Carl Trueman has some thought provoking stuff on towing the denominational line in his posts 'How churches lose the plot' pts 1, 2 & 3. Especially 2. find them at this link
http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2010/11/
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Acceptance
I'm really quite upset at the lack of acceptance of others I've experienced in recent days!
We're all either stronger or weaker brothers and sisters and so Paul says in Romans 15 'Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you'.
We judge so easily... looking down on others is such a reflex action! And its devastating to the body of Christ! I pray for myself and these others that God will make acceptance our first reflex. Only in that context can useful pastoral care happen anyway!
2 things.
1. I need to accept these people
2. I want to preach a series at the start of 2011 on the glory of grace.
We're all either stronger or weaker brothers and sisters and so Paul says in Romans 15 'Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you'.
We judge so easily... looking down on others is such a reflex action! And its devastating to the body of Christ! I pray for myself and these others that God will make acceptance our first reflex. Only in that context can useful pastoral care happen anyway!
2 things.
1. I need to accept these people
2. I want to preach a series at the start of 2011 on the glory of grace.
preaching on parenting (2)
Well, I preached on parenting... and in so doing... my emotions sneaked up and mugged me in front of everyone in the church...
I cried as i thought about my desires for my dear children... and my parenting practice. I didn't intend to cry, in fact I can't stand it when it happens because everyone feels so awkward don't they... but there it is...
...and all i can say is that it was absolutely for real.
It matters. but one of the most helpful thoughts i had was this: God hasn't stopped parenting, and he won't stop parenting. My parenting doesn't negate his. That's good to know.
I cried as i thought about my desires for my dear children... and my parenting practice. I didn't intend to cry, in fact I can't stand it when it happens because everyone feels so awkward don't they... but there it is...
...and all i can say is that it was absolutely for real.
It matters. but one of the most helpful thoughts i had was this: God hasn't stopped parenting, and he won't stop parenting. My parenting doesn't negate his. That's good to know.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
preaching on parenting
I'm preaching through a series entitled 'crucial relationships' and this week I'm looking at parenting! ...talk about bite off more than you can chew!
In looking at Ephesians 6v4... 'Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord' ...i couldn't help but reflect that it can seem that my children can seem most exasperated at those times when i'm trying to train and instruct them in the Lord!
Perhaps training and instructing them in the Lord actually exasperates them because it so often seems different from how our family operates most of the time. ...point being Eph 6v4 isn't merely talking about sitting down with the Bible and reading and praying with your kids - it is that - but much more than that also - living the gospel in family life.
I'm feeling pretty humble at the moment.
In looking at Ephesians 6v4... 'Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord' ...i couldn't help but reflect that it can seem that my children can seem most exasperated at those times when i'm trying to train and instruct them in the Lord!
Perhaps training and instructing them in the Lord actually exasperates them because it so often seems different from how our family operates most of the time. ...point being Eph 6v4 isn't merely talking about sitting down with the Bible and reading and praying with your kids - it is that - but much more than that also - living the gospel in family life.
I'm feeling pretty humble at the moment.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Awakenings
John Woodbridge gave some lectures on various revivals and awakenings at the recent SMBC preaching conference I attended. I found them fascinating for a number of reasons. Here's a few...
They actually happened. It really gave a good stretch to my gospel horizons to know this and see the impact of these movements of God's Spirit.
They were messy. If you were trying to 'plan' one, the whole thing would probably fall in a heap long before something even got started.
They finished. I was left wondering what that looked like. eg. The 1857-58 revival that impacted the entire USA to some extent... what did 1859 look like?
It was also interesting trying to think of what to take from these lectures for church life. You can't but help start thinking, 'Well that's a good idea, we'll try that' ...and have in your mind that it might just be the key to starting your own 'pet' revival. I guess this brings some of the 'uncategorizable-ness' of these things to the surface... that these are events at God's good pleasure. Questions like 'should we seek and pray for these things?' arise... for example... John Woodbridge I think said that DL Moody spent all of his subsequent ministry looking back to that 1857 event earnestly seeking a similar outpouring! Is that faithful? presumptuous? He didn't 'get one'... but you probably couldn't say that his life didn't count for the gospel could you?
Any way there are a few rambling thoughts I'm just hanging out there...
They actually happened. It really gave a good stretch to my gospel horizons to know this and see the impact of these movements of God's Spirit.
They were messy. If you were trying to 'plan' one, the whole thing would probably fall in a heap long before something even got started.
They finished. I was left wondering what that looked like. eg. The 1857-58 revival that impacted the entire USA to some extent... what did 1859 look like?
It was also interesting trying to think of what to take from these lectures for church life. You can't but help start thinking, 'Well that's a good idea, we'll try that' ...and have in your mind that it might just be the key to starting your own 'pet' revival. I guess this brings some of the 'uncategorizable-ness' of these things to the surface... that these are events at God's good pleasure. Questions like 'should we seek and pray for these things?' arise... for example... John Woodbridge I think said that DL Moody spent all of his subsequent ministry looking back to that 1857 event earnestly seeking a similar outpouring! Is that faithful? presumptuous? He didn't 'get one'... but you probably couldn't say that his life didn't count for the gospel could you?
Any way there are a few rambling thoughts I'm just hanging out there...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
inertia
…is a word that applies to my attitude to this blog lately!
…is also the default position in ministry endeavors and the enemy of the leader who wants to lead!
…is now under attack in my life, not least because of some horizon expanding lectures at a recent conference I attended. More to follow.
(Thanks to you ‘goad-ers’ who have prodded me into action again… you know who you are)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Reformed Rev
I would just like to apologise for a lapse in blogging activity, and as part of becoming a reformed rev recently... i would like to reform my blogging practice.
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