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An Odd Social Distancing Phenomenon
I have a very wise friend who over the last few years has given me some incredibly helpful advice. We chatted for a few minutes recently when she picked up some eggs from my house. She asked me how I was doing, and I told her the odd truth: in spite of the social isolation due to the coronavirus, I’m doing very, very well–maybe even better than I was before. She looked at me pointedly and said, “Probably because you’re not overexerting yourself.” I thought about this for a long time after our conversation. It does explain why, despite not being able to be around groups of people (which I…
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Keystone Habits and Being Watchful
First a note: I’m writing this article in mind that the Bible is the only source of true wisdom: holy, inerrant, and inspired by the Holy Spirit. I do, however, believe that some secular writers sometimes get things right. In the case of The Power of Habit, I think Charles Duhigg describes well how God created people with the ability to form habits. I also enjoyed his factual reporting on how different people and businesses use this idea to their advantage. The following quotes come from The Power of Habit. *** pg.111, “He [Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps’s coach] didn’t need to control every aspect of Phelps’s life. All he needed…
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Justice Will Roll Down
Have you ever heard of Sandra McCracken? She’s one of my favorite singer/songwriters in the Christian music genre. A few of her songs appear on the Indelible Grace albums. She’s also released a plethora of her own music, which I would describe as beautiful, mellow, and poetic while still remaining true to Scripture. You can find some of her sheet music in the Indelible Grace Hymnbook and her albums on Spotify (and probably other listening apps, too). “Justice Will Roll Down” comes from her album In Feast or Fallow, my all-time favorite. This song seemed appropriate to learn and sing through over and over again considering everything going on in…
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The Throne of Grace
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 Hebrews 4:14-16 begins with the phrase “since then.” The word “since” indicates that we should know what comes before this passage and following, the word “then”…
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The Power of Habit
According to Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit, Prologue pg. xvi), the study of habit goes back centuries. Educators, psychologists, scientists, and (more recently) marketers have all studied how people change their behaviors and why they turn those behaviors into habits in the first place. As someone who has tried to change her eating and exercise habits many times (and sometimes with success) over the last ten years or so, the idea of habit interests me very much. In her book Home Education, Charlotte Mason talks about how habits form the core of a good education. While not using the word habit specifically, the Bible discusses the idea of habits.…
