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Coffee Break – 03.04.2013

Coffee Break

A Spanish Look At The Chemex – I use a Chemex to make my coffee every day I’m in the office. I love the way it brews and leaves a very clean taste. Here’s a classy video about the Chemex.

Cheetahs Running In Slow Motion – God’s creativity is boundless. And watching Cheetahs run is just one example. As one of the fastest animals on the planet, Cheetahs are pretty impressive. But watching them in slow motion video only enhances the beauty of this amazing animal.

Adding Color To Historic Photos – Before the age of color photography, life was captured in blacks and whites. But have you ever wondered what things really looked like? Here are 20 photos that have been painstakingly colorized. That’s pretty cool!

The Secrets Of Grand Central Terminal Train Station – One of the busiest places in New York is Grand Central. But so many people who rush through there have no idea of what they are walking through. This interactive image of the station gives some pretty amazing facts and information about the building and its history.

Biblical Personal Finance – From Crown Financial to Dave Ramsey, biblical principles on the subject of money and finances are being taught in a lot of places. But America is still drowning in personal and consumer debt. Looking at both earning money and spending money, this article give a concise overview of what the Bible says about our money habits.

Putting Your Spouse First Actually Puts Your Kids First – Want your kids to grow up secure, knowing that you and your spouse love one another? Studies show that kids with the greatest security come from just that kind of home. But how do you build that? By putting your spouse first. This article gives some great encouragement on how to do just that.

We are more concerned about looking stupid (a fear of people) than we are about acting sinfully (fear of the Lord). – Ed Welch

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:18-19

In the middle of the first chapter of 1 Timothy, Paul seems to get distracted from the direction of his instructions to Timothy, and breaks into spontaneous worship. We finished memorizing that last week. Now, in verses 18-19, he gets back on track with the direction he was giving his young protege.

1 Timothy 1:18-19

The word here that is translated as “instruction” is the same Greek word that is used in verses 3 and 5, where is is translated as “command.” This connects the two passages very clearly. Paul’s concern is that Timothy endure whatever circumstances may come so that he can fulfill the ministry that God has placed him there to accomplish.

Why is Paul so concerned about this young man? Because of the prophecies surrounding Timothy, quite possibly the ones Paul refers to in 4:14, when he mentions Timothy’s commission and the Spirit-bestowed gifts he received when the elders laid they hands on him.

Paul wants Timothy to stand firm, so that he can “fight the good fight.” Paul’s use of strateia here forms images of military strategy and tactics in preparation for battle. In fact, it’s the root for our English word “strategy”.

In order to fight the good fight, Timothy must hold on to faith and a good conscience. Both of these, along with a pure heart, Paul has already mentioned in verse 5. Ignoring these will result in spiritual shipwreck; and in fact, he will go on to mention two men who have done just that in the next verse, which we will examine next week.

Paul’s concern here is for Timothy. But his words ring true for all of us. Holding on to faith and a good conscience are two of the necessary tools we must have to fight the good fight ourselves. Our conscience, for example, is the compass that directs our life. Without a good conscience, it will be too easy for us to drift off course and away from the direction God would have us go. Paul’s instruction to Timothy to hold on to these things is good advice for us as well.

Fight the good fight.

Hold on to faith.

Hold on to a good conscience.

Don’t shipwreck your own faith by rejecting these.

Hold on to them.

What helps you hold on to your faith and a good conscience? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Top Posts For February 2013

Things are finally starting to settle into a routine again. Jude Michael was born on January 8 of this year, and our lives have been crazy almost ever since. Heather’s dad visited for a week in January, and my mother, and brother and his family visited for a week and a half in mid February. Jude is starting to sleep through the night, and finally, so am I.

February 2013 Word Picture from Wordle.net

It has been crazy, but it has also been incredibly good as well. It was nice to see so much family and spend some quality time with them.

With March, there are a lot of things happening around the Randleman home: gearing up for spring events and focusing on finishing the school year strong. Our church has a lot going on too. We start The Story this week, a 31 week journey through the Bible. Plus, summer isn’t too far away, so camp planning and Vacation Bible School prep are well under way.

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

The first four are in the exact same spots as they were last month. Adding in the fifth slot, all of these are from my series Foundations of Youth Ministry, with the exception of the third post on the list. And again, the final two on the list are a couple of books I reviewed. Both were excellent books, I might add.

Outside of my regularly scheduled weekly posts, I didn’t have much opportunity to write more last month. That should change for the month of March. My family’s personal schedule should be much more relaxed for a while.

My favorite post written in February was one called 6 Healthy Responses To Negative Criticism, in my Leadership category. I’m excited about some of the ideas I have for more leadership posts in the very near future.

Looking forward to what happens in the coming weeks!

If you are a blogger, leave a comment with your top post for the month. If you don’t blog, leave a comment with a favorite post or blog that you read this month.

 

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What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

Leading is hard.

It really is. Sometimes you just don’t know which way to turn, or what to do. It can become overwhelming if you don’t stop, take stock of the situation, and recalibrate yourself.

Mind Twister Game

So what do you do when you don’t know what to do?

Here are four steps I take when I’m not sure what to do next as a leader.

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Coffee Break – 02.25.2013

Coffee Break

The Hario V60 Coffee Machine – I have a Hario pour over kettle and the V60. I like them almost as much as my Chemex. So when I saw this I was immediately excited about the possibilities. Unfortunately, it seems to be only available in Japan right now. Too bad. But it saves me some money, I guess…

10 Twinkie Talking Points – With the demise of Twinkies a few months ago, this post brings a feeling of nostalgia with it. I wonder how much Twinkies are going for on eBay?

Can You Spot The Invisible Animal? – God has designed things in wonderful ways! These animals have the ability to blend in with their natural surroundings so perfectly that they become nearly impossible to spot. My kids loved this! The only one that took me a while to spot was the common snipe. Finally, I Googled an image, so I could see what I was searching for. Check the lower left quadrant.

A Quest For Hidden Spitfire Planes – Historical articles seem to always catch my eye. Especially when they concern hidden treasures, such as the 36 World War II Spitfires recently discovered in Burma. Most of the history of WW2 is about the European of American fronts. Very little is out there about the Burmese aspect of WW2. This discovery sheds a little light in that area.

Losing Adam – It’s rare these days to find much referring to the accurate historicity of the book of Genesis, especially the first eleven chapters. But there are some consequences for the rest of the Bible, as well as our faith, if we reject this portion of Scripture.

Bible Reading Plan For Kids – Spending time in God’s Word is an essential aspect to growing our faith. And I want my kids to develop that habit of intentionally reading the Bible as soon as possible. These Bible Reading Plans are simple and easy to use, helping to create a love for God and his Word in our children. Check these out. You may find them to be extremely useful.

There’s no such thing as faith apart from risk-taking. Creativity takes risk. The people who are most secure in Jesus Christ shouldn’t be scared to try new things. – Howard Hendricks

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:17

One of the things I love about Paul’s writings is his propensity for bursting into spontaneous doxologies. And that’s exactly what he does in this week’s passage. It’s only one verse this week, found in 1 Timothy 1:17:

1 Timothy 1:17

Because of God’s mercy, as Paul has reflected in the previous few verses, Paul feels the need to burst into this brief statement of worship in his letter to Timothy. He describes God in several different ways in this brief sentence.

  • King Eternal – Paul expresses not just the eternal nature of God, but his majesty. This phrase could be easily translated as “king of the ages.” Not a huge difference, but it conveys a subtle difference.

  • Immortal – Literally, this word conveys the idea of “incorruptible.”

  • Invisible – God is unseen, and we must accept him by faith, and not sight. Paul uses this descriptive term elsewhere as well, such as Romans 1:20 and Colossians 1:15.

  • The Only God – This phrase brings to mind the Shema, in Deuteronomy 6:4. There is no other to whom this glory is due.

On account of these characteristics of God, Paul concludes that all “honor and glory” are due to him, and him alone, for all of time and beyond. No other is worthy to receive any of God’s glory and honor. Paul’s passion leads you to conclude that he is almost as jealous for all glory and honor to be given to God as God himself is.

So should we be.

Amen.

What do you do in your life to bring all glory and honor to God? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.