Five articles I’ve recently found helpful from around the web:
The Medium is the Message: Zoom Style Some profound thoughts of how we are seeing McCluhan’s truism rear its head again in this time of quarantine: “Which is not to say that one should avoid video-conferencing altogether or that it does not have certain virtues. Right now, most everything is operating in a less than ideal manner, and we’re fumbling our way toward some version of “good enough.” But in order to use these tools well, it’s worth reckoning with what Zoom or Skype can and cannot do. We should understand how they might be undermining our stated objectives, and we should be clear about what we are asking of others when we mandate their use.”
Prayer Guide for Ramadan A resource to help you pray for Muslims during Ramadan. Sign up for these daily e-mails through Frontiers USA.
Not the Hero This is a brilliant call to embrace humility: “As Christians, we do grave damage when we attempt to insert ourselves into the heroic role of every story. We do it with good intention, a desire to demonstrate faith, and articulate the distinction of our hope, but there are times when the church must not be the hero. There are times when we are made to sit and receive along with the world.”
In Defense of Homeschool Samuel James’ well-crafted response in the Wall Street Journal in response to a Harvard Professor’s critique of homeschooling: “Contrary to some resilient stereotypes, we received a good education in a small house that was filled with books—an education that included musical training, field trips, long hours studying languages and high-level mathematics, and many, many friends. I appreciate Ms. Bartholet’s keen interest in the educational rights of children, but her views exemplify the sort of ignorance she ascribes to homeschooling families.”
Remember the Poor Jon Bloom: “We must remember the poor among us, those in our local churches who have been furloughed or laid off and find themselves in sudden financial or some other need. We must remember the poor in our cities or regions that are particularly vulnerable. And we must remember the poor in impoverished countries who are at the greatest risk on the greatest scale. These needs are overwhelming, but we cannot allow ourselves to shut down due to the staggering size of the needs, and retreat to Netflix, while they perish.”
Mike Phay: One Beggar 