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But it is you …. my close friend …
‘If any enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.’ Psalm 55:12-13 (No. No. I’m not having any conflict with anyone at the moment—praise the good Lord!—but I am prepping my, “This is Ministry. It hurts.” workshop at this weekend’s PCA Women in the Church Leadership Training Conference.)
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Accusing Ourselves for Lack of Grace
“Some Christians are so skilful at this — accusing themselves for lack of grace, as if they had reeived a fee from Satan to plead for him against themselves.” Thomas Watson in The Godly Man’s Picture (HT: Europeanne)
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Even so the Lord pities those who fear him …
“The Lord Jesus is very empathetic and full of tender mercy. ‘As a father pities his children, even so the Lord pities those who fear Him.’ (Psalm 103:13.) He does not deal with believers according to their sins, nor reward them according to their iniquities. He sees their weakness. He is aware of their short-comings. He knows all the defects of their faith, and hope, and love, and courage. And yet He will not cast them off. He bears with them continually. He loves them even to the end. He raises them when they fall. He restores them when they err. His patience, like His love, is a patience that…
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Hired Hand or Shepherd?
I’m plowing through the editorial comments from our friends who read Draft 1 of “Redeeming Church Conflicts” and WOW! Are we blessed to have such wise and generous friends. I really need wisdom, though, because sometimes one reader will say, “This section was fantastic!” and another reader will say of the SAME section, “Cut this for sure!” Thankfully, most of the time, the counsel lines up and for that, I am grateful. One point that Dave makes that (so far) all of our readers have appreciated is this one. I hope it gives you something worthwhile to chew on too: A ‘Hired Hand’ Mentality In John chapter 10, Jesus describes…
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Pooped Pastors.com
Am I the last person on the planet to know about this ministry? PoopedPastors.com I had no idea something like this existed and I haven’t poked around to really read the material yet; but I sure have served my share of pooped pastors in conflicted churches or even just in “normal” churches and “normal” ministry. And I love and trust the friend who recommended it to me (Hi, A!) So I wanted to be sure to let you know about it. I’m tucked away, working hard on draft 2 of “Redeeming Church Conflicts” which is due to Cap’n Dave on Saturday night and then (Lord willing) on to Professor Dennis…
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Tears Tears (Happy!) Tears
Dear, sweet, beloved, prayed-for Micah— In his mother’s arms— 100% untethered to machines, oxygen, tubes, etc. for the first time since the day he was born (December 23). (I can’t stop singing to myself, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice. O come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give Him the glory, great things He has done!”)
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David Powlison Feast for the Soul
Is anyone else having to miss church today because of a sick baby? If your church doesn’t broadcast its service/sermon, why not check out this amazing list of messages and articles by Dr. David Powlison over at Monergism.com? I was searching for a specific topic this morning and just about tripped over myself stumbling onto this treasure trove. Praise God for the internet! And Monergism.com! And, of course, Dr. and Mrs. Powlison. My friend Keri and I yesterday just found FREE tickets to the 2011 CCEF Conference on Psychiatric Disorders (A Compassionate Look at Complex Problems) and WOW! Are we excited! I’m sure these messages (and my current re-readings of…
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Cross – Shaped Love Means …
I’m really enjoying Paul Tripp’s, Broken Down House – Living Productively in a World Gone Bad. In honor of soon-to-be-here-Valentine’s Day, consider this list from chapter 13 of what it means to be an instrument of cross-shaped love: – “Not keeping yourself so busy with you and yours that you have no practical time to love others – Being committed to knowing people, because you can minister only in a very limited way to those you do not know – Being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of others – Being willing to share your physical resources with others – Being perseverant and patient even…
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Fear Not!
I’m beginning to scope out my new retreat on fear and I’m pretty sure I’m going to teach all of the way through 1 Peter in order to cover the material. It’s all still in the planning stages, but I’m thinking we might end up somewhere in the vicinity of the following schedule. What do you guys think? I’d love to hear your counsel and suggestions … Fear Not: Finding God’s Comfort for My Fearful Soul DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH Peace and rest are great concepts in the abstract—biblical, Christ-centered, even pleasant and healthy. But if we are honest, most Christian women do not experience much peace in their day-to-day lives. We…
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Beautiful Job, Peacemaker Ministries!
I don’t know if you’ll actually be able to click to view these (for some strange reason, Vimeo won’t let me embed them), but if so, I encourage you to take 3 minutes and watch them both. They are from the new Resolving Everyday Conflict resource from Peacemakers and I think they are beautiful. Poignant. Convicting. Uplifting. Well done! Where is Your Conflict Leading You? Where is Your Conflict Leading You (Part 2)
