Five Favorite Finds.

It's Thursday...you know what that means :)

You get to peer inside my brain/Safari tabs and see what I've been reading this week!

1.  Teach Children the Bible is Not About Them

Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of The Jesus Storybook Bible

via Desiring God

"When we drill a Bible story down into a moral lesson, we make it all about us.  But the Bible isn't mainly about us, and what we are supposed to be doing -- it's about God, and what He has done!"

2.  Missions and the Great Commission

Bradley Johnson (yes, this is my boyfriend)

"He alone knows how to best steward His glory.  

He will use you in the Great Commission exactly how He wants."

3.  Escape into Grey

Lori Byerly

"The problem is that reading erotic novels is like eating Twinkies to stop your hunger.  It's sweet.  It gives you a sugar high.  It makes good food taste bland.  It doesn't give your body the nutrition it needs and all you do is crave more sugar, more Twinkies."

4.  How the Gospel Changes Our Apologetics, Part 1

Tim Keller (aka Yoda)

"We need to be careful of saying, 'Just believe', because what we're really saying is, 'Believe because I say so."

5.  3 Reasons Why We Won't 'Be Still'

Josh Reich, via The Resurgence

"We don't stop because deep down, we want to be God."

What's the best article that you've read as of late?

Five Favorite Finds.

It really is crazy that the Lord would grant any of us wisdom.

He has granted us conviction of sin, awareness of our own depravity, desperation for a savior, and knowledge of His Son and the relationship He desires with us.

Granting wisdom to His children is a little superfluous, don't cha think?

Well, I'm grateful that He does. It allows me to be edified and refined through His work in other people. 

Even people I've never met:

1.  Preach the Gospel, and Since It's Necessary, Use Words
Ed Stetzer

"...since the gospel is the saving work of Jesus, it isn't something we can do, but it is something we must announce."

2.  Read Your Bible More and More
John Piper, via Desiring God

"Legalists trudge with their Bibles on the path toward justification.  Saints sit down in the shade of the Cross and plead for the blood-bought pleasures."

3.  Love Notices Wet Hair
Tim Henderson, via The Gospel Coalition

"...the chief responsibility of our lives is to love God and others as we love ourselves.  But we don't.  If we're honest, it's not even close.  We don't love anyone with the vigor and thoroughness that we love ourselves."

4.  Trusting God Is Not Easy
Ray Ortlund, via The Gospel Coalition

"There is something about coming to the end of ourselves and our own strength and wisdom -- that's when our hearts finally crack open, and the love of God pours in."

5.  Obeying God Comes After Grace, Says Tim Keller
Lillion Kwon

"Christians who obey God and then expect grace and blessings have got it all wrong."

When was the last time an article made you repent?

Take Note: Paige Benton Brown

This past weekend The Gospel Coalition held a conference for women in Orlando!

Source.

My discipler got to go, so for a lot more and accurate notes and more reflective wisdom, check out her upcoming posts :)

The conference's main sessions were streamed LIVE--words cannot express how happy I was/am about this.  The way I worship, fear, and view God has been shifted.  This brings Him more glory, and for that, I am so so grateful.

I only got to watch about four (I say about because I was only half-listening to one) talks, but my favorite one that I got to hear was Paige Benton Brown's, In the Temple: The Glorious and Forgiving God.

Source.

She taught from 1 Kings 8:1-30, 52-63.  And she spoke for over an hour.  And none of it was boring.  Impressive.

A few great points/quotes:

- All other religions present a relationship between god and his people that is causative--If you do ____, god will give you ____. 

- Christianity presents a relationship between God and His people that is contradictory -- He says that we have done nothing to merit His love, favor, mercy, etc...yet He freely gives it as a gift despite our failure. 

- She referenced verses 27-28: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house I have built? Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before You this day." 

- That "Yet" is huge -- it indicates that Solomon knows he does not deserve answered prayer, or anything good, from God, yet he asks for it, knowing that God keeps His promises: "'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with His hand has fulfilled what He has promised with His mouth to David...'" (v. 15). 

- God keeps His promises; therefore we can trust Him. 

- The purpose of God's will is relationship, not forgiveness.  Forgiveness is required for relationship. 

- He gives up His rightful throne to take on my rightful Cross. 

- As the temples was the dwelling place of God, now because of Jesus, WE are the temples in which God dwells. 

- Does my hatred, jealousy, doubt square with the fact that I house the glory of God? 

- Work, reason, wrestle FROM the "templeness" that Jesus has given to us, not TO it--you can't.

- He tells us to "...be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) -- therefore, if we are filled, "there ain't no room for anything else." 

- Being a temples of the living God changes the amount of time I spend investing in the way that I look, how I spend money, etc. 

- There is no room for the attitude that "the way I spend my money, time, and efforts is up to me, because He fills ALL of it.  

I have never before considered, to this degree, that I am a temple of God.  Not as some princess-like jewel that God doesn't want anyone to scratch, but I literally house the presence of God.  Therefore, fickle discipline and doubt of God's sovereignty is laughable; my prideful desire for control and fear at the thought of relinquishing control seems not just erroneous, but ugly.

I am always more wretched that I think I am; He is always more good, more holy, and more glorious than I think He is.

Five Friday Finds.

Seeking wisdom is the largest part of me recognizing the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Daily scripture reading, sharing and listening to peers and particularly older, wiser women and men, listening to sermons/talks, and yes, even leisurely reading articles is part of me seeking wisdom.

Have the words of the Bible and other people draw me to the throne of justification and grace is beautiful, and makes me worship Him more.

This week, by the grace of God, has been no different.

1.  Children and Salvation
JD Greear, my pastor (Summit Church)

"As my kids grow older, they will certainly have moments of insight in which they understand better His grace, and defining moments in which they "own" that posture.  But it is a posture I can encourage them toward from the beginning."

2.  Are You Young, Restless, and Reformed?
Hugh Whelchel, via The Gospel Coalition

"...young men and women are still striving for more substantive and experiential Christianity."

3.  How Jesus Saved My Dad and Family
Tony Evans

"...she could not understand how the more she rejected him, was unkind to him and tried to prove that believing in God was wrong, he kinder he was to her and the more he invested in God's Word."

4.  Rebuilding a Healthy Schedule
Joe Thorn, via The Resurgence

"It wasn't just that I was working too hard, but that I had also started listening to the devil's lies."

5.  Why My Husband of Three Years and I Go To Marriage Counseling
Sharon Hodde Miller, via Hermenutics

"In a culture of instant gratification and entitlement, many couples feel duped and unprepared when they realize they must word hard to make marriage succeed."

What are some articles you've recently enjoyed?

Five Favorite Finds.

Can I just say how much I love not having schoolwork having extra time to read, dwell, and meditate on scripture and life-giving, worshipful pieces of writing?

Well, I love it.

Enjoy these fantastic articles I found this week:

1.  Snuggling Is Holy Work, Too
via The Resurgence
Alex Early

"It is heart-wrenching news for a child to learn that Jesus takes Daddy away from the family to go do 'holier' things than play in the floor, telling bedtime stories, learning about their interests and snuggling."

2. Quantity Time, Quality Time, & a Clingy Son
Ben Reed, Small Groups Paster, Grace Community Church

"...you can tell what you value by what fills up your calendar."

2.  When Grace Goes Violent

via Desiring God

David Mathis, quoting Matt Chandler's book Explicit Gospel

"...he wants sin starved to death, and he will hunt and pursue the death of every sin in his heart until he has achieved success."

4.  J. Gresham Machen: "Liberalism Has Abandoned Christianity"

via The Resurgence

Justin Holcomb

"Machen writes, 'In trying to remove from Christianity everything that could possibly be objected to in the name of science...the apologist has really abandoned what he started out to defend.'"

5.  Is a Wife's Submission Culturally Outdated?

via Desiring God

Tony Reinke

"Husbands typify Christ by sacrificially loving their wives, and wives typify the church by following their husbands...the balance between leadership and trust...points to the unending submission that the church will experience under Christ's headship (Ephesians 5:24-25)."

What are some great articles you've read recently?

Five Favorite Finds.

Summertime is great for a bajillion reasons.

Being able to read and re-read (instead of skim) fantastic, worshipful pieces of writing is one of them.

Here is some of what I've been intrigued and edified by this week:

1.  Good News vs. Good Advice

via The Resurgence blog

Tim Keller

"...when you hear a message that it's all been done for you, that it's a historical event that's happened, your salvation is accomplished for you, what do you want to do?  You want to obey the Ten Commandments, you want to pray, and you want to please the One who did this for you."

2.  Exchanging Fear for Fear

Kevin DeYoung

"...there is no sin so prevalent, so insidious, and so deep as the sin of fearing people more than we fear God."

3.  5 Reasons I love Church-Based Counseling

Pat Quinn

"People expect to be listened to compassionately and cared for wisely and they know that this means that we will use the Bible to point and lead them to Christ."

4.  Why a "You Complete Me" Romance is Incomplete

Mike Glenn

"But what happens if we approach a relationship not from a sense of need but from a sense of our "yes"?

5.  Where Are All the Revivals in Islamic Countries?

via The Gospel Coalition

John Starke

An interview with my pastor, JD Greear.

"'Where are all the revival stories in Islamic countries?' They remain to be written by God."

What are some great articles you've read recently?

Take Note: Relationships

Relationships are huge to me.  For one, relationships, by and large, are enjoyable to me.  People are interesting; conversation is interesting, and holds my attention.  

With that in mind, engaging in relationships is necessary as a human, and commanded by God for believers.

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making is a book that my mentor gave me months some time ago that I have yet to return. 

I was reading it yesterday, and stumbled across this:

This quote was extremely relevant to a sermon that I had watched a few hours prior that the small groups pastor at my church, Spence Shelton, gave last week.  His message was on the community of believers and how integral it is to our walks with Christ.  

Hebrews 3:12-14 says:

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."

Spence explained that we must share our thoughts, sin, disappointments, marriages, and relationships with other believers--to prevent any one from "[falling] away from the living God."  We also must "exhort one another every day", to remind each other that Christ is better.  He is better than financial; marital; relational; personal success.  We are sons and daughters that have the privilege of laboring for our King who rescued us.  

We must confess to, share with, and exhort one another.

Relationships are for the purposes of sanctification and witness to the Gospel.

They are not supposed to make us uncomfortable--that is where our sin destroys God's perfect design.

Spence stated that when you are finally known for who you really are and you experience love and not condemnation, you experience the Gospel...and it changes you.

Five Favorite Finds.

This is my updated version of "Friday Finds" (don't worry, I still have something in store for Friday, don't fret :)

...also, I realize it is quite a feat to have five "favorites", since the word "favorite" insinuates one. 

Just go with it.

Here are my top five favorite articles that I found this week!

1) Jesus Also Had Unbelieving Family Members
via Desiring God
Jon Bloom

"Don't give up praying for unbelieving family members.  Don't take their resistance as the final word.  They may yet believe..."

2)  What Does it Mean to be Biblically Balanced?
Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

"...to be 'Biblically balanced' is NOT to allot equal airtime to every Biblical theme."

3)  Desperate, Breathless, Dependent Parenting

via Desiring God
Rachel Pieh Jones

"No, brave is not the right word for parents. Dependent is."

4)  Today Was Supposed to be My Wedding Day
via The Gospel Coalition
M. Conner

"He promises much more, and I wasn't going to find it in a marriage with an unbeliever."

5)  Rob Bell and the Judgmentless "Gospel": Holy Love Wins
via The Gospel Coalition 
Trevin Wax
(I apologize for the extremely old post--but the ideas that he dismisses are unfortunately still present in the church.)

"...the judgmentless gospel is not gospel at all.  It leaves us with a diminished God and no need for grace."

Friday Finds.

Happy Friday!

Later this afternoon, Trey and I are driving to Raleigh to volunteer at the Matt Papa/Lecrae concert that the Summit is hosting!  

...aaaand we're driving back tonight.  It's gonna be a late one, folks.

But it's summer...well, not for him. Oops. 

Here's the list of five of my favorite articles I've read this week!

1)  Now That Amendment One Has Passed

by my pastor, JD Greear, of The Summit Church

"We are to lead in being good neighbors to all in our community, especially our gay community."

2)  Why We Got Married

by Larissa Murchy, via Desiring God

"Fortunately, our hope is that we've also wathed all of these alongside Jesus, who is our own man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).  So we have not walked it alone."

3)  Why Bible Study Doesn't Transform Us

Jen Wilkin of The Village Church

"If our exposure to it fails to result in transformation, particularly over the course of years, there are surely only two possible reasons why: either our Bible studies lack true converts, or our converts lack true Bible study."

4)  Are You Pinning to the Glory of God?

Trisha Wilkerson, via The Resurgence 

"Before long, we've created an alternate world for our 'best self,' an ideal we'll never live up to."

5)    Where Are All the Women Apologists?
Jonalyn Fincher, via Hermenutics

"'Christian apologetics...will need women skilled in Islamic apologetics to speak with Muslim women, to go where Christian men cannot.'"

What are some insightful articles you've read recently?

The Gospel Summit

Last Thursday and Friday (yes, in the middle of final exams...our church is just way more fun than school), Bradley and I attended The Gospel Summit.

Our church put on a conference for church leaders about how to let the Gospel permeate every ministry, every heart, and the church as a whole.

It was warm outside.

PTL for AC.

I learned a lot about college ministry, being a wife, church planting, church organization, and the weighty role of a pastor.

I came away from the conference edified, blessed, and challenged--about my future and about my present.  

Here are some of my notes from the talks I went to:

THURSDAY

Our pastor opened the conference:
"Marks of a Gospel-Centered Church"

• The mission of the church--> (Acts 1:8) "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth."
• We are witnesses.
• When people stand in awe of God's grace to them, this is what happens:
• Evangelistic Effectives AND Doctrinal Depth
• The Presence of God
• Fervent, Faith-filled [believing] Prayer
• Empowered Members
• Extravagant Generosity--"Generosity is the best apologetic for the veracity of the Gospel."

First Breakout Session:
"College Ministry: Turning Atheists into Church Planters"

•  Pursue them on their turf--then they see that Christianity is not something you turn on & turn off.
• Community of believers is one of your most powerful evangelistic tools.
• Once a Christian, bring them along in ministry immediately.
• Disciple them.

Extremely convicting and motivating for me as a college student.  Am I seeking lost people?

Tony Merida, Pastor of Imago Dei Church
"Christ-Centered Preaching"

• Make the hero of the Bible (Jesus) the hero of your message.
• Satan is not concerned with moralism, he just doesn't want us to preach Jesus.
• [Your preaching must be] Wider; deeper; more responsible.
• People may say that hearing about the Cross every week will get old--I say, does hearing your wife say she loves you ever get old?
• Proclaim the facts: Jesus rose; He is alive; the tomb is empty; the throne is occupied.
• Preach Christ until you die, and then worship Him forever.

FRIDAY

Second Breakout Session:
Veronica Greear & Jen Thompson
"For Pastor's Wives: Balancing Family & Ministry"

These cute signs were one every table :)

• When you say 'yes' to something, you are saying 'no' to something else.
• There should be white space in your calendar--you need margin.
• Have wise, godly council to talk about your marriage.
• You will never regret honoring and choosing your husband.
• Until your children are saved, you have pagans living in your home. Your primary ministry is in your home.
• Figure out what your husband wants, and do it well.
• Make ministry fun for your family.

Third Breakout Session:
Tony Merida & Nathan Akin
"The Nuts & Bolts of How to Plant a Gospel-Centered Church"

• Plant with a team
• Invest in the core team
• Set clear expectations for potential members
• Plant the church you've always wanted to go to
• Don't give leadership away too quickly
• Start small groups soon and invest in small group leaders
• Teach your people to be missionaries
• Expect support from unlikely partners
• Lead from the pulpit
• Be sensitive to the unchurched
• Don't be surprised when people leave

JD Greear
"Creating a Sending Culture in Your Church"

•  God builds the church.
• The Great Commission is not a calling for some but a mandate for all.
• The church is not an audience but an army.
• The best pastors are those who build up other leaders.
• Be courageous on God's grace.
• Once a Christian is soaked from the blood of Jesus & the stench of Hell is in his nostrils, you don't need to preach evangelism.
• Rest on God's great compassion for His church. It is bigger than you, it didn't start with you, and it will not end with you.
• Focus more on what Jesus has done for you and less on what you are to do for Him.

Needless to say, I walked away more worshipful of Jesus and more charged to make Him known.

After the conclusion of the conference Bradley and I hung out with a couple we hope to emulate.  What a blessing to spend time with older, wiser council to help us see how we can see Jesus as bigger and thus surrender more and more of us for His mission.

I am anxious to see how God will love, challenge, test, and use us this summer, throughout the duration of our time as college students, and for the rest of our lives.

Jesus, You are on the throne.  All the universe pants for You.  You allow me to join in Your deserved praise.

You are worth it all.  You are better.

Friday Finds.

Happy Friday!

Here's my list of five, fervent, enlightening articles I discovered this week!

Prayer, Ghandi, Ryan Gosling, evangelism, and comparison are all discussed.

Check 'em out: 

1)  Prayer and Talking to my Children
Brad Hambrick, counseling pastor at The Summit Church

"...I saw in my prayerlessness an intentionally isolated child trying to make meaning of life without engaging their Father for help.  Why would I do that?"

2)  Gandhi Doesn't Like Us

Tim Challies, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church

"Jesus reserved the harshest words for the religious elite, those who declared that they were holy, that they understood the nature of God, that they had achieved some kind of enlightenment."

3)  Ryan Gosling, Romance Novels, and the Dangers of Fantasizing

Anna Broadway, writer for Hermenutics

"Though we almost always turn to them when life's brokenness has reasserted itself, such fantasies represent the wrong kind of change."

4)  The Fire of Belief
Douglas Wilson, from The Resurgence blog

"A relativistic age is sure of nothing, except for a dogged commitment to the necessity of that relativism."

5)  Marriage Poison 
Sharon Hodde Miller, from her blog, She Worships

"...when reality is competing with fantasy, fantasy always wins."

What are some great articles you've read recently?

Why Babysitting is Going to Make Me a Better Mom.

Preface:  

I am not a mom yet. But I am terribly excited and nervous about stepping into that role.  As I prepare for marriage, and since life belongs to God, simultaneous preparation for motherhood is essential.

I babysat for a wonderful couple a few nights ago after (and before) talking with the wisest woman I know.

Their little man is active, cuddly, selfish, wild, and inquisitive--and is the by far the best I've seen at going to bed when I put him down.  A+, Turner's. 

See what I mean by inquisitive?  "What is that? What is that?" 

And I love that he definitively tells me it's not a bird he hears.

Though I am not his mother and do not get to spend time with him day in and day out, I do see glimpses of his innate sin and his God-given gifts. 

(i.e. His cuddling abilities are superb. When he's in my lap and I'm reading to him, he reaches one or both of his chubby arms up and rubs a few strands of my hair between his tiny fingers. Darn close to Heaven.)

He really is such a good toddler, but I am legitimately tired after he falls asleep, after only being with him for a few hours.  My fatigue coupled with Dave and Lauren's thankfulness for some time alone together makes me realize how vital it will be to rely on my church to spend time with my kids so my husband and I can spend time as a couple.

Being a first-born, Type-A, "perfectionist", I am prone to self-sufficiency. The notion of impossible independence and self-reliance are sins with which I wrestle.  I know the Gospel, and know that self-righteousness is antithetical to that message, but yet I still fear failing.  

(So perhaps giving grace to those who have knowledge but not yet behavior modification would be Christ-like?)

I do not want my children to see me being perfect.  I want them to see me as I am; as Jesus died for me--needy, dependent, and broken. 

I want my children to see the incredible blessing and vitality of being a part of a church body.  I want them to see that I am not fully capable of handling them every day.  I want them to witness young people who are following Jesus and seeking older, wise council.  I want them to see that marriage requires consistent, intentional commitment and work.  

I am grateful that I have been graciously given up-close examples of families who rely on Jesus.  I am grateful that babysitting makes me presuppose on my sinfulness as a mother and wife, and my continual need for the promise of Jesus. 

Friday Finds.

Happy Friday!

"All my bags are packed I'm ready to go"

...song reference?

As of about 11:00pm today, I'm I-40 East bound! I have a job interview for a summer position at a daycare in Wilmington!

Here are some urgent, important, worshipful articles I discovered this week...

(confession: or last week)

...check them out!

1)  This is awkward, but...how's your present?

Ben Reed, small groups pastor at Grace Community Church

"Talking about your present struggles is like swallowing a spoonful of medicine.  You know it's going to help, but it tastes rancid going down."

2)  Otherness

Jen Wilkin, mother, writer and member of The Village Church

"This world is not our home.  We are sojourners, travelers on our way to the only true comfort the human heart can know.  I will not help you populate your life with things that lessen your grip on this reality...because I love your Heavenly Father above all else.  And I will give an account to Him for whether I have raised citizens of Earth or citizens of Heaven."

3)    Should Christians Boycott Starbucks?

Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"The argument behind a boycott assumes that the "rightness" of a marriage definition is constituted by a majority with power.  Isn't that precisely what we're arguing against?"

4)  When Prayer is a Struggle

Tresta Payne, mother.

"But this is a Friday with new mercies and why not pancakes?  They come out of their rooms confused, but thankful.  
That must be the joy -- thankful confusion."

5)  When Foot Washing Is Not About the Feet

Elyse Fitzpatrick, biblical counselor

"We need to wash one another, to carefully probe, cleanse, disinfect, and heal each other, and this isn't something we can see clearly enough to do on our own.  We need the eyes and hands of others."

What are some great articles you've read recently?

Lint Rollers.

It is easy to just let people vacuum over my life.  Yes I am involved in my local church, yes I am making good grades, yes I have awesome friends and a wonderful godly man in my life…blah blah blah.

But in reality, I fail constantly at being an effective and equipping small group leader; I am not making straight A’s this semester; my friendships are encouraging and edifying, but we often do a terrible job at loving each other; my relationship with Bradley is certainly blissful and sanctifying, but it is also a cycle of loving, failing to love, repenting, apologizing, and looking to Jesus for complete satisfaction.

In reality, I am chock-full of shortcomings and sin.  I can be “sweet” or even sacrificial, but in the depths of my sinful heart, I am prideful, self-centered, and controlling of myself and other people.

There is always something to be redeemed. 

I’m doing “well” because the grace of Jesus covers all my crap—anything I do that’s “good” is because He who is good lives in me, not because I have conjured up goodness by myself.

All this was collected AFTER I vacuumed my floor...

Lint rollers are great inventions.  Not only do they get nearly every grimy, nasty hair and piece of whatevers off my dorm room floor, they also show me exactly what has been hiding—as it is contrasted to the white sticky substance.

Discipleship, accountability, coffee—call it what you like.  We, as followers of Jesus, need to be sharing our lives and hearts—our WHOLE lives and hearts—with older, godlier people (of the same gender) and believing peers.  We are weak and need other people to speak truth into our lives.

I am incredibly grateful for God-fearing girlfriends…

sweet Bradley…

and a wise woman with whom I engage in these conversations.

And we MUST be completely honest.  Otherwise we’re just chatting and flaring our personalities.

Real brokenness, conviction, confession, repentance, and healing is FAR sweeter when it is shared and urged by people around me that love me.  I need people consistently in my life with whom to share my life—thoughts, actions, passions, and situations—openly and honestly.  Those people need to love me enough to not tell me what I want to hear.  They need to be obedient in their own walk with Christ, so that they can be honest, discerning, and wise in their assessment of me and my walk with the Lord.

That’s why accountability, or even just raw honesty, is so hard—not only do you realize there’s a lot more sin there than you previously thought, but you also realize your old method wasn’t working like you thought it was.  Or you’re already aware that your method isn’t working and you’re simply refusing to walk in complete repentance/struggling obedience—which is a much scarier place to be.

Vacuums are great for giving the illusion that my floor is clean; lint rollers are great for ensuring that my floor is not completely pure.

Bubbly conversations about surface-level struggles diminish the toxicity and presence of sin and suppress the Holy Spirit’s sanctification in my life and others’ lives.

Lint rolling over my life/my heart—raw openness, humility, and awareness of sin—leads me to a deeper love for and obedience to the God of the Gospel.  When my eyes are opened to my wickedness, which is always more depraved than I think it is, it is easier to see how insanely gracious Jesus was to come and die for my depravity.

And I remember His resurrection and victorious cry: “It is finished.”

I can share my sin and shortcomings because I know how much I am loved by the all-holy God—because He loves me despite my failure.  I want to share my sin because I love Him and want to reflect Him instead of myself.

Chip the vacuum. Bring on the lint roller.

Take Note: A. W. Tozer

This past Christmas break, Bradley and I drove up to RDU early on Sunday morning to go to our church.  That particular morning, Matt Papa, a worship leader at the Summit preached. He preached Jesus–and that is what I most recall.

In the conclusion of his sermon, he quoted A. W. Tozer when he said:

“I think it would be a wonderful thing if every preacher in America would begin to preach about God and nothing else for one solid year.  Just one solid year to preach about God.  Who He is, His attributes, His perfections, His being, the kind of God He is, why we dare to trust Him, why we can trust Him, why we should trust Him, why we can love Him, why we should love Him, why we dare not fall short.  And keep on preaching on God, the triune God, and keep on until God fills the whole horizon and the whole world.  Faith would spring up like grass by the watercourses.  Then let a man get up and preach a promise and the whole congregation would say, ‘I can trust that promise; look who made it.’”

I pray that all church leaders and believers would be filled with the Holy Spirit enough so that Jesus and our desperate need for Him would be proclaimed and received–over and over again.

May “faith spring up like grass by the watercourses”; may you use us, Lord.