February 2012
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From a noisy but shallow brook to a quieter but...
When over the years someone has seen you at your worst, and knows you with all your strengths and flaws, yet commits him- or herself to you wholly, it is a consummate experience. To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than...
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Pastor as Shepherd to sheep
“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the...
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You Never Marry the Right Person →
Commenting on Relevant Magazine’s excerpt of Timothy Keller’s book The Meaning of Marriage:
As we walk the path to marriage, it is easy to get caught up in finding the “right” person as defined by our own preferences and personal standards. This sets us up to become discouraged and disappointed when we enter relationships only to discover that the other person is, after all, as...
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Ash Wednesday 2012 →
Today is ASH WEDNESDAY:
Whenever God does something new, he involves people — often unlikely people, frequently surprised and alarmed people. He asks them to trust him in a new way, to put aside their natural reactions, to listen humbly for a fresh word and to act on it without knowing exactly how it’s going to work out. That’s what he’s asking all of us to do this Lent....
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Five Core Values Of A Church In Decline →
Laziness
Fear of Man
Pride
Staff Abuse
Loss of Focus
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How Do You Initiate a Relationship in a Godly... →
This question was asked by a reader recently. Off the cuff, I shall answer,
Treat your sister in Christ as a sister; and shortly after you’ve had some friendship with her: confess your godly, intentioned, romantic interest in her & ask her out—for the explicit purpose of discerning y’all’s possibility of marriage.
What Does a Biblical Relationship Look Like? Scott...
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“When you first fall in love, you think you love the person, but you don’t...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 86-87). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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“We exalt our calling, not to gain glory among men, or money, or satisfaction, or...”
– Martin Luther, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians.
(via @AndrewWHall)
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My wife has lived with at least five different men
“Without being bound to the fulfillment of our promises, we would never be able to keep our identities; we would be condemned to wander helplessly and without direction in the darkness of each person’s lonely heart, caught in its contradictions and equivocalities.”
Peter Baehr, The Portable Hannah Arendt (New York: Penguin Classics, 2003), 181.
Similarly, Christian ethicist Lewis Smedes wrote...
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A.W. Pink - The Attributes of God →
The foundation of our knowledge of God rests upon knowing what he is like. Without understanding God’s attributes, we have a skewed perception of him–often one cast in our own image. We need more than just a theoretical knowledge of God in order to worship him as he desires. This classic work of Arthur W. Pink invites readers to discover the truth about seventeen attributes of God, including his...
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Announcement Time: A Highlight Of Worship? →
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WatchEd Young Jr. (@EdYoung) has recently started a website called Pastor Fashion.com. This video from the site’s frontpage shows how “Great Fashion Takes Swag”. I don’t know if this is a complete joke, or if it is really for real.
Nevertheless, the whole concept of Pastor Fashion is ridiculous; worldly debauchery.
Pastor Tim Brister (fellow SBTS grad; a pastor at Grace...
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Promises for those Struggling with Unemployment →
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“What will it take to pry you free from the world? When I ask this question, I am...”
– Hamilton Jr., James M. Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012) 130.
*Dr. Jim Hamilton (@drjimhamilton)is Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. During my M.Div studies at Southern, I took two Old...
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“Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the...”
– W. H. Auden, A Certain World: A Commonplace Book.
Quoted in Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 82). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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Marriage Vows: That Which Keeps Your Marriage...
What can keep marriages together during the rough patches? The vows. A public oath, made to the world, keeps you “tied to the mast” until your mind clears and you begin to understand things better. It keeps you in the relationship when your feelings flag, and flag they will.
Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p....
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G.K. Chesterton on Making Promises to Each Other
This blending of law and love fits our deepest instincts. G. K. Chesterton pointed out that when we fall in love we have a natural inclination not just to express affection but to make promises to each other. Lovers find themselves almost driven to make vow-like claims. “I will always love you,” we say when we are at the height of passion, and we know that the other person, if he or she is in...
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“A God without existence brings men without beliefs into a kingdom without hope...”
– Liberalism defined.
What would have functioned as a parody of liberalism a generation or two ago is now a tragic, pathetic reality.
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Protestant Liberalism: Christless Christianity
H. Richard Niebuhr famously skewered the liberal Protestantism of his day with this distillation of its message:
A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.
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“Wedding vows are not a declaration of present love but a mutually binding...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 79). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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“When dating or living together, you have to prove your value daily by impressing...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 77). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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Microsoft's Biggest Miss [Minimal Mac] →
minimalmac:
One of the benefits of a long car trip with my wife is the opportunity to have really great and insightful conversations with the smartest person I know. Yesterday, on the first leg of our trip, we spent some time discussing Microsoft’s many missed opportunities. The failure to take the iPhone…
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The Lord's Table: For those who trust that their...
Q. How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass?
A. The Lord’s Supper declares to us that all our sins are completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself accomplished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his true body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father...
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Watch
You should never be doing anything with the word of God that is less than devotional, or less than critical.
-D.A. Carson
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The Vow
Paige: I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness, and to have the patience that love demands. To speak when words are needed, and to share the silence when they're not. To agree to disagree on red velvet cake, and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.
Leo: I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. I vow to love you, and no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find a way back to each other.
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WatchRemind Me - Cover by Jess Moskaluke and Jake Coco. Originally performed by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.
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“As we have seen, modern thought does not see duty and passion to be compatible...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 77). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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“Imagine a house with an A-frame structure. The two sides of the home meet at the...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 76). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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“Why do we say that marriage is the most deeply covenantal relationship? It is...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 75). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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WatchCheck out Paul Tripp’s new book, Forever: Why You Can’t Live Without It.
It’s currently on SALE on Kindle for $3.99!
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The Kind of Love a Husband should have for his...
As a husband, the Christian is to look upon the portrait of Christ Jesus, and he is to paint according to that copy. The true Christian is to be such a husband as Christ was to his church. The love of a husband is special. The Lord Jesus cherishes for the church a peculiar affection, which is set upon her above the rest of mankind: “I pray for them, I pray not for the world.” The elect church is...
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The Middle-Aged White Guy's Guide to Christian... →
Want People to Return Your Emails? Avoid These... →
Next time you write an email subject line, think twice about the words you’re using. Loading your message with words such as “confirm,” “join,” “press,” or “invite” is not a good idea if you want a response, says data from Baydin, the makers of email plugin Boomerang. Baydin recently extrac…
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CHECK it OUT: @AudreyAssad's new album "Heart" →
Nashville-Based Singer & Songwriter Audrey Assad Releases Her Sophomore Album, Heart.
Multiple GMA Dove Award nominee Audrey Assad is a very talented singer and songwriter who got her start at the young age of 18 in Florida. Since then she’s released several EPs along with her very well received 2010 debut LP, The House You’re Building, that was met with many accolades;...
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Commodification: Where has our Society gone with...
Today we stay connected to people only as long as they are meeting our particular needs at an acceptable cost to us. When we cease to make a profit—that is, when the relationship appears to require more love and affirmation from us than we are getting back—then we “cut our losses” and drop the relationship.
Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of...
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Transaction vs. Romantic Fulfillment vs. Covenant
Traditional societies made the family the ultimate value in life, and so marriage was a mere transaction that helped your family’s interests. By contrast, contemporary Western societies make the individual’s happiness the ultimate value, and so marriage becomes primarily an experience of romantic fulfillment. But the Bible sees God as the supreme good—not the individual or the family—and that...
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FREE @Amazonkindle "From Ashes to Honor (First... →
CHECK OUT this great book FREE Amazon Kindle, From Ashes to Honor (First Responders), by Loree A. Lough
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FREE for a Limited Time on @AmazonKindle
Jerry Bridges’ new book, The Transforming Power of the Gospel, is FREE on Kindle for a limited time!
Get this ASAP before it’s too late!
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“In sharp contrast with our culture, the Bible teaches that the essence of...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 72). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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Let’s Have More Worship War says -@DrMoore
Russell Moore:
Thankfully, we don’t hear as much about “worship wars” these days, but I wonder if that’s because of growing maturity or if it’s simply because we’ve so segregated ourselves into services and congregations that reflect generational and ethnic and class-oriented musical commonalities. Maybe we need to reignite the wars, but in a Christian sort of way.
What if the war looked like...
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“Biblical understanding of love does not preclude deep emotion. … a...”
– Keller, Timothy (2011-11-01). The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (p. 70). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
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The Essentials of Christianity →
hallaw:
Being a Christian doesn’t only mean that you subscribe to a certain set of doctrines. There are other equally important things that must be true. Jonathan Edwards explains.
It is essential to Christianity
that we repent of our sins,
that we be convinced of our own sinfulness,
that we…
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WatchCorey Gray - Here Without You (2 Doors Down acoustic cover)
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The Best Way to Store Stuff in the Cloud →
Access all your files, photos, and music when you need it with @SugarSync. Get 5GB free!
*It’s like Dropbox, but better: with SugarSync you can backup+sync ANY file or folder on your computer!
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"I don’t love you enough to close off all my...
But when the Bible speaks of love, it measures it primarily not by how much you want to receive but by how much you are willing to give of yourself to someone. How much are you willing to lose for the sake of this person? How much of your freedom are you willing to forsake? How much of your precious time, emotion, and resources are you willing to invest in this person? And for that, the marriage...