I thought these words from Tim Ellsworth were both convicting and exhorting in tone.

I’m posting my Marriage Monday column a bit early due to the holiday (Labor Day) on Monday. I have been working through a section of The Exemplary Husband for quite some time. On pp.180-183, Stuart Scott, the author of this excellent work, lists some manifestations of pride which so easily emerge from our lives. Here is a sampling of some that leaped at me:

Being unteachable. Many proud individuals know it all. They’re superior. They can’t seem to learn anything from anyone else. They respect no one. (Proverbs 19:20; John 9:13-34)

Being sarcastic, hurtful, or degrading. Proud people can be very unkind people. Those who belittle other people usually want to raise themselves up above others. Very often this can be quite cleverly done through jesting. They may excuse themselves by saying, “That’s just the way I am. That’s my personality” (Proverbs 12:18, 23).

Being defensive or blame-shifting. You will often hear a proud person say, “Are you saying it’s my fault?” or “Well, what about you?” (Genesis 3:12-13; Proverbs 12:1)

A lack of admitting when you are wrong. A proud person will make a great many excuses such as, “I was tired,” or “I was having a bad day” (Proverbs 10:17).

Being impatient or irritable with others. A proud person might be angry wirth otehr people because they are concerned that their own schedule or plans are being ruined. They are often inflexible on preference issues (Ephesians 4:31-32).

These are just a few of the 30 Scott mentions. I know that as I’ve been mulling over these, God has again and again reminded me of what an arrogant person I am. Thank God this sin is met with grace through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let’s repent of our pride and live to honor God above all.

Today, Meg and I celebrate our 4th Anniversary. (Interesting side note: If you ever want to remember how many years we have been together, think presidential elections, because I vividly remember spending part of my honeymoon watching political conventions while Meg was recovering from an illness.) We are both so grateful to God for His kindness to us. This is expressed in so many ways:

God’s deepened our relationship and allowed us to not only grow closer to one another but closer to Him.

God’s blessed us with 2 sons and entrusted us with the responsibility of raising them to be men that glorify Him. I heard C.J. mention the other day that parenting is about preparing children for the day of judgment. We want to be faithful to raise them but we are blessed in these gifts He’s given us.

God’s provided through the thick and thin. We began this journey together with me never being a senior pastor and being oblivious to many things. Meg would probably echo something to that effect as well. But to see how God has provided grace all along the way for whatever we face has been so encouraging.

Today, then, we are rejoicing and praising God. Pray that our celebration blesses Him.

Yesterday, JT posted links to Boundless Webzine’s 3 part series from David Powlison. When it comes to wrestling truth about the human heart, it doesn’t get much better than Powlison. Check out this series:

Sane Faith: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

I was really encouraged by this post on self-immolation in ministry. I often wonder if I am being a good steward of my time. I try to redeem my commute home to prepare my heart to serve my family. Times in ministry are sometimes very busy and almost breakneck speed. This week, for instance, I had an elder’s meeting that lasted till 11PM and then turned around for a 6:30AM meeting with another guy. This article, then, proved very helpful when it summarized and said:

work hard, play hard. The body needs its rest and exercise as surely as it needs food and drink. The minister who neglects these is “a self-immolated victim”.

May God grant me that kind of grace so that He is ultimately glorified in what I do.

Piper’s book has long been one of my favorites, now starting September 14, our adults are going to be exposed to this in Sunday School. David Lansdowne will be leading his class over this curriculum.

They have a website, podcast, blog, and products to coincide with this great curriculum.

Here’s the message they seek to communicate in the curriculum:

We want people to know that they will find their greatest happiness and deepest fulfillment when they spend their lives magnifying Christ.

We want to show them that God loves them, but that this love may be different than they’ve ever thought.

And we want people to see that the unwasted life is the life that seeks its own joy by putting the infinite value of Christ on display for the world to see.

Check out these resources and, by all means, don’t waste your life.

I have been greatly helped in recent days by Mark Driscoll’s podcast and a series he did entitled Pray Like Jesus. I commend it to you as this week’s free audio of the week.

Tony Reinke’s blog, Miscellanies, has a review of John Carrick’s recent book The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards, including a PDF attachment of an excerpt.

In related Edwards news, the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University (which houses Edward’s works and recently completed their publishing), have made them accessable online. To view them, go here. You will have to register first, though. Happy browsing and ENJOY!

We all like quick fixes. A quick fix to help with your marriage is to forsake comforts. In last night’s small group curriculum, our church read the following (from John Butler’s chapter “Never Say Comfortable in Why Small Groups?):

We love our comfort, don’t we? Our urge to pursue pleasure is deep and universal. Yet there are many places in our lives where God desires to put this urge to death. This may sound harsh, but I know from personal experience–including many confrontations over my own love of comfort–that it is true. Small groups can provide excellent opportunities for us to die to excessive love of comfort by embracing the changes and challenges God brings our way.

As much as this is true for small groups, it is infinitely more true in marriage. God desires to rid us of our comforts and marriage is a great tool of sanctification in His hands to remove those selfish, cancerous comforts that exist. Let’s make it a quick fix, though, by continually seeking to serve our spouses and not our own comforts. Doing this is simply yielding to all that God wants to do in and through us.

If you are a regular reader you might pray for me as I am in Wichita doing some long term planning for life and the church. I try to get away a couple of times a year to clear my head, think out loud, and get lots of ideas on paper. Pray that this time would be fruitful. Thanks.