daddy4ms

For the rest of 2018, I will be sharing books I recommend because they are some of my favorites.  New Book Friday will resume in January. Enjoy!

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. In the darkest moment, when you can’t see anything, look up and see the bright stars of God’s promises. Christ is with you now. (Jack Miller) Jesus came into the world to save people from their sins and to be their King. # thegospelprojectkids # hesstonmb # JesusasKing Jesus' name meant "God with us". His last words were, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age". We never need to doubt His nearness or fear He has abandoned us. @Thejesslou No matter what you are facing today. Be reminded, by these words from Augustine, that God’s power is greater. “For Thy omnipotency is not far from us, even when we be far from Thee.” (Augustine’s Confessions 2.2) The invitation goes out from our great King Jesus: “Come to me. No ma...

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. I want to see more broken people come to Jesus.  Let's not get upset about things that don't matter.  Stop fussing. Let's work together. @don_missionUSA @usmbchurches At a church where the goal is to be better and better, the comparison game is strong. When the goal is for Jesus to be clearer and clearer, real change can happen. @JeremyG220 The Gospel isn’t an after thought or a tidy way to tie up a sermon. It’s life. It’s balm. It’s healing. It’s everything. @Thejesslou Despite what most people assume, the greatest commandment is not the standard of Christianity. Jesus Christ is. The gospel is “my commandment.” I am righteous before God because of what someone else has done.  @Byronyawn Repentance is not a work that we perform, but ...

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.  Jesus as an example is law. Jesus living, dying, rising for us & saving sinners is gospel. @WhiteHorseInn The babe in the manger is a stark reminder that in Christian faith, we don't meet God half way - He came all the way. Grace. Alone. #Advent @pauldunk Hope in the here and now and hope in the great forever that is to come rests on one set of shoulders. It rests on the Almighty shoulders of Jesus, who is for you today the Way, the Truth, and the Life. @PaulTripp How is grace tied to obedience? Only people who are confident in God's love and acceptance of them are willing to unreservedly pray, "Thy will be done." Grace makes us trust. Trust helps us obey. @ElyseFitz Jesus' name meant "God with us". His last words...

Here is a list of my favorite authors of 2017: Rankin Wilbourne  Steve Brown Jared C Wilson Elyse Fitzpatrick  Scott Sauls Sinclair Ferguson Paul Tripp Michael Horton Jeff Vanderstelt  Jessica Thompson

If you live in the Hesston area, join us tonight from 6-8 p.m. at Hesston MB Church (610 W. Randall) for an Evening With Elyse Fitzpatrick.  Elyse will speak twice and there will be snacks and opportunities to purchase Elyse and Jessica's books as well as get them signed.  Hope to see you there! For more information about Elyse or the event, go 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.  We aren't defined by what we do for a living or with our day. We are defined by what Christ has done for us. @TheJesslou  The Gospel is karma's worst nightmare: we get the exact opposite of what we deserve. @birdchadlouis God loves you NOT to the degree that you are LIKE Christ, but to the degree that you are IN Christ. And that's 100% - Rankin Wilbourne via @scottsauls Grace is a pool where elephants can swim and children can play. Grace isn't just a doctrine; it's a 24–7 context for living. @DrSteveWBrown the point of scripture isn't to instill more confidence in ourselves, but to strengthen our confidence in Christ & His finished work for us @RelevantChris My preaching aim? To exalt Christ so much & hold out his g...

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.  Do you know why there are 1000 new self-help books every year? It's bc they don't work. We keep looking for answer within us @jaredcwilson The Law cannot save, sustain, or sanctify you. Only the gospel can. @jonmoffitt Maturing as a Christian means that you feel your need for Christ more desperately than you did the day before. @thejesslou don't forget that in Jesus, you are highly esteemed. Don't forget that in Jesus, with you the father is well pleased. @scottsauls this writer had done what too many of our disciplers do. He turned gospel into law; he took news and turned it into advice. @jaredcwilson We have turned incarnation into a once-a-year precious moment, parables into moralistic fables, miracles into production values @jare...

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.  From the way you talk about your faith, do people get the impression that Jesus is great, or that you are? @jaredcwilson  The only real comfort from and silencer of shame is what the King of Creation says about me. @ScottyWardSmith Jesus died for your sins...including your cold & distant heart towards Him. We need grace to bring us home, not law. Unconditional grace! @jonmoffitt What draws people to Christ aren't your multitudinous rules & straitlaced life but the 1 way love of Jesus who loves to save/welcome sinners @DrSteveWBrown None of our efforts at obedience or morality can make us more saved, holy, or fit for Heaven, or complete than we already are in Christ.-OW @thejesslou Sanctification is God's work. He changes us as ...

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.  Confidence in the gospel produces self-forgetfulness. Hope is only found when people forget about themselves. @bradjoegray The essence of the Christian message is not "Behave!" but "Behold!" @jaredcwilson The Father's lavish love makes us His kids. The Son's sacrificial love makes us holy. The Spirit's pursuing love makes us remember. @Thejesslou Why act like you're a grace graduate when every single day, you continue to depend on God's patience, forgiveness, wisdom and power? @PaulTripp If you don't get justification, you will always run from God rather than toward Him. God justifies sinners. @MattChandler74 We are saved by our Redeemer, not our reform. We trust in Christ's perfection, not our progres...

It's that time of year again!  I have shared all of my new books through my weekly posts, New Book Friday.  Now, it's time to share my favorite books over the next several months.  They are in no particular order, but they have shaped my understanding of who God is and who I am which impacts my head, heart, and hands.  I would highly recommend you checking out these books.

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. To apply Old Testament curses to the Christian is to deny him New Testament blessings of Christ. @ZackJamesCole   We never go to God on the basis of our own good works and we should never stay away on the basis of our bad works. @thejesslou If we think we are still under God's curse because of our sin, we will inevitably be driven to serve God out of servile fear rather than grateful & joyful obedience. #sacredbond   The Church should be giving the gospel, not five steps to a successful life. @MisterChadWest The message of the church is not Behave but ...

Today's New Book Friday has been shared previously.  However, I am using the book in a class I am teaching beginning this Sunday.  This is a great book on relationships because it is not like any other relationship book you have read.  Thompson does a great job of focusing on the "DONE" prior to the "DO".

This is a new feature on the blog.  Usually on Mondays, I get caught up on my favorite podcasts.  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. " We will know them by their fruit.." looks less like your fruit of your moralistic effort..and more like the fruit of the Spirit...@ShaunShahan  When we read the Bible, observe the faithfulness of God toward sinners instead of finding tips to help our feeble attempts at faithfulness. @jonmoffitt  We can go to God in prayer because it's a throne of grace not a throne of good works, because His character is good not because ours is. @Thejesslou Grace "alone" is good news. You didn't contribute to God's 1st act of creating you or His 2nd act of recreating you. He has...

I recently finished reading Everyday Grace by Jessica Thompson. The adult class I teach will be going through the book in the Spring of 2016.  Below are some thoughts on church, work, and those difficult people in our lives from Thompson: The truth of our belovedness is what sanctifies. The truth of the wonderful story of redemption is what sanctifies...In your struggle against sin, in your struggle to be a more "sanctified Christian," remember the truth of God's love for you in Christ...Our sanctification is completely about him and his work in our lives, his completed work, his ongoing work. Instead of fixing each other's broken parts, what if we started bearing with each other's broken parts?  So we are humble with one another, not thinking we are better than others. We are gentle with each other, instead of beating each other over the head with a long list of "you-should." A. W. Tozier writes, "one of the greatest hindrances to internal...

I am thoroughly enjoying Everyday Grace by Jessica Thompson.  It is a great book on relationships that focuses on the gospel rather than "how to fix" things.  Here are some quotes from her chapter on marriage: And yet, the truth is that I am aware of God's unmatched love for me, of his good and plentiful gifts, and yet every day I run after other loves. Wrath is what you and I deserve...In fact he did have legitimate wrath that needed to be poured out on somebody. Praise him for sending his only Son to bear that wrath on our behalf so that we might forever know his love. Women are not sanctified by what their husbands do or don't do... Men and women are sanctified by believing the gospel. We are made holy by what Jesus did for us, by how he has loved his church.  We are made lovely by his love. Marriage is not one-size-fits-all. Each marriage is unique as each person sins uniquely and has unique strengths. Unrealistic expectations kill grace. The c...

How does Jesus as a friend impact our relationships?  Jessica Thompson in Everyday Grace has some thoughts.  Here are a few chapters from her chapter on friendship: God doesn't feel obligated to be our friend; it is his joy to be in relationship with us. This obedience is not what makes them friends; it is what characterizes his friends...If we are true believers of Christ, we will obey. His love for us is what engenders a heart of obedience. Being obedient will obviously lead to a better life for us. God has given us rules for living so we can know how to enjoy him and life the most. Relationship with God is the ultimate goal of Christianity. There is one Messiah, and you and I are not him, and we shouldn't expect our friends to be our Messiah either.  Beloved friends of Christ, may we never forget that all of the love and acceptance we look for in each other can be found only in the arms of Christ.         

Jessica Thompson's chapter on "God Our Father" in Everyday Grace is so good.  She reminds us about God as Father to us as how that should affect our parenting.  There are so many good things, but I will just share a few.  Pick up a copy for yourself.  Those on whom God has set his love are no longer children of wrath, but have been brought into God's family and are now referred to as "children of God". J.I. Packer writes, "To be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the father is greater. God is a good father who loves blessing his children...He is a good father who gives good gifts, always...He loves each of us as he loves Jesus. The biblical definition of discipline, however, has no negative connotations at all. As a matter of fact, whenever God talks about disciplining his children, it is always in the context of love and delight. We confuse God's wrath for his enemies and his discipline of his ...

I am currently reading Everyday Grace by Jessica Thompson.  She is also the author of Give Them Grace and a family devotion called Exploring Grace Together. She has so many good things to say in Chapter 3 that my book is full of green highlighter.  Here are a few quotes to think about: We have too high a view of our ability to do things right if we just have the right instructions...we also have too low a view of God and his love for us. In our laser-like attention to the doing, we forget what has been done. We can get so caught up in the doing that we forget about the people we are supposed to love. Here is another reason I think most relationship books are off: They focus on the doing. As you taste (Psalm 34:8) this multifaceted relationship with God, it will transform all of your other relationships. There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to relationships. The whole Bible is written in such a way that in most verses we see the done before we see...

I am continuing to read Everyday Grace by Jessica Thompson.  It is a good book on how grace affects all of our relationships.  Here are some quotes from Chapter 2: God's grace comes crashing into the darkness of deception and blame-shifting. Instead of only giving judgment for their sin, he gives hope of redemption. This hope of redemption is the only hope we have in relationships. Either way, when we are doing well or doing badly, we are focused on ourselves. This inward focus will be the very thing that keeps us from the end goal of having a healthy, thriving, God-glorifying relationship. Owning our own mess will make us gracious toward everybody else who is a mess also...We won't withhold forgiveness, because we will see how much we have been forgiven. God does not wink at sin. He takes our sin very seriously, to the point of demanding that blood be shed to pay for our sin...God demands complete perfection, a complete fulfilling of the Law. He doesn't ask...