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The Cross Propitiated God
On Good Friday, I would like to share with you some of my notes from studying Romans 2 & 3 in my ESV Reformation Study Bible. I have been particularly blessed by a number of the study notes in this fine resource … In a Romans study note entitled, “Mankind’s Guilty Knowledge of God,” the editors write: “God will not allow human beings to suppress entirely their sense of God and of His judgment. Some sense of right and wrong, as well as of accountability to God, always remains. Even in the fallen world everyone is endowed with a conscience that from time to time condemns them, telling them that…
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This Church Conflict Originated in Hell
Back in 2009, pastor (and cartoonist!) Joe McKeever had a particularly insightful post about the origins of church conflict. To encourage you to click on through and read the entire post, let me tempt you with a few excerpts of his descriptions of two different church conflicts: “My quick assessment, based solely on my friend’s account, is that such an immature pastor has no business leading a congregation. He is not a shepherd who cares for his flock. He is cowardly. (He refused to talk to the woman whom he accused of wrong before hearing her, then turned around and wronged her!) Furthermore, he forbids the church staff from having anything further…
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Created for Community (HT: Paul Tripp)
Another great read by Paul Tripp: Created for Community I encourage you to read the entire article and I’ll tempt you with just a few excerpts (emphasis mine–don’t miss the bold paragraph!): “People are created for community. We are made in the likeness of a God who not only is committed to community and calls us to community, but is Himself a community. He did not structure us to live in isolation and autonomy. He created us to live in two essential communities: a loving, worshipful, and dependent community with Him, and a loving, serving, interdependent community with one another. We will never be what we are supposed to…
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Redeeming Church Conflicts
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Wise Counsel and Loving Actions for a Depressed Friend
Throughout my life, I have been the blessed recipient of some truly wise counsel and loving actions by friends as I have walked through dark seasons (depression, the valley of despair, grief, the Black Dog—whatever you care to call it). Thinking that some of their ministry ideas might help you to serve someone in your life who is also going through a difficult time, I thought I would list a few out for you: 1. Presence without harsh judgment and without agenda: Since I was already feeling like the worst Christian (worst wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister) in the world, harsh criticism would have only crushed a bruised reed. But…
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Unmediated is Better
I continue to learn from Tim Challies through his book, The Next Generation: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion. Chapter 5, “Life in the REAL WORLD (Mediation / Identity)” has had me mulling for days now. In it, he defines “medium” as “something that stands between.” Then he discusses how “medium” is at the root of the word “mediator”, so when we talk about mediation in reference to our communication via digital technology, we are talking about some kind of “device or tool or technology that delivers some kind of data or information. It stands between the one who creates sounds or images and the one who receives them.”…
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Church leaders are often afraid of their WOMEN
Wow. Don’t miss this read over at byFaith Magazine: The Session and Women’s Ministry It’s long–but worth the read. I’ll tempt you with just a few excerpts: – How do elders approach women in ministry in their congregations? ‘Men are afraid of women. We’re often content to be at arms’ length from them.’ A prominent PCA pastor says it simply. . … The unease between elders and women’s ministries is not always active. Instead, it can be a function of disconnection. ‘While there are isolated examples of abuse in this relationship, usually it’s much more subtle,’ said Jane Patete, women’s ministries coordinator for the PCA’s Christian Education and Publications…
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Let’s try hard to be discerning and grounded without always looking for the next theological misstep in our friends, our family, or the songs we sing …
Loved this post by Kevin DeYoung: The Crust and the Core But be sure to follow his advice and read to the end. If you only cheer at the first few paragraphs, you may miss some important insights about yourself in the last few paragraphs.
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Resources Beyond Ourselves
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that Fred and I went through a surprising and frighteningly isolated/lonely/despair-filled season of marriage around our fifteenth wedding anniversary. (I say “surprising” because if you had asked me years ago if we would ever feel so distant from each other and struggle so much in our friendship and marriage, I would’ve said no. When we met and fell in love, during grad school, I don’t think I was naive enough to ever presume that we wouldn’t have some level of struggle and suffering as a couple, I just never thought it would get SO BAD. But it…
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“But Mom! I don’t know HOW to change!”
When our three year-old was processing all sorts of deep three year-old thoughts, she wanted to stay up with the three of us and keep cuddling (rather than going to bed, alone, at an appropriate time for a three year-old). Our conversation went something like this: E: “I know that it’s OK to be sad and cry, Mom, but I’m also remembering that it’s not OK for my sadness to “go off of this path of sadness” (she held out her right hand; in our family that indicates the path of faith, righteousness, wise choices, blessings, and safety) “and onto this path of anger and having a fit” (she held out…
