Gospel-Driven Life Conference
The upcoming Gospel-Driven Life Conference looks quite good.
ipod Food For Pastors
It’s incredible that, for free, you can download the last 20 years of Desiring God Pastors Conferences. Right now I’m using my ipod, mainly during my commute and my trail runs, to work my way through these excellent conferences. It takes me 1-2 weeks per conference, 1-2 weeks to work my way through the 7 messages that each conference consists of.
These last two weeks I listened to the 2000 Pastors Conference, Courage in Christian Ministry. Al Mohler’s 3 keynote addresses were nourishing. Ben Patterson’s message was interesting and deeply inspiring. Josef Tson’s message was humbling, convicting, and challenging. John Piper’s biographical message on John Paton, which I’d listened to previously, was stirring. And the Q&A/Panel Discussion was equipping.
I decide which conference to listen to based on my curiosity and excitement. Because of some recent events and some questions stirring inside, tomorrow I’m going to begin listening to the 2003 Pastors Conference, Good Fences, Bad Fences, and the Glory of Christ.
If you’re a pastor, I’d encourage you to consider adopting a plan to work your way through these conferences. If you’re not a pastor, you’re likely to still find these conferences edifying and interesting.
Cru Buzzard
My son, Cru Buzzard, shows off his smile and a stylin’ reindeer shirt for baby gap.
Neil Postman: Informing Ourselves to Death
I assume many of you are familiar with Neil Postman’s writings on culture and technology. I recently read the manuscript of a speech Postman gave at the German Informatics Society in October 1990 entitled, Informing Ourselves to Death (delivered 5 years after publishing his classic, Amusing Ourselves to Death). I found the following excerpt from his speech especially striking, especially given that these statistics and concerns come from 17 years ago:
"Nothing could be more misleading than the idea that computer technology introduced th age of information. The printing press began that age, and we have not been free of it since.
"But what started out as a liberating stream has turned into a deluge of chaos. If I may take my country as an example, here is what we are faced with: In America, there are 260,000 billboards; 11,520 newspapers; 11,556 periodicals; 27,000 video outlets for renting tapes; 362 million TV sets; and over 400 million radios. There are 40,000 new book titles published every year (300,000 world-wide) and every day in America 41 million photographs are taken, and just for the record, over 60 billion pieces of advertising junk mail come into our mail boxes every year. Everything from telegraphy and photography in the 19th century to the silicon chip in the twentieth has amplified the din of information, until matters have reached such proportions today that for the average person, information no longer has any relation to the solution of problems.
"The tie between information and action has been severed. Information is now a commodity that can be bought and sold, or used as a form of entertainment, or worn like a garment to enhance one’s status. It comes indiscriminately, directed at no one in particular, disconnected from usefulness; we are glutted with information, drowning in information, have no control over it, don’t know what to do with it."
Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say “I Do”
In my pre-marital counseling I take couples through Gary & Betsy Ricucci’s excellent book, Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace. After reading Dave Harvey’s new book, When Sinners Say “I Do,” Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage, I’m considering adding Harvey’s book to the counseling process. I won’t review this book here, as many others already have already provided fine reviews, but below I’ve listed a few quotes that were of particular benefit to me and my marriage.
“The gospel is the heart of the Bible. Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the gospel, presentation of the gospel, or participation in the gospel.”
“Accurately understanding and continually applying the gospel is the Christian life.”
“…the gospel is an endless fountain of God’s grace in your marriage. To become a good theologian and to be able to look forward to a lifelong, thriving marriage, you must have a clear understanding of the gospel. Without it, you cannot see God, yourself, or your marriage for what they truly are.”
“Maybe you didn’t know this, but the Bible gives you a special privilege in dealing with sin committed against you. It’s called forbearance. It means that you can bring love to play in such a way that you can cut someone free from their sin against you–without them even knowing or acknowledging what they’ve done! Forbearance is an expression of mercy that can cover both big sins of marital strife and the small sins of marital tension. And let’s face it; small sins are the fuel for most marital blazes.”
“Marriages that are sexually satisfying in private carry into the public sphere a certain sparkle, an open demonstration of joy and unity that helps point people to the Creator of marriage.”
Get Back to the Gospel; Dream Some Holy Dreams
Yesterday afternoon I read some very helpful words from Jack Miller, writing to a young man who’s been thinking a lot about Satan and feeling oppressed by Satan, Part 3, The Heart of a Servant Leader, pp. 152-153:
“He [Satan] has certainly attacked your mind through the voices that speak to you. You have laid some bad foundations by shifting your life interests from the gospel to negative issues. You spent some lengthy time doing this. The negative chemistry has gone deep. But it appears to me that the devil has attacked you in a much more foundational way than this: somehow he has convinced you that there is little or no prospect for you to be delivered form his influence on your life and mind. He has made you think Jesus cannot really help you because your struggles, your weaknesses, your bondages are too much, too special, too unique. Well, you have listened to a lie.
“…But oh to get your heart back to the gospel! What power there is in this sweet message! Simply take John 3:16-17 and chew on these verses, say them, sing them, shout them, preach them to yourself–until your heart is filled with awareness of the marvel of the Father’s love to you.
“Then, form a mental picture of what you want to be a year from now. Dream some holy dreams. Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ. Expect Him to accomplish the dream, but dream it. Think of qualities you’d like to replace those that now trouble you. Name them to yourself, write them down, sing them, shout them. Preach more gospel to yourself. Make a fight for your life.“
How the Pulpit Shapes the Pew
"…most Christians read their Bibles in the same way that their pastors preach from it. Our people take their hermeneutics instruction from us every time we preach. Instinctively and intuitively they imbibe the approach to which they are exposed week after week. If people sit regularly under a ministry where the Scriptures are mishandled, they will have great obstacles to overcome in order rightly to handle it themselves."
-Sinclair Ferguson from, Richard Allen Bodey, Inside the Sermon: Thirteen Preachers Discuss Their Methods of Preparing Messages
Gospel-Centered Counseling Manual from Redeemer
Just today I came across the Redeemer Counseling Services Manual. This looks to be an especially helpful resource to pastors and church planters. I’ll have to get my hands on one.
Here’s a brief description of the manual:
This manual has been prepared to provide answers
to most of the questions you have asked us about how to run a
Gospel-oriented counseling center and serve as a ministry to your local
church.This resource manual will walk you through our counseling philosophy,
general office procedures and policies, and an overview of our pastoral
care approach. In addition, once you have submitted payment, you will
be able to download more than 25 forms to professionalize and
streamline your own counseling services.As counselors, we see ourselves as people who have been assigned to
hold out hope and point to the power that is in Christ to restore and
heal. Our desire is that God might use this resource to help in
developing other counseling ministries.
Turkey Trot: 61st Place
At 9am this morning some buddies and I ran the Turkey Trot 5K at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course, which is recognized as one of the most difficult cross country courses in the nation. Through the years many national cross country events have been held at this very challenging, hill-filled course which is just a few miles from my home.
My buddy Brian and I tied for 61st place, finishing our 3 hilly miles in 23:35 (there were about 180 people in the race). I’m glad I beat the handful of junior high girls who were a part of the race, as my worst fear was finishing behind one of them.
If you’re a runner and you’re interested in this difficult course, click the link above and scroll down to view a nice little video that shows the difficult terrain of this course, including the infamous “cardiac hill.”
PS. Happy Thanksgiving from Buzzard Blog
