There is no shame in being hurt and hopeless. The hopeless and needy are the ones who are welcomed into the tender, understanding arms of a God of eternal love. (Dave Harvey, Paul Gilbert, Letting Go: Rugged Love for Wayward Souls)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week filled with God’s sustaining grace, and lovingkindness. I hope this week’s links will be an extension of that to you, so here they are:

• Ever wondered where the Bible predicts the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple in A.D. 70? TMS professor Dr. Michael Vlach presents his list of passages that he believes does this very thing. This may be a good resource for future reference, especially when talking to others about prophecy in the Bible.
• Over at the Gospel Coalition blog, Aaron Wilson writes about the concept of embryo adoption and the importance of Christians learning and engaging in it, while Russell Moore deals with the false dilemma some Christians may have: whether to adopt or have children of their own.
• It seems some of the bloggers over at The Cripplegate are getting back into the issue of cessationism vs. continuationism. This week, Eric Davis addresses continuationist arguments made from 1 Corinthians 14. You may want to go over this a few times for that next conversation with your brother or sister with whom you disagree with.
• Jason Helopoulos spends a little bit of time on the issue of assurance in a believer’s life and when it seems to be fleeting.
• Simonetta Carr, author of Christian biographies for children, dedicates a post to a reformer that you may have never heard of: Peter Martyr Vermigli. Doesn’t ring a bell? Then you check it out!
• Is there joy in discipling others? Not surprisingly, David Mathis at Desiring God thinks so, and points out that God thinks so, too.
• Justin Taylor recently interviewed Lydia Brownback about her new book, Finding God in My Loneliness. She was the first female Christian author I read, and I absolutely loved her writing, so take it for what it’s worth, but this may be something to consider watching (and reading!).
• Mark Dever recently preached at Bethlehem College & Seminary’s PasCon 2017 (conference for pastors) on evangelism. Enough said.
• Common in culture today is the idea that abortion is an act of women’s rights. However, as Brian Fisher argues over at Public Discourse, abortion has historically (and still is) a reflection of male dominance.

That’s all for this week! Please be in prayer for both the collegians and youth as this weekend, both groups will be at Pine Valley for their respective retreats. See you Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria