Every time I look at my “Monday Musings & Miscellany” post on Facebook, I am sad that there is just a blank space. No more! Going to try and add a photo I have taken with a little description of where and why it was taken.
Cannon Beach is one of Jenny and my favorite getaways. I love early morning walks on the beach, a great place for some serious musing.
“The best thing about being a PK (pastor’s kid), as a kid, was being part of the church family…The worst part was the pressure and the expectations.”
I really enjoy reading interviews, of all kinds. They give me insight into the real world and life of the one who is being interviewed. I have the utmost respect for John Piper, his integrity and his ministry, and really enjoyed his son’s candid responses in this interview. It made me respect John Piper all the more.
WHY OUR SON DOESN’T HAVE A SMARTPHONE
“Our son thinks the phone represents a new rung on the ladder, the next step toward the freedom of adulthood. We think the phone, at his age, is a step down into slavery.”
There are many reasons why it isn’t the best idea for adoslescents to have smartphones. The most obvious is the pornography that is so rampant on the internet. However, I was not only surprised by this article, but found it to be refreshing, insightful, and in my opinion quite true.
THINKING ABOUT STARTING A PARACHURCH MINISTRY? THINK AGAIN!
“The standard cliché for parachurch is that it’s not the church, but an arm of the church. Yet historically, that arm has shown a tendency to develop a mind of its own and crawl away from the body, which creates a mess.”
Through the years I have watched the wave of parachurch ministries birthed and grow into full blown ministry machines. I confess that I have even been a part of the wave by starting one myself. My conclusion after over 30 years of ministry is, with rare exception, that the healthiest ministry flows from a healthy church. I appreciate so much what Mack Stiles has to say about the marks of a healthy parachurch ministry. Couldn’t agree more.
VERSE FOR THE WEEK
2 Timothy 2:24–26 (ESV) — 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
This has been a power packed verse speaking to my soul over the past several weeks. It convicts me and challenges me to think about how I should respond to those who are in opposition to that which is most important to me, the gospel. In my zeal to see people embrace the truth I have been far to quarrelsome, unkind, and impatient. It grieves me to think that my approach has hindered those whom I care about from coming to their senses and escaping the snare of the devil.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I love quotes. I collect them. I am not sure what I love so much about them but I do. And for the time being I am going to add a “Quote of the Week” to my Monday Musings. I am going to try and pick my favorite, won’t be an easy task, to post each week. Would love to hear yours as well.
“Upon the plains of hesitation lie the bones of countless millions, who upon the dawn of victory, lay down to rest, and in their resting died.”
I first heard this quote from my dad many many years ago. Though I didn’t know it at the time, it was an adaptation of a quote by Sam Ewing, a former baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. I must admit that I like my dad’s version better.
Ron J Sánchez 