Pastor's Ponderings #99                                                                             Christmas Eve, 2011

The shopping is done.  The gifts are wrapped and resting peacefully under the tree.  The furniture has been rearranged to accommodate six adults and six grandchildren at our annual family Christmas gift exchange tomorrow.  Amy is sewing bells on the toes of six little stockings (a new addition to our celebration).  And I’m half-watching “A Christmas Story” for the millionth time while I am writing these words. 

Here's a great prayer from Scotty Smith to start our Thanksgiving week.  I pray your Thanksgiving will be abundantly blessed!
 

Pastor's Ponderings #88                                                                                              11/2/11

Pastor's Ponderings #90                                                                                              11/8/11

After a two-week break from our study of Romans, we will dive back into the nitty-gritty theology of chapter nine this week.  Here is where we will pick up:

A Prayer in Praise of God, Who Makes Us Like Jesus

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 04:43 AM PDT

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thess. 5:23-24

  Pastor's Ponderings #85                                                                                              10/18/11   Today’s reading in Tabletalk magazine contains these comments regarding Philippians 1:25-26:   “In saving us from sin and death, and His holy wrath, our God has placed us in a community that, according to His sovereign determination, needs our gifts and talents.  To refuse to serve the body of Christ is tantamount to refusing to serve Christ Himself, and we always want to be good and faithful servant

  Pastor's Ponderings #83                                                                                              10/12/11   In this month’s issue of Tabletalk (we still have issues available on the table in the foyer of the church) there is an excellent little article by Robert Rayburn entitled “Nothing Like the Church.”  I encourage you to grab a copy of the magazine and read that article.  Here is an excerpt:   “We must remember that there is but one institution in this world that will also exist in the world to come.  It is not one’s c

Pastor's Ponderings #81                                                                                              9/29/11   Our friend Chad Matthews shared this with me recently, and I thought I would pass it on for you to chew on.   Dr. James White has some pretty honest reasons why, if you are shopping for a local Christian fellowship, you may want to dismiss a Reformed Baptist Church.

Pastor's Ponderings #79                                                                                              9/26/11   What a wonderful Lord’s Day we had together on “Covenant Sunday.”  From our corporate worship in the morning, to the baptism of Janice, to watching all of our precious children have fun, to our meal together, to our singing to the Lord, and then ending the day with some encouraging testimonies, it was a day for which I am still thanking God.  I believe we experienced true fellowship!  I love my church family!

Pastor's Ponderings #77                                                                                              9/19/11

As a follow-up to the my recent message on Romans 8:31-39, here’s an excerpt from an article in this month’s Tabletalk magazine.  It is entitled “What If, or If God?” and it is by J. R. Vassar:

Pastor's Ponderings #75                                                                                              9/3/11

In preparation for worship tomorrow morning, please ponder these verses:

Dear church family,

This isn't an official "Pastor's Ponderings," but I had to forward it on because it was so fitting following yesterday's message.  Note that Pastor Smith references two texts that I used in teaching about hope - Romans 15:13 and Hebrews 6:17-20.  This blessed me - may it bless you as well!

I love y'all!

Butch

Pastor's Ponderings #72                                                                                              8/23/11

Following our study last Sunday in chapter 8 of Romans, here is a timely prayer by Scotty Smith:

Pastor's Ponderings #70                                                                                              8/16/11

Suggestion number five from “Preparing to Be an Amazing Old Man or Woman” by Jim Eliff is the subject of our pondering today:

Pastor's Ponderings #68                                                                                              8/13/11

Let’s continue our pondering of our later years.  Here is suggestion number three from “Preparing to Be an Amazing Old Man or Woman” by Jim Eliff:

Pastor's Ponderings #67                                                                                               8/12/11

We have begun to consider how we will finish our lives, not in a specific way, but with what mind-set.  Yesterday we began a list of suggestions from Jim Eliff in his article, “Preparing to Be an Amazing Old Man or Woman.”  Here is his second suggestion for preparing for our final years:

Pastor's Ponderings #64                                                                                               8/9/11

I thought this "Scotty Smith prayer" was fitting for the week after "Education Sunday":

Pastor's Ponderings #62                                                                                               8/1/11

What are you resting in today – your performance for God or the gospel of God?  To help us ponder that, here is some insight from Michael Horton in the March/April edition of Modern Reformation magazine:

  Pastor's Ponderings #60                                                                                               7/18/11   In the closing pages of his book Think, John Piper makes this plea to the reader:   “I am pleading that in all your thinking you seek to see and savor the Treasure.  If thinking has the reputation of being only emotionaless logic, all will be in vain.  God did not give us minds as ends in themselves.  The mind provides the kindling for the fires of the heart.  Theology serves doxology.  Reflection serves affection.  Contempla

A Prayer for Whining Times

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:59 AM PDT

Pastor's Ponderings #56                                                                                               7/8/11

Here is a provocative insight from Michael Horton in The Gospel Commission:

“I am more at home in the racially, generationally, socially, and politically mixed church in which I am a minister that I am at a family reunion.  Yet that can only happen because the blood of Christ is thicker than that of kith and kin.  We share one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

Pastor's Ponderings #54                                                                                              7/4/11

Here's a great Fourth of July prayer by Scotty Smith, pastor of Christ Church in Brentwood, Tennessee.

A Prayer for Standing Firm in Gospel Freedom

Pastor's Ponderings #52                                                                                              7/2/11   As we prepare for worship tomorrow, here is another thought from Gene Edward Veith in Loving God With All Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in the Postmodern World:   “Bible studies, prayer groups, and Christian friendships can be spiritual anchors … To meet together with other Christians for Bible study and prayer is to tap enormous spiritual power … Praying with and for other Christians is also a vast spiritual resource.

Pastor's Ponderings #50                                                                                              6/22/11

Need some Scriptural exhortations from the Lord to engage in the practice of pondering?  Here’s a couple for us to consider:

Pastor's Ponderings #48                                                                                              6/20/11

As we begin a new week, ponder with me the God-centeredness of this great text in Deuteronomy 10:12-21:

Pastor's Ponderings #46                                                                                              6/17/11

Here’s another thought from John Piper:

“What does it mean to love God ‘with all your mind’?  I take it to mean that we direct our thinking in a certain way; namely our thinking should be wholly engaged to do all it can to awaken and express the heartfelt fullness of treasuring God above all things”  [emphasis in original].

Pastor's Ponderings #44                             6/13/11

Here is a convicting prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith of Christ Church in Nashville, Tennessee.  I've already read it several times and have been pierced to the heart each time.

A Prayer for Those of Us Easily Annoyed

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 03:43 AM PDT

Pastors' Ponderings #42                                                                      6/7/11

As I’m reading through the Bible this year, I have a great companion book to assist me in my understanding.  It is For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word by D. A. Carson.  Each daily reading is very brief and to the point and extremely helpful in providing understanding of the Scriptural passage being read.  Commenting on Psalm 75, Carson writes this:

Pastors' Ponderings #40                                                                      6/2/11

Do you have trouble pondering things?  Is meditation on the deep things of God not one of your most favorite activities?  If so, Jason Stellman, in his article “Googling Ourselves to Death” (Tabletalk, April 2011), suggests that the Internet, and all the distractions that come with it, may be the reason.  Consider this:

Pastors' Ponderings #39                                                                      5/28/11

As part of our preparation for worship tomorrow, let’s meditate on Isaiah 12:1-6:

You will say in that day:

                “I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

for though you were angry with me,

                        your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.

                “Behold, God is my salvation;

Pastors' Ponderings #37                                                                      5/26/11

Here’s one to get us ready for worship on Sunday.  This is by R. C. Sproul, Jr., and he is contrasting what we need to be doing as believers today to the errant thinking that resulted in the Crusades that took place in the Middle Ages:

Pastors' Ponderings #35                                                                      5/24/11

We continue our pondering of Kevin DeYoung’s words regarding our “personal relationship with Jesus.” 

Pastors' Ponderings #33                                                                      5/19/11

Here’s some food for thought from Owen Strachan, in his chapter on “Sanctification” in the book Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day.  In this chapter, he provides us with some exhortations to keep in mind as we pursue holiness.  One of those exhortations is to “be aware of some of the major sins of this age and fight them specifically.”  And one of those “major sins” is “love of self.”  Ponder this:

Pastor’s Pondering #31                                                5/14/11

As we prepare for corporate worship tomorrow, here are some thoughts regarding the Lord’s Supper, a very vital part of our Lord’s Day together.  In volume one of For the Love of God, D. A. Carson writes:

Pastor’s Pondering #28                                                5/10/11

Today’s thought comes from the May 7th issue of WORLD magazine.  The article is entitled “Counting the Cost” by Jamie Dean, and it is about the intimidation that the Chinese government applies to “unregistered” local churches.  Dean writes:

Pastor’s Pondering #26                                                5/7/11

Pastor’s Pondering #24                                                5/5/11

Here is another excerpt from Piper’s book Think:

“The overwhelming message of the Bible is that knowing the truth is crucial.  And thinking – eagerly and humbly using the mind God gave us, and using it well – is essential to knowing the truth.

Pastor’s Pondering #22                                                5/2/11

This month’s “Book of the Month” is a little book by John Piper entitled Think.  This week my goal is to entice you to get this book by giving you little snippets to ponder.  Here’s one for today:

Pastor’s Pondering #21                                                4/30/11

Let’s prepare our hearts for worship tomorrow with these thoughts for Tullian Tchividjian in Don’t Call It a Comeback:

Pastor’s Pondering #19                                                4/27/11

With today’s pondering, I’d like to stay in the category of music, which is a vital part of our corporate worship.  These thoughts are from John Frame in his book Worship in Spirit and Truth:

Pastor’s Pondering #17                                                4/22/11

Here is the fourth exhortation from Rev. Fletcher Matandika in his article in this month’s issue of Modern Reformation magazine entitled “Contending for the Faith in America: An Open Letter to North American Churches.”    

Pastor’s Pondering #15                                                4/20/11

Here is the second exhortation from Rev. Fletcher Matandika in his article in this month’s issue of Modern Reformation magazine entitled “Contending for the Faith in America: An Open Letter to North American Churches.” 

Pastor’s Pondering #13                                                4/15/11

Let’s get ready for Sunday with this great quote from Russell Moore in Don’t Call it a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day:

Pastor’s Ponderings #11                                                    4/13/11

A few people wanted the list I shared with the church family last Sunday to close out the message.  So, for our continued pondering, here are “12 Suggestions for Putting Sin to Death” (we’ll do six today and the remaining six tomorrow):

Pastor’s Ponderings #9               4/11/11

Let’s start our week by pondering the state of the American church using this excerpt from Kevin DeYoung’s chapter (entitled “The Secret to Reaching the Next Generation”) in Don’t Call It a Comeback: the Old Faith for a New Day:

Pastor’s Ponderings #7          4/7/11

I’m reading a great book by John Piper entitled Think.  You could call it a “powerful pondering promoter” in addition to being a great motivator to read more.  Below are a couple of excerpts.  First, Piper quotes Thomas Goodwin:

Pastor’s Ponderings #5          4/1/11

The purpose of today’s pondering is to help prepare us for worship together this Sunday:

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

                        will enter your house.

            I will bow down toward your holy temple

                        in the fear of you.

 (Psalm 5:7 ESV)

Pastor’s Ponderings #3           3/30/11

Let’s stay with John Piper for another day.  Here is something he said at the Ligonier Conference that I am still chewing on.  I even challenged the youth with it tonight at our Solid Rock meeting.  Here is my paraphrase:

Pastor’s Ponderings      3/28/11

As always, Amy and I were encouraged and challenged by the great preachers at the 2011 National Ligonier Conference.  Here are some thoughts for you to ponder with me from Dr. Steven Lawson’s sermon entitled “Worshipping the Triune God” from the fourth chapter of Revelation: