Don't Waste Your Life

The Marks of a Crusty Christian

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:57:27 -0500

A good word from our friend, Kevin DeYoung:

For starters, it’s an attitude. It’s a demeanor where being Calvinist or paedobaptist or inerrantist (three things I am gladly) are put on like armor or wielded like weapons, when they are meant to be the warm glow of a Christian whose core radiates with love for Christ and the gospel. I believe in theological distinctives—I believe in them and I believe it is good to have them—but if the distinctives are not manifestly the flower of gospel root, the buds aren’t worth the blooming.

A second mark of crusty Christians is approachability, as in, not having any. There is a sizing up-ness that makes some theological types unnecessarily prickly. They are bright and opinionated and quickly analytical. They can also be incessantly critical. Crusty Christians are hard to be around. They are intimidating instead of engaging and growling instead of gracious. They are too willing to share their opinions on everything and unable to put any doctrine in any category not marked “absolutely essential.”—Kevin DeYoung, “The Crust and the Core,” in The Good News We Almost Forgot (Moody, 2010), pp. 241–44.

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We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex...

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 14:52:56 -0500

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

The Message of the Bible In One Sentence?

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:31:30 -0500

That’s the question Dane Ortlund recently posed to the following:

Greg Beale
Dan Block
Craig Blomberg
Darrell Bock
Mark Dever
Kevin DeYoung
John Frame
Scott Hafemann
David Helm
Paul House
Gordon Hugenberger
Kent Hughes
Andreas Kostenberger
Phil Long
Sean Lucas
Ray Ortlund
Grant Osborne
George Robertson
Leland Ryken
Tom Schreiner
Mark Seifrid
Jay Sklar
Erik Thoennes
Doug Wilson
Bob Yarbrough

You can read their answers here.

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“Theology with passion for Jesus can conquer...

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:56:26 -0500

“Theology with passion for Jesus can conquer biology.” - John Piper on Sexual Sin

May God grant his children deliverance from sexual sin. How? With a passion for Jesus rooted deeply in a Gospel-centered theology.

What Is The Gospel?

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:44:33 -0500

The gospel is the story of God covering his naked enemies, bringing them to the wedding feast, and then marrying them rather than crushing them.

- Ed Welch, When People Are Big and God is Small (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1997), 34

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16 Weeks To Memorize Philippians

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:57:47 -0500

A worthy challenge from Timmy Brister:

In the summer of 2008, I came up with the crazy idea called a “memory moleskine.” The goal was to memorize the book of Ephesians before the end of the year. Since then, that Ephesian memory moleskine has resulted in 4,000+ people joining in. With a number of people desiring to do it again, I pitched the idea of memorizing the book of Philippians beginning in the New Year.

Let’s face it. Memorizing Scripture can be a difficult discipline, especially memorizing long passages of Scripture. In our fast-paced lives of multi-tasking with any number of things vying for our attention, there is a real danger for the Word of God to get squeezed out of our daily lives. More than any other time, Christians need to partner together for the purpose of internalizing Scripture, encouraging one another to abide in the words of Christ, and remembering the weighty truths that center us in God’s work in our lives. To do this, a system for memorizing Scripture has been created called the memory moleskine.

Starting in 2011, I am beginning a project called P2R (Partnering to Remember). The goal is to memorize the entire book of Philippians by Easter Sunday (April 24, 2011) through partnering with other believers using the memory moleskine. Paul praised the church in Philippi for their partnership in advance of the Gospel, and in the spirit of that partnership, this project intends to bring Christians together for the deepening work of God’s Word in their lives. Simply put, I believe we should partner to remember.

Using the Cahier moleskine, I have created a pocket-size notebook that provides a practical and accessible way to memorize Scripture. Through collaboration with The Resurgence, a customized PDF has been created for you to download with a week-by-week outline for memorizing the book of Philippians in 16 weeks using the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. On one side of the moleskine you simply paste the week’s verses to memorize, and on the other side you write your reflections on the verses while indicating how many times you rehearsed them each day. Included in this PDF are encouragements and helps to memorizing and retaining Scripture from Donald Whitney, Andy Davis, and John Piper.

The Cahier moleskine can be purchased either directly from Moleskine or from various bookstores such as Borders or Books-a-Million. My hope is that many Christians will establish a rhythm of remembering God’s Word together through a system that helps access Scripture wherever you are. So I encourage you to join me at the beginning of the New Year with a memory moleskine in your hand that God’s Word may be more treasured in your heart!

How to Make Your Own 2011 Philippians Memory Moleskine

1. Purchase your own Cahier Moleskine (3.5×5.5 size)
2. Download the PDF provided by the Resurgence
3. Cut the weekly Scripture reading according to the border
4. Use double-sided tape to paste the weekly section of verses
5. Find someone who you can partner with for encouragement & accountability
6. Jump in starting January 1, 2011!!!

A-Z Reasons to Stop Viewing Porn

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:13:25 -0500

From Craig Gross (who got it from Jay Denny) over at the XXX Church Blog:

26 Destructive Consequences Porn Viewing Has on a Man

The following destructive consequences are the result of a Christian man viewing pornography. The A to Z format covers the wide range of negative results that porn has on a man who is a follower of Jesus.

Alienates You From God. You no longer feel close to God. You don’t experience the power of God. You no longer have the joy of your salvation.

Blinds You To The Consequences. It temporarily turns off your walk with God, your relationships with your wife, your children, and others. It blinds you to what is going to happen to you spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, vocationally, and relationally.

Creates Unrealistic Expectations. Men begin to think this is what every woman should look like and that this is what your relationships with your wife is to be like.

Distorts Your View Of Sex. It makes you believe that sex is solely for the pleasure of a man and that women are simply objects to be used rather than God’s creations to be honored and respected.

Enough Is Never Enough. Pornography has an escalating effect. Like a drug you need more and more to satisfy the lust. It takes you further down a destructive path and further away from peace, joy, and healthy relationships.

Freedom Over What You Think And Do Is Lost. You become enslaved to your sinful thoughts which lead to sinful actions.

Guilt Comes Upon You After You Look At Porn, But The Guilt Is Not Enough To Prevent You From Doing It The Next Time.

Healthy Sexuality Is Numbed Through Porn. Healthy sex is married sex only that includes regular sex, unselfish sex, and loving sex.

Isolates You And Makes You Feel You Are All Alone And Are The Only One Who Struggles With Porn And Lust.

Jeopardizes Your Relationship With Your Wife Or Future Wife (if you are single), Your Witness For Jesus Christ, And Everything In Your Life That Is Important To You. You Put It All On The Line For Pornography.

Keeps You In S Cycle Of Self Destructive Behavior. It may appear to medicate the pain in your life, but it only adds to the pain with more pain. Porn leads you to do things you never thought you would do. Sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay. And it will cost you more than you want to pay (Unknown Author).

Lust—Sexual Sinful Lust—Leads To Sexual Sinful Actions. Porn put in your mind is like putting fuel on the fire of wrong sexual desire resulting in destructive thoughts and actions.

Masks The Real Wound You Are Seeking To Heal And Makes Things Worse.

Never A Neutral Experience. You cannot look at porn and not be affected by it. That experience is always inconsistent with God’s Word.

Objectifies Women. It makes them a sexual object. Porn hijacks a man’s ability to see an older woman as a mother figure, a same-aged woman as a sister figure, and a younger woman as a daughter figure.

Porn Initially Brings A Very Short-Lived Pleasure, Followed By Pain And More Pain

Quitting Becomes The Struggle Of A Lifetime. Once you allow porn in, there is a raging battle with Satan and your old nature to keep looking. Once you have allowed porn into your life, there will always be a battle. It is a winnable battle, but a daily battle.

Remains Imbedded In Your Mind Forever. Satan uses that image to replay in your mind to create a cycle of sinful lust again and to drive you back to looking at porn. You become bound to an image and a not a person.

Shame Enters Your Life. Guilt is feeling badly for something you have done, shame, however, is based on feeling badly about who you are. Pornography brings shame. God never brings shame. Satan always brings shame.

Trust Is Broken With The People You Love And Respect The Most.

Unlocks The Door To Every Sexual Sin. Porn is a portal, a gateway that leads to nothing good and everything painful such as compulsive masturbation, affairs, dangerous sexual practices, visiting adult-oriented businesses, paying for sex, perverted sexual practices and sexual abuse.

Violates Women. How? You are putting your stamp of approval on an industry that degrades and dehumanizes women.

Wandering Eyes Toward Other Women are Invited.

Xtinguishes Truth. Pornography promotes lying. You lie to others, you lie to God, and you lie to yourself. You lie more to cover up past lies. You become a living lie.

Yokes You To An Image. You become bound and attached to the image instead of your wife or future wife if you are single.

Zips Your Lips To Praising God, Speaking About Your Faith, And Telling Others How They Can Experience God.

The Cross & Our Thinking

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:34:11 -0500

There is no other object of knowledge in the universe that exposes proud, man-exalting thinking like the cross does. Only humble, Christ-exalting thinking can survive in the presence of the cross. The effect of the cross on our thinking is not cut off thinking about God, but to confound boasting in the presence of God. The cross does not nullify thinking it purifies thinking.

- John Piper, The Life of the Mind & The Love of God

God Without Christ Is No God

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:50:28 -0500

From DWYL (p. 38):

Since September 11, 2001, I have seen more clearly than ever how essential it is to exult explicitly in the excellence of Christ crucified for sinners and risen from the dead. Christ must be explicit in all our God-talk. It will not to, in this day of pluralism, to talk about the glory of God in vague ways. God without Christ is no God. And a no-God cannot save or satisfy the soul. Following a no-God—whatever his name or whatever his religion—will be a wasted life. God-in-Christ is the only true God and the only path to joy. Everything I have said so far must now be related to Christ. The old kitchen plaque comes back: “Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

To bring us to this highest and most durable of all pleasures, God made his Son, Jesus Christ, a bloody spectacle of blameless suffering and death. This is what is cost to rescue us from a wasted life. The eternal Son of God “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing.” He took “the form of a servant” and was born “in the likeness of men…He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

The Joy Eternal

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:25:23 -0500

Here’s a little write up I did over at the DG blog about this new musical experience called The Joy Eternal:

By God’s grace, there are now many places to look for theologically sound, reformed music. In my experience, however, I have found a great deal of this music to be lyrically stimulating while musically uncreative.

Kenneth Padgett, a friend of mine and a long-time fan of DG, has created a musical experience called The Joy Eternal.

The first song being released is called Finally Alive (based on Piper’s book with the same title):

Finally Alive

I was dead and depraved and I loved my sin
I was lifeless in the grave of hopelessness

But I’m Finally Alive
I’ve been made new
I’m satisfied in You
And these dead bones live
And this new heart beats
For You

You, in Your loving kindness healed my blindness and let me see.
Now I can see and savor, enjoy forever Your majesty!

I’m Finally Alive
I’ve been made new
I’m satisfied in You
And these dead bones live
And this new heart beats
For You

Kenneth is presently working on several more songs that will be releasing sometime soon as an EP. I have listened to some of the new songs and they are fantastic. I can’t wait for you guys to hear them.

Buy Finally Alive on iTunes / Amazon to support The Joy Eternal.
Join the Facebook group.
Follow The Joy Eternal on Twitter.

Kenneth Padgett is a member of Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, NC, which is a church plant of Bethlehem Baptist Church. He attends Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.

Winners of the Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl book giveaway

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:36:07 -0500

We have 4 winners for the Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl book giveaway. Below you will find the ways they plan on helping/ministering to the needy this Christmas season.

From Jeff:

I’m organizing a basic budgeting course in the new year that will help people to gain a grip on their finances. It’s run under the umbrella of Christians Against Poverty UK. We aim to liberate people from fear of their own finances to the glory of God.

From Dustin:

My family will be supplying a church leader/evangelist overseas with an ‘Outreach Pack’ through Voice of the Martyrs. It includes a makeshift baptism tank, outdoor gear, bibles, tracks, Jesus film, household items, clothing, shoulder bag, and a solar-powered mp3 player loaded with gospel messages.

We will also be providing the funds for a live Ultrasound presentation through New Life Family Services.

From Kevin:

My wife and I recently learned of a man at her parents’ church who is struggling to raise 4 kids with next to no resources at all. Susan and I, having recently been married in June, were able to give him some of the appliances that I owned before we received gifts from the wedding/showers. Still in great need, especially with Christmas approaching, we’ve decided to skip buying gifts for one another this year, and instead use that money buy gifts that will bless him and his 4 children. When Susan approached me with the idea several nights ago, I was anxious to do it, and was reminded of the great love I have for my wife, and her spirit of generosity that challenges me daily.

From Casey:

This Christmas season, my college group has decided to do a drive for a refugee mission in Tucson AZ. The motivation behind this came from the book Radical by David Platt. We decided to go through all of our possessions and give away roughly 10% of our clothes, shoes, books, cds, etc. This is our way of tithing to God, as well as blessing people who have literally nothing. I personally have found my self getting rid of more than 10%, not because I want to look good or gain praise from others, but because God has blessed me through this process. The joy of giving really can’t be under estimated. I am very excited when we get to go up to the mission as a college group and give everything away. I am looking forward to being ministered by these people and making new friends.

Be encouraged to dream big this Christmas season. The winners have been contacted and will receive their book in 1-2 weeks. Thanks for participating in this giveaway. There are more to come.

Remember, today, that, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl Book Giveaway

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:39:26 -0500

I will be giving away 5 copies of N.D. Wilson’s book Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl on Monday, December 6.

What do you have to do to win? Email me and tell me the plans you have made (or are making) to reach out to the needy during this holiday season. Over the weekend I will look them over and pick the most creative submissions. On Monday I will pick the winners, post the winning submissions on the blog, and will contact the winners for shipping info.

Easy enough, right? Dream big and email me soon.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above...

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:13:35 -0500

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. - Psalm 19:1

Stand in awe of our Creator. Be amazed. Now, go tell someone about how amazing he is.

The Essence of the Unwasted Life: What Is the Ultimate Aim of...

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:45:00 -0500

The Essence of the Unwasted Life: What Is the Ultimate Aim of the Life That Truly Counts

John Piper | Regional Conference, San Luis Obispo | March 28, 2008

True Social Justice: In Christ the cure for social justice can...

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:35:02 -0500

True Social Justice: In Christ the cure for social justice can only be found. - Eric Vaughn

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DG Live with Darrin Patrick, author of Church Planter and vice...

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:57:05 -0500

DG Live with Darrin Patrick, author of Church Planter and vice president of Acts29.

*Hosted by Scott Anderson, Director of Networking and Partnerships at Desiring God.

Prayer is a war time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom....

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:05:50 -0500

Prayer is a war time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom. Pray earnestly. Pray hard. Because your life depends on it.

Embracing Our Mission

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:51:09 -0500

A great word from R.C. Sproul over at the Ligonier blog:

A church that cares not for truth is a community that rejects its very mission. The person who says, “I’m not interested in doctrine or theology,” is not “of the truth.” He or she has missed the voice of Jesus.

For the church to be the church, she must bow before her King and embrace the mission He has given to her. Yes, we desire a cultural reformation and a restoration of public morality. But that is secondary to and dependent on our mission to bear witness to the truth. Doctrine is important because its central concern is for an understanding of truth, without which there can be no godliness. It is the truth that sets us free, reforms our behavior, and defines us as disciples of Christ.

The world does not see or understand the city of God. It is a hidden city, a concealed kingdom. It is veiled by falsehood, by he who seeks to obscure the truth. The truth is that at this moment Jesus is the King of kings. This world is under His dominion. We are citizens in His realm. We must not negotiate or retreat from that affirmation. The kingdom of God comprises those people who believe what God says and obey when God commands.

Coram Deo: Are you part of God’s kingdom? Do you believe what God says and obey when He commands?

Matthew 28:18–20: “Then Jesus came and spoke to them saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

Luke 9:60: “Jesus said to him, ‘ … you go and preach the kingdom of God.’”

Don't Waste Your Sports

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:11:57 -0500

From Crossway.org:

One way we as athletes can glorify God in our play is by cultivating humility. In Don’t Waste Your Sports, C. J. Mahaney points out this astonishing truth: Humility gets God’s attention (see Isaiah 66:2).

Here’s a profile of the humble athlete:

A humble athlete recognizes his limitations. We all come with divinely imposed limitations—limitations meant to humble us.
The humble athlete welcomes critique and correction from coaches and teammates. If we’re humble, we realize that we have weaknesses, so we welcome correction. If we’re humble, we know we need to improve, so we want others to show us where and how.
The humble athlete acknowledges the contribution of others. No athlete accomplishes anything alone.
The humble athlete is gracious in defeat and modest in victory. When the humble athlete loses, he recognizes that his opponents played better, and he sincerely congratulates them on their win. And when the humble athlete wins, there are no excessive celebrations, no inappropriate victory dances. He realizes that victory is a gift from God and is an opportunity to draw attention to God, not himself.
The humble athlete honors his coach. He doesn’t rip the coach in private, he doesn’t slouch when on the bench, he expresses gratitude and accepts the role the coach chooses for him.
The humble athlete respects the officials. He doesn’t protest a call—even if it was inaccurate.
The humble athlete gives glory for all his athletic accomplishment to God. He knows that all of his athletic skill is ultimately a gift from God.

Learn more about Don’t Waste Your Sports.

700 Billion Minutes

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:34:43 -0500

Challies shares astonishing information concerning our FaceBook time:

Seven hundred billion minutes. That’s how much time Facebook’s 500 million active users spend on the site every month. 700,000,000,000 minutes. Let that one sink in for a moment. Every month we spend the equivalent of 1.3 million years on Facebook; the equivalent of nearly 18,000 lifetimes. More than half of us login every single day; we average 130 friends. And we spend vast amounts of time on there.

Facebook now offers 900 million different objects or pages for us to interact with—groups, events, community pages, and so on. We upload over 3 billion photographs every month (which means we’re uploading millions every hour).

Do you know what really blows my mind about all of this? Facebook is only 7 years old. Most of us have joined in only the past 2 or 3 years. The growth charts are out of this world:

So think about this one. Four years ago most of us did not use Facebook at all. And today we are using it compulsively. A recent study of media habits found that about 1/3 of women between 18 and 34 check Facebook before they even go to the bathroom in the morning; 21% check it in the middle of the night; half of them admit that they are addicted to it. Meanwhile the older generations, those in their 40’s and 50’s, are also migrating to social media; they now represent the fastest-growing population.

But again, 4 years ago most of us did not use it at all. We may have heard the name, but it was just a name. Today it’s a way of life. What’s important to think about is the fact that Facebook is not a site that offers us a better way of doing what we were already doing. It’s not like most of us were on another social media site and we then migrated once Facebook came along (with young people being a possible exception; many of them migrated from MySpace to Facebook). For the majority of us, Facebook is a new thing. Those 700 billion minutes are not minutes that we’ve taken away from other online pursuits. They are minutes that we’ve taken away from real life. Studies show that time spent interacting online comes at the expense of face-to-face relationships and about at a 2:1 ratio. So every hour we spend on Facebook comes at the expense of 30 minutes talking to a person face-to-face. 700 billion minutes are costing us 350 billion minutes of face time. And all of this for something we were living very well without just a few years ago.

This all begs the question: what are we actually doing with our Facebook time? Is what we do there significant enough that it merits the time we dedicate to it? What are we accomplishing with all of those minutes? What do you accomplish with your share of those 700 billion minutes?

A while back I suggested that we might be able to tell what our idols are by looking in our pockets and seeing what we need to have with us all the time. We can also tell what our idols are by seeing where we are spending our minutes and our days. There is clearly something about Facebook that has captivated us, something about it that has drawn us in. For many of us, it is now the place where we live our lives—18,000 of those life times every month.