Looking Back on a Finished Lifework
I have long observed that it is the rare individual who values completing a task as highly as beginning one. We are all good at setting out with great gusto, but so often, whether through poor planning or waning interest or even the vicissitudes of providence, we fail to complete what we’ve begun. If this is true of our minor plans and tasks, how much more the ones we thought might define our legacy on this earth. Thankfully this is not the case with the Lord, as this quote from F.B. Meyer so eloquently explains.
It is very seldom that man can look back on a finished lifework.
The chisel drops from the paralyzed hand ere the statue is complete; the chilling fingers refuse to guide the pen along another line, though the book is so nearly done; the statesman must leave his plans and far-reaching schemes to be completed by another, perhaps his rival.
But as from his cross Jesus Christ our Lord looked upon the work of redemption which he had undertaken, and in connection with which he had suffered even to the hiding of his Father’s face, he could not discover one stitch, or stone, or particle deficient.
For untold myriads for thee and me and all there was done that which never needed to be done again, but stood as an accomplished fact forevermore.
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A La Carte (March 2)
Logos users: March Matchups is back, and with it the opportunity to get some great deals. Also, be sure to grab this month’s free book.
If you’re in or near Canada and want to brush up on your preaching, a friend asked me to let you know about the Simeon Trust workshops in Calgary and Toronto.
Today’s Kindle deals include a nice little list.
(Yesterday on the blog: Learning Lessons From Scandals Close to Home)
The Life and Death of an Ordinary Saint
I love ordinary saints.
An Open Statement of the Truth
Kevin DeYoung: “You may have wondered in recent days, ‘When did I become a bigot?’ Not that you are likely a bigot, but that the world now considers you one. Beliefs that used to be obvious—to Christians and to almost everyone else—are now called hate speech, while practices and spectacles that wouldn’t have been whispered in private have become public celebrations.”
Five things you may not know about Adam
CMI has an interesting one here. “Adam is one of the best-known people in the Bible. Despite this, most people only know a few basic facts about him. His connection to every person on the planet, and therefore our need for the Gospel, is outlined below, as are five things about Adam you may not have known before.”
The Scariest Thing Jesus Ever Said
“For some, the Bible is and should be a great comfort. For others, it is and should be deeply disturbing. Throughout the Bible, God heals with reassuring words of forgiveness, kindness, and welcome. Also throughout the Bible, God thunders with warnings meant to stir people toward repentance, restoration, and peace.” Scott Sauls explains.
There are an infinite number of wheels in God’s providence
There are indeed!
Kate Forbes Is Done (or Why an Orthodox Christian Can Never Lead a Western Political Party Again)
“Kate Forbes stands little chance of becoming the First Minister of Scotland. And this is due to her publicly stated religious beliefs.” Stephen McAlpine reflects on alarming (yet somehow not surprising) situation.
Flashback: When God Unfolds His Will in Pieces
When it comes to our lives, God chooses to unfold his will in bits, in steps, in phases. He chooses to unfold his will in real-time and not in advance. He chooses to unfold his will in such a way that we need to exercise faith.No parent gives mercy better than one who is convinced that he desperately needs it himself. —Paul David Tripp
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Weekend A La Carte (July 9)
May you know God’s richest blessings as you serve and worship him this weekend.
Richard Dawkins Is (Partly) Right about Pro-Life People
“Richard Dawkins is right.” That’s not something you hear often from a site dedicated to apologetics. And, not surprisingly, Dawkins is only partially right.
Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?
“If he is all-loving and all-powerful, why does God allow the righteous to suffer?” This article looks at some examples from the Bible to provide at least a partial answer.
How Do Hearts Grow?
“How do you know your heart is maturing, that you’re developing, that you’re more than just your yesterday-self?” Well all want to know we’re making such progress, don’t we?
Between Two Graves: Calvin on the Waters Above and Below
“One of the quirkier parts of the early books of Genesis for modern readers is the way in which it speaks of ‘waters above’ and ‘waters below’.” Calvin’s thoughts on it are really interesting.
Why technology makes our lives easier yet more meaningless
“It seems we’ve struck a deal with our devices that so much resembles the bargains with the tricksters from the old stories. A genie appears to grant your wish. But once you have what your flesh desired you find you’ve lost something of yourself in the exchange. We wished for peace and quiet, and what we got was loneliness. We wished for the world at our fingertips, but what we got was all the world’s anxieties. We wished to banish boredom and difficulty, but what we got was meaninglessness.”
The Water and the Blood
Nick Batzig takes a crack at resolving one of the most difficult biblical details to interpret.
Flashback: Leave and Cleave Like a Strawberry
The God who created family is clear that marriage creates a new family unit, but also clear that biology matters and that the forming of a new unit does not entirely rupture the old one.Perfect love is perfect self-forgetfulness. Hence where there is love in a home, unselfishness is the law. Each forgets self and lives for others. —J.R. Miller
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I Still Do: A Marriage Course for the Middle Years
It has been my observation that churches tend to invest a fair bit of effort in preparing couples to begin a healthy marriage, but perhaps a little less in helping couples sustain a healthy marriage. We offer pre-marriage seminars designed to deliberately help a couple better understand the challenges that will come their way in the years ahead, but don’t offer as many seminars deliberately designed to help couples through the middle and later years of marriage and, thus, through issues like sorrow, loss, declining sexuality, empty-nesting, unmet expectations, unresolved conflict, and so on.
I wanted to address this in my church (and in my own marriage, for that), so decided to lead a marriage seminar that would appeal specifically to couples who have been married for at least a decade and perhaps even several. I built it around Dave Harvey’s I Still Do: Growing Closer and Stronger through Life’s Defining Moments—a book that is meant to foster a marriage that is lasting and durable. With Dave doing the heavy lifting, I put a good deal of effort into creating questions that would prompt conversation and prayer between the couples and also lead to helpful group discussions.
Because I expect others may benefit from such a course, I thought I’d share the material and make it freely available for you to download for your own purposes, whether that’s to lead a course with others or just go through the material with your spouse. You are free to download it, use it, edit it, and so on. You need give no credit to me.
I would recommend having an experienced and credible individual or couple lead the course and would also recommend keeping the group size relatively small as a means of fostering openness and vulnerability in times of corporate discussion. The six sessions are structured in such a way that each couple will read two chapters together, answer a number of questions, then meet with the group for further learning and discussion. Group meetings should be scheduled for about 90 minutes. For each session there is a Question sheet which is sent to the couples in advance and a Discussion sheet which is for the leader to use at the seminar. Those who wish to extend the course to 12 weeks can easily split each session in half. Each couple will need to have a copy of I Still Do (Amazon, Westminster Books) and the leader should purchase a copy of the Study Guide (Amazon, Westminster Books) since a few of the questions are drawn from it.
Here are all the files in a variety of formats:Introduction, Information, and Expectations: PDF, Pages, Word
Session 1 (Questions: PDF, Pages, Word | Discussion: PDF, Pages, Word)
Session 2 (Questions: PDF, Pages, Word | Discussion: PDF, Pages, Word)
Session 3 (Questions: PDF, Pages, Word | Discussion: PDF, Pages, Word)
Session 4 (Questions: PDF, Pages, Word | Discussion: PDF, Pages, Word)
Session 5 (Questions: PDF, Pages, Word | Discussion: PDF, Pages, Word)
Session 6 (Questions: PDF, Pages, Word | Discussion: PDF, Pages, Word)
Or: Download everything in one zip file
