The next time they meet, Pastor Williams will remember not to imply that Rowdy’s horse is a false convert. (HT: Sacred Sandwich) In case you are not aware this is a "knock" on the Cowboy Churches.
We need a cat herder in New London.
The next time they meet, Pastor Williams will remember not to imply that Rowdy’s horse is a false convert. (HT: Sacred Sandwich) 
I recently purchased a gem of a little book by William Still entitled The Work of the Pastor. You can buy it at Monergism for under 5 bucks. In the very beginning Still discusses the work of the pastor as shepherd:
Pastor, what is your goal? Is it that the sheep God has entrusted you with might be offered to God in sacrifice or is it so that they can fulfill your dream of being a "thriving" and "succesful" church? Is your goal to make your sheep fat, happy, and prosperous so that they can enjoy living together as sheep? Or, is your goal to make your sheep healthy, pure, and faithful so that they offer themselves as a sacrifice to the King? It's worth considering our motivation concerning the sheep we tend to."The pastor by definition is a shepherd, the under-shepherd of the flock of God. His primary task is to feed the flock by leading them to green pastures. He also has to care for them when they are sick or hurt, and seek them when they go astray. The importance of the pastor depends on the value of the sheep.
Pursue the pastoral metaphor a little further: Israel's sheep were reared, fed, tended, retrieved, healed and restored--for sacrifice on the altar of God. This end of all pastoral work must never be forgotten--the ultimate aim is to lead God's people to offer themselves up to Him in total devotion of worship and sacrifice.
Phil Johnson hopes to Clarify Calvinism with articles at Pulpit Magazine. See Part 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. He doesn't seem to be finished so keep checking at Pulpit (or here) for more updates to this well-grounded series.
Speaking of series, McKinley continues his interview with Steve Timmis. Read Part 2, here.
Great points by Dan Phillips: Turning the tables or pulpits.
This is GREAT news. JT informs us that many of DA Carson's MP3's are availabe online for....FREE!
Perhaps I should have called this the TeamPyro edition of Today in Blogworld. Frank Turk also has some great things to say here: Assurance to All.
Colin Adams shares a helpful strategy for studying a passage of Scripture.
Wow! Thanks to my friend Garrett for this gem: American Christendom a Business.
Another example of why reading is important
I know this one's fake but it sure is funny!
The wording is mine the overall thought belongs to Ed Welch. I am currently reading his book Running Scared. In one of the chapters he talks about God being the King and God being Father. This got me to thinking:
Our Father is the King.
The King is our Father.
Each statement says something different. "Our Father is the King" is a reminder that the gentle, loving, caring Father that is full of love is also full of power--he's the king. "The King is our Father" is a reminder that the all powerful, all knowing, sovereign head also has deep love and affections for his children.
Misunderstanding either of these statements leads to many problems. To deny that our Father is the King will potentially lead us to all sorts of wrong thinking and feeling. It can lead us to fear because our Father is not big enough to take care of it. It can lead us to loose living because we have the assumption that we have our doting Father wrapped around our fingers. It can lead us to bondage and helplessness in the face of deep sin. These are only a few.
To deny that the King is our Father can also lead us to wrong thinking and feeling. We can begin to view God as a cold dictator. We know that he is big and powerful but we wonder whether he really cares for us. It can create a distance and a performance based relationship--after all what can you do to please a King?
Which side do you err on? And what are the results?
What a weekend. On Thursday (my son's birthday) we noticed he was starting to get sick. By Friday we had no doubt. So, Friday night we took him to the ER because his temperature was up to 104 and he was having trouble breathing. We were sent home around 2 AM. We then went back the next day and found out he has pneumonia. But he's been doing much better since then...and he's actually playing today. Here are a few links from the last few days:
Michael Patton makes me wonder if I really do want to go to seminary.
Do you have somebody in your life that is too much? Jay Adams offers advice on what to do.
JT nicely sums up the posts on reading on Tony Reinke's blog. JT also sums up the recent Day with Don at Mars Hill Church. Be sure to check these out.
Great news: CCEF is redesigned online and now has a blog. (HT: JT)
Is Satan Pro-Man? Piper answers.
Over the next week or so Michael McKinley (from 9 Marks) will be posting interviews with Steve Timmis author of Total Church. This should be good. Check out part 1.
Author: Thomas Watson
Pages: 122 pages
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Price: 6.00
Genre: Puritan Paperback/Christian Living
Quick Summary:
Repentance: One word used frequently in the Bible yet little does it touch our lips. Apparently the problem is not relegated to the 21st century in America. It must have also been a problem in Puritan England. And for the church of Puritan England Thomas Watson wrote The Doctrine of Repentance; first published in 1668. The Lord has saw fit to grace our society with this work on repentance.
As the back cover comments, “Knowing what repentance is, and actually repenting are essential to true Christianity”. Watson hopes to show us what repentance is and what it really means to repent. Watson spends the early part of this work on unmasking counterfeit repentance and displaying the nature of true repentance. The latter part of the book is Watson’s passionate plea for his readers to repent.
What I Liked:
The first half of the book really shines. In our “tolerant” world the one thing we can not bear to tolerate is the mention of sin. When someone out of such a culture comes to understand the gospel such words as repentance can still be difficult to swallow. We are often tempted to confuse feeling sorry or confession with repentance. Watson makes clear what repentance really is: “True leaving of sin is when the acts of sin cease from the infusion of a principle of grace, as the air ceases to be dark from the infusion of light”. Watson writes in a clear, practical, and yet penetrating manner.
What I Disliked:
Sometimes the lines are blurred as to who exactly Watson’s audience is. Is he speaking to an unrepentant believer or to an unrepentant unbeliever? Perhaps his exhortations would have remained the same but I found myself confused by certain parts. For instance, “Till the sinner repents, God and he cannot be friends”. (59) Is this talking about the unbeliever, if so then I whole-heartedly agree? But if this is talking about the believer it causes me to pause and consider whether Watson is really correct on this point.
The first part of the book really shines but in the second half when Watson exhorts toward repentance the motivation he uses is not necessarily grounded in the gospel. In reading The Godly Man’s Picture there were times when I thought Watson got a little off track in his understanding of the gospel, I sense the same thing in this work. But then again, it could always be me that is off track.
Should You Buy It?
I would most certainly recommend this book. Even considering the things that I dislike this work is still a very important work. If one is considering a study on repentance I would suggest adding Watson’s work to your list, but do not stop there. You also need to read How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp. It would also serve the reader well to read an excellent work by Kerry Skinner: The Joy of Repentance
Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Pages: 122 pages
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Price: 6.00
Genre: Puritan Paperback/Christian Living
Quick Summary:
Repentance: One word used frequently in the Bible yet little does it touch our lips. Apparently the problem is not relegated to the 21st century in America. It must have also been a problem in Puritan England. And for the church of Puritan England Thomas Watson wrote The Doctrine of Repentance; first published in 1668. The Lord has saw fit to grace our society with this work on repentance.
As the back cover comments, “Knowing what repentance is, and actually repenting are essential to true Christianity”. Watson hopes to show us what repentance is and what it really means to repent. Watson spends the early part of this work on unmasking counterfeit repentance and displaying the nature of true repentance. The latter part of the book is Watson’s passionate plea for his readers to repent.
What I Liked:
The first half of the book really shines. In our “tolerant” world the one thing we can not bear to tolerate is the mention of sin. When someone out of such a culture comes to understand the gospel such words as repentance can still be difficult to swallow. We are often tempted to confuse feeling sorry or confession with repentance. Watson makes clear what repentance really is: “True leaving of sin is when the acts of sin cease from the infusion of a principle of grace, as the air ceases to be dark from the infusion of light”. Watson writes in a clear, practical, and yet penetrating manner.
What I Disliked:
Sometimes the lines are blurred as to who exactly Watson’s audience is. Is he speaking to an unrepentant believer or to an unrepentant unbeliever? Perhaps his exhortations would have remained the same but I found myself confused by certain parts. For instance, “Till the sinner repents, God and he cannot be friends”. (59) Is this talking about the unbeliever, if so then I whole-heartedly agree? But if this is talking about the believer it causes me to pause and consider whether Watson is really correct on this point.
The first part of the book really shines but in the second half when Watson exhorts toward repentance the motivation he uses is not necessarily grounded in the gospel. In reading The Godly Man’s Picture there were times when I thought Watson got a little off track in his understanding of the gospel, I sense the same thing in this work. But then again, it could always be me that is off track.
Should You Buy It?
I would most certainly recommend this book. Even considering the things that I dislike this work is still a very important work. If one is considering a study on repentance I would suggest adding Watson’s work to your list, but do not stop there. You also need to read How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp. It would also serve the reader well to read an excellent work by Kerry Skinner: The Joy of Repentance
Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Click to Buy for $9.99
Click to Buy for only $9.99