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²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29)

The rock band The Moody Blues released a song in 1970 (when music was music…lol) titled “Question” and the opening lyrics went like this:

Why do we never get an answer?

When we’re knocking at the door?

With a thousand million questions

About hate and death and war.

Being a kid at the time, I could relate to those lyrics.

I had a lot of questions.  I still do.  Ask anyone who has been in a planning or brainstorming meeting with me!  I have to work hard to control my desire to “ask”.

I also like answering questions. It’s my best platform for teaching.  Ask me a question and I will answer it and elaborate.  I love it.

But, there are also people who ask questions that are insincere. Their motivation for asking is underhanded. They have a hidden agenda. There’s ”selfishness” to their question. This is what Jesus faced when the lawyer asked him a question. The lawyer asked a simple question, received the answer from Jesus and that should have been that. Yet, we read in verse 29 the lawyer asking another question.  One that on the surface seemed legit: “Who is my neighbor?”.  It wasn’t legit.  The Bible records his motivation: “he wanted to justify himself”.

There’s the problem.  They really don’t want their questions answered and when you give them a perfectly acceptable answer they simply ask another question ad infinitum until they justify their position.  The popular subjects for people seeking to justify themselves include same sex marriage, men and women living together before marriage, alcohol use, tithing, etc…

I wrote this because you’re going to face these self-justifiers often. My advice is to try and answer as many questions as you can, but if the conversation seems to be going in circles, it probably is.

I started by quoting The Moody Blues so I guess I’ll finish by quoting them:

Why do we never get an answer

When we’re knocking at the door?

Because the truth is hard to swallow

I hope my readers will apply what they read before running off and Googling The Moody Blues.

So what to do? Thrashing people about not reading doesn’t work. I thought I would post a reading list to get you started. Disclamier: This list is one I give to men preparing for ministry, so it’s a bit hard core for some. Also, its just a “flavoring” for particular subjects not comprehensive. Lastly, like all people, I don’t personally endorse every word written by the authors.

Go ahead and add your favorites in the comment section!

CHRISTIAN LIVING

Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life – Donald Whitney
(Men) Finishing Strong – Steve Farrar
Battlefield of the Mind – Joyce Meyer
Who Moved My Cheese? – Spencer Johnson (Secular book about change, but good principles)

LEADERSHIP

Spiritual Leadership – J. Oswald Sanders
Leadership 101 – John Maxwell
Developing the Leader Within You – John Maxwell
Next Generation Leader – Andy Stanley
Being Leaders – Aubrey Malphurs
Preaching With Freshness – Bruce Mawhinney

DISCIPLESHIP

The Disciple Making Pastor / Church – Bill Hull
Disciples are Made Not Born – Heinrichson

PRAYER

Power of a Praying Wife / Husband / Parent – Stormi Omartian
Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something – Ronald Dunn
The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer – E.M. Bounds

COMMENTARIES

“Be” Series – Warren Wiersbe
Thru the Bible Series – J. Vernon McGee
Matthew Henry Commentary (1 or 6 Volumes)
The Pulpit Commentary (Multiple Volumes and expensive)

THEOLOGY (The Study of God)

Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible – Myer Pearlman
Systematic Theology – Stanley Horton
Foundations of Pentecostal Theology – VanDuff (Hard to find)

HEALING

Healing The Sick – T. L. Osborne
Christ The Healer – F.F. Bosworth

APOLOGETICS (Defending the Faith)

The Case For Faith – Lee Strobel
The Case For Christ – Lee Strobel

FINANCES

How To Manage Your Money – Larry Burkett

FAMILY / PARENTING

The Strong Willed Child – Dr. James Dobson
Bringing Up Boys – Dr. James Dobson

MARRIAGE

How to Get Your Husband to Talk with You – Nancy Cobb (Good for men and women)
Before You Say “I Do” – H. Norman Wright
After You Say “I Do” – H. Norman Wright

PERSONAL GROWTH

Getting a Grip on the Basics (Work Book) – Beth Moore
Spiritual Maturity – J. Oswald Sander

FICTION

This Present Darkness – Frank Peretti
Piercing The Darkness – Frank Peretti
Thr3e – Ted Dekker

A man I know said this generation of Christians needs “training”. So I’m asking: What specific areas do you feel training is needed? What format should the training come (seminar, small church group, online video, etc…)?

You can reply here in the comment section or on my Facebook page. Thanks in advance for your input!

You know what makes me sigh, tired and worried all at the same time?

 
People, usually 20-30ish people, who talk to the local church, usually through a blog, Facebook or YouTube account (Vimeo if they’re really cool), and bash people they call “religious”. The “religious” are usually people who set a structure, create a plan or impose some sort of spiritual safeguards that these “writers” disagree with. Take the issue of  alcohol consumption for example, if the church or group believes in total abstinence they cry: Religious! Pharisee! Are you kidding me? Is this all you have to bring to the table on this extremely important subject? And it’s not only this subject; the list goes on and on.

 
Another version of this church/structure/group basher is the person who proclaims loudly (through the above mentioned social networking sites) that organization structures are so rigid that untold thousands of artistic, talented people simply do not fit in. And because the church is so rigid the world is missing out on their tremendous skill set. I mean really, are these “talented” people such “free spirits” that they cannot reshape themselves to advance the Kingdom of God?

 
Ok, I understand some pet doctrines might need to be revisited and rethought out. I also understand that structure, at times, can be stifling and not conducive to new ideas. But posting your own criticisms boldly as if your view alone is the answer and is now the new norm. Puhleeze.

 
These posts / rants /proclamations make me sigh because I think: “There’s another person going off the deep end never to be heard of again”. Sad. Tired, because so many want revolution but are not revolutionary. Worried, because if these people don’t start working within SOME organization somewhere, their skills will be lost and that will be tragic.

 
Your thoughts are appreciated.

Take your car key out your pocket. Go ahead, do it. Look at it. Ask yourself: What can this key do for me? Some of your answers may be: Unlock my car. Start my engine. Arm my car’s alarm. All of these are correct. But there is more! That key can take you somewhere like New York or California! (Without that key you’re going nowhere!) That key can make you a lot of money since you’re car takes you to a job or maybe it is your job!
Your thoughts can be like that car key. They can be helpful for the obvious reasons like reminding you of something important. Or they can also be opening new ideas or concepts to greater things for you! Every life-changing product or organization started with a thought in a person’s mind.

Thomas Edison said: From his neck down a man is worth a couple of dollars a day, from his neck up he is worth anything that his brain can produce.

People often forget that God speaks to us in our minds. And according to 1 Kings He speaks to us in a still small voice. I wonder how many great ideas have been ignored as silly little thoughts!
Of course not every thought is from God or contains the next big thing but maybe it’s time for you to unshackle your minds. Ask God to speak to you and allow your thoughts to be a force for good in your life. He knows you through and through and will speak to you in a language you can understand.
Thinking God-thoughts are harder than it seems! His Word and His will must be at the front of your thinking. Concentration is necessary. But you can do it.

Don’t just daydream, THINK!

What thoughts have become reality for you?

Also known as “night terrors”, these fears cause feelings of dread and horror mostly in infants and children but also in adults. They are different from nightmares which are bad dreams that cause fear and terror. People who have experienced these night terrors usually described them as bolting upright with their eyes wide open, a look of panic or terror, and will often scream.
I’ve experienced another form of night fear. It’s where I wake up in the middle of the night feeling absolutely hopeless about certain situations. Tremendous fear that things will not get any better. And for no apparent reason, my fear tells me “I’m doomed and everything around me is going to crumble”. And there is nothing i can do about. I’m powerless.  Often, after these feelings of dread, I get up and pray and read my Bible and the feelings will subside, but only enough for me to fall asleep. I fall asleep with dread.
Then something unusual happens, I wake up and remember my fears , but the dread is gone! It seems as though the things that scare me in the night are rendered “toothless” by the light of the morning.

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

There’s something about bringing the dreaded things, things cause panic before Christ that cause them to drained of power over me!
It reminds me of lyrics to song I like:

The sun comes peak’n over the hill
here I am with an old bent heart
say’n Savior I will walk this day
in the Light of the mornin star

(chorus)
O Savior, Savior
I’m so glad I know who you are
God grant me just to walk with thee
In the light of the mornin star

My night terror shall not control my life. How about you?

“Scruffy jeans, a too-tight T-Shirt and a Macbook Pro doesn’t make you a next-gen pastor” ~ Tom Watson

John the Baptist was certainly “different” from the men of his time. He lived in obscurity for much of his life and ministry. Yet, when I think of him I can’t help but think how much we are to be like him in our age! Let me list a few important details about him that might apply to you and I:

1. He had an assignment from God.

2. He didn’t shirk his responsibilities.

3. He fearlessly stood for Christ and against those who opposed Him.

4. He was “a voice crying in the wilderness.

Since this is a blog post and not a Bible study or sermon I shan’t expound on these points. However, a little contemplation will yield dividends to the thinker. My desire is to focus your attention the phrase “a voice crying in the wilderness”.  This most certainly is necessary for our generation. Yet, for most church people, this if often overlooked. Many spend so much time around Christians that they forget how “wild” the world we live in actually is!

And still,  God is looking for a “voice ”.

A voice who would “cry”.

The word “crying” is interesting, according to the Enhanced Strongs Lexicon it means to speak with a high strong voice.  The interesting part is in the other uses of the same word it means to cry to one for help, to implore his aid. God is looking for voice that will speak for Him to their generation.  God is looking for a voice that will cry to Him for help, to implore Him for assistance.

Just a little food for thought.