--- title: "Favorite Finds Friday: 12/11/15" canonical: "https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/melissa-kruger/favorite-finds-friday-121115-2/" pubDate: "2015-12-11T00:00:00.000Z" updatedDate: "2015-12-11T00:00:00.000Z" author: Melissa Kruger description: "If you have time to break away from the hustle and bustle, here are some articles for your weekend reading: How Do You Forgive A Murder? This Time article by David Von Drehle covers the Emanuel Church shooting with thoughtful reflection, providing interviews with the surviving family members, as well as delving into the concept of forgiveness. He writes, \"The forgiveness expressed by some surviving family members left as many questions as it answered. Can murder be forgiven, and if so, who has that power? Must it be earned or given freely? Who benefits from forgiveness—the sinner or the survivor? And why do…" tags: [Recommended Reading] --- [![favorite finds friday 2](http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/melissakruger/files/2015/09/favorite-finds-friday-22.jpg)](http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/melissakruger/files/2015/09/favorite-finds-friday-22.jpg)If you have time to break away from the hustle and bustle, here are some articles for your weekend reading: [How Do You Forgive A Murder?](http://time.com/time-magazine-charleston-shooting-cover-story/) This Time article by David Von Drehle covers the Emanuel Church shooting with thoughtful reflection, providing interviews with the surviving family members, as well as delving into the concept of forgiveness. He writes, “The forgiveness expressed by some surviving family members left as many questions as it answered. Can murder be forgiven, and if so, who has that power? Must it be earned or given freely? Who benefits from forgiveness—the sinner or the survivor? And why do we forgive at all? Is it a way of remembering, or of forgetting?” [Longing For Home This Christmas?](https://www.reviveourhearts.com/true-woman/blog/longing-home-christmas/)Christina Fox points us to the home we’re all longing for this Christmas, acknowledging: “But for some, home doesn’t conjure up warm thoughts of hot chocolate by the fire and presents under the tree. Maybe home is not a place of peace and comfort. Maybe they can’t go see their loved ones this year. Maybe they’ve lost their loved ones. Or maybe they’ve never found a place to call home.” [How Can Seminary Students Keep Their Devotional Life Strong?](http://michaeljkruger.com/how-can-seminary-students-keep-their-devotional-life-strong/) We’ve all heard the jokes about devotional life in seminary (AKA “Cemetery”). Here’s a video from my favorite professor on various ways students can deepen their devotional life during their years in seminary. [Pride, Providence, and Passports](http://www.uptownchurch.org/pride-providence-and-passports-greece-part-1/) That moment when you arrive at the airport to lead a team on a mission trip to Greece, only to be told that your passport has expired…how do you respond? Pastor Dave Kulp found himself wrestling with that very question: “I like to make things happen and I feel good when things go according to the plans I have made- but there in front of the American Airlines desk my plans came to a grinding halt. For all of these reasons this event hurt. God was still God, He was still on the throne. The team was fully capable and would serve and fulfill our mission, but I would not be with them, and that hurt. And that pain reminds me that God still has major work to do on those idols.” [Moms, This is What Your Children Will Remember About Christmas](http://www.gracecoversme.com/2015/12/moms-this-is-what-your-children-will.html)I’m pretty sure by next Christmas my children will not remember the gifts I gave them this year. However, I have a feeling they will remember what Christine Hoover concludes: “This is what our children will remember about Christmas, long after the presents are opened and the Advent calendar is put away. They will not remember the details of their December experiences, but they will remember what delighted us. And because it delights us, it will delight them too.” [Offense Welcome: Please Debate This Article](http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2015/december/offense-welcome-please-debate-this-article.html?start=4)Amy Peterson invites us to debate. She asks, “Was “I feel like” really winsome, or was it a way of avoiding healthy debate? This question from my class relates to our broader scrutiny over campus culture, whether a deference to students’ “feelings” and a sense of “political correctness” hampers a commitment to academic freedom and rigorous debate.” I feel like it’d be a helpful article to consider. [The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Child](http://www.susanalexanderyates.com/2015/12/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-your-child/)Susan Yates reflects on the love of a father (both earthly and heavenly) in the life of a child: “On many occasions I remember Dad sitting in his old easy chair. As I came into his sight, he would set aside his carefully folded newspaper and pull me into his arms. Perhaps I was in tears from a recent punishment or happy because I was invited to a play date, or beset by childhood fears. Yet, in his lap I felt safe.”