Farming Holiness

Jerry Bridges writes:

A farmer plows his field, sows the seed, and fertilizes and cultivates - all the while knowing that in the final analysis he is utterly dependent on forces outside of himself. He knows he cannot cause the seed to germinate, nor can he produce the rain and sunshine for growing and harvesting the crop. For a successful harvest, he is dependent on these things from God.

Yet the farmer knows that unless he diligently pursues his responsibilities to plow, plant, fertilize, and cultivate, he cannot expect a harvest at the end of the season. In a sense he is in a partnership with God, and he will reap its benefits only when he has fulfilled his own responsibilities.

Farming is a joint venture between God and the farmer. The farmer cannot do what God must do, and God will not do what the farmer should do.

We can say just as accurately that the pursuit of holiness is a joint venture between God and the Christian. No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his life, but just as surely no one will attain it without effort on his own part. God has made it possible for us to walk in holiness. But He has given to us the responsibility of doing the walking; He does not do that for us.

(from pp. 11-12 of the Preface to the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, copyright 1978, 1996, 2003)

Gateway Drugs to Sexual Addiction

I recently met a drug dealer. He's been dealing since he was 17 - he's now 32. He bragged about driving a kilo of coke from Chicago on his lap and how much he made off selling that kilo in halves and ounces.

And like most dealers, he couldn't help but experience his products. His preference? Shooting a cocktail of cocaine and alcohol directly into his veins. He OD'd on that and ended up in the hospital, which is where I met him.

But he didn't start with coke and alcohol mixtures. A little marijuana, some ecstasy, lots of drinking... and he eventually ends up where he is now in life. Some people would call these "gateway drugs".

A couple weeks ago I saw a fantastic blog post by Shellie Warren on the xxxchurch site about "gateway drugs" into sexual addiction. While I have never counseled someone with what I would call an outright sexual addiction, I have counseled MANY people struggling with many of the areas Shellie talks about in her post. I think Shellie makes some great points. She herself is a recovering sexual addict, and so she speaks from experience. It is well worth your time to read or even skim her article.

If you find co-workers, or TV programs, or magazine articles telling you it's okay to watch this, or look at that, or consume these visual items, or fantasize in a certain way, know that you are being tempted with gateway drugs. And if you are wise and don't want to end up OD'd (out by divorce) someday, then you'll steer clear and "keep the marriage bed pure", even if you are currently single.

And if you ARE already struggling with some of these "drugs", please come talk with me. In the words of the great theologian Red Green - "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together..."

Free Music

I'm not sure how they can make it free (legally), but I just learned about Pandora, a website that becomes your personal DJ. Just tell Pandora an artist or song you like, and it finds what you are looking for, as well as similar songs and artists.

By the way, I'm currently listening to David Crowder's "B Collision" (even though I already own it...).

A young adult living for Christ

My dad sent me an email several weeks ago with a link to the blog of a twentysomething from my hometown and church. In fact, I used to babysit Eric (pictured) when I was in Jr. High and he was a 3 year old brat! He was quite the little kid - full of spunk, full of words, and his brain never stopped working. It appears not much has changed. :o)

But as I read Eric's blog finally for the first time today, I was so impressed that Eric, while teaching English in Costa Rica, is living for Christ where he is. So if you have a bit of time, you might enjoy reading his long posts about the adventures he is having in beautiful Costa Rica and seeing Christ in his life in the midst of it all.

10 Ways to Hide Your Church

Personal News
It's been two weeks since I've blogged. The natural excuse is that I have been busy - which is quite true. But also, I felt like I needed to spend more of my time on the projects and people I need to than on reading and writing blogs during my day, so I've tried to discipine myself and use my time more wisely while in the office. I thought I'd be able to do some blogging in the evenings, but that hasn't happened (until tonight - which I probably shouldn't be doing even now since my in-laws are here to enjoy my girls' Spring Break). But it's not like I'm disappointing the masses by not blogging...

Personal Thoughts
I admit - I'm a church nerd. And if you are too (or have ever looked for a church to attend), then you'll like this blog post. I found it pretty funny (and inspiring).

Hiring for Ministry

As I posted a while back, I am currently leading our Campus Staff Search Committee looking for 2-4 staff who will raise their own funds to help us reach the main campus of Kirkwood. As we are currently in the middle of looking at resume's and conducting interviews (it's not too late to apply if you are interested!), this cartoon stood out to me. Too many ministries are looking for a warm body to fill their slots. While I hope the cartoon brings a smile to your face today, it has helped me remember that we aren't looking for just anyone, we are looking for the right ones. And I trust God to bring the right team to us!

My face is now on Facebook

Well, it's happened. I have officially joined Facebook. I would like to take this opportunity to blame Mark Forstrom and the Church Relevance blog for this life-altering event. I don't foresee myself spending tons of time on Facebook, but I think I'm going to enjoy keeping up with some people via this method.

If your face is also on Facebook, feel free to add me as a friend.

Scrub Away Porn

I've posted in the past about the free accountability software from xxxchurch.com called X3Watch designed to help guys (or gals) who strugglewith viewing pornography on their computers.

Thanks to the Swerve blog, I just learned about another free method called Scrub It. Because I can't use X3Watch on my home computer, I think I might try Scrub It on there.