Category: christianity
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Fighting for the Flock | TheResurgence
I loved this quote from JD Greear, and pray that I continue to have the courage to fight for Jesus’ most prized investment… A Good Shepherd Fights A good shepherd takes on the wolves that threaten his flock. He fights. It’s never in self-defense, of course, but quite often, what is being threatened is not…
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Passivity | Between Two Worlds
The following is a quip from Kevin DeYoung’s Just Do Something (via Between Two Worlds). Passivity is a plague among Christians. It’s not just that we don’t do anything; it’s that we feel spiritual for not doing anything. We imagine that our inactivity is patience and sensitivity to God’s leading. At times it may be;…
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Biblical/Theological Preaching
Halim Suh’s sermon from Sunday at The Austin Stone is an excellent example of applying biblical theology to understanding a difficult text of scripture. Halim did a fantastic job of grappling with 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 by articulating an overall biblical teaching of manhood and womanhood and through Genesis 1-3, and applied the overall perspective toward…
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Ministry Idolatry from Tim Keller
The following is from 3 questions with Tim Keller at Towers Online. Q: What safeguards should 20-something pastors have in place to avoid the idolatry of ministry fame and the attitude of big numbers equals success? TK: If you know it is a danger, that is a very important start. Additionally, when you find yourself…
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Reading the Bible – A Simple Truth
I guess I’ve been in a reflective mood over the past few weeks, and have been dwelling on some of the things I have learned over the past few years. Since college, my view of the Bible has been drastically altered from a book filled with nuggets of wisdom to the narrative of the glory…
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Redeeming Love
At The Austin Stone today, Aaron Ivey led us in worship to song called “Praise for a Fountain Opened” or more commonly, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood”. The last line of the fourth verse, and the anthem we camp out on is: Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be til I…
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The Holy Spirit
I’ve been dwelling on the Holy Spirit as I read Jaeson Ma‘s book The Blueprint. Here is my simple, yet difficult, thought that arose: the degree to which the gospel is central in my life is directly correlated to the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in me and through me. If I want to…
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The Reason for God | Chapter 4
I just finished chapter 4 last night, which wrestles with the challenge of the church perpetrating so much injustice in the world. Keller approaches the question in a couple different ways: He addresses the common argument that Christian nations have been responsible for war, genocide, slavery, destruction of culture, and a host of other evils. …
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Retreat!
I’ll be spending the next few days at a retreat with our staff team from The Austin Stone. It should be a great time of refreshment and encouragement as we seek God together for the future of our ministry. Please pray for our time there, that God would reveal Himself in power, and that He…
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6 Month Bloggerversary
Yeah, that’s right…I know it’s a nerdy title, but I’ve officially been writing here for 6 months. Below is a summary of my favorites and yours: Forgiveness in Marriage Web Tools I Use Attractional and Missional Scriptural Election: The Third Way Feel free to comment with your personal favorite.
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Reading “The Reason for God”
I’ve found myself needing to repent of my lack of reading actual books as of late, so I’ve got a few things on the docket I want to read. I just picked up and started Tim Keller’s The Reason for God, and I must say it’s a good read. Although the concepts aren’t mind-blowing, Keller…