Raymond Mc Henry at Westgate Memorial Baptist Church in Beaumont, TX casts vision to reach out to 50,000 homes across Southeast Texas.
Learn more about Share the Good News of Easter and how your church can do this in your area.
Archive for February, 2011
Why Should We Affirm People?
John Piper writes, “When our mouths are empty of praise for others, it is probably because our hearts are full of love for self.” In Sam Crabtree’s new book, Practicing Affirmation (foreword by John Piper), Crabtree explains the difference between godly affirmation and the kind of affirmation that puffs up. In order to affirm people, we must first learn to affirm God. For what should God be praised? (Ps. 150:2). Crabtree argues that “God is not given the praise he deserves when we ignore or deny the work he is doing in people.”
So why should we affirm others?
- When we commend God’s image in people, God is glorified, and that’s why we were made—to glorify God.
- By commending Christlike qualities, and celebrating them when we spot them, affirmation showcases the character of God, giving him honor for the kind of God he is.
- It earns us the right standing from which to make suggestions. It gains us a hearing.
- It lifts morale—in the home, the office, church, locker room.
- It energizes people. It motivates them to action.
- It makes us easier to live with.
- It helps us practice looking at others positively.
- It constructively uses time that could have been wasted on complaining.
Learn more about Practicing Affirmation.
A Valuable Book for Church Leaders
We’re pleased to announce that Rescuing Ambition made the cut for The Golden Cannon (2010 Leadership Book Awards)! Leadership Journal created the award to highlight the year’s books that are of most value to church leaders. To celebrate, we’d like to get this book in the hands of a few leaders who haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet.
Tell us where you’re in leadership and why you’d love a copy for a chance to win a free one. Winners will be picked on Friday 2/11/11. (Contest for US and Canada only). Even if you don’t win, we invite you to download the sample chapter.
[Congrats to Dusty, Andrew, and Dan! Contest closed 2/11/11].
John Wilson on “The Four Holy Gospels”
John Wilson of Christianity Today’s Books and Culture talks about Fujimura’s illuminated edition of The Four Holy Gospels. Some of you may have heard a bit about the project, but have yet to actually see it. Wilson tries to convey the effect of Fujimura’s work. In his words, this work gives readers “a sense of God and the gospel … and His prodigal generosity” as well as “a sense of God’s splendor and the splendor of his creation.”
You can listen to the short interview here or read his review in Books and Culture.
Fighter Verses for your iPhone
Psalm 119 is all about the delightful majesty of God’s word. In verse 11, King David says plainly that his word empowers us to live well: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
For 35 years, the Scripture memorization project Fighter Verses has helped thousands of people store up God’s word in their hearts. Now our friends at Children Desiring God have made that great resource available for the iPhone.
The Fighter Verses app facilitates memorization in the ESV, NIV or KJV translations.
I’ve spent some time with it, and appreciate how simple it is to use. With a couple of clicks, you can read this week’s suggested verse, listen to it repeated over and over again, engage it through a quiz, and mark it memorized. You’re easily able to search through the collection, or browse by topic. The “study” features look promising, but I may wait for the next release to explore that functionality.
If you’re looking for a tool to help you memorize Scripture, Fighter Verses might be for you. And if you have an iPhone or iPad, the Fighter Verses app may be just the thing.
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