Smorgasbord – A blog of blogs

I love reading and lately, on top of some really awesome books, I’ve been digging into some awesome blogs.

You may have read one or all of them already, but if you need some reading material, I present you with the following.

What are you reading?

Redeem the Rejection of Singleness by Fabienne Harford

You will waste the rejection of singleness if you let the pain drive you to seek affirmation of worth from people instead of God. God has designed this beautiful gift of singleness to highlight your need to be chosen and to underline the inadequacy of people to fill that need. Don’t be ashamed by your hunger to be wanted and chosen. Don’t try to cover or conceal or fill it with positive thinking or encouragement from mortal men. Let it drive you to cling to the God who has chosen you at great cost.

Let no one except God have the power to determine your worth. Let no covenant, other than the New Covenant with Christ, satisfy your need to be chosen.

When God Mercifully Ruins Our Plans by Jon Bloom

 We often aren’t aware of how deep, pervasive, and motivating our pride is. We often are blind to how much we cherish the glory of our name. But God knows. And in mercy he confounds us, impedes us, and humbles us. And it is all mercy. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). When it comes to his children, God gives us grace in the act of opposing our pride because it makes us humble. For he knows that the more humble we are, the happier we are.

A Secular “Dear Future Husband” — Meghan Trainor’s New Song by Haley Russell (aka my bff)

The idea that household chores, jobs, and sex are the foundation of marriage is the very reason the divorce rate is so high. Quite simply, these things fail us. The chores are lost if the house is compromised; the jobs are fickle; physical attraction sometimes wears off. These things are temporary. Marriage has lost its value because we refuse to value the true foundation of it.

35 Things I Wish I’d Known in High School by Erin Davis

8.  Insecurity is a massive waste of time and energy. Be confident in God’s love.
9.  “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9). It’s okay to have a ten-year plan, but there’s a 100% chance God will interrupt it. That’s a good thing.
10.  The bands you listen to in high school will be your very favorite bands forever. Keep the t-shirts. They will be “vintage” and awesome when you’re thirty.
11.  You truly do reap what you sow. I love how Nancy Leigh DeMoss says it, “You are what you’re becoming.” Do you want to know your Bible frontwards and backwards later? Study it like crazy now. Do you want to be more like Christ someday? Be more like Him today.
12.  Broken hearts heal. Mine got broken often in high school. All these years later I’ve still never felt a pain like it. But those deep chasms are now all healed up. If your heart is broken, I promise it will heal and someone else will capture it someday.

Jesus Didn’t Create You for Misery by Michael Durham (aka my boss/pastor/second dad)

I’m thankful that Jesus died so He doesn’t remember my sins, but I am also grateful that He rose from the dead so that now Christianity is not just about being forgiven but about having the very person of Christ within me so that His life and power is flowing through me. The very personality of Jesus can flow from you! He transforms us. It’s not you trying to serve and be like Jesus, it’s Jesus being Jesus in you.

A Golf Commercial

Okay, so this isn’t a blog, but I love this commercial (and yes, I do realize it’s a couple years old).