#I had a lot of fun designing Beek

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You Were There All Along

Dear God, Grant Me Friends

My feature article this week was Dear God, Grant Me Friends. This is the first in a series of articles loosely tied around the theme of change that comes with age. The older I get, the harder it is for me to make and maintain friends. Career, marriage, and kids take over our time. What can I do to improve my friendships? 

It seems like this is a hot topic around Christian blogosphere. Southern Equip wrote You Need Friends, Especially in Ministry. TGC wrote Reclaiming Friendship in the Social Media Age and 8 Ways for Men to Make the Friends They Won’t Admit They Need.

I also published my book review for Reformed Systematic Theology by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley. This was the first time I reviewed a larger, academic book for the blog. The books that I read and enjoy lean more on the theological side. So reviewing a book on systematic theology was fitting. This book is the first part of a four-volume epic. We will see if I get a chance to review the coming editions.

Born Again

Born Again is the new album by Earth to Jupiter, and it is coming on May 31. In anticipation of the release, I wrote about Being In A Band With Your Best Friend. Pre-save the album on Spotify now. 

Speaking of our creative endeavors, I broadcasted LIVE on Tuesday night and talked about how we need to Bask In Boredom. I based my vlog on this quote from Kyle T. Webster, Design Evangelist for Adobe: “Boredom is the beautiful, blank, unexplored space we will probably lose altogether if we’re not careful. We need to seek it out. We need to bask in it.”

My friend Vanessa shared a new video from Alabaster Co with me called "Made to Create." They are the startup company behind The Beautiful Bible and they get what it means to Publish Peace. "As you are created in the image of the God who made everything, you are made to create. Shape, mold, dance, move, paint, write, draw, and design to reflect God, to reveal God, and to create a more good and beautiful world."

Linus Nile

Jess and I had fun introducing Linus on our SVRGN Instagram stories. We also found time to record a new episode of the podcast. I will share it on the blog next week, but here for my newsletter readers are the direct links to the recording on YouTube, Spotify, and Podcasts. 

Here is the episode description: "Aaron enjoys experiencing ASMR at the dentist. Jess writes about baby Linus. Bopomofo and a Wong Fu screening. Avengers: Endgame. Jess finds new projects with her Glow Forge and making Mother's Day photo backdrops. Aaron is inspired, goes LIVE on Instagram, and produces new ETJ music."

If you missed it last week, you can read Linus' birthstory on Jess' blog. When I shared her post on my Facebook page, I scheduled it at the 8pm slot on purpose, not expecting it to receive much attention. We were blown away by the amount of love and support we were shown. But a lot of those people have not been journeying with us closely like our newsletter readers or podcast listeners. So thank YOU for supporting us all along!

Coming Soon

Next week I plan to publish A Call to Inconvenience. It is a short meditation on how the love of Christ calls and compels us to inconveniences in this life. I also plan to re-publish Ten Tips to Help You Read Your Bible in a Year (Part 2).

Sometime soon I will publish my second children's book review. It is for Epic: The Story that Changed the World (One Big Story). I was also recently selected to review the He Reads Truth Bible from B&H Publishing Group, which I should be receiving soon.

This Sunday we will go to church with Linus. I am leading music in the English adult service and we will be joined by our friends in the Kamaso Quartet.

Weekly Review

SOLA: A Reflective Post on Abortion, A Reluctant Missionary, What is “Biblical Grief” for Christians Walking Through Sorrows?, Putting a Theology Degree to Work in Unexpected Places, and Taiwan Becomes First Asian Nation to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage: What’s Behind the Headline.

Thank God It's Friday: Russell Moore: Why Every Christian Should Care about Adoption, Tony Reinke: Why You Probably Need a Digital Detox, Darth Vader Tears Through Hoth Rebel Base in Animated ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Reimagining, and Aeon: Do Spoilers Actually Ruin Stories?

Link: Reclaiming Friendship in the Social Media Age

ForeignCreatures: 4 Women Jess Met Up With In 2019

ETJ: Being in a Band with Your Best Friend

ForeignCreatures: Linus' Birthstory

Book Review: Reformed Systematic Theology by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley

Feature Article: Dear God, Grant Me Friends

Recommended Reading: For the Freshmen of Tomorrow: Six Guiding Lessons for Graduates, Reclaiming Friendship in the Social Media Age, Roy Choi Doesn’t Want to Be Tokenized, and ‘Aladdin’ Early Buzz: Despite Questionable Trailers, The Disney Remake is Surprisingly Good.

Monday Meditation: Young and Old Together in the Church