Six-Pack (70)

Welcome to the Six-Pack!

After a long stretch of rain and cloud, the past week has been “real summer” on the prairies — bring on a handful of great links!

If a half-dozen directions feels daunting, start with the *Picks of the Week*, and branch from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Cultivating Faithfulness in a Culture of Efficiency (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
J.R. Briggs has a new book that I’m excited to read. Missio Alliance has this post, adapted from one of its chapters.

2)  My Name is Mike, and I’m a Recovering True Believer (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Mike Anderson was once high up in Mars Hill Church. Here’s why he isn’t anymore. Please note that I have no particularly strong feelings on Mars Hill or Mark Driscoll; this article is a fascinating read all the same, of one man’s perceptions from inside such a large church/organization.

3)  Farewell to the Golden Age
Philip Yancey has long been one of my most influential authors. Here he looks back on his writing career and notes profound changes in the industry.

4)  Contemplative Prayer: A Cure for Ministerial Burnout
Tony Campolo shares this post on the blog of Contemplative Journal.

5) People Prefer Electric Shocks to Being Left with Their Own Thoughts
If you’ve ever wondered why sitting quietly in prayer or meditation is so hard, this piece from The Atlantic may help decode your insides.

6)  Sitting and Thinking About Sitting and Thinking
Psychology Today got hold of the study mentioned in #5 — here’s their take on the findings.

May your week ahead be filled with life, as you seek the One from whom it flows!

leaveacommentYOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!

  • Which link above was today’s best-of-the-best?
  • Why that one?

Direct others to the best of the bunch with a quick comment.

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Sunday Six-Pack (18)

Welcome to the weekend after a week in which even sitting to type a short blog post was an impossibility.  Here’s hoping that your weekend (a LONG weekend in Canada) allows you a chance to sigh.  Thanks for showing up for some “Wandering & Wondering”.

This week’s Six-Pack features the usual: A half-dozen of the best things I’ve read online in the past seven days.  As is the norm, most of these articles are faith-focused or ministry-geared, with a bit of who-knows-what tossed in!

If you need help prioritizing, note my two “Picks of the Week”, and roll on from there.

Today’s edition:

1) 4 Things I’ve Learned about God Through My Baby Who Was Born Blind
The Resurgence‘s Mike Anderson opens this piece like this: “It’s not often that you get the opportunity to empathize with God; I recently experienced that bitter-sweet insight when I found out that my eleven-week-old baby girl was born almost completely blind.”  His brief but sharp observations are worth a stop today.

2) Serving Communion to Former Cannibals
Tony Merida recounts the powerful story of missionary John G. Paton (1824-1907). *PICK OF THE WEEK*

3) Pastoral Advice from a Professional Wrestler
Pastor Jay Sanders reflects on one sentence of profound pastoral advice from Nikita Koloff. *PICK OF THE WEEK*

4) They Cuss in ET.  WTF?!
Is violence now more permissible than swearing or nudity in our movies?  Steven Schlozman thinks so.  And then he wonders why.

5) 24 Creativity Quotes to Bring Out Your Inner Artist
I love great quotes.  (If you do too, subscribe to my Twitter feed @jasonbandura, and I’ll keep ’em coming for you.)  This batch may serve to fuel the quest toward fresh thinking and imaginative inventing.  Enjoy!

6) Who are the Coptic Christians?
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Coptic Christians in Egypt.  If you have but have been unclear on who these people are exactly, The Guardian’s Jonathan Jones would like to help you out, while giving you an art education at the same time.

Enjoy your weekend, friends, through renewing yourself and reverencing God.