My Not Top 10 Posts of 2016

Mike Leake

I’m kind of surprised you are still reading what I write. I’m even more surprised that since 2007 this blog has grown every year. That is encouraging. I love to write. I love to talk about Jesus. I also love to make people laugh and engage in conversation with my fellow nerds. I suppose that combination makes a somewhat readable blog.

But I’m also at a different spot in my life and keeping up with daily blogging has been more draining than life giving. Honestly, as I went through my list of articles in 2016 in an attempt to make a top 10 list I saw that reflected in the quality of writing. Too many of my articles are simply “filler” articles, and I don’t want to rip off you the reader. I also don’t want to rip off myself, when I could do better.

There are so many things taking place here at FBC Marionville that need my mind and attention. Writing is still a massive part of my ministry, but I’ve been weighing whether or not posting less but better would be helpful. My friend, Aaron Armstrong, did something similar with his blog in July and I think I’m going to mostly steal his format. Here is what you can expect, Lord willing, at Borrowed Light in 2017.

Monday: Original Article

Tuesday: Read This!  (I will be tweaking my Today in Blogworld posts)

Wednesday: Original Article

Thursday: Read This!

Friday: Original Article

I believe three quality articles per week will be far more beneficial than five thrown together articles. Of course, there might be times when I post more frequently, but this will be the general format.

Thanks for your continued support and for reading what I write! I pray that 2017 is even more beneficial to the body of Christ and will do even more to make Christ the only boast of this generation.

Today in Blogworld 12.29.16

Mike Leake

The External Call

John Divito looks at the importance of the external call to ministry.

My Top 10 Bloggers of 2016

If I put together a list like this mine would be similar to Tim’s.

God Will Give You Something to Say

This is encouraging.

Am I a Christian, Pastor Tim Keller?

A NY Times journalist has a conversation with Tim Keller, and Keller’s response models for us winsome apologetics.

Wow, this is a terrible prank…but also amazing:

One Reason To Dedicate Yourself to Bible Reading in 2017

Mike Leake 6 Comments

My wife and I have been “painting” our living room and kitchen for about 6 months now. Actually I should say that our walls have been mostly painted for awhile now, but we still haven’t finished the trim in the kitchen area. We started out really strong, and then life got in the way and now we’ve had half painted walls for a few months now.

The worst part, though, is that I’ve stopped noticing. I’ve even started other projects when I could have been finishing that one. But it went from a pressing need to just kind of part of the house with time. It’s no longer the eye sore it used to be.

Until somebody came over to the house…

Once we had a visitor in our home I started seeing things with a fresh pair of eyes. (I’m not sure if anyone else does this, maybe I’m simply revealing some of my paranoia). I saw my half-painted walls as they would have seen my half-painted walls. It took a fresh set of eyes for me to remember that I really need to set apart a bit of time to finishing that trim.

The Bible is a bit like that fresh set of eyes. It’s like an outsider looking into your private world. But in this case it is an unerring and absolutely authoritative outsider looking in. The Bible always speaks truth. And it shatters those places in my heart where I start getting comfortable in my sinful or fallen ways.

This is why we need the Bible to constantly speak into our life. Without it we will remain comfortable in our unfinished state. So commit to reading the Bible more consistently in 2017. And not just reading it to check off boxes and say you read the whole Bible in a year. But read the Bible from the posture of an unfinished and broken down house that needs repairing and let the Bible do it’s demolition work as well as its rebuilding work.

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Photo source: here

The Christmas Victory March: Glimpses of Great Joy

Mike Leake 1 Comment

I was honored to be asked by Aaron Armstrong to write a brief Christmas devotion for The Gospel Project. Here is a sample with an invitation to click through for the whole thing:

With his one good arm the decaying man hoisted himself up from his slumber.

“O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…” the humble choir sang.

A sparkle now seemed to fall upon his eyes. This dying man was looking upon a victory march. Perhaps his own.

“O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.” Young and old passed by his room. Some too young to know what they were singing. Others so beaten down and distracted by the cares of the world that they’re only singing from memory, not taking in the full effect of this parade. Yet, some are truly belting out the victory of Christmas.

The sounds of adoration now fade down the halls. The old man turns his feeble ear to hear the fading sounds of Christmas victory. The parade continues marching down the corridor proclaiming the joys of Christ to others enduring the curse. Reaching the end of the hall, the choir marches back towards his room as they begin a new song.

“Joy to the world…”

What a silly, and even offensive, song to sing to dying men if the gospel isn’t true. This isn’t a birthday song. This is a victory cry. The curse is being lifted. The long awaited King has come and joy is the only fitting response. Yes, such far-reaching joy would be silly to proclaim to those that are daily assaulted by the atrophy of their bodies. Unless of course the gospel is true. Then, it’s not silly at all, it’s altogether necessary.

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