Google Reader Round-up | August 11, 2012

* * * I have a Google Reader account that I use to subscribe to a variety of blogs and websites. I have an immense back log of articles and posts that I need to read. My hope is to share stories, articles and commentary that might be interesting to you. * * *

Here is this weeks round-up.

How The Heck Do We Pray Without Ceasing? — This admonition by the apostle Paul is not always easy to understand, let alone do. Here is a great way to think about how we can pray more diligently. I found it interesting and helpful.

Some Advice for Youth Ministers — I was very impressed by the advice in this article. As a youth pastor it can be difficult to navigate the never-ending sea of ideas. Principles for ministry are what’s needed, a philosophy of ministry that does not depend on trends or age to work.

Harm’s Way: Men, Abortion & Hemingway — “In truth, despite the feminists’ attempts to silence men on the subject, abortion is, and always will be, a matter that concerns men as much as women. Every unborn child, whether aborted or carried to term, is the offspring of a father as well as a mother, and the mere presence of “it” presents a new “thing” in his life with which he must contend. … Now, at last, the aftereffects on men are beginning to see daylight, too. “

The Number One Failure of 90 Percent of Pastors — “Pastors are notorious for their lone ranger approach to ministry.” This is a very dangerous philosophy for ministry. No one person can do everything that is needed in a local church. We all need help. It is just not easy asking for it sometimes. If you are a pastor find others in ministry that you can share with. If you are a parishioner, make sure you pastor has these kinds of relationships. It will make all the difference in the world.

The Case for Early Marriage — This is an interesting article discussing the negative effect the purity/abstinence movement has had on marriage and our view of marrying young. The author contends that we have to change our focus from preventing sex before marriage to encouraging marriage as a way of remaining pure and faithful to our convictions.

“While our sexual ideals have remained biblical and thus rooted in marriage, our ideas about marriage have changed significantly. For all the heated talk and contested referendums about defending marriage against attempts to legally redefine it, the church has already ceded plenty of intellectual ground in its marriage-mindedness. Christian practical ethics about marriage—not the ones expounded on in books, but the ones we actually exhibit—have become a nebulous hodgepodge of pragmatic norms and romantic imperatives, few of which resemble anything biblical.”