Welcome to the Week! Happy (or not) Monday!
Today’s Top Read:
‘China Has 10 Years Left, At Most’ – 100 Million Population Drop Could Lead to Economic Disaster
While I don’t pretend to be an economic or population expert, this article makes a compelling argument. Al Mohler, on his daily podcast “The Briefing,” has mentioned a drop in birthrates in countries around the world is not good (you’ll have to go and search for those episodes; they were not recent episodes). So, we will see how this plays out in the years to come.
Backsliding Stems from Indifference to the Necessity of Christ
John Owen really nails this. “There are reasons that are peculiar unto every especial instance of backsliding in any kind. First, ignorance of the necessity of Jesus Christ and the benefits of his mediation unto life and salvation, has betrayed them first into an indifferency about them, and then a defection from them.“
Why John Piper Reads Books
The closing words on this say it best. However, this article could have been titled “Why Read Books,” with no mention of John Piper, and it would still be here on The Weekly Nerd.
“So, that’s the tip of the iceberg. To the person who struggles with reading, I would simply say, “Join me.” Join limited, slow-reading John Piper. Admit your limitations. Lay down all resentments, anger, self-pity, and self-justification, and humbly accept your limitations. Admit them, and then do the best you can. Be thankful for every measure of reading you’re able to do.“
No Fear of Old Age
Have you ever lay awake at night as you try to sleep, and your mind won’t stop thinking of the craziest things? That happens to me a lot. Lately, I have often found myself thinking about getting old; while I know it is inevitable, I still get a sense of foreboding and try to shift my thoughts elsewhere through prayer or picking up a book. Tim Challies masterfully puts into place why fear is one word that we should not, must not, associate with growing old.
The Dead Sea Will Live Again
The Dead Sea is a fascinating place. I’ve been there. July of 1999, a few days after my 18th birthday, a month or so after I graduated high school. Somewhere in a box in my closet, I’m sure I could pull out some pictures of me and some friends from Teen Mania Ministries’ Global Expeditions Holy Land backpacking trip. That was one of the most memorable summers of my life (turning 18 in Beirut, Lebanon, followed by a birthday party in Damascus, Syria will always be memorable!). Floating in a 1/3 solid solution because of so much salt is another experience I will never forget.