Mike Leake

I try to write something every day.  Some days this is impossible.  I have times where writing comes easy.  And sometimes writing is difficult.  Yesterday, I noted that you need to post something everyday but you also need to be able to do that without being a fool.  Here are 10 suggestions to help you post something every day even when you cannot necessarily write something every day. Take advantage of good writing days.  When you have a day where your typewriter cannot seem to keep up with your massive brain and awesome writing powers don’t stop the flow.  Keep writing and save those … [Read more...] about 10 Tips for Daily Blogging

I’ll need to know where to go to forfeit my man card once I reveal this confession.  Last winter my wife introduced me to a new series on ABC called Once Upon a Time.  I don’t merely endure this show.  I actually look forward to it coming on and my wife and I have made it a Sunday evening tradition.  Fellas, as soon as your laughter and disdain dies down a little try to stomach this video: I would have liked to have gotten a little better quality video without editing but this was the best that I could find.  The main thing for you to take away from this is what Rumpelstiltskin about … [Read more...] about Magic Always Comes with a Price: The Conservative Resurgence and Calvinism

Yesterday, "A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God's Plan of Salvation" hit the internet. The discussion that stems from this should be really interesting--to say the least. In the Preamble the motivation behind this document is set forth. It begins: Every generation of Southern Baptists has the duty to articulate the truths of its faith with particular attention to the issues that are impacting contemporary mission and ministry. The precipitating issue for this statement is the rise of a movement called “New Calvinism” among Southern Baptists. This movement is … [Read more...] about Why I’m Opposed to “New Calvinism”

Watch this video: It occurs to me that the difference between an “attractional” church and a “missional” church is the same as the difference between an Old Testament view of mission and a New Testament view of mission.  This is not to say that one is wrong and the other is correct.  It is simply to say that one is past and the other is present. Before Christ the place to find the presence of God was found almost exclusively in the temple.  If you desired an experience with God then you had to “come and see”.  The primary mission of Israel was to draw people to Zion.  Micah 4:2 is a … [Read more...] about Is Your Church Old Testament?

A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among … [Read more...] about Proverbs for Christian Blogging: Am I Sowing Discord?

“Dear, can you find my face-wash?  It’s in a small bottle with a fuchsia colored lid on the dresser,” my wife lovingly requests. I hurriedly look through a conglomeration of numerous bottles that I am totally unfamiliar with.  I am only vaguely familiar with fuchsia.  I know it isn’t blue, so I quickly eliminate everything in the blue family.  Same goes with white, black, and maybe green and yellow.  I think it’s in the purple or red family.  So now I’m looking for something in a small bottle---quickly giving up hope. “I don’t see it in here,” I shout back at her—not a mad shout, mind you, … [Read more...] about The Danger of Assuming

Does God wound thy spirit, does he make it sick, and dost thou seek to unlawful means for help?  Dost thou go to thy company, to music, to good cheer, to relieve thee?  Oh this provokes God against thee!…those that in trouble of conscience seek for carnal helps, by their vain tampering only render their condition worse.  (Jeremiah Burroughs commenting on Hosea 5:14) There is an assumption that Burroughs is making here that some of our readers may not be willing to agree with.  Namely, Burroughs assumes (as I do) that God is sovereign and everything that happens comes from His hand—whether it … [Read more...] about Turning “Helps” Into Idolatry

There is a phrase that I use quite frequently in my preaching, writing, and praying before services.  In some form or fashion I often say that the Christian life is a quest to enjoy what Christ has already purchased.  I doubt that the phrase is original with me (so little is original with me—that’s why I say that).  However, I thought it may be wise to show where I get this notion from Scripture. Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians with two really long run-on sentences (v3-14 and 15-23).  In 1:3-14 Paul outlines the “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” that are ours in … [Read more...] about Enjoying What Christ Purchased

“Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm” –Proverbs 3:30 In other words don’t pick fights that aren’t yours.  That sounds reasonable enough but it kind of begs a question: what fight is mine? Consider this example.  I attend The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  I have a vested interest in what happens there.  Dr. Albert Mohler is our President.  He is someone that I consider to be a very faithful man and a great leader.  In a very real sense he is one of the authorities that the Lord has placed in my life.  So, what happens when bloggers start taking on … [Read more...] about Proverbs for Christian Blogging: Don’t Pick a Fight That Isn’t Yours

A desperate Charles Spurgeon went hopping from church to church to come to understand how he must be saved.  But instead as he tells it: One man preached Divine sovereignty, but what was that sublime truth to a poor sinner who wished to know what he must do to be saved.  There was another admirable man who always preached about the law, but what was the use of plowing up ground that needed to be sown.  Another was a practical preacher…but it was very much like a commanding officer teaching the maneuvers to a set of men without feet…what I wanted to know was, ‘How can I get my sins forgiven?’ … [Read more...] about They Never Told Me That…