Monday, November 12, 2012

Loving and Leading your wife…


Hello Husbands,

It can be difficult to keep up with all of the demands on our lives. But if you’re married, and especially if you’re married with children you definitely need to keep your wife at the top of your priority list. As men, we can usually push through the wall of business easier than our wives, and unfortunately forget that they are doing their best to stay at our sides while covered with debris. If we forget to love them in the midst of leading them they can begin to feel like just another thing that we manage and their emotional fuel gauges eventually hit empty.
Leading and loving our wives means WE take the responsibility to carve out time for us to hear from them. We need to protect them from the demands on their lives by lovingly checking in and making sure that they are saying no to things they need to say no to. We to check in and acknowledge and affirm all that they are doing in the home alone while we’re at work with co-workers to relate to and lean on. Here are five great questions that Pastor, Perry Noble, recommends we ask our wives during the time we have carved out to connect with and listen to them.

1.       What is the most romantic thing I have ever done for you?
2.       What is something fun we can do together?
3.       What is one thing I can do this week that will relieve stress from your life?
4.       How can I pray for you?
5.       If you could change one thing about our marriage, what would it be?

Together in the battle,

Pastor Mac 

Thursday, November 8, 2012

A Long Obedience… In the Same Direction


                Pastor and professor, Eugene Peterson, has a book by the same title. As much as my Body was built for speed (at least I tell myself that) over short distances rather than endurance over long distances, the Christian life is certainly a marathon. Our senior pastor, Troy Dobbs, recently shared at one of our men’s classes on the process of salvation, and it reminded me of the need to be training our minds on what we believe. He referenced Hebrews 2:3, “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation…” A great salvation indeed, but do I truly appreciate what God has done because I am growing to understand it better, or simply because I have my get out of hell free card?
                As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I like to reflect on how I’m doing in three areas of my spiritual walk; the head, the heart, and the hands. My heart, in the sense that I know I need to acknowledge my brokenness daily and allow God to continue to transform my will to his. But the head is different and critical to transforming my heart. If I’m not gaining in knowledge and understanding of what God has done for me and what I as a Christian believe, then my heart is more likely to remain stagnant as well.  
                But as I read theology (I recommend Reform Theology), attend seminars, conferences, or men’s classes I challenge my head, which in turn informs my heart. You can look at it as going on the offensive of taking every thought captive by giving your mind great truths of the faith to think and reflect on. For those who find it a challenge to read, there are great pod-casts and audio books on great theology. Use these to expand and deepen your understanding of what God through his Son Jesus Christ has done for you.
                As you do this, you will not only find yourself being more devoted to this God of love, grace, and mercy, but also wanting to put your hands to work in advancing the kingdom. We need men to man up and willing to get their hands dirty for the cause of Christ. Ironically, a great understanding of the core tenets of the Faith offers great motivation to put our hands to work. When men have all three, the head, the heart, and hands active in following and serving God, the long obedience doesn’t seem quite so long. Blessings to you with staying in the same direction of the call God has on your life.

Recommended authors
                John Piper
                Mark Driscoll
                R.C. Sproul

Recommended websites
                theresurgence.com
                nicenecouncil.com

For the Cause,

Pastor Mac