The title of this post should cause you to pause. Lending to God—isn’t that saying there might be a time that God needs something and so we are to let him borrow it? But God is self-sufficient and self-sustaining, indeed the One who gives sustenance to others (Acts 17:24-25). So how can we lend to God? Solomon wrote in Proverbs 19:17: Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deeds. To be generous is to freely give of our own resources to another, expecting nothing in return. Again and again the Bible calls us to generosity, even using an apt … [Read more...] about Lending to God
Life-Giving Fountains
The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain. ~Proverbs 10:11 When you read through Proverbs you will find many statements that contrast the words of the godly or the wise with the words of the unrighteous or the foolish. Why such an emphasis on words? Because words matter. They can build up and they can tear down. They can make someone’s day or they can ruin a person’s week (or worse). The Bible speaks so much about the things we say because the tongue is notoriously hard for a person to control. James even went so far to call it “a fire, a world of unrighteousness…set on fire by … [Read more...] about Life-Giving Fountains
How I Memorize Scripture
You probably know the verse. You may have it memorized as well, and if not then you still might recognize it. The eleventh verse from the longest psalm reads: “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). It’s the scripture memorizer’s mantra. Reading the Bible isn’t enough for deep transformation into Christ-likeness. No, you need to meditate on it, to think deeply (Psalm 1), and one of the ways to do that is to get it stored in your heart and mind so you can ponder it throughout your day. I mentioned in another post how me and some other guys … [Read more...] about How I Memorize Scripture
Do you have something you would like to share at Voices?
Dave Miller is out of the country for a couple of more days, and then if he's anything like me on these trips he will like a few days to recover when he gets back. He asked me to kinda keep an eye on this place in his absence--and it's yet to burn down, so that's good. I thought I would be a little more active in getting stuff up and posted, but I ran into a church situation--one of those things that you don't expect to have to deal with as a pastor, but sometimes it just happens. :-| So... I've been a little busy and our pending post queue is nearing empty. Therefore I'm putting out the … [Read more...] about Do you have something you would like to share at Voices?
Yeah… it’s that important
Back in October a group of us committed together to memorize the book of Titus. In my younger days I had done plenty of scripture memorization, but it was mostly scattershot—a verse here, a verse there. This challenge of memorizing a book presented something I had never done before. With a few slowdowns over the holidays, I have made it as far as 3:2, and it’s been a great experience. Memorizing helps me to meditate which helps me to get God’s word firmly planted on my heart. Yet I’ve discovered something else in the process. I have no idea how many times I have read through the book of … [Read more...] about Yeah… it’s that important
So, pastors, whatcha preaching in 2016?
A couple of months ago a friend in my association invited a couple of us to get together to talk about preaching: what we've preached, how we study and prepare, notes or no notes, and all that good stuff. For that meeting I put together a slate of the various series I have done at my church since I arrived in Summer 2010 (and I've updated it to finish out the year and included it HERE for you, if you want... it's nothing special :) ). My hope after 2016 is to get back into preaching through some books. I've taken a pendulum swing away from doing that these past couple of years, for the most … [Read more...] about So, pastors, whatcha preaching in 2016?
What Child Is This? (an advent meditation)
Christmas in our culture seems a mix of the sacred and the secular. As much as some people lament the idea of a “holiday tree” being sold in stores they frequent, let’s not forget that Santa Claus, songs that have nothing to do with Jesus’ birth, and Christmas movies about family get togethers and little else have been around for decades if not centuries. No Christian should get uptight when the world fails to see the meaning of Christmas. Instead, our love and our grace, and our return of the greeting Happy Holidays with a Thank you should help others see the greater reality. Quite simply, … [Read more...] about What Child Is This? (an advent meditation)
My 5 Favorite Reads from 2015
Okay, I’ve seen several people do this and I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon. Like a lot of pastors (and even more, being a student as well), my 2015 was flooded with books, even reading multiple books at a time. Needless to say…books. I gave my shelves a perusing and picked out five that were my favorite reads of 2015. All of them were published in 2015 expect for Prayer in 2014. So here they are in no particular order with a few comments about each: 1) Prayer by Timothy Keller. This book was recommended by a friend who started reading it long before I did, but I finished it long … [Read more...] about My 5 Favorite Reads from 2015
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (an Advent meditation)
Imagine that you were among the shepherds in Luke 2. There you sat in the field at night, possibly chilled by the air and maybe tired from either ending a long day or beginning a long night. You probably gathered around a fire with the other shepherds, the flames to keep you warm and the conversations to keep you awake. Then suddenly in the darkness, bright light burst forth. That would be frightening enough, especially in an age without electric lights; but then to see a man standing in the midst of the light. No wonder why they quaked. But this man, an angel of God (perhaps Gabriel as … [Read more...] about Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (an Advent meditation)
Mutual Joy—the aim of pastoring
I’ve been reading Pastoral Letters of Robert Murray M’Cheyne—it’s a short book that I could probably down in a couple of hours, but I’ve been limiting myself to a letter per day to have a chance to absorb what he communicated as pastor on sick-leave to his congregation. Letter three, dated February 13, 1839, included the following in its opening paragraph: Believe me, it is the foremost desire of my heart that Christ may be glorified in you, both now and at his coming; that you may be a happy and a holy people, blessed and made a blessing. As I pondered his words it reminded me much of … [Read more...] about Mutual Joy—the aim of pastoring