Please pass me the Cup, Lord. It’s as necessary for me as it was for You. Give me strength and courage because what I ask is a fearful thing to me. Change me into a vessel fit for receiving not only what You would have for me, but also whom You would have me become. I have no strength to do this but by You. Strip me of me, and replace it with You. Have your own way with me. Thy will be done on earth—my earth, my life—as it is in heaven. Amen. (Greg Harris, The Cup and the Glory)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! This week has been a very productive week in the Christian blogosphere, so let’s jump in!

• Stephen Altrogge has three crucial bits of wisdom for the single man and woman. There is no doubt in my mind that it will definitely benefit all in SingleLife (and CollegeLife, too). Pastor Aaron Menikoff also gives some timely encouragement that I hope is heeded.
• How can our evangelism be more believable? Jonathan Dodson highlights Jesus’ approach in evangelism with His encounter with the rich, young ruler. Read, and evangelize.
• CBMW has a stern article on men and marriage that challenges every husband and father to grow up. Consider yourself warned.
• Recently, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (federal appeals court) affirmed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Al Mohler has some helpful analysis regarding this timely decision.
• In the news again is Simcha Jacobovici (remember the Jesus family tomb a few years ago?) who, along with Barrie Wilson, have just come out with a book about their claim that a lost gospel has been translated to ‘reveal’ Jesus having been married to Mary Magdalene. They’re also planning to come out with a documentary about this as well. RTS President Michael Kruger has some preliminary thoughts worth checking out. Expect to see this in the news.
• Is evangelism a spiritual gift? You may be surprised at the answer.
• Tim Challies has been working on a series of articles concerning productivity, or how to get things done efficiently, which I hadn’t really paid attention to, until his article on taming the email beast, which really caught my attention. Needless to say, this series is worth giving some time to spend, so spend it!
• Do you engage in family worship? Would you know how to start? If neither, and you would want to know how to begin, here are five tips for grace-filled family worship.
• If you have studied Mormonism to any extent, you may have come across the claim that Joseph Smith had more than one wife in his life. Christian apologists have been pointing this out for years, and now the LDS Church has come to admit this. Mormonism Research Ministry (a ministry you should become familiar with) has devoted time to review the articles that have been published on the LDS website admitting to Smith’s polygamy, and would highly recommend further look into this, to be prepared when speaking with Mormon missionaries (MRM’s website is a gold-mine of information related to witnessing to Mormons).
• How do dispensationalists, covenant theologians, new covenant theologians, and progressive dispensationalists differ in their hermeneutics? Mark Snoeberger gives a quick summary that looks helpful.
• If you’ve talked to me long enough, you’ll know that Psalm 119 is my favorite chapter in all of the Bible. Not because of its length, mind you, but the focus and devotion to the Word of God unbroken in this chapter is one worth emulating. So, I was very excited to see The Cripplegate put this chapter on display at their blog with the A-Z’s of Christian living from that psalm, along with recommended resources for further study. Get into this!
• How would you encourage young pastors to develop long-term convictions? John MacArthur has some wise advice.

That’s all for this week! See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria