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The Three B’s Of Public Speaking

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3 B's of Public Speaking

Possibly one of the greatest overlooked skill sets for all leaders is the ability to communicate. For some, speaking, teaching, and communicating in public comes as naturally as taking a sip of water. For others, the simple thought of standing up in front of anyone is terrifying. Regardless, the ability to communicate effectively and with efficiency is a key aspect of leadership development. This is true for not just for the corporate world (CEO’S, managers, supervisors, team leads, etc) but also for various aspects of home and personal life (mom, dad, leading church Bible study).

For work I have to get up and communicate how awesome Logos Bible Software is in small group settings with pastors/academics to large conference center venues with up to 5,000 people. Regardless of the size of the crowd I’ve found that there are really a foundational 3 B’s of public of speaking that will set anyone up for success.

Be Brief

This may seem counter productive. Actually, one of the biggest myths in public speaking is that you have to communicate for an extended period of time. The truth is, brevity is your friend as a communicator. Now, don’t be so short that you never actually unpack the content you are communicating, but don’t draw it out so long that people start shifting in their seats and wonder if you actually know what you are talking about. Sometimes it’s hard to find the sweet spot on how long you should communicate. The way I figure this out is pretty simple. My core goal in communication is to clearly unpack the point that I am trying to make. Any more or any less will be more harmful than helpful. The other benefit of brevity is that you are able to sharpen your delivery and really consider what is essential and non essential. The human brain is processing so much information, so you want the people listening to you to grasp the essentials.

Be Brilliant

This is actually much easier than it sounds. The goal of every time I get on a stage is to have people listening to me go through an “Aha” moment. The moment when they realize something they never knew was possible. The moment they realize their dream of effectively studying the Bible could be a reality! The moment that a dream that lay dorment for some time came to life through a simple scripture, quote, or phrase that I used. As you communicate, consider the “aha” moment. Often your “brilliant” moment will be a simple phrase that you spent hours crafting. Other times, it is something that you said on the fly that later people comment on how profound that was!

Pro Tip: Write down each of those moments! In the past I’ve had people comment after my presentations about how great it was and they would share something specific that touched them. In the past I would just nod and say thanks. Then I realized, I am missing a huge opportunity to add some great content to my presentation! Sometimes this is a joke or an illustration, but if it worked one time on the fly I know it can work multiple times in various audiences!

Take every opportunity to give valuable content to your audience. Also remember, that something you think is not that great, may be of great value for your audience. Keep a pulse on this and remember that communicating may be one of the most selfless things you do. Really, you are there to communicate valuable content for your audience, not for yourself!

Be Seated

After your done take a seat. If you get a round of applause great. If its quiet in the room, great! I’ve made the mistake before thinking that I absolutely ruined a presentation because I stopped getting the “ooh’s” and “aahs”. What I found out was that people had reached their receptive capability point and they were just waiting to jump to the Logos booth so they could get a base package for themselves! Another danger is going longer than you intended. I’ve felt the need to expound on a topic if I felt that it was not received well, only to break my first rule of being brief. So, when your done simply sit down.

 

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My 2016 Reading List

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My 2016 Reading List

Well the new year is here and everyone is jumping on the new resolution band wagon. Like most, I’ve been guilty of having some lofty resolutions only to find my self the following December realizing that I haven’t accomplished much of what I set out to do. However, if there is a resolution that you should keep, it’s to spend more time reading. The benefits are countless! Earlier I posted a quick review of the best books I read in 2015. 

Related: Best Books Of 2015

I wanted to give you my 2016 reading list. Some may wonder how I compiled this list? It’s actually really simple. I typically turn to people or other sites that I trust. I compile list based off of their recommendations. I also make sure to leave some breathing room for new books that set to release in 2016!

My Recommended Sites/Blogs:

After surveying what seems like hundreds of books, I landed on adding the following to my 2016 must read list.

Must Read Books For 2016

What Does The Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality, Kevin DeYoung – In a culture that that is seemingly getting more complex in regards to gender issues, I’m excited about taking a look at what Kevin DeYoung has to say from a gospel centered Biblical framework.

Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, Russell D Moore – As Christians we need to engage culture. A seemingly significant challenge for many is keeping the Gospel central in our engagement with our culture.

The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings, Philip and Carol Zaleski – I’m a huge fan of both C.S Lewis and J.R Tolkien. One of the areas I hope to develop in 2016 is my writing, and there is nothing better than to study the lives of these literary giants!

 

The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming A Lost Vision, Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan – As I’ve gone through seminary I’ve been amazed at how so many of the theological giants in the past were both scholar and pastor!

 

Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, Timothy Keller – This book covers two areas that are important to me. First, preaching and communication. Second, evangelism within our cultural context. When it comes to the topic of cultural context I think Tim Keller is a leading thought developer.

 

Doctrine of Repentance, Thomas Watson – This book was mentioned by Trevin Wax in an interview he did with the Gospel Coalition and peaked my interest. I enjoy puritan writing and am excited to jump into this one.

 

The Resurrection of the Son of God, N.T Wright – This has been on back log for some time and I think 2016 is the year to tackle this!

 

What’s on your 2016 list? Let me know by commenting on this post or on Twitter or my Facebook page!

 

Reading quote instagram

 

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*(All opinions are my own. I make a commission off of the affiliate links, however I do not endorse products that I do not use myself or believe in)

5 Reasons To Take Joy In Your Singleness

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Taking Joy In Singleness Featured

As the year is coming to a close I’ve been able to reflect on how gracious God has been to our family from a large move from Bellingham, WA to the Chicagoland area to His provision and comfort as our youngest son Lucas had a complex febrile seizure. I look at my family and I am so thankful for the blessing of being a husband and father. However, there are some of you that read that last line and felt a knot in your stomach. As the year comes to the close you are staring at another year wondering if there will be a significant other, a family, or children in your future. I remember thinking the same thing. As I reflect on my years as a single adult I came to the realization that there was much joy to be found but was never experienced. This was a combination of my own selfishness, a lack of gospel perspective, and looking at a perceived future and not living my immediate present. So, if you’re single, or you have friends or family that are single and are worried about it; here are five reasons to take joy in singleness.

5 Reasons To Take Joy In Singleness

Your Singleness Is An Opportunity

Possibly, one of my biggest issues many people have is that they view their singleness as an obstacle. However, your singleness is really an opportunity not an obstacle. Singleness provides you the freedom and flexibility that you can’t find when you have the responsibility of marriage and family. I believe this is also why Paul comments on the benefits of being single. The opportunity to travel, to jump into a long term missions project, to change the direction of your career path and pursue what your passionate about are all opportunities. Viewing your singleness as an opportunity allows you to maximize your time and efforts. Don’t waste your opportunities in front of you because you are dreaming about what could be.

It Allows You To Form A Solid Foundation

What an incredible opportunity to develop yourself! One of the biggest myths about marriage is that it will fix you. The reality is that marriage is a process of sanctification. Taking two screwed up people and bringing them together to become one. In essence, you have double the challenge because instead of competing for your own ambitions you know have another person in the mix! Singleness however, provides a platform to identify your weaknesses. To begin to focus on them and develop them as you prepare yourself for the future that God has for you. Being intentional about this will not just benefit you, but if and when God calls you to marriage, it will be a blessing to your spouse. Forming this solid foundation will pay off big time in any serious relationship in the future.

It Allows You To Be Devoted To God In A Special Way

The Apostle Paul in 1 Co 7:32-35 unpacks the special ability the single individual has to be devoted to God. This is a special time where your devotion and utmost priority can be to pursue ministry in a manner that can only be achieved when you are free from the responsibility of marriage and family. For some, this may be a lifelong calling, but for many there is a short window to execute and pursue this devotion. Don’t miss the opportunity!

It Allows You To Serve People

You can find great joy out of simply serving people. Rather looking to your own needs, or what you can get out of serving, serve because it’s what Jesus modeled. In fact, an incredible practical way for you to exercise this is to find a couple that has kids in your church that you are friends with and ask them if you can babysit for them so they can go on a date night. As a married man, one of the things my wife and I are always talking about is a babysitter for our date nights. You will be amazed at the joy you will get from seeing your married friends enjoy a night out and simultaneously how great it feels to hang with some kids for an afternoon. You can also serve your community or neighborhood.

It Allows You Find Your Satisfaction In The Person Of Christ

One of the greatest lies that the single person may face is that when they get married or find that significant person that their problem of loneliness will be solved. First, this type of thinking places an enormous burden on the significant other, and it is something that they can never fully solve. In fact, there is not a better time, than in your singleness to both believe and experience the satisfaction of Christ.

Singleness Quote

The scriptures are saturated with this reality. What an incredible truth that we can experience and believe, that Christ is our ultimate satisfaction in life. He truly is better.

 

Best Books Of 2015

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Best Books Of 2015

Each year I set out with a task to create and compile a reading list. While the term may be cliche, I really do believe that the best leaders are readers. Prior to seminary, my list was somewhat expansive. However, since starting seminary over a year ago, my reading requirements for school have taken a toll on my reading list. However, I have still been able to get around to some great books and would recommend the following.

Books That Should Make Your 2016 Reading List!

The Rise Of Theodore Roosevelt – Edmund Morris

I was out to dinner with the CEO of my company, Faithlife, and during our conversation he recommended The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Bob expressed how much he appreciated Teddy Roosevelt. A practice I’ve always had is to jump on any books recommended to me from my bosses, so I got this book on my Kindle and jumped into the life of Teddy Roosevelt. What I found was incredible. A child who was prone to sickness and suffered life threatening bought’s with sickness multiple times rises to become a historical pillar of the U.S in both political and military categories.

 

Doing Theology: Reformed Theology – Dr. Michael Allen

While I typically refrain from including Seminary books in my list, I had to include Dr. Michael Allen’s book on Reformed Theology. Dr. Allen masterfully takes Reformed theology and breaks it down into its most core and important aspects. Further, it is written in a way that will appeal to both the serious theology scholar and the brand new Christian. While I would align myself with the reformed tradition, I believe this would be a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about the reformed tradition even if they may not fall in that camp.

 

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently

A core function of my job is communication. Whether it is communicating in a small room teaching a workshop or in front of 5,000 people sharing how awesome and life changing Logos Bible Software is, I am communicating a specific message to a particular group of people. This book was recommended to me from my supervisor, and needless to say it has been a game changer. John Maxwell masterfully teaches us the basics and fundamental’s of not just communicating, but connecting. So, if you are a business or ministry leader, or have a desire to become one, this book is a must read.

 

The High-Definition Leader: Building Multiethnic Churches in a Multiethnic World – Derwin L. Gray

If you are a ministry leader, pastor, church planter, or someone who is dreaming about being a church planter, this book needs to jump to the beginning of your reading list. Derwin unpacks the biblical mandate to plant Multiethnic churches by taking us to the scriptures and showing us that this concept is not new. Rather, this multiethnic fusion has been the heart beat of God from the beginning and the Apostle Paul reflects this by planting multiethnic churches! In the midst of our current cultural climate with racial tension daily increasing, this book is incredibly timely and provides us with a framework of how to begin the process of racial reconciliation.

 

 

Evil and the Justice of God: N.T Wright

The thought of unpacking N.T Wright for my own personal reading apart from seminary initially was unthinkable. However, I realized that I needed to continue to unpack Wright’s literary works and this particular book was incredibly timely considering the long list of tragedies that have been taking place in our world. As a Christian I believe in the sovereignty of God and also know that after Genesis 3 sin destroyed our relationship with God and infected us with a desire to destroy and pursue our own selfish desires. Needless to say, the impact of sin on our society and the public has caused many to question the faithfulness of God and also how a good God can allow evil to take place in our world. Wright lays out a theological foundation that will help us to engage with this topic and starts by helping us understand the character and nature of God which includes His Justice and how it interacts with evil.

 

 

I hope some of these books make your 2016 reading list. I’ll be posting my 2016 reading list over the next week. What books are on your list? Let me know in the comments section on this post, twitter, or Facebook!

And don’t forget, the best leaders are readers!

Readers Leaders Quote

 

 

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*(All opinions are my own. I make a commission off of the affiliate links, however I do not endorse products that I do not use myself or believe in)

Should Christian Parents Talk About Santa Clause?

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Should Parents Santa Blog Featured image

It’s that time of year again. The lights, wreaths, ornaments, mistletoes, and if your lucky; snow! Christmas is here, and with it comes the challenge some Christian parents face in regards to how to deal with Santa Clause? Do we mention Santa? Do we talk about the historical Saint Nick? How about the reindeer, presents, and Elves! When Brittany and I first had Liam it seemed like the opinions, perspectives, and thoughts were everywhere and we were faced with the somewhat daunting task of making a decision for our family. In all honesty, we are in a different place now than we were four years ago. We first made the decision that we would not engage Santa in any way. We felt that putting any emphasis on Santa would distract our kids from Jesus.

It wasn’t soon after that I listened to a sermon by Mark Driscoll about how we engage our culture. Driscoll states that we can accept, reject, or redeem culture. As I began to evaluate how we engaged Santa it seemed that our first approach, to reject, was not as practical or beneficial as we initially thought. In fact, in some ways it was harmful. Ultimately, I would encourage every parent to do what is best for their children in light of the Gospel. For Brittany and I, this meant changing our approach to redeeming the concept of Santa. When I say redeem it, I mean that we can take the concept, identify aspects that are helpful and in some ways actually point us to Jesus. In the same way we can take aspects that can be harmful and address them. Here are three reasons Brittany and I choose to redeem the concept of Santa.

Santa Provides An Opportunity to Engage Culture In A Meaningful Way

As we attempted to reject Santa, we faced the overwhelming challenge of all the Santa discussions, commercials, videos, and Santa imposters at the mall. How were we going to reject Santa but have our kids see it everywhere they turned? Then It dawned on us, what an incredible way for us to engage our culture through something that is so saturated at Christmas time! You don’t have to have any religious background to celebrate Santa. We have an opportunity to utilize Santa as a missional bridge to engage our loved ones and neighbors with the beautiful gospel message of Christ.

updated Santa Pin

One of the common objections and resentment’s that I hear about Christians from non Christians is the perception that Christians can’t relate. It almost feels like Christians live in some other galaxy. We have an opportunity to show our culture and society that we are involved within culture and care about the development of culture within our society. In fact, this very much resembles how we are made in the likeness and image of God, Who after speaking all creation into existence, does not step back and out of human history. Rather, He steps into human history humbling himself to human flesh in order to engage and love humanity in the most personal and intimate way possible. As Hollywood began to produce Biblical epics and put them on the big screen I discussed how our engaging with theses movies are actually helpful and not harmful.

Related: Why I Love The Movie Exodus: Gods and Generals

Santa Provides Us With An Opportunity To Point To Jesus

Another serious problem Brittany and I faced was the reality that there was some hypocrisy in how we handled Santa. For instance, my kids love Avengers, Spiderman, Superman, Star Wars, anything that has good guys and bad guys they are into. I don’t reject these things. In fact, I love them, so I engage with them and pretend and play and we enjoy the story line of good and evil and watch how good always prevails. To take it a step further, how many of us have been to Disney Land? Here we are grown adults with our children taking pictures next to Mickey and other Disney characters. Is that wrong? No! For us, Santa falls in the same category. A fictional character similar to Superman or Batman who has some historical roots.

I love Hebrews 3 and I think as we read through the Bible we find that the common theme is simply, Jesus is better. One of the things I try to do with my boys is point out while we are watching super hero cartoons that as awesome as superman is, he is pretend and not real. However, we have a real Jesus who conquered sin and death and did real miracles who loves us! We have someone who is far better and real! As we talk about Santa and how people love the fact that he brings gifts, what a great way to say that there is someone even better than Santa. Jesus came and gave us the perfect give of salvation. One of the most important things that we can do is know who Jesus is.

Related: Seminary 101: Christ as Prophet, Priest, King

Santa Can Encourage Our God Given Gifts Of Imagination

God who is the definition of creative, gave us creative minds. It’s not a bad thing to exercise this creativity. In fact, as adults I think we have lost some of the wonder of imagination. When I watch my boys play and see them tie a towel around their neck as a cape and pick up whatever is around them as weapons and super hero gadgets I am reminded of how important imagination is for us. In fact, so much of what is in the Bible requires us to use our imagination as we wait in eager anticipation for coming of Christ. What does Heaven look like? What will our bodies look like? What do relationships look like in Heaven? Exercising our imagination now and allowing our children to exercise within some safe boundaries will only help them as they engage the scriptures.

Idolatry Can Be Found In Anything

Ultimately, the fear we had was of idolatry. We were afraid that Santa would steal the attention from Jesus and his birth. The reality is, there is so much idolatry going on in our lives all the time. Idolatry can be anything and will always rob us of the joy of Christ. The issue is never the object of our attention, rather our inner motivation. What an incredible opportunity to teach our kids that we can enjoy fun things which in turn cause us to be stirred up in our affections for Jesus.

3 Healthy Ways To Respond When You Disagree

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3 healthy ways to respond featured image

In a recent post I exposed the dark area of my life that showed how ridiculously obsessed I am about winning, and the fact that I hate losing or failing at anything.  Something that goes in tandem with this is how often I feel my perspective or opinion is right and the other persons is wrong. I usually see this play out most often in my marriage as my wife and I “passionately dialogue” about our perspective on various matters

Disclaimer:

There are certain arguments or discussions that can be categorized as simply unhelpful, silly, and even dumb. In these instances, the issue is not “How do your respond” but rather, don’t even engage the conversation. Titus 3:9 gives us clear instruction in regards to this and it would be wise for us to follow those instructions.

Disagreement:

Then there are serious topics that need to be discussed. So how do we engage in conversation and respond in these instances? Further, the issue of disagreement and more importantly how we respond in light of disagreement is one that impacts almost every area of our life. As a spouse, employee, or employer. How do we respond when we stare at the person across from the table and just don’t agree with them?

3 Ways To Respond To Disagreement:

Stay Humble:

First, its important to recognize that we may actually be wrong, which will result in a more humble attitude and approach in our conversations. A posture of humility in conversation allows both parties to engage honestly and receive what the other person is actually saying. When we find ourselves in that stalemate situation it may no longer be an issue of who will “win” but rather a long term approach to sharing a particular perspective.

Posture Of Humility

Walk Away While Maintaining The Relationship:

It’s ok to disagree and to make a definitive stance on something that we believe in. However, it’s an error to walk away from this type of conversation and lose a relationship over it. It’s absolutely ok to walk away saying you disagree with each other but you still respect each others opinion and perspective. Don’t lose a friendship over a disagreement, in almost every situation its not worth it.

Study and Learn The Other Perspective:

I’ve made my opinion and perspective on planned parenthood pretty public. You can read about it here. In the process I was faced with conversations with people who I love, respect, and value, but we found ourselves fiercely disagreeing. I decided to approach this situation by considering, researching, and studying the other position. Throughout the process I found that I was in fact misinformed in some areas, but at the end I was more convinced about my position. The result was also an ability relate to and show the other individuals that I seriously cared about them and their position and was willing to do the work to be informed.

Disagreement in life is a guarantee. The way we respond in light of disagreement can make a significant difference in our personal, professional, and even spiritual growth and maturity.

 

Seminary 101: Christ as Prophet, Priest, King

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Seminary 101 Prophet Priest King

One of the challenges in our theology is in regards to how we view Christ. Our theology of Christ (Christology) is vital in regards to how we interact with the Word of God and how we relate to scripture. In fact, our theological framework serves as the lens in which we apply the text in our lives. So, if we don’t consider the wider and deeper implications of theology, our interpretation and application can be found limited and undeveloped. One of the areas that is incredibly important is how we view Christ. As we unpack the character and nature of Christ we find that he serves as the perfect prophet, priest, and king. In fact, Calvin taught the work of Christ in the context of Prophet, Priest and King. As we are able to unpack the nature of Christ and see how he functions in these three particular categories, our understanding of how marvelous Christ is will expand.

Christ As Prophet:

Throughout the Old Testament we find God interacting with his chosen people. Prior to Genesis 3 God spoke intimately with Adam and Eve face to face. After the fall and as sin enters humanity we see a shift in communication as God uses specific people as his spokesmen. The term prophet as used in the Old Testament can be closely associated in terms of a person who is the actual “mouthpiece” of someone else, in this instance, the prophets of the old testament are “mouthpieces” of God. However, these prophets are limited and found wanting. They deliver a specific message from the Lord, but they themselves are not a clear and perfect reflection of God. As Christ enters in the New Testament he calls himself a prophet (Lk 13:33) bringing the message of his Father. He also functions perfectly as a prophet as he foretells (Mt 24), speaks with authority (Mt 7:29), authenticates his message with signs, and is recognized by the people as a prophet (Mt 21:11, Lk 7:16, Jn 3:2). While the prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed the truth, Jesus Himself was and is Truth (jn 14:6).

As we read through the Old Testament and encounter these incredible prophets such as Moses and Aaron we can remember that as great as they were, they are but a shadow of who Christ is. Jesus is our perfect Prophet and a clear reflection of God the Father.

Christ as Priest:

As we consider Christ as our Priest we can turn to Hebrews 5-7 which gives us a clear picture of this great High Priest who intercedes on behalf of His people. Again, throughout the OT we see the offie of the priest hood established. These priests served as a form of mediator between a fallen humanity and a perfect God. They interceded on behalf of fallen humanity, yet, they themselves needed cleansing and purification because they were with sin. One interesting fact is that once a year the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice. The priests would tie a rope around his ankle just in case he went in and was struck down dead due to unrepentant sin. No one was allowed into the Holy of Holies, and even the High Priest could be slain and struck down for his sin. How wonderful to know that we have a High Priest who intercedes, is in the very presence of God right now, and is for us! He was found without sin and therefore is counted as the perfect High Priest

As we read through the Old Testament and see how the priests function and serve the people of God we can take hope in Christ who serves as the perfect High Priest and continually intercedes on our behalf.

Christ as King:

Throughout the entirety of Scriptures there has never been a priest who was also a king other than Melchizedech King of Salem (Ge 14:18-20). Christ, enters into humanity in many ways as the suffering servant. He comes and humbles himself, in obedience to the will of the father, to death on the cross. During his time on earth he teaches his disciples of the coming Kingdom. He conquers both sin and death and ascends into heaven giving a promise to his disciples that he would return again. In revelation we find that kingdom of this present world will come under the final rule and authority of Christ as King and within the boundaries of His Kingdom (Rev 11:15). Geerhardus Vos describes Christ’s final Kingdom reign by stating, “It is the ocean into which all the rivers of history roll their waters from the beginning of the world”*.

As we consider  the tragedy that takes place in our world, we can find rest and assurance in the coming Messiah who will bring all the broken fragments of this world under His perfect Kingship and authority to create the most magnificent Kingdom.

kingdom quote intstagram

 

The Perfect Jesus:

As we study and consider our perfect Jesus we see that he exercises all three offices. As prophet he declares both the law and his gospel and outshines the prophets of the Old Testament. As priest, he is not limited to an earthly temple but ministers in the true sanctuary in the presence of the Father. Finally, as King he entered humanity, conquered sin and death, setting the prisoners free from the bondage of the law. Jesus is perfect. He is sufficient. He is Prophet, Priest, and King.

 

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Geerhardus Vos, The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews (repr., Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock, 1998), 194.

Parents, Lets Lead Our Families Through Advent

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Families Advent

Parents,

Let’s take this advent season as an opportunity to lead our families well. God has given us a great responsibility and privilege to lead our families. I know the challenges that we face in regards to this all to well. We work long hard hours, we get home and we are tired and exhausted.  We run through our checklist of things that need to get done before dinner, and we find our selves scrambling to play catch up on everything else after dinner before we go to bed just repeat the same thing tomorrow. In this process many of us, myself included, neglect leading our families in Bible study. Somehow, the most important thing we can do as parents becomes the most neglected. There is nothing more important that I can think of than opening up the beauty of God’s Word and sharing this marvelous Christ with our family.

It’s Time To Change Things

Rather than waiting for next year or for our “busy season” to die down lets take this Advent season as our opportunity to intentionally lead our families and enter into eager anticipation of the celebration of the coming of the promised messiah. I know some of the objections that may come up. Things like:

  • I’m not a Bible scholar
  • I don’t have any formal training in theology or studying the Bible
  • We don’t have the time to add something else, this will definitely take a serious time commitment that I don’t have

There’s good news! You’re not on your own and there are some incredible resources that can walk you through the process of leading your family regardless of your knowledge, training, or time availability. This is something that we all can do!

My Commitment To You

During Advent I am planning on sending out a weekly Advent Bible study that can be a help to you as you lead your families through this season. Each week expect to see an Advent study that you can repurpose and use to teach your family or engage in conversation. These studies will build on each other and include some great visuals, background history and information, and discussion questions. Getting this each week is incredibly simple! Just sign up to my advent newsletter and you will be all set!

Study Through Advent

 

Get Weekly Studies Through Advent




 

Further Resources

I’d recommend that you also invest in some resources to help you dig deeper and encourage you along the way. I’d highly encourage you to check out and dig into the following resources:

Good News Of Great Joy: Daily Readings For Advent (John Piper)

John Piper

 

Prepare Him Room: Celebrating The Birth Of Jesus Family Devotional (Marty Machowski)

Marty Macowski

 

The Adventure Of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus In Our Holiday Traditions

The Adventure of Christmas

 

 

*(All opinions are my own. I make a commission off of the affiliate links, however I do not endorse products that I do not use myself or believe in)

How To Recover After Failure

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recover

I hate failing. Seriously, I hate it. There is a competitive streak inside of me that can turn ugly real quick. I’m the person who won’t play a game with you unless I feel like I have a reasonable chance at winning. If I know I won’t win, I won’t play.

Failure Is Apart Of Life

However, failure is part of life. We all lose and fail at something and it happens more often than we would like. The year is winding down for me, so I am in the process of evaluating all the conferences I’ve attended this year. Then I came across one earlier in the year I was hoping I would never see again. It was an Acts 29 event which I really believed was going to be one of my best events of all time. I was confident in my ability to communicate, I knew the A29 crowd really well (I was apart of a church plant that was A29 and currently attend an A29 church). Then it happened. I got up on stage, with hundreds of eyes staring at me. I nailed my introduction and as I was getting ready to jump into Logos Bible Software to do a Bible study with everyone, the projector and TV screen went blank. The technology failed on me. I did my best to recover while looking frantically for the Audio/Video team for help. They got on the stage and did there best to recover the system but it wasn’t working. I got nervous and lost my train of thought. Finally, I decided that we would punt on the presentation and do it later when the technology was working. Well, about 2 hours later a massive storm was heading our way and out of safety, the majority (about 90%) of the people left early to make it back home.

There I was, in an almost empty conference center, and I had missed my chance. It was absolute failure.

Some of you can can relate. You have experienced failure in your personal or professional life. You fail to accomplish the goal you had your eyes on. Ultimately, like me, you feel defeated.

So How Do You Recover From Failure?

We have to recover from failure. We can’t live in that place of defeat because life goes on and there is so much to accomplish. Even more important, our failures don’t define us. Rather, they provide the opportunity for developing our areas of weakness. While there are multiple ways to approach the recovery process, here’s how I dealt with my failure.

Our failures don't define us. Rather, they provide the opportunity for developing our areas of weakness. | JoelsTravels

Remind Myself Of Who I Am

I needed to remind myself that I am not defined by what I do, rather Christ defines me. I find my identity as a son of God (Gal 4:6), and as I remind myself of this truth minor set backs wont devastate me. Spending time in God’s Word and in prayer is so important to set my mind straight. There are devastating implications when we neglect our true identity. We can quickly find ourselves slaves to the law and longing for recognition and value as a result of what we accomplish rather than who we are in Christ.

Be Honest About The Condition Of My Heart

We need to be ok with being vulnerable to the right people. In my moment of failure, I turned to my wife and a few select friends. What was amazing is that my friends and wife pointed me to the first point, reaffirming the truth that my worth is not defined by my actions but by my identity in Christ. They were also helpful in asking some great questions to identify areas of growth and cause me to consider and think about my own development. However, they have really earned that place in my life. I don’t open this up to everyone.

Do Something Fun

Sometimes the best remedy is ordering a pizza and watching football. At a certain point it is no longer helpful to stress out or relive the moment of failure. Do yourself a favor and have fun. I have friends that literally will go to a movie by themselves. They don’t have to worry about other people, they can just find an empty corner and just enjoy a movie. Have fun, recharge, and get back out there.

Finally, don’t quit. Learn what you can from the experience, implement change, and move on.

Genesis 35: A Theology Of Remembrance Pt. 3

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Remembrance

There is nothing better than the remembrance of the goodness of God and seeing how it produces fruit in our lives. I’m excited to also share a link to the entire sermon that I preached that sparked this series as we wrap it up with this post.

First, if you haven’t, take a minute and get caught up on the first two parts of the series. Also, make sure you sign up to the email list so you can get posts delivered right to your inbox.

  1. Theology of Remembrance Part 1 – Our remembrance of the goodness of God stirs our affections for Jesus
  2. Theology of Remembrance Part 2 – Our remembrance produces a grateful heart

Human Motivation and Action

We have a tendency to take things into our own hands. I grew up in Chicago during the days of the legendary Michael Jordan. Without fail, in the last few minutes of any game when the Bulls were down there was not even a doubt who the primary ball handler would be. Who was going to take the final shot? Of course, it was going to be MJ. I’ve listened to numerous interviews of Michael Jordan describing his thought process during these moments. It was simple, he wanted the ball and was determined to take things into his own hands to win the game.

This motivation is present in all of us, however, we begin to think that we are in fact God. We believe that when chaos in our lives occur that the best chance we have is to take things into our own hands. If we were to take an honest look at our selves we would find that we are truly not capable. It would be impossible and this creates a serious frustration. Further, we try to respond from our finite knowledge and experiences. As believers, we have a better option. We can turn to Christ and allow the Gospel to inform our decisions and actions.

God Remains Faithful In Spite Of Our Circumstances:

Why should we turn to Christ? Because he is not shaken by our circumstances. God is not surprised or taken back by the situation are your in today. Rather, as we see in Romans 8: 28-30 God is continually working things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. What an incredible truth to know that God is for us and with us! I think its important to note that this does not mean we will not go through trials, tragedy, and seasons of sorrow and lament. What we do know is that in these seasons we can trust and count on God being with us through every moment. This reality became so true to us as we experienced the goodness and comfort of God as my 9 month old son went through hospitalization and tests after he had a complex febrile seizure.

Today we can rest and rejoice in this truth. That God does not leave us regardless of our sin, failure, and unfaithfulness. Rather, he stays with us and remains faithful.

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You can listen to my sermon on Genesis 35 here

 

 

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