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Here are some of my favorite tweets from the last few weeks.  This is one of the blessings of social media where we can hear the gospel from people all over the world. If you like the tweet, go and follow the person on Twitter. Unfortunately we as the church have become guardians rather than gardeners...What we love is not the growth but Jesus. We are called to be deep & wide. (1 Corinthians 3:6) @gavalanched Would leadership be a less contentious issue if it was not about power, but about empowerment? @faithandlifeks More Settled Issues between Complentarain (C) and Egalitarian (E): male/female are equal image bearers, posses a sin nature, gifted by the spirit, sin impact gender relationships, Jesus affirmed women in countercoultural manner, both have equal access to salvation. @AaronWiens “We stand in a long line of men and women who throughout the centuries and around the globe have struggled to understand how to respond to God’s call on their lives and ...

As we prepare to enter the Advent Season and move toward Christmas, I would like to share resources that have been helpful for my family during the holidays.  As always, they are available at your local Christian bookstore and if you are near Wichita, go to my favorite one, Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.  You can order online here This resource might only be available online.

As we prepare to enter the Advent Season and move toward Christmas, I would like to share resources that have been helpful for my family during the holidays.  As always, they are available at your local Christian bookstore and if you are near Wichita, go to my favorite one, Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.  You can order online here

Here are some of my favorite tweets from the last few weeks.  This is one of the blessings of social media where we can hear the gospel from people all over the world. If you like the tweet, go and follow the person on Twitter.  How do our passions for God grow? Not by being told that they're supposed to grow, but by marveling at what God has done for us. @jdgreear Focus on external behavior & you will miss the internal heart,but focus on the internal heart & you will get both @briandembo I'm convinced many are not aware of how great Jesus is and how amazing his love and grace are to us. @JeffVanderstelt Can you imagine going through a whole day without guilt? That's what Jesus did for you--no guilt in life, no fear in death. @ElyseFitz via @faithandlifeks It's not just the negative Law that doesn't have power to change people but positive Law doesn't have power to change either. @Jaredcwilson I taste now the freedom of the gospel, which say...

This is a now a regular feature on the blog.  Usually on Mondays, I get caught up on my favorite podcasts and this usually results in a lot of tweeting on that day.  However, if you are at work and not checking Twitter during that time, you might miss some of the great truth being shared by others.  So, I am sharing some of best tweets from the previous week which include great wisdom and truth. Christ's death, Paul says, has not only saved us from something but for something. @mockingbirdnyc We are called to a discipleship that grows out of living on the Vine-in Union w/Christ & together w/the communion of saints. @MichaelHorton_ What belongs to Jesus?-His righteousness. He gives his righteousness to law keeper, law breaker & everyone in between. @ElyseFitz God pours truth through broken vessels. There is no perfect theologian or teacher--including the men who wrote the Bible. @faithandlifeks We have done a disservice to parables by naming them. W...

Today is my wife's birthday.  Stop by Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton and tell her "Happy Birthday!" I am thankful for the day of her birth because it means that one day I would meet her and have the opportunity to date and eventually marry her.  I love you.  I hope you have a great day, Bethany!

This afternoon, Bethany and I are headed to Henderson, Nebraska to host a book table for Faith and Life Bookstore.  I have enjoyed going along to help Bethany specifically with the heavy lifting.  Maybe she will take a picture of me flexing? It is also a good time to spend together and we usually sneak a date night in one of the evenings we are gone. Thank you Grammie for watching the kids for a couple of days!

Today after school, Bethany and I are headed to Henderson, Nebraska for a book table.  She is the brains. I am the brawn.  Faith and Life Bookstore will be set up at Bethesda Mennonite Church Wednesday and Thursday.  Stop by and see us if you are in the Henderson area.  You can get started on your Christmas shopping.  We will have books, gifts, toys, Bibles and more. I look forward to helping my wife and for some time away together.  We enjoy conversations in the car. There will not be any posts on the blog for the next few days.

Today, you have a great opportunity to meet Holley Gerth at Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.  Holley is an author of many books written for women.  I admit that I enjoy reading her thoughts on my wife's perpetual calendar in the bathroom.  Truth is truth-whether it is written for men or women.  Below you will find two days that I recently posted on social media because of their great truth.  Don't miss out on this great chance to meet, Holley Gerth today at Faith and Life from 3-4 p.m.!

We are finishing up our series on Jesus Is ______ by Judah Smith this weekend.  I have enjoyed our discussions on who Jesus is which better equips us to worship Him.  Our next series is based on the book One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian.  We will be focusing on how understanding God's One Way Love frees us up to serve God and others.  If you have not read the book, it is excellent for many reasons but especially the explanation of grace and law.  Pick it up at your local Christian bookstore.  As you know, I recommend Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.

I am continuing my reading of Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  He will be at Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton, KS on October 12 from 1-2 p.m. signing Hidden in Christ. Here are thoughts from his devotion on desires: Desires expand when we give them a place in our lives that they do not deserve. Many of our sins are the result of disordered natural desires. Desire becomes sin when it moves from being something we enjoy to something we seek as our main desire. But when God is not the center of what we do, then we must fill that void with something, and when we do, we find that the desire is insatiable. As we express our longing for God, God meets us, and our heart finds what it is looking for. All of our other desires are consequently transformed. They are seen for what they are (things to be enjoyed), not invested in for what they are not (things to find our ultimate meaning in). Desires are not bad. It is only when we try to fill a void that ...

This weekend I am sharing two books as recommendations about our identity in Christ with my Sunday School class.  They are Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith & Who Do You Think You Are? by Mark Driscoll. I encourage you to purchase them at your local Christian bookstore.  For those in the Hesston area, you can wait until James Bryan Smith has a book signing at Faith & Life Bookstore on October 12th from 1-2 p.m..

This Saturday, December 1st, from 10 a.m.-noon, you can get this book signed by the author, Jared Burkholder, at Faith & Life Bookstore in Newton, KS. With the upcoming book signing and because Jared lives in Hesston, I wanted to give a quick review of his book prior to beginning of Advent. Jared writes, "In particular, I pray that this book will help parents meaningfully discuss the Christmas story with their children of all ages and develop in them critical thinking skills." The first part of the book includes short chapters which tell the Christmas story in chronological order. These chapters could easily be read during a time of family devotions during the Advent season. One of my favorite parts of the book is at the end of each chapter. Burkholder includes "a gift" such as submission, protection, family, life, praise, etc. which includes a question related to it. It is then followed with an active way to share that gift including a Scripture. But B...

Yes, I spent my vacation this week in Nebraska.  I was pleased that it was not as cold as it has been the past few years.  Why did I spend 4 days in Nebraska?  My wife is manager of Faith & Life Bookstore in Newton, KS and we did books tables in Beatrice & Henderson.  My job was to load & unload books & gifts and to be the cashier.  It was fun! This was work for Bethany, but for me it was a great vacation in many ways.  No, I was not on the beach or someplace warm, but I was with Bethany 24 hours a day.  It was a blessing! We talked about a lot of things and just spent time together.  We enjoyed romantic meals at Runza, Applebee's, Chipotle, & Wendy's. Hey, don't judge! We experienced an interesting hotel that was struggling to reach 1 star status.  We spent evenings watching TV & laughing together. I also was able to get some reading done for MB study conference in January. It was also a joy to see my wife in acti...

Yesterday, I wrote a post about looking for ideas for families to do during Lent.  I am going to be trying a few things, but do not have definite plans yet.  However, as I thought about what I might do for Lent, I thought about a few ideas to share with you.  This is a great time to begin a new "habit" to help you grow in your relationship with God.  Here are a few suggestions for you during the next 40 days: You Version (on android or Apple devices) has several reading plans for Lent.  I am currently doing one suggested by Pastor Brad.  It is called 40 Days of Lent. Fasting--Have you considered giving up food, TV, facebook, etc. during the next 40 days?  Maybe you should start small and pick one day and fast from your choice. Spiritual Disciplines-There are many great books on the Spiritual Disciplines.  You could choose silence, solitude, meditation, etc. to try during Lent.  I would encourage you to pick up Good and Beautiful God by...

Can someone tell me why whenever I visit Nebraska it is freezing cold?  Despite the cold, it was a great two days away with my wife.  Bethany and I drove to Henderson, Nebraska on Sunday to set up for a book table at Bethesda Mennonite Church.  Faith & Life Bookstore, where Bethany is manager, has hosted a book table at this church for many years.  This was our second year to go.  I enjoy getting to see Bethany in action as a manager.  She has great ideas and does a great job helping customers.  It was also a great treat to get away without the kids.  We are so thankful to have parents who help so graciously watch our kids when we are away.  We spent most of each day at the book table just reading and talking.  It was fun just to be together.  Then each evening we were able to go out and eat and have conversation without interruption (except for the loud group sitting next to us at Applebee's).  It was fun to get away f...

Today, I enjoyed some great food at Faith & Life Bookstore for Pastor Appreciation Month.  Way to go, Bethany!  It was fun to talk with some Newton pastors that we bumped into while eating.  And of course, a coupon is always a great addition. After eating, Brad and I stayed at the bookstore to discuss a book we are reading as a staff.  It is The Legacy Path by Brian Haynes.  I have written a review of the book and highly recommend it to pastors and parents.  We are only in Chapter 2 and we cannot ever finish a chapter as it is so full of great thoughts and ideas.  Today, our discussion was on abiding.  We had a great conversation about what this means and what it looks like and how to share it with others. Haynes asks this question, "How do you currently abide in Christ?"  How would you respond?  I look forward to our discussion of that question when our Discipleship Ministries Committee meets next Tuesday. Yesterday, I was at t...

Have you signed up to join us for Date Night Hesston ? You might wonder what I am talking about. Date Night Hesston is Saturday, October 1st. This is open to couples in the Hesston area of any age. The purpose of Date Night Hesston is to encourage couples to go out together and strengthen relationships. The best part of it--it is inexpensive and already planned for you. Guys, this is a win-win situation for you. The theme for this first Date Night Hesston is Buy One, Get One Free. By paying $10, you will get two movie tickets to the 6:50 showing of Courageous at Warren West Theater. Also included is buy one, get one free coupons to Twisted Cow, Lincoln Perk, and Faith & Life Bookstore. I have even included email addresses to a few of our college students that provide child care on Sunday nights at the church that are available to watch the kids. So, what are you waiting for? Contact me via facebook , email, or call 327-2847 to get signed up. Thanks to these great busin...

As you may know, I had the great opportunity to attend the International Christian Retail Show in Atlanta with my wife a few weeks ago. We had a blast! She learned a lot and was energized with some new ideas for Faith & Life Bookstore http://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-Life-Bookstore/401215141978 in Newton. By the way, stop by this week for some of her downpour deals of the day. As I walked around the show, two developments (I am not going to call them trends because I hope they last longer than a trend) seemed to emerge. The first (which has been building recently) is a call for fathers to lead their homes spiritually. This is not just being a good dad by providing and protecting, but teaching your children about God in the home. This is probably fueled by the release of Courageous on Sept. 30 th . Courageous is a great movie (I've seen it twice now) about fatherhood and faith. It has a great balance of humor, action, and drama. But connected to Courageous are sever...