26 March 2013

stop asking Jesus into your heart

1. J. D. Greear in an interview about his new book: 
“If you are right now trusting in Christ’s finished work and submitting to his Lordship, that proves you are saved. If you are not, then it doesn’t matter what “ceremony” you went through. Assurance doesn’t come through a memory of a past event, but through our present posture....
“For every one look we take at our sinful heart, we should take 10 looks at Christ....
“You will never have the strength to say “no” to sin until you realize the unconditional “yes” that God has given to you in Christ. You’ll never give up your life in radical obedience until you are radically assured of his radical commitment to you.”

2. On adoption: My Child's Backstory is None of Your Business
“I think the thoughtless telling of our children's stories stems from forgetting something that all parents are prone to forget: my child is my neighbor. Yes, I am his parent—with all the authority and responsibility that entails. Of course. But my child is not simply my possession or an extension of myself. He is a human being, made in the image of God, with a soul that will never die. And his story does not belong to me.”

21 March 2013


1. “Learning to design is, first of all, learning to see. Designers see more, and more precisely. This is a blessing and a curse — once we have learned to see design, both good and bad, we cannot un-see. The downside is that the more you learn to see, the more you lose your ‘common’ eye, the eye you design for. This can be frustrating for us designers when we work for a customer with a bad eye and strong opinions. But this is no justification for designer arrogance or eye-rolling. Part of our job is to make the invisible visible, to clearly express what we see, feel and do. You can’t expect to sell what you can’t explain.”
Oliver Reichenstein, via Swiss Miss


19 March 2013

1. Nine Reasons You Can Face Anything
2. Ten Big, Daily Reminders

I like lists. I need reminders like this. Because God is really really big and I am so prone to forget that truth.

17 March 2013

Dude, Watch Your Jargon
“We need to do the hard work of incorporating new words and concepts in order to crisply articulate truths that fly under the radar of a noisy world. The truths don’t change. The content is unshakable. But our communication should be infused with life. Bright-eyed, soul-soaring life.”

16 March 2013

1. From "Contentment, again."
Contentment is a deep satisfaction with the will of God in your life. Contentment receives the portion God has carved for you (as the Puritans would say) with pleasure and gratitude. Contentment rests in God’s providence, knowing He is a good and gracious Father who loves His children. Contentment believes God’s promises. Contentment rejoices in all things. Contentment is informed....
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’ “(Hebrews 13:5).

2. 
Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet would ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Saviour

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

12 March 2013

1. Single, satisfied, and sent.


“While marriage may bring joy, help, and relief in certain areas, it immediately multiplies your distractions because you’re intimately responsible for this other person, his or her needs, dreams, and growth. It’s a high calling and a good calling, but a demanding one that will keep you from all kinds of other good things.

Therefore, for the not-yet married, our (temporary) singleness is a gift. It really is. If God leads you to marriage, you may never again know a time like the one you’re in right now. A season of singleness is not merely the minor leagues of marriage. It has the potential to be a unique period of undivided devotion to Christ and undistracted ministry to others.

With the Spirit in you and the calendar clear, God has given you the means to make a lasting difference for his kingdom. You’re all dressed up, having every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), with literally everywhere to go.”

2. Lecrae on hope when life is hard.

“The biblical promise that I turn to most is that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called by him (Romans 8:28). I have to lean on the reality that even if it doesn’t look good to me, or feel good to me, God is ultimately being glorified. And in the end, even if it’s not until I am in heaven, it will work out to my benefit. Even if I don’t realize it until heaven, it will work out for my benefit.

I lean on that because life is difficult. Life is hard. It’s complicated. It’s not peachy keen, as a lot of people would like to make it seem. It takes a lot of leaning on the hope that is in Jesus. Without that hope we are just left to go insane, to be at our wit’s end. So this is the promise I hold to.”
3. What is God's will for my life?
“[God's] ultimate concern is not to get you or me from point A to point B along the quickest, easiest, smoothest, clearest route possible. Instead, his ultimate concern is that you and I would know him deeply as we trust him more completely. ”

01 March 2013

1. More Than Body Parts Indeed (response to the debate over a transgender first-grader in CO)
2. Seven Things to Pray for Your Children: ‘Jesus promises us that if we ask, seek, and knock the Father will give us good in return (Luke 11:9-13), even if the good isn't apparent for 40 years. And because Jesus regularly asked those who came to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51), we know that he wants us to be specific with our requests.’
3. How do I help my friends stay satisfied in God?: ‘It comes down to whether we taste and see that the Lord is good. I have said this to the church and I have said to pastors, and I have said to my wife. What I want from you, Noël, what I want from my staff, is for them to be happy in Jesus. The greatest ministry you can have to me is for you to enjoy Christ. And so I think when we turn that around and say, “Now how can I be the greatest blessing to the people around me?” The answer is: Get up in the morning. Go to the Word of God and, like George Mueller said, “Get your heart happy in God before you meet other people.”’ (John Piper)