Category: Links

Links for the Weekend (2026-07-31)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out

Tessa Lind shares an illustration from her very own property about hiding our sin.

And we can then begin anew. No more trying to remember which lies we told to which people. No more internal knots in our gut as we consider our past deeds. Instead, we can lay a pure foundation in our lives, building on the solid rock of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will never rot or decay. We will never experience unseen sinkholes. Those who have Jesus as their foundation will survive and receive a reward.

Aging Is a Series of Relinquishments

Barbara Lee Harper shares about growing older. I appreciated how she included promises from God we can cling to in our older years!

In our forties, suddenly our body chemistry changes. I never had problems with dairy products until I was forty. When I asked my doctor why I suddenly did, he just answered “hormones.” I also became allergic to penicillin and sulfa around that time, though I had taken them for years before.

It seems the older we get, the more we lose physically. Our energy diminishes. Our health may go downhill. Our looks melt into wrinkles and greyness. Our vision and hearing may become problematic. Eventually, we might have to give up car keys. Our decreasing mobility may require walkers or canes.

Meditation XXII

Our poem of the week: Meditation XXII, by MarK Rico. This poem uses the image of walking in the water at the beach to reflect on our relationship with God.

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 (2026-07-24)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Scattered

Melissa Edgington writes about being scattered in motherhood. I’m sure all parents can relate!

One thing I know about motherhood is that it never stops pressing me into my Savior’s side, whether I run to Him with a crushing hug of gratefulness and praise or I fall into His arms in desperation or even a longing for what used to be but isn’t anymore. While my family shifts and changes around me, Jesus stays right where’s He’s always been. When I’m scattered, He gathers. When I feel shaky, He reminds me there’s solid ground beneath my feet. When I’m teary-eyed in the kitchen, He fills my mind with good things. And when my children strike out into the world, He gets into the boat with them.

Five Myths That Keep You From Reading the Institutes

Have you read John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion? (I haven’t!) Anthony Faggiano thinks that some people resist reading this influential book because they have believed myths about it, and he’s here to correct those misconceptions.

I expected dry. What I found was closer to binge-worthy; I’d reach the end of a chapter and find it almost impossible not to begin the next. Six months later I had worked through the whole thing slowly enough to underline the key points, which turned out to be more than half the book.

Grave

Our poem of the week: Grave, by Kate Bluett. This poem puts the raising of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus together in the mind of one of the disciples. The last line is wonderful!

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called 10 Truths About the Holy Spirit from Romans 8. 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 (2026-07-17)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

God Believes In Rest. Do You?

Tim Challies wants to persuade you to rest.

But God also gives us rest for practical, physical purposes. He gives us rest because we are weak. He gives us rest because we are finite. He gives us rest because we need it and simply cannot thrive without it. We can do more good, bring more blessing, and better serve his cause if we rest. He gives us rest because he loves us, because he cares for us, and because he wants what is best for us. The fact is, God is a big fan of rest!

Did God Command Genocide in Deuteronomy 7?

Read this one with your Bible open! Andrew Wilson takes up the criticism that God commanded the Israelites to commit genocide as they entered the promised land.

Many people today find Deuteronomy 7 to be the hardest and most troubling chapter in the entire Bible. We may struggle theologically, with how to square these commands with the all-good and all-loving God we meet elsewhere in Scripture (not least in Deuteronomy itself!). We may struggle historically, with whether and to what extent Israel followed through on these commands in the books of Joshua and Judges.

Of hearts and wine and smartphones

Our poem of the week: Of hearts and wine and smartphones, by Thomas McKendry. This is the sort of poem that has you nodding your head to the evocative images throughout and then, at the end, you find your breath taken away.

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 (2026-07-10)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

‘I’m Not Feeling It Today’: Bad Reasons We Neglect the Bible

David Mathis writes about the relationship between spontaneity and habit and how this relates to Bible reading. He advocates “planned spontaneity” and gives five practical suggestions.

Joy in God’s presence disappears when I don’t make a habit of pursuing his presence. Daily communion with the living God doesn’t just happen as we go about our daily lives. Setting our minds on things above doesn’t just happen. God means for us to take some initiative and put in a little effort to do the mind-setting and heart-calibrating, and in those arrangements God loves to bless his people with surprising showers of his grace that have all the joy of the best spontaneity.

The Value of Spiritual Disciplines

Jennifer Weichmann writes about how being a runner has informed her understanding of practicing spiritual disciplines.

Like we can see the effects of a habit across years of practice, spiritual disciplines operate the same way. As consistent running makes the runner stronger and faster, so also a disciplined believer strengthens their faith across time through habits like prayer and Bible reading, and also through the easier to dismiss habits of Scripture memory, fellowship, and fasting. These rhythms of spiritual disciplines matter because habits build, habits sustain, and habits drive.

Lassitude

Our poem of the week: Lassitude, by Mark Rico. This poem is (to me) an on-the-nose description of how July heat feels.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article written by Cliff Lester called The Grace of Thinking Soberly. 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 (2026-07-03)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

What It Means That Christ is Praying for You Today

Dave Harvey explains how Christ’s work continues for us after his ascension.

And our Advocate isn’t distant. He’s not working remotely from some heavenly retirement home. He’s seated next to the Father, pleading our case, defending us against every accusation, and interceding for us day and night.

I Thought Healing Would Look Different

Kirsten Black writes about how grief tends to have a starting point but no obvious end point.

Healing doesn’t look like I thought it would. Before loss, I assumed healing meant the hard days would resolve; that there would be an end to the sadness. Now I realize that healing is learning to honor the sorrow when it returns. It reminds my heart that because of Christ, there is still hope, even when the sadness remains. It speaks to my still-aching heart, reminding her life is not as God intended it to be, yet the life to come will be exactly how he planned. And then it patiently waits for the sun to rise, knowing that sorrow will not have the final word.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Our poem of the week: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, by Megan Willome. This is a very short poem about the difficulty we have with silence.

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 (2026-06-26)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

When You Don’t Get Anything Out of Devotions

Ben Hicks has written a nice description about the effects of our devotions on us, using an apt comparison to diet and exercise.

Sometimes God meets with us in a special way. Occasionally a verse or a phrase or a thought can revolutionize our lives, but I have found that those times tend to be rare. Rather, it’s the slow and steady repetition of reading God’s Word, asking Him to change me, and watching as that happens little by little through the weeks, months, and years.

Let Me Dwell In Your Tent Forever

Here’s a look at David’s request in Psalm 61 to dwell in God’s tent forever. Wes Bredenhof explains how strange this request may have sounded and how we can take comfort in it now.

David isn’t a High Priest.  He wasn’t even from the tribe of Levi (the tribe of the priests) – he was from the tribe of Judah.  Even though he’s the king, David has no right to dwell in the tabernacle.  He doesn’t have the right to find shelter under the wings of the cherubim in the Most Holy Place.  He’s not allowed in there.  And the idea of dwelling in God’s tent forever?  How could it be possible for a sinful human being to do that?  The prayer David expresses here doesn’t seem to have any remote possibility of being answered.

Fieldnotes (II)

Our poem of the week: Fieldnotes (II), by Kilby Austin. This is a delightful little poem about a sunrise.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Efficiency is Not the Path to Blessing. 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 (2026-06-19)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Does Jesus Really Expect Us to Be Perfect?

This article examines two of Jesus’s statements in the Sermon on the Mount, about righteousness and perfection.

The statements in Matthew 5:20 and Matthew 5:48 are meant to shock and shake us out of self-reliance and lethargy, but their message is not one of condemnation. Rather, they are an invitation. The problem with our interpretation of Matthew 5:48 is an English one, and the problem with our understanding of Matthew 5:20 comes from not paying close attention to the literary structure. We will examine these problems and their answers in turn.

Dear Dementia

Katie Laitkep shared some moving reflections on the final days of her grandmother’s battle with dementia.

She belongs to Jesus—now, in the struggle, as we wait and watch her sleep, not knowing if she’ll wake again. She belongs to Jesus because she’s believed, by grace through faith, that He is her only hope. He gave her eternal life, and He holds her today. No one and nothing will snatch her out of His hand (John 10:28–29).

Daylilies

Our poem of the week: Daylilies, by Kate Bluett. This spring poem is about flowers, rain, and resurrection.

Thanks to Lorelai H for her 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 (2026-06-12)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

5 Warnings Against Covetousness and How to Put It to Death

John Piper shares some warnings from the Bible about the danger of coveting. He also shares “the sword that puts covetousness to death.”

Paul clearly saw that the main fuel for faith is the word of God—promises such as, “My God will supply every need of yours.” So when covetousness begins to raise its greedy head, what we must do is begin to preach the word of God to ourselves. We need to hear what God says. We need to hear his warnings about what becomes of the covetous and how serious it is to covet. And we need to hear his promises of future grace that give great contentment to the soul and free us to love.

Does the Bible Condone Slavery?

Rebecca McLaughlin appeared on the What in the Word? podcast to discuss the tricky topic of slavery in the Bible. (That links to a page with the video of the conversation as well as links to audio-only options. I do not see a transcript, though there is a synopsis/summary.)

Rapid-Fire Apologetics: Glen Scrivener Answers 5 Tough Questions About the Bible and Theology

Christian apologist Glen Scrivener tackles five questions at the end of this interview with Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan. (This is a link to a video.)

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Time Outside of Our Hands. 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 (2026-06-05)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Rushing Our Quiet Times

Jo Gibbs writes about how modern busyness has affected our devotional practices. She offers some advice and shares her personal practices.

For many of us, the busyness of our day shapes the way we approach Bible reading and prayer. We grab ten minutes of Bible reading on the way to work, our minds already racing ahead to our To Do list. We choose devotional books built around a short passage, a brief comment, and a two-sentence prayer. Just browsing some devotional titles says it all: 3-Minute Devotions for Women, The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional, A Mindful Moment: 5-Minute Meditations and Devotions. Convenience often become our priority, rather than depth. Our quiet time becomes something to get done, rather than a space for real growth in our relationship with God. That’s one reason our quiet times sometimes aren’t working.

Advice on How to “Preach the Gospel” to Yourself

What does it look like to preach the gospel to yourself? Micah Colbert offers some guidelines and reasons why we should pay attention.

Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a discipline that we should consistently practice in order to mature in Christlikeness. But what does that actually look like? Practically, how do we “preach the gospel” to ourselves? Recently, a young woman in our church asked me those very questions—ones you may be wondering about as well. If so, I hope the advice I gave her will be helpful to you too.

Dry

Our poem of the week: Dry, by Kate Bluett. This short poem begins with the crossing of the Red Sea and ends with a plea to God for rain.

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 (2026-05-29)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Pray to the Lord of the Harvest

Trevin Wax highlights prayer as an essential evangelistic activity, and he offers three practical suggestions.

A couple years ago, John Dickson and I were giving guest lectures for a course at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. One of his observations stood out to me: Praying is the most frequently enjoined gospel-promoting activity in the New Testament.

Not preaching. Not giving. Not going. Praying.

I tend to think of prayer as what we do before the real work of evangelism begins, or as a last resort when we run into difficulty. But ever since Dickson made that observation, I keep finding that emphasis on evangelistic prayer everywhere I look in the New Testament.

The Dangerous Days Past Middle Age

Michele Morin writes with some warnings for those in the second half of life. She points out three temptations particular to this age.

I can easily be fooled into mistaking apathy for godly serenity. I might take comfort in the absence of “fiery” sins like lust and anger — yet I may be blind to the pride, selfishness, and slothfulness that have crept into their place. Time can make us lazy, and we’re all subject to its subtle drift. Perhaps the sifting question for the aging Christian is, “Am I killing sin, or have I just traded one destructive path for another?”

I Am Not Enough for My Kids

Amy Medina writes about the determination she needed when going through the adoption process and how she took that same determination into parenting.

But what I discovered is that bringing them home, as challenging as it was, was the easy part. Raising them is much harder. And I’ve slowly, incrementally, had to accept this hard truth: Determination is not enough. I am not enough for my kids. 

I can’t bind up all the wounds. I can’t protect them from all the bad things. I can’t make them love the things I love. I can’t keep the bullies away. I can’t always stop them from being the bully. I can’t force a (sincere) apology. I can’t change DNA. I can’t create motivation. I can’t make this world fair. I can’t keep them safe all the time. I can’t manifest love and security into their hearts. And of course, I can’t always be the kind, patient, and wise mother I imagined I would be. 

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Work: For Legacy or Joy? 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.