Archive for February, 2009
Conference Audio: Be Strong and Show Yourself a Man
Posted by: | CommentsDescription of this 2005 conference from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood:
“Our goal is to encourage and equip every man to serve others for the glory of God. When we say “every man” we mean it. We will be discussing issues that you have faced, are facing or will face. In addition, you may be pouring into a man who is facing some of these issues. So whether you are a student, single or a father of four, we feel God has called you to “be strong and show yourself a man” (1 Kings 2:2). This conference is sure to help you understand God’s call for men and apply God’s truth to life.”
Randy Stinson delivered these same messages at our own men’s retreat a couple of years ago. Recommended.
Reminder: Men’s Breakfast
Posted by: | CommentsReminder that the next Men’s Breakfast is this Saturday 2/28 at 7am in the Children’s Church room. Below are the details. We already have nearly 50 men signed up, so please count on coming for some great fellowship, teaching and discussion.
Breakfast
Biscuits, Sausage Gravy, Sausage, Hash Browns, & Fruit
Discussion
“Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life”
Chapter 3, part 2 – Bible Intake
Demo
Bob Perez will be giving a Men’s Blog Demo
You can easily invite someone by using the “Share This” button at the end of this post.
Scripture Memorization Links
Posted by: | CommentsTim Challies is offering a unique way to memorize Scripture. The method he’s using is the same that Pastor Juan and Todd Terry mentioned recently.
Of course, don’t forget about 1 Corinthians13.
Wouldn’t it be great if all of us men memorized this chapter? I’ve been trying for a while to resume a regular system of Scripture memorization, so I’m excited about this.
Memorize Scripture with audio!
(Hat tip: Todd Terry)
Software
e-Sword, the free Bible software (Windows and Windows mobile), has a very nice memory tool built-in.
This is the 2nd part in this series. We’re reviewing the six practical ways Thabiti Anyabwile suggests for developing “expositional listening” in his book What is a Healthy Church Member? Read the introduction to this series here.
Expositional Listening defined: Listening for the meaning of a passage of Scripture and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be grasped for our personal and corporate lives as Christians.
Tip #1 – Meditate on the Sermon Passage During Your Quite Time
Meditating on the sermon text before hearing it on Sunday is one practical way to foster expositional listening. Several days before the sermon is preached determine the passage to be preached on and incorporate it into your devotions, outlining the passage and meditating on it. Use your outline and notes to inform your prayer throughout the week and also as a listening aid when you actually hear the sermon on Sunday.
Encourage your pastor by letting him know you’ll be praying for his preparation while you yourself prepare to listen.
Thoughts
This is excellent counsel. Read the above summary of the suggestion from the book again. It’s short but there’s a lot there! For some time now I’ve meditated on the sermon text in advance and can personally testify to the great blessing I’ve experienced as a result. Since Pastor Juan preaches expositionally, we can often make a good guess as to what will be preached next. If not, many times he will simply tell us on his blog. As Anyabwile suggests this is a wonderful way to remind ourselves to pray for Pastor Juan as he prepares each Sunday.
One idea I’m particularly excited about trying is outlining the passage in advance and using it as a listening aid during the sermon. What a wonderful experience this could be! We could sharpen our interpretive skills (comparing with what we hear preached) and provide a starting point for note-taking, having saturated our minds and hearts in the text before hearing it. This could greatly enhance our listening and reception, Lord willing.
I would also add audio as a way (supplementing reading) to help prepare our hearts and minds to receive on Sundays. As an iPod geek, I usually listen to the passages already preached in the book of the Bible we’re in (for review) and also the upcoming passage.
Men, what do you think? Shall we put this first suggestion to work?
Come With Questions
Posted by: | CommentsBeginning with the next Men’s Breakfast on February 28th, we will have a short Q&A session following the teaching for anyone that has questions on the chapter or the teaching. So feel free to come with your questions!
Thanks to Ivan Oropeza for the great suggestion.
Cultivating Attentive Listening to God’s Word – Introduction
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I found myself reviewing my habits concerning Bible intake (see the outline from the last Men’s Breakfast) and also how I listen/respond to the message(s) on Sunday.
I realized I want to make some adjustments in these areas. Maybe you do too.
Men, here’s a question to ask ourselves:
Are there habits to be formed, a mindset or a heart attitude to develop, that will facilitate the implanting and application of the Word to my heart and mind, for the Glory of God and for my joy?
So, to get things going here on the Men’s Ministry blog I thought we could walk through six practical ideas (we’re men, we like the practical, right?) on how to foster more attentive listening to God’s Word, as outlined by Thabiti Anyabwile in his book What is a Healthy Church Member?. He calls this becoming an “Expositional Listener”.
These will be short posts designed to give us some ideas on how to become better listeners of God’s Word.
Stay tuned for next time when we’ll discuss the first practical suggestion on becoming Expositional Listeners.
Reminder: Two Men’s Events in February
Posted by: | CommentsMen of High Pointe, here’s a quick reminder that we have two Men’s Ministry events this month.
February 21: Men’s Conference in partnership with Corinth Baptist Church
February 28: Men’s Breakfast
See the Men’s Ministry Calendar for details.
Cultivating Expositional Listening – #2: Invest in a Good Set of Commentaries
Posted by: Site Admin | Comments (0)(We’re reviewing the six practical ways Thabiti Anyabwile suggests for developing “expositional listening” in his book What is a Healthy Church Member? Read the introduction to this series here.)
The second suggestion the author gives for cultivating expositional listening is to invest in a good set of commentaries. Study with the likes of John Calvin, Martin Lloyd-Jones, D.A. Carson or James Montgomery Boice, learning from these reliable teachers as you read through a book of the Bible. To choose wisely among all the commentaries that are available consider purchasing a commentary survey like Tremper Longman’s Old Testament Commentary Survey or D.A. Carson’s New Testament Commentary Survey.
Thoughts
There are not many things that are more exciting to me then opening my mailbox to see the latest commentaries I’ve purchased finally arrive! I personally follow this approach above, buying commentaries for books of the Bible as I read them. A couple of buying strategies:
- A balance of “classic” and “contemporary” authors is nice if you can afford more than one.
- A commentary at a “popular” or devotional level as well as something a little more technical is also nice (for a challenge…but be sure to check the knowledge of Greek/Hebrew that’s required, unless you know the languages. The New International Greek Testament Commentary for 1 Corinthians below, for example).
-The best way for members of High Pointe to get commentary recommendations is from Pastor Juan, who regularly gives reading suggestions (a couple included below).
I like to buy study guides along with commentaries. I go through the questions to test my knowledge of the text. Some commentaries include study questions but I like this straightforward approach to “quizzing myself” on the text to help with my understanding.
So, go ahead and buy some 1 Corinthians stuff!