Anchored in Christ

In the past couple of years, I have had one big prayer request per year for my faith. Last year it was to have more faith in God’s sovereignty, specifically His providential care in my life. God answered.

This year my prayer is for deeper worship, specifically to worship in spirit and in truth like Jesus commanded in John 4:23. John Piper helpfully paraphrases this verse as:

“[To] bring your experience of worship into conformity with what is true about God, and let your spirit be authentically awakened and moved by that truth.”

May it be so for us in 2024!

(Also, I’m trying out a new format for these posts. Reply to this email and tell me what you think!)

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Recommended Links

What does ‘watch your life and doctrine closely’ mean? My newest article at OpentheBible.org.

31 questions to ask for more Christ-centered 2024 by Donald Whitney. 

Prayer for My Heart This Election Year by Cindy Matson

I Changed My Mind About Social Media: Why I Decided to Quit by Reagan Rose. You may also be interested in My Social Media Guardrails.

The Mind Virus is Breaking by Andrew T. Walker. Walker, writing for World Opinions, thinks the US has passed the peak of woke-ism, and I hope he’s right. (Have I ever mentioned how much I like World Opinions?)

Counseling Troubled Dreams by Keith Evans. The author shares wisdom from Richard Baxter that shares a mini-theology of dreams. Short and profoundly helpful.

Reading Scripture Rightly. A helpful short article from Jim Elliff.

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What I’m Reading:

Loving Your Wife as Christ Loved the Church by Larry McCall

Building Second Brain by Tiago Forte. My short review: Tiago Forte has written an easy to read and insightful book on the what, why, and how of keeping a “second brain” of notes that can serve you in all areas of life, especially creative endeavors. I read ‘How to Take Smart Notes’ by Sonke Ahrens, which had a lot of helpful information (especially on learning and productivity) but ultimately frustrated me by not sharing examples and answering my biggest questions about his method. I wish I had read Forte’s book instead, although I’m glad I read both. I also wish I had read this in seminary and taken the method to heart even though I am grateful that I have used many of the principles in my hodge-podge note system that has worked well for me over the years.

Forte not only shares specific details of a method he recommends, he shared wise insight on being a productive creative. (The one line that hit me like a ton of bricks was: “shift as much of your time and effort as possible from consuming to creating.”)

If you’re a knowledge worker like a writer, teacher, or pastor, read this book and take it to heart. You won’t have to rely on your first brain as much and a properly-cultivated second brain will help you bear more fruit in nearly every endeavor.

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Free Resources to Check Out

Riverside.FM has a free AI audio/video transcription tool that is incredibly accurate. No account needed. I’m using it for my work at Open the Bible.

I’ve been using Upside (*affiliate link) for few weeks now and have enjoyed earning cash back on gas and food. It’s not a life-changing amount, but I need gas anyway and the app helps me get the best price and earn a buck or two with every fill up. Over the course of the year I’ll probably earn $100 plus all I save getting the best price. You can sign up for a free account here and start earning.