Life2gether

I tried to answer that question HERE.

As I look at the Psalms, I’m amazed at how little we do and how much He does.  For example: 

Psalm 23:1-3

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me besides still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and [he] heard my cry
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,
and [he] set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 91:14-16

Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and [I will] honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and [I will] show him my salvation.

In summary, all I need to do is come poor and needy because He comes to me rich in mercy. Hallelujah!

Brent Thomas with some thoughts from Francis Chan’s message at the Verge Conference:

[Francis Chan's message] was more than anything else a call to return to the basic task of making disciples. He peppered his message with pithy but convicting illustrations as he is prone to often do. He marveled at the simple game of Simon says. When Simon says something, we do it or we lose. Yet, when it comes to Jesus, when He speaks, we often don’t do what He says. We might memorize it and even be able to tell it to you in the Greek, we might get together to talk about what it might look like if we lived that way, but rarely do we actually do what Jesus says. Wow. Convicting.

C.J. Mahaney has some good tips for watching the Super Bowl–especially for us dads.  He also makes his pigskin prognostication — no suprise there.

My friend, Jonathan Dodson, just launched a new website jonathandodson.org heretofore known as Creation Project.  I have learned so much from this man about the gospel, community and mission.  He is the real deal.  I encourage you to bookmark his blog and tell others.

BTW, Jonathan has a great series of posts on How Not to Be a Missional Church at the Resurgence.  You can also check out an interview I had with him over his first book, Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship.

“Christ’s way is first to wound, then to heal … the consciousness of the church’s weakness makes her willing to lean on her beloved, and to hide herself under his wing.”  ~Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed, p. 10.

If you haven’t read this small book by Sibbes you are missing out.  Spurgeon said, “Sibbes never wastes the student’s time, he scatters pearls and diamonds with both hands.”  And D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones added, “Richard Sibbes was balm to my soul at a period in my life when I was overworked and badly overtired … The Bruised Reed soothed, comforted, encouraged and healed me.”

Greg Qualls writing for the Resurgence:

1. Set up “triggers” in your life
2. Have a plan
3. Talk to God
4. Write it down
5. Keep it simple
6. Keep it sweet

Go here to see how he unpacks these 6 tips …

Valentine’s Day is fastly approaching!  But nearly every day I’m aware of how much I need to grow in loving my wife like Christ loved the church.  One person who models this well and writes about it well is C.J. Mahaney.  He has written one book in particular that I would greatly recommend to you.  The title alone should provoke you to buy it.  It’s called, Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God.  It’s a very easy book to read and full of practical helps for husbands to grow in their love for their wives.  For example, in one chapter he focuses on 7 Ways to Kindle Romance.  Here they are:

• Date Night – take inititative and plan
• Phone Calls – call her at least once a day
• Notes, Cards, Letters – little notes go a long way
• Gifts - Do you know what she likes?
• Music/Poetry – not for everyone!
• Getaways - save your $$ for unhurried, undistracted time
• Surprises – think of what would surprise her, be creative

Tony Reinke:

Conflicts are to be expected in marriage. But why do they happen in even the most mature marriages?

At a recent monthly gathering with the Pastors College students and their wives, C.J. abbreviated his sermon on James 4:1–3 and shared a recent example of how the passage protected his marriage from conflict during a date night.

Download C.J. Mahaney’s 7 min. message here called Cravings, Conflict, and Marriage

The set up: the three guys are competing to see who can be the most romantic with their wives. The women are trying hard not to be impressed.

(HT: Kevin DeYoung)