Wow. Way less sarcasm or complaining than normal. Even my family has noticed. Piper commented that I seemed more apt to just do something while we went camping that I normally wouldn’t enjoy without any griping or complaining for the sake of the kids and her. We shot a b.b. gun waaaaay longer than I normally would have. Corbin was having a blast doing it.  Thank you, Jesus.

Ephesians 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

What would it look like if I ONLY spoke words of gratitude the Sunday through Saturday (one week) of Thanksgiving. If I went so far as to look at a pile of laundered clothes that awaits my folding and putting up, a job I normally hate, and instead think and speak out loud, “God, thank you for these clothes, for providing covering.”  When my kids are arguing with one another, “God thank you that they have voices that work and you are shaping them towards independence of Piper and me, give them reliance on you.”  If every time next week I see a person, I tell them why I am thankful to God they are in my life.

What would that week look like and feel like. I am going to try my best. I will post my successes (by God’s grace) and failures (by my own flesh) next week as time allows.

Care to join me?

If I bought only one series of New Testament commentaries, I would buy NICNT series. However, I recommend buying individual commentaries based upon author. I would also buy Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology book as a primary reference work. Please note that some of the commentaries below are Greek based, but you can follow them without knowing Greek.

• Matthew—Expositors Bible Commentary D.A. Carson includes Mark(Wessel) Luke Liefeld
• Mark—New American Commentary James Brooks
• Luke –
• John – New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) series The Gospel According To John** Leon Morris | NIV Application Gary M. Burge** (This particular one is greatness for setting context. Do not discount it simply because it is in a “lay series.”)
• Acts—The Acts of the Apostles A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary Ben Witherington III
• Romans—The Epistle to the Romans (not part of series) John Murray; Romans 1-8 Wycliffe New Testament Series Moo;
• I Corinthians– NICNT Gordon Fee**
• II Corinthians–
• Galatians–
• Ephesians– Pillar New Testament Commentary O’Brien; Ephesians Harold W. Hoehner, NIV Application Klyne Snodgrass
• Philippians– NIGCT, Peter. T O’Brien**
• Colossians–
• I Thessalonians— NICNT, Leon Morris
• II Thessalonians— NICNT, Leon Morris (1 and 2 Epistles in one commentary)
• I Timothy—The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary George Knight III
• II Timothy— The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary George Knight III
• Titus— The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary George Knight III
• Philemon—
• Hebrews—Tyndale New Testament Commentary, Guthrie
• James—
• I Peter-Tyndale New Testament Commentary, Wayne Grudem**
• II Peter
• I John –Anchor Bible Commentary, Raymond Brown.
• II John– Anchor Bible Commentary, Raymond Brown.
• III John– Anchor Bible Commentary, Raymond Brown.
• Jude—
• Revelation—NIGTC, G.K. Beale | Tyndale New Testament Commentary, Leon Morris

I have commentaries on the other books, but haven’t spent enough time working through the whole commentary, only using it for certain passages,  to give it value to make my fave list.

Here are pre-done breakouts of Ephesians 1, 2 and 3 for you to type your own life obedience notes on. Slowly read the text and see the main points and what modifies it. Ask God to speak to you and illuminate the Word to the context of your life. (As you get the hang of this, begin to do your own breakouts to make you slow down and wrestle with the text). If you want to print these keep in mind they are on legal sized paper.

ephesians-1-wj-blank
ephesians-2-wj-blank
ephesians-3-wj-blank

I’ll post up my completed ones next week and you can link to yours in the comment section. Just leave the hyperlink and I’ll covert it when I approve comments.

For the record, Microsoft is using one of the goofiest ideas ever to try to build buzz about their Windows 7  launch. You host a launch party in your house and become a Windows 7 evangelist. As I watched this, it had the strange undertones of some church evangelism strategies I have seen….creepy. Consider the parallels.

Chris said to invite him and he’ll bring his mac over…ha. [video via --Bobby Vaughn's facebook]

Recently began going through Ephesians with my men’s accountatiblity group. Some people ask me how I study for a message and/or read God’s Word for my personal worship times. Several elements are the same. The foundational piece is a breakout of the chapter (especially in non-narrative passages). This allows me to see the main points and reinforcing points. You don’t need to know Greek or Hebrew (though it can help), just outline a more literal translation (ESV or NASB). Use the tab key to push over modifying statements where they start under the phrase they modify.

Using this method:

1. Forces you to slow down and reflect on each phrase of a passage and wrestle with where it sits in relation to other phrases.

2. Shows you the main points of a passage.

3. Allows you to mark purpose/end result statements (arrow). Often these are “so that…” or “in order that.”

The rest of the week I tend to alternate between reading this document and making notes on the page about what God is saying and the regular paragraph layout in my ESV Bible. It is amazing what new things I am able to to see using this method.

Perfect illustration of Hebrews 11….Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen(such as a coming second marshmallow). Defer temporal shallow satisfaction for deeper eternal joys.

It does not matter how small the sins provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light & out into nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards do the trick.

Indeed the safest role to Hell is the gradual one–the gentle , slope underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

CS Lewis’ SCREWTAPE, a demon writing his nephew apprentice on how to throw his new Christian assigned to him off track

“Lamentation is the highest form of praise that exists on earth. It is unique to earth. Heaven cannot copy it because there are no tears or sorrow in Heaven. Lamentation allows us to do something that Heaven cannot…worship the Lord when we are in a place of utmost distress.
Lamentation carries with it a “though” and a “yet” [Habakkuk 3:17-19; Job 13:15]. “Though” we are in a place of critical distress, where we are burdened and saddened beyond our strength to bear…”yet”, we will exult in the Lord.”

via a quote passed on to me by Bobby Vaughn-original author unknown (tell me if you know)

In the Thomas Watson Doctrine of Repentance book he makes the quote…

Any jailer is a fool who upon reacquiring a prisoner does not place him in stronger shackles to prevent future escape.

So it is with us when we repent and then willfully walk back to drink up our vomit.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly Proverbs 2:1

^{Luke 11:24}“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Song cannot bring the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit invariably brings song.

A.W. Tozer God’s Pursuit of Man

Earth is so thick with divine possibility that it’s a wonder we can walk anywhere without cracking our shins on altars.
Barbara Brown Taylor

God, give me the perspective to see this way today.

[via my friend John Henson's facebook status]

Bob, our lead pastor, has a great post on missional fellowship. A very profound comment was left there by Benjamin.

Yes mission is the organizing principle. I have always thought about it like this:

If we pursue friendship we can miss out on discipleship.
But if we pursue discipleship we will end up with the best kind of friendship.

If we pursue community we can miss out on a cause.
But if we pursue a cause we will end up with the best kind of community (cause-driven community).

If we pursue church we can miss out on Jesus.
But if we pursue Jesus we will end up with the best kind of church.