“[I[n the dark hours of suffering, Christians want more than the assurance that their beliefs are consistent. They draw comfort only from the living Lord himself, from the Spirit whom whom he has graciously given, from a renewed grasp, a felt experience, of the love of God in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:14-21)….in addition to holding that Christian beliefs are true and consistent, the Christian, to find comfort in them, must learn how to use them.” (D.A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, p.20)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. I hope this week has led you closer to our Lord, and pray that these links can help move you in that direction as well. With that said, here are this week’s links!

• Graduation is on the way for many high-schoolers, which means a new stage of life is about to begin for those entering college or even the job market. What are some words of wisdom that they need to hear? Alex Chediak, author of Preparing Your Teens for College and Thriving at College (written for collegians), has choice words that I would encourage both high-schoolers and collegians to heed.
• Some of our former and current LBCSD members have pursued biblical counseling training, and some of you may wonder why it’s necessary. Dr. Jeremy Pierre of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary offers two reasons to consider pursuing a biblical counseling degree. Though he’s partial to SBTS, there are many great programs that are available to get trained in this area. Howard Eyrich of Birmingham Theological Seminary writes about the worldwide impact of biblical counseling through the counselors’ ministry. Robert Jones of SEBTS lays out the importance of being biblically trained to give accurate biblical counseling, citing some common mistakes Christians make in giving counsel. Dr. Wayne Vanderweir of Overseas Instruction in Counseling gives a ministry report of translating some of the best books on biblical counseling to Arabic to be used in Egypt. I don’t believe the series is done yet, so be on the lookout for more to come!
• What books would you recommend a new believer to read in order to grow in evangelism? Though a list springs up in my mind, Pastor David Murray recommends the book of Proverbs as a great place to learn evangelism. Here are eight lessons he learned as a result of his study.
• A single woman writes of her desire to be married, yet satisfied in her singleness. How can this be? Here’s another article on how to deal with sexual desire as a single. I hope these articles are a good start in the right direction for the single lady. May Scripture be the focus of the ladies’ circumstances, and may we all continue to love our sisters in Christ with humility and grace.
• Westminster Theological Seminary recently put out a number of booklets (nine, if you’re wondering) under the titled series “Christian Answers to Hard Questions,” inviting various faculty to respond to various issues like “Did Adam Exist?”, “Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin?” and “How Did Evil Come into the World?” They also made a number of videos for each booklet, with the authors explaining some of the specific responses that flow from their topic. This looks to be a very helpful series, even if we may not agree on every issue. But it doesn’t hurt to grow in our preparation to give a defense for the hope that is in us. Take up and read (or view).
• How does the Christian worldview affect our role in the workplace? Nancy Pearcey and Paul Henley discuss this issue.
• What does it look like to explain biblical complementarianism (the role of men and women in the church and home) to a woman utterly opposed to the idea? Here’s a sample conversation that may prove beneficial for all who read.

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to Mission Bowl this Saturday and the next, but especially the time we will have to worship God and hear Him speak through the preached word!

Soli Deo Gloria