Links on Theology, Life, and Culture to encourage us to be — and to make — disciples.

7 Reasons Why God Makes a “Crook” in a Christian’s Lot
Intrigued by the “Crook in the Lot” analogy from Pastor Jeff’s sermon? You can dig deeper here: “But in Thomas Boston’s usage the crook is the crooked, that is the uncomfortable, discontenting aspects of a person’s life, the things that the Puritans called losses and crosses, and that we speak of as the stones in our shoe, the thorns in our bed, the burrs under the saddle, and the complaints we have to live with; and the lot is the providentially appointed path that God sets each of his servants to travel.”

The Decadent and the Damned? Ross Douthat’s Timely Vision of Western Civilization
‘Hauntingly he quotes poet W. H. Auden’s familiar description of Rome’s fall: “What fascinates and terrifies us about the Roman Empire is not that it finally went smash,” but that “it managed to last for four centuries without creativity, warmth, or hope.”’ A sobering book review that points toward the opportunity for gospel hope.

Why Do We Confess If Our Sins Are Already Forgiven?
Have you ever asked (or been asked): How do we understand that we are both forgiven and that we need to confess forgiven sin? What’s the relationship between the fact that “the work of Jesus, whereby all of our sins — past, present, and future — were forgiven in Christ, and yet, we are called to continually confess?” Read or listen here.

Love Thy Body
Matt Shantz, currently a pastor at Central Community Church in Chilliwack and formerly at Northview, interviews Dr. Nancy Pearcy, previous speaker at the Apologetics Conference. Her latest book is Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality. “She is the definition of a deep thinker who is full of deep thoughts. This is going to be great.”

A Bottle Flipping Baby
Though the trend may have faded, this infant discovered the joy afresh, as this eight second video shows.

Previous TLC Todays can be read here.

Kyle Meeker
Theological and Leadership Development Pastor