Leaving Those Things Which Are Behind

Paul the apostle wrote in Philippians 3:13:

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

 This is not an attempt to break down this verse or even preach on the meaning of this passage. This is solely an observation, opinion, and sight into to what I struggle with. 

I find it interesting that Paul used the word “forgetting” instead of “have forgotten”. It was if he still had to work on forgetting those things from his past that added no value to his future or present. Paul did have some baggage. He had persecuted the church he now loved and was a part of. Oh how I wish I could say I had forgotten all the things in my past that I am so ashamed of. The wicked choices, the foolish fantasies, the wasted dreams. It’s all a waste. Now I know that at this moment some of my church family may be saying, “But Pastor Dusty says God never waste our past“. I understand that. This is something a little different though. I suppose I wish I didn’t have certain things in my past that God didn’t have to not waste (I don’t know if that sentence even makes sense). But yet I press on. Over the last six months I have really been looking at my life and really taking inventory of those things that I need to let go of and forget. Just put it all behind me that I may be able to more clearly press on. Maybe it is focus I need and I am realizing just how much past baggage hinders focus. What ever it is this is a painful process. Because to forget them I have to face them. And not only that but if we are honest sometimes we still want to hold on to because there is a part of us that likes to play  the victim. In a way we try to use or weaknesses as a comfort. Even when our past is ugly we can become so used to hiding behind it that we are more afraid of being left exposed and forced to move on.

Threads Connect Conferences Dates Have Been Set

Lifeway’s Threads division will be holding it’s Connect Conferences again this year. I went to the Nashville conference last year and found it to be very beneficial. Lord willing I will be able to go again this year and take others with me. Ed Stetzer and Jason Hayes will be addressing some of the same issues that their book “Lost and Found” addresses. Along with Thom and Sam Rainer this conference seeks to help the church engage today’s young adults with the gospel. Seating is limited so if you are interested register soon.

more about “Threads Connect Conferences Dates Hav…“, posted with vodpod

J.C. Ryle’s “Holiness” Is Available For Free Online

Sometime last month a friend of mine sent me a book in the mail that I had never heard of. It was Holiness by J.C. Ryle. I have just finished the introduction of this book, and alreadyI can tell that this man is worth reading. Since then I have had another friend make me aware that this book is available for free online, so I wanted to pass the info along in case anyone was interested. You can find the online version here. Happy reading!

“Family Driven Faith” Should Be In Every Husbands Library

I know I am assuming that most men have a library to some degree. And I suppose I still make the statement just so you know that think all men should have a library. So if you don’t have one start one today by purchasing “Family Driven Faith” by Voddie Baucham. It is my opinion that this book would make a good “practical” follow-up to “Don’t Waste Your Life“. Maybe they could have named it Don’t Waste Your Family. Now I will say I do not agree with Baucham on all of his points. But I don’t have to agree with a book to think it is great or to learn valuable lessons from it. One of the happy surprises in this book was chapter 3 entitles “Learn To Love”. Every married couple , or couple thinking of getting married needs to read this chapter. In this chapter he sets straight what love is and how we are to love each other. He destroys the myth of love being a “random, overwhelming, uncontrollable, sensual force”. It is this false mindset that is destroying marriages across our landscape. So many are looking for that next emotional superficial high.

Chapter 5 though 8 is some of these best written, practical, honest and hard hitting advice I have ever read on training up our children in the Lord. He puts the responsibility where the Bible does…on the husbands shoulders. But he doesn’t stop with just stating the facts,  he goes on to give you practical advice and honest testimonies about how difficult yet rewarding this can be. In addressing where we are as a church compared to where we have come from he offers this glimpse into our culture.

Just a few generations ago a man was considered spiritually responsible if he led his family before the throne of God in prayer, read and taught the Scriptures at home, and led family devotions (among other things). Today parents are considered responsible if they find the church with the best-staffed nursery and the most up-to-date youth ministry.

Chapter 9 and following move into some controversial (by some) methods of what family ministry at church should look like. I think Voddie takes it to extreme as to his statements on home education but I respect him for his honesty and I know he believes he is being obedient to scripture. I think that if one takes it literal that the family is the only place to train or educate our children then even that leaves no room for private christian school education.

Even with that said. This is a book that every husband should ow, read, and for the most part practice. For more information you may want to visit their website here.

Baptisttwentyone.com: A Not So New Website You Need To Get To Know

I just found this website this week and wanted to share it with you. The website is www.baptisttwentyone.com. It’s tag line is “Seeking to be baptist in the 21 century”. It is organized by several pastors and church leaders that offer some very helpful resources including podcast of interviews with some prominent church leaders. Below you will find a video interview with Ed Stetzer on the future of the SBC and a panel meeting that is coming up to be held during the SBC annual meeting.

Muslim Demographics

As if we needed it, here is just one more reason to proclaim the Gospel.

Great Commission Resurgence Declaration

The Great Commission Resurgence Declaration is now available for signatures at www.greatcommissionresurgence.com.

Dr. Daniel Akin On A Great Commission Resurgence

On April 16, 2009 Dr. Daniel Akin (President of Southeastern Theological Seminary) stood before Southeastern Seminary and brought a powerful message to all Southern Baptist on the need for a Great Commission Resurgence and even pointed the way to go about it. Reflecting on Acts 1:4-8, Dr. Akin presented twelve axioms answering the question, “What must happen to make us ready for a God-sent Great Commission Resurgence? Ed Stetzer in referencing this message  said “Akin nails some theses to an SBC door”  They are as followed:

1. We must commit ourselves to the total and absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of our lives.
2. We must be gospel centered in all our endeavors for the glory of God.
3. We must take our stand on the firm foundation of the inerrant and infallible Word of God.
4. We must devote ourselves to a radical pursuit of the Great Commission in the context of obeying the Great Commandments.
5. We must affirm the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 as a guide for building a consensus for partnership in the gospel.
6. We must dedicate ourselves to a passionate pursuit of the Great Commission across our nation and to all nations.
7. We must covenant to build gospel saturated homes that see children as a gift from God and our first mission field.
8. We must recognize the need to rethink our Convention structure and identity to maximize our energy.
9. We must see the necessity for pastor to be bible preachers, teaching both content and theology.
10. We must encourage pastors as the head of a gospel missions agency, calling out and equipping their people.
11. We must pledge ourselves to a renewed cooperation that is gospel centered  and built around a biblical core.
12. We must accept our constant need to humble ourselves and repent of pride and arrogance, jealousy and hatred, contentions, lying, selfish ambition, laziness, complacency, idolatry, and other sins of the flesh, pleading with our Lord to do what only he can do in us and through us and all for his glory.

I encourage you to go watch the message here or listen to it here.

Update: To read the full manuscript of this historic message click here.

Shocking Message To Pastors and Churches

Paradoxes

O Changeless God,
Under the conviction of the Spirit I learn that
The more I do, the worse I am,
The more I know, the less I know,
The more holiness I have, the more sinful I am,
The more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!

O Lord,
I have a wild heart
And cannot stand before thee;
I am like a bird before a man.
How little I love thy truth and ways!
I neglect prayer,
By thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
By knowing thou hast saved my soul.
Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,
Who sins more safely because grace abounds,
Who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them,
Who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for his is saved,
Who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives
Unholily.
My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
With no spiritual understanding,
No desire for the Lord’s Day,
Ever learning but never reaching the truth,
Always at the gospel-well but never holding water.
My conscience is without conviction or contrition,
With nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention,
So I forget so easily the lessons learned,
And thy truths seep away.
Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace.

(Taken from The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions, p. 128-129)