What I am reading Wednesday (Dec 5 2012)

Here are some encouraging articles I had to share....

(1) 13 Scriptures to Meditate on when your future is uncertain.  Um, who doesnt need this at some point in their life?

(2) 12 Promises every parent should ask God to fulfill.

(3) You don't have to like what's happening to you...

(4) The beauty of faithful Suffering

"Does it matter how we walk in the face of suffering? The Bible makes unapologetic claims about how we should face suffering: "But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is reve...aled" (1 Pet. 4:13). Allowing us to experience the brokenness of this world keeps us thirsty for the next. The reality of death forces us to consider carefully how we live. Only by believing that a better home awaits can we experience any sort of light in this land of shadows."

(5)  An article about how a man's spiritual leadership isn't an exact formula....this really challenged me a lot!

(6)  When addressing singleness, women need more than just a "to do" checklist as this article, How Not to Help all the Single Ladies, points out.  I love how the author talked about singleness, particularly in women, being a real heartache. (nothing irritates me more than when its downplayed)  The author suggests that with the reality of more Christian women than men, we need to offer single Christian ladies real support and encouragement, not just books that tell you how to fix yourself and get a man (although I am all for practical attempts at improving yourself and your dating life) -- sometimes doing everything to "fix" yourself and still remaining single makes you feel really inadequate.  The reality is the church can't fix permenant or prolonged singleness for everyone (although I am supportive of church member's attempts to set people up and encourage dating!), but the church can offer support, love and fellowship to those who are single.

I actually had a few other great articles, so there may have to be a second installment to this week's list!