99 Balloons

Evidence of God’s grace: these parents can be joyful even in the midst of this kind of suffering.

99 Balloons from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

[HT: JT]

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Dating God

Okay, so the title was a cheap way to get all two of your guys’ attention. But Tim Challies has two very helpful blog posts in which he gives us a clearer perspective on what it means to have a relationship with God. Too often times, we see our relationship with God as so different than our human relationships. And Challies rightly corrects this misconception. Here’s an excerpt from one of the posts:

…what if we are missing the point? What if the point of devotions is less about learning about God and more about spending time with God? What if it’s less about Bible study and more about building relational intimacy? What would change about our devotions if instead of trying to learn about God, we focused instead on spending time with God, time spent hearing from him through his Word and speaking to him through prayer? If this is the case it doesn’t much matter what we remember at the end of it because the joy has been in the moment, the value has been in the time spent together. The joy of dating isn’t in the aftermath but in the moment. And I think the same can be true with our devotions.

Then in part two of this series, he gives some helpful, practical tips at how to go about pursuing this relationship with God.

1. We spend time
2. We tell stories
3. We ask questions

Again, click here (part 1) and here (part 2) to read the rest.

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Another Amazing Video About Missions

Yesterday, I posted this video of Jeff Vanderstelt explaining what God is doing through him and Soma Communities up in Tacoma, Washington. I came across another video, as well, in which these two college students are on mission where God put them in Austin, Texas.

I thank God for these videos, and more importantly, these communities that are putting on display a new vision of what missions is supposed to be.

The Austin Stone Community Church – Austin, TX from Verge Network on Vimeo.

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Something About This Is So Different… and Yet So Right

“One of the most powerful apologetics (defenses) of the Gospel is when a group of people love one another, live in unity together in the midst of a dark and depraved world…” – Jeff Vanderstelt

Soma Communities – Tacoma, WA from Verge Network on Vimeo.

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Spurgeon on Doubts

It would seem that in some mysterious work of God’s providence, spiritual doubt is plaguing many brothers and sisters in Christ. Lest we fall into the temptation to think that spiritual doubt is somehow a temptation that “real Christians” never experience (and therefore don’t feel the need to show grace to those who doubt), hear the words of Jude: “Be merciful to those who doubt” (Jude 22).

I recently listened to this sermon by C.J. Mahaney entitled, “When Someone Doubts.” I would suggest that anybody who is doubting or knows anybody who is doubting listen to this sermon. In it, Mahaney referenced the following quote from Charles Spurgeon on the issue of doubt. I pray that this will provide some comfort to those who may be struggling with this particular temptation.

It seems as if doubt were doomed to be the perpetual companion of faith. As dust attends the chariotwheels so do doubts naturally becloud faith. Some men of little faith are perpetually enshrouded with fears; their faith seems only strong enough to enable them to doubt. If they had no faith at all, then they would not doubt, but having that little, and but so little, they are perpetually involved in distressing surmises, suspicions, and fears. Others, who have attained to great strength and stability of faith, are nevertheless, at times, subjects of doubt. He who has a colossal faith will sometimes find that the clouds of fear float over the brow of his confidence. It is not possible, I suppose, so long as man is in this world, that he should be perfect in anything; and surely it seems to be quite impossible that he should be perfect in faith. Sometimes, indeed, the Lord purposely leaves his children, withdraws the divine inflowings of his grace, and permits them to begin to sink, in order that they may understand that faith is not their own work, but is at first the gift of God, and must always be maintained and kept alive in the heart by the fresh influence of the Holy Spirit.

You can read the entire sermon here.

“We are not saved by the strength of our faith, but the object of our faith.” – Tim Keller

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