Archive for March, 2007
Polling Returns?
March 30th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Polls, Site News...
I found an updated polling plugin last night, so polling has returned to the site, at least temporarily.
I thought the easiest test of it would be a simple opinion poll… keep the poll, or ditch it?
Check it out in the right sidebar. Vote early, and vote often! 
Family Worship
March 29th, 2007 | 3 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Worth Reading
Yesterday, Joe Thorn wrote on family worship. Today, he shares an interview with Tom Ascol on the same subject.
If I were to venture a guess, I’d say that most of us Christian husbands and dads struggle with this subject… how do we fulfill our Biblical role of spiritual leadership in our homes? I’d go further to venture that most of us fall quite a bit short in that calling.
Joe’s posts are definitely recommended reading on this subject, providing some good resources and practical advice on the matter.
Nathan Network… Anyone Interested?
March 21st, 2007 | 5 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Christian Living
I know it’s been almost a month since I’ve discussed the “Nathan Network”, an online Christian accountability group envisioned as helping us all with our blogging behavior. Is anyone still interested?
Just curious what everyone thinks… I was finally getting around to thinking about developing the website this evening, but didn’t want to spend any money on a domain name unless I knew we had a good core group of people who plan to participate.
Responding to Criticism…
March 20th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Worth Reading
Don’t miss this article from Curtis “Voice” Allen. What an awesome testimony about Godly response to criticism.
(In case you don’t know who he is, “Voice” is the Christian rapper who performed at John Piper’s church. Check out the performance here.)
HT: Steve McKoy.
How Can I Keep from Singing?
March 20th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Song of the Day
Isn’t it awesome how God meets our needs? I needed a little lift today, and God provided it… even before I’d thought to ask.
It came in the form of a Chris Tomlin song, “How Can I Keep from Singing?” (it’s track one on the album See the Morning). Here’s the lyrics…
“How Can I Keep From Singing”
There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ringAnd though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I clingHow can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to singI will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior livesAnd I will walk with You
Knowing You’ll see me through
And sing the songs You giveI can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing ’cause You pick me up
Sing ’cause You’re there
I can sing ’cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I’ll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne
Life’s troubles are, as Paul writes, light and momentary… at least when seen in the light of God’s love for us.
A Lesson from a 4 Year Old
March 19th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life / Family, Pictures
Ephesians 6:4
4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
I admit, as a Christian dad, I often fall short of the Biblical expectations placed upon me. I try to raise my kids in a way that honors and glorifies God, and I’m trying to teach them to learn to love Him… but I often fall short. I pray that one day they’ll come to know and love Him far more than I ever have or ever will.
It’s interesting, though, how when we’re trying our hardest to raise our kids to know God’s will and purposes how we often find ourselves being taught… usually seeing something in our own lives reflected in the lives of our kids. I had that happen again just this weekend.
Jeffrey is a great kid… I love him more than words can say. Of course, as all kids do, he tends to get into trouble on occasion… hitting his sister, arguing with mom and dad, telling lies… pretty much the standard struggles with being obedient that kids experience. Obviously, these behaviors result in discipline.
In doing so, Nancy and I have always emphasized that he needs to apologize for wrongdoing as part of being discpline. It has always seemed a reasonable expectation… it forces him to admit wrong behavior, and, in at least a small way, make it right again.
Recently, I’ve been trying to convey the idea that wrong behavior is not just wrong because daddy says so… it’s wrong because God sets the standard for right and wrong behavior. Maybe that’s a bit of a hard concept for a 4 year old to grasp, but he seems to get it. As such, When he has done something wrong, I’ve recently tried to include prayer as part of discpline… basically that he needs to tell God he’s sorry as well. For the most part, this has gone pretty well.
This weekend, though, Jeffrey and I were at that point in the discipline process… talking about praying to God about being sorry for doing something wrong. During that conversation, he said something that made me want to laugh and cry simultaneously (if that’s possible).
I asked him, “Jeffrey, would you like to ask Jesus to help you to be good?”
His response? “Daddy, I don’t need Jesus to help me be good. I can do it on my own.”
I know he’s four years old… but that simple statement really struck me… it was Jeffrey speaking, but the words encapsulated the attitude I exhibit frequently. I tend to rely on myself rather than Christ. I try to beat down my own path. I like to fly solo.
I fall far too often as a result.
I’m the one who had my eyes opened during that particular period of discipline. In training and instructing Jeffrey in the Lord’s ways… God used Jeffrey to touch my heart.
David Glenn: Cancelled
March 16th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Church Stuff..., Upcoming Events
What a bummer! We received news late last night that David Glenn’s visit to St. Joseph has been cancelled. After several weeks of excitement about the event, it turns out that all the planning will simply be for our normal Sunday morning worship service.
Of course, that’s FAR from a bad thing… our worship team is AWESOME. If you had planned a special visit to our church this Sunday to see David… come anyway! I promise you’ll be just as blessed by their music as you would be by David’s.