A Reminder for the Generations!

This morning I did staff devotions at Emmanuel Christian School and we started with this quiz.

What is the generation name for the following birth years?  (The answers are at the end of this post)

1. Born 1996 and later.
2. Born 1977 to 1995.
3. Born 1965 to 1976.
4. Born 1946 to 1964.
5. Born 1925 to 1945
6. Born 1910 - 1924

For the Bible devotional, I used this week's Fighter Verses

Psalm 103:15 - 17.

As for man, his days are like grasshe flourishes like a flower of the field;for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more.But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear himand his righteousness to children's children,

The reference to man's days being so short is is not merely to remind men how short life is 

EVEN MORE SO it meant to remind us of how AWESOME our God is!

You can see this clearer when you read Psalm 103:1-17.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,and all that is within me,bless his holy name!Bless the Lord, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits,who forgives all your iniquitywho heals all your diseases,who redeems your life from the pitwho crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,who satisfies you with goodso that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.The Lord works righteousnessand justice for all who are oppressed.He made known his ways to Moseshis acts to the people of Israel.The Lord is merciful and gracious,slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.He will not always chidennor will he keep his anger forever.He does not deal with us according to our sinsnor repay us according to our iniquities.For as high as the heavens are above the earthso great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;as far as the east is from the west,so far does he remove our transgressions from us.As a father shows compassion to his children,so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.For he knows our framehe remembers that we are dust.As for man, his days are like grasshe flourishes like a flower of the field;for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more.BUT the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear himand his righteousness to children's children,

God, who is to be blesssed,

forgives

heals

redeems

is loving and merciful

satisfies you with good

works righteousness and justice

He does all these things forever, from generation to generation.

God's steadfast is from everlasting to everlasting on every centennial who fears him!

God's steadfast is from everlasting on every millennial who fears him!

God's steadfast is from everlasting on every Baby Boomer who fears him!

God's steadfast is from everlasting on every person in the Silent Generation who fears him!

God's steadfast is from everlasting on every person of is part of the Greatest Generation who fears him!

Answers:

1. iGen, Gen Z or Centennials: Born 1996 and later.
2. Millennials or Gen Y: Born 1977 to 1995.
3. Generation X: Born 1965 to 1976.
4. Baby Boomers: Born 1946 to 1964.
5. Traditionalists or Silent Generation: Born 1925 to 1945
6. Greatest generations:  born 1910 - 1924

When Doctrinal Error Becomes Entertainment

Why do you watch the movies and TV shows you watch?
Why do you read the books you read?
Why do you listen to the music you listen to?
Do you realize that entertainment is much more than entertainment?

Writing about “entertainment” choices is tricky because many “entertainment” choices touch our hearts.  They make us feel good.  “Entertainment” choices also impact our thinking.  They educate us.  I have used quotation marks with the word entertainment because what we watch or listen to is usually so much more than mere amusement.  It is my prayer that each of us would carefully consider our entertainment choices in light of Scripture.

“The Shack,” a  movie coming out on March 3, is based on William P. Young’s 2007, best-selling (20 million) book.  There has been much written about the book and the upcoming movie.  Tim Challies wrote a 13-page review that deals with specific doctrinal errors the book contains.  I would strongly recommend reading this review.  One of the most important sections of the review is on Scripture & Revelation.  One of the two biggest problems in the book and thus the movie is the downplaying of Scripture and the overemphasizes of personal experience.  Challies writes “When we admit God has not, in the Bible, said all that He needs to say to us, we open the doors for all manner of new revelation much of which may contradict the Bible.”

In “The Shack,”  Young tells the tragic story of Mack and the subsequent renewal of his faith through an experience at the same shack where his murdered daughter’s clothes were found.  At the shack, Mack has a face-to-face encounter with God the Father – a woman, God the Son – a middle-aged man and “God the Holy Spirit” – a woman.  This representation of each part of the Trinity in human form is the second major problem with the book and especially the movie.  

In another post about the movie, Challies writes this “to portray the Spirit is to vastly misrepresent the Spirit; to portray the Spirit is to blaspheme the Spirit.”  The same could be said of portraying God the Father. I understand this post may not keep you from watching “The Shack.”  I also know that as a pastor of a local church it is my responsibility to equip the church to think and act Biblically.  

I am writing this post, not as a slam against a movie but rather out of a desire to make much of God and a desire to help others make much of God.

At the beginning of this post I tried to explain the challenge of writing about “entertainment.”
I know people who have read “The Shack” and said, “It is just a book.”
I also know people who have read “The Shack” and said, “It is a great book that gave me a different perspective of God.”

Here is a quote to consider...

Self - Esteem: Looking Up Instead of Looking Inside

Last month, Mom's Matter was going to cover the topic of self-esteem
but the meeting was canceled because of bad weather.

This month the moms will receive a copy of the booklet Self Esteem.

I wanted to share  a couple of things I was planning to share in January.

Leslie Vernick "Instead of looking to God to tell us who we are, as fallen human beings we seek external sources to tell us who we are.  When we do that, instead of feeling secure and loved, we become self-concious, self-focused, self-centered, and self-absorbed."  (p. 7)

The booklet goes on to address two big ideas:
The six false voices we allow to define our value and worth
The one way we are truly changed.

As part of my message I was going to share a personal experience in which God used His Word to change my thinking from self-focused to God-focused.
Here are two blog posts where I shared this time.

Part 1:  God spoke to me today!
Part 2:  Blessed by a forgotten Bible reading!

Now I want to remind parents of an important very practical point.
We need to model this God-focused thinking to our children AND we need to help them think this way.

Here is a quote and some Bible verses to help parents do this and teach this...
"How God thinks of us is not only more important [than how we think of him], but infinitely more important."  C.S. Lewis
Psalm 8:3-6
Psalm 139
Romans 5:6-8
Ephesians 1:4-5

Here is the bottom line.
All of us are worshippers.
Who are you worshipping?
Who are you training your children to worship?

Watch this video...

False Gods - A Gospel Principle for Parents, by Paul Tripp from Paul David Tripp on Vimeo.

Life is hard. We need a community of love.

Here are some questions and thoughts for you and your small group to think about.

What is the context of the imperatives?  Here are some questions to help you think about this.

• Who are we and what has God done for us through Jesus?
• Is Romans 12:1-8 written to an individual or a group?  Why is this important?

New Morning Mercies from July 12.

Life in this fallen world is hard. 
That’s why you need a community of love.

One of the themes that courses through the New Testament and is a repeated theme of this devotional is that your walk with God is designed by God to be a community project. Anonymous, consumerist, isolated, independent, self-sufficient, “Jesus and me” Christianity is a distant and distorted facsimile of the faith of the New Testament. You and I simply were not created (“ It is not good that the man should be alone”; Gen. 2: 18) or re-created in Jesus Christ (“ For the body does not consist of one member but of many”; 1 Cor. 12: 14) to live all by ourselves. The biblical word pictures of the temple (stones joined together to be a place where God dwells) and body (each member dependent on the function of the other) decimate any idea that healthy Christianity can live outside of this essential community. Yet many, many believers live their lives with a huge separation between their public church personas and the details of their private existence. We are skilled at brief, nonpersonal conversations about the weather, sports, and politics. We are learned at giving either nonanswers or spiritually platitudinous answers to people’s questions. We live in long-term networks of terminally casual relationships. No one really knows us beneath the well-crafted public display, and because they don’t know us, they cannot minister to us, because no one can minister to that which he does not know. Moreover, we think we know ourselves and we think we’re okay, forgetting the blinding power of sin. That’s why

Yet many, many believers live their lives with a huge separation between their public church personas and the details of their private existence. We are skilled at brief, nonpersonal conversations about the weather, sports, and politics. We are learned at giving either nonanswers or spiritually platitudinous answers to people’s questions. We live in long-term networks of terminally casual relationships. No one really knows us beneath the well-crafted public display, and because they don’t know us, they cannot minister to us, because no one can minister to that which he does not know. Moreover, we think we know ourselves and we think we’re okay, forgetting the blinding power of sin. That’s why

Moreover, we think we know ourselves and we think we’re okay, forgetting the blinding power of sin. That’s why church is, for many of us, nothing more than a thing to attend on Sunday.  Church is a formal set of activities.  Church is a buffet of regularly scheduled, demographically designed religious offerings.  Church is a place where music can be enjoyed and sermons can be heard. Church is what connects us to worldwide missions. Church provides wholesome activities for our children. But church isn’t an interdependent, webbed-together community of personally focused love and grace for us all.

But the Bible is clear. When each part is working properly, the body of Christ grows to maturity in Christ (see Ephesians 4). We each need to live in an intentionally intrusive, Christ-centered, grace-driven redemptive community. This community is meant to enlighten and protect. It is meant to motivate and encourage. It is meant to rescue and restore. It is meant to instill hope and courage. It is meant to confront and rebuke. It is meant to guide and protect. It is meant to give vision and sound warnings. It is meant to incarnate the love and grace of Jesus when you feel discouraged and alone. It is meant to be a visible representation of the grace of Jesus that is your hope. It is not a luxury. It is a spiritual necessity. The question is, “Are you webbed in?” For further study and encouragement: Romans 12

Tripp, Paul David. New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional (p. 194). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Memorizing, Praying and Reading!

Three Disciplines each and every one of us need to grow in our Bible Memory, Prayer and Bible Reading. 
There are many different resources that can help you with these disciplines.
Below are some helpful, free online resources. 
If you have some other resources you use, please post them in the comments section. 




NEXT steps which includes PRAYER helps

• Downloadable Booklet and explanation video 
• Posts related to the sections of the NEXT step 

BIBLE READING plans

• The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible 
• 52 week Bible reading plan based on genres 
• Read the Bible with the Bible Project with a downloadable plan and videos that summarize sections of the Bible.

Fighter Verses for BIBLE MEMORY

• Weekly Devotionals
• Tips on Memorization
• Downloadable 2017 Fighter Verse bookmarks
• Occasional post on the Emmanuel Baptist Church blog about Fighter Verses .

Blessed by a Forgotten Bible Reading!!!

Yes, I was blessed by not reading a suggested Bible reading. 
I want you to know that I am not suggesting Regular Neglect as a devotional strategy.

Yesterday, I posted about how God spoke to me through the Bible.  
Click HERE to read that post.

Here is one part of that post...

God spoke to me through His Word.

Through Bible verses I was memorizing while serving the children and families at EBC.

Through Bible verses I found on my youversion app.

Through Bible verses I skipped over in my morning devotions.  I will share this encouraging story tomorrow.

Here is how God used Bible verses I didn't read to bless me.  

As I mentioned yesterday, I did a search for the word "trouble" in my Bible app (youversion) and many verses showed up.
I noticed FOUR verses came from the same chapter, Psalm 107.

I read these verses and the entire chapter and it was a great encouragement.

I noted some things in my journal Bible and texted the picture above to Krista with the following message

Here is some of the stuff I have been doing and reading.  Check out Psalm 107.  Look for things repeated.

She responded back

Yes!  I read this the other day!  And give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing Love and wonderful deeds toward men is repeated!  I love vs. 43 too!!

What?  She read the same Psalm the other day in her devotional time.
She did, and maybe you did, if you are using New Morning Mercies for your devotional time.

We have been reading New Morning Mercies as a family in the morning at breakfast.
The morning of January 10 was a difficult morning.
We were running behind.  So I quickly read the devotional but didn't take the time to read the Bible passage, not a proud moment for a pastor of children and family ministry.

Here is the Devotional from January 10, note the "For further study and encouragement"

The DNA of joy is thankfulness. 

Have you noticed that entitled, complaining people don’t happen to be very joyful? 

I wish I always 

carried it with me. 

I wished it always 

shaped the way 

I look at life. 

I wish it directed 

my desires. 

I wish it was 

the natural inclination of 

my heart. 

I wish remembering 

your boundless grace 

would silence 

my grumbling. 

I wish 

my worship of you, 

my trust of you, 

my rest in you 

would drive away

all complaint. 

If my heart is ever 

going to be freed of 

grumbling 

and ruled by gratitude, 

I need your grace: 

grace to remember, 

grace to see, 

grace that produces 

a heart of humble joy. 

For further study and encouragement: Psalm 107

I really needed to hear the truth is Psalm 107.  I am thankful for how He used so many different ways to help me get there.

These kind of connections in my Bible reading don't always happen.
But being in the Word of God consistently provides the opportunity for times like this to happen.

God spoke to me today!!

God spoke to me today...

Let me explain.  God spoke to me today through various Bible verses.
I want to explain how God used His Word to encourage me today.

There is a lot of stuff going on right now in my family.
I received some really hard news this week and have been trying to process it.

So I told Krista I was going to go somewhere for coffee and journalling time.
Here is what I intended to do.  Take a piece of paper and list out specific problems/challenges/troubles before my family.  I was going to have kind of a pity party on paper.

That didn't happen.
Here is what really happened.

As I was getting ready to write down problems/challenges/troubles, God spoke to me.
God spoke to me through a verse I have been memorizing with the children in our children's ministry.
I was reminded of Isaiah 40:8.
The grass withers
the flower fades
But the Word of God will stand forever.

Did I want to take the time to focus on those problems/challenges/troubles
that will fade away

OR

Did I want to take the time to focus on that which will stand forever?

I want to focus my mind on forever - God and His Word.

Then, I took out my paper and made this.

My attempt at "artistic" Bible study.

Let me explain.

I wrote the words "problem," "trouble" and "challenge" all over that middle section IN PENCIL because many of the things we are facing now will not be problems in a month, a year or ten years.
They will fade.

Then I drew the thick black line with God more than visible through it.

Next, I used my youversion Bible app to look up verses about trouble.  Seven verses caught my attention.  Four of them because they were from the same chapter.

Psalm 107: 6, 13, 19 and 28 really hit home.

They cried to the LORD in their trouble and 

He delivered them from their distress.

This journaling Bible was a gift from Pastor Duke and the church
at my recent ordination service

Throughout this same Psalm the writer repeats the idea of remembering God's steadfast love.

In Isaiah 40 and Psalm 107 I saw and on my piece of paper I wanted to show God's love and power.

From the top to the bottom,

From the beginning to the end,

I need to remember who God is...
HE IS OUR REFUGE
HE IS OUR PEACE

HE IS OUR HELP 

HE IS OUR SALVATION

HE IS THE ONE WHO SATISFIES.

God spoke to me through His Word.

Through Bible verses I was memorizing while serving the children and families at EBC.

Through Bible verses I found on my youversion app.

Through Bible verses I skipped over in my morning devotions.  To read this story click HERE

And finally God spoke to me through His Word.  

Through Bible verses and Biblical truth in songs I have listened to.

"That Where I Am" by Rich Mullins.  You can hear a short sample HERE 

"Oh How I Need You" by All Sons and Daughters

Whoever is wise, 
let him attend to these things,
let them consider 
the steadfast love of God
Psalm 107:43

So this is how God used some really challenging circumstance, about 30 minutes of time with a Bible, a notebook, a pen, a pencil and a Bible app to remind me of what a GREAT GOD I am trusting in.

Are the problems/troubles/challenges still there?  Yes!
And so is the truth of John 16:33
"In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world."

I heard about this idea of God speaking to me through the Bible at Desiring God.  Click HERE for the post "I Heard God This Morning"

Benefits of Small Groups

Disclaimer #1:  I am the pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church's Soul Care ministry, which is our small group ministry.  This fact should not disqualify me from sharing how much I enjoy our small groups.

Disclaimer #2:  I am in no way, shape or form saying that you will have these same small group experiences

Over the last several years we have really enjoyed leading small groups in our home.  We have been blessed with opportunities to continue learning and growing with a family we have been with for years.  We have also been blessed to meet new friends.

I want to share five different blessings I have received through Soul Care this past year.

• Meeting new members.  On several different occasions we have gotten to know individuals even better through Soul Care before they became members of our church. 

This pile of shoes has the footwear of old and new members
of our Soul Care group

• Hearing from a parent that their child asked when Soul Care starts up again.  We do something in our Soul Care groups that might be a little unique.  We have everyone, children and adults, meet together for a short devotional usually based on Sunday's lesson.  The children then have some time to play together as the parents look at what they are studying that night. 

• Great meal times.  We have had some great conversation and fun (water guns and can jam) over a meal at someone's house.  
    

• A trip to North Carolina.  Now this one is a little extreme but it was an extreme blessing to me.  Former members of one of our groups moved to North Carolina.  Recently we had the amazing opportunity to visit them.  And while it was great that I had the opportunity to go to a Duke basketball game with Ryan, even more than that it was AWESOME having a relaxing, fun time with the Takenaga family. 

 

• Personal Spiritual Growth.  Finally, and most importantly, I have really enjoy growing alongside brothers and sisters in Christ.  The most recent ONWARD study we did was particularly helpful.  

One of the best things I have appreciated over the last several years is getting to know new people through our small groups.  We have also been able to maintain some great friendships over the years also.

My God is so BIG!!! (Isaiah 40)

If you committed to reading the Bible this year, you probably haven't gotten to far behind in your reading plan only 5 days in BUT you probably will get behind whether it's a Bible reading plan and/or daily devotions.

I am writing this blog to remind myself and others of one specific way God used Bible plans to help and encourage me.

Here at the beginning of the year I want to encourage you to be in the Word. 

By being in the Word I mean...

devotions 

scripture memory

reading biblical articles and books. 

January 4th, God brought all of these things together to encourage and challenge me to remember how great He is!

I wrote a post on our church blog about my Bible reading and memory yesterday.  Here is the post...

Isaiah 40 begins with these words “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” 
God wants to comfort us HIS WAY not our ways!

This week’s Fighter Verse Isaiah 40:8 reminds us “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.”

In your prayer this week take time to meditate upon this truth “The Word of our God will stand forever.”  
God and His truth will be around long after the struggles you are going through right now.

Meditate on the truths in Isaiah 40.

• Read the chapter.
• If you have a copy of New Morning Mercies the devotional begins with this statement:  "The best theology will not remove mystery from your life, so rest is found in trusting the One who rules, is all, and knows no mystery."  You will also notice the additional reading is from Isaiah 40.
• Check out this week’s Fighter Verse devotional at http://fighterverses.com/set-2-core-esv/week-1/.  It is Isaiah 40:8 which is also the memory verse for the 1st through 3rd grade class I am teaching.  "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."

So there you have God bringing my devotional time and scripture memory together.  

Now what about the "reading biblical articles and books?"

As I was reading Isaiah 40 and these resources I was reminded of an article I read online awhile ago entitled "Why Christians miss the point of one of their favorite verses."  The article was about Isaiah 40:31

Click on the picture to read the article

From the article

When read in isolation, Isaiah 40:31 loses this incredible potency, the Bible verse equivalent of a hang-in-there cat. But this verse is no wish fulfillment or message of personal empowerment. The entirety of Isaiah 40 proves God’s ability to keep the promise he makes in verse 31. This is a promise banked on the immense credit of God’s strength, will, and faithfulness. When you read this familiar verse in context, there can be no doubt: the God who made this promise is able to keep it.

Why do I journal? - Journaling part 2

You may be thinking "I was nervous enough about the ONE 'talk' I needed to have.  Now you tell me there are THREE!!"

Yes, three talks but here is something really important to remember about these talks.
They are not "one and done" types of talks.   They are ongoing talks and we want to provide resources for you to have each of these conversations with your children.  

We are going to take part of our next three parenting classes to go through each of these topics.  We will provide you with some great resources and talking points each week.

These topics are for any one who wants to help their child or children grow in their relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

• Talk about Salvation, which we will be talking about on January 8th in our parenting class.

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Grearr
How to Lead Your Child to Christ by Nancy Machowski

• Talk about Worship, which we will be talking about January 15th in our parenting class.

Ten Unexpected Man-Centered Causes of Family Tension by Sam Crabtree
Family Worship by Donald S. Whitney

• Talk about Relationships and Sexuality, which we will be talking about on January 22nd in our parenting class.

Time for the Talk by Zollos

Hope in 2016, 2017 and beyond

Originally posted at emmanuelbaptist.com/blog

Actually the title of this post should be "Hope in Jesus Christ while living in 2016, 2017 and Beyond." Emmanuel Baptist Church's theme for 2017 is Transformation.  

We know that true, life-long transformation comes only through Jesus Christ.
As we come to the end of 2016 and get ready for 2017, we need to focus on Jesus Christ. 
Not the recent election. 
Not the upcoming presidential term. 
Not Hollywood and the deaths of celebrities in 2016. 
Not new cutting edge technology. 
Not our circumstances. 

We need to focus on the only one who saves us from sin and gives us new life. JESUS CHRIST! Here is the Hope-filled, December 30 devotional from New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.

Corporate worship is designed to instill vertical hope where horizontal hope has been dashed.

One of the themes of this devotional is hope. Every human being is hardwired for and concerned about hope. We’re all in a constant search for hope that delivers and lasts. We’re all a bit discouraged and paralyzed when our hopes are dashed. When one hope dies, we grab hold of another hope as fast as we can.

The Bible is a hope story. It is about hope misplaced and hope found. It’s about hope that cannot deliver and hope that gives you everything that you need. It’s about where not to look for hope and the only place where true hope can be found. The great hope drama of the Bible is summarized by a few very important words that are buried in the middle of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Rom. 5: 1– 5)

Notice what Paul does here:

• He connects our hope to our justification. We have hope because, by grace, we have been forgiven and accepted by the One who holds everything we need.
• He connects our hope to the glory of God. Our hope is that God will complete his work, getting the glory that is his due. His glory is our good.
• He connects our hope to our sufferings. There is even hope in suffering because in that suffering the God who is our hope is doing good things in us and for us.
• He says that our vertical hope (hope in God) will never put us to shame. This means that all other forms of hope fail us in some way. Hope in created things never delivers what hope in the Creator can.
• He connects our hope to the Holy Spirit who lives inside us. Here is the ultimate reason that you and I have hope— God has made us the address where he lives. This means that the One who can do more than we are able to conceive of is constantly with us and constantly working on our behalf.

Now, that’s hope! As you worship God with other believers and hear the truths of his Word proclaimed, your hope will be rekindled.

For further study and encouragement: Hebrews 6: 9– 20

Why do I journal? - Journaling pt. 1

In challenging times, journalling 

Mouths & Fingers of Mission, Not Destruction - Fighter Verses

Today's Fighter Verses are Psalm 141:3-4.

The link to the devotional is below.
But I wanted to add two thoughts before you read it.  

First, from this past Sunday's message:  Pastor Duke said "If your obedience is lacking, look at your worship."  There is a connection between this quote and this week's Fighter verses.  

If you are having trouble controlling your words, it is not only a tongue problem.  It is a worship problem. If you are argumentative and defensive all the time, you have a worship problem.
If you use words that are not wholesome and encouraging, you have a worship problem.
If you put others down to make yourself look good, you have a worship problem. 

Second, "words" come not only from the mouth but also from the fingers. 
All of these thoughts need to used to evaluate the words we speak and the words we post. Here is the devotional.

Check out the devotional -  http://fighterverses.com/blog-post/mouths-of-mission-not-destruction-ps-1413-4/ 

Choosing Books Wisely! (Glorifying God in our reading choices)

Why write this blog?

I love my church and I don’t mean the building.  I mean the people!
I want them to grow in the truth of God’s word.
In our media saturated culture we are being bombarded with so many ideas.The blatantly anti-Christian ones are easy to avoid.
But the subtle, almost Biblical ones slowly change one’s thinking.
I don’t want any of us to be deceived by the philosophies of this age.
As one of your pastors I also have the God-given responsibility to help you grow in godliness.

INTRODUCTION:When you are looking for a book to read do you choose books that twist Scriptures to fit your political agenda or ones that show God’s sovereignty?
Do you choose books that pull at your heart strings and make you feel good about yourself or heaven?
Or do you read books that cut to your heart and convict and challenge?

How do you pick the books you read?  And it is my prayer that you read.

To begin this blog about books I want to recommend a book.  Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES:

Lit! is a great resource book with chapters on tips for reading, Christian imagination, raising readers, marking up your books.

In the chapter Read With Resolve, Reinke gives six priorities for his reading:

1. Read Scripture
2. Read to know and delight in Christ
3. Read to kindle spiritual reflection
4. Read to initiate personal change
5. Read to pursue vocational excellence
6. Read to enjoy a good story

After reading the Scripture every other type of reading should be done in light of Scripture.
This doesn’t mean only read Christian books he goes on to explain some of the benefits of reading non-Christian books.
A couple of these are:  highlighting common life experiences; exposing the human heart; capturing beauty; begging questions that can only be resolved in Christ.

With these principles in mind, I want to address some of my concerns in contemporary Christian literature.

THE FUTURE AND HEAVEN ARE REALLY POPULAR:

The future and heaven are always very hot topics.
Books using one Old Testament verse or story from Scripture to explain what is wrong with America and what is going to happen here is NOT what scripture is for.
Old Testament prophecies were given to bring God the glory that He so rightfully deserves.  In our day, we use these same prophecies to fit the United States into scripture or to discover some kind of hidden secret knowledge.
If someone writes a book and has to explain why he is the first person to see this in the Bible, it is not a book worth reading.

Books about individuals near death or death experiences in heaven or hell put peoples experience at or near the authority of scripture.  These books usually present extra-biblical details about heaven.  Bottomline:  Heaven is about God and Jesus.
I smile when people say “I cannot wait to get to heaven because I will see so and so” or “I cannot wait to get to heaven because I have some questions for him.”

THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE IS QUESTIONED:

Books that seem to place the writer’s word at an authoritative level need to be carefully examined.  Scripture is God’s word and our authority.  Anything that tries to add to God’s word, whether written as journal, poem, song or fictional story needs to be avoided.

SOME ONLINE RESOURCES RELATED TO DISCERNMENT:

By Gary Gilley
www.svchapel.org/resources/book-reviews

Tim Challies
www.discerningreader.com
www.challies.com
I have included three specific Tim Challies reviews.
I choose these three books because they have been best sellers for an extended period of time.
Review of Heaven is for Real:  hwww.challies.com/book-reviews/heaven-is-for-real/
Review of Harbinger: www.challies.com/book-reviews/the-ancient-mystery-that-holds-the-secret-of-americas-future
Review of Jesus Calling: www.challies.com/book-reviews/jesus-calling

While I (Pastor Dave) have written this specific blog, I know it is the prayer of each pastor to see members of Emmanuel Baptist Church grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  Reading good books help in this process.

I love it when the unplanned comes together!!

I love the 1980's.  The mullet, poor computer game graphics, parachute pants and cheesy TV shows.
There was one show that almost always ended with the phrase "I love it when a plan comes together."  

Well, this morning (11.22) I changed that phrase to...
"I love it when the unplanned comes together!!"  

Let me explain why..

•  Today,November 22’s New Morning Mercies was a great reminder.  Here is part of the devotional.  “How could you not have all that you need when your Savior has promised not to withhold any good thing from you?”  The verses included are Psalm 84:11 and Matthew 6:25-32.
• This past Sunday’s sermon reminded us to live a life of praising God not pride in yourself.  With the 1^st through 3^rd grade kids we talked about not living a paradox. Click HERE for some family devotional helps!  We did a thankful activity with the kids.
•  This week’s Fighter Verse devotional “When we trust in [God], our verses, Psalm 125:1-2, tell us that we become strong and steady and faithful too – and can be compared, like our Lord, to a strong mountain which cannot be moved!  We are no longer moved because we trust in the only God who cannot be moved.  And His Spirit in us gives us the strength and steadiness required of us in any circumstances!  What a marvelous promise and provision!!  Such a promise affects every single day of our lives – every difficult situation in which we find ourselves.”   Click HERE for the full devotional!
• Even a mistake, reading the wrong week's Fighter Verse, Proverbs 3:5 -7 from the week of October 23, was a blessing.  "If you’re convinced something is a need and God does not deliver it, you begin to question his goodness. What is deadly about questioning God’s goodness is that you tend not to run for help to someone you doubt. Misnamed “needs” can be devastating to your communion with God."  Click HERE for the full devotional.

God has used these four things to remind me that at Thanksgiving time we need to thankful first and foremost for GOD!  

God, himself and then the things he has provided.

When we are more thankful for what is provided than the ONE WHO PROVIDES, 

we are idolaters

we become more and more unsatisfied.