This morning's listening were three lectures/discussions by Collin Hanson entitled Calvin's Kin. If you've never heard of the guy, he wrote Young, Restless and Reformed.
The conference is the Magnifiying God Conference highlighting the 500th birthday of Calvin. Spoiler alert: Lots of Jonathan Edwards content as well. Its an interesting perspective on the emergence and resonance of the Reformed tradition with young adults.
You can listen to the three talks here:
Calvin's Kin: Why They're Multiplying
Calvin's Kin: What They're Facing
Calvin's Kin: Where They're Headed
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Son of Fergus
I'd like to commend to both of you reading this an interview of Sinclair Ferguson by CJ Mahaney that I come back to every now and again.
To me Dr. Ferguson is a booming Scottish voice of wisdom and knowledge that always puts the beauty of Christ that much further in my heart by God's grace. It's a sweeping interview that covers many different topics. Each equally edifying.
Enjoy.
To me Dr. Ferguson is a booming Scottish voice of wisdom and knowledge that always puts the beauty of Christ that much further in my heart by God's grace. It's a sweeping interview that covers many different topics. Each equally edifying.
Enjoy.
The problem is wanting to be rich
Thoughts and highlights from desiringGod's Ask Pastor John
To the rich I say, do not trust in your riches, but be rich in good deeds.
1 Timothy 6:18
Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1 Timothy 6:9
----------------------------
I was going to write more about this, but what I'm taking away is: Don't desire to be rich. The goal of success is not the same as desire to be rich. It will come down to how I deal with such success. What is my treasure? Make it Jesus and avoid the snare that comes with a prestigious logo on it.
Give the above a listen, it's worth it.
To the rich I say, do not trust in your riches, but be rich in good deeds.
1 Timothy 6:18
Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1 Timothy 6:9
----------------------------
I was going to write more about this, but what I'm taking away is: Don't desire to be rich. The goal of success is not the same as desire to be rich. It will come down to how I deal with such success. What is my treasure? Make it Jesus and avoid the snare that comes with a prestigious logo on it.
Give the above a listen, it's worth it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Birthday Cash
I read that today's Johnny's birthday and thought I'd share this. It's a bio-vid Mars Hill Church put together in their series on Joy. Depicting Cash's pursuit of joy in Christ over and above his temptation, which was great.
Don Carson books I'd like to read:
Oh Amazon, how you taunt me with your discount books...
A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his Prayers
For the Love of God: A daily Companion for Discovering the Treasures of God's Word
Boomer in the Advert
Well, looks like I found a new blog to browse: A Boomer in the Pew.
This fine bloggerman is giving away a calf-skin ESV Study Bible for an advert. Well, Lord willing I'll be drawn for that!
Check him out.
This fine bloggerman is giving away a calf-skin ESV Study Bible for an advert. Well, Lord willing I'll be drawn for that!
Check him out.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
My Morning Psalm
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
A Psalm. A Song.
Psalm 67
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
A Psalm. A Song.
Psalm 67
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Don't be a wadi.
My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi,
Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow melts.
"When they become waterless, they are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
"The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
"The caravans of Tema looked,
The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
"They were disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
"Indeed, you have now become such,
You see a terror and are afraid.
Job 6:15-21 (NASB)
Job's hurting; spiritually, physcially hurting. Job's friend came out and sat in ashes with him for a week. A good start. He's probably been there for weeks or months himself. Only he's covered in worm-infested boils in places I wouldn't care to even come close to with shards of pottery.
His friend's words: Well, you've done well helping other people, Job. But only people that act in sin have all these bad things happen to them. Don't you see? What? No, well, yeah I see you're in mourning and lament, but let me just... Job's reply: You're like a wadi.
Apparently, a wadi is torrent of water that might freeze, and weary desert travelers would look for frozen waters like these as they melt in the desert sun for sustenance. Job says his friends badly timed, pious preaching is like these frozen wadis that melt and by the time the travelers reach their hope for a source of water, it has evaporated.
Let us not be a mirage of hope to our friends in a time of suffering. Don't be a wadi.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow melts.
"When they become waterless, they are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
"The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
"The caravans of Tema looked,
The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
"They were disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
"Indeed, you have now become such,
You see a terror and are afraid.
Job 6:15-21 (NASB)
Job's hurting; spiritually, physcially hurting. Job's friend came out and sat in ashes with him for a week. A good start. He's probably been there for weeks or months himself. Only he's covered in worm-infested boils in places I wouldn't care to even come close to with shards of pottery.
His friend's words: Well, you've done well helping other people, Job. But only people that act in sin have all these bad things happen to them. Don't you see? What? No, well, yeah I see you're in mourning and lament, but let me just... Job's reply: You're like a wadi.
Apparently, a wadi is torrent of water that might freeze, and weary desert travelers would look for frozen waters like these as they melt in the desert sun for sustenance. Job says his friends badly timed, pious preaching is like these frozen wadis that melt and by the time the travelers reach their hope for a source of water, it has evaporated.
Let us not be a mirage of hope to our friends in a time of suffering. Don't be a wadi.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
My Morning Psalm
A Maskil of David.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32
Monday, February 23, 2009
Duty or Delight? or Dutlighty?
From Between Two Worlds blog, I wanted to post to my blog just for me. But feel free to enjoy as well.
John Piper:
But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.
And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . Is it a discipline?
You can call it that.
It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater.
It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers.
It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns.
It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food.
It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water.
It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid.
It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin.
It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey.
It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.
I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.
God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there spiritual are means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil in 2009, and get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had.
John Piper:
But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.
And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . Is it a discipline?
You can call it that.
It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater.
It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers.
It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns.
It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food.
It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water.
It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid.
It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin.
It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey.
It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.
I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.
God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there spiritual are means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil in 2009, and get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)