Round the Sphere Again

Is It A Trick Question?
Won’t a good moral life get me to heaven? (Kingdom People)

Why the Dark Providences?
The soverign purpose of God and Ruth. 

There were great purposes of grace at work even during days of dark providences. There was a mighty hand guiding all events according to the counsel of God even when the coming of Christ appeared to hang by a thread, and rested on the turn of a conversation (1:7-17).

(Against Heresies)

Is It Wise?
Justin Taylor on transracial adoption.

As long as sin remains—this side of the return of Christ and the ushering in of the news heavens and the new earth—racism will remain. There is virtue neither in overstating or unstating this reality. But the idea of having qualms about transracial adoption (or interracial marriage) because it will create opportunities for more racial prejudice doesn’t ultimately make a lot of sense.

Where’s the Big Story?
Chris Brauns reviews Donald Miller’s new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The problem, says Brauns, is that Miller “stays altogether with the ‘small’ stories” and never gets to the grand one—the big story of Christ and redemption that makes sense of all our small ones. (Reformation 21)

Did You Forget the Top 100 Hymns?
Of course not. Here are the next ones on Sherry’s countdown list.

• And Can It Be That I Should Gain? (9)
• Holy, Holy, Holy (8)
• How Great Thou Art (7)
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (6)

Do You Like This As Much As I Do?
This is the very first issue of the new online design magazine, Lonny Magazine.

Cold or Flu?
A handy-dandy chart to help you figure out how best to treat your symptoms. (FamilyDoctor.org)

Off-Beat or Stupid or Both?
I’m going with really stupid for some, but you judge for yourself: 11 Offbeat College Application Essay Topics. (mental_floss Blog)   

¿Habla Inglés?
It’s certainly not perfect, but Google Translate works better than you might think.