Around the Web: Stop Leaving Your Options OpenBruce Wydick | from Christianity Today "From an economist’s perspective, millennials seem to measure decisions by what we call 'option value.' In economics, if a decision like the purchase of an asset has a high option value, it means that there is a significant probability of a very good outcome. However, in the case that things don’t go as well as hoped for, it is easy to break ties and cut losses. Of course, this is only possible in a world of limited commitment. If one needs to be committed to something even when things don’t turn out as well as hoped, then the option value is lower. "I find that many of my university students fall into the same pattern of thinking in decisions related to graduate school, careers, marriage, and even spiritual commitments. Decisions are made based on their option value. It’s all about keeping the options open. "But it doesn’t work." Cry Out to GodVaneetha Rendall Risner | Author How does a Christian find peace when tragedy lingers? By sharing her own journey through illness, disability, broken relationships, and loss, Vaneetha Rendall Risner responds with a message of hope. Around the Web: Reports of the Church's Death Have Been Greatly ExaggeratedJohn Pattison | from The Rabbit Room "In one faithful encounter after another, the seeds of the gospel are being sown. We don’t know what shape the American Church will take—probably, from our limited perspective, it will take many different shapes, as churches, rooted in their places, embody Christ in ways that can be known by the people in those places. "What I do know is that we are being invited to be God’s diversely gifted co-participants in this future—a future that is as big as the universe and as intimate as our own front yards." A Friend of the Poor | Free ebook from the Chalmers CenterThe Chalmers Center is offering a free copy of the ebook A Friend of the Poor: 3 Ways You Can Love People Across Socioeconomic Lines by Dr. Brian Fikkert, professor of economics and community development at Covenant College. From the introduction: "Poverty is about so much more than a lack of money. People who are poor are people. Just like each of us, what they need most of all are life-giving relationships that enable them to experience restoration with God, self, others, and the rest of creation." View email digest | Volume 1, Issue 17The View email digest is designed to bring thoughtful, challenging, and encouraging ideas and stories to your inbox. We invite you to share feedback with us on how this email digest could improve. What kinds of content are you interested in reading, listening to, and watching? We want this email to be a service to you and the church as a whole, and we value your ideas. You can send us your feedback by replying to this email. If you are not a direct recipient of this email and would like to receive future issues, please subscribe here. Web versions of all digest issues are available here. "Around the Web" content is provided to promote and encourage conversation and is not necessarily endorsed by Covenant College. |