Jesus is pure; his bride wasn’t
March 10, 2010
Russell Moore gives a gospel-saturated answer to a young woman asking about what she has a right to know about her boyfriend’s sexual past and when she has a right to know it. Take and read.
Also read Jeremiah 3.
Tattoos, submission, and growing up
January 26, 2010
At his blog Moore to the Point, Russell D. Moore answers a question from a 19-year-old about his desire to get a Christian tattoo and his desire to honor his parents. Moore deals with all the right questions in his response. Most helpful to me is the way he speaks to an issue that has come up from time to time in my ministry to families. Teens, especially those in the midst of rebellion, cling to a cherished belief that once they turn 18, then they are adults and no longer have to submit to parents. This is one of the most ridiculous statements ever made, and yes, I know all the things that most states in the U.S. say an 18-year-old can legally do. Moore handles it biblically (and more thoughtfully than I often do):
When does your obedience to parents end or, better put, when are you responsible for making your own decisions?
It isn’t at eighteen. The Bible never puts eighteen or twenty-one as some arbitrary mark between childhood and maturity. Instead, in Scripture, maturity is less a chronological or biological matter than an economic one. When are you able to establish a household, a household for which you are responsible? The creation pattern is that a man is equipped to provide for his household (Gen. 2:15). He then “leaves father and mother” as he cleaves to his wife and forms (within the larger tribe) a new household (Gen. 2:24).
Between childhood and maturity, your parents are working to prepare you for this responsibility, handing over more and more of it to you as you prepare to give yourself over for the provision and protection of a wife and family (Eph. 5) or for the sake of the mission (1 Cor. 7).
Cream of blog 12.18.09
December 18, 2009
The Sweet Dropper has been silent about 10 days, as a trip to Belize has hindered my blogging. Here are a few blog entries worth your time.
- Gene Edward Veith comments on findings of The Pew Forum, which reports that Americans are becoming increasingly syncretistic in their religious views and practices.
- Tim Keller on how to deal with criticism, and how John Newton has helped him respond in godly ways.
- Justin Taylor with resources on helping men gain victories in the battle against lust.
- CCEF has posted Tim Lane’s pamphlet Family Feuds: How to Respond–great teaching and equipping for Christmas family gatherings and the conflicts that go with them.
Hypersocialized
November 11, 2009
Great article by Dr. Albert Mohler on “The Hypersocialized Generation”–those for whom Twittering and Facebook updating and texting are as familiar and essential as breathing. Parents of teens especially need to read this.
DEH
November 10, 2009
A brother in Christ here told his daughter’s suitor, “I’ll give my blessing to your marriage…but you must promise me this: that you will never stop courting her.” He is a wise father, and one who practices what he preaches with his own wife. Cultivating marital oneness with your spouse requires ongoing effort. I’m a fellow struggler in this effort, but I’d love to share with you a helpful way to think about it and plan for it, courtesy of Focus on the Family’s Young Married blog:
You can remember it with the acronym DEH. Our counselors (a seasoned married couple with grown children) urged us to attempt to incorporate DEH into our marriage. D is for date. Have a date once a week. This can be discussion over coffee after a church service or popcorn and a movie at home after the kids have gone to bed.
E is for event. Plan one monthly. Spouses may trade off planning events. This might be a hike and picnic lunch on a Saturday afternoon, going to a play together or enjoying a nice dinner out. An event should feel special and intentional.
H is for happening. A happening takes place, generally, once a quarter. A happening can range from a weekend away at a bed and breakfast to a road trip to a nice vacation.
Of course, DEH is a rule of thumb. There will be times when finances, children and other life circumstances hinder living out DEH. But at those times, it’s helpful to still aspire to the formula. Maybe a happening looks like spending the night at a local hotel while friends watch the baby. DEH is just a tool. The important thing is to make dates with your mate a priority.
Confession 101
October 21, 2009
So you sinned against someone this week? Tell me something I don’t know. Sinners have this remarkable tendency to sin. I can think of a couple of occasions when I have heard otherwise mature Christians “apologize” and have felt compelled to say, “If one of my children apologized like that, I would take him back to the nearest bedroom and spank him.”
Instead of being surprised by our sin or the sins of others, we should learn how to deal with it rightly. In a recent article prompted by a major league baseball players public apology for using human growth hormones banned by the league, C. J. Mahaney writes about wrong and right ways to deal with your sin. Wrong ways include using the word “if” (e.g., “I’m sorry if you were offended”), providing lengthy explanations of why you sinned, seeking understanding for your sin, being indignant about being caught. Here’s Mahaney’s description of a right way to confess sin:
A confession that is sincere and pleasing to God will be specific and brief. I have learned to be suspicious of my confession if it’s general and lengthy. A sincere confession of sin should be specific (“I was arrogant and angry when I made that statement; will you please forgive me for sinning against you in this way?”) and brief (this shouldn’t take long). When I find myself adding an explanation to my confession, I’m not asking forgiveness but instead appealing for understanding….Genuine conviction of sin is evidenced by a sincere, specific, and brief confession of sin, without any reference to circumstances or the participation of anyone else. When I sin, I am responsible for my sin, and the cause of my sin is always within my heart and never lies outside my heart.
Such honest, humble and responsible confession is liberating, because there is One who is able to provide full and complete forgiveness of sin–any sin. Because of the death of Jesus Christ the righteous one, sin may be completely forgiven. How foolish we are to run to self-justifying and deflecting strategies in view of the depth of mercy we can experience through the substitutionary sacrifice of his Son for my sins on the cross. May our confession of sin be sincere and specific confession, sorrowful about sin and amazed at the rich provision of God’s grace.
Jesus unplugged study guides available
September 9, 2009
Jesus Unplugged sermon series study guide is available. I have put together an introduction and week one study guide for personal, family and group discussion for the new sermon series, Jesus unplugged. You can download it in pdf format here. Every week or so we’ll post the next guide on www.fpckosciusko.org. This is an experiment in bringing the weekly preaching ministry into closer contact with our lives. The weekly study guide contains Scripture readings, a summary of the passage on which I will preach, questions for further thought and discussion, and daily suggestions on how to engage your children with the story and truths in the passage. Give it a try.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the brethren at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, who have been doing these kinds of study guides for 5 or 6 years now. Their excellent work has been something of template for me. If it blesses our folks and doesn’t kill me, we’ll keep ‘em coming.
Truth Project begins May 20
May 18, 2009
FPC Kosciusko folks have been hearing about The Truth Project, which begins May 20, as part of our Wednesday Night Connection. Sunday evening we showed a promotional video. If you missed it or want to see it again, here it is:
Everyone is invited. Youth and their parents are especially encouraged to attend. Grant Carroll and Culley Newman will serve as facilitators.
Courtesy of Sean Michael Lucas, here’s an article that may explain why some babies in the church nursery can move so quickly. You can see Sean’s blog here.
On another subject, The Sweet Dropper is very happy to hear that First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi has called Sean to be its next senior pastor!
Sound of sickness
February 18, 2009
Influenza is here in Attala County. Strep throat was here for an extended visit. A couple of weeks ago my two youngest children had pneumonia. Miss Judy and I have just shaken loose of a fortnight-long head cold. As tribute to it all, here is a link to Garrison Keillor’s parody of the Simon and Garfunkel classic. Be sure to click on the “listen” link.
