Get Your Prepositions Straight

Though I'm currently preaching on 1 Corinthians, I've been spending a lot of time immersing my mind and heart in the book of Colossians. As part of my immersion, I bought Sam Storms' Hope of Glory, which is a compilation of 100 short meditations on Colossians.

I was really encouraged by this quote on the words "in Christ" (Colossians 1:2):

You may be at work, at play, overseas, under the weather, out of money, but you are always and unchangeably in Christ. You may be down in the dumps, over the hill or beside yourself, but you are always and unchangeably in Christ.

You can read the introduction and first seven chapters of the book for free here.

The Cul-de-Sac of Stupidity

Matt Chandler, in his Easter sermon from this past spring:

"The Bible is going to teach us that everything that is created was not created so that our enjoyment of creation would terminate on creation, but rather that everything that exists, exists to point beyond itself to something greater than itself, namely its Creator.

The Bible teaches that you and I prefer creation to the Creator, therefore we get stuck in what I call the cul-de-sac of stupidity most of our lives, chasing things that do not satisfy us, have never satisfied us, and don't really have any hope of satisfying us, but we continue to pursue them anyway. So, although we've had gadgets, relationships, we've had all these things that the world says, "this is what satisfies you," we've had those things, we've tasted at least the first fruits of those things and they didn't satisfy us.

And here's the lie. Here's the demonic, wicked, evil lie that most buy in to: that more of what we already possess that does not satisfy us is somehow going to bring us joy and happiness. Are you tracking with that? That's the cul-de-sac of stupidity. I have this. It doesn't work. More of what doesn't work might work. This is where a bulk of humanity is stuck--just driving around it over and over and over again...

...This is what alienation means. We are alienated from God. We just want His stuff. And we think that His stuff will somehow fulfill us, when the Scriptures clearly say that His stuff was given to you so that you might worship Him."

Glorifying God

John Piper:

Glorifying God means showing by your actions and attitudes that God is glorious to you—that he is valuable, precious, desirable, satisfying. And the greatest way to show that someone satisfies your heart is to keep on rejoicing in them when all other supports for your satisfaction are falling away. When you keep rejoicing in God in the midst of suffering, it shows that God, and not other things, is the great source of your joy.

Tom & Jerry on Eternity

This is an interesting view of the afterlife. What teachable moments are there for your kids in this one?

Happy 3rd Birthday, Halle

She can be a handful at times, but how I thank God for this precious child:

Dealing with Suffering

As is often the case with Matt Chandler's stuff, I was challenged and encouraged by this video:

Blogging Lull

As the lull in blogging probably indicates, I've been questioning whether I should continue keeping up with the blog. I've gone through little seasons (a week or so) where I question whether I want to continue, but I can't recall a time when I've felt this apathetic to blogging for so long.

Can any of you convince me to keep it up? I'm not looking for an ego stroke or anything, but perhaps a little encouragement might show me there's some value in keeping things going.

Let me know what you think...

"Needs"

PaulTripp

Jesus has promised to meet your needs. He hasn't promised to supply all those cravings you've mistakenly told yourself are needs.

Modesty

What is modesty? Elyse Fitzpatrick defines it this way:

Christian modesty is simply a refusal to show off out of love for God and one’s neighbor.

Check out her blog post to see how the gospel empowers us to pursue modesty for God's glory.

Another To-Do List

Awhile back I posted a very short to-do list from Elyse Fitzpatrick. Here's a slightly longer one from the 9 Marks blog:

See how many of these things you have already completed (or can still do later today)...

1. Have you read your Bible and prayed?

2. Have you given God thanks for something?

3. Have you encouraged someone?

4. Have you considered your sin? (and have you repented of it?)

5. Have you told the gospel to anyone?

6. Have you given God praise for his character?

7. Can you think of a way to serve someone you love?

8. Can you write someone a (brief) note/email that might help them through a struggle?

9. Can you protect your eyes and heart from lusting on your way home?

10. Can you remind yourself of the gospel? (it is never a bad time to recount this glorious truth!)

A New Bible-Reading Plan

If anyone has the chutzpah to give this a try, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Consumers or Members?

PaulTripp

Are you a consumer at the local ecclesiatical Macy's (church) or a commited, Christ-serving, people-loving member of the Body of Christ.

Aspiring to Church Leadership?

Here's a helpful, and challenging set of diagnostic questions courtesy of Tim Chester to ask yourself (and others).

As I think about my own role of developing future leaders in the church I have the privilege of serving, I anticipate that I'll be referring frequently to this document.

Nothing to Hide

When Tiger Woods finally addressed the media several months ago after all the talk about his adultery, he spoke of how had returned to his Buddhist roots and was finding much help from his faith.

But it seems as though Buddha is making minimal impact on Woods' security and ability to own up to the full weight of his sin. I read in Newsweek yesterday that Woods has reportedly paid his wife $100 million in a divorce settlement, in exchange for her silence.

Evidently Tiger cannot bear the thought of people knowing his heart to the core. That kind of freedom can only be found in the true Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. With Brit Hume, I'm hoping that some day Tiger would find that true freedom in the Savior.

Four Life-Changing Truths

In You Can Change, Tim Chester mentions four life-changing truths about God. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that every act of sin flows out of a failure to grasp one of these truths in the moment of temptation:

1. God is great - so we do not have to be in control.
2. God is glorious - so we do not have to fear others.
3. God is good - so we do not have to look elsewhere.
4. God is gracious - so we do not have to prove ourselves.

Get these four truths deeply rooted in your heart, friends. They are fundamental weapons in the war against sin.

A Life that Demands Gospel Explanation

I really like listening to this guy talk; he's got a lot of wisdom:

A Life That Needs Gospel Explanation from Acts 29 Network on Vimeo.

Why Christians are Jerks Online

Will requested it, so here it is: John Acuff's article from Cnn.com