In no particular order:

Online Texts

http://www.ccel.org/

http://www.monergism.com/

Online Audio

http://www.sermonaudio.com

http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/

Ministries

http://www.desiringgod.org/

http://www.gty.org/

Blogs

http://triablogue.blogspot.com

http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/

http://www.9marks.org/blog/

http://teampyro.blogspot.com

Radomly

This made me chuckle, so I decided to throw it in.

Have you ever experienced this?  Life has many of these moments.  Valuable personal possessions are broken, lost, or stolen.   As a child, you may be inconsolable.  As an adult (and/or parent), you need a Biblical framework for dealing with the loss of personal possessions.

The overarching principle is that God owns everything.  Understanding and applying this principle will free you from any sense of loss or emotional attachment to your possessions.   Have you ever noticed how young siblings fight over possession of toys?  I think that’s an unmasked example of how we can respond to God’s ownership of everything.  Like a toddler, we didn’t purchase the toy – but we think that it’s exclusively our own possession.  Not so.  God owns everything.

God promises to give you what you need. I have always been fascinated by God’s miraculous provision for the Jewish people in the desert.  The portions were exactly what the tribes needed to survive.  In the New Testament, Jesus talks about the Creator’s care over Creation and His greater care for us.  I like this paraphrase of Matthew 6: “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”  Practice a greater affection for things that really matter. Have you ever met someone who was consumed with a hobby?  I mean really consumed.   If you love cars or collectibles – how much more should you love things of eternal value?

And finally – You can’t take it with you. The discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb was remarkable for one reason – thieves hadn’t plundered the tomb.  The boy king had all the symbols of royal power to accompany him into the afterlife.  We marvel at his wealth – but he couldn’t take it with him. One of the biggest problems we have is that we place too much value on our personal possessions.

Are your possessions enabling greater effectiveness for the Kingdom or are they robbing you of opportunities?  Think about it.

JK

My childhood Velcro wallet carried somewhere between five and ten dollars (birthday and excursion money) and some membership discount cards. Our “grown up” wallet contains a driver’s license, credit cards, and other forms of identification (Medicare, etc). Four weeks ago, we lost one of our primary wallets. In the age of identity theft, a missing wallet is a frustrating experience.

Have you experienced this kind of frustration? Remember to keep your perspective. In God’s providence, this is a minor problem. You can quickly change your attitude if you thank God for five things that He has provided for you.

Don’t dwell on the frustration. The Flagellants practiced self-mutilation in their misguided zeal to show repentance and humility. Dwelling on the frustration leads to selfishness and possible vindictiveness. Resolve the problem and move on.

Last week, we came home to find a brown paper bag in the mailbox with the intact wallet inside! There was no other notification in the bag so I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Good Samaritan who returned the wallet. God has a purpose and a plan for responding to minor frustrations. Regardless of the outcome – let’s put Christianity into practice!

But I like this classic story from the 2002 games.  Australian skater Steven Bradbury had toiled without success since 1994.  Then in 2002 Bradbury made it to the semi-final of the 1000-meter short track, where he followed in last place until the other competitors crashed, enabling him to qualify for the final.

In the final, he again remained well behind until the last lap, when something extraordinary happened:

That’s how Australia won its first gold medal in the Winter Olympics.  Most thought it was a funny outcome, and a few suggested it was undeserved.  Bradbury was circumspect: “I don’t think I’ll take the medal as the minute-and-a-half of the race I actually won. I’ll take it as the last decade of the hard slog I put in.”

He really did slog it out.  Bradbury had lost four litres of blood when another skater sliced through his thigh in 1998.  In 2000 he broke his neck in a collision while training.  After his victory, the media dubbed him “the last man standing” — he persevered to the end.

This story inspires me because it reminds me of the Gospel, in three ways:

1. Bradbury’s win felt like a reward for his long struggle.  In contrast, we have never deserved to win God’s favour.  Our salvation is not a reward for our efforts, “so that no one may boast.” *  But God has graciously  placed us on the gold medal platform, giving us victory over sin and death.
2. If you win entrance into heaven, this is not by chance or luck.  God actually “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” *  He always intended for you to win!
3. Like Bradbury, we must also strive and suffer, but for different ends.  We strive for holiness and suffer for righteousness’ sake.  It’s a hard slog to live by faith — but the victory is worth it:

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” *

* Ephesians 2:8, I Corinthians 9:25

Last week, I drank a mixture of kiwi fruit, banana, apple and guava that promised “wellness” and the “balance of the mind and soul.”  (For what it’s worth – I think that the bacon, sausage and mushrooms led an insurgency against the wellness).

Entertainment is like eating.  There are so many choices and everyone has a different preference.   For the purpose of this post – we need to assume that you are making wise choices in the nature and quality of your entertainment.  The purpose of this post is to make good entertainment even better!

1. What are you learning from your entertainment? Entertainment is a powerful teacher.    Avatar is an excellent example of wrapping a simple, erroneous lesson into an exciting technology.  The primary value of watching Avatar is to identify and discuss the message.  Other forms of entertainment can reinforce positive traits such as patience and diligence.
2. Would someone benefit from joining you? I am thankful to my friends for inviting me to play golf and basketball.  The camaraderie was excellent – the experience was humbling.  Can you invite someone to share in your passions?  Will it encourage them spiritually?  I have a friend who never watches sport alone.  He always uses the event to build relationships.  I think that’s a great idea.
3. What are your loved ones learning from the amount of time and money you spend on your entertainment choices? There are two parts to this issue – time and money.  Your employer values your time.  You need to value your time.  Choose to spend time with your loved ones. Don’t make the tragic mistake of spending lavish amounts on good entertainment while failing to provide for basic necessities.  You can’t swap eleven months of financial pressure in the home for one week of a dream holiday.
4. Are you improving or dreaming about the potential? I once went to a Triton display to learn about all the tools I could purchase for making quality furniture.  After the display, I was impressed with the product but disheartened by the process.  I could see that it would take weeks to produce a simple box that I could purchase at IKEA for ten kronor.  We’ve all purchased something with the intent of turning it into a great hobby.  Is it time to put it on Ebay?
5. Try something different. Two years ago, my wife and I took art lessons.  I’ll be honest and say that I was the only man in the class.   However, I learned so much about colour, perspective, and the process of creating oil paintings.  Go out of your comfort zone and learn a completely new skill.

Here’s the bottom line: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).”  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  God has made us to delight in Him and to enjoy His creation.  How can you make your entertainment choices even better?

Now go to your church website.  Are you embarrassed by poor web design, stale content, and the promise of new features in 2006?  Here are some suggestions to be the change for a vital element of your church’s public ministry:

1. Be gracious. Most church websites are designed and maintained by volunteers.  You need to treat their time and effort sincerely.  Offer to work alongside them if there is someone who is currently maintaining the website.
2. Use established technologies. For small to medium-sized churches, I believe that a church website maintained through Facebook or WordPress is more appropriate than a church website built from the ground up.  If you are a large community, pay a development team to design and implement your website.  Budget for $5000-$10,000 (that’s the price of a church sign and you’ll get much greater exposure from the website).
3. Build the website for the people you are trying to communicate with. I like dividing the church website into 1) a site that explains faith and the mission of the church for all visitors and 2) a site that informs people in the church community.
4. It’s time to use video. In the Youtube era, using video to communicate the message of the church is a great way to consolidate your information and to emphasize relationships.   Here’s a thought – in addition to your statement of faith – why don’t you produce a podcast with the minister talking through the statement and its relevance to daily faith and practice?
5. Quality over Quantity. Not introducing a new feature on your website is better than promising and not delivering.  One quality web page is better than several mediocre pages.  Death to the animated gif!
6. Explain the terms. Christianity is full of words that only Christians understand.  A glossary (or wiki) would be helpful for the unchurched looking for a church and for Christians looking for a new church.
7. Understand and implement major trends. You would create quite a stir if you came into church wearing polyester bell-bottoms and lamb-chop sideburns.  An aesthetically pleasing website informs visitors that you care about communicating clearly with them without distraction.
8. Keep the “basics” prominent. Visitors need to know the basics.  What’s the contact phone number & email address?  When are your services?  What time are you meeting?  This information should be current and prominent on your website.
9. How do I find you on Google? Make sure your website is optimised for search engines.  If Google & Bing can’t find you – your visitors won’t be able to either.

There are many reasons why the church website can be neglected.  Don’t be another reason why it hasn’t been updated.

Praying in the Holy Spirit

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God…” (Jude 20-21)

One way you can keep conscious of God’s love is when you pray in the Holy Spirit.  This phrase is unique in the New Testament and it means to pray “so that the Holy Spirit is the moving and guiding power.” *  He enables you to pray and gives you direction in your talk with God.  How does this happen?

The Spirit enables you as you trust in the truths of God’s Word.  When the word of Christ dwells richly in you, the Holy Spirit works powerfully in you. (Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:18)

Most Christians tend to come to God with needs such as health, work, safety, children, a reliable car, and so on.  These are natural prayer requests — and there are millions of unbelievers who pray sincerely to their gods with these same requests!  But when you pray from the Bible, the Holy Spirit shapes your desires into something different.  You become more passionate for what God wants overall, for Jesus to be exalted through your health or work or family, and for others to know Him.

Praying with an open Bible

I believe the main method for prayer is to pray the Word: to read the Word and turn it into prayer as you go.  Reading the Word in prayer helps you to draw from the Holy Spirit’s power and direction.  After ten years of struggling to concentrate in prayer, George Muller was transformed by this practice:

“…the first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the word of God, searching…to get blessing out of it.  …The result I have found…that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not…give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.” *

The best way to learn is through the prayers of the Bible.  Starting with the Lord’s prayer, there are many prayers in the New Testament you can pray concerning yourself or others.  The Psalms are also an excellent text for prayer.  Talking with God is not natural communication but by grace, it is communication that you can learn.

* From “The Practice of Prayer in the Fight for Joy,” When I Don’t Desire God (John Piper)

Consider these principles:

1)      Ask yourself: “why do I want to read this book?” Answering this question succinctly will help you to clarify your initial purpose for reading the book.  If someone gives you a book, write down their recommendation in the front cover.  A clear purpose will also give you a context for reading (on holidays, after dinner, before bed, etc).

2)      Find the big idea. Most devotional authors have one big idea.  Publishers force authors to elongate 20-30 pages of excellent text into 200 pages of washed out text (it’s like getting to the 45 minute mark in the sermon and the speaker says “that was just my introduction”).  If the big idea inspires you – read on.  If not – consider the book finished.

3)      Prioritise the very best works. Modern theological authors churn out the books (unlike their ancient counterparts who had to deal with state-sponsored violence and aggressive canons).  Ask around to find out which books best represent the author.  Incidentally, if your good intentions stack is full of lesser books by well-known authors – we can only deduce that you or your loved ones have been to the Koorong Bargain Bins (see above).

4)      Don’t buy any more books until you finish reading what you have. (Mothers, Wives, & Girlfriends – Commentaries are always exempt from this principle).  And finally, if you must continue to neglect your reading list:

5)      Don’t read one or two chapters of a book and then reference it again and again at social events. Four years ago, I mentioned to someone that I had read the Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever.  He immediately asked me to recall all of the Nine Marks.  By some miracle I remembered them all – but I couldn’t tell you what they are now.  Reading a few chapters or even the whole book doesn’t make you an expert on the work or the author.  Ask a close family member to tell you if you are abusing this principle.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote an article on purchasing books in The Sword & the Trowel. For the reader who could afford little he wrote: “Don’t buy thin soup; buy the essence of meat.”  I concur.

Stop procrastinating.

Start reading.

It’s an old adage in our family:  when dad’s away, the rodents play.  Without exaggeration, since Steve began going on ministry trips years ago leaving us to hold the fort, the rats and mice have always used the opportunity to their advantage at home.  They must know that I don’t have my husband’s skill with a big stick and that I’m useless at effective traps.  Take tonight, for example.  My daughters and I were watching a movie together when we spied a little mouse creeping under the TV table.  We shooed him back to his corner with some noise then fetched the trap.  I temptingly plastered the peanut butter and banana on the tongue of the trap, set the spring and gently pushed it into place.  In a relatively short time the small intruder scuttled out of hiding and discovered the loaded trap.  While the girls and I watched from the lounge, he gingerly tasted a little of the creamy treat then gained the confidence to walk all over that trap.  No snap, no squish—just a sweet protein snack for a hungry rodent.  Argghh!

For months my two younger children have brought home reports of encounters with a scary white dog in the neighbourhood. Nothing has ever happened to them, but they felt that the dog was menacing them.  Not wanting to over-react, I have urged them to be cautious and keep well away from him as they walk past his house on the way to school, but I have never sought out the owners to ask them to keep their dog contained.  His stalking about the neighbourhood was a little bothersome but never harmful.  However last night one of the girls from church was walking to our house for youth group when this very white dog suddenly attacked her.  Ambushing her from behind, he grabbed at her thigh with his teeth then skulked away.  The injured girl hightailed it to our place somewhat shaken, but very thankful that the dog only bit her through her shorts and not on her bare skin, leaving puncture wounds but not a gash.  My children were right to be wary of that dog.

Two animals, two fables.  Like that impudent mouse we play with temptation and sin though the stakes are high that one day the very trap where we love to play will be our end. In reality, no such gamble exists; it’s a certainty that we will one day pay for our foolishness. The only gamble is in the timing.  But we are willing to suspend sober considerations and risk everything for instantaneous gratification.  The second fable speaks of that occasional sense that something is not quite right in our life.  Perhaps a friend has hinted at a weakness she has seen in us, or the Holy Spirit’s tender urgings have spoken to our soul, but we only skirt around the conviction instead of opening ourselves to God’s merciful scrutiny.  Then one day the niggling trouble flares into a brutal strike, catching us when we are least on our guard.  If only we had responded to the Spirit’s earlier proddings, the shock injury to others and to our relationship with God would have been averted.  “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Proverbs 22:3).  May we humbly cast ourselves each moment on the mercy of Him “who is able to keep [us] from falling and present [us] faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24).

Back at work in the post office at Huntington. Slow going with souls here, but there are encouraging signs.

Men unsound in doctrine complicate the issue by “sanctification” experiences. Ah, for a place where the Scriptures have not been twisted! Lord, send me to Ecuador!

Reading Of Human Bondage stirred me again to feel today. This is one thing I see of value in a novel; it stirs me from apathy, moves me to love, hate, think.

I should like to write one on the peculiarities of modern fundamentalism from a member of a denominational church and call it Shadow of the Spire. What inconsistencies to be parodied to show the saints their narrowness! A very real possibility of ministering church truth perhaps. Maybe some time in the penitentiary….

But, as W. S. Maugham says, “Life is to be lived, rather than to be written about.” Other notable quips:

• From old habit he unconsciously thanked God that he no longer believed in Him.
• These old folk had done nothing, and when they died, it would be just as if they had never been.

—16 December, 1950