Five things that have inspired and encouraged me this week:
1. BIBLE VERSE I'M MEMORIZING
7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT
I am meeting with a young man once a week for discipleship and relationship building. Last week we committed this verse to memory. Our focus is on the word "train" which is where we get our word "gymnasium" from. It was a word used of athletes training for a competition.
Paul tells Timothy to train himself to be godly. Often in my Christian life I have "tried" to be godly, but when I would fail (which I inevitably do), I would give up and give in. But "training" is not the same thing as "trying." When you train for something, you don't give up when you fail, you keep working at it, until you are equipped to be successful. My focus these days is training myself to follow Jesus, and when I stumble and fail, I don't give up, I get up and keep training. Memorizing this verse is part of the training that keeps me moving forward.
2. BOOK I'M READING
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
If you have been reading my "Five on Friday" for a while, you are probably picking up that I am a pretty eclectic reader. Most of the things I read are Christian books, often related to ministry or spiritual growth, but I don't limit myself to one genre of literature. I am trying to grow as a person, so I want to gain as much information as I can to help me.
I heard Rubin on a podcast recently and I've had her book on my shelf for a while, and decided to go ahead and give it a shot. Rubin is a lawyer turned writer who was happily married and mother of two children, but didn't believe she was as happy as she could be. She decided to take a year-long journey to see if she could make improvements in her life that would push her "happiness meter" a little higher.
I'm not too far into the book, but I can say that it is less about "happiness" and more about working on yourself to be a better person. She focuses on the aspects of her life that she believes would bring her more happiness, if she improved in those areas. So far, it is a pretty good read, but I'll let you know.
3. SONG I AM WORSHIPING WITH
What An Awesome God by Phil Wickham
Years ago, in my brief stint as a Youth Director in the late 1980's I also attempted to become a Youth Choir Director. If you've heard me lead the hymn on Wednesday nights you can probably guess what a disaster that was. However, there was one song that I felt we did pretty good on, Rich Mullins' classic "Awesome God." It is a powerful yet simple song, tailor-made for an aspiring choir leader.
Recently Phil Wickham, alongside co-writer Jonathan Smith, created a new version built around Mullins' unforgettable chorus. It was released in a year that would have marked Mullins’ 70th birthday, a great tribute to his impactful legacy.
I love the song because of the powerful lyrics, and the memories it stirs of a time when I thought I could sing 😊. Check out Wickham's "Sunset Walk" version.
4. QUOTE I AM PONDERING
"How is it possible to know you have great faith, humility, and love, unless God put you into great trials, that you may know whether you have them or not." George Whitefield
George Whitefield (1714-1770) was a well-known evangelist during the Evangelical revival in England and America, and often a co-laborer with John and Charles Wesley. After being ordained to the ministry, Whitefield felt a great burden for those who would never darken the doors of the church, so he took the gospel to them through "open-air preaching." He would go to fields or street-corners or anywhere people were, and preach the gospel of salvation.
His success also brought enemies, from both inside and outside the church. Many people would come to hear him preach just to mock and ridicule him. But the more aggressive persecution came from pastors, bishops and other church leaders who despised his unorthodox methods and criticized his open-air practices. They believed him to be undignified and often sought legal means to stop him from preaching. He could speak first hand of persecution.
One of his more famous sermons was titled, “Persecution Every Christian’s Lot.” In it he presented a biblical perspective on Christian suffering. His conclusion was that one of the reasons God allowed His servants to be persecuted, was to reveal to them their own faith, humility, and love. It was primarily in the context of suffering persecution that the true character of the servant of the Lord came through.
5. DAD JOKE I'M DIGGING
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