I know I have been on a T.F. Torrance kick recently. I promise I’ll lay off after this one. But I thought this was pretty good, and straight to the point. By active obedience is meant the positive fulfillment of God’s saving will in the whole life of Jesus in his sonship. From the very [...]
Pastoral Idolatry: 10 Common Forms of False Righteousness in Ministry
March 19, 2012 By 9 Comments
Brothers, we are all idolaters. If Calvin was right when he said that our hearts are idol factories, and he was, then pastors are no exception. Which insufficient form of righteousness are you guilty of seeking from ministry? Or – if you are like me – which one are you not guilty of seeking? 1. [...]
Shepherd Links – 3/17
March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Prophet Links The Theological Commons A digital library of 50,022 books on theology and religion. How does a pastor encourage the elderly, while teaching the younger in his congregation? Actually, the Crack Cocaine of Acceptance Being addicted to acceptance, as a preacher, will reduce your freedom in preaching. Priest Links Should I Divorce If I’m Miserable? [...]
The Twin Signs of Jesus’ Virgin Birth and Virgin Tomb
March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“The virgin birth cannot be considered in abstraction from the triumphant consummation of Christ’s life in his resurrection, for it is there that the mystery of his person is revealed. In fact the birth of Jesus of the virgin Mary and the resurrection of Jesus from the virgin tomb (‘where no one had ever yet been laid’) [...]
Shepherd Links – 3/10
March 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Prophet Cross Plough “Industriousness lies at the base of pulpit power.” 20 Tips on How to Use Commentaries Priest The Lord’s Supper: How Often? An F5 Revival Doug Wilson on why liturgy appeals to the unregenerate. Why Imposters Love the Church On a related note… 6 Dramatic Trends Your Church May Be Ignoring Why Community Is a [...]
7 Things Every Pastor-In-Training Should Know (And Every Pastor-Out-of-Training Should Be Reminded Of)
March 9, 2012 By 3 Comments
There are a million things you should know as you prepare to go into ministry. Here are seven that have been on my mind this week. 1. Unlike your professors, your congregation will not care what commentators you’ve read and whether or not you agree with them. Ever. 2. Some of the people you will [...]
The Best 3 Places to Find Sermon Illustrations: From Jay Z to Brian Regan to (Almost) Plagiarizing
March 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
Pastors are always on the hunt for sermon illustrations. But perhaps you’ve noticed that illustrations from “sermon illustration books” and websites feel like you’re wearing someone else’s clothes. You have to do some tailoring to make them fit right. But even as you tell the reshaped story, it still doesn’t feel like yours. The power [...]
Shepherd Links – 3/3
March 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Prophet Links The Trinity and Preaching By and large, the evangelical church is not robustly trinitarian. This will change starting in our pulpits. 8 Ways to Pray During Sermon Preparation Getting Into the Pulpit, and Letting Fly A great quote offered via Doug Wilson. Top 10 Biblical Priorities for Every Pastor…Revealed Brian Croft finishes off the list he [...]
10 Benefits of Ebooks that Will Surprise You
March 1, 2012 By 7 Comments
Did you know that ebooks are even better than you think? There are obvious benefits to ebooks, with lower prices and portability topping out the list. But in my use of ebooks, I have noticed other benefits that I haven’t seen anyone mention yet. You may be thinking, “Is this the same guy who gave [...]
Strengthen Your Pastoral Counseling: 7 Book Recommendations
February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
David Powlison, in his article “The Pastor as Counselor,” recommends these seven books for pastors who want to strengthen their counseling ministry: Pastoral Care by Gregory the Great The Reformed Pastor and (for the overly ambitious) Christian Directory ( 5 vols.) by Richard Baxter Pastoral Counsel by Thomas Oden Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Powlison also recommends reading fiction because, [...]
When Your Neat Office Is a Bad Thing
February 27, 2012 By 2 Comments
It’s a mistake to say that neatness, organization, and productivity are all synonymous. You might not be able to discern this from the desktop organization aisle at Office Depot. Organization and productivity must go together, but they are not the same thing. It’s the difference between keeping your tools in the toolbox (organization), so that [...]
Shepherd Links – 2/25
February 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It was a fairly plentiful harvest of links this week. Here’s what made the cut. Prophet Links Damn All False Antitheses to Hell D.A. Carson tells compartmentalists how it is, in true D.A. style. Give Up the Gimmicks, Youth Pastors Your Theological System Should Tell You How to Exegete The article is more balanced than [...]
Why Sermon Illustrations Do More than Entertain
February 24, 2012 By 2 Comments
From Bryan Chapell in Using Illustrations to Preach with Power (14-15): The mind yearns for, and needs, the concrete to anchor the abstract. To say that illustrations aid the intellect, however, does not mean that they are merely a congnitive crutch. Illustrations are not supplemental to good exposition; they are a necessary form of exposition [...]
Do You Use “Gospel” as an Adjective More Often than a Noun?
February 23, 2012 By 2 Comments
Did you know that you can make anything gospel-centered just by adding the word “gospel” in front of it? There is contextualization. But then there’s gospel contextualization. There is church growth. But then there’s gospel growth. There are the arts. But then there are gospel arts. Gospel centrality has morphed from a movement to a culture. [...]
Shepherd Links – 2/18
February 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Prophet Links What are the Top 10 Biblical Priorities for Every Pastor? Easily Edified Priest Links Hearing the Beat of Your Community Your Ministry is Not Your Identity 7 Lessons from the Community of the Disabled King Links “Father Hunger” in Leading the Church Web Apps I Use Rebuilding a Healthy Schedule Share
Shepherd Links – 2/11
February 11, 2012 By 2 Comments
This is the first installment of a new series here at Pastoralized: Shepherd Links. Throughout the week, I will collect links that pertain primarily to the pastoral roles of prophet, priest, and king, and then publish them on Saturday. These are called Shepherd Links because true shepherding takes place where the roles of the prophet, [...]
10 Reasons Why Physical Books Are Still Better Than Digital Books
February 10, 2012 By 18 Comments
After 8 months of experimenting with digital books on my iPad (got a nice deal buying it refurbished from the Apple site), I’ve determined that I still like physical books more. Here’s ten reasons why. 1. Physical books never run low on batteries. 2. Much more efficiently than with digital books, you can put your [...]
What Theological Theme Holds the NT’s Center of Gravity?
February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
From Greg Beale’s New Testament Biblical Theology (179-180, my italics): The beginning of the new-creational reign is understood as Christ’s life, especially his death, resurrection, and ongoing ascended resurrection existence and rule, so that he is a formative microcosmic model that determines the nature and destiny of people, and the rest of creation, on a macrocosmic scale. [...]
Why There Is No Excuse for Avoiding Theological Rigor
January 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Pastors and congregants alike often use the “we will never fully know” excuse to marginalize the practical value of certain theological topics. This trump card brings to a screeching halt conversations about eschatology or the relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom. But just because we can’t fully know something, does that mean we shouldn’t [...]
How Each Chapter of the Book of Ruth Points to Jesus
January 27, 2012 By 3 Comments
How do you appropriately and accurately preach Jesus from the Old Testament? Every pastor faces this challenge, if he wants to preach the whole counsel of God to his congregation. Many fall prey to the fallacy of pointing to Jesus in the Old Testament. They see something that reminds them of the gospel or the [...]
7 Ways to Become an Entrepreneurial Pastor
January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
More and more these days, we are hearing that successful pastors, especially church planters, need to be entrepreneurial. But what does that mean exactly? What does it not mean? In my previous post on this topic, I pointed to renowned business and management author, Peter Drucker, for a definition of entrepreneurship. He says an entrepreneur [...]
What It Means to Be an Entrepreneurial Pastor
January 13, 2012 By 3 Comments
Entrepreneurship is one of the new, hot characteristics pastors are claiming for themselves. But many operate, I am afraid, on the wrong definition of an entrepreneur. Because they focus more on personality than skills, more and more pastors are slapping an “E” on their uniform, but can’t play ball. What entrepreneurship really is The entrepreneurial [...]
4 Steps to Get Back on Track with Organization and Productivity
January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Pastors are most likely to start a new year disorganized. The holidays are a busy time personally, and in the life of the church. Do you need to get back on track? The problem is that ministry doesn’t slow down. We need a simple process that will get us back into organizational shape without a [...]
How to Preach Like John Piper Without Sounding Like Him
January 6, 2012 By 3 Comments
What’s the difference between someone who wants to be a great preacher and someone who wants to preach great? I’m sure there’s lots, but one thing that comes to mind is hubris. The desire to be a great preacher is a desire for a reputation or popularity. On the other hand, the desire to preach well [...]
10 Ways to Improve Your Preaching in 2012
December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If you’re like me, you’re already thinking about how you want to improve your ministry in the coming year. Here is a quick list to get you thinking about steps to take toward feeding your flock better in 2012. I’ve given you the bullets below, but I suggest you head over to the Sydney Anglican [...]
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