Thabiti Anyabwile asks an important question, "Which provokes more awe: An Evangelical Church Service of the U.S. Marines" I have to say that in my experience many Evangelical worship services do not provoke much awe at all. This was a good reminder to me of how important it is to strive to exalt God and His Son our Saviour Jesus Christ in worship. Sadly, I am sure I have failed at that many times.
Over at Beauty and Depravity, there is an excellent post on Pastoral Health that points out that working as a pastor is now considered "one of the most dangerous or unhealthiest professions." I wish I could say I did not see that in pastoral ministry, but in my own experience and in my interaction with other pastors, I see it all around me.
Related to this Mark Driscoll post on how his health is being affected by ministry. I have been there, and over the past month or so have been there.
Finally, Jim over at Old Truth posted a brief observation on Evangelism, Then and Now.
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About Me
- Rileysowner
- I am a pastor in a small rural RCA congregation in Ontario. I am married and have a wonderful son who keeps both of us very busy. I have two dogs, one cat, five guinea pigs, and countless (at least I don't want to count them) fish.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
I haven't been posting a lot
I have not been posting a lot lately. If you check here regularly, you know that. It is not that I have been especially busy all that time, although this week with Good Friday and Easter certainly is busy. However, the bigger challenge is that I have been finding that my spirit is heavy within me, and that means doing what I normally do is very difficult.
If one has a job that is physical labor or something similar, you can keep going when your heart is feeling heavy. You can even be pretty much as productive as you are when that is not the case. However, I find when ministering as a pastor, having a spirit that is in one of those times like Elijah faced in 1 Kings 19, it makes ministry very difficult. It takes all I have to get two sermons a week done. One visit will leave me exhausted. I become short with my wife and son. All of which makes getting through the day to day work of pastoral ministry very difficult.
As you may have surmised from the preceding, that last several weeks have been like that for me. I can't put a finger on anything specific, but it seems that no matter what I do, I have been feeling that it is of little or no use. I feel drained spiritually, and although it is slightly better this week, I know it is still there.
On the positive side, usually when this sort of thing happens God is doing something that either surprises me or that I need. That has happened more than once in the past, but knowing that does not remove the struggle of the current time.
Instead of posting, I will be spending my time in prayer and the Word, waiting upon God to bring times of refreshing.
If one has a job that is physical labor or something similar, you can keep going when your heart is feeling heavy. You can even be pretty much as productive as you are when that is not the case. However, I find when ministering as a pastor, having a spirit that is in one of those times like Elijah faced in 1 Kings 19, it makes ministry very difficult. It takes all I have to get two sermons a week done. One visit will leave me exhausted. I become short with my wife and son. All of which makes getting through the day to day work of pastoral ministry very difficult.
As you may have surmised from the preceding, that last several weeks have been like that for me. I can't put a finger on anything specific, but it seems that no matter what I do, I have been feeling that it is of little or no use. I feel drained spiritually, and although it is slightly better this week, I know it is still there.
On the positive side, usually when this sort of thing happens God is doing something that either surprises me or that I need. That has happened more than once in the past, but knowing that does not remove the struggle of the current time.
Instead of posting, I will be spending my time in prayer and the Word, waiting upon God to bring times of refreshing.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Thursday Thoughts
Over at Grey in Black and White, Shawn links to this article in the Ottawa Citizen that points out that Christianity builds democracy. Sadly, most people in North America seem to have forgotten this completely, and started to see Christianity as a threat to democracy.
Al Mohler has been putting up some wonderful posts this past week. I have linked over in an other post, but thought this one was worth adding to Thursday Thoughts. It deals with the growing tendency to put aside church activities for "Family" time. It also speaks a little of something that I believe is very important, that is, that the church should avoid "segregating families once they arrive." I believe the church is meant to break down the divisions between believers, not re-enforce what the world does.
That is all for this week.
Al Mohler has been putting up some wonderful posts this past week. I have linked over in an other post, but thought this one was worth adding to Thursday Thoughts. It deals with the growing tendency to put aside church activities for "Family" time. It also speaks a little of something that I believe is very important, that is, that the church should avoid "segregating families once they arrive." I believe the church is meant to break down the divisions between believers, not re-enforce what the world does.
That is all for this week.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
A Rabbi Gets It, Why Don't Christians
Al Mohler posted on an article by a Jewish Rabbi who understands that if the documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus is correct in their assertion that they have found the body of Jesus and his family, that Christianity is false. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinithians 15, "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."
What amazes me is that there are a whole host of people out there who hold the name of Christian up high as what describes them, but think that is makes no difference if Christ was really bodily raised from death. They claim it Christianity is all about loving one another, and that won't stop even if Jesus body is found.
Such belief shows just how deceived their minds have become. As the Rabbi pointed out loving one another is not something uniquely Christian, rather what is uniquely Christian is that the basis for both that command and the power to fulfill it rest in a historical event of the death AND resurrection of Jesus Christ that sets those who believe free from the sin in their hearts so that they can now live as obedient children of God. Without that event, our faith is in vain, we have misrepresented God, and instead of being admired we should be pitied because we have bought into a lie.
But, Christ has been raised not just spiritually, but physically. He is has won the victory, and if you believe he will set you free from sin so it domination over you will be broken.
Claiming to be a Christian while at the same time saying the resurrection is not important is lying to others and to yourself. If you are one who does that, do everyone a favor, including yourself, and stop calling yourself a Christian because you are not one at all.
What amazes me is that there are a whole host of people out there who hold the name of Christian up high as what describes them, but think that is makes no difference if Christ was really bodily raised from death. They claim it Christianity is all about loving one another, and that won't stop even if Jesus body is found.
Such belief shows just how deceived their minds have become. As the Rabbi pointed out loving one another is not something uniquely Christian, rather what is uniquely Christian is that the basis for both that command and the power to fulfill it rest in a historical event of the death AND resurrection of Jesus Christ that sets those who believe free from the sin in their hearts so that they can now live as obedient children of God. Without that event, our faith is in vain, we have misrepresented God, and instead of being admired we should be pitied because we have bought into a lie.
But, Christ has been raised not just spiritually, but physically. He is has won the victory, and if you believe he will set you free from sin so it domination over you will be broken.
Claiming to be a Christian while at the same time saying the resurrection is not important is lying to others and to yourself. If you are one who does that, do everyone a favor, including yourself, and stop calling yourself a Christian because you are not one at all.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Thursday Thoughts
Dan over at Pyromaniacs posts on how to be a pathetic leader. I figure this comes pretty easily to all of us, so we need the warning about it.
Denny Burk posts on how even the secular archaeologists think that the Jesus Tomb that is being produced and plugged by James Cameron is a bunch of hog-wash.
If you know a little Biblical Greek, or are considering learning it, check out Dan Phillips new blog.
That is it for this week. It is cold, snowy, icy, freezing rainy outside, and I have more work to do.
Denny Burk posts on how even the secular archaeologists think that the Jesus Tomb that is being produced and plugged by James Cameron is a bunch of hog-wash.
If you know a little Biblical Greek, or are considering learning it, check out Dan Phillips new blog.
That is it for this week. It is cold, snowy, icy, freezing rainy outside, and I have more work to do.
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