Monday Reads: Links Worth a Look—No. 1

I have decided to publish a weekly listing of articles that I have found this past week which I think are worthy of our time. Each one will come with a brief description.

We Met to Pray by Yours Truly:This article reports on a recent gathering of two families to seek God about the state of our nation. If you never read anything else of mine this year, please read this report.

Mistaken Identity by Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds: Taylor writes of two college coeds involved in a tragic auto accident. One died, the other survived but is in a coma. The girls bore a remarkable resemblance to one another, and the doctors misidentified the survivor as the girl who died. Now they have realized their mistake. Taylor goes on to write of the unbelievably grace-filled parents, who thought their daughter had survived, but then discovered it was a case of mistaken identity.

Over Our Dead Bodies by Anthony Esolen of Touchstone Journal: Esolen writes that "men who are willing to lay down their lives are truly indispensible ... Such a man," he says, "knows that the breath in his lungs is of no consequence. In humility the man is called to recognize that he matters as a man only if he knows that he does not matter at all, and to allow himself to be severed, if need be, from those he loves most."

Unshackling the American Church: Fraternitas by Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum: Edelen is developing a series titled Unshcackling the American Church. This article addresses the decline of true community both in our neighborhoods, and in the Church. Edelen points back to the Industrial Revolution and recently to the rise of technology which has radically altered our form of communication. He lists 10 ways that we can begin to reclaim genuine community.

Saddleback's "Because God Loves Me..." by Ken Fields at The World From Our Window: Fields reports on his findings of a lengthy list titled Because God Loves Me on the website of Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. He suggests that the list misfocuses its attention on our own own need for self-esteem instead of correctly focusing on the wretchedness of our sin.

Christian Carnival: A weekly publication of numerous articles by Christian writers and thinkers. There are a host of thought-provoking and inspirational articles linked at this site.