Help For Those Struggling With Email

I ran across a very good top ten things to consider when emailing. Figured it was worth sharing.

Help For Those Struggling With Porn

It was only a few months into ministry that I had my first opportunity to talk with, pray for, and hold accountable a man caught up in pornography. Since then I’ve had literally dozens of such opportunities. I’ve sorted through the mess with husbands and their wives. Maybe you have too and would like equipped to help others. Maybe you’re struggling and looking for the right time to bring it up to me for assistance. Now is that time. Please let me know ASAP. You can’t defeat this enemy on your own.

I wanted to post these tools for all of us to read and think through. Hope they help. Please let me know of any others I could add.

Breaking Pornography Addiction (Article by David Powlison, CCEF Faculty)

Porn Again Christian (ebook by Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church)

X3 Church (Accountability Software, Free Download)

Sex Is Not The Problem Lust Is (Book by Joshua Harris, Covenant Life Church)

Again, don’t hesitate to contact me for help or questions.

Create Huntington

Here's a short video about Create Huntington, a new organization in Huntington that our City Team is involved in:



Create , check out our Opportunities page for more.


**Update**
The Resident Meeting was awesome and we think the members of Crew really made an impact with our ideas. Our thoughts and ideas were well received and often times they were the topic that was chosen to be shared with the larger group. Also got some quotes in the paper. Way to go Sean and Christina! Here's the link.

The Blog Reference I Butchered Yesterday

I wanted to give you the link to the Desiring God blog post about missions that I commended to Crew yesterday morning. I forgot half of it and the other half I stated poorly. It’s better here.

The Last 5 Songs To Be Stuck In My Head

5. You Don’t Know Me by Ben Folds (featuring Regina Spektor)

4. Happy Birthday (from Jack’s Birthday)—I didn’t have my version on Youtube so this one will do.

3. In My Place by Coldplay

2. All Day and All of the Night by The Kinks

1. Huck’s Tune by Bob Dylan

What's yours?

A Saturday Night Ritual Begun

This blog is for me…and you. I planned on journaling this tonight for myself, but felt pressed (by the Holy Spirit?) to share it with you via blog.

Saturday nights have started to get away from me. I’m in bed by a decent hour, but not necessarily in a decent frame of soul. I hurry into bed, get up early to pray briefly, run over my sermon and then I’m out the door for a full day. And I mean a full day!

I’m at Crew until 1pm and then it’s connection, counseling, or leadership development until 8 or 9pm.

So, I decided that before what could be easily my most influential day of the week, I better spend some serious time with God on Saturday nights. I prayed and I’m on my way to read the Bible, but in between I felt I needed to be preached to. I thought about listening to a podcast. Piper? Mahaney? It didn’t feel right.

So at 10pm I pulled off my shelf a book by Charles Spurgeon called Lectures to my Students. I first read it in September 2002. It’s been awhile since I’ve read Spurgeon, other than quotes. Probably since 2002.

But this will be my teacher, other than Scripture, on Saturday nights. I just read the first chapter on the need for the pastor to care for his soul if he is to care for others’ souls. How fitting.

Anyway, that’s it. I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in joining me on this discipline and delight. We’ll quiet our minds, hearts, and souls before coming together for worship on Sundays. It’s an encounter with God I’ve gotten away from and one I’m really looking forward to renewing.

Happy 5th Birthday Jack of Hearts!

 

Crew Q & A

The only question I punted on yesterday in our Q & A times was:  What does the phrase “makes his door high” mean in Proverbs 17:19?

Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

We looked at that verse and applied it to how husbands sometimes try to stir up arguments with their wives. The first part of the verse (couplet) was the main point I was trying to teach.

Here’s the short answer to the question, but I’ll use this platform to teach a little.

The short answer is that a guy who makes his door high is building a door past the functional use of a door and is building a door for looks. In the context of wisdom, it is destruction to waste your time and money for the sole purpose of showing off. An application would be that this is the guy who has to have a house, car, yard, clothes, mailbox, Christmas lights or whatever that is better than everyone else on his street in order to show his superiority to them.

What does this have to do with what I mentioned in the first part of the verse? Very little.

This might be a good time to teach how Proverbs work. Proverbs are witty, vivid, and memorable ways to pass on truth. In this case timeless truth. There are more than 3, but there are about 3 main types of Proverbs used in the Book of Proverbs.

1. Contrastive Proverbs. Many times use the word “but”:

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. (Prov. 13:1)

This has the theme of a son following the instruction of his father. But it teaches it with positive and negative examples. Each line could stand alone if needed, but is underlined or magnified through contrast.

2. Completive Proverbs. Many times use the word “and” or “so”:

The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy. (Prov. 14:10)

This Proverb says the same thing in the 2nd line as the first, but it gives a more complete or fuller picture.

3. Compartive Proverbs. Many times use the word “better/than” or “like/so”:

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and turmoil with it. Better is a dish of vegetables where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred with it. (Prov. 15:16-17)

This device compares which is better through comparing situations.

Proverbs 17:19 is neither of these in the classic sense. The one who loves strife in 17:19a and the one who makes his door high in 17:19b are guilty of different sins. One loves to argue, the other is arrogant and shows off through a high door. But the result for the both is the same. Transgression and destruction.

So 17:19b had nothing to do with our point from yesterday. However there is a view that this is a completive proverb and that the strife created in 17:19a is actually strife over who is greater and comes through bragging and showing off. But either way this had nothing to do with my point from yesterday. Hope this helps.

Peace. And keep the questions coming.