Today in Blogworld 07.13.16

Mike Leake

I’m Never Bored, And I Think It Might Be Killing Me

I agree with Stephen here. It’s a problem in my own life as well.

6 American Wars You Didn’t Learn About in School

I’d actually heard of a couple of these.

5 Strategies for Shortening Your Sermons

Several people from our congregation sent me this article…not sure why. Just kidding, it’s sound advice.

4 Marks of a Godly Husband’s Love

We need these reminders on occasion.

Questions to Help Pastors Draw Closer to Their Kids

I rarely print out articles. This one I did so I could remember to ask these questions of my children.

This is still one of my favorite songs and videos:

Two Pieces of Counseling Advice Which Helps This Struggling Minister

Mike Leake

I’m so grateful for the things that I have learned in being trained for biblical counseling. I’m finding that if I can just apply them to myself it is such a great help to ministry. There are two pieces of counsel that I’m finding particularly helpful.

The first one is this little graphic put together by Paul Tripp from Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands:

I’m continually attempted to push the arrows of the inner circle into the outer circle. There are so many things within pastoral ministry that I cannot control but I wish I could. There are even things which the church will expect of a pastor which he cannot control. At times the weight of this is almost too strong for me to bear. In those moments I’ve got to be intentional about writing out all of the things which are stressing me out. The stuff that is in the inner circle I work on. The things in the outer circle I pray about and entrust them to the Lord. It’s all I can do.

A pastor with an unbiblically small of an inner circle is likely lazy and not doing what God has called him to do. He will likely ineffective and might even find himself soon in the midst of a scandal. And unholy minister won’t make it long. Likewise, a pastor with an unbiblically large inner circle will fizzle out and soon become ineffective. If I want to keep from burnout and be an effective minister it is vital to remember these circles.

Secondly, pastoral ministry can often be foggy. I’m finding it more and more like Greek class. There are seasons when it seems like everything is coming together. It all makes sense. And then the professor introduces you to participles. Then nothing makes sense anymore. The whole thing is like a fog. Ministry is like this. Some seasons everything is working together and you can see God’s hand. At other times it is nothing but fog and issue after issue that you aren’t quite sure how to deal with them.

In the midst of fog (both of relational conflict and ministry situations) I’ve found this from Robert Jones to be immensely helpful. It is a simple principle that every Christian knows—but for some reason we usually don’t apply it to conflict. Here it is: Our all-consuming aim is to please God. Whenever I make that my goal in relational conflict it changes things. It gives me something to hone my eyes and heart upon. In his book,Pursuing Peace, Jones goes on to give nine implications of making pleasing God our goal.

  1. Failure to please God—our failure or the other person’s, or both—is the ultimate cause of all relational conflict
  2. This goal of pleasing God keeps our focus on God, not on the conflict issues or on the other person
  3. In Christ, this goal is always doable, no matter how the other person behaves
  4. This goal will help us pace our efforts (our energy, timing, risk, etc.)
  5. God might bless our efforts by brining reconciliation
  6. If both parties seek to please God, full reconciliation is guaranteed
  7. Even if the other person does not please God, we can experience God’s blessing and comfort
  8. We must continue our commitments to please God even if the other person does not, and even if the relationship gets worse
  9. When the goal of pleasing God governs us, the other person’s sins and failures become opportunities, not obstacles, to please God more and more, and to grow as a Christian.

Now to go practice what I preach…

Today in Blogworld 07.11.16

Mike Leake

The One Thing We Can’t Fake

This is true. And a helpful reminder.

Heart Check Questions to Prevent Ministry Burnout

I’m going through a particularly difficult season right now, so these questions were good for me to assess my heart.

Why Do I Write What I Write

I enjoyed reading this, and share some of the same reasons for writing. I’ve been shocked at how valuable #2 is.

The Silent Marriage Killer

This is very insightful.

Inside the mind of a great writer at work:

Window into Piper’s Writing from Desiring God on Vimeo.

Why Many Pulpits Will Be Silent On Race This Sunday

Mike Leake 1 Comment

This has been a horrendous week for race relations in America. The lives of two African American men were taken at the hands of white police officers. As protest ensued the lives of 5 white police officers were taken at the hands of a sniper whose mission was to kill white people.

My heart breaks every time I get on Twitter and Facebook and hear our comments about these things. Many, I believe, rightly understand the gospel and are mourning with those who mourn (on both sides). But for every good statement there are about 50 comments underneath which are divisive and/or defensive. We are not a united America on this issue.

Yet many pulpits will be silent on Sunday.

It’s not because the Bible has nothing to say on the issue…

The Scriptures speak loudly and clearly about racism and the creation of this radical new people of God where cultural and ethnic barriers are obliterated by the gospel. There is no place for racism (no matter the color your skin) within the new people of God. Likewise, there is no place for an idolatrous impulse to defend my race against yours. The Scriptures tell us that as believers our shared union with Christ is deeper than any other bond. It is the core of our identity. And it is only within the redemption of Christ that racial harmony is truly achieved.

Yet many pulpits will be silent on Sunday.

Why?

Because our nation is divided and our churches are divided on these issues. And lets be honest a majority of our people put more stock in what the pundits on their favorite news station have to say about issues of race than they do what the man of God says when he opens up the Word.

Most preachers know that if he stands upon the Bible then neither Fox News or CNN will agree with him. He’s preaching a different gospel. A different narrative. A different answer. And he knows he will likely stir up disunity in the body. He knows folks will be upset because the preacher has the audacity to be concerned with something far bigger than what politics and man-centered movements can contain.

For the sake of unity—and because he knows the pundits will carry the day anyways—the preacher will pick something else as his text and pretend that by not addressing the elephant in the room that maybe it’ll just go away without soiling the carpets too badly.

Other pulpits will be noisy but silent on the gospel. They’ll just kowtow the preferred line of their congregation and maybe pull out a few Scripture passages which seem to support that view. They’ll get a few riveting Amen’s and go on their merry way. Such pulpits are noisy but still silent on race as far as the truth of the gospel is found.

What is needed on Sunday morning is a prophetic preacher. One who will believe God’s Word is the answer to issues of race. And one who will proclaim a gospel which is offensive to both Fox News and CNN. One which doesn’t hide behind a distant theology but is actual boots-to-the-ground type of stuff which will speak to the hurting, mourn with those who mourn, and offer real here and now solutions while we wait for the new heavens and new earth.

Our people don’t need a muted pulpit. They don’t need one which bows to a political party or even to a nation. They need a man of God who is willing to say ‘thus says the Lord’ even if it flies in the face of our darling idols.

Will you be such a preacher this Sunday morning?

Will I?

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