J.R. Miller - We Should Learn a Lesson from the old Heathen Artist

J.R. Miller - We Should Learn a Lesson from the old Heathen Artist

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly.

J.R. Miller playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2085C7193D4C2AAE

A Treasury of Ageless,
Sovereign Grace,
Devotional Writings http://www.gracegems.org/

James Russell Miller was born on March 20, 1840 at Frankfort Springs, Pennsylvania and died on July 2, 1912. Besides authoring over 80 books, booklets, and pamphlets, Dr. J.R. Miller was the Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and a very active pastor in a succession of churches.

The crucible of J.R. Miller's education was his service with the United States Christian Commission, an agency set up to minister to the troops, during the civil war. When the war ended Miller completed his theological studies and was ordained and installed on September 11, 1867. On June 22, 1870, when he was thirty, he married Miss Louise E. King.

The end of life on earth came without warning on the afternoon of July 2, 1912. JR's wife, Louise Miller, and their only daughter, Mary Wanamaker Miller (Mrs. W.B. Mount), were present, but it was impossible to summon the sons — William King Miller and Russell King Miller. One moment Dr. Miller seemed to be resting quietly; the next he was at rest.

JR Miller DD was one of the best selling Christian authors of his era. Rev. Miller's books had a total circulation of over two million copies during his lifetime and in 1911 the Presbyterian Board of Publication, under his direction, published over 66 million copies of its periodicals.

J.R. Miller - Our Words and Deeds are Irrevocable

J.R. Miller playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2085C7193D4C2AAE

James Russell Miller was born on March 20, 1840 at Frankfort Springs, Pennsylvania and died on July 2, 1912. Besides authoring over 80 books, booklets, and pamphlets, Dr. J.R. Miller was the Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and a very active pastor in a succession of churches.

The crucible of J.R. Miller's education was his service with the United States Christian Commission, an agency set up to minister to the troops, during the civil war. When the war ended Miller completed his theological studies and was ordained and installed on September 11, 1867. On June 22, 1870, when he was thirty, he married Miss Louise E. King.

The end of life on earth came without warning on the afternoon of July 2, 1912. JR's wife, Louise Miller, and their only daughter, Mary Wanamaker Miller (Mrs. W.B. Mount), were present, but it was impossible to summon the sons — William King Miller and Russell King Miller. One moment Dr. Miller seemed to be resting quietly; the next he was at rest.

JR Miller DD was one of the best selling Christian authors of his era. Rev. Miller's books had a total circulation of over two million copies during his lifetime and in 1911 the Presbyterian Board of Publication, under his direction, published over 66 million copies of its periodicals.

J.R. Miller - Our Words and Deeds are Irrevocable

Tough Questions

From Wayne @ http://acts18910.blogspot.com

Stephen Altrogge reminds us that "godly friends help each other see their sin accurately by asking tough questions." The tough questions we should ask each other include:

• Have you had any conflicts with your wife lately?
• Have you been diligent in your pursuit of the Lord?
• What has been your biggest struggle lately?

In a follow-up post he shares another 7 Tough Questions To Ask Your Friends:

• Have you been consistently pursuing the Lord through scripture reading and prayer?
• Have you diligently pursued your wife/husband this week?
• Have you seen any persistent patterns of sin in your life recently?
• Last week you confessed struggling with [insert sin]. Have you taken steps to fight it this week?
• When you gave into [insert sin], what were you believing about God in that moment? What were you believing about yourself?
• What is the truth that you need to believe in this situation?
• When you had the conflict with [insert person], what were you craving at that moment?

Last week, Nicole Whitacre at Girl Talk also posted a list of Fellowship Questions. With a little tweaking (especially on the last one!), these questions could be used by men:

• Describe your current practice of the spiritual disciplines.
• What is a passage of Scripture you have been meditating on recently?
• What fruit of the Spirit are you cultivating?
• What sin are you seeking to weaken?
• How can I pray for you?
• Here is an evidence of grace that I observe in your life.
• How are you seeking to grow in expressing biblical femininity?

Need Accountability?

Piper's Pastoral Accountability

By: Abraham @ http://www.desiringgod.org

Hearts can harden fast. The writer of Hebrews drives this point home: "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (3:13).

So for pastors—and for all of us—yearly or quarterly or perhaps even monthly accountability is dangerously rare. The hardness that creates "an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God" (Heb. 3:12) can happen in a day.

John Piper and the other pastors of Bethlehem Baptist Church know this, and so, among their other strategies for sanctification, they hold each other accountable with a simple questionnaire (PDF) that they each fill out weekly. It addresses issues from days off to diet, personal devotions to pornography.

They would all agree that filling out the form is not what matters; what's important is the heart behind it—the desire to be pure and holy.

I think they would also all agree, however, that committing to answer these simple and straightforward questions each week is an invaluable tool in the fight of faith.

Q&A - Can I Learn to Love Evaluation?

From Bob Kauflin @ http://worshipmatters.com/

Aaron left this question on a recent post:

I've found it difficult at times to be in a mindset that is ready to accept encouragement and critique after a "big event." I realize that a large part of this is my own pride and desire for everyone to like what happened and move on. However, I am often so drained and spent after an endeavor like a conference or a Christmas musical that I don't even want to think about it anymore. Is this a symptom of focusing on the event more than Christ? Is there a way to get through the "big events" in church life without losing your focus on Christ and still be excited about your job after the event is over?

I smiled when I read this because I've experienced what Aaron is talking about so many times. For years, I've had the privilege of working with senior pastors who recognize and appreciate the value of review and evaluation. Each year as we return to a similar event, they pull out their notes from last year and make improvements.

I've usually only had problems with this approach when I've played a major role in the planning or execution of an event. Then, surprisingly, it becomes all about ME. Here are some thoughts I've found helpful in learning to love the evaluation process.

1. Start by thanking God for all the ways he DID work.
I can't always control when people give me evaluation, but it's always a good idea to begin with drawing attention to the way God blessed the service. Take time at the start of any evaluation to highlight specific ways people were encouraged, things went well, and the name of Jesus was exalted. “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds”(Psa. 9:1).

2. Look for ways God has worked through others.
When I'm actively looking for evidences of grace in other people, I have less time to be concerned about myself. Rather than waiting around for others to tell me what a great job I did, I aggressively look for others to thank and encourage for their contribution. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”(Phil. 2:4).

3. Cultivate a heart to serve and bless, rather than wow and impress.
My response to evaluation often reveals my motive. If I want people to say "This is the most incredible service we've ever had!" then I'll fear, ignore, or reject any comment that suggests it wasn't. If I want people to see Christ more clearly and love him more deeply, I'll want to hear any comments that would help me do that more effectively. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1Pet. 4:10).

4. Make your own list of what could be better.
I've started taking my own mental notes during "big events" of ways things could be better, and I'll write them down as soon as I'm able. I've just seen the value of having notes I can refer to after a meeting. I'm probably like most people in that I quickly forget what went wrong, and end up making the same mistakes next time. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”(Prov. 21:5).

5. Be aggressive in seeking evaluation from others.
After most events in our church, the person in charge of the event typically sends out an e-mail to everyone on staff asking for their input and evaluation. You may want to be the one to bring it up at a follow-up meeting. Just ask, "Any thoughts on how the service/event could have been better?" It makes it much easier for people to suggest changes when they're asked. It takes humility, but isn't that what the Savior came to produce in us? Don't we want to be more like him? Won't it bring us joy to know that we're serving God's people more effectively? “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid”(Prov. 12:1).

6. Rejoice that Jesus makes our best and worst offerings acceptable to the Father.
Finally, remember that no matter how flawless the transitions, how in-tune the vocalists, or how impressive the arrangements, all of it is stained by our sin apart from the atoning work of our Savior. We'll never have the "perfect" meeting. All our offerings are made "acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).

Over the years, I've learned that the less I'm concerned about how I look and the more I'm concerned about how Jesus looks, the more I enjoy the process of leading a meeting or putting together a special event. If you're in a leadership role, I pray that you find God's grace more than sufficient to consistently seek ways to improve what you do, for the glory of God and the good of his church.