You might be wondering why the posts have been so sporadic… Well, last week, I was given the privelage of a holiday on Monday (like most of our country celebrating Labor Day). Then on Wednesday and Thursday, I headed to STL with a couple of friends of mine to catch a Cardinal game. We had great tickets. I almost caught a Pujols batting practice homer. It was a great time. On Friday and Saturday I was in and out of the office just catching up on necessities for yesterday. I come to office this Monday morning refreshed from the trip, eager to work, and excited about a great week with our church’s Missions Festival happening this weekend. So that is the news here. Thanks for your patience and willingness to continue to check things out.

Justin Taylor reminded me this week of an excellent quote from C.J.’s Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God. In the post Transitioning Your Soul in Your Commute Home From Work, he quotes C.J. as saying,

When our first two children were still quite young, I realized that my commute home in the evening was functioning as little more than a review of my day. As far as I was concerned, by the time I got in that car, my responsibilities were pretty much over until the next morning. I saw my home as a refuge, a place where the emphasis, for me, was on being served rather than on leading and serving with Christlike love.

In God’s mercy, he showed me the selfish motivation I was bringing home each evening. I saw that my commute could be best utilized as a time of transition, so that I might be prepared to finish the day by loving and serving my family well.

So I made a practice of pulling the car over a few blocks from home so I could take a couple of minutes to make an effective transition in my soul. There on the side of the road, I meditated on Ephesians 5 as well as on some other passages. I confessed to God my sinful tendency to be selfish and sought to prepare my heart to serve my wife and children when I arrived home. In this way I learned to see my home as the context where I have my greatest privilege and opportunity to serve. This practice had a transforming effect, allowing me to walk through the front door with the mind and heart of a loving servant-leader. By God’s grace, I found it an excellent help in building a loving marriage, enjoying my family, and minimizing regret.

As those touched by grace, then, I encourage all of the men to seize our drive time home as a way to prepare our hearts to serve our families. This will not only cause us to have marriages that glorify God, but will demonstrate the kind of love to our wives that Christ had for the church.

Bob Kauflin has some helpful (and FREE!) MP3’s listed for worship people to use. I am just finishing up Watch Your Sunday Meeting, a free talk Josh Harris and Bob did on planning Sunday morning worship services and Josh’s words on creativity vs. intentionality were a breath of fresh air in the stuffy church growth inoculated evangelism in which we live. I highly recommend these resources.

Over at Desiring God, Dave Mathis is exploring the question of God’s relation to evil. (Be sure and check out the second part of the post as well.)

I’ve recommended on my side bar the excellent site by Bob Kauflin entitled Worship Matters. He has a new look. There are so many helpful pieces of information available here. It would be worth your time to check it out.

(HT: Josh Harris)

You might have heard this in the news, but some of the missionaries captured by the Taliban recently have been released. Let’s praise God for this news.

I’ve already mentioned this in a post yesterday, but for this week’s audio (rather than sermon) of the week, I would recommend you listen to the excellent talk by Mike Bullmore on how personal retreats can help you be more effective in ministry. It is entitled Watch Your Planning and is available as a free download from Sovereign Grace Ministries.

I’ve been doing thinking recently about a personal retreat. I came across a sermon from Sovereign Grace Ministries 2007 Leadership Conference by Mike Bullimore entitled, “Watch Your Planning.” You can even load the notes from the session. Are there any thoughts out there from anyone on personal retreats? Have you taken one? What are some details you worked through to do this? Any counsel you can offer? I would be happy to hear from anyone.

Many often ask me where in the Bible we are taught about church membership. Over at the Pulpit Magazine (of the Shepherd’s Fellowship), you can read Grace Church Elders’ Distinctives on Church Membership: Part 1 & Part 2. These are helpful additions to the discussion. Enjoy!

This week’s Marriage Monday is about this topic of praying together. I know it is sometimes difficult to find the time to do this, but it has great benefits. One man in our church was discussing this with me recently speaking of how God had brought incredible harmony and lack of conflict between he and his wife and the reason for it was praying together. In other words, praying together helped their relationship be stronger.

It makes sense, we know that women are wired for relational intimacy. What better way for your wife to know your heart, husband, than to spend time with her in prayer. It has also been well known that most women long for a man to take the lead in a spiritual way. Men, what bettter way to encourage your wife with loving leadership than to pray with her. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that praying together is a great way to not only build into your relationship with one another, but also to focus on the One who brought you together for His glory. Remember marriage is what God has brought together. Draw near to Him together, then, and see if He isn’t pleased.

This does require some discipline. Recently, God has been stirring my heart about family worship. You see, I was at a place in my life where, after a long day, I wanted to sit in front of the TV and watch Sportscenter updates or whatever else was wrong. I decided to best serve my family, there would have to be some severing of my pleasures. Usually from around 8-9:30ish, we try to have some family worship time with Andrew. Then, after he is in bed, we take some time to build our relationshp spiritually. We have tried to do this by reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones book The Sermon on the Mount. Every week, we are studying (at this point) a Beatitude and looking to deepen our understanding and application of it. Then we turn around in prayer together and ask God to work this in our lives. God has been so faithful. Praying together really has brought spiritual fellowship between us.

In conclusion, then, pray together and watch God draw near to you.