Each Friday, I’ll post links to 3–5 resources from around the web you may want to check out.
Where to Find Your Happy Place
How do we explain joys that serve no specific function? Andrew Wilson offers an explanation centered in the presence of God.
In the same way, joy in this world is located wherever God is present, in Christ by his Spirit, rather than wherever painful things are absent. It could be in a Galilean boat battered by the waves; it could be in the sorrow and confusion of an upper-room farewell, in the injustice of a Jerusalem kangaroo court, in the stocks of a Philippian jail; it could be in the isolation of exile on the island of Patmos. As sad as the circumstances may be, if God is present then delight is available. Joy is found through presence, not just absence. Happiness is more about the presence of Christ than the absence of crisis.
Did God Forgive Me If I Don’t Feel Forgiven?
John Piper tackles two related questions in this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast (the transcript is available). Can someone who turns away from Christ return and be forgiven? Also, what should we do if we struggle to feel forgiven?
Dear friend, rehearse the mercies of God over and over. Never take your eyes off of Christ crucified, because Romans 5:8 tells us that’s where God spoke most loudly about his love: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s where he puts it on display. So, don’t take your eyes off the love of God in Christ crucified.
En Pointe
Our poem of the week: En Pointe, by Lesley Clinton. This poem celebrates dance and the transcendence of art.
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