Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Padkos - November 2016

Love Your Neighbour Enough To Speak The Truth - Rosaria Butterfield - "I learned through conversion that when something feels right and good and real and necessary—but stands against God’s Word—this reveals the particular way Adam’s sin marks my life. Our sin natures deceive us. Sin’s deception isn’t just “out there”; it’s also deep in the caverns of our hearts."

Do You Pray Enough? - Jon Bloom

Freedom From The Tyranny of Hyper-Spirituality

Encourage One Another - "Not only do our words reveal what is true of us, they also generate reality for another. "

A Case For Christian Magnanimity

Padkos October 2016

Lay Aside The Weight of Flattery - Jon Bloom " Love never flatters others, and wisdom never desires to be flattered"
You Are The Manure Of The Earth --- salt as Jesus meant it.
One Sided Friendships?
10 Resolutions For Mental Health

How Will We Live Now - Albert Mohler

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Padkos - September 2016

Memorization - How It Feeds Our Imagination

Your Testimony is Not About You

How to Spot Your Own Hypocrisy  - Shannon Popkin "Friends, we could spend a lifetime convinced that we see with perfect clarity just how wrong someone else is. But how willing are we to look at ourselves?"

When Eating Is Sinful   This does not apply to food only, but anything that we prefer to God. I like this paragraph : "Finding victory over food-worship (and vanity) begins with the honest admission that we’d rather indulge our senses than know God. We then need an understanding that we cannot defeat sin on our own, that we need a Savior to deliver us. The hunger and thirst driving our gluttony are only satiated in Jesus. "

Kindness Changes Everything "We open ourselves to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit when we ask him to produce in us kind hearts that overflow through kind lips."

Treat Yourself to the Word of God "Cultivating the daily habit of enjoying “time alone with God” in the Scriptures feeds our souls and gives us our bearings for the rough and tumble of everyday life"

Changed by Meditation " Whatever it takes to meditate – to center our minds on God and allow his Word to permeate our thinking and change our lives."

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

We are apt to say, “It is not at all likely that having been through the greatest crisis of my life I would now turn back to the things of the world.” Do not try to predict where the temptation will come; it is the least likely thing that is the real danger. It is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect. They may not be forceful and dominant, but they are there. And if you are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip you. You have remained true to God under great and intense trials— now beware of the undercurrent. Do not be abnormally examining your inner self, looking forward with dread, but stay alert; keep your memory sharp before God. Unguarded strength is actually a double weakness, because that is where the least likely temptations will be effective in sapping strength. The Bible characters stumbled over their strong points, never their weak ones.
“…kept by the power of God…”— that is the only safety. (1 Peter 1:5).

Monday, August 8, 2016


"We don’t rest to maximize our productivity later. 
We rest to remember that our worth does not hinge on our productivity."

Throwing Sheep Into a Pit

Monday, August 1, 2016

Padkos - July 2016

8 Ways Satan Convinces You To Question Your Salvation

Assisted Suicide - A Quadriplegic's Perspective

What About Your Desire To Do Something Great For God  "A heart delighted in God desires to obey Him. A heart delighted in self desires to see what self can accomplish. A person delighted in God doesn't care so much how God uses her, but rather that she is useful to God, the object of her delight. A person delighted in self cares deeply about how God uses her, because seeing the self she loves underused causes grief."

Are We Distracting Ourselves To Death?

Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness? Brett MacKraken

Lay Aside The Weight of Self Pity - Jon Bloom

Envy Always Wins - Tim Challis 

The 'Lost' Sin of Envy - Tim Challis

What Does it Mean to Serve God? - John Piper

God Is With You In Your Desert

God May Not Want You To Be A World Changer

The Legacy Of One-Point Calvinism and Casual Churchianity - John Piper

Left Out - The Benefits of Exclusion - Kelly Needham

Women, Trade Self-Worth For Awe And Wonder - Jen Wilkin
Awe yields self-forgetfulness. When we emphasize self-awareness to the omission of self-forgetfulness, we have missed the mark. You can tell me that I am a royal daughter of the King. You can assure me that I am God’s poem or his masterpiece. You can tell me that I stir the heart of God, that I am sung over and delighted in, that I am beautiful in his eyes, that I am set apart for a sacred purpose. You can tell me these things, and you should. But I beg you:Don’t tell me who I am until you have caused me to gaze in awe at “I Am.” Though all of these statements are precious truths, their preciousness cannot be properly perceived until framed in the brilliance of his utter holiness. There can be no true self-awareness apart from right, reverent awe of God."

Padkos - July 2016

8 Ways Satan Convinces You To Question Your Salvation

Assisted Suicide - A Quadriplegic's Perspective

What About Your Desire To Do Something Great For God  "A heart delighted in God desires to obey Him. A heart delighted in self desires to see what self can accomplish. A person delighted in God doesn't care so much how God uses her, but rather that she is useful to God, the object of her delight. A person delighted in self cares deeply about how God uses her, because seeing the self she loves underused causes grief."

Are We Distracting Ourselves To Death?

Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness? Brett MacKraken

Lay Aside The Weight of Self Pity - Jon Bloom

Envy Always Wins - Tim Challis 

The 'Lost' Sin of Envy - Tim Challis

What Does it Mean to Serve God? - John Piper

God Is With You In Your Desert

God May Not Want You To Be A World Changer

The Legacy Of One-Point Calvinism and Casual Churchianity - John Piper

Left Out - The Benefits of Exclusion - Kelly Needham

Women, Trade Self-Worth For Awe And Wonder - Jen Wilkin
Awe yields self-forgetfulness. When we emphasize self-awareness to the omission of self-forgetfulness, we have missed the mark. You can tell me that I am a royal daughter of the King. You can assure me that I am God’s poem or his masterpiece. You can tell me that I stir the heart of God, that I am sung over and delighted in, that I am beautiful in his eyes, that I am set apart for a sacred purpose. You can tell me these things, and you should. But I beg you:Don’t tell me who I am until you have caused me to gaze in awe at “I Am.” Though all of these statements are precious truths, their preciousness cannot be properly perceived until framed in the brilliance of his utter holiness. There can be no true self-awareness apart from right, reverent awe of God."

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness?

So many good quotes here Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness? Brett MacKraken

 I have come up against this so many times and believe it to be a subtle a dangerous 'infection' in current Christianity.

"Could it be that the most authentic thing any of us can do is faithfully pursue holiness and obediently follow after Christ?"

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Padkos - May 2016

Let's Revive Christian Polemics

Little Jumps in Studios

'Fast Food' Conversations - This article talks about conversations within the family, but it applies equally to friendships and interaction within the body of believers.

When You Don't Love Your Job Several 'single layered' comments there, but still interesting points worth thinking about (underneath the single layers)

5 Trends Christian Millennials Must Stop Doing

9 Sins The Church is Okay With 

Drinking It Sraight

How To Glorify God Being a Generalist

Eternity Etched on My Eyes

We Are Not Entitled to Respect - Don Carson

When Grace Hurts The Church

15 Discernment Diagnostics - Kevin DeYoung - some good points there...

7 Resolutions For Finishing Well - John Piper

Rend Your Heart

Singing Songs From Questionable Sources  - good info here, not just related to songs/music. "...exercising discernment isn’t the same thing as sinful judgment. Our culture often wrongly equates disagreement with disdain and insists that to make distinctions is to be condescending. But God tells us in Scripture to judge rightly, distinguish between those who should hear our message and who shouldn’t, be able to discern who a fool is, avoid people who cause divisions, and know the difference between sheep and wolves in sheep’s clothing"

Stop Complaining "However you express it, grumbling is the emotional expression of dissatisfaction."
Stop Complaining Part 2 "Very few things are as accurate a measure of the true nature of your heart as how you react to trials and disappointment."

Think about Your Death - Francis Chan  " Fools do whatever is easiest." "The wise man makes time to think about serious issues. The hard work of mourning builds up the wisdom of the heart."

Tuesday, May 10, 2016


Information Must Lead to Transformation - Nancy DeMoss Welgemuth

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Beautiful words, quoted from the article 'Your Hospital Visit Is Coming' by Joni Eareckson Tada posted on the Desiring God blog


"Crying was out. There was no one around to wipe my tears. So I decided to comfort my soul with a hymn. In no more than a whisper, I sang a favorite from church choir:
          Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side. 
          Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. 
          Leave to thy God to order and provide; 
          In every change he faithful will remain. 
          Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend 
          Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end! 
I was only seventeen years old, or maybe eighteen, but that moment defined how I would engage life in a hospital. My stay would not be a jail sentence. Come hell or high water, I determined that this hospital would be, well, a gymnasium for my soul, a proving ground for my faith, and a mission field for God."

Friday, April 1, 2016

Padkos - March 2016

The Downward Spiral of My Miscontent

5 Prayers to Pray For Your Husband

What Should We Pray For?

Inject Your Prayer List With Life

Did You Expect Your Marriage To Be Easy?

Contagion Of Complaint - Seditious Sin of Grumbling Part 2

Can Griping Be Godly? - Seditious Sin of Grumbling Part 3

Jerry Bridges - a Life of Faith - Audio

Why We Must Earnestly Desire Spiritual Gifts - Jon Bloom

How To Please A Holy God

The Doctrine of Election Saved Me From Depression

10 Marks of an Immature Believer

5 Steps For effective Prayer - Timothy Keller

The Root of Mental Health - John Piper

Scripture Memory - David Mathis

What We Should Pray For - John Piper

Exercising An Idle Mind - Kelly Needham  "Many things knock at the door of our mind, but few are worth letting in."

Why Don't We Follow All The OT Laws?

Hobbies -

Hobbies to the Glory of God - Tim Challis

Hobbies - Gift or God? - " Above my desk, in my office, I have a framed picture that my wonderfully creative wife made for me that has pictures of books, coffee beans, and a few quotes. Knowing that my hobbies are reading, writing, and the quest for the perfect cup of coffee, in the middle of that picture is a quote from Jonathan Edwards. The quote from his “Resolutions,” says, “Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.” Underneath this quote is Paul’s admonition to the church in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making he best use of the time, because the days are evil""

How Hobbies Glorify God (audio) John Piper

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Learning From Fanny Crosby

Excerpt taken from 'Fanny Crosby : Her Story Her Song' on the Revive Our Hearts - True Woman- blog

What Can We Learn from Fanny?

Fanny never saw her blindness as a slight from God. Instead, she openly thanked Him for the ways her visual impairment opened doors for her to serve Him in ways she felt she otherwise couldn't have. She hadn't set out to become a prolific hymn writer; she simply wanted an education so she might be "useful." God took her offering and used it for the edification of His church body.
Fanny's ability to think of herself as a capable servant allowed her to excel in the strengths God had given her, never being held back by self-pity. Fanny followed God's lead, humbly stewarded her God-given talents, and walked through each open door of opportunity with joy in her heart. Her life is a true example of walking by faith and not by sight.
How might we serve the Lord more passionately and effectively if we focused on utilizing our gifts, rather than hiding behind our limitations? Whether our hindrances are physical or emotional barriers, real or self-inflicted ones, we must recognize God's sovereignty in our situations and know that we were "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand" (Eph. 2:10). Our Father loves us and wants to use us for the work of His kingdom, despite our limitations. Like Fanny, we must learn to trust Him and let our lives of worship and service become a sweet echo of her famous lyrics:
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long.


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Padkos - February 2016

How to Have Intimacy With God  - Jon Bloom " God wants intimacy with you. Christ has done all the hard work in the cross to make it possible. All he requires is that you believe in him (John 14:1). He wants you to trust him with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5).
Which means his invitation to you to enjoy intimacy with him is the providences in your life that are testing your faith more than anything else. What you must trust God most for right now is where he means for you to draw closer to him."

John Calvin's 4 Rules of Prayer

5 Things You Can Give God Each Day

3 Ways Our Culture Differs From Every Other Culture in History

A Plea to The Mission Minded - Jen Wilkin

The Seditious Sin of Grumbling (Part 1) - Clint Archer

Online Resources for Biblical Exegesis

Women Crying Over Diagrammed Sentences (audio links to workshop)

The Razor's Edge - RC Sproul. Ethics and Morality (video)

Love The Life You Never Wanted -  "therefore, fullness of life is ultimately found not in any earthly success or relationship or accomplishment, but in your proximity to God through faith."

20 Qualities of Good Listeners

10 Sure Signs We've Lost Our Minds

Discipleship in Jesus' Style 

Hillary, Bernie, Donald and Me - John Piper and retirement

Why You Can't See Your Biggest Flaws - Timothy Keller

Monday, February 1, 2016

Padkos - January 2016

The Hyper-Examined Life Isn’t Worth Living
God’s Wonderful Plan For Your Life
I Am Going to Write - Trevin Wax

Nine Questions to Help You Steward All of Your Life for God’s Glory

3 Questions To Ask Before Listening To Any Sermon
A Place To Start For Spiritually Stuck People
Puritan (and other) Books to Read Online
J I Packer’s Puritan Library For Online Reading
How To Be Spiritually Miserable
God’s Sovereignty Over My Free Will – John Piper
Chesterton and 4 Arguments – Trevin Wax

8 Ways to Grow in The Fear of God

The Consequences of Neglecting Prayer - David Wilkerson
“In those times, my prayer life consisted only of meditation and quiet times. I had no effectual fervency in prayer. Why? Because the cares of life robbed me of my time with the Lord.
So, what happened to me in those times? Servanthood turned to self-pity. Ministry seemed like a burden, not a blessing. And misery upon misery flooded my soul.
I battled loneliness, weariness, unbelief, a troubling sense of having accomplished little in life, even thoughts of quitting the ministry. And the blessings of God were hindered. My relationships soured, I lost discernment, and fresh revelations of Christ no longer came.”

Friday, January 1, 2016

Padkos December 2015

Plunge Your Mind Into The Ocean of God’s Sovereignty - Desiring God blog.
Moral Relativism “As Walter Isaacson, Einstein’s most important biographer, explains:
“In both his science and his moral philosophy, Einstein was driven by a quest for certainty and deterministic laws. If his theory of relativity produced ripples that unsettled the realms of morality and culture, this was not caused by what Einstein believed but by how he was popularly interpreted.””
How To Know If You Are Called
Essential Life Skill – Teachability
I Am What I’ve Been Through [this title provides enough food for thought and prayer]
Stop Sending Missionaries ( I would add : make sure they are really converted, born again follower of Jesus)
Dear God, I Don’t Want To Serve You This Way….

Lordship is not Legalism

Padkos - May 2023

  'A Cry of Grief' - Philip Yancey