God designed us not to be hoarders, but conduits thorough which his generosity flows.[1] Generosity is part of the heart of Christianity. God overflows with generosity toward us through Jesus, as he replaces our debt of sin with the infinite wealth of his righteousness. As God is generous to us, so a heart moved by the love and grace of Jesus longs to be generous toward others. The problem is, many things often hinder us from being as generous as we want to be. If you feel like you struggle with finances or that your money controls your life more than you control it, then The Money … [Read more...] about Book Recommendation: The Money Challenge
Pray for #SBC2020
Over the past few years, I have been challenged in my own life to "pray the Scriptures" more for people and situations, and also just for worshipful prayer. God's word is a breath of life for our souls as God speaks to us, so why not use it to shape and fashion or prayers back to God. (BTW, side note: D.A. Carson has a good study on this topic called Praying with Paul and Don Whitney has an excellent, and short, book called Praying the Bible.) Although #SBC2020 is still several months away, there has been a lot going on in recent days concerning it, and sadly, that includes a lot of … [Read more...] about Pray for #SBC2020
What Makes for a “High Quality” Spouse
I saw a tweet the other day from some guy attempting to instruct women on what "high quality men" look for in a partner. His list can be narrowed down to fitting his definition of attractiveness and unblemished past. On the one hand, the things on his list weren't bad things. On the other hand, when they are used in a Pharisaical manner to impose a universal standard and to imply that those who don't measure up are "low quality," well, that's just wrong. To universalize his list is to exclude many who can, will, and have made wonderful spouses. Why does this matter so much? Well, being a … [Read more...] about What Makes for a “High Quality” Spouse
Why Not You?
An organization in my state that does licensing and placements for foster care posted the following statistics recently on social media: In our state 14 out of every 100 children are in foster care The average stay of these children in foster homes is 700 days There are ~15,000 children in foster care and only 4700 licensed foster homes Like other foster parents, we have had a season with multiple placements in our home at the same time. We had two case workers, two different schedules, the kids went to school in two different towns, and we had two different plans to sort through. Even … [Read more...] about Why Not You?
Impactful Reads: Death in the City
Death in the City by Francis Schaeffer is one of the most impactful books that I have read (in fact, I've read through it three times now). The title might sound a bit head-scratching. It is based on a series of lectures by Schaeffer in the late 1960s derived form the biblical books of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Romans. He draws the title from Lamentations 1:1 which speaks of Jerusalem after the inhabitants were either killed or exiled to Babylon and then sat empty, hence "death" in the city. Ultimately, Schaeffer was writing a critique of western culture as it was shifting (and continues … [Read more...] about Impactful Reads: Death in the City
That Helpless Feeling
A few weeks ago, we faced the unexpected: Our not-even-three-week-old baby spiked a fever that wouldn't break. A trip to the emergency room was followed by being admitted into a children's hospital for a three-day stay. Fortunately, the problem proved to be a virus that simply needed time to pass. But in the midst of the wait, there was one feeling, for me at least, that was strong: helplessness. Life is precious. Life is also vulnerable. You learn both as a new parent. We like to think that we are strong and in control. We like to think that we can provide safe spaces for our … [Read more...] about That Helpless Feeling
Pray for Those in Authority (thoughts for the 4th of July)
As we get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, the birthday of our nation, let us remember the Bible's admonition to pray for our leaders. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul wrote: First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Though the "authority" in our nation is meant to lie with the voters and the ballot box, we elect leaders to represent us. Therefore, we pray for our president, representatives, senators, … [Read more...] about Pray for Those in Authority (thoughts for the 4th of July)
Three Words: Justice, Beauty, & Evangelism
NT Wright is one of my favorite authors. Every time I read one of his works it challenges me to think more deeply on matters of faith. In the book Surprised by Hope**, Wright brings into focus how the hopes of eternity found in Jesus intersect with how we live today. Toward the end of the book, Wright suggests that "the church is called to a mission of implementing Jesus's resurrection and thereby anticipating the final new creation" (pg. 212). In other words, though we ourselves cannot make the world perfect, as followers of Jesus we should seek to help the world look as much like Jesus' … [Read more...] about Three Words: Justice, Beauty, & Evangelism
Pursue Deep Friendships (What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 7)
In this series, I’m considering some things that I’ve learned while pastoring over the last 15 years. You can check out the previous posts and a series introduction here: Part 1: Not everybody will like you, and that’s okay. Part 2: Pray for people and let them know that you’re praying for them. Part 3: Discipleship is easy, yet hard. Part 4: Encourage your wife to serve where she feels led Part 5: Make your vision, purpose, and mission to lead people to love God and love others Part 6: Keep yourself saturated in the word of God In this post, we’ll consider Lesson #7, the final one in … [Read more...] about Pursue Deep Friendships (What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 7)
Keep Yourself Saturated in God’s Word (What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 6)
In this series, I’m considering some things that I’ve learned while pastoring over the last 15 years. You can check out the previous posts and a series introduction here: Part 1: Not everybody will like you, and that’s okay. Part 2: Pray for people and let them know that you’re praying for them. Part 3: Discipleship is easy, yet hard. Part 4: Encourage your wife to serve where she feels led Part 5: Make your vision, purpose, and mission to lead people to love God and love others In this post, we’ll consider Lesson #6: Keep yourself saturated in the word of God. I have a love/hate … [Read more...] about Keep Yourself Saturated in God’s Word (What I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Pastoring, pt. 6)