Abouts:
If you don’t notice I changed the layout, not much a change but still something

Articles:
Ten Questions For Expositors – Derek Thomas (Unashamed Workman), Steve Lawson

Jerry Bridges on Four Ways to Love (Pure Church) is the description of four ways we could live our Christian life

Readings:
Something to Keep in Mind (Desiring God)

Randoms:
Last week was the map of church bodies, now here is the map of fat bodies (CNN)

Found out about the Sovereign Grace Ministries YouTube page this week, Justin Talyor points us to video’s on Dave Harvey’s book, When Sinners Say “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage (Between Two Worlds), basically Dave Harvey giving an overview of each chapter of his book, good stuff

Videos:

Verses:
Luke 10:25-28
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

This Book, which all true Christians live upon and love, is the subject about which I am addressing the readers of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter what you are doing with the Bible. Surely it is matter for erious inquiry whether you know anything of this love to the Word, and have this mark of walking “in the footsteps of the flock.” (Cant. 1:8) I charge you, I entreat you to give me an honest answer. What are thou doing with the Bible? Dost thou read it? HOW READEST THOU?

-J.C. Ryle, Practical Religion

Abouts:
Change of layout coming next week (hopefully)…

Articles:
The Heart and the Head (Boundless), should discernment be from the head or the heart

The True Meaning of Headship: Part One (The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood) Part Two, Part Three

Do I Not Hate Those Who Hate You, O Lord? (Desiring God)

The Church’s Mission Statement? (Pulpit Magazine), ever thought the mission statement for your church was really important

Randoms:
Map of Church Bodies in America

Laser Alarm Clock (Urban Trend)

Readings:
It May Be Time to Pluck Your Eye (Desiring God)

The Twilight of the Books? (Albert Mohler)

The bare fact is that reading is not an important part of the lives of many persons — including millions who can read. Americans have far more leisure time then ever before, but they fill those hours with everything from television to video games to surfing the internet. These media often use words, but they may also be the great enemies of literacy.

20 Reasons to Read: Good Christian Books (Unashamed Workman)

Videos:

Verses:
Philippians 2:1-3
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

As a church we must come together to worship God in one body.
Mutual Belonging As Local Church Membership (Pure Church)

Abouts:
I finally started my flickr site, although I don’t really have any of my SLR pictures on there yet, I have some pictures I took with my camera phone

Chuck (NBC) is one of my new favorite TV shows

Articles:
As it is cold season here is a list of Cold-Fighting Foods (Health)

Christless Christianity: Getting in Christ’s Way (Modern Reformation) by Michael Horton

The God of either/or (97secondswithGod), this is Prodigal Jon’s second site, I really don’t know why he has a second site, but I don’t care as long as the content is there and it is

Advice to Pastors: How to Help Your People Be More Satisfied in God (Desiring God), I think it is relevant to any serious Christian personally and it can be used to know what to expect from their own pastor

4 myths on God’s will (The Purple Cellar)

Considering Marriage? Can You Respect Him? (Making Home), an interesting article for ladies and finding the “right” guy, to the men, can you be respected? She lists a few questions at the end that a guy can take as a check list sort of and I encourage not just the ladies to read this article.

Audios:
Explosions in the Sky (Myspace), I don’t really know how to describe this style of music but it is instrumental/rock/ambient/chill kind of style, no singing, just a background soundtrack to life

Videos:

Verses/Messages:
Amos 6:4-6
Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

When Grieving May Save Your Life
The Poor of the Land and the Pride of Jacob

Listen to Amos’ slam at the lovers of comfort in [Amos] 6:1, “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria.” Verse 4: “Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches.” Verse 6: ” . . . who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.” Does that refer to anyone today: people who live for comfort, and do not grieve over the lost; people who are experts in loving themselves, but have not thought the first thought about what it means to love your neighbor as yourself? What governs your getting and spending? Is it the desire to fill your little three score and ten with as much comfort as you can? Or is it the God-given desire to do as much good for others as you can to the glory of Christ? There is a warning in [Amos] 3:15 which hits so close to home in middle-class Minnesota that I hesitate to read it. But it’s here, so I will: the Lord says, “I will smite the winter house and the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end.” Take heed and guard your hearts diligently, lest you find yourselves enslaved to comfort and addicted to luxury. (Desiring God)

Abouts:
This post will be on the light side because I really didn’t have time to work on it, I apologize in advance

It’s not fun when your flight has been canceled for the following day at 6:45am when you arrive at the airport the day before thinking your flight was 7:25pm

Articles:
Read to Lead: How to Digest Books Above Your “Level,” probably not going to do everything that article says, but sounds like a very plausible task

Readings:
Thabiti Anyabwile points us to a very solid quote on reading by John Wesley (Pure Church)

Verses:
Acts 17:22-23
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”

Some of you may know that the studios have decided to put out Rambo IV, I little excited for it to come out. If you like those kind of movies check out the trailer (Warning: Very bloody), but what I wanted to point out was a line Rambo uses in the trailer. In one of those intense moments where the actor is suppose to say something memorable and deep, he says, “Live for nothing or die for something!” That quote instantly reminded me of what Paul said he found, “an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.” Growing up in the post-modern age, it’s fine whatever you believe, you believe and I cannot do anything about it but accept it. The culture tells you it is fine if you don’t agree as long as you believe in something, as long as you have a purpose. When did “finding a purpose” become the ends? As long as you die for “something,” whatever it may be, you are fine; as long as you are happy then that means you have succeeded in life. 

Abouts:
Sorry about the late post, but Monday falling on New Year’s Eve, not really an empty day…

Articles:
Who is responsible for dealing with false teaching in the church (Against Heresies)

I’m Just Not Attracted to Her (Boundless)

We shouldn’t be surprised that attraction has such power over us. God designed us that way. He didn’t want us to merely know the truth and do what was right. He wanted us to love the truth; He wanted us to be powerfully attracted to the good. Ultimately, He made us to love and be attracted to the most beautiful person in the universe — Him! So He created beauty in this world, not as an end in itself for our selfish pleasure, but as a means to the end of our ultimate pleasure in Him (Psalm 16:11).

How Not to Lose Your Faith in College (Boundless)

News/Thoughts:
Foul-mouthed customer leaves waitress $50,000 (CNN), when I read the article I just thought how many times I thought my own life serving God all I was doing was serving some old guy who only cares about their own needs and wants, and who is only looking out for their own gain, but I put on a happy face and still serve because it is what I was suppose to do, it was the “right thing to-do,” how far from the truth I was. I think that’s what non-Christians think of the Christian life, when they hear us say that we live to serve our God and worship Him with everything we have, they think what a wasted life, just following rules, because this God said so, but we get to go to heaven after. But what are we going to do in heaven? Is God a grumpy old man too you?

Readings:
Monergism Books “End of the Year Sale,” which they say is their biggest ever sale which I believe with stuff marked down up to 80%, this is probably the last day for the sale so get a buying

Videos:

Verses/Messages:
Romans 15:30-31
Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.

Prayer Changes People’s Wills (Desiring God)