Top Links (January 2022)

Happy New Year a few weeks late! I’ve been encouraged by Ezra 7:9–10 of late, and have asked God to give me an Ezra-like heart.

For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:9–10 (ESV)

May God richly bless your 2022 with a greater knowledge of Him!

Articles:

7 Tips for Fighting Distraction in Prayer. My recent article at Unlocking the Bible.

Gen Z Creators and Our Mental Health. Here is a revealing article on the strange mental dynamics of always needing to produce more online content to stay relevant. I’ve faced pressure in the past to create more content, but I’m thankful God has helped me set good priorities and taught me to thrive within my limitations.

Keep Amazon, Google and Apple out of your conversations: A guide to protect your privacy. Wish we didn’t need this one!

It’s More Than a Year of Health. I enjoyed reading about my friend Aaron’s weight-loss journey.

4 Things Believers with Bipolar Disorder Want You to Know by Lieryn Barnett

12 Ways to Help a Pastor Stay in Ministry by Scott McConnell. Read this and pray for your pastor!

12 Ideas to Redeem Your Time While Queuing (waiting in line) by Tinashe Chengeta. Wise words from Zimbabwe that we can take to heart for our context.

How Do You Know If Your Church Is Legalistic? Michael J. Kruger shares three types of legalism.

Recommended Resources:

I Still Do: A Marriage Course for the Middle Years. Tim Challies shares his teaching course on Dave Harvey’s book I Still Do.
Free eBook: Judges for You by Tim Keller
Here’s my appearance on The Way Home Podcast with Dan Darling to talk about When Prayer Is a Struggle
Video Lecture: The Psalms and Christian Prayer with Dr. Donald Whitney. This ninety-minute talk essentially serves as a summary to his helpful book Praying the Bible. I look forward to attending next month’s EFCA Theology Conference! Let me know if you’ll be there.
Other free Christian books and deals.

New song on Psalm 46 from The Psalms Project: