Louder Than Words
By · CommentsI’m reminded of the importance of character more often than I ever wished. One of those instances was yesterday when I found out about the moral failure of someone whose ministry I had been following for quite some time. I won’t be dropping the name because I don’t want to add to the gossip. I will, however, be praying for their restoration.
A few months ago, I started reading Louder Than Words by Andy Stanley. I never finished it. It’s amazing how little importance we place on who we are behind closed doors when it comes to keeping up appearances outside of those doors. I’ll be picking the book back up today in an effort to refocus.
If you spend all your time building the outside, the lack of support inside will cause everything to fall.
On a side note, it’s funny how God reaffirms things. Right when I sat down to start writing this, David Platt tweeted this:
“Mt. 4:1-17 – The purity of our lives is more important than the success of our ministries.“
Wow.
Psalm 150
By · CommentsI thought about this Psalm the other day when I finished my last final of the summer semesters. Then I thought about it again today when I found out that I made A’s in all four of my classes this summer. Praise the Lord, because I’m not nearly good enough to have done that on my own.
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
-Psalm 150
How’s Your Bait?
By · CommentsWhitney and I went fishing today. It was the first time I had been fishing in quite a while. She caught three fish and I finally managed to drag in one too.
Let’s be honest here. I was just glad to catch one. I’m not much of a fisherman which would have been obvious to anyone were they to notice that I only brought a handful of baits. That’s also proof that my expectations weren’t very high.
About an hour into the trip I had had quite a few bites but I was never able to actually hook one. I finally realized my problem. My bait was too big! The only fish that were biting were six inches long at best and they just couldn’t handle the bait I was throwing out there. I didn’t have anything smaller so the rest of the day I just kept throwing that bait out there knowing it was too big and hoping one would finally come along who could get ahold of it.
It got me to thinking.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19 (NIV)
How many times in our spiritual arrogance do we talk to people who aren’t believers in and followers of Jesus about deep doctrinal issues thinking that they’ll be impressed by how much we know and will then want to become a Christian?
We strap something else to the Gospel that might make it hard to swallow.
We strap something (like knowledge or works) to grace and by doing so we remove the true identity of this undeserved favor.
Chances are they’ll be a lot more impressed if they see Jesus in us. After all, what’s more impressive than what He has done?
They need to see someone who dies for those who rejected Him.
They need Jesus. Not whatever we want to strap to Him because of our insecurity.
So, how’s your bait? Mine needs trimming.
Hello
By · CommentsIf you aren’t reading Pete Wilson’s blog, you should be.
I subscribe to quite a few blogs via RSS. Sometimes I read the posts, sometimes I don’t. It really depends on whether the title catches my eye or not. However, I always make it a point to read Pete’s posts. You can follow him on twitter @pwilson.
A few days ago, he posted this.
After reading it, I commented,
“Cut me to the heart. You know how there’s those people that you don’t have to say “hello” to because no greeting is needed? You just start talking. I hate it when I feel like I have to say “hello” to God.”
I know God is always present and it doesn’t take a greeting to get His attention, but I’m talking about how we feel. That feeling of knowing God was, is, and will be there but you’ve ignored Him. I feel that way sometimes. Do you?
Redo
By · CommentsEver feel like you need one of those? I do.
A mulligan? A do-over?
I think I’m gonna take one here on the site. In August. Everyone needs a nice fresh start once in a while. I’m not so sure that things are going to look very much different, except that I plan to write a little more often. I think I’ve got a few good excuses for not posting. I might even write about those… in August. 
So come back in August.
Oh, and if you’re in need of a redo on a much deeper level, check out my friends over at People of the Second Chance. They specialize in that kind of thing.
See you in August.
Coming Up To Breathe
By · CommentsWow.
Two months since my last blog post. I’ve been somewhat immersed in the busyness of life for the last couple of months so I haven’t done much writing. Well, at least not on here. I’ve probably written about 50 pages of philosophy papers since my last post. Let’s just say writing here hasn’t been much of a priority. I suppose this is just a post for the sake of posting. I still haven’t quite got in a rhythm yet.
Stay tuned… Who knows? I might post again before July 21
My review of Stuff Christians Like Book
By · CommentsYesterday I posted about Jon Acuff’s book Stuff Christians Like. I wrote a review for it on Amazon and thought I’d share it here.
Do you have enough lettuce to support Jon Acuff’s shoe fetish? Well, apparently I do because I jumped all over this book when I found out it was coming out. I didn’t just buy it to support his shoe fetish. Actually, I don’t even think he has one (or at least I hope not) but what he does have is an incredible sense of humor. If you don’t believe me, just go here and read the introduction to this book on Jon’s site.
http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/03/read-the-introduction-to-the-stuff-christians-like-book/
As you can see that wasn’t my random reference to a Fergie lyric. It was actually Jon’s doing. I’m sure you found yourself laughing within the first few lines of that introduction. I guess what I’m really here to let you know is that the rest of the book is no different. You will laugh out loud at almost every line.
If however you need further proof of Jon’s knack for the hilarious take a look at this post from his website that bears the same name as this book. The book is actually the result of 2 years worth of posts on the website. Jon shares his 7 favorite posts on the link below.
http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/03/2-years-of-stuff-christians-like/
The last thing I’ll say is that within the pages of this book you’ll not only find laughter but a man who is honestly seeking God. When we seek God we often find that it’s necessary to take ourselves a little less seriously. Christians are not known for their ability to laugh at themselves. I think reading Jon’s book is a great way to take a step towards doing just that. In the process of taking yourself a little less seriously you might find that you end up taking God a little more seriously.
Stuff Christians Like
By · CommentsI’m not that funny of a guy.
However, Jon Acuff is extremely funny.
Don’t believe me? Go check out his website called Stuff Christians Like.
After that you’re going to want to go here and buy his book.
It doesn’t come out for a few more days but you can pre-order it or even wait and go support your local Christian bookstore such as LifeWay (sorry about that shameless plug for my employer).
You can even follow Jon on twitter @prodigaljohn.
You won’t be disappointed.
Podcast List
By · CommentsI’ve had a few people ask me which podcasts I recommend or listen to on a weekly basis. As you’ll see, there’s a mixture of weekly podcasts from churches/pastors and some leadership podcasts as well. I don’t agree with all of these guys completely as far as doctrine goes but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone I agreed with COMPLETELY on every point of doctrine. In my opinion, these are some of the best church leaders in America right now. They’re all passionate about lifting up the name of Jesus so I have no qualms about recommending them on here. I’ll post a direct link to the podcasts on iTunes along with my personal description of each below.
One of the best podcasts out there as far as I’m concerned. They always have great content, hilarious banter and wonderfully relevant interviews with some of the best leaders in America. They just released their 91st episode and I’ve listened to EVERY one of them so far. It’s been one of the most vital parts in my growth as a young leader over the last couple of years.
Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
You can’t think Catalyst without thinking Andy Stanley. Mr. Catalyst as he’s called by the guys on the Catalyst podcast is one of the best (if not the best) leaders out there. If you want to grow as a leader, listen to this podcast. Period.
North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley
This one is a collection of sermons from Andy Stanley. In addition to being a great leader, he may be one of the best communicators in the country. I always end up saying, “Why didn’t I see that?” after everyone one of his sermons. Great content.
If you haven’t had enough Andy Stanley yet then this one is for you. Most sermons here will be from Andy but there will also be a series or two sprinkled in from Jeff Henderson. Jeff is a great communicator and there’s no quality drop off when he’s got the mic. Also, there will be some other great communicators in the mix from time to time.
Another one of the few podcasts of which I’ve taken the time to listen to every episode. The official podcast of the Passion movement, it’s essential to keeping up with what is going on within that movement of college students. If you don’t know Passion Conferences or haven’t heard the Passion CDs then get out from under the rock you’ve been under and go here.
Formerly called the Passion Messages Podcast, these are talks straight from the heart of the Passion Movement and Louie Giglio. Louie is one of the few guys that I really “trust” when it comes to pointing people to anything he does. I know his heart is that the name of Jesus be made famous and if you have any doubt of that just listen. You’ll hear it in every message.
Perry Noble’s intensity and passion is truly unmatched. Add to those qualities an insatiable desire for the glory of God and the upbuilding of His kingdom and you’ve got this podcast. I LOVE listening to Perry preach. Gets me fired up every time! Check it out!
Perry Noble Leadership Podcast
This one is fairly new but it’s good. I’ve followed Perry’s blog for a while and can’t wait for this podcast to pan out a little more. Stay tuned!
Mars Hill Church: Mark Driscoll Audio
Mark Driscoll is a somewhat new one for me but I love listening to this guy. If you want some historical context and straight up Bible teaching and preaching listen to this guy. He loves Jesus and it’s evident when you hear him talk.
If you don’t listen to John Piper, well then I just feel sorry for you. The glory of God is absolutely central to this man’s life and preaching. Listen to him and thank me later.
Well, that about does it. This isn’t a ranking but simply a list. For what it’s worth, I also love listening to Francis Chan’s podcast but it hasn’t been working for about a week so I couldn’t include a link.
That’s what I’m listening to, what about you? What are you listening to?
Also, let me know what you think about the list. Anything I should consider adding?
The Road
By · CommentsSometimes life leads you to a choice. The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost comes to mind. Those famous few lines everyone seems to remember:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I stood there at the proverbial fork in the road for a long time. Toying with which path to take. Counting the cost of each. And then, after all my contemplation and with seemingly little more assuredness than the day I first came to the fork, I chose.
I wondered, “Did I make the right choice?”
I had left so much behind at that fork in the road and it seemed the farther I walked down this new road the more I cast all things familiar to the side. Often I missed these things.
Again, “Did I make the right choice?”
I looked back and saw friends who were still there trying to decide or had taken a the other road. People I loved. Holding on to the things I once loved but had now let go.
“Did I make the right choice?”
The farther down the road I walked, the more I realized how solid it was. It is a good road. Farther still and I realized the things I had missed were more than replaced by things I would never have to give up. Wonderful things. Eternal things.
“Yes.”
With each step my love for the road and the things it offered grew as my love for things of the past dwindled. Yet, my love for the people at the fork and on the other road did not dwindle. It grew. There was an aching desire for them to also take this road.
“It’s the right choice.”
I realize now that I didn’t really choose the road. The Road chose me.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. – James 1:18
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. – Matthew 7:13-14
