To Whom Shall We Go?

It's very easy to say certain things to make yourself sound supremely righteous. I realized there's a tactic of speech that I regularly use that is a blatant example of this self-righteousness. It goes something like this: Other Person: Can you believe she does that?!?! John: No way!! That is so wrong. She really shouldn't do that. Do you see what I mean? The other person intends no harm in this rhetorical question; it's simply a matter of speech (although they should examine their own heart in the matter). But in my case I express incredulity to what the other person says in order to demonstrate to all those who might here that "I would never do such a terrible thing!" What foolishness. "The heart is deceitful above all things" says Jeremiah 17:9. Thanks be to God that Christ has paid the penalty for such pitiful self-righteousness by dying on the cross.

A new look is motivating for me. So is this picture:

I recently was directed a great blog: " What's Best Next ." In the "About" section author Matt Perman says his blog is about "integrating the big picture with everyday decisions so that we can do things better in life, work, business, and society." I was instantly intrigued. After checking it out more and reading it faithfully, I have yet to be disappointed. I highly encourage friends and family interested in being more efficient and productive to look into this blog, as well as to look into the foundational book (not by the same guy), " Getting Things Done ." I am already finding that I am being much more productive, though I have a long way to go, and that it is much more honoring to the Lord to steward well what he has given me to do. In other words, I'm getting things done better than ever (which will hopefully someday include regular conversations with my loved ones who are far away! Love you mom!). And since everything that co...

My sister Diana ordered me to post something. So here I go, dutiful brother that I am. I am two assignments away from completing another semester at Southern Seminary. This is pretty exciting. Yes, it is always nice to finish a semester, knowing I'm that much closer to the end, and knowing that I can thank the Lord for that much more grace that he has given over a sustained period of time. But the most exciting thing about finishing a semester is probably surprising to some: it means I'm that much closer to starting another semester. Ha! I love what I study, I love the classes I take, and I love the whole seminary experience. I have grown as a Christian a great deal the last 3 years. Much of that growth comes through my church, Clifton Baptist Church. And the rest of that growth comes through the knowledge, wisdom, and skills I have gained at SBTS. For that I am particularly grateful to God. Happy Saturday to all. I'm off to work...

You just gotta love the irony of my last post. But since resolving to blog more I have: 1) Finished a difficult semester; 2) Taken over as manager at Starbucks; and 3) Had the two busiest months of the year after taking over as manager. Come on. Those are good excuses. Nevertheless, it always helps me to think more clearly about important matters when I write them down. So I'll make a quick observation. I've been studying the chapters in the Bible related to the Mosaic covenant (Exodus 19-24). This has been a very rich study. Today I am struck by the number of times in these chapters that the distance between God and man is emphasized, particularly because of God's holiness and our sinfulness. Many times throughout these chapters the people are said to fear the Lord. Also Moses comes up on Mt. Sinai 'by invitation only.' The spirit of the age has little patience for this reality. Belief in God is seen as an option, or if one does believe in God it is often god-the-...

I am in the thick of working on a hard paper. It is an 'exegesis' paper, meaning I have to write on a text from the gospel of Mark, interpreting and explaining its meaning. Yet here I am posting on my blog. Well, I decided to post right now for a good reason. I just read a helpful article on why pastors should blog over at the Desiring God Blog . It inspired me to blog more and to blog better. So, if you think about it, pray that I will give my all to writing this paper that is due in 2 weeks, and that I will research, think, and write to the glory of God. Also, pray that I will use this blog in a wise, God-honoring way, which probably entails lots of pics and videos of Eliot...

Busy time in the semester; but never too busy for funny videos of Eliot.