The following articles have been selected because they are informative, instructive, entertaining, or simply interesting. Articles appearing in Your Friday Five do not represent an endorsement.
One pastor reflects on his first Sunday regathered with his people.
The Regathering—Five Heart Reflections, Blair Cushman
We, like you, have been seeking wisdom from the Lord about why and when and how to regather. As elders and leaders at Redemption we sought to make decisions and lead through these three categories: conviction, caution, and charity. Our biblical convictions drive us, though they do not necessitate recklessness so we proceed with caution, and in everything show love and compassion to those with varying opinions, preferences, and non-biblical convictions. We communicated these categories to our church through emails, podcasts, and FB Live videos.
Now that Sunday #1 is behind us, what did we learn? I am happy to talk through logistic lessons but for now I offer Five Heart Reflections.
Cyclone Ampham ravages India.
Storm of trouble, WORLD
With record gusts from Cyclone Amphan bearing down on India and Bangladesh, humanitarian aid workers saw a triple threat coming to life before their eyes: The strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal was about to overwhelm years of a chronic refugee crisis—that weeks of coronavirus spread had already compounded.
“Our worst fears have been confirmed,” said Dipankar Datta, Oxfam’s country director in Bangladesh.
World renowned Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias finished his race.
Ravi Zacharias Dies of Cancer, Christianity Today
The popular author and Christian teacher was known for his work through Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), which focused on apologetic arguments for the existence of God and the reasonableness of Christianity.
He preached in more than 70 countries and authored more than 30 books in his 48-year career, teaching Christians to engage with skeptics and arguing that the Christian worldview has robust answers to humanity’s existential questions.
We all feel the void.
Why We Miss Congregational Singing, Joe Deegan
I’m not bashing the virtual worship platform. I’m so grateful this technology exists during a time when the church is unable to meet together. But the longer the lockdown has gone on, the clearer it has become that singing together in church is something rare, wonderful, and hard to replicate through digital distance.
Why do we miss congregational singing so much? Our longings for it now provide a good opportunity to reflect on the nature and beauty of this ancient and indispensable component of Christian worship.
Paying attention?
Being Attention to Your Attention, Trevin Wax
Building on more than two decades of research on why the brain is divided into two hemispheres, McGilchrist has discovered that nearly every “function” associated with one hemisphere is actually mediated by both. Why, then, are there two sides to the brain? McGilchrist believes each side provides a different orientation or perspective on the world: the right side taking in the big picture and seeing (and responding emotionally to) the whole, and the left side taking an object apart in order to see its details and then communicating that knowledge through language.