Today in Blogworld 8.8.12

Are We Recommendation Machines
It’s ironic that I’m recommending that you read this.  Nonetheless it is well worth your time. 

Free John G. Paton Biography

I like that DG is making all of Piper’s autobiographical messages into short little e-books.  I remember reading this one on John G. Paton awhile back and being deeply moved by his life. 

Notice the Famine?  How You Location Impacts Your Bible Interpretation

Very interesting piece here from Trevin Wax.  I have to be honest and say I really did not notice the famine.  What we see as an insignificant detail someone from another culture might see it as a very significant detail. 

What Letter Would You Write to a Gay Son?

That is a very thought-provoking question isn’t it?  Take his cues from a real-life “hate-filled” letter from a dad to his son, David Murray uses it as an opportunity to consider how he would write a letter to this son. 

This has a couple of mild NSFW words but it’s a hilarious concept:


(HT:22 Words)

5 Ways to Seek Revival

Andrew Fuller lived in a period in Baptist history much like ours.  Numbers were declining, controversies were stirring, souls were neglected, and the cultural climate was very rocky.  Fuller believed that one thing sorely needed was a revival.  To this end he listed 5 ways that those in his day could pursue revival

1. Prayer
2. Cultivation of Christianity in the home
3. Witnessing to unbelievers
4. Self-examination
5. A spirit of generosity for those in need

Honestly, I find Fuller’s list interesting.  I would probably add something about the ministry of the Word.  Yet, I am very encouraged by the presence of cultivating Christianity in the home and having a spirit of generosity for those in need.

What do you think of Fuller’s list? 

This list was originally published in a little different format in The armies of the Lamb edited and introduced by Michael Haykin.

Why Your Prayers May Be Hindered

I preached on this text last night:

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
(1 Peter 3:7 ESV)

It’s sad that for many our first response to this text is to be chaffed because Peter refers to the woman as the “weaker vessel”.  And in some ways I understand that because guys can be jerks and use texts like this one to promote their insecure theology.  Yet if we aren’t careful we’ll neuter the beauty of this text because of our 21st century chaffing. 

I like what Robert Rayburn says about the meaning of “weaker vessel”:

Remember weaker" is being used in a context. A ming vase is weaker than a five dollar hammer; a Rembrandt canvas is weaker than a razor blade; and Mother Teresa was weaker than Mike Tyson! Peter is not talking about comparative worth, he is speaking of the reason why men have a special responsibility, laid upon them by their Creator, to show a particular regard for women and their wives in particular. It was not so long ago, even in secular Western societies that a man's manhood was judged according to the way in which he protected and provided for the women in his life. Only a feminist ideologue surveying the wreckage of American society can really believe that the abandonment of this viewpoint has improved the lot of women and children.

Wives are a treasure that are given to husbands to nurture and care for.  The Lord loves His daughters so much that He promises if we do not treat them with the care we ought it will hinder our prayer life. 

I’ve known men (including myself) that have felt a darkness and a separation in our prayer life with the Lord.  I have felt my ability to pray (not to mention preach and write) hindered.  It’s like there is this big fat rock that stands between me and the Lord. 

At times I’ve been so foolish as to think what I really need to do to remove this rock of separation is to get uber-spiritual.  Perhaps if I fast.  Maybe I just need to read a book on prayer.  Possibly a little time alone in the Word will remove this rock.  When in reality I just need to stop being a bear to my wife.  Maybe what needs to happen is that rather than sit in my office and pray about this separation and mourn the distance I need to go home and repent of my attitude and lack of nurturing of my wife. 

What is really interesting is that if we are praying for our wives to change and yet we are not treating them with honor, tenderness, and understanding our prayers will be hindered.  And they will be hindered until we actually begin treating them with honor, tenderness, and understanding.  What is really crazy about this though is that our repentance before our wives may just be the means that God uses to answer our prayers for her. 

It’s not always the case that feelings of distance in our relationship with the Lord is because we have been blowing it as husbands.  But this is one of the few things in Scripture that the Lord promises will hinder our prayers.  And so if we feel a distance there it would do us well to analyze our level of tenderness towards our wives. 

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As a side note to our married female readers.  Consider how much the Lord loves you that He would cause a hindrance in His relationship with your husband because your hubby is not nurturing you.  God cares for you mightily, so much that He rips up the conscience of us men until we begin treating you the way that we ought. 

The Opportunity of Conflict

I am currently reading through Pursuing Peace by Robert Jones.  I will have my review posted by the end of the week.  Conflict is not something that any of us get joy from.  Yet, we still have conflict. 

One of the keys to pursuing peace is to realize that there is a greater good that conflict can provide.  Jones lists three opportunities (p38-42) provided by conflict:

1. Relational conflicts provide opportunities for us to know God better, draw near to him, and please him
2. Relational conflicts give us opportunities to become more like Jesus
3. Relational conflicts give us opportunities to love and minister to others—both those with whom we have conflict and those who are watching

Under that second opportunity Jones also gives 7 ways that conflict can transform us into the likeness of Christ (39-40):

1. by enhancing and deepening our relationship with Him
2. by allowing us to experience the suffering of Jesus
3. by exposing our remaining sin
4. by exhibiting to others his work in us
5. by using the conflict to cause us to engage more actively in the body of Christ
6. by equipping us to minister to others with greater wisdom, sensitivity, and empathy
7. by elevating our desire for Christ’s return and the new heaven and earth, where peace prevails and righteousness reigns. 

I haven’t quite finished the book but it’s a good one so far.  You can buy it here for around 10 bucks. 

Today in Blogworld 8.6.12

3 Ways Pastoral Burnout Can Sneak Up on You 

“The thing about burnout is that you don’t know you’re susceptible until it’s too late”.  With this thought Eric McKiddie has offered 3 ways that burnout can sneak up on us and a few solutions to preventing burnout. 

The #1 Failure for 90% of Pastors

Joe McKeever believes he knows an area that 9 out of 10 pastors blow it in.  As a pastor myself, I think he may be correct.  Click through to see his answer.  (HT: David Murray)

A Suggestion for Better Baptist Blogging

Dave Miller at SBC Voices offers a few probing questions and a path for better Baptist blogging.  Dave’s points could just as easily be transferred to bloggers of any stripe.  I appreciate his suggestions here and hope that I am a faithful blogger. 

The 5 Great Mysteries of the Christian Faith

I really like this article by Michael Patton.  And the puzzle piece picture of Jesus is brilliant.  Click through to see the 5 great mysteries of the faith and see Michael’s point.  Though we often try to find solutions to these “missing puzzle pieces” we are really better off with the tensions. 

This funny one was making the rounds last week: