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Top Posts For July 2013

With the final days of summer vacation approaching, and fall activities approaching, it seems like the year has simply flown by.

We’ll have a new schedule to adjust to, since my oldest daughter will start her high school years in public school for the first time. We are pretty well settled into our homeschool routine, so this may take some getting used to for a while.

July 2013 Word Picture from Wordle.net

But on the other hand, we’ve been in Cabool, Missouri, for over two months now. We still have some settling in to do at the house, hanging things on the walls, and finding where a few last boxes can be unpacked to. But other than that, we feel like we’ve come home.

That means my writing schedule has settled down as well. I’m finding plenty of time to write the posts I want to write, and have even started thinking about a book or two again. That’s pretty exciting to me.

So, in case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of July:

  1. The Difference Between Purpose, Vision, and Mission
  2. Why You Need To Develop A Philosophy Of Ministry
  3. Trying A New Bible Reading System
  4. My Current Philosophy Of Ministry
  5. 9 Habits You Need To Build Into Your Daily Routine
  6. 11 Things I Love About Field Notes Brand Journals
  7. A Special Q & A With Randy Singer, Author Of The Last Plea Bargain

This month, the lineup changed quite a bit. Some of my most popular posts continue to make the list, like the ones from the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. But this month, a few different posts made the list, including one from my series on building a daily routine that was written well into the month. Along with several book reviews, that makes a pretty full schedule of posts for the month.

My favorite post written this month is one where I share that I’ll be starting a new teaching series this fall at my church on the first few chapters of Genesis. I’ve also added several posts in my series on the importance of routine.

I’m looking forward to some of the ideas I have planned for the fall. Some will be pretty helpful, and some will be pure fun. Keep a close watch for some of those posts in the near future.

Have a great month!

If you are a blogger, leave a comment with your top post for the month. If you don’t blog, leave a comment with a favorite post or blog that you read this month.

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Book Review – Road Trip To Redemption by Brad Mathias

Road Trip To RedemptionOne of my biggest worries in life is that something will happen to one of my kids. I pray for my kids on a frequent basis in this regard, and try not to fret too much over something I have little to no control over.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Brad Mathias’ family when they were faced with a major family crisis surrounding one of their daughters. He details their story in his book Road Trip To Redemption.

How often do we slide into the rut of maintaining the status quo in our families? That’s exactly where Mathias was with his family. He had successfully saved his marriage from almost divorce several years earlier, and had regained a sense of equilibrium, or so he thought. But when his middle child began displaying harmful behavior and experiencing severe depression, he knew something was up.

When he and his wife discovered the unthinkable truth, their carefully ordered world tarted to crumble around them.

As Mathias struggles to find the answers to healing for his family, a wild idea entered his mind. What if he took a road trip with his family from Nashville, Tennessee, to the wilds of western Canada in order to reconnect his family with one another and with God?

That’s exactly what he did. And in the process he and his family discovered healing and grace.

While this story tells of a much bigger crisis than most of us may ever face, this story can help each of us in our parenting journeys with principles that the Mathias family found the hard way.

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Book Review – God And The Nations by Henry M. Morris

God And The Nations by Henry MorrisI am fascinated by history. I’m especially fascinated by origins history. So reading a book on the nature and origins of civilization seemed natural. I wasn’t disappointed.

I’ve read other material on this before, such as Bodie Hodge’s Tower Of Babel. So when I received a copy of Henry Morris’ book, God And The Nations, I was pretty excited to dig into it.

Morris took a look at several aspects of the biblical nature of civilization that I’d never considered before, giving me plenty of food for thought. Much of what he wrote in the early chapters of the book was expected. But the latter half of the book was new information for me, things I’d never really paused to consider before.

In the first few chapters, Morris discusses the nations of the earth, and how they began. He looks at the Dominion Mandate that God gave mankind, to fill and subdue the earth. And he looks in depth at the Table of Nations in Genesis 5, discussing the origins, and where or who these nations might be today. Much of what I read here I’ve read before, but there were several new insights, such as the connection between the ancient Hittites and the modern nation of China.

The rest of the book, however, I found simply fascinating. Morris examined the chosen nation of the Jewish people, and the Gentile nations, seeing how they fit together and gave a solid biblical framework for the importance and inclusion of each in God’s major narrative for mankind. Moving from the Dominion Mandate, he looks at the Missionary Mandate, and God’s intention that all nations be reached with the Gospel. He added thoughts and insights to the urgency of this mandate that have my mind reeling under the weight of our mission, and the importance it is to God that we fulfill it with haste.

I found God And The Nations to be a very helpful resource, one that I know I will reference again and again as I study not only Genesis, but the purpose of the church worldwide. I’m glad to be able to add it to my shelf, and I suggest you pick up a copy as well. Well thought, and well written, it will provide much for you to mull over as you consider the nations and just how important they are to God’s overall plan.

I’m sure you’ll gain a wealth of information from it, just as I did.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the nations of the Bible? Which of the nations most interest you? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading God And The Nations: What The Bible Has To Say About Civilizations – Past And Present, by Henry M. Morris, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle, or directly from Master Books.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Coffee Break – 07.29.2013

Coffee Break

Homemade Coffee Spice Bar Soap – My wife has occasionally told me she would like to try making our own soap. I was skeptical at first, with the hazards of lye and the effort involved for a result that may or may not leave me feeling clean. But I just might be able to get behind a soap like this one…

10 Incredible Cloud Formations – We have had some serious thunderstorms in my part of the country over the years. There is power hidden in thunderheads. There is beauty there as well. This post has ten different locations, with ten incredible formations.

Hyper-Realistic Bust Of Abraham Lincoln – Hollywood special effects can be simply amazing. This bust of Abraham Lincoln gives more attention to detail and specifics than anything I’ve ever seen. Now I want one of me…

22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Different From Each Other – You may have seen a few of these floating around on Facebook recently. I found these interesting. I’ve spent time in ministry in Missouri, Indiana, Florida and New York, and have seen a few of these difference first hand. Some of the different pronunciations make me laugh, some are just confusing.

Developing A Mindset Of Stewardship – This fall, our church is going to take a good look at what God says about finances and giving in the Bible. We will be using Take God At His Word, a book written by Dr. Kregg Hood. His website contains lots of useful information about his books and his stewardship ministry. It’s worth looking at.

When Evangelism Looks Like A Protest – I found this short article to be enlightening. Although I’ve never really taken the time to examine this concept in depth, this article makes a lot of sense to me. We seem to have a preconceived impression of people who are standing on the streets holding signs as protesters. I’m not sure that’s the most effective way to spread the message of Christ.

All great Christians have been wounded souls. – A. W. Tozer

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:11-12

Chapter 4 of first Timothy contains the passage that has probably been used more often in youth ministries than any other. It seems to be the hallmark of youth ministry visions. You’ve probably heard it often, especially if you’re involved in your church’s youth or children’s ministries.

You can find it in 1 Timothy 4:11-12:

1 Timothy 4:11-12

Paul begins this section by stating to Timothy that he is to command and teach these things. Paul has laid out a lot of instruction for Timothy in regards to the false teachers, the role of women, the duties of the elder and the deacon, and more. Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in this phrase is to stand upon the authority of God’s word; command and teach. Because of God’s authority, Timothy has authority. He is to use it.

However, Timothy seems to be experiencing some timidity, perhaps because of his youth. Paul encourages him to not let others judge him because of that though. But just how old was Timothy? Some have suggested that he was very young, perhaps in his teens and twenties. However, this phrase can be used to refer to people of any age up to around forty. And if Timothy accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys in AD 49-50, and this letter was written around AD 62-63, then Timothy could have been in his early to mid thirties.

And remember, age is relative. In my own congregation, I lead people of all ages. To the teens, I’m the “old guy” in my early forties. But to many others in the congregation, I seem young, even the age of their own children. Just because Paul refers to Timothy’s youth doesn’t mean that he is a child.

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Think On These Things… Whatever Is Admirable

In Paul’s list of things that should be the focus of our thoughts, he lists a series of descriptive terms. These terms are all focused on godly and God-honoring perspectives.

As he wraps up the first part of his list, he gives us the word “admirable.”

Whatever is Admirable

There are lots of ways we use this term.

We admire things and people. When someone builds a new home, we admire their home. We admire athletes, or actors, or leaders, or pastors.

But I’m not sure this is the admiration Paul has in mind when he uses the word.

When we look up the word in the dictionary, we get a better sense of what Paul’s referring to. According to dictionary.com, admiration conveys a feeling of wonder, pleasure, or approval or the act of looking on or contemplating with pleasure.

But the third definition listed hits pretty close to the meaning: an object of wonder, pleasure, or approval.

What Paul is saying here is that things that are admirable are worthy of our praise. This is not the same idea that Paul will state in the next sentence, when he uses the word praise with the idea of worship. This is more of the idea of praising the qualities of something, something that is well-spoken of.

So what is the object of our wonder? What is the object of our admiration? What is the object of our awe?

Or rather, perhaps we should ask “Who” instead…

It’s very interesting to me, as we examine each of these words in detail, that the object of each one ultimately is God himself.

Our thoughts should be directed towards that which is admirable, and not that which is offensive.

My challenge to you is to think on this today. Avoid the offensive. Focus on the admirable. Focus on the godly.

What that is admirable are you thinking of this week? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.