Selected Reading, March 21, 2020

Here are a few recommendations to help you maintain your hope in God in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Prayer

Reasons for Thanksgiving
I know from experience that finding God’s many blessings and thanking him for them can’t help but lift our spirits by increasing our trust in him. In the post linked above, Jared Olivetti lists several “reasons to give God thanks during the current crisis.”

A 7-Day Coronavirus Prayer Guide
Because sometimes we don’t know what to ask. 

Music

The Sweetening of All Our Songs
“One of the greatest gifts we receive from suffering is the sweetening of all our songs. Like a life jacket, the deeper we sink, the more buoyant our songs become, and the more God uses them to grip us tight and raise us up—from panic to peace, from the hissing questions of doubt to the gentle confidence of faith, from the selfish concerns that overtake us in times of trial to the neighbor-love that Christ calls us to practice especially in the darkest seasons.”—David A. Gundersen

Bread

Old-World Rye Bread
There’s something therapeutic (and yummy) about making bread. I have four or five bread recipes I keep returning to. This is one of them.