The Difference Between Capacity & Calling

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro does some high level coaching to pastors in this video segment from the latest Elephant Room:

The Difference Between Capacity & Calling

J. Sidlow Baxter's Prayer

The well-loved British pastor and author of "Explore the Book" . . . J. Sidlow Baxter . . . whose daily prayer was: What I give him, he takes. What he takes, he cleanses. What he cleanses, he fills. What he fills, he uses.

Operational Unit Diagrams

What if the US Army decided to go commando and lose the hierarchy and structure? For example, embrace some egalitarian, collaborative, cooperative ideation amongst soldiers? Simple answer: the army would be no more. Without a command structure, there would be chaos and a complete failure of mission. If this is just one foundational expectation we have of the organization in which we entrust the security of our nation and regions beyond our borders to . . . then why do we try to run everything "in house" and domestically differently? How does one go "missional" while not being "missional"?

"Now Why This Fear" @ Worship God '11 (Sovereign Grace Music)

Phil Keaggy at the LTL singing "What a Day"

Phil Keaggy at the LTL from Lanier Theological Library on Vimeo.

Six Ways to Help People Pray

Six Ways to Help People Pray

Rest in Peace JoePa

A great piece over at ESPN can be found here. On another note, next year Coach Harbaugh, it would've been epic to see you battle your brother . . . perhaps next year. Good run to my Niners!

R.I.P. Heavy D

"Heavy Weight Luv-a . . ." Thank you for providing the background for all those hard times. Lord have mercy on your soul.

J.I. Packer on Why We Need Inerrancy

J.I. Packer on Why We Need Inerrancy

John Wesley's Three Kinds of Grace

God's Preparing, Accepting, and Sustaining Grace

God's grace is a wonderful gift to humankind. Grace is God's love freely offered to us. We do not do anything to "earn" it. Take a moment and reflect upon how you have experienced God's grace in your life. Jot some notes down, if you like, before reading the next paragraph.

Did you know that John Wesley believed that God provides us with three kinds of grace? He believed in:

- prevenient (preparing) grace
- accepting (justifying) grace
- sustaining (sanctifying) grace

God's prevenient grace is with us from birth, preparing us for new life in Christ. "Prevenient" means "comes before." Wesley did not believe that humanity was totally "depraved" but rather God places a little spark of divine grace within us which enables us to recognize and accept God's justifying grace. Preparing grace is "free in all for all," as Wesley used to say.

Today some call God's justifying grace "conversion" or being "born again." When we experience God's justifying grace, we come into that new life in Christ. Wesley believed that people have freedom of choice. We are free to accept or reject God's justifying grace. Wesley emphasized "Free Grace" saying:

The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is FREE IN ALL, and FREE FOR ALL.... It is free in all to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in anywise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not on anything he has done, or anything he is. It does not depend on his endeavors. It does not depend on his good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God; they are the streams only, not the fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root. They are not the cause, but the effects of it.

Wesley believed that, after we have accepted God's grace, we are to move on in God's sustaining grace toward perfection. Wesley believed the people could "fall from grace" or "backslide." We cannot just sit on our laurels, so to speak, and claim God's salvation and then do nothing. We are to participate in the what Wesley called "the means of grace" and to continue to grow in Christian life.

Some Christians tend to focus on God's justifying grace, but Wesley asserted that the Christian walk does not stop with acceptance of new life in Christ. Wesley said in his sermon, "On Repentance of Believers":

It is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom.... And this is undoubtedly true, that there is a repentance and a faith, which are, more especially, necessary at the beginning: a repentance, which is a conviction of our utter sinfulness, and guiltiness, and helplessness.... But, notwithstanding this, there is also a repentance and a faith (taking the words in another sense, a sense not quite the same, nor yet entirely different) which are requisite after we have "believed the gospel;" yea, and in every subsequent stage of our Christian course, or we cannot "run the race which is set before us." And this repentance and faith are full as necessary, in order to our continuance and growth in grace, as the former faith and repentance were, in order to our entering into the kingdom of God.

This article was originally posted here.

Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper

Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

Silly but Useful Clichés

"Couples who pray together, stay together"

As opposed to couples who don't cultivate a spiritual life that places Jesus at the center - of their affections which in turn informs their attitudes, behaviors and actions. "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2.42 NIV84).

"Couples who serve together, grow together"

The dynamic which results enables the other to appreciate and appropriately position themselves based on the observation of the gifts, skills and passions of the other - sanctified service. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (MK 10.45 NIV84)

"Good roots produce good fruits"

As Jesus often said, "you have heard it said, but truly I tell you . . ." Affections which make much of Jesus express and display themselves in the same manner as healthy plants bearing fruit. Too often, we chase the fruit without considering the reason or cause behind it. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit" (MT 7.18 NIV84).

I Will Never Forget . . .

Nailing the Essentials

Driscoll weighs in on the the essentials and non-essentials . . . (@The Elephant Room)

Nailing the Essentials

Tim Keller's 5 Questions to Ask of Scripture

Something quite helpful I recently found while perusing the blogosphere:

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Some years ago, I heard Keller speak on his five questions to ask as you read the bible daily . . .

1. How can I praise him?

2. How can I confess my sins on the basis of this text?

3. If this is really true, what wrong behaviour, what harmful emotions or false attitudes result in me when I forget this? Every problem is because you have forgotten something. What problems are you facing?

4. What should I be aspiring to on the basis of this text?

5. Why are you telling me this today?

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Thank you once again Dr. Keller!

Make God's Word Your "Thing"

Thank you Dr. Keller . . . again.

Make God's Word Your 'Thing' from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Speaking with Conviction

I found this off Josh Harris' site (who got it off Tim Challies). Like, totally solid?



OR "visualizing the typography"

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

The Godly Man (the ongoing saga . . .)

Psalm 112 (NIV '84)

1 Praise the LORD.

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

2 His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10 The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

For more reading, check out the Puritan Thomas Watson's work "The Godly Man's Picture . . ."

John Piper & the Prosperity Gospel

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Terribly Vexed

Commodus: "It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed." Thank you Dr. Keller.