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A roundup of mysterious‚ paranormal and strange news stories from the past week.

“Well‚ this is fitting‚ isn’t it?” Those were the words I mumbled to myself as I turned the corner and started limping down the corridor toward the glass-enclosed conference room at Midwestern Baptist Seminary. I’m not using “limping” as a metaphor. My first battle with plantar fasciitis was in full swing‚ and I could barely walk without wincing in pain. As I looked up‚ I could see my dissertation committee waiting at the executive table‚ laptops and papers scattered about like I was being summoned before a secret underground war council. The committee was made up of godly‚ patient‚ kindhearted men who had helped me throughout my studies. So‚ unsurprisingly‚ they greeted me warmly as I entered the room. I assured them my limp wasn’t done to garner their pity‚ but that I hoped it wouldn’t hurt. I can’t remember if they laughed‚ but I can tell you this: I wasn’t laughing. Defending a paper I’d spent over a year writing was the least funny thing in the world at that moment. And my limp was just one hard providence in a long season of struggles. My oral defense was an experience I’d not soon forget. Why? Because seminary broke me. Let me be clear. The problem wasn’t seminary. It was me. The problem wasn’t seminary. It was me. I’m a creative type‚ so academia challenges my preference for more organic and improvisational learning. I’m certainly not opposed to growing my intellect‚ but reading academic books‚ writing research papers‚ and making technical arguments is to me the equivalent of assembling IKEA shelving units. God hasn’t blessed me with a heart or mind eager to navigate complexities in a stimulating and life-giving way. My mind just gets dizzy. At this point‚ you’re probably thinking‚ Hey buddy‚ nobody forced you to do this. And you’re right. I chose to do something I knew would go against the grain of my natural abilities and interests. But here’s what I wasn’t expecting to happen: God humbled me. What I Learned Seminary taught me so much. 1. I learned I have a lot to learn. Being a lead pastor (or in any ministry role) can play tricks on your mind. People call on you to provide wisdom so often and for so many things that you can begin to “believe your own hype.” You can assume your knowledge about theology‚ relationships‚ leadership‚ counseling‚ pastoring‚ preaching‚ and life in general is far beyond what it is. When a pastor begins to think of himself as an expert at everything‚ it’ll hurt him. As Paul says‚ “If anyone thinks he is something‚ when he is nothing‚ he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3). Seminary showed me my knowledge only scratched the surface. As someone who preaches weekly‚ has authored many books and articles‚ and has spoken at a variety of churches‚ conferences‚ and retreats‚ I was sobered to receive assignments so marked up that I wondered if I grasped theology at a Sunday school level. Of course‚ the most important thing isn’t adding knowledge (though that’s important); it’s what our knowledge can do to us if it’s not constantly being forged in the refining fires of humility: “‘Knowledge’ puffs up‚ but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something‚ he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Cor. 8:1–2). God graciously used seminary to provide me with a more pronounced limp. The classroom surrounded me with so many brilliant students and professors that “faking it” wasn’t going to work. Nor should it have. Seminary challenged me at every corner‚ and it changed me‚ sharpened me‚ and brought me to my knees. Which is the place we’re supposed to be. 2. I learned to appreciate the scholarly men and women who paved the way for my learning. If you’ve been to seminary‚ you know it comes with a lot of required reading. Academic reading can be tedious. But one thing it taught me was to appreciate the men and women who did the research and writing so I could learn the truths I lacked. When I think of the technical commentaries I studied for my dissertation‚ my mind is boggled by the level of research and intellect that goes into writing even one of them. In all my academic angst‚ God gave me an appreciation for those writers who use their gifts to train and equip pastors and leaders around the world. I may consider myself a practical theologian‚ but I need good theology before I can be practical. That’s why I’m so grateful for the people God has gifted to be scholarly theologians. 3. I learned the most important thing about seminary wasn’t the degree. Most of us seminarians have our eyes on the prize. We’ve paid good money and spent precious hours to achieve a goal we hope pays dividends down the line. Our spouses‚ kids‚ churches‚ and friends have paid something too. I believe seminary is a privilege‚ and I’m grateful the Lord has been gracious enough to open this door for me not once but three times in my ministry journey. Yet I can’t express what a traumatic experience it was (even if my opening story seems like I’m making light of it now). I may consider myself a practical theologian‚ but I need good theology before I can make it practical. While in seminary‚ I felt like God was laying me low intellectually‚ emotionally‚ and spiritually. I felt out of my element. The demands to perform kept me in a constant state of doubt about my abilities‚ and I wondered why I was putting myself through all the anguish. I questioned my motivations for going in the first place‚ and this surfaced in my comfort-driven tendencies in life as a whole. I battled with guilt over the sacrifices of my wife‚ Melissa. She endured with so much patience and encouragement that her name should be featured on my diploma. After it was over‚ I learned the most important thing about seminary wasn’t the degree. It was that the Lord broke me down in areas that had become blind spots. I’d unconsciously believed that the persona I’d developed as a pastor‚ preacher‚ and speaker was enough to cover my lack of inner development. Seminary showed me that my intellectual inefficiencies and somewhat sour relationship with academic training were the fruit of a spiritual deficiency: my tendency to draw back from anything resembling discomfort. In the End Two hours into my oral defense (could’ve been two days)‚ I miraculously passed‚ and that was simply because there’s a God in heaven who loves me and a committee who loved God enough to shower me with mercy. It was a surreal moment for my committee chair to put his hand out and say‚ “Congratulations‚ Dr. Martin.” Some tears found their way through‚ but I’m not sure if it was due to the relief I felt in that moment or the pain throbbing in my foot. In the end‚ seminary didn’t break me after all. God did. He used something good but uncomfortable in my life to usher me into greater maturity. That’s how his grace and mercy become evident in us all. I may never pursue another degree‚ but I’ll never forget how God pursued me through this one. And isn’t that so fitting of God?

If you’ve ever heard a sermon on marriage‚ you’re probably familiar with the oft-quoted and depressing statistic that when it comes to divorce rates‚ Christians fare no better than the average person in the United States. While the broader message in such a sermon is typically a well-intentioned warning that divorce can happen to anyone‚ this statistic simply isn’t true. In his compelling new book‚ Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites‚ Forge Strong Families‚ and Save Civilization‚ Brad Wilcox shows how the antimarriage narratives we hear nearly everywhere—from the mainstream media and political pundits to Hollywood and the ivory tower—are wrong. And he has the data to back it up. Wilcox‚ professor of sociology and senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies‚ doesn’t shy away from deeply embedded cultural myths‚ taking on an array of commonly parroted assertions and disproving them with groundbreaking new research. These myths—that marriage is of no benefit‚ that personal satisfaction matters more than the good of the family‚ that kids make life miserable‚ that the religious are just as likely to divorce as the nonreligious—are only a few of the many assumptions Wilcox debunks in his timely and informative book. It’ll be as useful for the pastor as it is for the policymaker‚ the married as the unmarried. Faith Benefits Marriages Get Married isn’t a Christian book‚ nor is it released by a Christian publishing house. However‚ it should be encouraging to Christians due to the data it presents. In each chapter‚ Wilcox highlights the four categories of people most likely to succeed in their marriages: Asian Americans; “strivers” (the college educated); political conservatives; and‚ yes‚ the religiously faithful. Most encouraging to me—as a married Christian woman—were the findings regarding religious marriages in the U.S. The data is sunnier than we’re often told. According to Wilcox‚ “Faith is the strongest predictor of marital quality—when compared to other factors like ideology‚ education‚ race‚ and income” (32). Perhaps most inconsistent with the cultural narrative is the finding that “women who regularly attend church are about 50 percent less likely to divorce” (176). But that’s not all. Religious men are less likely to be unfaithful or use pornography‚ more likely to talk about guardrails and erect fences to protect their marriages‚ and especially likely to receive “top marks” from their wives for provision and attentiveness. Religious couples are “significantly happier in their marriages‚ less likely to end up divorced‚ and more satisfied with their lives” (175)‚ as well as more likely to have children who are flourishing‚ with “better self-control‚ social skills and approaches to learning” (178). Oh‚ and religious couples are also better than the average nonreligious couple at displaying what Wilcox calls “sexual generosity.” How’s that for puritanical? While these trends are encouraging‚ nothing is guaranteed. After all‚ Job was “blameless and upright‚ one who feared God and turned away from evil‚” and he still lost everything important to him (Job 1:1). Alongside every comforting statistic‚ there are still those who will suffer in ways we might never fully understand on this side of eternity. However‚ there’s a moral order to the universe as God created it. God has shown us what’s good through the natural‚ created order as well as through the revelation of Christ and his Word. Christians shouldn’t be surprised to find there are scientifically observable benefits to living in keeping with the grain of the universe. Marriage Is Good for Children Another interesting (though perhaps unsurprising) finding is that children thrive in traditional marriages between their biological parents. But this flies in the face of a secular narrative that says “family diversity” is a “mark of moral progress” that “requires silence when it comes to any advantages that marriage might afford kids” (59). Christians shouldn’t be surprised to find there are scientifically observable benefits to living in keeping with the grain of the universe. Similar to Steve Jobs‚ who created the iPad and iPhone but didn’t let his own children use them‚ secular elites promote the “family diversity” myth while mostly practicing traditional family structures themselves. There’s a reason why many elites “talk left but walk right”—it’s because‚ according to the data Wilcox presents‚ they (and their children) are more likely to succeed‚ to be happy‚ and to be well-off when they do. Whatever views our cultural elites might espouse‚ they cannot help but “lapse” into these “traditional” habits. Like Paul at Mars Hill‚ Christians have a responsibility to proclaim the truth about reality to those who stumble after it in ignorance: we were made to be like our Maker‚ giving ourselves to each other in faithful‚ long-suffering love. The family thrives most when it looks like Christ and his church (Eph. 5). Our secular culture‚ and specifically our post-Christian nation‚ tends to operate on the assumption that when it comes to experiencing happiness and goodness‚ you can‚ as Andrew Wilson says‚ “keep the fruits of Christianity while severing its roots.” But Wilcox’s findings show the opposite. Church Attendance Matters By now‚ you may be wondering‚ If I’ve been hearing negative statistics about Christian marriages for my entire life‚ why are Wilcox’s findings different? As every good sociologist should‚ Wilcox controls for regular church (or synagogue or mosque) attendance instead of simply grouping everyone who self-describes as religious. People regularly engaged in faith communities are morally shaped by them. We shouldn’t be surprised‚ then‚ that the data-driven recommendations for healthy marriages are consistent with a Christian understanding of marriage. In his conclusion‚ Wilcox highlights five pillars that tend to support successful marriages: communion between the couple that emphasizes oneness over the individual‚ prioritization of child-rearing and family activities‚ stubborn commitment to fidelity and the longevity of the marriage‚ intermingled finances and co-ownership of assets‚ and participation in communities (like the church) that affirm and support marriage. It’s no coincidence these pillars are consistent with what churches have long taught to be good for marriage. Church leaders should be encouraged to continue leaning into the message of Scripture‚ rather than seeking out the latest counseling trends‚ when giving advice about successful marriage. We need to tell a better story about Christian marriages using data that controls for church attendance. The philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre writes that the stories we use to describe ourselves influence our decision-making because mankind becomes “a teller of stories that aspire to truth.” Perhaps it’s time‚ especially in an age where fewer people are getting married and having children‚ that the narratives we perpetuate about Christian marriages are closer to the truth. While it’s good to heed the warning that divorce could happen to anyone‚ it’s also good to recognize that faithful adherence to biblical ethics works in tandem with the moral order of the universe. Faithful adherence to biblical ethics works in tandem with the moral order of the universe. Ultimately‚ the data is encouraging: faithful Christian marriages are stronger‚ are happier‚ and produce more successful children than nonreligious marriages. Wilcox’s book is a resource I expect I’ll be turning to frequently in the coming months and years. It’d be a valuable addition to any pastor’s library and an encouragement to any Christian who is or someday may be married. This book offers encouragement to the faithful men and women of our nation to do the one thing statistically likely to make them happier and more prosperous‚ in an age where being happy and prosperous seems increasingly elusive: get married.

“The goal of the covenant‚ fulfilled in Christ‚ is eternal communion with God‚ foreshadowed in the elders eating with the Lord on the mountain and foreshadowed every time you gather with the people of God around the Lord’s table . . . because of what Christ has done for you.” — Ligon Duncan In his message at TGC’s 2023 National Conference‚ Ligon Duncan teaches from Exodus 24 and emphasizes the key themes of representation‚ substitution‚ and communion in the context of worship. He highlights the importance of Moses as a mediator between God and the people‚ the significance of Scripture in worship‚ and the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice as the ultimate substitutionary atonement for sins. Duncan’s message reminds us of the central role of God’s covenant and grace‚ and the communion with him that believers can experience through Christ.

19 years ago today‚ the Kyoto Protocol went into effect after ratification by Russia. It commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions‚ based on the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring and that human-made CO2 emissions are driving it. READ about the progress made… (2005) The first major attempt to curb global GHG emissions‚ the […] The post Good News in History‚ February 16 appeared first on Good News Network.

Welcome to the digital playground where innocence meets mischief. We’ve all heard about the wild adventures and heroic quests in video games meant for kids. But we can’t forget about the mischievous side. Here are ten crimes committed on video games meant for kids. Related: Top 10 Hidden Levels in Video Games 10 Cheating/Hacking Cheating […] The post 10 Crimes Committed on Video Games Meant for Kids appeared first on Listverse.

The cathedrals of Europe are some of the oldest buildings still in use today. Many are well over 1‚000 years old and have collected important historical items over the centuries. But over time‚ the truth about such things can easily get lost. Winchester Cathedral in the south of England houses a famous example. The centuries-old […] The post 10 Curious Facts about the Winchester Royal Bone Chests appeared first on Listverse.