Man
Deliberate living: death of spontaneity?
Does deliberate living spell death for spontaneity?
I’ve been thinking this through over the last two weeks as several people brought it up in the comments here and here. Here are my thoughts.
1) The opposite of intentionality is not spontaneity. The opposite of intentionality is traditionalism.
Traditionalism does something because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” [...]
The deliberate Christ
To be deliberate is to always move forward with the destination in mind.
Perhaps the most striking picture of the deliberate Christ is found in Luke 9:51:
“He set his face to go to Jerusalem.”
This is at least six months before his crucifixion, and yet Jesus Christ—the deliberate Christ—is moving forward with the destination in mind.
That kid [...]
Deliberate living
Every believer is responsible to conduct himself deliberately.
Let me explain what I mean.
To live deliberately is to live on purpose. It’s the opposite of letting life happen to you. It’s the opposite of going with the flow.
To be deliberate is to be careful, not careless. To be thoughtful, not thoughtless. To be deliberate is to [...]
On Christian Weddings
Dale Morgan married tonight, and as usual, I came away soured.
Twentieth-century Christian weddings are the vainest, most meaningless forms. There is no vestige of reality.
The witnesses dress for a show. The flesh is given all the place. The songs are absurd if one paid any attention to the words, but no one [...]
No place for pain
• We didn’t want to see our children go through pain, so we coddled them until they grew up to be lawless brats.
• We didn’t want to cause our friends pain, so we refused to ever confront them about their self-destructive patterns.
• We didn’t want to cause our bodies pain, so we collectively became the [...]
Abraham the Separated Dad
A couple of weeks ago I heard a [...]
The Ten Marks of a Flesh-Pleaser
I recently read this thoughtful, convicting article by 17th century English pastor Richard Baxter and want to share it here:
“The Ten Marks of a Flesh-Pleaser” by Richard Baxter
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The signs of a flesh-pleaser are these:
1. When [...]
A Great Gospel For Great Sinners
Ivan Milat is currently serving seven life sentences for murdering seven backpackers, with many other murders attributed to him. He is one of Australia’s most prolific serial killers. Now suppose Milat actually repented and trusted in Christ to forgive him. Then pretend he was miraculously released on parole. How safe would you feel this Sunday, [...]
I’ve Got Everything. Now What?
A 2007 survey of 5500 Australians aged 14 to 30 reveals: “They have greater disdain for advertising, yet are brand conscious and many actually like living with their parents. This allows them to have the best of both worlds.” … “They clearly like to spend money on the latest gadgets, going out and new clothes, but [...]
The Power of Personal Choices
At a camp a few weeks ago I brought two successive messages on the life of David.
In one message I dealt with David’s submission to Saul and in the next message, I looked at his friendship with Jonathan.
When one considers the enormous disaster Saul made of his life, it is simply remarkable that he had [...]
He Knows We’re Frail
“For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.” —Psalm 103:14
Times of difficulty and suffering remind us that we are frail.
1. We are spiritually frail. Those moments when we feel most strong and stable can be so close to those moments when we stumble and fail. We are prone to rebellion and idolatry. Our hearts [...]
Why Men Hate Going To Church
Why Men Hate Going To Church. David Murrow. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005. 248pp.
I was required to read this book and I opened it with curiosity, as I often interact with guys who have no interest in church. The short answer is that the book was frustrating but did provide a handful of practical suggestions for [...]
