “adopted” daughter, a young woman with fears and needs and dreams, just like all her kids. Ultimately, she sees me as “one for whom Christ died” (Romans 14:15) — as a sister she’ll have forever, countless ages after marriages and titles like “mother-in-law” and “daughter-in-law” fade away.

    Life is a Vapour. Enjoy it.

    Here are some reflections on the book of Ecclesiastes. What does it mean for us that life is a vapor? How should we live in light of that?

    The wise King said that vapour-life is not a curse if you learn to enjoy it (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20). But can you really enjoy life, when you see how transient it is? When it slips through your fingers no matter how tightly you clench them? Yes, you can.

    Two videos

    Here are two videos which might encourage you in your faith this weekend.

    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 (2026-02-06)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    Love Is the Interpreter

    A keen observation from Tim Challies here: knowing the author of the Bible is a sure way to grow in our love for the Bible.

    Yet each of us can attest that we did not always love God’s Word. It was not always sweet to our taste and not always our delight. In fact, there may have been times in which we hated it, in which we found it bitter, and in which we mocked and belittled it rather than find delight in it. There were times when the Bible was like those musicians—we skipped it, we tossed it, we moved on to something we liked better.

    When Life is Hard, Keep Reading Your Bible

    Glenna Marshall reminds us how much we need the Scriptures when life is hard.

    The daily act of opening my Bible and digging in wasn’t a distraction from my troubles. It was guidance and hope in them. The Lord gave me peace—not in changed circumstances but in the grounding of my soul in the Word of my God. He never changes. He is always true. He is the source of joy and hope. The ordinary rhythms of study directed my soul when life got really hard really fast.

    Jesus Loves the Self-Righteous Sinner

    If you’ve accepted that God loves loud rebels but have more trouble believing that God loves the self-righteous, this post is for you.

    Most of us are comfortable with a Jesus who loves the prodigal, but less comfortable with one who loves the self-righteous. Yet if we let Scripture shape our understanding of Christ’s love, we see that Jesus is not only kind to the hurting but also to the proud. Consider Luke 15. In one of Jesus’ most famous stories, a father runs to embrace his rebellious son after he returns broken and ruined by sin. But that’s not where the story ends. The older brother—the hard-working, well-behaved son—refuses to join in the celebration of his lost brother now found, resentful and convinced of his own moral superiority.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called The Parable of the Dog and the New Master. 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. 

    Links for the Weekend (2026-01-30)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    5 Reasons You Need Sabbath Rest

    The Sabbath helps to reorient our lives and hearts. Megan Hill urges us to pay attention to the Sabbath.

    The disruption of Sabbath rest is a chance to remember that even our schedules are under the Lord’s authority. Once a week, the Lord breaks into our routine and reminds us that our appointments and plans aren’t ultimate, nor are they prioritized according to our desires. When the first day of every week belongs wholly to him, it reorients every minute of every day that follows.

    Fruitful to the End

    Beth Ferguson writes about fruitfulness and aging.

    Years temper us; hardships deepen our prayers; losses refine our loves. Have you noticed that some of the most joyful people are not the youngest, but those who have walked with God for decades? They know storms, but they also know the One who calms them. Their laughter has layers, and their peace has been tested. Abiding through time transforms us. With age, we may not move as quickly, but in Christ we ripen more fully.

    Resources to Help You Meditate on Scripture in 2026

    Here is a link to a bunch of free resources to help you read, study, and meditate on the Bible. (It’s a Crossway link, so you’ll also find resources they want you to buy, too!)

    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 (2026-01-23)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    The Great Omission

    Writing for Christianity Today, Jen Wilkin points out the decline in Bible literacy and offers some concrete ways for churches to turn things around.

    To start, we have forgotten that discipleship requires learning. We have reduced its definition to attendance, service, giving, relationship-building, and mostly peer-led, feelings-level discussions. But at its most fundamental level, discipleship is a process of learning—of renewing our minds to no longer conform to the world. 

    When Waiting Draws Us Near to God

    Bethany Broderick writes about an influential worship service at her church and how it taught her to wait on God.

    Yet when we look at God’s story of redemption, we see waiting can be a blessing in God’s economy. Abraham waited for the promised son. The Israelites waited to be delivered from Egypt, then waited again to enter the Promised Land. David waited to be crowned king. Time and again, God wove waiting into the story of his people in order to draw them closer to him.

    Unsuspected Mercies

    Our poem of the week: Unsuspected Mercies, by Kate Bluett. This is a wonderful, lyrical poem about the mercies of God that show up in unexpected places.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called From God’s Promises to Faith. 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. 

    Links for the Weekend (2026-01-16)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    You Have Time to Read the Bible in the New Year

    Glenna Marshall used to tell herself that she didn’t have time to read the Bible. She’s changed her mind, and she wants to change yours too.

    In the many years since then, I’ve often been told my others that they don’t have time to read the Bible regularly. It’s one of the most common excuses I get now as a Bible teacher. It might be the thing holding you back right now. But I’m lovingly calling your bluff. You do have time to read the Bible. And so did I during all those years I swore I didn’t. Here’s how I know.

    On Marriage

    Jen Pollock Michel reflects on her years of marriage and offers some advice to those who are younger.

    The only certain thing you choose when you marry someone is the certainty of change. Prayerfully, you want to seek a commitment—and a friendship—that will sustain you through all the beauty and brokenness of life. A health diagnosis. A bunch of kids. A job layoff. An incredible career success. You want a friendship that weathers the change that will inevitably befall both of you, a friendship that is committed to remembering the beauty and good you saw when you were falling in love—and forgetting the many lapses since.

    In the face of loss, what does “grieving with hope” look like in the day-to-day?

    CCEF counselor David Gunner Gundersen answers this question in a video. (A transcript is also available.)

    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 (2026-01-09)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    Gospel-Centered Resolutions

    This is a helpful explanation of how the gospel can reshape our approach to resolutions.

    The gospel challenges our normal approach to resolutions. Rather than starting with our desires, it reminds us that our desires are deceitful. We need to look elsewhere for our goals. Rather than telling us how to find value, the gospel reminds us that our value has been established by the blood of Jesus on the cross. Rather than telling us to try harder and be better to accomplish our goals, the gospel is the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). A gospel-centered approach is simply truer. It is more life-giving. It is powerful. If you’ve given up on resolutions before, don’t lose hope. Instead, give up on “you-centered” resolutions and replace them with the gospel.

    5 Habits for Better Prayer in 2026

    This writer offers suggestions for mindsets toward prayer in the context of maintaining a relationship with God.

    Prayer is, first and foremost, being in our Father’s presence. One of the most common hindrances to prayer is the fear of not “doing it right,” like a student hesitant to attempt a tricky math problem. Yet prayer is about cherishing a relationship, not cracking a formula. It’s not the eloquence of our words but the posture of our hearts that the Lord considers.

    The Key to Finding the Author’s Emphasis When You Read the Bible

    Jon Nielson offers some suggestions to find the structure of Bible passages.

    This tool operates on the basis that every passage in the Bible has a clear structure, and the structure is important because it shows us the focus or thrust of the passage. In other words, the way the biblical author puts a passage together can show us what that author means to emphasize, highlight, and bring out for his readers. Very often, the structure of a passage is the main key to interpreting it well, understanding it rightly, and applying it faithfully to our lives. This is why the construction tool is so important—it helps us see what the biblical authors want us to see.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called The Bible Is Not About You. 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. 

    Links for the Weekend (2026-01-02)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    Freedom in Devotions

    At the beginning of a new year, this post is a good reminder about the goal of our spiritual practices. (It also sounds a warning about the traps we can fall into.)

    Once we come to grips with the honest truth that our status with God is completely unearned and freely given to us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, that may reveal our true motivation in doing all these things. If my true motivation was tied up in a belief that I was earning (or forfeiting) the blessings and favor of God, then I’ve forgotten the goal of devotions in the first place.

    How do I deal with anxiety and depression related to aging?

    This video from CCEF is full of biblical advice about anxiety related to aging. (A transcript is also available.)

    If you have lingering regrets, speak them to the Lord and let his grace and mercy meet you. He has born your guilt and shame, and it’s okay to lament the loss of vitality in various areas of your life. By speaking of your disappointments and fears and sadness to the Lord, you are doing what so many of the Psalms model—faithful and trust-building crying out to the Lord.

    All Flesh Shall See

    Our poem of the week: All Flesh Shall See, by Kate Bluett. This is an Advent poem which also keeps the Good Friday work of Jesus in view. (I just discovered this poet on Substack and I think she’ll be making repeated appearances in these links in the coming year.)

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