Weekend Links - July 12, 2014

We had talked about having a yard sale today but somewhere around Thursday night my motivation to do anything just went away. Friday we talked about a free night at a local museum or dressing up like cows to get free Chick Fil A food. But the idea of going anywhere, or, again, doing anything, was just not appealing. We read books. We played board games. We cooked out, just for us. We gave the little folks a bubble bath and let them play as long as they wanted. I worked on some homeschool paperwork. We did not price any items or make a craigslist ad or set up any signs directing people into our neighborhood.

So, no yardsale today. No plans at all, really. And it is good.

But I do have lots of links for you this week so let's get to 'em.

Spiritual / Inner Life

• What We Get Wrong About 'Finding God's Will' by Chandler Vannoy for Relevant.
• In Praise of the Quiet Time by Megan Hill for TGC.
• Rest is an Act of Resistance by Rhesa Storms for On Faith. Thinking about it this way eases any guilt I feel about our laidback weekend.
• Don't Be a Sex Sponge by Simcha Fisher. Great insight here. (warning: adult subject matter and the site has several auto-play ads that are obnoxiously loud)
• The Great Commission Means Sharing Christ's Story, Not Yours by Trevin Wax. Right on. 
• Envy Always Wins by Tim Challies. Envy is not a "victimless crime".

Marriage / Parenting

• Let Kids Be Kids Instead of Sexualized Little Adults by Amy Julia Becker for CT.
• Related: I Am Ryland by Lindsay Leigh Bentley. This one went viral, but in case you missed it, read it now.
• Ask Auntie Leila: Dating Rules for Teenagers? from Like Mother, Like Daughter. Love the perspective in this post because it's not just about dating.
• Cultivating a Culture of Family Love: Love That Lasts a Lifetime by Sally Clarkson at I Take Joy. Oh, I appreciated this one! This is what I want for my family, for my children. It's a worthy goal, and like all worthy goals, at times it seems impossible to reach.
• It's Okay to Tell Your Daughter She's Pretty by Carrie Lukas at The Federalist.
• A Bit of Religion Can Be Bad for Marriage by Charles Stokes, Amber Lapp, and David Lapp. Let the headline grab your attention and then read the whole thing. It's sobering, but not without hope.

Friendship / Relationships

• 10 Ways to Love an Introverted Mom from Moderately Crunchy. I loved this post so much. I would print it out and hand it out to people I know if that were socially acceptable. Since it's not, I'll just share it here.
• What to Say When Friends Are Suffering from the DHM at The Common Room Blog. Helpful advice.
• Related: 5 Things NOT to Tell Your Depressed Friend by Candace Crabtree at His Mercy is New.
• How to Love Your Neighbors (Yes, The Ones Next Door) by Jessica Smartt at The Better Mom. This one was convicting because we recently moved and we don't know many of our neighbors yet. Maybe it's time to stop waiting for them to introduce themselves.
• 10 Ways to Grow a Friendship by Kara Chupp for The Better Mom. Why so many posts about friendship this week? Because it doesn't come easy for me. 

Homeschooling / Education

• This is What Education Reform Should Look Like by Penelope Trunk. American society is not homogenous, why should education be? 
• Could a Slight Schedule-Switch Work Wonders for You? by Kari Patterson at Simple Homeschool. One of the main points about homeschooling should be flexibility and yet I see so many homeschool moms beating themselves up if they don't start at 8 AM on the dot. Stop!
• Planning With an Open Hand (it's about humility) by Sarah Mackenzie for Amongst Lovely Things.
• Do You Believe in Magic? by MacKenzie at BRC Banter. Great thoughts on a sometimes controversial subject from my friend (and fellow INTJ).

Blogging / Social Media

• The Real Problem with Mommy Blogging by S.E. Smith for The Week.Tough questions.
• Dear Small Time Mediocre Blogger, I Think You're Great by Mary from Better Than Eden. I loved this one so much, I've shared it more than once this week.

In the News

• All Your Children Belong to Us by Glenn Cook in the Las Vegas Review Journal. Ignoring these issues will NOT make them go away. 
• Everything is Terrible: How Bad Stats Fuel Disillusionment by Ed Stetzer.
• Our Conservative Popular Culture by Jonah Goldberg. This post and the one above are a good flipside to most of the doom and gloom we see reported in conservative / Christian circles.
• Media Ignorance is Becoming a Serious Problem by Mollie Hemingway. And then there's the mainstream media...
• The Romantic Comedy is Dead by Andrew Romano at The Daily Beast.
• Response: What Killed the Romantic Comedy? by Rachel Lu for The Federalist. As a longtime consumer of classic romantic comedies, I found these fascinating posts.

Apparently I did a lot of reading, online and off, this week. I never know how many links I've saved until I start writing this post and I retrieve them from all my hiding places (Feedly, my email, Pinterest, bookmarks...)

What caught your eye this week?

Linking up with: