I found out about a cool program from Justin Taylor's blog. It's called Wordle. It shows the most prevalent words in any selected text in a collage.
Check out these examples:
The Gospel of John - ESV:
Romans - ESV:
This is one I did from Pilgrim's Progress:
The Psalms in Hebrew:
Great way to capture a book!
As you probably can tell, I spent some time at the 9Marks site this morning. Lots of great articles, reviews and excellent biblical discernment. A number of folks have asked me about recommended books for marriage. My personal favorites are "When Sinner's Say 'I Do'" by Dave Harvey, "Sex, Romance and the Glory of God" by CJ Mahaney and "Love that Lasts" by Gary and Betsy Ricucci. I also think every husband needs a kick in the pants type book. "Reforming Marriage" by Douglas Wilson helped me that way.
Check out the comparison chart to learn the strengths and weaknesses of select marriage books.
Check out the full 9Marks article with reviews here.
I got this from the 9Marks Website – great stuff for pastors and for any husband. I was very affected, freshly convicted and graciously inspired by this excellent list. Enjoy!
Compiled by several pastors
The demands of pastoral ministry can be tough on the pastor’s wife and family. Not only do they tempt him to neglect his family, they can leave him void of good, creative, meaningful ideas on how to love and serve them.
Pastor, we cannot help you with the temptation to neglect them, other than exhort you to flee this temptation—Christ hasn’t neglected you, has he?! But perhaps we can help you with several practical ideas to help motivate you to love and serve your wife and children more effectively. Here they are:
IN RELATION TO YOUR FAMILY...
1. Take the initiative and establish a plan for family worship. Then follow the plan! (Don Whitney encourages “brevity, regularity, and flexibility” in family worship.)
2. Come home at the exact time you say you will be home; and prepare your heart to serve your family, not be served.
3. Take responsibility for your children’s education and discipline—don’t leave it to your wife to figure out.
4. Share with your wife and kids some of the good things that are going on in the church, and then thank them for helping to make that possible.
5. Use every hour of your vacation time. And take a vacation that does not involve extended family; restrict it to just your wife and kids.
6. Take a two week vacation.
7. Diligently guard your days off.
8. There are times when it seems like you have to choose whether to be a good dad/husband or a good pastor. Good pastors choose to be good dad/husbands.
IN RELATION TO YOUR WIFE…
9. Get up early and have your quiet time, so that you can take the kids in the morning while your wife has her quiet time.
10. Give her flowers and a hand written card when she least expects it.
11. Regularly schedule a date night and take the initiative on logistics, i.e. organize the baby-sitter, make reservations, and have a plan.
12. Make sure you know her favorite restaurant, meal, flowers, ice cream flavor, and movie.
13. Schedule a weekly time where you watch the kids and your wife gets out to do whatever she wants—not errands. When you can, give her a whole day off from the kids.
14. Decide together with your wife how many evenings you will be gone and honor what has been agreed upon.
15. On Sundays, leave for church a few minutes early to stop and get your wife her favorite coffee drink.
16. Ask your wife over a romantic dinner areas she wants to see you improve.
17. Take your wife to an encouraging conference.
18. Plan regular out-of-town personal retreats for just you and her. Plan time on your retreat to write down all the evidences of grace you see in one another’s lives and then share them with one another. Later, spend time writing down your hopes for ways you want to grow as husband and father over the coming year (she doing the same for herself) and then share them with one another.
19. Respect and seek her opinion on things concerning the church.
20. Go for long walks.
IN RELATION TO YOUR CHILDREN…
21. Have deliberate one-on-one time weekly with each of your children, probably to include playing, reading scripture, or praying.
22. Date your daughters.
23. Leave the church at church so dad can be dad at home.
24. Take a child with you on visits or short term trips.
25. Ask your children questions that allow you to shepherd their hearts, such as these (these questions were posted by Justin Taylor, and were originally devised by Pastor Rich Gamache of Sovereign Grace Fellowship)
* In your own words, what is the gospel?
* Is there a specific sin you’re aware of that you need my help defeating?
* Are you more aware of my encouragement or my criticism?
* What’s daddy most passionate about?
* Do I act the same at church as I do when I’m at home?
* Are you aware of my love for you?
* Is there any way I’ve sinned against you that I’ve not repented of?
* Do you have any observations for me?
* How am I doing as a dad?
* How have Sunday’s sermons impacted you?
* Does my relationship with mom make you excited to be married?
* (On top of these things, with my older kids, I’m always inquiring about their relationship with their friends and making sure God and his gospel are the center of those relationship. And I look for every opportunity to praise their mother and increase their appreciation and love for her.)
26. Take an interest in what your children enjoy doing.
27. Read to them. Buy books they will enjoy. Take them to the library.
28. Sing with them.
29. Pray for them and with them.
30. Be careful not to put them in the spotlight at church (stop using them for every other sermon illustration!).
Contributors (all pastors): Bret Capranica (San Jacinto, CA), Brian Croft (Louisville, KY), Bob Johnson (Roseville, MI), Michael Lawrence (Washington, DC), Mike McKinley (Sterling, VA), Deepak Reju (Washington, DC), and Jeramie Rinne (Hingham, MA)
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Hey guys,
I am very excited about the new ESV Study Bible coming out in October. This should be a study bible to keep for a lifetime. Not only is it based on a translation we have come to know and thoroughly enjoy but is now adds the following features and more:
Click to enlarge.We showed a video at church this Sunday on the work of "Gospel Translations".
Gospel Translations is working as a team using a "wiki" approach in translating many excellent biblical and theological works from English into a growing list of languages including Armenian, Boko, Cebuano, Chinese, Dutch, Ewe, French, German, Hungarian, Igbo, Korean, Luo, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu & Yoruba!
This is so exciting! What a wonderful opportunitiy to serve our brothers and sisters in the rest of the world with the excellent resources we all enjoy!
Check out their introductory video here:
"As for the saints in the land, they are the glorious ones, in whom is all my delight." Psalm 16:3 (NIV)
Over the past month and a half I have been away from my office almost 14 days and I have been out of the King of Grace pulpit three Sundays. I am experiencing the "Rip Van Winkle" syndrome. Rip Van Winkle was away for 20 years (due to a very long nap) and returned home to find himself very confused and disconnected from the community and family once very familiar to him. I feel a bit like Rip some times after being away from home.
There is no better place to be in the whole world than around God’s precious people, particularly the ones you're called to as part of a local church family. They truly are the excellent ones. They are chosen ones so precious to God that he gave His Son for them. They are the regenerate ones, washed in the precious blood of Christ, counted righteous in the perfect God-man. They are the glorious ones who share in the Holy Spirit and eternal life. They are the ruling ones who will reign over all creation under Christ in the new heaven and earth. They are the lovely ones full of the love of Christ. They are my brothers and sisters and my friends. They are knit together with me by love into this local church body.
The rich and famous of this world have nothing on these folks. The leaders of the world don't compare to them. They are indeed God’s rich and famous. And to be around them is my amazing privilege.
When the betrothed one is married to her beloved, the wedding day is not the end of it all; the putting on of the ring is the beginning, not the end. And so, when we believe in Jesus, we are saved, but we must not idly feel that "it is all done now." No, it has only begun. The life of dependence, the life of faith, the life of obedience, the life of love, the life of union has now begun, and it is to be continued forever.
Charles Spurgeon 1834-1892 via Jeff Haavisto
I spoke at
Preparing for this message brought fresh conviction on some areas I need to grow in as a parent. Peg and I have been discussing them and bringing some course corrections to our parenting. Thank God for fresh conviction and instruction from His word!
My preparation also made me aware that there are folks who are hungry for good gospel-centered parenting instruction and examples. So I put together a short list of resources. Please check them out and enjoy the life-changing fruit that God will give you as you depend on him in applying these truths!
God Bless,
Paul
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
"A moralist will be unsuccessful in trying to displace his love of the world by reviewing the ills of the world. Misplaced affections need to be replaced by the far greater power of the affection of the gospel."
Taken from the sermon The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers 1780-1847 via Jeff Haavisto
Take a look at this excellent truth expounded in Thomas Chalmers sermon. Understanding this will change your pursuit of Christlikeness!
God Bless,
Paul
Too little time, too many books!
