Tag: Kate Bluett

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 (2026-06-05)

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 (2026-05-15)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

Eight Myths about Heaven That Many Believe

Many Christians have a view of heaven that is more informed by popular culture than by the Bible. Randy Alcorn has spent years writing about heaven and wants to correct eight of these myths.

Thinking that Heaven will be boring betrays a heresy—that God is boring. Nonsense! God made our taste buds, adrenaline, the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains, our imaginations, and our capacity for happiness and excitement.

Collective Awe and What We Were Made For

Glenna Marshall writes about recent space-related events and discoveries and ties them into God as creator and humans as those who gaze on creation together.

That’s why when we encounter large-scale astonishing global or terrestrial events, we drop what we’re doing and stand in awe. I enjoyed following the Artemis II mission around the moon and back, mostly because I cannot imagine the glimpse of the universe that the four astronauts were fortunate enough to see, but also because I cannot fathom the math-minded brilliance of the scientists and physicists who made such an endeavor possible. I know I wasn’t the only one watching the Orion burn its way through the earth’s atmosphere while my heart pounded with a bit of fear. Anyone who watched breath a collective sigh of relief when splashdown occurred at precisely 7:07p.m. We were relieved and amazed.

Breaking

Our poem of the week: Breaking, by Kate Bluett. This poem is introduced by a portion of Luke 24 where disciples recognize the risen Jesus as he broke bread for them. This poem is, gloriously, about resurrection.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article I wrote called Wisdom Drained of Power. 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 (2026-04-17)

Posted onAuthorRyan Higginbottom

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

The Danger of AI Isn’t Misinformation. It’s Mis-Formation.

If not used thoughtfully, artificial intelligence has the potential to damage our spiritual formation.

The real issue is what habitual AI use does to us. It turns into muscle memory that, over time, will reshape basic Christian habits like what we pay attention to, what we expect, and where we look for counsel.

How Ben Sasse Is Living Now That He Is Dying

You may or may not be familiar with former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse. He is an outspoken Christian with ties to our denomination. He received a diagnosis in December that he is dying of pancreatic cancer.

This is a podcast episode he did with Ross Douthat of the New York Times. A good chunk of this podcast is about politics, artificial intelligence, and higher education. If you’re not interested in those topics, skip to about 55 minutes to hear Senator Sasse’s thoughts on his top priorities as he is dying. (There is audio, video, and a transcript available at that link.)

We Have Seen You

Our poem of the week: We Have Seen You, by Kate Bluett. This is a poem about believing in the resurrection of Jesus, whether we have seen it with our eyes or not.

On the WPCA Blog This Week

This week on the blog we published an article written by Meghan Watt called Good Stewards of God’s Grace. 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 (2026-03-20)

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 (2026-02-20)

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 (2026-01-23)

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 (2026-01-02)

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.