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Robust Doctrine (HT: PureChurch)
Can’t believe we’re only one week away from Pastor Anyabwile’s keynote at the Peacemaker Conference! I’m psyched. I just love his blog. What a churchman! Today he linked to a great quote from Between Two Worlds: The Answer to Practical Problems Must Involve Robust Doctrine (It’s a great quote, but I’d skip the comments. Nothing too edifying there.) Here’s a snippet to tempt you: “Theology exists in order to be applied to the day-to-day problems of the Christian church. Every doctrine has its application … (Re: Paul …) It’s not only that you have the emphasis on the unity between theology and practice but you have the emphasis on the…
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Little Lamb, Who Made Thee?
Fred’s home sick now too. Soph continues to decline–but she’s such a sweet little trooper. Even tolerates the Zycam NOSE SWAB that neither Fred nor I will put up with. And yes, I’m disinfecting everything and anything including our toothbrushes. AND thanking God for Aquaphor. (We love Aquaphor!) Besides caring for an ailing family, I HAVE TO get a paid writing project done today–but other than that, I don’t have many goals for the day. I don’t know why, but this morning I thought of one of the first poems I ever memorized as a brand-new baby Christian. I must’ve been, what? 14 or 15 years old? “Little lamb, who…
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Exalts himself to show mercy to you …
Our entire church is reading through Isaiah right now and today we reached chapter 30. Enjoy and be drawn to worship by just a few verses: Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water…
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CGO Forum on Denominational Renewal
Oh, that PastorJollyBlogger! Always pointing us to something important (and helpful!). Today it was a link to the CGO Forum on Denominational Renewal. The speakers look amazing and I am particularly interested in catching the dialogue that will follow in the weeks to come. Hope to see you there! Blessings, Tara B.
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Doctrine of Workmanship
As our pastor preaches through Galatians, our entire church is reading through Martin Luther’s preface to Galatians (the abridgement and paraphrase by Tim Keller–we’re not reading it in German or anything 🙂 ). This week we have been encouraged and refreshed by “The Doctrine of Workmanship” (applying Galatians 1.10 – 2.10). I feel like retyping the entire excerpt! But instead, I’ll just give you a few highlights: “The word workmanship is very important; it is the Greek word poema–from which we get our word, “poem.” It means that every believer is essentially a work of art–God’s art! Consider how artists work … sometimes they do very little, only a stroke…
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So he was a Christian! Explains a lot …
If you’ve heard my testimony, you know that I was saved by God after having heard the gospel through some friends in public high school when I was a freshman. As I reflect on God’s grace to me throughout my entire life–especially in the years when I did not even know Him, but He knew me!–I’ve often thought about how many Christians I probably stumbled across without even knowing it. A great aunt or second-cousin-one-removed. A Girl Scout leader here. A band teacher there. How many of the parents of my little friends saw what a messed up kid I was and prayed for me? How many of my friends…
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Speak kindly …
An email/blog/becoming “real life” friend signed off a recent email with this line: “Remember that God delights in you, is the one who fights your battles, and to speak kindly to yourself in the midst of this difficult time …” Good advice, eh? To speak kindly to myself. ‘Twould be a grace. (Thanks, friend.) Yours, Tara B.
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Stressed and sick and tired …
What a happy title for a blog! 😉 But it accurate … I am stressed, sick, and tired. Stressed because of something challenging that happened yesterday that our family has to keep addressing this morning. (Very hard!) Sick because, well, apparently some little virus or bug is having a happy time inside of me–but it’s making all of the normal sick symptoms fuzz up my brain and knock my energy level down to zilch. Which leads me right to TIRED. Oh well! Every day isn’t like this, right? Makes me appreciate the days I wake up before the alarm and happily head out the door to walk Lilikoi. Hope you’re…
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Leaders as Peacemakers (HT: Ajith Fernando)
One of my favorite people in the world is Ajith Fernando. This quiet, gentle, giant of a man of faith serves Youth for Christ with passion, brilliance, and faithful, humble, love. I never fail to learn when I read anything he writes–and I am always drawn to worship Christ. I think I may have posted this essay he wrote on “Leaders as In-House Peacemakers” a few years back (can you believe I’ve blogged over 1,200 posts?!)–but it’s so good that I wanted to share it again. (Please note that the bolded sections are my emphases, not Pastor Fernando’s.) Hope your weekend is restful and enjoyable! Yours, Tara B. LEADERS AS…
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Free booklet …
BTW–If you asked for one of my Free Favorite CCEF Booklets and haven’t yet received it, you should drop me an email and let me know. I sent them a long time ago and some of you didn’t confirm your address with me so I might not have had a current address for you. (Hint, hint if your first initial is an “M” and you live in Texas because I just received your booklet back in the mail today as having a wrong address. Oops! Please email me your address and I’ll resend.) Just as a little FYI–in general, I don’t track snail-mail addresses for y’all because I just can’t…
