From One Degree to Another

Here is my Wordle of the book of Ruth.

I continue to hear good things about all that God is doing in our congregation through small groups. I thought I would allude to one question that really exposed some weakness when it comes to fellowship. On p.26 of the chapter “Fellowship Rediscovered,” we have a big box with question #3:

Do you have any habits or heart attitudes that keep you from growing in Christ through fellowship? How about these?

• Because of my heritage, I’m naturally stoic and reserved, so I tend to keep to myself.
• I tried that kind of fellowship once, and I gave a whole lot more than I got, so I tend to keep to myself.
• I was an only child, so I tend to keep to myself.
• My brothers and sisters were the ones always clamoring for attention, so I tend to keep to myself.
• Maybe I’ll go along with this fellowship stuff, as long as somebody else goes first.

In my experience, these are probably as a good a sampling as you’ll find in print of the excuses people use for failing to pursue intimacy. I think we just need to continue what Scripture teaches and embrace fellowship with one another. As we walk in this, it is a bit frightening at times to open up ot others, but we get to experience grace from God in the fellowship He has ordained for us. I hope you are encouraged as you live this out in your life.

We had this picture taken Sunday. This is the first family photo (of which I am aware) since Gabe’s arrival.

For today’s Marriage Monday segment, I would like to exhort you to build a trust in God within your family. I’m always interested in growing to deepen my leadership in my family. I was really encouraged, then, when listening to a Piper sermon. He exhorted fathers to recount God’s faithfulness continually for your family. Our role as parents and specifically as fathers (men!) are to be those who are inflating the joy and trust our families have in God throughout their lives. As helpful as teaching them the alphabet, how to build things and the best way to throw a ball can be, it seems that I give much more attention to those things over against the things that matter. In small group last night, we were encouraged to be about practicing fellowship. This needs to be the case in our families. We ought to be on the lookout for and consistently be seeking to learn “How goes it with your soul.” I want my family to have a trust in God. I want them to see me blessing God no matter what circumstance we face. Let’s build trust in God among our family. And as we “trust in the Lord with all our heart” and “don’t lean on our own understanding” we will be “acknowledging Him in all our ways” and “He will direct our paths”. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In case you were looking for something to read, consider the following lists:

C.J.’s Books for the Beach
Carolyn Mahaney’s 8 Year Reading List
Albert Mohler’s Books for Guys
Mohler’s Ten For the History Books (Part 1, Part 2)
Tim Keller’s Summer Reading Recommendations

Whatever you decide, don’t let your reading keep you from the diligent intake of God’s Word. As John Piper says in his excellent book, When I Don’t Desire God,

One of the ways we can fight against the inclinations that lure us from the Word of God to computers or television or any other substitute pleasure is to remind ourselves often of the immeasurable and superior benefits of the Word of God in our lives. We must put the evidence before us that reading, pondering, memorizing and studying the Bible will yield more joy in this life and the next than all the things that lure us from it. (WIDDG, p. 97)

If you need a simple guide to read your Bible, check out the Discipleship Journal plan or simply subscribe to have the ESV plans sent as a feed.

Read this summer and watch God do amazing things in your life.

I was reminded of simple truths about Gospel Centered Parenting in this 6 minute audio clip from the Sovereign Grace Blog. Listen as both C.J. and Carolyn Mahaney answer the question, “How do parents engage in gospel-centered parenting with children who are too young to comprehend the message of the gospel?”

The Resolved 2008 Conference just finished. The theme was Heaven and Hell. Here are some sermons available for free download:

Resolved 2008 Session 1 Rick Holland
Resolved 2008 Session 2 Randy Alcorn
Resolved 2008 Session 3 John MacArthur
Resolved 2008 Session 4 C.J. Mahaney
Resolved 2008 Session 5 Steve Lawson
Resolved 2008 Session 6 Randy Alcorn
Resolved 2008 Session 7 Steve Lawson
Resolved 2008 Session 8 John Piper
Resolved 2008 Session 9 Rick Holland
Resolved 2008 Session 10 John MacArthur
Resolved 2008 Session 11 C.J. Mahaney
Resolved 2008 Session 12 John Piper

Oh, and Abraham Piper linked to this video of C.J. Mahaney’s drum solo. Check this stuff out.

On my plane back from Florida, I listened to Albert Mohler‘s radio show from last Friday. In it, he alluded to his blog and an interesting article from one Phillip Longman. The blog Fatherhood and the Future of Civilization alludes to Longman’s article in Foreign Policy magazine: Why Men Rule — And Conservatives Will Inherit the Earth. To listen to the Radio Show from Friday (Faith and Fatherhood), click here.

All this points to the heightened responsibility father’s have in exercising their role. (My friend, Brad Russell, issues a call to apply this into our lives.) We must commit ourselves to living our faith, especially in our homes. If God has not given you a child yet, this is a call to preparation. If you are father, this is a call to valiance and to take leadership for that to which we have been called.

Recently, preaching on Ruth 1, I came across this answer of Ruth to Naomi:

“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-18)

There are some good principles for marriage we can gain on commitment from Ruth’s answer (and these are gleamed and inspired by Daniel Block’s excellent commentary on Ruth):

1) Ruth’s answer contains encouragement to resist all pressures to break the relationship. In our day and age, when problems come, we are encouraged to cut our losses and divorce. Ruth’s example here, though, encourages us to stay devoted no matter what we face.

2) Her answer speaks of a commitment to another person for life. Ruth wasn’t pursuing some temporary arrangement. She says, “Where you die, I will die and there will I be buried.” This is the kind of commitment we need to exhibit in marriage.

3) Ruth speaks of relations to the other family. How often have you thought that your in-laws were less than what you dreamed. Ruth’s breaking of the life she knew for a life with Naomi speaks volumes. In laws are a gift from God to your life. God blesses you with additional family in marriage. Ruth had a commitment to cling to them.

4) Ruth is aware that the promises of commitment she makes are before God. God was there when you promised to love your wife for richer, for poorer, till death you part. Ruth calls God to witness and asks God to execute vengeance if she doesn’t keep her word. Breaking vows isn’t a trifling thing.

Ruth and her example have much to say to us, then, about what our commitment is, in marriage. Therefore, allow God’s Word to inspire you.

In recent memory, I don’t know if I have ever written anything of my father. My father, Rickey Gene Auxier, died over 10 years ago now. When we were thinking of what would go best on his headstone, I thought, “Found Faithful” was a Biblical direction that my father lived for. Here are a couple of things my father instilled in me (a couple non so spiritual, then a couple spiritual).

Sports – My father was quite a basketball player back in the day. Even from a young age, he instilled in me a love for baseball. I remember going to my first St. Louis Cardinal game and cheering for Lou (Brock).

Work Ethic – I well remember lessons about not quitting, working hard, and devoting myself to do my best as things that were consistenly passed on to me.

Love for God’s Word – My father fought a theological drift that existed, which failed to see God’s Word as infallible and inerrant. My father gave His life to this end. He was a theological conservative and his love for God’s Word was always central.

Love for Souls – My father was an evangelist. He had a passion to see people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. He would consistently be away at “revival meetings” and always be pressing the gospel upon people in his sermons. He wanted lost people to get it.

Love for the Church – I didn’t grow up resenting the local fellowship of believers we were consistently a part of. I grew up watching a man give himself for the betterment of other believers.

My father wasn’t perfect. He had mistakes. He sinned. But more than his sins and weaknesses, my father instilled in me a love for doing what is honorable and honoring God in the midst of it. For this, I praise God. God has exhibited grace again.