A 0 degrees morning...

     So what has Adam been reading lately?  Well, let me tell you.  There is a book called "The Unity Factor" by Larry W. Osborne that I am reading again for the 3rd or 4th time.  It is about developing a healthy church leadership team.  The first chapter deals with making unity a priority.  The point that really struck me this time was this, "The third reason developing board unity remains at the top of my list is that it's fragile."  Larry goes on to say, "I don't think it's an accident that Jesus predicted church growth but prayed for unity."  A wrong word, a wrong tone, a discussion that leads away from Christ, a wrong motivation, even a wrong person on the leadership team can change the unity factor quickly.  Ephesians 4:3 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."  


     So what websites are Adam's favorites?  Well, let me tell you. The ones that I go to the most are www.blueletterbible.org for looking at the scripture.  This site gives me a seminar of learning at my fingertips.  The next site is www.gospelcoalition.org.  This is a group of churches that have come together to hold high the Word of God.  I refer to this site so much I am thinking that maybe our church should be a member of this coalition.  It has great resources and also some blogs that I follow on a daily basis.  I am also an email junkie and I keep track of people on the social networks.


     So what is about most excited about?  Well, let me tell you.  It is a series on parenting called "Getting To The Heart Of Parenting" by Paul David Tripp.  This is one that we will be doing in our church in the near future.  It is so Biblically based and takes us to the heart of the issue rather than just the surface stuff.  It is like the promo to a marriage conference that I saw lately that had a counseling scene with a husband and wife (one I have been in many times), the counselor says, "You don't have issues, you are the issue."  I need to remember that line.  


     So off to study on this 0 degree morning.


Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connect a bit of Scripture with a bit of life - Spurgeon

     I heard this phrase today along with another that if you connect a bit of Scripture with a bit of life, it will end up effecting all of your life.  This came up in my study of the book of James and specifically the verses dealing with not just being a hearer of the Word but also be a doer of the Word.  It is all about application.  I can't look at preaching the Word without giving steps of applying the Word.  It really is an incomplete sermon if I don't.      Many times I think it has to be big and many points and given cute aliteration that makes it snappy and I think easy to remember and fun to write down.  Reality is, if I would make it a bit of Scripture connected to a bit of life and just that it would probably accomplish much more.  How much time I spend on the opening statement and lame joke and research and introductions and how many points and the closing statement and so little time on connecting the bit of Scripture to the bit of life.      So I guess I ha
Read more

Galatians #15 - Galatians 6:11-18 - "On The Road Again..."

Image
  Another week closer and it involves some more travel for the Wolfgangs.  I feel like the Willy Nelson song, " On the road again... "  I don't know if I agree with the next line though. " ...I can't wait to get on the road again. " One of the members of the church in Wisconsin calculated that I will travel well over 10,000 miles to make this transition.  Traveling mercies prayers please. Last Sunday we will look at Paul's final words to the churches in Galatia.  He brought them the gospel (good news) message of Jesus and what resulted were churches forming throughout the region.  The letter is to defend that message that our salvation comes from and is in Christ alone.  Christ's sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for the forgiveness of our sins.  The summary statement of the letter is found in  Galatians 6:15 (LSB) .  " For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. "  Translated another way earlier in  Ga
Read more

Sermon prep and maybe a video...

     James 4 has brought up some interesting study.  First, "the quarrels and fights among you."  Those are usually worse than you think even though we try to minimize them.  The source is simpler than you think because it is coming from within you.  The solution is easier than you think because the solution that James gives is that we need to humble ourselves before the Lord.  Any sincere resolution is specific and brief.  Beware of lengthy resolutions that usually include explaining it away or excusing some of the behavior.      As I have seen before, the words are a sign of the heart.  I read this week that if we have a critical heart we usually start by speaking evil of another to ourselves.  Then we progress to speaking evil of another to that person with a running tally in our heads of all their wrongs.  Finally, we speak evil of another to others and broadcast in a way that we are thinking that we are helping.  Giving judgment is always easier than giving mercy.  I
Read more