tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120018522024-03-14T05:41:35.681-04:00Measuring DaysMy heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue: "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!"Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.comBlogger418125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-17301118923228284142008-12-11T16:22:00.003-05:002008-12-11T16:32:16.296-05:00<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're still reading this blog or getting the feed, be herewith informed: I am somewhat officially, semi-permanently switching to</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://jaredsjunkdrawer.tumblr.com/"> my tumblr blog</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. It's more fun and better looking. I'm going to leave this site up for reference sake, but if you're interested, feel free to dig the new blog.</span><br /></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-16440043818830776252008-10-28T14:54:00.003-04:002008-10-29T06:46:25.786-04:00My internet fast: reflections and resolutions<span style="font-family:arial;">I've been back from the internet fast for a while. Here are some thoughts and applications. </span><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>My relationship to the internet is definitely more love/hate than ever<br /></li><li>The internet is a powerful tool and should be wisely used for great good by God's people<br /></li><li>The internet is a powerful tool and can be wickedly used for great harm by anyone, God's people included</li><li>A month away from the incessant drumbeat of more information isn't enough to get me back to thinking more deeply. I need to read more books and less snippets.<br /></li><li>James was right (1:14) -- Temptations come from within, whether laziness or impurity or otherwise. The internet, especially through anonymity, only fans the already-present flame. To think otherwise, to think we can avoid temptation by swearing off this or that, is foolish.<br /></li><li>However, though temptation is unavoidable, wisdom will lead us to avoid it as much as possible</li><li>For now, I have decided to only read blogs of people I know personally. There are lots of great thinking and posting being done right now, but I simply can't keep up and am tired of trying. I have too many wonderful and powerful and proven books to read to wade through the good, bad and ugly of blogging. But I do want to keep up with friends and family!<br /></li><li>I am officially quitting youtube...unless someone sends me a link to something worthwhile. Really, it's just a time waster and my schedule needs surgery right now. </li><li>I'm not sure if I'm going to keep blogging or not. I like the idea of a pastor being able to do a little more teaching and writing in a medium accessible to the congregation. But I'm not sure that I have a lot to say right now. As topics come up in my life and reading, I will likely still use the blog to attempt a small helpfulness to others.<br /></li><li>I have decided to<a href="http://sermonideas.tumblr.com/"> start a tumblr blog for my own sake</a>: here I intend to post quotes, news stories, pictures, etc., that might be helpful in future lessons, articles or sermons. Feel free to follow along, but don't feel you need to. I'm using tumblr instead of blogger for this project because it is more user friendly and the tagging system is a little more intuitive.<br /></li></ul>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-79208812949522608602008-09-16T07:52:00.005-04:002008-09-16T08:29:10.358-04:00An experiment<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >An idea has grown out of the soil of frustration: I am going to try to go without the internet for a month (I'll still do email, see my rules below). Why? Two main reasons:<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >First, I </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >think</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" > (don't know, though) that the internet is changing the way I think. See </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/2008/09/thats-why-they.html">here </a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >and </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google">here</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >. Simply put, for my life's calling, I can't afford the short attention span this interweb has developed in me. I can't afford to think in blog posts and headlines; I need to get back to essays and books and talking to people. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Second, the internet is changing the way I work and not usually for the better. I realize the incredible resource this is, especially for research, but I need some time away to learn better to separate the wheat from the chaff, to figure out what I really need and what is wasting my time. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Caveat: my little experiment is really designed for me and shouldn't be taken as a condemnation of the internet or as an example to follow. This experiment is designed to combat my own weakness in self-discipline. When my wife and I first got married, we lived in a place that had cable. I learned then that I would either watch way too much t.v. or I would keep the television in storage until I really had something to watch. So I'm putting the internet in storage for a little while.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >My rules: email is still in, because it's a necessary part of my work as a pastor. Financial interactions (paying bills, making necessary purchases) are in, but online window-shopping is out. Also, if someone adds me as a friend on facebook, I'll accept, but only to avoid hurt feelings. Finally, there are one or two couple small tasks for which I use the internet; I'll continue those.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >So, no blog posts. No twitters. No news. No youtube. No wikipedia. No drudge. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Ultimately, I'm headed back to the stone age in an attempt to get enough perspective to discern what parts of this internet are worth keeping around in my life. </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-23757922653317338822008-09-09T09:14:00.005-04:002008-09-14T05:25:15.288-04:00On Modesty<span style="font-family:arial;">Modesty is a must, everywhere and for everyone but perhaps never more so than in our increasingly proud and licentious society. How does this practically work out in the family? In your family?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Fathers are responsible for what goes on in their home and family; this includes the clothes your daughters wear! My daughter is not yet old enough to need rules and guidelines but I've already tried to think through some, mostly on behalf of the families in our congregation. It's actually a very difficult thing to do. So I appreciate the wisdom of these</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/2008/09/whatever-happen.html"> four guidelines from Michael Hyat</a><span style="font-family:arial;">t, who's the CEO at Thomas Nelson<span style="font-size:85%;"> [of course, I don't endorse much of anything that Thomas Nelson publishes]</span>. But first, a friend sent me a good preamble to keep us from diving off the other side:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Recognizing that God has designed women with beautiful features that should not be covered like the muslim women, consider these guidelines...</span><br /><ol style="font-family: arial;"><li>If you have trouble getting into it or out of it, it is probably not modest.<br /><br /></li><li>If you have to be careful when you sit down or bend over, it is probably not modest.<br /><br /></li><li>If people look at any part of your body before looking at your face, it is probably not modest.<br /><br /></li><li>If you can see your most private body parts or an outline of those parts under the fabric, it is probably not modest.</li></ol><span style="font-family:arial;">A couple thoughts: this list smells like Biblical wisdom to me and I appreciate that it doesn't claim a proof text for each rule, which is a dead giveaway for legalism. If you (ladies) or your wives/daughters (men) don't like it, I'd be interested in hearing why not and what guidelines you use toward modesty. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Finally, it's worth remembering that modesty isn't for women only. Anytime we pridefully draw attention to ourselves-whether it sexual or otherwise, whether it's tight clothes or prominent piercings-we are being immodest. So let's not forget to teach our sons about modesty, too. </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-84238382488988446672008-09-02T08:48:00.001-04:002008-09-02T08:51:52.450-04:00Science, Scripture, and the people stuck in the middle<span style="font-family: arial;">Recently, I had a conversation with a fellow believer, who's also a scientist, about creation, evolution and the many gray areas in between. One thing he said stuck out to me, so I thought I'd toss it out for discussion: </span><blockquote style="font-family: arial;">When the Bible and science disagree, the Bible is always right. When Christians and scientists disagree, scientists are usually right. </blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you agree? Why or why not? What the implications? </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-61776853558631436342008-08-20T05:29:00.003-04:002008-09-02T08:52:36.446-04:00Maybe the show doesn't need to go on<span style="font-family:arial;">I just read that LeRoi Moore, the brilliant saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/19/davematthews.band.death/index.html">died </a><span style="font-family:arial;">from an ATV accident. The band went ahead with their scheduled concert last night. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">One concertgoer asserts "they knew it was the right thing to do and LeRoi would have wanted it." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A thought that I've had before but never published: when I die, I don't want the show to go on. I want people to stop the regularly scheduled programming of life and think about deep things like life, death, love, hate, Jesus and salvation. I want people to be uncomfortable.<br /><br />Is there anything more typical of a culture that shudders to think about death, that refuses to measure their days, than the ridiculous notion that the "show must go on"? The dude at the concert (and he certainly was a dude) even said it wa<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">s </span></span>the <span style="font-style: italic;">right </span>thing to do--it was a moral obligation to keep the party going. We live in a world that takes every opportunity possible to push death to the shadows and boundaries of life. When death comes close, we keep the concert going when we should stop and consider, "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-82308199741069056112008-07-30T15:27:00.004-04:002008-07-30T15:57:18.333-04:00Aloha-or, how Hawaii kills push ups<span style="font-family: arial;">While many of our friends went to the RP conference at Calvin college, we went to Hawaii. They're back and we're back. But we're more tan. Plus, we swam with sea turtles. The downside, though, is twofold: I hear we missed a lot of great preaching and fellowship. And it turns out that it is physically impossible to stay on the push up routine in Hawaii. So, for all my push up buddies, I'm a week behind, maybe two. I'll let you know. </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-65753432299311010852008-07-18T21:09:00.003-04:002008-07-18T21:12:49.488-04:00pushups and other<span style="font-family:arial;">(for my push-up buddies) I wasn't able to start the push-ups until Wednesday...let me assure you that doing them three days in a row is killer. I've only been able to max a little above the minimum. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Someone asked if we could get together at the RP international conference -- alas (for you, not me) I will be in Hawaii tomorrow evening, Lord willing. This providential trip to Hawaii has cancelled our attendance at the conference. But we'll be praying for God's blessing on you who are going! </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-16556410903525913512008-07-12T07:42:00.002-04:002008-07-12T07:44:28.604-04:00The 100<span style="font-family: arial;">Here's my push-up project update--First week is completed with no snags. After the 5 sets each day, I maxed at 15, 15, then 21. How about you? </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-71648846945036381072008-07-10T14:45:00.002-04:002008-07-10T14:48:53.053-04:00Praying for Pastors, even Spurgeon<span style="font-family: arial;">I received a kind note the other day that included this from Charles Spurgeon on praying for pastors; I pass it on for the sake of your pastors, that it might encourage you to pray for them. </span><br /><blockquote style="font-family: arial;">"Brothers, pray for us!"<br />--I Thessalonians 5:25<br /><br />Today I want to remind you about the importance of praying for your ministers. In the most earnest way that I can I ask every Christian household to grant this request of the Apostle Paul on behalf of every minister of the Gospel.<br /><br />Brothers, the fact is that our work affects the eternal benefit or curse of many; the souls of men are our eternal business. A very heavy responsibility rests upon us, and we strive to be innocent of the blood of all men.<br /><br />As officers in Christ's army, we are the special point of attack of those who hate Christ. They watch for us to fall, and work to trip us up in any way they can. Our sacred calling requires us to endure certain temptations from which most are exempt. We see some go back into a life of sin, and we see millions dying without Christ. We long to be useful both to saints and sinners.<br /><br />And so, we ask you, pray for us! Your spiritual blessings come from God, and not from us; and yet, how many times has He given those blessings through His ministers. In our behalf, please pray that we may be the humble jars of clay into which the Lord may put the treasure of the gospel. On behalf of all those who are called to minister the Gospel today, I ask YOU to "Pray for us."</blockquote>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-63439044691665080162008-07-09T07:23:00.006-04:002008-07-09T07:35:53.706-04:00Because we don't kill babies for no reason<span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >George Grant has started a <a href="http://ppgi.blogspot.com/">new blog </a>exposing the genocidal legacy of Planned Parenthood. It's worth plugging into your Google Reader, if only to be reminded more regularly of the ongoing homicide bloodying the hands of our nation. This historical reminder is from a recent post:</span><br /><blockquote style="font-family: arial;">...dark and malignant seeds were already germinating just beneath the surface of the new century's soil. Josef Stalin was a twenty-one-year-old seminary student in Tiflis, a pious and serene community at the crossroads of Georgia and Ukraine. Benito Mussolini was a seventeen-year-old student teacher in the quiet suburbs of Milan. Adolf Hitler was an eleven-year-old aspiring art student in the quaint upper Austrian village of Brannan. And Margaret Sanger was a twenty-year-old out-of-sorts nursing school dropout in White Plains, New York. Who could have ever guessed on that ebulliently auspicious New Year's Day that those four youngsters would, over the span of the next century, spill more innocent blood than all the murderers, warlords, and tyrants of past history combined? Who could have ever guessed that those four youngsters would together ensure that the hopes and dreams and aspirations of the twentieth century would be smothered under the weight of holocaust, genocide, and triage?</blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">(thanks to Jeff for the link)</span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-31206591917772217262008-07-06T22:19:00.002-04:002008-07-06T22:21:36.501-04:00Quote, unquote<span style="font-family: arial;">If you go into the future, there are evil robots. If you go into the past, they don't have toilets. So, why bother?<br /><br />-Meg Morton on the philosophy of time travel</span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-92217286810949500572008-07-05T08:49:00.003-04:002008-07-05T08:52:55.752-04:00Happy Independence Day<span style="font-family:arial;">A day late, but hopefully not a dollar short, here's a great version of our national anthem.<br />May God see fit to bring this independent nation into her rightful dependence on King Jesus. </span><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QKCVS57j284&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QKCVS57j284&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-31396685351686153302008-07-03T10:14:00.003-04:002008-07-03T10:34:14.224-04:00100 push-ups project<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://hundredpushups.com/index.html">100 push-ups</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a popular strength-training program that seems quite simple to do. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I linked to it last week and asked if anyone wanted to have a go with me. Check it out if you haven't - the idea is that everyone will be able to do 100 consecutive push-ups at the end of the program, regardless of where they start.<br /><br />Anyhows, it seems a couple folks are interested, so here's the plan: if you want to do the program together (well, as together as we can be over the internet), take the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://hundredpushups.com/test.html">initial test</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> sometime today or tomorrow and reply to this post with your initial level (I'll put a comment with my level later today - we're all friends, so there's no shame here). Then I'll post my progress once a week and have everyone participating use the comment section to post their progress as well. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The more folks participate, the more fun we'll have! </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-87367826778928308892008-06-26T19:52:00.001-04:002008-06-26T19:53:22.353-04:00New links, new widget ( --> look that way --> )Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-49235354428380627152008-06-25T11:38:00.001-04:002008-06-25T11:50:09.022-04:00Justification Controversy<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The synod just passed these recommendations from a committee that was formed to study the current controversies surrounding the doctrine of justification. If you're not in on this controversy, don't worry about it - it's not really worth your time. If you know some of what's going on, you'll be interested to see where our synod now officially stands. I should also note that these recommendations were unanimously approved with no dissent.<br /><br />1. That Synod <span style="font-weight: bold;">declare </span>that we stand in solidarity with our Reformed and Presbyterian brethren in rejecting as contrary to our confessional standards the theological views that are generally associated with the movements identified as "The New Perspective(s) on Paul" and "The Federal Vision."<br /><br />2. That Synod <span style="font-weight: bold;">reaffirm </span>our commitment to the biblical, historical, and confessional, Reformed doctrine of justification - <span style="font-style: italic;">sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus - </span>which requires the imputation of the active obedience of Jesus Christ as an essential component of that righteousness which is the ground of our justification and is received by faith alone.<br /><br />3. That Synod <span style="font-weight: bold;">recommend </span>to our ministers and members the study of the reports of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Mid-America Theological Seminary (M-ARS), and the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS).<br /><br />4. That Synod <span style="font-weight: bold;">request </span>our Sessions, Presbyteries, and other examination boards to be diligent in their examinations of potential office holders as to the critical areas of theology that are associated with the new views.<br /></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-10179200912952418332008-06-24T09:21:00.002-04:002008-06-24T09:28:10.626-04:00Synod<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >The RPCNA synod began meeting last night. Keith Magill, pastor of the Elkhart congregation, preached from 2 Corinthians 11. Afterwards, Dr. Denny Prutow, professor of homiletics was elected as the new moderator. This morning, John Edgar preached from Acts 16 on the mission of church planting. More of these kinds of details can be found at the<a href="http://reformedpresbyterian.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=18&Itemid=31"> official synod blog</a>.<br /><br />If inspiration strikes, perhaps I shall publish some synodical limericks or haikus.<br /></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-52436729027731988902008-06-19T07:30:00.002-04:002008-06-19T07:48:24.935-04:00Prayer, 2Here are a few more thoughts on prayer from our recent series through the Lord's Prayer.<br /><br />First, <span style="font-weight: bold;">prayer is God-connected</span>. That connection is specifically the connection of adoption, so Jesus teaches us to approach God in prayer as our Father. It's fascinating that there is extremely little said about the Fatherhood of God in the Old Testament, but it's all over the New Testament. This points to the greatness of living in the new covenant, of following the one who tore the temple curtain in two. Also, this God-connection aspect of prayer means that prayer is inseparably connected with the gospel. In fact, we could say that prayer is living out the gospel of our adoption.<br /><br />Second, <span style="font-weight: bold;">prayer is God-centered </span>and so Jesus teaches us to orient ourselves around our great God by addressing Him not only as Father, but as our Father in heaven. An illustration may suffice to make the point: when you are getting directions from Google maps or Mapquest, you may know full well your destination, where you want to end up. But if you don't start at the right place, you're going nowhere. So it is with prayer. We may have a clear sense of what we want or need from God, but if we are so quick in prayer that we skip past praise, we have not begun in the right place.<br /><br />Third, <span style="font-weight: bold;">prayer is God-captivated</span>: our first request is "hallowed be thy name" or "make your glory more known in my life and the world." Where does the heart of adoration come from but meditation? One of the greatest passages of praise, one of the most God-captivated portions of Scripture is Romans 11:33-36 (O the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God...). how did the Apostle Paul cultivate such a God-captivated heart? Well, by meditating upon and writing about the great truths of Christ's redemption for eleven long chapters. So <span style="font-style: italic;">meditation begets adoration</span>. Deep prayer requires deep thinking.Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-20505027354140164022008-06-12T12:09:00.004-04:002008-06-12T12:21:02.309-04:00Presbyterians & Joy<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday was our bi-monthly pastors' fellowship lunch in Indianapolis. As I was driving back, I alternated between meditating on the upcoming sermon passage and reflecting on the blessings of this meeting. Here's what I came up with for the latter:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's a wonderful comfort to be in fellowship with men I can trust. This trust comes from both their personal character as well as our common subscription to our doctrinal standards. The second may seem like a little thing, but to know that these men stand in the same place I do (or, more properly, that I stand where they do) is a wonderful, presbyterian joy. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's also a wonderful humbling and instructive thing to hear godly men pray. As we split up for prayer, I found myself in a group with three other men who were each walking with Christ when I was still "behind the picture on the wall." All three prayed differently, but with each there is an almost-tangible sense of their closeness to Jesus.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Finally, it is a great blessing and boon to true fellowship to be understood. Jesus sent out his disciples two by two because solo ministry is, well, stupid. Even though most of us serve as the sole pastor in a congregation, being a presbyterian means never really being alone. It means having friends and mentors who are always available for counsel and prayer and who understand this vocation more deeply and incisively than most. </span><br /></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-2311955724127011732008-06-04T08:39:00.000-04:002008-06-04T08:43:47.358-04:00Now for something lighter<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XyQ4gwhzhCo&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XyQ4gwhzhCo&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-42507444923469369482008-06-03T14:52:00.004-04:002008-06-03T15:06:24.488-04:00Prayer, 1<span style="font-family: arial;">As 2008 approached and commenced, I wondered to God what He would have for my spiritual growth this year. At the same time, I was prayerfully considering the same question for our congregation. The four areas I have been steadily praying about since then are (1) more outreach, (2) more holiness, (3) more generosity and (4) more prayer. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Two weeks ago our sermon series came to Luke 11, where Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. At the same time in our congregation, we are beginning a new class on basic spiritual disciplines and an evening sermon discussion time. All this amounts to a lot of time this month at Immanuel RPC talking about prayer. It occurs to me that perhaps God is answering my prayer for more prayer. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In this light, I thought I might take a few blog posts to share some Biblical points and personal thoughts on prayer. For those at Immanuel, this will be review...but review makes the soil of our hearts and minds able to sustain growth. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">First, prayer must be learned. The disciples grew up in a praying culture, but yet realized how much they had to learn. Thus they asked Jesus, "teach us to pray." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Second, prayer is not natural. Certainly there is an impulse in humanity to cry out to a conceived deity. Only a very few succeed in stifling this impulse entirely. But even though we all pray, Biblical prayer, Christ-centered and Spirit-powered prayer are not natural. We are all born breathing and breathe all our lives - but as opera singers must relearn the right breathing for their art, so Christians must relearn prayer. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Third, a desire from prayer comes from keeping our eyes on Jesus. Luke the historian brings a great gift to the church in constantly revealing to us the ongoing, infinite and eternal love that exists in our Triune God. In the gospels, the Father is always pointing out the Son and providing for Him; at the same time the Son is always seeking the Father's glory and purpose. As we watch this, we are to be more than instructed: we are to be inspired. Like the disciples whose desire for prayer came from watching Jesus, so we should meditate on the majestic, Trinitarian love of Jesus for the Father. </span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-90725879869385513642008-05-06T08:44:00.003-04:002008-05-06T09:28:04.172-04:00Joyful Ministry<span style="font-family:verdana;">Sunday's sermon was from Luke 10, when Jesus sends out 70 (or 72, depending on translation) to visit various towns and prepare His way. The tone of the whole text (v. 1-24) is joy. From this joyful text, I drew out five lessons for ministry. Not just better ministry, but joyful ministry. I hope they might encourage you as you serve Christ this week. Some of you know this, but the word ministry most often simply means "service", so this should apply to every Christian.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1. <strong>Know your purpose</strong> - Jesus sent the disciples out to prepare the way for Him. So they went out to their ministry with a clear sense of purpose. The great thing here is that this is our purpose as well: whatever God has called you to, you are preparing the way for the return of Christ. Whether raising covenant children, building houses, running a company or preaching sermons, we are all working to bring all things under the lordship of Jesus in preparation for His return. What is key, then, is <em>remembering</em> it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">2. <strong>Begin with prayer</strong> - The first thing Jesus told these laborers to do? Pray for more laborers. When we pray, we give honor to Jesus as the only one who can do it. When we pray, we remember that the fields are white for harvest and we simply cannot do it all. Let's commit to this, then: beginning every ministry, every service, every day with prayer. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">3. <strong>Confidence creates vulnerability</strong> - Jesus then tells these disciples that they are going out as "lambs in the midst of wolves." A cheery thought. But then he makes it even harder by telling them, "Don't take your overnight bag or your credit cards or any extra footwear." Why this strange command? Because Jesus expects them to have such confidence in the gospel they are preaching that they are willing to be vulnerable. There is no effective and joyful service to God which doesn't require vulnerability and real risk. To be up for that risk, we must continue to develop confidence and faith in the gospel. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">4. <strong>Don't be distracted</strong> - Jesus tells them, "Don't greet anyone on the road"...not because he wants them to be rude, but because they are to be urgent in their task. What is sapping you of your sense of urgency in ministry? Where does the life and priority of the church fall in your priority scheme? Sometimes, even good things can rob us of heaven-centered urgency, like greeting someone on the road. But we must focus on Jesus and maintain the radical urgency of those who are preparing his way. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">5. <strong>Keep Jesus' sovereignty in view</strong> - Jesus finishes thier commission by telling them what to do when people accept the message (heal & proclaim the nearness of the kingdom) and when people reject the message (condemn & proclaim the nearness of the kingdom). Rather than take John and James' approach of calling down heaven's fire on the infidels, Jesus' disciples are to preach and give warning and let Jesus take care of the rebellious on the last day. Serving Christ without a conscious appreciation of his sovereignty leads to crippling failures and prideful victories.</span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-87852737554376858032008-04-28T19:28:00.005-04:002008-04-28T20:29:56.564-04:00The days are evil but my ipod isn't<span style="font-family:verdana;">A while back, I bought an 80-gig ipod. At the time, I really hoped it wouldn't be a waste of money; in fact, I had hopes of it being a help and blessing to my spiritual life. Towards that hope, I have delved into the world of podcasting: investigating, subscribing, unsubscribing and listening to a lot of different podcasts. In the end, I'm very happy with what I'm able to listen to every week. I thought some of you may be interested in this list of my regular downloads. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Preachers</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Joel Beeke</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Mark Driscoll</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Sinclair Ferguson</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Thabiti Anyabwile</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Ted Donnelly</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-R.C. Sproul (Renewing Your Mind)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Alistair Begg (Truth for Life)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Several RPCNA Pastors (see reformedvoice.com)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lectures</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Covenant seminary's church history</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Covenant seminary's preaching class</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Sovereign Grace Leadership Series</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fun/Humor</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-NPR's Car Talk</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Best of YouTube </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Culture/Music/Other </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-This American Life </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-NPR's live concert podcast</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-NPR's All Songs Considered</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-NPR's Science Friday</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Mahalo Daily</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Paste Culture Club</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-National Geographic's Wild Chronicles</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-Grammar Girl</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">What am I missing? What podcasts help you or encourage you in some way? </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-77990328028948877922008-04-17T14:28:00.005-04:002008-04-17T15:05:51.434-04:00Sermons<span style="font-family:verdana;">The internet is pretty nifty. Our sermons are hosted at sermonaudio.com, but now they have a little widget, which you should see in the right hand column under "recent sermons." Visitors to the sight will be able to listen to the sermons by simply pressing the play button. If you want to download it, you'll still need to click the title of the sermon to go to its specific page. I'll try to post our newest sermon there every week.</span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001852.post-27307666246679364672008-04-15T09:40:00.001-04:002008-04-15T09:41:55.577-04:00A Prayer for Preachers<span style="font-family:verdana;">O Spirit of God, may you then waken my mind and tongue as a loud-shouting clarion of truth, so that all may rejoice, who are united in spirit to the entire Godhead. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-St. Gregory of Nazianzus, poem 1.1.1 <em>De Filio</em></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14065742546421747652noreply@blogger.com1