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Top Posts For January 2014

It seems crazy to me that we have already completed the first month of 2014! It seems as if time is simply flying by in my life right now.

Granted, we have a lot going on, and I long for some slower days. But I have resolved to make the most of each and every moment before it is gone, especially with my wife and kids, and in my ministry to the church.

January 2014 Word Picture from Wordle.net

The new year has brought a lot of busy activity with it. As a result, I’ve been a little slower with my writing. On top of my regular ministry duties and family life, I’ve added classes for my Master’s degree, and had some health issues come up in the lives of some family members. Along with that, I’ve created a store on Etsy, where I sell covers for my favorite notebooks, Field Notes Brand. As I have time, I’m creating covers for other sizes of notebooks and journals as well.

Like I said… It’s been busy.

In spite of all of that, I am still striving to improve my writing skills and my creativity. I have some great ideas for posts and series of posts that I hope to see happen in February and March. Stay tuned, because there will be some fun stuff coming soon!

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of January:

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:11-12

In last week’s passage, Paul concluded his sentence with a brief and spontaneous break into a worshipful, creed-like statement. Basically, he gave a brief summary of the gospel for which he was suffering, and for which he encouraged Timothy to stand strong. It is to this gospel that he speaks in this week’s passage.

Check it out in 2 Timothy 1:11-12:

2 Timothy 1:11-12

This is the gospel to which Paul was appointed as a messenger and an apostle. In fact, Paul refers to three different functions to which he was called by God.

  • He was appointed to be a herald. This is someone who publicly proclaims messages of importance. Paul used this word in 1 Timothy 2:7.
  • He was appointed to be an apostle. Paul’s mind was no doubt on his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, where he was called and commissioned by Christ himself. Paul stated this at the beginning of 1 Timothy, in his greeting, as well as 1 Timothy 2:7.
  • He was appointed to be a teacher. Again, Paul used this term in 1 Timothy 2:7, understanding his role to be that of a bold messenger. He knew he was appointed by God to share the gospel with as many people as possible.

From this self-description, Paul turns to his present sufferings. Paul knows why he is suffering. It is because of this gospel that he is preaching to the world. But his next statement is targeted to strengthen Timothy, who, being younger, may have been wavering in his faith because of the difficulties he was facing in the Ephesian church.

Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. This phrase is reminiscent of Romans 1:16, where Paul makes a similar statement. Paul’s unashamed attitude may actually be more of case where Paul is proud of his sufferings, and proud of the gospel that he preaches. Paul is not ashamed because he knows that the God in whom he places his trust is powerful enough to guard something very special to Paul.

The question in this passage, then, is what is this “entrusted” thing? There are two possible translations of this passage.

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Coffee Break – 01.27.2014

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5 Historical Attempts To Ban Coffee – Who would ever want to ban coffee? Why would you even think that way? But, alas, there have been periods in our history where that kind of thinking prevailed. I might not have survived long in Constantinople. And I find the last one downright funny.

Coca Cola Life – This is one of those commercials that feels like it should be on the Hallmark Channel. It’s touching.

What Sleep Loss Will Do To You – After reading this, I think I may go take a nap…

55.8 Million – With the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade last week, the Internet has been covered with comments, articles, and images. Out of everything I saw or read, I think this might be the most poignant.

America’s Most (And Least) Bible-Minded Cities – The Barna Group has released a new study showing the perceived spiritual values of 100 US cities. It’s interesting to see that my hometown of Springfield, Missouri made the top five.

7 Tips On Teaching And Preaching The Old Testament – I am teaching through the early chapters of Genesis at our church on Wednesday nights. It’s been an incredible study so far, and we’ve dug deep into the text of the Creation account. In my teaching, I try to remain as true to the text as possible, and still draw application for today. With the centuries between us and the Old Testament, this can be difficult. Here are some tips to keep in mind when teaching these passages. I found the last one to be especially thought provoking.

4 Easy Reminders To Be A Great Parent – This is a great summary of some things parents need to keep in mind at all times. I’ve written on each of these more extensively over at DeliberateDads.com, but Ron Edmondson does a great job of keeping this in front of us with this reminder.

The storms of life no more indicate the absence of God than clouds indicate the absence of the sun. – John Blanchard

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

Paul proceeds to give Timothy some clear instructions in this week’s passage. After describing the “spirit” Timothy is to have, not one of fear and timidity, but one of power and love and self-discipline, Paul gives Timothy two clear commands, and the reasoning behind them.

You can see it for yourself in 2 Timothy 1:8-10:

2 Timothy 1:8-10

This passage begins with the word “so”, which is literally translated as “therefore.” This connects it directly back to what Paul just wrote about the spirit which was given to Timothy, and to Paul, and to us.

Paul’s statement begins with a request for Timothy’s continued faithfulness, both to Paul and to the gospel. This comes from Paul’s anguish in being imprisoned. He probably feels abandoned by many of his fellow workers and, based upon his close connection with Timothy, doesn’t want that to happen in that relationship as well.

Paul is suffering. He is in prison. He may be near the end of his life. Throughout his letters, he has always closely associated his own suffering with that of Christ, whether it is physical suffering and abuse, or the humiliation of the crucifixion. In order to understand his next two commands to Timothy, we need to see them through this lens of suffering, as Paul did.

In fact, both of these commands are two sides of the same coin.

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Establishing The Discipline Of Bible Reading (ESD)

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The benefits of reading the Bible are almost too numerous to count. If we want to develop spiritual disciplines that help us to grow our faith, then this is a simple first step.

But how do we go about this? What are some ways that we can implement this into our lives? All too often, I hear people say that they’ve tried to read the Bible, but either get discouraged, or fail in their attempt to stick to it.

In the past, I’ve written several articles about how to go about creating an environment where Bible reading and study can flourish.

I’ve used several different styles of Bible reading over the years, and have found one that fits my life pretty well for the time being. I seem to gain a lot from what I read.

I use a system where I read ten different chapters a day. Using this system, the Bible is divided into ten different lists. The idea is to read one chapter from each list daily. When you reach the end of the list, you simply start it over. Some lists are longer, others are shorter, so each one will end at different times. This guarantees you will be reading different portions of the Bible together every day. Many times, you’ll see correlations you never knew were there, simply because you haven’t ever read those passages together before. It’s pretty incredible. You can read more details about this system here.