tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74931196958559257152024-02-20T20:24:06.674-05:00The Profound MysteryTherefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-23687009238872212802010-10-29T10:23:00.002-04:002010-10-29T11:27:16.428-04:00Men Who Won't Lead, and the Women Who Follow Them Part 2In a previous post I wrote: "Some may use the obvious neglect of spiritual things by men to justify flipping the roles of husband and wife or ordaining women to be elders and preachers. In my next post, I'll explain why this isn't a good idea." Well, it has been quite awhile, but I'm going to finally explain why switching roles isn't a good idea. Before I get started, I want to invite you to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-48668809868616917522010-07-08T15:28:00.002-04:002010-07-08T15:30:50.068-04:00Pastoring Women from IXMarksThere's a lot of good stuff in the latest 9 marks e-journal. I thought Jani Ortlund's article was particularly helpful.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-72185962260868111112010-07-07T12:57:00.002-04:002010-07-07T13:54:24.355-04:00Men Who Won't Lead, and the Women Who Follow ThemIn The Pursuit of Pleasure in the Pleasure of Another: A Christian Hedonist Guide to a Happy Marriage, I argue that husbands are "leading lovers" who sacrificially strive to use their God-given status as husbands to benefit their wives rather than consume them. And wives are "submissive helpers" who submit to their husbands' loving leadership. These roles complement rather than compete with one Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-7526811583587828702010-07-07T09:40:00.002-04:002010-07-07T09:41:28.796-04:00The Insanity of PreachingOver on my church-planting blog, I posted some thoughts concerning preaching. Here's the link for anyone interested.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-80137825156470141752010-06-28T21:05:00.003-04:002010-06-28T22:39:44.494-04:00Distracted by Holiness?Can the desire for holiness be a distraction? Or to rephrase the question: Can one's quest for personal or communal holiness be so intense that it is actually detrimental to the Christian life? Before the question can be answered, we must address a presupposition to the question; namely, that holiness isn't God's ultimate aim in this present evil age. In other words, in order for holiness to be aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-2610661684258481252010-06-01T21:28:00.001-04:002010-06-01T21:30:24.647-04:00Excellent Insight Into Gospel-centered HomesTimmy Brister gives excellent insight into gospel-centered homes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-42570194542399340072010-05-31T18:54:00.002-04:002010-05-31T19:13:17.345-04:00Knowing Jesus is Knowing Doctrine About JesusJust a head's up to all those readers of The Profound Mystery who live on the cutting edge of evangelical life via the internet and Amazon.com. There is a huge push in publishing these days, both on blogs and in print, to leave behind all the divisive and constrictive doctrines about Jesus - things like church structure and authority, substitutionary atonement and Divine wrath. The reason for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-54942305400185198872010-04-25T13:28:00.002-04:002010-04-25T13:32:12.825-04:00Is Youth Ministry Broken?Off the topic of marriage, but I couldn't resist linking to this excellent series of articles on youth ministry. They point out a lot of issues that I've thought for a long time but haven't put into writing. It's amazing to me how sacred youth groups are to churches when they have so little fruit on the tree long term.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-28395936486554262092010-03-02T10:18:00.002-05:002010-03-02T10:44:43.519-05:00Paul the AntinomianHere's a little quote from our dear brother Paul:"Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man whileUnknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-22083391376606212252010-02-14T17:11:00.004-05:002010-02-14T18:03:20.325-05:00When Radical Amputation is Wrong"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sinUnknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-18568965857113590162010-01-26T13:50:00.002-05:002010-01-26T14:59:11.102-05:00Pathetic Husbands and Hindered PrayersDo you think God holds a grudge? If you sin and seem to get away with it, does God come back to get you in another area? What about for Christians whose sins have been forgiven, and the wrath of God against them has been forever assuaged by Christ? Of course, we're all familiar with lying in the bed one has made and accepting the consequences for one's actions. But does our sin personally affect Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-56860171047007204012010-01-25T08:37:00.003-05:002010-01-25T08:40:43.791-05:00Ortlund: How to Wreck Your Church in Three WeeksI don't usually post church-type things on this blog, but I'll make an exception with this recent Ray Ortlund post.How To Wreck Your Church In Three WeeksRay Ortlund: How to wreck your church in three weeks: Week One: Walk into church today and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-89478395895564404562010-01-22T22:44:00.002-05:002010-01-23T00:18:32.360-05:00Our Ability to Love Virtuously is Utterly TrashedOur ability to love virtuously is utterly trashed. Radical statement, I know. But this statement is more than my usual disregard for nuance. I carefully measured every word before writing it. As we've been looking at love as a progression of phases, I'm pretty sure you've come to a disturbing conclusion if you've read carefully. We don't love the right things with the right intensity, and most ofUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-6853292198868388592010-01-21T09:44:00.002-05:002010-01-21T09:56:55.509-05:00The Gospel and Virtuous LoveThe gospel is the only life-giving force in the world. Everyone is born under a sentence of death. The wages of sin is death and everyone sins, so all die. When sinners are given "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6), part of that knowledge of God's glory is his infinite love. God's love "has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-9347859485531430212010-01-19T09:06:00.003-05:002010-01-19T09:21:07.605-05:00Love and Marriage... And CounselingIn the previous four posts about love, I proposed that love is best defined as a progression of phases: Affection... Desire... Inclination of Focus... Action. In the next few posts, I'll lay out some of the implications of this definition for marriage and marriage counseling.Marriage Counseling Along the ProgressionLet's suppose a couple comes to see me. They're struggling in their marriage. I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-705607560689770022010-01-18T10:22:00.002-05:002010-01-18T10:41:43.873-05:00What is Love? Part 4With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I'm sharing a series of posts on love taken from my book on marriage. In order for today's post to make the most sense, I'd recommend reading parts one, two and three first. I believe a concept as complex as love is best described as a progression of phases. I think love develops along a chain from one phase to the next. It's sequential. I think love (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-8919496005467416812010-01-16T23:05:00.003-05:002010-01-16T23:41:30.960-05:00Be Content!Here's a short post for the short-attention span people struggling through the more lengthy love posts."3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God saidUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-46510821618143620892010-01-15T09:50:00.002-05:002010-01-15T10:05:52.120-05:00What is Love? Part 3With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I'm sharing a series of posts on love taken from my book on marriage. In order for today's post to make the most sense, I'd recommend reading parts one and two first. I believe a concept as complex as love is best described as a progression of phases. I think love develops along a chain from one phase to the next. It's sequential. I think love (both Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-76861841101197234242010-01-14T13:39:00.002-05:002010-01-14T14:02:01.336-05:00What is Love? Part 2Yesterday I started a series of posts on love. In order for today's post to make sense, I'd recommend reading What is Love? Part 1 first. In part one I put forth the idea that a concept as complex as love is best described as a progression of phases: All love begins with an affection... from there it may or may not develop into a desire... if a desire is strong enough, it may or may not proceed Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-38567330363123217852010-01-13T10:25:00.003-05:002010-01-13T11:20:18.650-05:00What is Love? Part 1Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. I'm doing a Pursuit of Pleasure in the Pleasure of Another conference again this Valentine's Day, so I'm thinking about love and marriage more intensely right now. I thought I'd share excerpts from the book for your consideration. In these posts, I'll lay out my definition/ description of love. I know these posts are longer than usual, but don't let that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-52993977002929224212010-01-09T19:16:00.001-05:002010-01-09T19:18:32.007-05:00Outlawing Emotional Abuse?This is an interesting story. Is this necessary? It is even doable? What do you think?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-81630734721772221592010-01-07T10:08:00.003-05:002010-01-07T11:50:45.560-05:00Handling Conflict Head-on but HumblyConflict.Powerful word. Some people are scared of it and will go to any extreme to avoid it. Others love it and will sacrifice anything for the thrill of being in it. It brings out the best and worst in all of us, providing the opportunity to empty ourselves of our rights for the good of another or assert ourselves at another's expense. It comes in many different forms, from world war enveloping Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-81099843141132404922010-01-07T10:02:00.001-05:002010-01-07T10:04:01.373-05:00Simple BeautySometimes I am stunned by the simple beauty of my wife's writing. Like today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-44341770563260885702010-01-04T10:00:00.002-05:002010-01-04T11:43:20.661-05:00People are Starving for the Greatness of God"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths" (Genesis 3:6)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493119695855925715.post-40396451180797196502009-12-17T20:07:00.002-05:002009-12-17T21:42:52.279-05:00The Day AloneAnyone who knows me knows my fascination with everything written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor in the mid 1900's who died at the hands of the nazi's at the close of WWII. While I disagree with some important points of his theology, the one thing I find myself in nearly complete agreement with is his excellent book, Life Together. This book flowed from his practical Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4