Northwest Pastor

Loving My Wife and Children More Than Ministry

2010-04-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Loving My Wife and Children More Than Ministry: "

Angry All the Time

Church planting exposed my emotional brokenness on two fronts. First, I was angry most of the time. My anger fueled my workaholism. Church planting required undivided attention and a willingness to correct matters quickly. Since anger actualizes a person, it became my partner. I lived just below the boiling point. Most people were unaware of my tendency to boil over; they simply felt that I was driven to make things happen. But my children walked on eggshells at home.

Emotional Detachment from Family

Secondly, two years after we planted Clear Creek Community Church, I recognized a feeling of emotional detachment from my wife and kids. I don’t remember where the question came from, but I asked myself, “What if my wife and children never feel loved by me?” I thought about how much of a failure I would be if I planted a church successfully, but I did not know how to love my wife and kids in a way that they felt cherished, protected and connected to me. What if I reached the end of my one and only life and thousands of people became Christians, but my children wanted nothing to do with me. That would be such a farce. So I called a friend who could help me work through my junk.

Anger is Omnidirectional

I hated the process of talking about what makes me tick. It actually hurt. But I learned so much about anger. Anger is omni-directional. It splashes on the people it was never intended to reach. Of the four basic emotions: mad sad, glad and scared, anger is the second emotion. We always feel one of the other emotions first, but we jump to anger because it’s the empowering emotion. That made sense to me since I stayed angry in order to stay engaged and solve problems. With anger, it was as if the house was always on fire.

Performance-Driven or Gospel-Driven?

My friend helped me see that my driven life and associated anger stemmed from my performance orientation. I was driven to perform and succeed because I believed successful people are loved. So anyone who stood in my way of success was cutting off my air and, thus, they were met with my wrath in response. I could morph from nice guy to killer in a nanosecond.

It was the gospel that changed me. One day my friend said to me, “There is nothing you can do that will make God love you more and nothing you can do that will make God love you less.” I had said the same thing many times. But when I heard the statement, God’s Spirit opened my heart to grace. I realized that I was trying to earn God’s love through hard work and success. That’s why I was angry and the people I loved were being pushed away. It’s when I learned to preach the gospel to myself that my emotional world changed. Under grace, in light of the gospel, I became self-controlled.

In retrospect, we were exposing the idols in my life. And the gospel continues to set me free more than a decade later. I’m grateful. So are my wife and kids.

Training on Gospel Fluency

2010-03-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

Training on Gospel Fluency: "This is the recording of the training I recently did for our Missional Community leaders on developing a culture of where people are becoming Gospel FluentThe notes for the training are:Gospel FluencyBy Jeff VandersteltGospel GrowthSpeaking the TRUTH in Love IN MinistryIn Ephesians 4:11-16, we are instructed about the means by which the Church grows up into maturity. God gives certain people to"

Husband and wife

2010-02-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

Husband and wife: "

“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

God made Adam first and put him in the Garden with a job to do, a mission to fulfill. In the heart of every fallen man is the self-doubt that wonders, “Am I man enough to climb this mountain God has called me to? Can I fulfill my destiny?” A wise wife will understand that question at the center of her husband’s heart. And she will spend her life answering it, communicating to him in various ways, “Honey, I believe in your call. I know you can do this, by God’s power. Go for it.” In this way, she will breathe life into her man.

God made Eve from Adam, for Adam, to help him follow the call. In the heart of every fallen woman is the self-doubt that wonders, “Do I please you? Am I what you wanted?” A wise husband will understand that question at the center of his wife’s heart. And he will spend his life answering it, communicating to her in various ways, “Darling, you are the one I need. I cherish you. Let me hold you close.” In this way, he will breathe life into his wife.

Husband and wife is a post from: Ray Ortlund

Forgiveness must go before sanctification

2010-01-22T12:02:00.000-08:00

Forgiveness must go before sanctification: "

“A sense of having our sins forgiven is the mainspring and life-blood of love to Christ. The only way to make men holy is to teach and preach free and full forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The secret of being holy ourselves is to know and feel that Christ has pardoned our sins. Peace with God is the only root that will bear the fruit of holiness. Forgiveness must go before sanctification.”

—J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, on Luke 7:36-50.

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

This Week with Henri Nouwen – Be Yourself

2010-01-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

This Week with Henri Nouwen – Be Yourself: "

“Often we want to be somewhere other than where we are, or even to be someone other than who we are. We tend to compare ourselves constantly with others and wonder why we are not as rich, as intelligent, as simple, as generous, or as saintly as they are. Such comparisons make us feel guilty, ashamed, or jealous. It is very important to realize that our vocation is hidden in where we are and who we are. We are unique human beings, each with a call to realize in life what nobody else can, and to realize it in the concrete context of the here and now.

We will never find our vocations by trying to figure out whether we are better or worse than others. We are good enough to do what we are called to do. Be yourself!” - Henri Nouwen

Stop Going to Church

2010-01-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

Stop Going to Church: "

What is the difference between going to church and being the church? In a recent blog post for Boundless Webzine called Stop Going to Church, Jonathan Dodson talks about how his life was radically changed when he stopped simply going to church. Comparing some of today’s churches to fortresses, shopping malls, and cemeteries, Dodson calls us to remember that the church is intended to be a family.

More on Jonathan Dodson and his ministry can be found at his blog, Creation Project.

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No such thing as performance-based Christianity

2010-01-11T23:46:00.000-08:00

No such thing as performance-based Christianity: "

“From start to finish, the whole Christian life is by grace through faith. A new life in Christ commences with faith, continues by faith, and will be completed through faith. To put this another way, the Gospel is for Christians just as much as it is for non-Christians.

We never advance beyond the good news of the cross and the empty tomb… Therefore, the Christian always looks back to the Gospel and never to the law as the basis for his righteousness before God… There is no such thing as performance-based Christianity… Justification is a doctrine for the whole Christian life from start to finish. It is not simply a doctrine for coming to Christ in the first place… Justification is a doctrine to live by each and every moment.”

- Philip Ryken, Commentary on Galatians, p90-92

(HT: John Fonville)

Tim Chester on Community Decision Making

2010-01-09T22:42:00.000-08:00

Tim Chester on Community Decision Making: "“In our culture we expect to make our own decisions. But decision-making must have a communal dimension
First, we need the community to make good decisions. We need one another to help us see when our reasoning is corrupted by our sinful hearts.
Second, we should involve the Christian community in decision-making to the extent that our [...]"

How to Know You Won't Lay Down Your Life

2010-01-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

How to Know You Won't Lay Down Your Life: "Steve Timmis, co-author of Total Church (a book you should read), followed a rather convicting train of thought on Twitter this morning. Here is his succession of tweets:

* “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus Christ

* If I’m not prepared to jeopardise a friendship so that I can tell others about Christ, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life.

* If I’m not prepared to miss out on promotion so I can stay & help plant churches, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life…

* If I’m not willing to pursue people who are different from me in order to bless them, I can be fairly certain I won’t give up my life…

* If I refuse to give up a holiday abroad so I can support someone in gospel ministry. I can be fairly confident I won’t give up my life…

* If I’m not prepared to give up my bed to go and serve someone, I can be fairly confident I won’t give up my life…

* Can’t ultimately be sure until I’m called on to do so. But there are indicators in what I am reluctant to give up…

* How can I be sure I would lay down my life for sake of Jesus & the gospel? Perhaps I’ll be like Peter in his bravado and subsequent denial?

When You’re Least Aware (Again!)

2010-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

When You’re Least Aware (Again!): "

Someone sent me this quote from a book they’ve been reading that seemed to go along with my earlier posting about washing someone’s shoes and how it touched their life. I haven’t read the book and don’t know anything about the author, but I sure like this quote:

The moment you are aware of your holiness it goes sour and becomes self-righteousness. A good deed is never so good as when you have no consciousness that it is good—you are so much in love with the action that you are quite unself-conscious about your goodness and virtue. Your left hand has no idea that your right hand is doing something good or meritorious. You simply do it because it seems the natural, spontaneous thing to do. Spend some time in becoming aware of the fact that all the virtue that you can see in yourself is no virtue at all but something that you have cunningly cultivated and produced and forced on yourself. If it were real virtue you would have enjoyed it thoroughly and would feel so natural that it wouldn’t occur to you to think of it as a virtue. So the first quality of holiness is its unself-consciousness.

The second quality is its effortlessness. Effort can change a behavior, it cannot change you. Think of this: Effort can put food into your mouth, it cannot produce an appetite; it can keep you in bed, it cannot produce sleep; it can make you reveal a secret to another but it cannot produce trust; it can force you to pay a compliment, it cannot produce genuine admiration; effort can PERFORM acts of service, it is powerless to produce love or holiness. All you can achieve by your effort is REPRESSION, not genuine change and growth.

The Way to Love

~ Anthony De Mello

Christ is Everything

2010-01-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

Christ is Everything: "

“When you put your trust in Christ, the overpowering attraction of the world is broken. You are a corpse to the world, and the world is a corpse to you. Or to put it positively, you are a ‘new creation’ (Galatians 6:15). The old you is dead. A new you is alive — the you of faith in Christ. And what marks this faith is that it treasures Christ above everything in the world. The power of the world to woo your love away is dead.

Being dead to the world means that every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought evidence of Christ’s love and an occasion of boasting in the cross. When our hearts run back along the beam of blessing to the source in the cross, then the worldliness of the blessing is dead, and Christ crucified is everything.”

- John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2004), 85.

LEGALISM

2010-01-02T22:09:00.001-08:00

"Legalistic remorse says, 'I broke God's rules,' while real repentance says, 'I broke God's heart.' Legalistic repentance takes sin to Mt. Sinai, gospel repentance to Mt. Calvary. Legalistic repentance is convicted by punishment, gospel repentance becomes convicted by mercy."

- Timothy Keller

Resolved

2010-01-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Resolved: "

From Jonathan Edwards’s “Resolutions“:

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

To read Edwards’s other 69 resolutions, go here.

Happy New Year!

The Simple Life

2009-12-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

The Simple Life: "

As we are anticipating our first Christmas with no gifts (from parents.....kids are still giving to each other) we (ok, I) am dealing with a bit of guilt for not buying presents for our children. While it is fairly easy during the year to resist the temptation of spending on useless crap....it's much harder during the holidays. Especially when said useless crap gets beautifully wrapped up and set under the Christmas tree....I kind of miss it. But on the other hand, I have never been more relaxed about the celebration of Jesus' birth. I've never been more focused on what the day means and what it definitely doesn't mean. This could become a habit....finally.

Recently we were introduced to yet another reason for choosing our sustainable lifestyle. As I was perusing the sidebar of one of my new favorite blogs, Consciously Frugal, I found a wonderful site with a decidedly Christian bent. Alternatives for Simple Living mission statement reads (in part) ....Alternatives is a non-profit organization that equips people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and create meaningful celebrations.....Sounds good to me.

This is one of the Posts I found most meaningful.......

Simple Living is living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich. This way of life embraces frugality of consumption, a strong sense of environmental urgency, and a desire to return to living and working environments which are of a more human scale.

The practice of voluntary simplicity is advocated in the teachings of Jesus, the early Christian Church, St. Paul, St. Francis, and many others. It also has it roots in the teachings of other world religions, the teachings of Gandhi, and the writings of Thoreau. The American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers) define simple living as a “non-consumerist lifestyle based on being and becoming, not having.'

Seven Reasons for Choosing a Simpler Lifestyle:

1. As an act of intentional living performed for the sake of personal integrity and as an expression of a commitment to a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources.

2. As an act of creation care for ourselves and especially for our children and grandchildren against the earth destroying results of over-consumption such as pollution, climate change, and resource wars.

3. As an act of solidarity with the majority of humankind, which has little choice about material affluence.

4. As an act of celebration of the riches found in God’s creation, and the riches of community with others, rather than in the “poverty” of mindless materialism.

5. As an act of spiritual discipline ordering our lives to reflect the values of simplicity and just living taught by Jesus and teachers in other world religions.

6. As an act of advocacy for changes in present patterns of production and consumption.

7. As an act of provocation (ostentatious under consumption) to arouse curiosity leading to dialog with others about affluence, and sustainable “green” living to redirect the production of consumer goods away from the satisfaction of artificially created wants toward the supplying of goods and services that meet genuine social needs.

The Gospel Story: the Story of Community

2009-12-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

The Gospel Story: the Story of Community: "

There is a summary of the gospel message which runs like this: ‘God made you to know him, but your sin cuts you off from God. God sent his Son to die in your place and reconcile you to God. Now you can know God and look forward to being with him after death.’ It is the story of an individual out of relationship with God brought back into relationship with God. This version of the story is true. But it is not the whole truth. At the heart of the Bible story is the story of a community. The foundation of missional church is an understanding of the Bible story. The Bible is the story of God saving not individuals, but a people, a community, a new humanity. The Christian community is not an add-on. It is integral to the gospel.

Creation We are made in the image of the communal God as relational beings to live in community. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Fall Our rebellion creates conflict both between us and God and between one another.

Abraham The promise to Abraham is ‘the gospel announced in advance’ (Galatians 3:8), setting the agenda for the while Bible story and at its heart is God’s promise of a people (Genesis 12:1-3).

Exodus Because of his promise to Abraham, God sets his people free to know him. Through Moses he says: ‘I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God’ (Exodus 6:7). God lives among his people (the pillars of cloud and fire and the tabernacle), but the people keep their distance and offers sacrifices because of their sin and God’s holiness.

Israel ‘The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy’ (1 Kings 4:20; see Genesis 22:17; 32:12). But the people turn from God and the nation divides.

Prophecy God promises a new people: ‘I will be their God, and they will be my people’ (Jeremiah 31:31). He promises a faithful remnant (Zechariah 13:7-9).

Jesus Jesus is God with us (Matthew 1:23; John 1:18; Colossians 2:9-10). But he is also the faithful people of God, the true vine who bears fruit for God (Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1).

The church In Christ we are God’s faithful people and the true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7, 27). The cross reconciles us to God (Mark 15:38) and to one another (Ephesians 2:11-3:13). Christ did not die for ad hoc individuals, but for his people, his bride (Ephesians 5:25-27).

New creation ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God …’ (Revelation 21:1-4)

The individualistic version of the gospel makes the church a useful help to individual Christians, but not an identity. But community is central to the Bible story. People are invited to not simply to an individual relationship with God (though that is one implication), but to become part of the new people of God, the bride of Christ. You become a Christian when by faith you become part of the people for whom Christ died.

Jonathan Edwards: Scripture Points to the Glory of God in Jesus Christ

2009-12-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Edwards: Scripture Points to the Glory of God in Jesus Christ: "

What Is Scripture series: Click | View Series

“It seems to me that God would have our whole dependence be upon the Scriptures, because the greater our dependence is on the Word of God, the more direct and immediate is our dependence on God himself. The more absolute and entire our dependence on the Word of God is, the greater respect shall we have to that Word, the more shall we esteem and honor and prize it; and this respect to the Word of God will lead us to have the greater respect to God himself.” (Jonathan Edwards, The Miscellanies)

Although many scholars consider Jonathan Edwards the finest philosophical mind that America has ever produced, Edwards’ primary allegiance was to the God revealed through the Bible, and not philosophy. When one examines the writings of Edwards, every page reflects a mind that was saturated in Scripture. In particular, Edwards viewed of Scripture as accomplishing four tasks:

1. To Correct Errors

First, Scripture is given to correct errors. This correction is especially evident in the ministry of preaching: “One great use of the word of God is correction of errors, with regard to which use ministers are commanded to study it” (Sermons and Discourses).

2. To Interpret Experience and Emotions

However, the Scripture does not simply correct error, but secondly, it teaches how to interpret our experience and even our emotions: “All that can be argued from the purity and perfection of the Word of God, with respect to experiences, is this, that those experiences which are agreeable to the Word of God, are right, and can't be otherwise; and not that those affections must be right, which arise on occasion of the Word of God, coming to the mind” (Religious Affections).

3. To Redeem Us

Third, the scriptures are God’s tool for redemption: “The written word of God is this main instrument Christ has made use of to carry on his Work of Redemption in all ages since it was given” (A History of the Work of Redemption).

4. To Testify of God’s Glory

Fourth, above all else, Edwards saw the Bible as a testimony to the glory of God in Jesus Christ. “Truly to see the truth of the Word of God, is to see the truth of the gospel; which is the glorious doctrine the Word of God contains, concerning God, and Jesus Christ, and the way of salvation by him, and the world of glory that he is entered into, and purchased for all them who believe; and not a revelation that such and such particular persons are true Christians, and shall go to heaven. Therefore those affections which arise from no other persuasion of the truth of the Word of God than this, arise from delusion, and not true conviction; and consequently are themselves delusive and vain” (Religious Affections).

God’s Glory in Jesus Christ

For Edwards, the center of Scripture was the revelation of God through Jesus Christ. The aim of Scripture is to point us to the glory of God in Jesus Christ and increase our longing to enter into his glory.

From beginning to end, the Word of God is sufficient for all things related to life and faith. For Jonathan Edwards, the ultimate aim of such things was to see God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

To be continued.

For a more in-depth treatment of what the theological giants in the Christian tradition have taught about Scripture, check out Christian Theologies of Scripture. You can also read the introduction online.

Re:Sound

The musical arm of the Resurgence offers music that is theologically unified, stylistically diverse, and musically excellent. Find out more.

The Removal of Our Blindness

2009-12-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Removal of Our Blindness: "

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, ‘If I could only see the world, I will marry you.’

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, ‘Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?’ The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears. Days later he wrote a note to her saying: ‘Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.’

Free Resurgence Poster: Incarnation

2009-12-07T00:10:00.000-08:00

Free Resurgence Poster: Incarnation: "

Your people could benefit tremendously from having a solid grasp of key theological terms. We at the Resurgence came up with the idea of creating posters that succinctly explain the most important theological ideas.

Incarnation

This poster explains the doctrine of the Incarnation, which means “becoming flesh.” This doctrine is important for us to understand as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, the second person of the Trinity entering into human history.

Download the Incarnation poster here.

If you need ideas for how to use the posters, click here.

Mars Hill Global

Serving the church and spreading the gospel. Help support this effort by giving to the Global Fund. More info at MarsHillGlobal.com.

False saviors

2009-12-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

False saviors: "

“If we are deeply moved by the sight of his love for us, it detaches our hearts from other would-be saviors. We stop trying to redeem ourselves through our pursuits and relationships, because we are already redeemed. We stop trying to make others into saviors, because we have a Savior.”

- Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2009), 45.

It is Christ’s glory to pass over sins

2009-12-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

It is Christ’s glory to pass over sins: "

“Let us take comfort in the thought that the Lord Jesus does not cast off His believing people because of failures and imperfections.

He knows what they are.

He takes them, as the husband takes the wife, with all their blemishes and defects, and, once joined to Him by faith, will never leave them. He is a merciful and compassionate High priest. It is His glory to pass over the transgressions of His people, and to cover their many sins.”

- J.C. Ryle, The Gospel of Mark, 1857

This Week with Henri Nouwen – The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends

2009-11-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

This Week with Henri Nouwen – The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends: "

We all need to eat and drink to stay alive. But having a meal is more than eating and drinking. It is celebrating the gifts of life we share. A meal together is one of the most intimate and sacred human events. Around the table we become vulnerable, filling one another’s plates and cups and encouraging one another to eat and drink. Much more happens at a meal than satisfying hunger and quenching thirst. Around the table we become family, friends, community, yes, a body.

That is why it is so important to “set” the table. Flowers, candles, colorful napkins all help us to say to one another, “This is a very special time for us, let’s enjoy.” – Henri Nouwen

I hope you had a great meal with someone yesterday.

Regard For The Soil: A Poem by Peter Maurin

2009-11-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

Regard For The Soil: A Poem by Peter Maurin: "Regard For The Soil by Peter Maurin

1. Andrew Nelson Lytle says:

The escape from industrialism

is not in socialism

or in sovietism.

2. The answer lies

in a return to a society

where agriculture is practised

by most of the people.

3. It is in fact impossible

for any culture

to be sound and healthy

without a proper regard

for the soil,

no matter

how many urban dwellers

think that their food

comes from groceries

and delicatessens

or their milk from tin cans.

4. This ignorance

does not release them

from a final dependence

upon the farm."

Do you really believe in the deity of Christ?

2009-11-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Do you really believe in the deity of Christ?: "

A guest post by Wesley Hill

If he came to earth tomorrow, would your God go out partying with sinners?

If not, then Jesus must not be him.

The only thing that makes you differ

2009-11-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

The only thing that makes you differ: "

“Christian! the only thing that makes you differ from the vilest being that pollutes the earth, or from the darkest fiend that gnaws his chains in hell, is the free grace of God!”

- Octavius Winslow, Jesus, Full of Grace

Mission and the Overflow of Grace

2009-11-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

Mission and the Overflow of Grace: "

“Grasping the external propulsion of God’s grace is crucial to our understanding of mission. It means that mission is not a duty (something we ’should do’) but a natural overflow of the gospel’s work inside us. If you aren’t motivated to love, serve, and speak the gospel to people, the answer isn’t to ‘just do it.’ The answer is to examine your heart, repent of sin, and discern where your unbelief is short-circuiting the natural outward movement of the gospel. As the gospel renews your heart, it will also renew your desire to move out in faith into the relationships and opportunities God places in your path.

To put it simply, the grace of God is always going somewhere—moving forward, extending his kingdom, propelling his people toward love and service to others. As we learn to live in light of the gospel, mission should be the natural overflow. God’s grace brings renewal internally (in us) so that it might bring renewal externally (through us).”

- Bob Thune and Will Walker, The Gospel-Centered Life (World Harvest Mission, 2009), 46.

Meditative Prayer: Filling the Mind

2009-11-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

Meditative Prayer: Filling the Mind: "

Prayer series: Click | View Series

'We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask, for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God.'—J.I. Packer

Let God Speak to You

In personal prayer we speak to God, but in meditative prayer we allow God to speak to us through his word and his Spirit. Never before has there been such a need to rediscover the quiet art of meditative prayer.

If we are not careful, the many distractions of this world will drown out the quiet voice of God within our hearts and make us numb to our spiritual needs. We need to find a quiet place to be with God and hear his word. In stillness and solitude God speaks to our hearts and fills us with the refreshing presence of his Spirit.

Emptying vs. Filling the Mind

What do we mean by meditative prayer? Is there such thing as Christian meditation? Isn't meditation non-Christian? According to Richard Foster, 'Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind. Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind' (Celebration of Discipline). Rather than emptying the mind we fill it with God's word. We must not neglect a vital part of our Judeo-Christian heritage simply because other traditions use a form of meditation. Christian meditation has its roots in the Hebrew tradition of the Bible.

There are numerous Biblical references to prayerful meditation:

'This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, butyou shall meditate on it day and night' (Joshua 1:8).

'But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night' (Psalm 1:2).

'I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways' (Psalm 119:15).

'I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes' (Psalm 119:48).

'O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day' (Psalm 119:97).

'My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise' (Psalm 119:148).

'I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands' (Psalm 143:5).

To be continued.

Rain City Hymnal

The first offering from Re:Sound is the Rain City Hymnal. Listen online and get the record from the Re:Sound website. Find out more.

We preach a saving Christ

2009-11-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

We preach a saving Christ: "

“There is no inconsistency between believing that God has a special sovereign love before the foundation of the world that is efficacious and brings in all the Body of Christ and that there is too love for all men, and that no man knows to which of those loves he has been brought until he is converted. In other words, it is the love of God in Christ that is proclaimed. And theoretical problems about how is this consistent with that, and so on, are not really our concern. And ultimately, we don’t even know the answer to that. So, Robert Candlish (1806-1873), another Free Church divine, says, We don’t preach a limited atonement or a universal atonement. We preach a saving Christ. And when people come to Christ, then they find they have been redeemed and his blood has been shed for them.”

Rev. Iain Murray, in a recent 9 Marks interview with Dr. Mark Dever.

We preach a saving Christ is a post from: Ray Ortlund

Spiritual pride

2009-11-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Spiritual pride: "
'There is no sin so much like the devil as this for secrecy and subtlety and appearing in a great many shapes undiscerned and unsuspected, even appearing as an angel of light. It takes occasion to arise from everything, it perverts and abuses everything, even the exercises of real grace and real humility. It is a sin that has, as it were, many lives. If you kill it, it will live still. If you suppress it in one shape, it rises in another. If you think it is all gone, it is there still. Like the coats of an onion, if you pull one form of it off, there is another underneath. We need therefore to have the greatest watch imaginable over our hearts and to cry most earnestly to the great Searcher of hearts for his help. He that trusts his own heart is a fool.'

Jonathan Edwards, Thoughts on the New England Revival, page 155, edited slightly.

LOVE - single by Jaeson Ma

2009-11-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

LOVE - single by Jaeson Ma: "
Long time emerging-missional church blogger Jaeson Ma and TSK reader [you know he has done something GOOD when I introduce him that way] has put out a single that has gone 6 figures and top ten Amazon download in its class. Heck Jaeson, I didnt even know you were a musician. Why didnt you tell me?

People are already sending in video and this one is the most popular. Buy on itunes or amazon

Pastoral Images and Aspirations In Need of Shattering

2009-11-17T00:51:00.000-08:00

Pastoral Images and Aspirations In Need of Shattering: "With the double honor of 1 Timothy 5:17 comes the double responsibility of James 3:1.

Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church outside Dallas, gave a powerful message at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's chapel service yesterday morning. You can watch it here or listen to it here, and I encourage you to do so. It's worth anyone's time, but is especially good for anyone in church leadership or anyone aspiring to be in church leadership.

In his sermon, Chandler quotes from Eugene Peterson’s Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity:

For a long time, I have been convinced that I could take a person with a high school education, give him or her a six-month trade school training, and provide a pastor who would be satisfactory to any discriminating American congregation. The curriculum would consist of four courses.

Course I: Creative Plagiarism. I would put you in touch with a wide range of excellent and inspirational talks, show you how to alter them just enough to obscure their origins, and get you a reputation for wit and wisdom.

Course II: Voice Control for Prayer and Counseling. We would develop your own distinct style of Holy Joe intonation, acquiring the skill in resonance and modulation that conveys and unmistakable aura of sanctity.

Course III: Efficient Office Management. There is nothing that parishioners admire more in their pastors than the capacity to run a tight ship administratively. If we return all phone calls within twenty-four hours, answer all the letters within a week, distributing enough carbons to key people so that they know we are on top of things, and have just the right amount of clutter on our desk—not too much, or we appear inefficient, not too little or we appear underemployed—we quickly get the reputation for efficiency that is far more important than anything that we actually do.

Course IV: Image Projection. Here we would master the half-dozen well-known and easily implemented devices that that create the impression that we are terrifically busy and widely sought after for counsel by influential people in the community. A one-week refresher course each year would introduce new phrases that would convince our parishioners that we are bold innovators on the cutting edge of the megatrends and at the same time solidly rooted in all the traditional values of our sainted ancestors.

(I have been laughing for several years over this trade school training with which I plan to make my fortune. Recently, though, the joke has backfired on me. I keep seeing advertisements for institutes and workshops all over the country that invite pastors to sign up for this exact curriculum. The advertised course offerings are not quite as honestly labeled as mine, but the content appears to be identical—a curriculum that trains pastors to satisfy the current consumer tastes in religion. I’m not laughing anymore.)

Only and always for Christ’s sake

2009-11-16T23:55:00.000-08:00

Only and always for Christ’s sake: "

“There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. . . . This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long as we live. Our need of Christ doesn’t cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His ‘blood and righteousness’ alone that we can rest.”

- B. B. Warfield, quoted by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson in Counsel from the Cross(Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2009), 19.

Captains of the Church

2009-11-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Captains of the Church: "

Mike Foster thinks we should stop calling ourselves “Pastor.” In a tweet last summer he wrote: “If I don’t make employees/clients call me ‘Creative Principal Mike’ then why do some expect ‘Pastor’ in front of their name?”

He’s not the only one dropping the “Pastor” prefix. Erwin McManus is known as the “Cultural Architect of Mosaic.” I’ve also met a few executive pastors who are the”Chief of Staff.”

Maybe they’re all on to something. After all, “pastor” doesn’t carry the cache it once did. According to one survey the profession of “pastor” is near the bottom of the list of most-respected professions…just above “car salesman.” To make matters worse, pastors don’t seem to think very highly of their profession either. The following stats come from The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc.:

* 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.

* 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.

* 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.

* 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.

* 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.

* 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.

* 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.

* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.

* 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.

* 33% confess having involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church .

* 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last months.

* 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.

* 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.

* 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor’s ministry.

* 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.

So, what should we do about this dilemma? Based on a recent commentary I saw by John Hodgman, I’d like to propose a change. Rather than calling our church leaders “pastors,” let’s start calling them “captains.” Think about it…captains are all very respected and liked characters in our culture:

Captain America

Captain “Sully” Sullenberger

Captain James T. Kirk

Captain Kangaroo

Captain Caveman

Captain Stubing

Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain CrunchIn addition, they are very strong leaders often depended upon in life and death situations. They must set vision, direction, and hold the course in a storm. From time to time they must face the threat of mutiny. And to top it off, captians are qualified to marry people.

So, forget about “cultural architect,” “spiritual leader,” or even “cheif ecclesiastical officer.” The next time you see your pastor, greet him or her as “O Captain my captain!”

Riches vs. Righteousness

2009-11-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

Riches vs. Righteousness: "

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

- Proverbs 11:4

Vintage Jesus

A theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. Timeless answers to timely questions about the most important man who has ever lived. Find out more.

I was made to... [make something day]

2009-11-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was made to... [make something day]: "

via digitaljasonevans.com

Posted via web from Eliacín Rosario-Cruz

Scripture Wallpapers

2009-11-02T00:40:00.000-08:00

Scripture Wallpapers: "

Help yourself to these new Scripture wallpapers, designed by Joshua Blankenship.

Desktop Wallpapers

1024x768

1152x864

1280x800

1280x960

1440x900

1600x1200

1680x1050

1920x1200

iPhone Wallpapers

iPhone 1

iPhone 2

iPhone 3

iPhone 4

iPhone 5

iPhone 6

iPhone 7

Joshua Blankenship serves as the Design Director of NewSpring Church in South Carolina. He likes to draw scripture.

Mars Hill Global

Serving the church and spreading the gospel. Help support this effort by giving to the Global Fund. More info at MarsHillGlobal.com.

DWYL Wallpapers

2009-11-02T00:32:00.000-08:00

DWYL Wallpapers: "

(Author: Andrew Laparra)

Check out the new Don't Waste Your Life wallpapers, created to help you spread the message of the Gospel.

Download and share them freely.

Reformation Day Meditation

2009-11-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

Reformation Day Meditation: "

Hymn: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

Words & Music: Martin Luther

Year: 1529 (translated from the German to English in 1853)

Note: This hymn is also known as “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation.”

Recommended Rendition: Chris Rice, Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project (2007)

***

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

The Necessity & Reality of Christ

2009-11-02T00:23:00.000-08:00

The Necessity & Reality of Christ: "

“We never feel Christ to be a reality until we feel him to be a necessity.”

- Austin Phelps, quoted by Gordon Keddie in Preacher on the Run: The Message of Jonah (Hertfordshire, England: Evangelical Press, 1986), 85.

How Jesus Made Disciples: Discomfort

2009-11-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

How Jesus Made Disciples: Discomfort: "

Jesus brought the disciples out of their comfort zone

When Jesus walks on water his disciples are horrified. They've seen Jesus break the laws of nature several times over, but this miracle pushes them outside of their level of comfort. Jesus reassures them, and they take comfort in God's sovereignty by seeing that his power has no bounds—he can do literally anything, even walk on water.

Jesus also puts the disciples in situations where danger is imminent. The Jews wanted to stone Jesus because he kept saying that he was God, and the disciples thought it prudent to hunker down and let the mob's anger pass. When Jesus hears of Lazarus' death, the disciples protest going back to Judea in hopes to save their own tails. Jesus responds by telling them that if they are doing good before God, why hide before men? They are putting their safety before the saving of Lazarus' life, and Jesus pushes them through their fear gently—not in a rebuking manner, but in a clear, focused, and resolved manner.

This is a series of reflections on how Jesus made disciples, based on the book of John.

Pastor Dad

Every dad is a pastor. The important thing is that he cares for his flock well. Pastor Mark Driscoll's new eBook offers spiritual insights on fatherhood. Get it here.

This Week with Henri Nouwen – Two Sides of One Faith

2009-10-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

This Week with Henri Nouwen – Two Sides of One Faith: "

“Our faith in God who sent his Son to become God-with-us and who, with his Son, sent his Spirit to become God-within-us cannot be real without our faith in the Church. The Church is that unlikely body of people through whom God chooses to reveal God’s love for us. Just as it seems unlikely to us that God chose to become human in a young girl living in a small, not very respected town in the Middle East nearly two thousand years ago, it seems unlikely that God chose to continue his work of salvation in a community of people constantly torn apart by arguments, prejudices, authority conflicts, and power games.

Still, believing in Jesus and believing in the Church are two sides of one faith. It is unlikely but divine!” – Henri Nouwen

All Things

2009-10-30T12:43:00.001-07:00

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)

Friday Proverbs: A Little Slumber

2009-10-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Friday Proverbs: A Little Slumber: "

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

- Proverbs 6:10-11

#1 With a Bullet

2009-10-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

#1 With a Bullet: "“The first care of every Christian ought to be, to lay aside all reliance on works, and strengthen his faith alone more and more, and by it grow in the knowledge, not of works, but of Christ Jesus, who has suffered and risen again for him.”

- Martin Luther, Christian Liberty

John Hosier on: Simplicity & Generosity

2009-10-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

John Hosier on: Simplicity & Generosity: "From a talk John Hosier did on 'remembering the poor' at CCK Brighton.

'If we reject materialism and asceticism it seems to me we are left with the biblical way of generosity, which in turn is linked with simplicity. Simplicity is not to be understood in 'nothing' but 'enough.' When we consider the needs of the poor, and indeed the needs of world mission, then there is a challenge to generosity - something that can always be increased as we simplify our lifestyle.

This is a sensitive area, for simplicity can easily become pharisaical when we begin to bring our opinion and judgement to bear on how others should simplify their lifestyle. (And particularly pharisaical if others should suggest how we might simplify our lifestyle!) The reality is that we are all extravagant in different ways. Voluntary simplicity of lifestyle is a way to increase our generosity.'

Much difference?

2009-10-26T01:27:00.000-07:00

Much difference?: "
Fred Sanders reflects on the death of Paul Tillich -- liberal theologian, serial adulterer -- here. Sanders recounts:

After his death, [Tillich's wife Hannah] returns home and opens his locked drawers. “All the girls’ photos fell out, letters and poems, passionate appeal and disgust. Beside the drawers, which were supposed to contain his spiritual harvest, the books he had written and the unpublished manuscripts all lay in unprotected confusion. I was tempted to place between the sacred pages of his highly esteemed lifework those obscene signs of the real life . . . .'

If there could be placed between the sacred pages of our theological lifework the obscene signs of the real life, would there be much difference between Paul Tillich and us, really?

'Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.' 2 Timothy 2:19

Wendell Berry "the food system"

2009-10-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Food System is firmly grounded on the following principles:

Food is important mainly as an article of international trade.
It doesn't matter what happens to farmers.
It doesn't matter what happens to the land.
Agriculture has nothing to do with "the environment."
There will always be plenty of food, for if farmers don't grow it from the soil, then scientists will invent it.
There is no connection between food and health. People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are healed by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.
It follows that there is no connection between healing and health. Hospitals customarily feed their patients poor-quality, awful-tasting, factory-made expensive food and keep them awake all night with various expensive attentions. There is a connection between money and health.

Wendell Berry (Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community, 1994).

Free Tim Keller Sermons - Great Resource

2009-10-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Free Tim Keller Sermons - Great Resource: "

Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York has opened up a new free sermon resource, starting with 150 of Pastor Tim Keller’s sermons, all categorized, labeled, and downloadable, at this site:

Download Tim Keller's Sermons

Here’s more info from the site:

This is an amazing new resource, and there will be more content getting added regularly, so tell all your friends: Redeemer Free Sermon Resource. (HT)

Manifesto- Wendell Berry

2009-10-20T11:51:00.001-07:00

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.

Listen to carrion — put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go.

Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Wendell Berry

It's all about Relationships!!!

2009-10-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Group Magazine did a "Cool Church" survey, asking teenagers to rate factors that influence their commitment to church. The things most frequently rated "very important" were:

A welcoming atmosphere where you can be yourself (73%)
Quality relationships with other teenagers (70%)

What did teenagers rate as least important?

A fast-paced, high-tech, entertaining ministry approach

Talk about a wake-up call...

read from this newsletter: http://www.churchvolunteercentral.com/

The Farm

2009-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

This contingent nature of the farm comes from the reality of what a farm is—a tenuous patch of domestication in the midst of a wild landscape. Nature creeps in always and can only be managed, never controlled. - Excerpt from Ragan Sutterfield’s Forthcoming Book Farming As a Spiritual Discpline

Francis Chan Quote!

2009-10-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

"Churches we build only by our own efforts and not in the strength of the Spirit will quickly collapse when we don't push and prod people along." -Francis Chan

Top 8 printable productivity forms

2009-10-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Top 8 printable productivity forms: "

Organizing and planning can be fun, especially with the perfect tools to fit our needs and our lifestyle. There are hundreds of companies and creative minds developing forms and guides to keep you on top of your life. Printable planning solutions are one of these tools.

Printable forms are a great alternative to purchasing a hardcover planner and tend to be more specialized and adaptable to the tasks and projects that need to be completed.

The following list links to printable forms that are all free. Here are my favorites and ones that worked for me:

Blank calendars — every type you can imagine: monthly, weekly and booklet formats with blank or lined boxes. These calendars are perfect for brainstorming schedules on the fly before entering them on a permanent calendar, or print out different variations to create your own planner!

Habit list — Productivity 501 has developed a mini course on developing and sticking to new habits that comes with a great, free PDF chart for tracking. Personally, I’ve used this as a daily checklist form for items that go beyond tracking personal development habits, and there are many other uses as well.

Organize literally everything — I LOVE these planning pages, and this would be my top recommendation if you’re looking to explore printable productivity tools. The free planner page on the site links to new forms each month for daily and monthly planning, organizing your blogging schedule, plus some productivity jump starter pages. Build your own combination of these pages for the ultimate planning tool!

Daily planning — If you’re an Excel lover like myself and are also very particular about what your planner looks like, consider this daily planning page by Vertex42. The Excel sheet is customizable, so you can start from a great system and tweak it to fit your perfectionist needs! Also check out their daily checklist form.

Planning with fun concepts — WhiteHatBlackBox has designed some incredible planning and productivity forms linked to on their productivity gear page. Choose from habit lists and daily checkbox forms or the “shoot ‘em down” form set where you shoot down colored invaders as you complete tasks! Also highly recommended.

For index card lovers — the mind depositor system is designed to print out on index cards or on 4×6 papers that can be affixed to index cards. The concept works well with any GTD system you have developed.

Build your own planner — an entire site is devoted to the concept! D*I*Y Planner has some great templates and documents, plus an entire system with directions to get you started. They have more than one post and lots to see, but starting here is a good bet.

Be an effective CEO — David Seah has created an incredible series of forms that can turn you into a highly productive and organized CEO! The Printable CEO series is a must-consider and also check out the compact calendar idea that is perfect for blank brainstorming pages.

All of these free resources are fantastic and I encourage you to try out and test which one works for you. In my case, I use a combination of these resources to build the perfect system for my needs. Much thanks to all of these folks for fantastic resources that can help me and you reach our goals!

Friday Proverbs: Commit to the Lord

2009-10-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Friday Proverbs: Commit to the Lord: "

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

-Proverbs 16:3

To believe that all swearing is wrong, you also have to believe that our culture is right.

2009-10-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

To believe that all swearing is wrong, you also have to believe that our culture is right.: "

Social customs define what’s taboo. Therefore, saying taboo language is uniformly sinful implies that our social customs uniformly align with God’s will.

Day 14 on simplifying my life

2009-10-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Check Out the new simpler layout of my blog... Working on office STILL!!!
Reduced my computer CD's and DVD's by 75%.
I had a lot of garbage DVD's and CD's that were taking up a whole drawer.
As I simplify will continue to blog about it...

Wendell Berry's Questionnaire

2009-10-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Wendell Berry's Questionnaire

1. How much poison are you willing
to eat for the success of the free
market and global trade? Please
name your preferred poisons.

2. For the sake of goodness, how much
evil are you willing to do?
Fill in the following blanks
with the names of your favorite
evils and acts of hatred.

3. What sacrifices are you prepared
to make for culture and civilization?
Please list the monuments, shrines,
and works of art you would
most willingly destroy.

4. In the name of patriotism and
the flag, how much of our beloved
land are you willing to desecrate?
List in the following spaces
the mountains, rivers, towns, farms
you could most readily do without.

5. State briefly the ideas, ideals, or hopes,
the energy sources, the kinds of security,
for which you would kill a child.
Name, please, the children whom
you would be willing to kill.

Read it here: http://pastorkes.blogspot.com/2009/10/wendell-berrys-questionnaire.html

North American spirituality

2009-10-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

“The great weakness of North American spirituality is that it is all about us: fulfilling our potential, getting a handle on principles by which we can get an edge over the competition. And the more there is of us, the less there is of God.”

Eugene Peterson: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Beholding Christ as Antidote to Worldliness

2009-10-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Beholding Christ as Antidote to Worldliness: "

John Owen on seeing Christ’s glory:

It is by beholding the glory of Christ by faith that we are spiritually edified and built up in this world, for as we behold his glory, the life and power of faith grow stronger and stronger. It is by faith that we grow to love Christ. So if we desire strong faith and powerful love, which give us rest, peace and satisfaction, we must seek them by diligently beholding the glory of Christ by faith. In this duty I desire to live and to die. On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy.

–The Glory of Christ (1684)

America and Church

2009-10-13T20:08:00.001-07:00

What a lot of people call church in America has very little to do with the church that Jesus had in mind . . . religious people killed Jesus because He threatened their system. Rob Bell

D. A. Carson in The Cross and Christian Ministry

2009-10-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

D. A. Carson in The Cross and Christian Ministry: "
'Why is it that we constantly parade Christian athletes, media personalities, and pop singers? Why should we think that their opinions or their experiences of grace are of any more significance than those of any other believer? When we tell outsiders about people in our church, do we instantly think of the despised and the lowly who have become Christians, or do we love to impress people with the important of the men and women who have become Christians? Modern Western evangelicalism is deeply infected with the virus of triumphalism and the resulting illness destroys humility, minimizes grace, and offers far too much homage to the money and influence and 'wisdom' of our day.' (The Cross and Christian Ministry - Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians, 29)

My Flaws and the Gospel

2009-10-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

Tim Keller wrote, "In Christ I could know I was accepted by grace not only despite my flaws, but because I was willing to admit them. The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me.

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!

2009-10-11T21:00:00.001-07:00

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say let your affairs be as one, two, three and not a hundred or a thousand… We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.” – Henry David Thoreau.

Day 10 on simplifying my life

2009-10-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

Went through all that I own that is sitting around... things I collect and things I horde lol! I was surprised at the pile I came up with. YOU will be shocked at all the little things you have. I am weird I know, but I have mental clutter with these "things". I got rid of a few things, sold some and it felt great!

Now I am going to follow these 2 simple rules on the rest:

1. Identify what is most important to you

2. Git rid of everything else

Approved

2009-10-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Approved: "
'For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.' Galatians 1:10

Paul had lived for human approval. That's what his uppity legalism had really been about. It's why the word 'still' is in there: 'If I were still trying to please man . . . .' Paul gave it up, in order to please God.

It is so freeing to stop caring so much about what people think. It is so freeing to lift your eyes to Christ, whose approval is all that finally matters. What does he want from you? Not that people would think you're wonderful, but that your gospel would be pure and honoring to him. You can't control how people respond. That is their own responsibility before God. And if your gospel is pure, some will inevitably disapprove (2 Cor 2:15-16) and will blame you for it. Why? The impenitent are incapable of self-awareness. Don't be discouraged. Just keep your gospel clear. And keep your heart close to the Lord.

Here is his word to you: 'Approved.'

This Week with Henri Nouwen – The Sacredness of God’s Handiwork

2009-10-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

This Week with Henri Nouwen – The Sacredness of God’s Handiwork: "

“How do we live in creation? Do we relate to it as a place full of “things” we can use for whatever need we want to fulfill and whatever goal we wish to accomplish? Or do we see creation first of all as a sacramental reality, a sacred space where God reveals to us the immense beauty of the Divine?

As long as we only use creation, we cannot recognise its sacredness because we are approaching it as if we are its owners. But when we relate to all that surrounds us as created by the same God who created us and as the place where God appears to us and calls us to worship and adoration, then we are able to recognise the sacred quality of all God’s handiwork.” – Henri Nouwen

Free to Be Honest About Yourself

2009-10-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Free to Be Honest About Yourself: "

“The gospel gives you psychological freedom to handle the wrong things that you will do. You won’t have to deny, spin, or repress the truth about yourself. These things don’t make it impossible to know who you are.

Only with the support of hearing Jesus say, ‘You are capable of terrible things, but I am absolutely, unconditionally committed to you,’ will you be able to be honest with yourself.”

- Tim Keller, Journal of Biblical Counseling (Winter 2007)

(HT: Provocative Church)

Friday Proverbs: Hidden Love

2009-10-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Friday Proverbs: Hidden Love: "

Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

- Proverbs 27:5

DAY 3 & 4! Of Simplifying my Life as a Disciple of Jesus

2009-10-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Made headway on office, still working on getting books under control. I have reduced my commentaries and books I use all the time to two bookcases. These will be color-coordinated by my wife very soon, as I love seeing the books by color! as this example in this pic!

All of this arranging of my life and getting rid of "stuff" is these things get in the way of establishing true relationships. We see Jesus' focus was on people never on stuff, so I as a disciple must shift my focus from stuff to people. Let the painful journey begin :)

Our Righteousness & Identity

2009-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Our Righteousness & Identity: "

“At the root of the human condition is a struggle for righteousness and identity. We long for a sense of acceptance, approval, security, and significance — because we were designed by God to find these things in him. But sin has separated us from God and created in us a deep sense of alienation. Speaking of the Jewish people in his own day, Paul writes, ‘[T]hey did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own’ (Rom. 10:3). We do the same thing. Theologically speaking, pretending and performing are just two sophisticated ways of establishing our own righteousness. When we pretend, we make ourselves out to be better than we are. When we perform, we are trying to please God by what we do. Pretending and performing reflect our sinful attempts to secure our own righteousness and identity apart from Jesus.

To really experience the deep transformation God promises us in the gospel, we must continually repent of these sinful patterns. Our souls must become deeply rooted in the truth of the gospel so that we anchor our righteousness and identity in Jesus and not in our selves. Specifically, the gospel promises of passive righteousness and adoption must become central to our thinking and living.”

- Bob Thune and Will Walker, The Gospel-Centered Life (World Harvest Mission, 2009), 19.

The Jesus Way

2009-10-04T19:27:00.001-07:00

“Following Jesus necessarily means getting his ways and means into our everyday lives. It is not enough simply to recognize and approve his ways and get started in the right direction. Jesus’ ways are meant to be embraced and assimilated into our habits. This takes place only as we pray our following of him. It cannot be imposed from without, cannot be copied. It must be shaped from within. This shaping takes place in prayer. The practice of prayer is the primary way that Jesus’ way comes to permeate our entire lives so that we walk spontaneously and speak rhythmically in the fluidity and fluency of holiness.” –Eugene Peterson (The Jesus Way)

DAY TWO! Of Simplifying my Life as a Disciple of Jesus

2009-10-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Still working on my office as you can see pictures here of my messy office! I will post pictures once I get it all organized. When I see complexity and mess I think of Sin. Our natural tendency as unregenerate man is to take "simple" and turn it into complex messes!

Jesus lived the prefect example of a simple life; one that I am wanting to walk as His disciple.

DAY ONE! Of Simplifying my Life as a Disciple of Jesus

2009-10-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today I am beginning a journey of simplicity as a disciple of Jesus. When I look at Jesus’ life and the way he lived I see strak contrasts in the way I live here in America. Western Culture with its worship of the idols of consumerism and individualism has led us down the road away from what Jesus has in-store for his disciples. I refuse to allow the things that I own to own me. I will not get my identity in my stuff, so the journey starts today…

Step 1: for me is to clean my office to go through all my books several thousand and clean out all the titles I will not read, or do not line up with Jesus’ philosophy. I will also work on making my office minimalist. No extra, no clutter, no mess! Just what I need to study the Bible and properly work as a teaching pastor/elder.

I will leave you with these verses to meditate on:

John 13:36-38 ESV Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward." (37) Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." (38) Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

This dialogue between Jesus and Peter shows a reality in each of us that we “say” we will lay our life down for Him, but in our day-to-day lifestyle, we live for us and deny Him!

"You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity."—Richard Feynman (1918–1988)

Only for the asking

2009-09-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Only for the asking: "
'How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!' Luke 11:13

In a sermon preached in 1740, Jonathan Edwards pointed out that we ask God for basically two kinds of things. We ask him for temporal blessings like health and jobs and family needs. We also ask him for spiritual blessings. But Edwards noted how much more frequently and fervently we ask for temporal blessings:

'They don't need any preaching to stir them up to take thorough care to obtain those outward things. . . . And if they begin to suffer for want of those things, how much do they make of their sufferings! . . . Had God nothing better to bestow upon you, when he had made you his children, than a little money or land, that you seem so much to behave yourselves as if you thought this was your chief good? . . . I am bold to say that God is now offering the blessing of his Holy Spirit to this town, and I am bold to say we may have it only for the asking.'

HT: Tim Keller

2009-09-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

“How can [a pastor] persuade a person to live by faith and not by works if [he has] to juggle [his] schedule constantly to make everything fit into place?” (pg. 17) -The Contemplative Pastor

“Thy righteousness is in heaven”

2009-09-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

“Thy righteousness is in heaven”: "

“One day as I was passing into the field, this sentence fell upon my soul: ‘Thy righteousness is in heaven.’ And with the eyes of my soul I saw Jesus at the Father’s right hand. ‘There,’ I said, ‘is my righteousness!’ So that wherever I was or whatever I was doing, God could not say to me, ‘Where is your righteousness?’ For it is always right before him.

I saw that it is not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness IS Christ. Now my chains fell off indeed. My temptations fled away, and I lived sweetly at peace with God.

Now I could look from myself to him and could reckon that all my character was like the coins a rich man carries in his pocket when all his gold is safe in a trunk at home. Oh I saw that my gold was indeed in a trunk at home, in Christ my Lord. Now Christ was all: my righteousness, sanctification, redemption.”

- John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

Review: “A Praying Life” by Paul Miller

2009-09-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Review: “A Praying Life” by Paul Miller: "

Over the weekend I read the best book on prayer I’ve ever read. Yes, over the weekend: that’s how engaging this book is. And yes, I’ve read quite a few books on prayer. Paul Miller’s A Praying Life beats them all.

Four reasons why Miller’s book is that good:

1. It’s not simplistic. Miller engages the difficult questions about prayer without falling into naïve God-speak or smug cynicism. As an example, he starts the book by punching the reader in the mouth with this story:

I was camping for the weekend in the mountains of Pennsylvania with five of our six kids… I was walking down from our campsite to our Dodge Caravan when I noticed our fourteen-year-old daughter, Ashley, standing in front of the van, tense and upset. When I asked her what was wrong, she said, “I lost my contact lens. It’s gone.” I looked down with her at the forest floor, covered with leaves and twigs. There were a million little crevices for the lens to fall into and disappear.

I said, “Ashley, don’t move. Let’s pray.” But before I could pray, she burst into tears. “What good does it do? I’ve prayed for Kim to speak, and she isn’t speaking.”

My daughter Kim struggles with autism and developmental delay. Because of her weak fine motor skills and problems with motor planning, she is also mute. One day after five years of speech therapy, Kim crawled out of the speech therapist’s office, crying from frustration. My wife Jill said, “No more,” and we stopped speech therapy.

Prayer was no mere formality for Ashley. She had taken God at his word and asked that he would let Kim speak. But nothing happened. Kim’s muteness was a testimony to a silent God. Prayer, it seemed, doesn’t work.

Can you relate to this feeling? I can.

2. The author writes as both a fellow journeyer and a spiritual leader. To make me listen to what you have to say about prayer, you need to be skilled enough in prayer to know what you’re talking about, but real enough to relate to the rest of us. Miller walks this line perfectly. He isn’t afraid to claim that he knows something about prayer: “I never started out to write a book on prayer. I simply discovered that I’d learned how to pray. Life’s unexpected turns had created a path in my heart to God; God taught me to pray through suffering.” Okay, I’m listening. This guy has the smell of wisdom. But at the same time, he doesn’t over-promise: “What does it feel like to grow up? It is a thousand feelings on a thousand different days. That is what learning to pray feels like… a praying life isn’t something you accomplish in a year. It is the journey of a lifetime… There is not one magic bullet but a thousand pinpricks that draw us into [a praying life].” And that’s Miller’s stated goal: not for you to make impressive resolutions or pray for only a season, but to help you develop a praying life.

3. The book acknowledges both the poetry and the precision of effective prayer. To those who trust in formulas and structures, Miller has this rebuke: “Many attempts to teach people to pray encourage the creation of a split personality. You’re taught to ‘do it right.’ Instead of the real, messy you meeting God, you try to re-create yourself by becoming spiritual… So instead, begin with who you are. That’s how the gospel works. God begins with you. It’s a little scary because you’re messed up.” On the other hand, just when you start to make “praying like a child” an excuse for laziness, he retorts: “Many people… are suspicious of all systems. They feel it kills the Spirit. Systems seem to fly in the face of what we learned about childlike praying. But all of us create systems with things that are important to us. Remember, life is both holding hands and scrubbing floors. It is both being and doing. Prayer journals or prayer cards are on the ‘scrubbing floors’ side of life. Praying like a child is on the ‘holding hands’ side of life. We need both.”

4. The book is full of powerful sentences. If an author, time and again, grabs me by the throat with a single sentence, I know I’m reading a book that has punch. Hence the reason I enjoy Lewis, Tozer, and Chesterton. Miller is not in the same category as those great writers, but his book does have its share of thought-provoking turns of phrase. Among them:

Learning to pray doesn’t offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart.

If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life.

Less mature Christians have little need to pray… there is no complexity to their worlds because the answers are simple.

Cynicism is the air we breathe, and it is suffocating our hearts. Our only hope is to follow Jesus as he leads us out of cynicism.

The persistent widow and the friend at midnight get access, not because they are strong but because they are desperate. Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life.

I do not understand prayer. Prayer is deeply personal and deeply mysterious. Adults try to figure out causation. Little children don’t. They just ask.

Everything you do is connected to who you are as a person and, in turn, creates the person you are becoming. Everything you do affects those you love. All of life is covenant.

We think spiritual things – if done right – should just ‘flow.’ But if you have a disability, nothing flows, especially in the beginning.

There is a tendency among Christians to get excited about ‘listening to God’ as if they are discovering a hidden way of communicating with God that will revolutionize their prayer lives… This subtly elevates an experience with God instead of God himself. Without realizing it, we can look at the windshield instead of through it.

How would you love someone without prayer? People are far too complicated; the world is far too evil; and my own heart is too off center to be able to love adequately without praying.

Whether you’re just learning to pray or seeking to deepen your practice of prayer, do yourself a favor and read A Praying Life. It will feed your soul. We’ll have a few copies available at the Coram Deo book table next week.

My new business cards came today!!!

2009-09-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

Carmen bought some cool cards for her mom, friend, and knitting stuff sooo after I saw them I knew I needed some lol! I was excited to get them today they look really good and came really quick! If you need some really cool cards... then go check out these websites. Warning will spend money if you look! ;)

Here is thehappygirl's Etsy website: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5309497

Her Twitter page: http://twitter.com/thehappygirl

A brother in Christ sent this to me today...

2009-09-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch." Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires. -Col 2:20-23

Thanks... I needed this!

The People of the Gospel

2009-09-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

The People of the Gospel: "

“Christ died for his people, and we are saved when by faith we become part of the people for whom Christ died. The story of the Bible is the story of God fulfilling the promise, ‘I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God’ (Exodus 6:7; Revelation 21:3). If the gospel is to be at the heart of church life and mission, it is equally true that the church is to be at the heart of gospel life and mission.”

- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2008), 39.

Our Identity in Christ

2009-09-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Our Identity in Christ: "

“By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means being in Christ with those others who are in Christ. This is my identity. This is our identity. . . . If the church is the body of Christ, then we should not live as disembodied Christians.”

- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church (Wheaton, Ill, Crossway Books, 2008), 41.

6 Ways to Apply the Atonement

2009-09-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

6 Ways to Apply the Atonement: "

The atonement is central to the Christian identity. It is what makes Christianity unique among all other worldviews. The idea of a loving God who sends Himself in the flesh to earth in order to ultimately satisfy His own wrath is the mind-blowing message of Christianity that saves people from their sin. It is the reality that, once we place our faith in it, changes everything. But how? Here’s 6 ways (from this morning’s message):

The atonement provides a Savior that isn’t you. Stop trying to save yourself from God by your religious acts and outward piety. It doesn’t accomplish anything but add to your guilt when you stumble and your pride when you succeed! Rest in the finished work of Christ, not the ongoing weariness-bringing work of your own feeble efforts.

It releases us of guilt. God has been done because of what Jesus has done. Like I said before, we don’t have to feel guilty when we falter (whether in rebellion or in religion), because the saving work of Christ on the Cross has freed us: not our rebellion or religion.

Because God has been propitiated (satisfied), we now live for Him out of delight, not duty. Our lives and gifts and abilities and resources are poured out before God not as an offering of duty to appease Him, but out of delight in what He’s done already through the atoning work of Jesus. This is wildly freeing and provides us with radical independence from religious duty, and allows us to rest in joy of the Cross.

We no longer live in fear of God’s wrath, but in faith of God’s faithfulness. When we fall short of the glory of God and sin, we do not have to worry about His reaction, but rather place our trust in the fact that what He has begun in us through the propitiation, He will bring to completion through sanctification! We have been saved at the Cross, we are being saved by the Spirit’s work in us, and we will be saved by the glorification of our bodies when Christ returns.

Because we are not alone in being redeemed, we can gather with others to enjoy our state before God. Sunday morning church gatherings are not our duty before God, but our privilege before Him: it is our time to publicly celebrate the finished work of Christ!

We now long for others to place faith in the same reality, so we live on mission and preach the Gospel with our mouths and deeds. This is evangelism as a lifestyle: it is us, out of desiring for others to see Christ for who He is and what He’s done, living our lives with intentionality and purpose: to make Christ known.

Hope this helps.

When Relationships Are Built Around the Truths of the Gospel

2009-09-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

When Relationships Are Built Around the Truths of the Gospel: "Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson, in Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ (pp. 86-87):

When relationships are built around the truths of the gospel—the truth that we are walking in light even though we are still sinners in need of cleansing by his blood—we can be free from feelings of inferiority and the demanding spirit that is born of pride. We can pursue relationships without fear of being discovered as the sinners we are. This kind of open relationship rests solely on the realities of the gospel. We are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, and so is everyone we know. Because of this, we won’t be surprised by other’s sins. They won’t expect us to be sinless either, so we don’t have to give in to self-condemnation and fear when they see us as we really are. We don’t have to hide or pretend anymore.

The gospel also tells us that we are loved and welcomed without any merit on our part, so we can love and welcome others whose merits we can’t see. We can remember the circumstances under which we have been forgiven, and we can forgive in the same way. We don’t deserve relationship with the Trinity, but it has been given to us. We can seek our relationships with others because we know that we have been sought out by him and that he is carrying us all on his shoulders. (Yes, he is that strong!)

HT: Buzzard Blog

My Answer to this... is JESUS

2009-09-15T22:17:00.001-07:00

What is the Missional Church?

2009-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

What is the Missional Church?: "The church is not sent on a mission by God, rather God is on a mission and the church is called to join him. The mission is not the church’s; it is the Missio Dei, or “mission of God” that we are called to be part of. Andrew Jones of TallSkinnyKiwi blog fame points out: “Missio Dei stems from the Triune God: the Father sends the Son, the Father and the Son send the Spirit, the Father and the Son and the Spirit send the church into the world.”

Missional activist Alan Hirsch points out what being missional is not: First, the missional church is not synonymous with the emergent church, which is primarily a renewal movement to contextualize Christianity for a postmodern generation. Missional is also not the same as evangelistic or seeker sensitive, terms that generally apply to a more attractional church. Missional is not a new term from church growth it has a much bigger agenda than that. Finally, missional is not just social justice. We should engage the needs of the world, which is a part of the mission, but certainly not the whole of it.

Hirsch goes on to say, “A missional theology is not content with mission being a church-based work. Rather, it applies to the whole of life of every believer. Every disciple is to be an agent of the kingdom of God, and every disciple is to carry the mission of God into every sphere of life. We are all missionaries sent into a non-Christian culture.”

Great Video for all Church Leaders!!!

2009-09-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

After Confession: God is the Welcoming One

2009-09-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

After Confession: God is the Welcoming One: "

Ed Welch, in When People are Big and God is Small:

When we listen to God after difficult self-examination, God reveals himself as the Welcoming One. No 'I told you so.' No time-outs in a spiritual isolation room. Instead, God rejoices that we have turned to him in a more wholehearted way. God promises the repentant person, 'None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him' (Ezek. 18:22).

If you don't believe that, stop reading immediately. Don't say, 'How could God forgive me for that!' (whatever that is). Don't think that God's forgiveness is a begrudging forgiveness and with that thought deny some of God's glorious love. And don't think that Gods promises are only for other people. If this is how you are thinking, you must realize that your own sins, no matter how big, are not bigger than God's pleasure in forgiveness.

This is a time when you must be controlled by the truth of God more than your own feelings. God's Word, not feelings, is our standard. To be driven by our fluctuating sense of well-being may seem spiritual, but it is wrong. It exalts our interpretation above God's. This is why it is so important to immediately turn to God after any biblically guided introspection. When we listen to God, he speaks words that fill an empty soul.

Ed Welch, When People are Big and God is Small 169-170

Raised right but hell-bound

2009-09-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Raised right but hell-bound: "In case you've been reading this blog and still haven't figured it out, here's Al Mohler reminding Christians why moralism is not the gospel:

In our own context, one of the most seductive false gospels is moralism. This false gospel can take many forms and can emerge from any number of political and cultural impulses. Nevertheless, the basic structure of moralism comes down to this -- the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior.

Sadly, this false gospel is particularly attractive to those who believe themselves to be evangelicals motivated by a biblical impulse. Far too many believers and their churches succumb to the logic of moralism and reduce the Gospel to a message of moral improvement. In other words, we communicate to lost persons the message that what God desires for them and demands of them is to get their lives straight.

In one sense, we are born to be moralists. Created in God's image, we have been given the moral capacity of conscience. From our earliest days our conscience cries out to us the knowledge of our guilt, shortcomings, and misbehaviors. In other words, our conscience communicates our sinfulness.

Add to this the fact that the process of parenting and child rearing tends to inculcate moralism from our earliest years. Very quickly we learn that our parents are concerned with our behavior. Well behaved children are rewarded with parental approval, while misbehavior brings parental sanction. This message is reinforced by other authorities in young lives and pervades the culture at large.

Thanks to Theocentric Preaching for the link.

What do you really want?

2009-09-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

What do you really want?: "

'If money, jail time, conscience, family, friends, and God were not constraints, would you spend your time following Christ, learning of Him? Be honest, because the way you truthfully answer this question will reveal to you a lot about where you are in your walk with God.'

- J.D. Hatfield

A secret strength upholding us

2009-09-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

A secret strength upholding us: "

“Whence is it that, when assaulted with temptation and compassed with troubles, we have stood firm, but from a secret strength upholding us? To make so little grace so victorious over so great a mass of corruption, this requires a spirit more than human.

This is like preserving fire in the sea, and a part of heaven even, as it were, in hell. Here we know where to obtain this power, and to whom to return the praise of it. And it is our happiness that it is so safely hid in Christ for us, in one so near to God and us. Since the fall, God will not trust us with our own salvation, but it is both purchased and kept by Christ for us, and we for it through faith, wrought by the power of God, which we lay hold of.

That grace which is but a persuasive offer and in our power to receive or refuse is not the grace which brings us to heaven. But God’s people feel a powerful work of the Spirit, not only revealing to us our misery and deliverance through Christ, but emptying us of ourselves, as being redeemed from ourselves, and infusing new life into us, and afterwards strengthening us and quickening us when we droop and hang the wing, never leaving us till the conquest is perfect.”

—Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1998), 116-17

another great poem from Wendell Berry

2009-09-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

All goes back to the earth,
and so I do not desire
pride of excess or power,
but the contentments made
by men who have had little:
the fisherman’s silence
receiving the river’s grace,
the gardener’s musing on rows.

I lack the peace of simple things.
I am never wholly in place.
I find no peace or grace.
We sell the world to buy fire,
our way lighted by burning men,
and that has bent my mind
and made me think of darkness
and wish for the dumb life of roots.

The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry

Obesity Significantly Shrinks and Ages Brain Tissue, Study Says [Diet]

2009-09-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Obesity Significantly Shrinks and Ages Brain Tissue, Study Says [Diet]: "

As if you needed another reason to get and stay in shape, a new study has concluded that obese and overweight people have 'significantly less' brain tissue than persons who are of normal weight. According to the study's senior author, UCLA neuroscientist Paul Thompson, 'the brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthy counterparts while [those of] overweight people looked 8 years older.' He added that 'this is the first study to show physical evidence in the brain that connects overweight and obesity and cognitive decline.'

Photo by algarius.

The study examined brain images of 94 people in their 70s over five years and concluded that subjects classified as clinically obese had eight percent less brain tissue, while overweight persons studied had four percent less brain tissue when compared to 'normal' weight people.

We'll take this opportunity to slightly nudge you to revisit our fitness and exercise posts.

As Waistlines Widen, Brains Shrink [U.S. News & World Report]

Gospel Word & Gospel Community

2009-09-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

Gospel Word & Gospel Community: "

“The gospel word and the gospel community are closely connected. The word creates and nourishes the community, while the community proclaims and embodies the word.”

- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2008), 55.

Minimalist Gmail: How to Get Rid of the Non-Essentials

2009-09-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Minimalist Gmail: How to Get Rid of the Non-Essentials: "

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.

I’ve been running a Minimalist Gmail setup lately, stripped of nearly everything but, you know, emails … and I’m in love with its simplicity.

There’s something pure about having nothing but the essentials.

Now, some of you will recall a couple of other posts I did, and let’s quickly review them for background:

1. Not long ago, I did a post on How to Make Gmail Your Ultimate Productivity Center. This was Gmail fully loaded, with gadgets for Google Calendar, Google Docs, delicious, Twitter, and much more. This was good, and I still recommend it to most people who want one place for everything they do.

2. Even less ago, I boldly announced I was Killing Email and ditching my inbox. A dramatic announcement, I know, from someone who has been such a Gmail fanboy for at least a few years.

So, two things: one, I haven’t completely killed email. I still use Gmail, though not as often. I have moved most of my communication to Twitter, Google Docs, a wiki, and Basecamp. But I still do email, a little. It’s a hard thing to kill, but maybe drastically reduced email usage is OK with me. It’s certainly less stressful.

Two, when I do use Gmail, lately, I am bothered by all the clutter. I removed all the gadgets, and still too much. Google is known for its simplicity, but I really wanted to strip out not only ads but chat and the navigation menus at the top and more. So I did.

I’ve used Greasemonkey for Firefox and some great user scripts, listed below, to achieve this. I thought of rewriting Gmail’s CSS, but user scripts are much easier. It didn’t take long — just Googled every little thing I wanted to do, and found others had already solved the problems, one at a time.

Here’s how I’ve made Gmail into a minimalist inbox:

1. Fire and Grease. First, be sure you’re running Firefox with Greasemonkey installed. I love the minimalism of Google Chrome — been running both the dev version and latest Chromium builds — but unfortunately it can’t do what Greasemonkey can, at the moment. So I mostly just use Firefox for Gmail now.

2. Remove gadgets. First thing I removed was gadgets — go to Settings, then Gadgets, and remove any you have installed. I had Twitter and Delicious. Then I went to Labs under Settings, and disabled “Multiple Inboxes” and the Google Docs and Google Calendar gadgets, as well as the option to move the Chat box to the right side of Gmail. Things were starting to get cleaned up!

3. Hide labels, chat, footer. I really wanted to remove chat but couldn’t figure it out. Also, the clutter in Gmail’s footer was bothering me. So I found this brilliant user script: Gmail 3: Hide Labels, Chat and Footer. Install it in a click, and voila! Lovely.

4. Remove ads. Ads on the right side of email messages also bothered me. Found a script to do this: Gmail Ad Remover. Added benefit of maximizing your screen space for messages.

5. Remove stars. It’s a minor thing, but the stars are unnecessary for me. I don’t use them for task management (did at one time), so what’s the point? Gmail Remove Stars to the rescue.

6. Gmail logo and searchbar. Found Gmail toggle searchbar area script. Cleans things up nicely. You can always toggle the search area back on if you need it, but most of the time when I’m processing email, responding, I don’t need this.

7. Menu navigation bar. This was the most annoying. I couldn’t figure out how to remove the navigation menus that run across the top of Gmail. Then found the Gmail Real Estate script. It actually toggles not only the navigation menus, but the search area too. This somewhat duplicates the logo and searchbar script’s function above, but I’ve found they actually work nicely together, allowing you to show just a minimal navigation bar if you like, or whatever you feel like showing at the moment. I normally have everything minimized.

Updated: 8. Clean up rows and remove the “inbox is empty” message! Matt Constantine responded to this post by writing two excellent Greasemonkey scripts. The first, called Gmail Clean Rows, removes the lines and other clutter from your inbox’s list of emails. The second is called Gmail Empty is Empty, and removed a small annoyance of mine — the message that shows up when your inbox is empty that says “No new mail! Want to read updates from your favorite sites? Try Google Reader”. Now the empty inbox is really empty, which is lovely lovely.

Updated: 9. Remove extraneous buttons. Matt Constantine took it a step further, at my request, and wrote Gmail Inbox with Less Buttons, removing all the buttons above and below the inbox, except archive, report spam and delete. This is perfect, because I don’t have a need for the move-to, label or more actions drop-down buttons, or the refresh link, or the Select links below all the buttons. Your needs may vary.

And that’s it. It might sound complicated, but basically it’s turning off some options in Gmail’s settings, and then installing a few user scripts. It should just take a few minutes. See the before and after pics below.

How I Use Gmail, the Minimalist Way

Now that everything is stripped down — no gadgets, no chat, no labels or stars — I just process and reply to email, and empty my inbox. Here’s how:

1. Use keyboard shortcuts. See this list if you don’t already know them. Pressing a key such as “c” or “r” or “a” to do email messages, or “j” or “k” or “x” or “y” to navigate and select and archive, is much faster than using the mouse. I can process very quickly using shortcuts.

2. Remove all unnecessary incoming email streams. Very important. Unsubscribe from all newsletters, all ads sent to you from businesses, all notifications from other services you use. Filter out messages from people who just forward jokes or chain mail. I no longer publish my email address, and give people other options for getting the info they want, so only my closest friends or business partners email me. Leaves the inbox relatively uncluttered.

3. Process quickly. Just run through your inbox, processing like lightning. Each email requires instant action: archive or trash, reply then archive, put on your task list (see next item) and archive. Or just do the task now, and archive. Those are the only options. Should take 10 minutes tops.

4. Tasks. I use a separate task list these days (Anxiety, a very simple Mac app) to make a quick note of any tasks, so that I can archive an email without needing it in the inbox as a reminder. Gmail Tasks is another good option — I don’t use it these days because I keep my email closed most of the time, and want my small task list open when I need it without having to open Gmail.

5. Short messages. Keep things short, and it doesn’t take long to reply. I try to do it in 3-5 sentences. I rarely go over this.

Before and After Pics

Took some screenshots to illustrate the changes. Click the thumbnails to see full images. Update: I’ve changed the “after” screenshot to illustrate the new scripts noted above by Matt Constantine.

Edit: The Firefox theme you see in the screenshots is Chromifox Basic, modeled after Google Chrome. I didn’t mention this above, but I removed most of the toolbars and icons from Firefox awhile back, to make Firefox as minimalist as I can. You can do this in the View->Toolbars menu, unselecting toolbars and removing icons as you please.

Before:

After:

—

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Twitter. I’d appreciate it. :)

Ligon Duncan on Zondervan and the TNIV

2009-09-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ligon Duncan on Zondervan and the TNIV: "A press release from Ligon Duncan, chairman of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood:

Today (September 1, 2009), Zondervan (the publisher of the NIV), the Committee on Bible Translation [CBT] (which oversees the NIV and TNIV translations) and Biblica (which owns the copyrights to the NIV and TNIV) announced the discontinuation of the TNIV translation. The TNIV received significant criticism from the larger evangelical community both because of the way in which it was introduced to the Christian public (there was a widespread perception of lack of integrity in the process), and because of numerous controversial aspects to the translation itself (including but not limited to the way it handles gender language and the veiling of some important Messianic references).

I want to thank publicly Maureen (Moe) Girkins, President of Zondervan, for her transparent integrity in this process. I have the utmost respect for her. I also want to thank Professor Doug Moo, of the CBT, who has long been a hero of mine (along with his colleague and mine, Bruce Waltke). Though I disagree with Professor Moo’s public assessment of the relative correctness of the choices the TNIV made in relation to gender language, I honor him as a father in the faith and brother in the Lord, from whom I have learned more than I can adequately express, and for whom I have the highest esteem.

I also believe Ms. Girkins and Professor Moo implicitly when they say that the CBT is embarking upon: “a complete review of every gender-related change we have made in the TNIV” and that they are “actively seeking scholarly input' from anyone who would like to send it to them. I will personally avail myself of that opportunity with Professor Moo (and I have been expressly invited and encouraged to do so by Ms. Girkins).

When the TNIV first surfaced, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood [www.cbmw.org] emphatically criticized the CBT’s translation choices in numerous places, especially relating to gender-neutral language (see www.genderneutralbibles.com). We believe that a flawed translation philosophy resulted in the TNIV presenting English readers with an unjustified rendering of the gender language of the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts of the Bible. It is our sincere hope that this new revision of the NIV will do better. We await the new product of the CBT with expectancy. And when we have the opportunity, we will review it for the larger Christian public with rigor and charity.

I especially appreciate that Zondervan and Biblica have both privately and publicly acknowledged that they made serious mistakes of process, and that the CBT has committed itself to re-examine the gender-related changes that appeared in the TNIV. This is a welcome and humble approach.

May I also say (though this may come unlooked for and from an unexpected source), as the Chairman of CBMW, the quick reaction of some egalitarians in the blogosphere to Zondervan’s announcement, accusing Zondervan and the CBT of “caving in” to “fundamentalism' is uncharitable, inaccurate and unfair. There is every indication that the CBT aims to be true to its own translation philosophy, whatever the feedback of egalitarians or complementarians may be.

The Best Children’s Bible in Print

2009-09-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Best Children’s Bible in Print: "

If you’re a Christian parent like my wife and me, you want your kids to know the Bible. Most Christian parents have multiple Bible story books laying around the house — fruit of their experimentation to find one their kids really love. But I’ve been consistently disappointed by the total lack of Christ-centeredness in most kids’ story Bibles. Wise publishers know they can market the same material to Jewish, Christian, Mormon and quasi-religious parents as long as they steer clear of any Jesus-as-Savior implications. And even good evangelical publishers tend to turn Bible stories into moralistic lessons (David beat Goliath, so you can defeat the “giants” in your life too) instead of drawing the connection to God’s plan of redemption (Through the intervention and courage of one deliverer (David/Jesus), the many are rescued from oppression and certain death).

It was with great skepticism, then, that I opened a package from my mother-in-law a few weeks ago to find The Big Picture Story Bible. But my skepticism quickly melted away as soon as I began reading it to my kids. This is the story Bible I’ve been searching for all my life. Rather than taking stories from the Bible as isolated, moralistic lessons, it traces the redemptive-historical arc of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Bible stories are placed within their context in redemptive history – God’s kingdom coming “on earth as it is in heaven.” I can’t even describe how rich and engaging this book is – even I’m seeing connections in Scripture that I’ve missed. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or if you’re looking for a good birthday gift for a kid who’s just learning to read… this book needs to be on your short list.

This story Bible isn’t just theologically rich; it’s kid-approved. My 4 children complain each night when we put it down: “Daddy, can’t we keep reading?” A children’s Bible story book that will help your kids love the Bible… need I say more?

The World of Seinfeld

2009-09-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

The World of Seinfeld: "

After yesterday's weirdness, I'm in the mood for something light.

The show about nothing lasted nine seasons, during which Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine interacted with a whole lot of people. Ricky Linn, a graphic design student, mapped all the relationships over the years.

Connecting lines are color-coded by type of relationship. It looks like Kramer was more about making friends while Jerry and George were more the dating type. I guess Elaine kept a tighter circle of friends.

We always need Christ

2009-09-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

We always need Christ: "

'No doubt some Christians need to be shaken out of their lethargy. I try to do that every Sunday morning and evening. But there are also a whole bunch of Christians who need to be set free from their performance-minded, law-keeping, world-changing, participate-with-God-in-recreating-the-cosmos shackles. I promise you, some of the best people in your churches are getting tired. They don’t need another rah-rah pep talk. They don’t need to hear more statistics and more stories Sunday after Sunday about how bad everything is in the world. They need to hear about Christ’s death and resurrection. They need to hear how we are justified by faith apart from works of the law. They need to hear the old, old story once more. Because the secret of the gospel is that we actually do more when we hear less about all we need to do for God and hear more about all that God has already done for us.'

- Kevin DeYoung

A cure for legalism

2009-09-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

A cure for legalism: "

'The way to avoid legalism is to believe that, as the Law teaches, only the perfectly righteous may be admitted into heaven. This counterintuitive premise accomplishes two things in a single blow: it crushes legalism and clarifies the meaning of grace. First, it crushes legalism because legalism cannot get off the ground unless the standard has first been lowered. But if the Law requires perfect righteousness, clearly the half-baked, imperfect obedience promoted by legalism will not do.

'Second, it clarifies the meaning of grace. Grace is that God provides and accepts the imputed righteousness of Christ, in place of our own inherent righteousness demanded by the Law, as the righteousness by which the unrighteous can attain heaven. Now that’s grace! The true Gospel, then, presupposes the Law as its antithetical counterpart. Otherwise grace is no longer grace.'

- Lee Irons (via)

The presence of his Majesty

2009-09-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

The presence of his Majesty: "
'Mr. Hall, Kinchin, Ingham, Whitefield, Hutchins and my brother Charles were present at our love-feast in Fetter Lane, with about sixty of our brethren. About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground. As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of his Majesty, we broke out with one voice, 'We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.''

John Wesley, Journal, January 1, 1739

I wonder, How much of God do we really want? How much do I really want?

No Scripture bullets

2009-09-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

No Scripture bullets: "John Mahshie: 'I do not believe Jesus ever intended his words to be fired off as uranium tipped motivational bullet points designed to impel people into productivity.'

Northwest Pastor

Loving My Wife and Children More Than Ministry

Training on Gospel Fluency

Husband and wife

Forgiveness must go before sanctification

This Week with Henri Nouwen – Be Yourself

Stop Going to Church

No such thing as performance-based Christianity

Tim Chester on Community Decision Making

How to Know You Won't Lay Down Your Life

When You’re Least Aware (Again!)

Christ is Everything

LEGALISM

Resolved

The Simple Life

The Gospel Story: the Story of Community

Jonathan Edwards: Scripture Points to the Glory of God in Jesus Christ

1. To Correct Errors

2. To Interpret Experience and Emotions

3. To Redeem Us

4. To Testify of God’s Glory

God’s Glory in Jesus Christ

The Removal of Our Blindness

Free Resurgence Poster: Incarnation

Incarnation

False saviors

It is Christ’s glory to pass over sins

This Week with Henri Nouwen – The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends

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The only thing that makes you differ

Mission and the Overflow of Grace

Meditative Prayer: Filling the Mind

Let God Speak to You

Emptying vs. Filling the Mind

We preach a saving Christ

Spiritual pride

LOVE - single by Jaeson Ma

Pastoral Images and Aspirations In Need of Shattering

Only and always for Christ’s sake

Captains of the Church

Riches vs. Righteousness

I was made to... [make something day]

Scripture Wallpapers

Desktop Wallpapers

iPhone Wallpapers

DWYL Wallpapers

Reformation Day Meditation

The Necessity & Reality of Christ

How Jesus Made Disciples: Discomfort

Jesus brought the disciples out of their comfort zone

This Week with Henri Nouwen – Two Sides of One Faith

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All Things

Friday Proverbs: A Little Slumber

#1 With a Bullet

John Hosier on: Simplicity & Generosity

Much difference?

Wendell Berry "the food system"

Free Tim Keller Sermons - Great Resource

Here’s more info from the site:

Manifesto- Wendell Berry

It's all about Relationships!!!

The Farm

Francis Chan Quote!

Top 8 printable productivity forms

Friday Proverbs: Commit to the Lord

To believe that all swearing is wrong, you also have to believe that our culture is right.

Day 14 on simplifying my life

Wendell Berry's Questionnaire

North American spirituality

Beholding Christ as Antidote to Worldliness

America and Church

D. A. Carson in The Cross and Christian Ministry

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Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!

Day 10 on simplifying my life

Approved

This Week with Henri Nouwen – The Sacredness of God’s Handiwork