Tag: Crossway

Links for the Weekend (2026-03-20)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Embrace Your Life by Enjoying Quiddity

Come for the chance to learn a new word (quiddity!), stay for advice on enjoying life exactly where you are.

How do you become a deep person? You can hear it in the word itself—it’s the desire to mine, uncover, excavate. That doesn’t happen in 14 seconds. One method, then, is through reading great books, but it’s not the only way. Lewis presents a method available to any person at any point in his or her day—practicing attentiveness.

What Is Fasting?

Cassie Achermann has written a nice overview of fasting: what it is, where it shows up in Scripture, and why you might consider doing it.

I began fasting out of a sense of deep need for God. A Bible study I had worked through left me yearning for God to bring revival in my heart as well as in my church. I started small, skipping lunch once a week and instead spending that half hour praying. Not long after, I added a second day in the week. These weren’t aimless, wandering prayer times; I was asking the Lord urgently for help in two specific areas: first, for a breakthrough in an area of ongoing sin, and second, for spiritual revival in my church, where I’d been facing discouragement and difficulty for a while.

Righteousness

Our poem of the week: Righteousness, by Kate Bluett. This is a meditation on hungering and thirsting for righteousness, as Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called 3 Poor Reasons to Read the Bible. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out!

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. 

Links for the Weekend (2026-03-13)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Edgelords Won’t Inherit the Earth

This one is especially for parents or friends of young men or teenage boys. Joe Carter writes about this moment’s cultural figures who influence young men and contrasts it with a biblical perspective on being a man. He offers three ways for the church to help.

The tragedy of our moment is that young men are starving for such mature masculinity and often can’t find it because the platforms that dominate their attention are structurally hostile to it. When the loudest voices in a young man’s life are those modeling immaturity, he’ll assume immaturity is what strength looks like.

​​6 Tactics for Your Fight Against Sin

This article from Brad Wetherell presents some help in the battle against sin and temptation.

When temptation comes, don’t think to yourself, “Sin is inevitable. Its pull is too powerful for me. What’s the point of fighting?” Instead, tell yourself, “Sin has lost its authority over me. I belong to Christ. Therefore, I will resist. I will not act as if sin reigns.”

Whatever Is

Our poem of the week: Whatever Is, by Sarah Chestnut. This poem is a wonderful meditation on Philippians 4:8.

Thanks to Leeanne E 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 (2026-02-27)

    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 (2026-01-30)

    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 (2026-01-09)

    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 (2025-10-24)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    What is Your Busyness Doing?

    Many of us feel too busy. But, as Alan Noble explains, some forms of busyness can have seriously negative spiritual consequences.

    It seems to me that busyness is deceptive. It often starts out virtuous, a courageous effort to manage the daily affairs of your life for the sake of your loved ones and to honor God—in the model of the ant. But the rhythms of hustle can overtake you. They can be seductive. There is a numbness that sets in when you are busy. Your mind is preoccupied with obligations and must-do’s and planning for the future so that sins, conflicts, problems, and issues in your life that aren’t directly related to your busyness get submerged, ignored. What started out virtuous seems to take up more and more space in your consciousness. You begin answering emails at all hours of the day. You check your phone constantly. You feel the need to stay “plugged in.” You feel uncomfortable when you aren’t actively doing something “productive.” This is acedia. And it’s tied to the refusal to believe that God is sovereign over all creation.

    Who Are the Righteous Mentioned Throughout the Psalms?

    Admit it—you’ve wondered who the Psalms are referring to when they mention “the righteous.” Christopher Ash is here to help.

    First, we struggle to know what to make of it when psalmists claim to be righteous, sometimes in quite strong terms. For example, the prayer “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness / and according to the integrity that is in me” (Ps. 7:8) rather alarms us. What if the Lord did judge me according to my righteousness? He would find it severely wanting. Dare I pray this?

    In an Artist’s Studio

    Our poem of the week: In an Artist’s Studio, by Christina Rossetti. This is a sonnet about an artist and his love/subject.

    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 (2025-10-10)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    Sin Is More Dangerous Than You Think

    Here’s an excerpt from a Paul Tripp book, reminding us how dangerous sin is and then giving hope for sinner.

    One of the most devastatingly dangerous powers of sin is its ability to deceive. Sin is an evil monster masquerading as your best friend. It is a grim reaper masquerading as a life giver. Sin is darkness masquerading as light. It is foolishness masquerading as wisdom. Sin is disease masquerading as a cure. It is a trap masquerading as a gift.

    Are My Motives for Studying the Bible Right?

    In this short video (with transcript), Michael Reeves discusses good and bad reasons for studying the Bible.

    It is possible to study theology and to study the Bible with a wrong motivation. And we see this in John 5:39, where Jesus speaks to Jewish leaders and Pharisees, and He says, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that you have life in them, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” And so, it is possible to study the Scriptures and study theology and not come to Jesus for life, but to think that there is life to be had in the mere growth in intellectual knowledge.

    Two Stones

    Our poem of the week: Two Stones, by Jesse Graves. This is a sobering sonnet about gravestones.

    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 (2025-09-19)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    Struggling to Keep Up in Motherhood? Let the Spirit Set Your Pace.

    Aimee Joseph writes about keeping in step with the Spirit when it comes to motherhood.

    Make no mistake about it, motherhood has always been a massive job. I love how G. K. Chesterton captured its staggering scope: “A woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.” While motherhood’s scope hasn’t changed much over time, its pace has. Aided by technology, compelled by memes, and informed by influencers, modern motherhood feels like a frantic race. The amount of things a mom and her family are expected to do in a day, a week, or a year make our days so full that I’ve often had to double my desired pace to barely keep up.

    4 Ways the Church Helps You in the Fight for Purity

    It’s all too easy to think that one needs to battle for sexual purity by themselves. Garrett Kell points us to the church for help.

    God gives the church to help you resist temptation and draw you in a better direction, toward a better country. Our journey of faith is marked by the joyful assurance that God is with us and that soon we shall be with him. But this journey cannot be made alone; we make it together. You need other Christians, and they need you. Consider how God wants to use the fellowship of a church to help you fight sexual sin and endure in faith.

    How is God Unchanging?

    This is a short video from Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte on the topic of God’s unchangeableness, featuring Dr. Blair Smith.

    On the WPCA Blog This Week

    This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called How Short, O Lord? 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 (2025-08-15)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    6 Implications of Being Made in the Image of God

    Here’s a short article at Crossway on some brief but profound implications of being made in the image of God.

    The image of God means that all human beings have inherent worth and dignity. This is one reason abortion is wrong. A person is a person no matter how small, no matter her development, no matter his environment, and no matter her degree of dependence on another human being. Innocent human life must be protected, even when that life is old or sick, even when the person wants to end his own life. Because every human being is made in God’s image, descended from the same human pair, there is no place for racism, partiality, or feelings of ethnic superiority.

    A Biblical Message for Aging Parents

    This topic is necessary, though it may not be pleasant. Christians should think of (and plan for) the ways they will care for their parents as they age. (Aging parents should think about the ways they will be cared for, too.) This article offers some practical advice.

    Aging parents must speak with their children about their expectations and plans for their sunset years. This includes discussing living arrangements, medical care, financial matters, and emotional needs. These conversations are not just practical—they are deeply spiritual and relational. Scripture calls us to live wisely and lovingly, and that includes preparing for the inevitable transitions of aging.

    It is Finished

    Our poem of the week: It is Finished, by Tania Runyon. This poem, written from the perspective of Jesus, urges readers to remember that his sacrifice is enough.

    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 (2025-07-18)

    Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

    ‘Oh How I Love Your Law’ My Tribute to John MacArthur (1939–2025)

    Long-time Bible teacher John MacArthur died earlier this week. I suspect many in our church have been influenced by his teaching. This article is John Piper’s tribute to MacArthur.

    The Bible was not just interesting. It was better than the best. It was immeasurably precious. There is a kind of affection that happens when you feel — not just know — that the person you are talking to really means it when he says God’s words are “more to be desired . . . than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).

    Tim Keller on the Struggle with Prayer and the Pathway to Enjoying God

    Matt Smethurst writes about how Tim Keller learned to pray and how important that became to him as he aged. This article also offers some guidance from Keller about prayer.

    It is therefore impossible to have a rich prayer life apart from careful attention and glad submission to God’s word. Otherwise, we will end up talking to a figment of our imagination—in essence, praying to an idol. But if we hope to anchor our life in “the real God,” we must pray in accordance with who he’s revealed himself to be. Keller puts it frankly: “Without prayer that answers the God of the Bible, we will only be talking to ourselves.”

    Psalm of the Flood

    Our poem of the week: Psalm of the Flood, by Bethel McGrew. This sonnet comes from being overwhelmed and not knowing where to turn but to 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.