Today in Blogworld 6.21.12

Mike Leake

22 Rules of Storytelling

Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she’s received working for the animation studio over the years.  (HT: Z)

What Can a Depressed Person Do Daily While Fighting for Joy?

Brian Croft gives two suggestions that a depressed person can do to fight for joy.  These are simple and practical and I believe would help a depressed person fight for joy. 

Honoring God in an Unequally Yoked Marriage

Sarah Flashing, writing for TGC, explains her struggles in an unequally yoked marriage and helps readers see how they too can honor God in an unequally yoked marriage.  (HT: Aaron Armstrong)

I found this really funny.  (HT: 22 Words)

Retracing Steps

Mike Leake

I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  (Revelation 2:3-4)

The word “abandoned” might be a little strong for what is going on in my heart but I certainly feel the weight of Revelation 2:3-4.  A couple of years ago the Lord absolutely shook up and rocked our little world when he moved my wife and I from our 6 year home of First Baptist New London.  With great confidence we sensed the Lord moving us to attend seminary at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

And so with great hope and a vision in our minds we moved our 2 year old son two states East.  We were excited about living and ministering in Louisville, KY.  6 months later we were packing our bags and moving 75 miles West to serve a church in Jasper, Indiana. 

I’m a different man than I was 3 years ago.  I’m not dead, far from it, I’m just not where I want to be.  I feel like a kid trying to celebrate his first Christmas with the knowledge that Santa Claus is really your dad.  I can feel myself slowly drifting, losing wonder, losing awe, losing hope. 

And so I sat in our sanctuary for a good while this morning just praying.  Praying over the church.  Praying over my own soul, and the Lord deeply impressed me with a conviction that two things need to happen.  First, a minister without awe is a sham and if it persists his “lampstand” will be removed.  Second, I need to retrace my steps and “remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first”. 

My Response

I am very grateful for the Spirit’s work.  I am glad that he is warning me and exhorting me well before I “hit rock bottom”.  I am glad that his intention in rebuking me is to make beauty from ashes.  I am glad that the only reason why he awakens a desire for more and more of Him is because He intends to fill it with His fullness. 

So, in response to the Lord’s calling I am retracing my steps.  There are five things that I plan to do to retrace my steps:

  1. Read 3-4 books that really stirred and shaped me 3 plus years ago.
  2. Block out a more intentioned time for prayer each day
  3. Restart McCheyne’s bible reading program. 
  4. Watch a couple sermons per week
  5. Spend time with the JoAnn’s of the world*

Notice that most of what I am doing is putting myself under the ministry of the Word and prayer.  What restores passion is being held captive by Christ and His Word.  That happens when we put ourselves under the ministry of the Spirit through the Word and prayer. 

May the Lord continue to increase my passion.  And continually mold me into a “life-giving preacher”:

The life-giving preacher is a man of God, whose heart is ever athirst for God, whose soul is ever following hard after God, whose eye is single to God, and in whom by the power of God’s Spirit the flesh and the world have been crucified and his ministry is like the generous flood of a life-giving river.  (Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, 3)

—

*JoAnn is a dear elderly woman at our church that exudes a love for Christ.  Just hearing her pray sounds like overhearing a conversation between a woman and her husband away on a business trip.  Everyone needs to be surrounded by people like her. 

Today in Blogworld 6.20.12

Mike Leake

Southern Baptists Elect First Black President

Yesterday history was made at the SBC Annual Meeting.  In 1845 Baptists in the south split from Baptists of the north over issues of slavery.  167 years later Fred Luter, an African American pastor, was elected to be the President of the SBC.  As Dr. Russell Moore tweeted: “Jim Crow is dead, Jesus Christ is alive.”   Joe Carter has an excellent rundown that is worthy of your read.

Calvinism in the SBC

Ed Stetzer, from LifeWay, has provided us with some updated statistics on the resurgence of Calvinism within the SBC.  Interesting statistics.  Should get interesting in the days ahead, may the peace of Christ rule. 

Don’t Waste Your Exclamation Points

Great word here from Jared Wilson.  Basically Jared’s point is that if we shout at everything nothing we’ll lose our voice.  He urges us to save our exclamation points for that which really matters. 

That Awkward Moment When We Speak the Gospel

Evangelism can be awkward.  I’ve said for awhile that it’s awkward transitioning from talking about football to talking about Jesus.  No matter even if you deeply believe that God is sovereign over every square inch of the world, it is still awkward in that moment when we begin to speak the gospel.  Why did God make it so awkward?  One reason, “God gives most of us this awareness of awkwardness so that we would never, not for a second, trust in or magnify ourselves and drift away from the magnificence of the gospel.” 

Looking forward to this.  Great video plugging The Gospel Project:

An Open Letter to Creative Technological Make-it-Happen Guru Guy or Gal

Mike Leake

Dear Creative Technological Make-it Happen Guru Guy or Gal,

You know who you are.  If I emailed you my next sermon series you could put together a graphic, a video to promote it, and probably a couple of T-shirts.  You make things happen.  And you don’t just Google search a few images and put together a hodgepodge of images and say, “that’ll do”.  You create.  You know how to make websites.  You know what html code is.  Your laughing at me right now because html code isn’t even that big of a deal anymore.  You know what it is. 

Also, you could figure out all the ins and outs of creating a brand new television station. 

That last one is why I am writing to you.  You see there are many people in my life that are being fed a healthy dose of poison to go with their weekly dose of preaching.  These dear believers in Jesus are hungry for the word.  But as newer believers, they are susceptible to eating rat poison and thinking its a new brand of Fruit Loops. 

I know that the answer on my end is faithful, Spirit-led preaching, teaching, and plodding in gentleness and respect.  I know that discernment often is not something that happens over night.  I know that what will really protect them from the rat poison on television is to see, savor, and feast upon the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He has taught us. 

Yet, it is also really difficult on my end.  It is difficult because whereas we may get at most 4 hours of preaching during the week these false teachers promote their ridiculousness 24-7.  And they are crafty.  What they say often sounds so biblical, so faithful, so Christ-like.  And it’s killing our people.  And it’s making our job as pastors even more difficult because whenever we say things like, “God places value on you” they hear, “God wants to bless me with a houseboat”.  And so, everything we say in the local church is heard through muddied ears because of the shoddy preaching that these hungry souls go to for a meal on Tuesday, or Thursday, or Friday evenings. 

One thing that grieves me greatly is that there is no preaching on television that competes with this foolishness.  This is not for a lack of quality preaching.  One could go online and find hours upon hours of quality, Christ-honoring, biblically-faithful preaching.  That is well and good for those of us that spend more time in front of iPad’s and computer screens than televisions.  But for those that spend more time watching television they seldom take advantage of these healthy options.  (And this is a large number of those within our congregations). 

So, I’m pleading with you dearest creative technological make-it happen guru guy or gal, make it happen.  Create a new television station that will hit the airwaves and compete with the horrible preaching that is on television.  People are dying and we need your gifts.  Make it happen, please.

Love In-Christ,

Mike Leake