Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Why Believing That God Is Sovereign Makes All the Difference – Erik Raymond (Crossway)
Finding Peace When the Whole World Is Going To Pieces – Stephen Altrogge
10 Things You Should Know about Your Smartphone – Tony Reinke (Crossway)
2 Ways To Look at the People in Your Church – Tim Challies
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church!
Here are some good posts for small-town pastors:
A Small Church in a Mega-Church World – Joshua Jenkins (FTC)
A Simple Way to Pray for a Small Congregation – Michael Herrington (TGC)
We Are Open! The Story of Little Mill Church – Colin Berg (EM)
Tell of the boy with the demon
Dominate, destroy, despair
The father grieving for his son
Can Jesus help, does He care?
Hear Jesus call him to believe
There’s nothing He cannot do
So now in your life just believe
Trust Him down on your knees too
Tell me the story of Jesus
Write on my heart ev’ry word
Tell me the story most precious
That I might live what I’ve heard
(Some words in chorus by Fanny Crosby,
to the tune of “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”)
Here are some helpful posts on dangers in ministry:
Pastors Should Beware of These Common Dangers – Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Pastors Can’t Afford to Neglect Themselves – Erik Raymond
Pastoral Ministry and Fame – Zack Eswine (Crossway)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Enjoy Your Prayer Life – Michael Reeves (EM)
In one sense your prayer life is disgustingly revealing. Your prayer life reveals how much you really want communion with God and how much you really depend on him.
Why You Can’t See Your Biggest Flaws – Tim Keller (TGC)
By definition the sins to which you are most blind, that you make the most excuses for, and that you usually minimize—are the ones that most have you in their grip.
8 Ways God Works Suffering for Our Good – Tim Challies
Suffering never comes our way apart from the purpose and providence of God and for that reason, suffering is always significant, never meaningless. Here are some ways that God brings good from our suffering.
Why the Church Needs Teens and Teens Need the Church – Jaquelle Crowe (Crossway)
All Christians are called to live in community with God’s people. All Christians are called to serve other members of God’s people, to love them, to be held accountable by them, to be taught by them. And teenagers—of all God’s people—need that so much.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Here are some helpful posts for pastors:
15 Reflections from My 15 Years of Experience as a Pastor – Brian G. Najapfour
12 Marks of Excellent Pastoral Ministry – John MacArthur (via Tim Challies)
10 Disciplines of a Godly Pastor – R. Kent Hughes (Crossway)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
God Will Use Even You – Steven Lee (DG)
It’s okay to be a nobody, if in all you do, you serve Somebody.
Contentment in a Discontented World – Jason Helopoulos (TGC)
The Christian finds Christ to be sufficient. We are the richest and most secure people in the universe; so the storms may beat the walls of our lives and yet contentment can lie safe within. It isn’t touched, because it is wrapped up in Him, who is our All in all.
Do You Disagree Online Like a Nonbeliever? – Alex Hong (DG)
If our lives testify in any way large or small to the stunning beauty of our rescue, then we will begin to outshine the hostility and argumentative dialogue of our day.
When Christians Hurt You – Nicholas Batzig
In the house of God, Christians must learn to remember the identity of their brothers and sisters, humbly pray for their brothers and sisters, lovingly cover the sin of their brothers and sisters and privately confront their brothers and sisters.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping our great God with your local church!
Here are some good posts on preaching:
The Chief End of Preaching – Steven Lawson (Ligonier)
The Necessity of Prayer in Sermon Prep – Erik Raymond
21 Thoughts on Preaching – Jared Wilson (FTC)
(42-43) With what attitude should we come together into God’s presence according to 42:1-4 & 43:3-4?
Why is our attitude important as we come together? What affect will it have on our gathering? On ourselves?
With what attitude do you come to church?
(50) What do you learn about God in v1-6? How should that affect the way we come together into His presence?
Why wasn’t God pleased with the way Israel came before Him in v7-23? How might we come in similar ways today?
How should we come instead?
How do you come? In what ways might you need to change your approach?
(48) What two things does the Psalmist say they do as they come together into God’s presence in v9-11?
In what ways do we do these same two things as we come together?
(47) How might this psalm help us to praise the Lord as we come together? For what can we praise Him?
(41-50) Which verse(s) or psalm especially speaks to you, and why?
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
They Know My Voice – Matt Rogers (GCD)
The subtle danger of the unrelenting noise in our lives is that we may miss the voice of God.
Do You Think You’re the Exception? – Jon Bloom (DG)
Behind every willful sin, every conscious act of disobedience to God, is a presumption that what God, or his rightful authority (whether government, school, employer, or parent), says is best for the masses around us need not apply to us.
Every Click Counts: What You Should Know About the Internet – David Mathis (DG)
Every click is a kind of vote. Every time you click, you say, in effect, I want this — and more of this.
Church Member! Fight to Attend Your Church Weekly! – Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Attend the sweet times of fellowship where you remember the gospel, feast upon Christ, receive conviction by the Spirit, and edification from God’s people. Prioritize it!
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping our Lord with your local church!
Brian J. Mikul 