Celebration of John Calvin's 500th birthday

John Calvin was born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, France. His life has most likely had the greatest influence on Christendom since Paul.

In celebration of his life, many are calling for a reading (or re-reading) of his Institutes. While I have no plans on during that, I do find with great interest someone who is doing a weekly "Insights and Instructions from Calvin's Institutes."

I have never met Dr. Sam Storms but I like him. He has recently moved to Oklahoma City to pastor again (Bridgeway Church) after having an itinerant ministry for several years. His ministry is Enjoying God Ministries and his web site is full of helpful teaching.

He writes a weekly email (sometimes two a week) and is currently devoting it to meditations on selected portions of the Institutes. You might enjoy it as I am. It is a "smaller spoon" by which to relive some of Calvin's teachings.

You can subscribe here if you wish. I think you would enjoy it.

Talking To Yourself

For those of you who know me for a long time know that I've often joked that if I ever wrote a book I would entitle it "Talking to yourself is both Scriptural and Sensible."  

Recently (January 18, 2009) Dr. C.J. Mahaney preached from Psalm 42 at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. and said this:

"The most influential voice in your life always has your attention.  According to Paul Trip, 'no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do.  You are in an unending conversation with yourself.'

This internal conversation has the most influence on our soul than anyone else, sometimes ever more so than God.  There is a direct relationship with this conversation and the state of your soul every day.

Spiritual Depression by Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones is premised on the question:  have you realized that most of your unhappiness is due to listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?  There is a wealth of wisdom in this statement.  When you are unhappy, discern whether you are listening to yourself or talking to yourself.  We must talk truth to ourselves, preach the Gospel to ourselves.  We mainly confirm to ourselves what we hear from ourselves.  Then we wonder why we are in turmoil.  We must interrupt the ceaseless listening and instead examine, challenge, and talk to ourselves.  It is a learned skill.  Talking truth to yourself requires effort. One conversation normally won't be sufficient.  Souls are not normally cooperative and transformed by a single, brief exhortation."

Praying for your Pastor

Pastor Ligon Duncan wrote, "Because I have a congregation that loves me more than I deserve, I am often asked by them: 'How can I pray for you?'" He made a few suggestions at this blog post .

The Apostle Paul said you can partner with a pastor or a missionary by your prayers (Romans 15:30). It's no surprise that he often asked for prayer (Ephesians 6:19; Philippians 1:19; Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).

These are Ligon Duncan's suggestions. Pray...

That [your pastor] would know and love the living God, would have a saving interest in Christ, being purchased by His blood, and thus would be bound to the Lord by the indissoluble bond of the Holy Spirit.


That [your pastor] would know, embrace, and ever more deeply understand the Gospel and be shaped by it in life and ministry.


That [your pastor] would be useful servant of the Lord; that he would know and love God's word, God's people, and God's kingdom; that he would be used to build it up and so that it prevails even against Hell's gates.

That [your pastor] would study, practice, and teach the Word of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.


That [your pastor] would love to pray, because he loves to commune with his God; and that he would be a man of prayer, characteristically.

That [your pastor] would be ever dependent upon and filled with the Spirit; and that he would possess true Spiritual wisdom.


That [your pastor] would be holy unto the Lord; that his tongue and heart would be wholly God's.

That [your pastor] would be kept from pride, and especially spiritual pride; that the Lord himself would be gracious to slay pride in him; and that your pastor would endeavor to always be putting pride to death, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.


That God would give [your pastor] guidance as to where to focus his efforts in ministry.

That He would protect [your pastor] from himself, from the enemy of his soul, and from all earthly enemies.


That no decision which [your pastor] ever makes or desire that [your pastor] ever pursues would restrict his ability to pour his whole soul into the Gospel ministry.

That many would be converted and many built up under [your pastor]'s ministry, to God's glory alone.


That the Lord would bless [your pastor]'s wife, [. . . ], with holiness and happiness, Gospel assurance and Gospel rest.

That God would make [your pastor] a decent husband and father.


That [your pastor] would be a good friend to his wife, and love her self-sacrificially,

That [your pastor] would be a good daddy to his children; that they would love God, their parents, and the church.


That [your pastor] would be a testimony in the home so that his wife might be able to respect him when he is in the pulpit, and so that [your pastor] will be able to feed her soul, along with the rest of the congregation.

Richard Land's article on the Inauguration

Richard Land wrote this yesterday afternoon on his thoughts on the Inauguration.  Read here.

What a Great Country

What a great country - the United States of America. Our nation. Our home. Thank you, God. Thank you, forefathers. Thank you, Veterans and soldiers. What a great country.

Prayer for the Obama Family from Max Lucado

We pray for....

Protection

Keep watch over the Obama family.

"...keep them safe from the evil one." John 17:15

Wisdom

Grant insight and foresight to the President and his staff.

"But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it.  He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so he will give you wisdom."  James 1:5

Reverence

Bestow humility upon our leaders and their office.

"Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord;  those who obey his orders have good understanding. He should be praised forever."  Psalm 111:10

Strength

Bless President-Elect Obama with endurance and stamina.

"I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so you an do what he wants."  Hebrews 13:20

"Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God."  I Timothy 2:2

Wedding Dates Set

As you have seen in a previous post, the Cofield family will be having two weddings this year as both of our sons are getting married. The dates are now finalized: Keith and Kim, June 6; Kevin and Tammy, May 9. Both weddings will be in the Gadsden area. More details later.

Your Future is Only Seen with Your Head Bowed

The future - our destiny - is before us. That is a given. But how do you best see your future?


There is an episode from the life of Isaac that is interesting. He is looking for a bride and the Scripture in Genesis 24 reads:


"And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming."(verse 63)


Isaac was mediating in the evening watch when God provided his bride.


Someone has said, "Faith is seeing it before you see it."


Hebrews 11: 1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen..."


Bow your head, lift your eyes to the Lord and you will be able to lift your eyes to see your destiny coming toward you.

Texts to Pray for Our Children

As a pastor and father, my heart is for the children of our congregation and for the parents who are "bringing them up in the nurture of the Lord."  Finding resources for them is always a priority.

Here is a link to "Texts to Pray for our Children" from a staff member at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN.  I pray it will be helpful.  

I know this, that when I pray Scriptures that I can with confidence know I am praying the will of God.  

Good Financial Article

Everyone is concerned about the economic conditions we are facing. No one is exempt.

I received this article a few days ago and thought it was as good as I've read on inside and commentary. You can decide for yourself.

The article is by Chuck Bentley, CEO, Crown Financial Ministries.

Devotion or Devotions

Regular readers of this blog know of my deep appreciation for the ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Here is her daily reading. Don't miss the difference in what she is saying.

“My mom always taught me to say my prayers, and it seems like a pretty good thing to do.”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss: There’s a big difference between devotions and devotion.“

I love spending time with God. It’s like He’s a real friend.”

Nancy: Lots of people have “devotions.” They follow a routine of reading the Bible and saying their prayers.

But “devotion” goes much deeper. It’s about cultivating a relationship with God. The kind of relationship we were created to have. The kind of relationship that Christ made possible on the cross. It’s about the kind of intimacy the psalmist wanted when he said:

O God, you are my God, 
Earnestly I seek you; 
My soul thirsts for you, 
My body longs for you, In a dry and weary land 
Where there is no water. 
(Psalm 63:1)

Nothing’s more important than earnestly pursuing a relationship with God. Are you just having devotions, or are you having devotion?

With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Fasting in 2009

God has been moving many in His Kingdom to emphasis fasting during the first of the year. Though I don't know this for absolute truth, Jentezen Franklin was the first that I heard of doing an annual church-wide fast to start the year in seeking the Lord.

Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, was the first contemporary that I heard of fasting for 40 days.

So I'm featuring their resource links below since they have done it!!

Jentezen Franklin's Fasting Resource

Campus Crusade for Christ - How to Fast

Campus Crusade for Christ - Seven Basic Steps to Fasting

Awakening

Praise and Pray in 2009

Tuesday I received the weekly email from our Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission headed by Dr. Richard Land. The lead article was “We will not be silent.” It was an article promising that the Commission would “not be silent in the face of full-scale assault upon Judeo-Christian values” in 2009.

Certainly there are going to be political challenges in the coming days to our Christian faith. I agree that as an American citizen we have the right to orderly protest and as believers we are to be “salt and light.”

However, God just spoke to me and said, “The two things needed more than protest in 2009 are praise and prayer.” WOW—instead of whining, praise. The more I focus on problems and bad situations, the worse attitude I get. But praise helps me remember that God is big and in control.

And I believe our greatest voice will be heard when we pray instead of protest. The Church has been woefully inadequate in the ministry of prayer, but this may prove as a wake-up call and move us into our finest hour.

The true church always thrives best in persecution and problematic times. It is time for the church to arise - to praise and pray.