Archive for August, 2011

X Ray Questions Part 1

Here is the first of a few posts of x-ray questions from David Powlison. I am breaking them up in order to allow you time to process and think through them. The purpose is to help identity our hidden idols and functional saviors. Read through these when you have some time to think, as they can really cause one to “naval gaze” and become self-absorbed. As you read them, write down some of the things that first come to mind. Here is the first set:

  • What do you love?
  • What do you want, desire, crave, lust, and wish for?
  • What do you seek, aim for, and pursue?
  • What are your goals and expectation?
  • Where do you bank your hopes?
  • What do you fear?
  • What do you not want?
  • What do you tend to worry about?
  • What do you feel like doing?
  • What do you think you need? What are your “felt needs”?
  • What are your plans, agendas, strategies, and intentions designed to accomplish?
  • What makes you tick? What sun does your planet revolve around? Where do you find your garden of delight? What lights up your world? What fountain of life, hope, and delight do you drink from? What food sustains your life? What really matters to you? What castle do you build in the clouds? What pipe dreams tantalize or terrify you? What do you organize your life around?
  • Where do you find refuge, safety, comfort, escape, pleasure, security?
  • What or whom do trust?
  • Whose performance matters? On whose shoulders does the well-being of your world rest? Who can make it better, make it work, make it safe, make it successful?
  • Whom must you please? Whose opinion of you counts? From whom do you desire approval and fear rejection? Whose value system do you measure yourself against? In whose eyes are you living? Whose love and approval do you need?
  • Who are your role models? What kind of person do you think you ought to be or want to be?
To be continued…
2011
08/29
CATEGORY
idolatry
idols
x ray questions
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How To Ruin Your Marriage

Sorry for a negative blog title, but this post from Justin and Trisha is fantastic! Its a perfect primer for our next Mens Night on September 1.



They say:


“There are so many things that your marriage can survive. You marriage can survive miscommunication. Your marriage can survive busy schedules. Your marriage can overcome conflict with your in-laws. Your marriage can get through sexual brokenness and unforgiveness. But, there are two words that will eventually bring an end to your marriage…if not legally then definitely emotionally.


The two words are…


…IF ONLY…
  • If only my wife had sex with me more often
  • If only my husband looked at me like my boss does
  • If only we had kids
  • If only we made more money
  • If only we lived in a bigger house
  • If only we would have dated longer
  • If only she took care of herself like the lady at the gym
  • If only my high school boyfriend and I would have stayed together
  • If only we hadn’t had kids so young
  • If only she understood me
  • If only he listened to me
  • If only I knew we were soul mates
  • If only she cooked more or better
  • If only he could do things around the house
If only causes you to focus on what isn’t rather than on what is. If only allows your mind to fantasize about someone that isn’t your spouse. If only believes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. If only paralyzes us in the pursuit of our spouse and convinces us that a perfect marriage is competently up to the other person. If only will slowly destroy intimacy and leave you in a place of resentment. If only will trick you into believing that the best days of your marriage are behind you and and not ahead of you.


The best thing you can do for your marriage today is remove “if only” from your mind and heart.


You can’t change the past, but you can prevent the past from destroying your future.”


GB
2011
08/24
CATEGORY
marriage
Men
women
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Good Questions

Gordon MacDonald in his book, Building Below The Waterline, listed some questions he often asks himself as he reflects on his spiritual journey. Here they are:

  • Am I too defensive when asked questions about the use of my time and the consistency of my spiritual disciplines?
  • Have I locked myself into a schedule that provides no rest or fun times with friends and family?
  • What does my day planner say about time for study, general reading, and bodily exercise?
  • What about the quality of my speech? Do I whine and complain? Am I frequently critical of people and institutions, or of those who clearly do not like me?
  • Am I drawn to TV shows or entertainment that do not reflect my desired spiritual culture?
  • Am I tempted to stretch the truth, enlarge numbers that are favorable to me, or tell stories that make me look good?
  • Do I blame others for things that are my own fault or the result of my own choices?
  • Is my spirit in a state of quiet so I can hear God speak?
The only caution I would give when asking questions like these is this: don’t forget the Gospel. You are not accepted by God because of how well you can answer these questions. You are accepted by God because of how well Jesus performed on your behalf. The Gospel is the means and the motivation to live above reproach in these areas. So take a good look at your soul and your life, but as you do, take ten looks at Christ and what He has done for you.


GB
2011
08/18
CATEGORY
examination
Gordon MacDonald
questions
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Men, Mark Your Calendars!



On September 1 we are hosting our second Men’s Night. If you missed the first one the audio is on our website. Last time we discussed The Art of Manliness, this time we are looking at The Art of Marriage. We are encouraging all our men to attend, especially men who are married or plan to get married. We do ask that no one under 16 attend the event, as the content of the message will be somewhat sensitive. So mark your calendars men! Invite your friends and neighbors! Don’t be late! There will be worship, some announcements of upcoming events, teaching, Q&A, small group discussion, and of course food! I hope to see you there!



GB
2011
08/17
CATEGORY
Mens night
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Why Work?

I preached Sunday from Ecclesiastes 2:12-26. One of the things the author struggled with was work. He saw work and anxious toil as meaningless and a chasing after the wind. A God-centered view of work, however, is much more optimistic and admirable. Work is hard. But biblically speaking there are good reasons to do it. Here are a few:



WORK TO GAIN
2 Thessalonians 3:10 is clear that those who aren’t willing to work, who are of course able, should not expect to eat. Work is the means by which we gain what we need to live. By working, we provide for ourselves, our family, our church, etc. Work is the way God determined for us to gain. The love of money is the root of all evil, yes. But money itself is the root of your house and food and clothing! How Christians spend their money is a fairly hot topic right now, but no one is able to avoid the fact that we are required to spend money on ourselves for the purpose of sustaining life. Therefore, if you can make a lot of money, then do so. If you can provide well for your family, then do so. Spend wisely. Avoid debt whenever you can. Invest winsomely. Work to gain.


WORK TO GIVE
Ephesians 4:28 provides as interesting view of work. Paul says, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” There are three options here. First, you can steal to get. Second, you can work to get. Third, you can work to give. Obviously Paul has in mind working to get, as we just saw. But here he deems generosity a reason to work. We work in order to give. How many of us see our paycheck as a means to give? A raise in pay means a raise in giving. Work enables us to not only live, but also give. So work to give. Think of some creative ways to teach your children how wonderfully the gospel is displayed in giving. Model work as a means of giving.


WORK TO GLORIFY
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). Ultimately, work is not for us, it is for the glory and renown and fame of Christ. It is something that we get to do to make His name look good and reveal the depth of His worth. This is why, though work is difficult, we can wake each morning and give ourselves completely to the task at hand.


Let us work well!


GB
2011
08/08
CATEGORY
Ecclesiastes
work
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Pursuing Pleasure

I preached Sunday on pleasure in part 3 of our Ecclesiastes series. I exhorted us not to avoid pleasure, but to ferociously pursue it. Here is a post I did a while back on how to actually do that.

Lets face it, enjoying God is hard work! Its easier to enjoy TV and movies and steak, than it is to enjoy God. The problem is, you cant reduce it to a list of rules to obey or steps to follow. If someone asked me how I enjoy my wife I don’t think I could give them steps on how I do it! But Christians nonetheless should make it their aim to enjoy God over all things in life. So what are some things we can do, not steps or rules to be sure, but at least some ways we can view the world and ourselves that will help us better enjoy God? Here are a few:

1. Use Feasting Language
The Bible often describes worship of God as a feast (Isaiah 55:1-7). If we would see ourselves as starving beggars who have been invited to sit at the table of the richest Person in the world, we might use different language. We might use words like; taste, savor, delight, thirst, pant, yearn, long, crave, hunger. These are feasting words, so use them, pray them, think them, speak them. They might help ingrain in us a worldview where feasting on God is our greatest passion.

2. Make Every Pleasure Acknowledge God
There are good things in this world (1 Timothy 4:4-6). Its OK to admit that you enjoy things in this life. The problem however is that the good things in life want to glorify themselves. Food, sex, children, weightlifting, golf, swimming, sunsets all fight for their own glory and deceive us into thinking they are ends in themselves. They are not! They are simply means to reflect and point to the infinite glory and greatness and creativity and goodness of God. So don’t let them steal God’s glory! He is the author of all good pleasures and they are to submit to Him. So let every pleasure take you to God; every sensation, every good story, every good song, every good movie (and it doesn’t have to be Christian), every good affection and emotion should point us to our great God and King. Do this so if/when God takes the good things away, your life will not crumble.

3. Make It Your Aim To Enjoy God
Wake up with this in mind for your day. Set the tone of each day by deciding to enjoy God. If you are not intentional about this, something else will grab your affections and you will find yourself uninterested with God and amazed at something else which will eventually lead to a life of empty religion. This is why many Christians are bored with God and enthralled in other things.

4. Mortify and Vivify
Those are Puritan words. What I mean here is that we are to mortify what steals our affections for God and vivify what enhances our affections for God. So whatever stirs you up for Christ fill your life with it and whatever makes you forget Him and lose sight of Him, kill it.
GB
2011
08/03
CATEGORY
pleasure
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