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A couple of weeks ago I posted on C.J. Mahaney’s sermon titled Don’t Waste Your Humor. He’s at it again with another sermon at Covenant Life church, called Don’t Waste Your Sports. Listen and find out how you can glorify God through sports.
This is the latest eNewsletter from 9Marks (also available in PDF).
FAMILY & PARENTING
Wanted: Kingdom Families
Embedded Portraits: A Theological Vision for Families
Part 3: Raising Boys vs. Raising Girls
Book Review: Family Driven Faith By Voddie Baucham Jr
Reviewed by Michael Lawrence
Book Review: Practicing Hospitality By Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock
Reviewed by Adrienne Lawrence
One day last week my older son schemed with his little brother how to avoid their daily quiet time. This is an hour or so break each day around 2 o’clock where they sit quietly with a blanket and a stack of books. They don’t like the break from their play and often express their objection but it is non-negotiable, they usually NEED the rest. This day Mommy was busy in a task and my oldest had noticed that the 2 o’clock hour was slipping by. It’s very uncharacteristic of him to intentionally deceive (that’s the closest word I can think of to describe the offense) and his younger brother seized the opportunity to blow the whistle on his normally very compliant brother. He was questioned by Mommy Read the rest of this entry »
The Bible reading plan I’m using has me in Job this week and today I read Job’s response to his friend Bildad in chapter 9. Job starts by asking a question, “how can a man be in the right before God?” (v2) It’s the one question that every human being of all ages, of all times, must ask. Have you asked this question? Are you sure of the answer? “how can a man be in the right before God?”
Job lived before the prophets, and priests, and kings, and Jesus, and the disciples, and the Westminster catechism, and John Piper, but he knew enough about God and enough about man to see clearly the predicament of man. Job was an upright and blameless man who shunned evil and feared God, he was one of only a few who did in a land full of idolatry. He knew his morals and religion exceeded those of his neighbors but he also knew his righteous living could never pardon his sins. “Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.” (v15) In his sorrow, Job declares that no one is wiser in heart or mightier in strength then God, that God is Creator over all, that God is invisible, that God cannot be convinced of anything since He knows everything, and that God is not impressed by anything since He is sovereign over all. “If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?” (v19)
Job had no confidence in his own righteousness, rituals, or religion. He knew his own flesh would betray him and that in the end man has no ability to justify himself to God. “Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.” (v20) Even the very best of men, must ask “how can a man be in the right before God?” Then, in hopeless desperation and emptiness Job cries out “There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself.” (v33-35) Can you feel Jobs anguish? Oh! If only there was an Arbiter! Who might stand between God and man and lay His hand on us both! Job asks the monumental question we all must ask, he defines the terrible problem we all have, and in prophetic allusion he introduces the glorious answer to it all. Read the rest of this entry »
A couple of weeks ago we received the very sad news that a student we had in youth group a couple of years ago had passed away. Steven didn’t attend our church but he came to our youth group through the invitation of a friend. We only had a small time to get to know him, he came to our meetings for about 6 months before moving on, but we enjoyed seeing God work in his heart and life in that time. After high school Steven joined the Marines and was stationed in Thailand. One of our Pastors knew Steven and his family well and wrote the following tribute: Tribute To A United States Marine Read the rest of this entry »
Have you read John Piper’s book “Don’t Waste Your Life”? You should, it’s a great book. Covenant Life Church (Pastor Joshua Harris) is currently doing a sermon series themed “Don’t Waste Your…” The second message in the series given by C.J. Mahaney was titled “Don’t Waste Your Humor”. I love how C.J. starts by giving us a glimpse into the cheerful humorous spirit of Charles Spurgeon. Here’s the sermon description: Humor is a gift from God. When humbly and wisely used, it is a means of transferring truth and generating joy. This message addresses how we can use humor to build others up and honor God. Listen to Don’t Waste Your Humor.
I can’t believe it’s been 8 weeks since our last post, do we have any visitors left? The last few weeks have been difficult and challenging but also sprinkled with lots of summer fun. The Puritans used the expression “dark night of the soul” which referred to the times in our lives where we feel our souls declension and sense that God has withdrawn or deserted us. God does not desert the elect but there are times when it seems that way through our human perspective. It is usually our doubt or depression or lack of devotion that leads us into these seasons, so what is it that leads us out? The cross. In these dark times the depths of our corruption and our tendency to drift from our Lord are more visible to us, consequently our desperate need of His grace and our dependency on Him alone increases. When will the sun rise on this dark night? When we Read the rest of this entry »
Part 5 (FINAL)
In Exodus 33 we read about a conversation between Moses and God in which Moses asked God (politely) to show him His glory, and God answered saying, “’I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.’” Ex 33:18-23 Read the rest of this entry »
Part 4…
We take promises pretty seriously, especially when we make them to our children. God does to and He never fails to make good on them. Solomon said of God’s word to Moses and faithfulness to Isreal, “Not one word has failed of all his good promise.” (1Ki 8:56) We read one of those good promises in Jeremiah. In a prophecy given by Jeremiah, God makes a glorious promise to never stop from doing us good. “They shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.” Jer 32:38-42 You might think that this prophecy in Jeremiah speaks of the physical restoration of Israel after their return from Babylon, especially considering the context in Jeremiah’s book; but there are at least three reasons why this promise is for us, kept and fulfilled through Christ. Read the rest of this entry »
