You need a mother very badly!

               she always used to say

And I agreed when loads of laundry needed washing

       or when my stomach stole my lunch and

               held it ransom for a midday snack, and I

       always told her she was right

                            because it made her

       Smile, knowing she was loved.

 

Then I left for college and suddenly what I needed was

        George Washington's face times five

                Once for washing,
  
                         again for drying
  
    And my face on a keycard

           fed me three times a day

    Sometimes more if I

           could stash a snack in Styrofoam for later.

 

But I still called her on the phone and she

             still told me I'd be lost without her, and I

     always told her she was right

                         because it made her

       Laugh, knowing she was loved.

 
 
Summer came and went, and she

      never said, You need a mother very badly,

and we never told her we'd be lost without her

                     because it made her

       Cry, knowing she was fading.

 

But life goes on, and we're still living

      lungs keep breathing, hearts keep beating

            heavier perhaps, but steady as the world turns, and I
 
don't always think about the reasons why

      she needed to be needed so

                     because it always makes me

       Weep...

       knowing I was loved.

by Brett Edward Harris

"And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be 'fools for Christ's sake', who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labour and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth's accolades, but to win the Master's approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat. They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness 'signs and wonders following' in the transformation of multitudes of human lives." (page 16)

I am praying for myself, for the men of my church and for fellow-pastors across the country that God will make us men like this.

I think the key truth of 1 Peter 5:1-5 is that a church can only survive and thrive if it accepts God's pattern for humble leadership and humble followership. The main points of the message were:

1. The Pastor's Calling: To Shepherd God's Flock
2. How Pastors Should Lead: Willingly, Eagerly and By Example
3. The Responsibility of Church Members: Be Subject
4. The Essential Characteristic for All of Us: Humility

If you'd like to you can listen to the sermon online here.

(Via Justin Taylor)

At night I've been reading my kids a biography of Charles Spurgeon by Christian Timothy George. It's in the Trailblazers series for children published by Christian Focus. They have biographies of great saints from Church history ranging from Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin to Bill Bright and Martyn Lloyd Jones (you can see the full list here). I'm impressed by the books that Christian Focus is putting out. If you have children, be sure to check them out.

Lord willing, our pastoral team along with some members of our church will be attending the Gospel Coalition 2011 National Conference April 12-14 in Chicago, IL. The theme of the main sessions is "Preaching Jesus and the Gospel from the Old Testament." The speakers include Tim Keller, Nancy Guthrie, Matt Chandler, Alastair Begg, Mike Bullmore, Paige Benton Brown, Don Carson and about 43 other men and women (here's the whole list.) Read the conference overview.

I'm looking forward to speaking at this year's Peacemaker Conference. It's theme is forgiveness--as Colossians 3:13b says, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." I'll be speaking Thursday night, preaching a message called, "Forgiven to Forgive." After me is a lineup of wise and gifted speakers: Chris Brauns, Thabiti Anyabwile, Bishop Efriam Tendero and Ken Sande, president of Peacemaker Ministries. If you're in the area, consider coming. This is a conference that will help many.