Fluency

OK, a little more levity

Brian Regan

The “me-monster”

Life is often too serious, so for an emotional release--I hope you laugh.

Today I discovered Tim Hawkins
A parody on a song I don’t like

Felt this way last week

Funny, but men, pay attention

For more http://www.timhawkins.net/video.php

I had the privilege recently to spend a week with my family at the beach–fun and relaxing.  But I’m not much for simply laying in the sun.

So I spent time on the beaching doing what I enjoy–studying and learning.  I’ll follow up later with what I was studying (1 John).  But not wanting to have my nose buried in a book, I had a few books on my iPhone (best way to listen to a book and many sermons, because you can turn the speed up).

One book I want to recommend to you is Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I had never heard of Francis Chan before the book was recommended on a blog I read.  And I still don’t know much about him.  But the book, Crazy Love, is a wonderfully encouraging, stimulating and challenging book.

I would summarize the main point the book makes, this way:
God is completely in love with us and we ought to be completely in love with him.
So what does it look like to really love God and love others with active faith or radical faith?  Is that how I love God and others?
Why don’t most Christians love God and others radically?  Why is there so much lukewarm religion rather than passionate consuming love relationship with God?

Take the time check out the videos on http://www.crazylovebook.com/.

Also, if you would like to listen to the book, you can download it for free for a few more days at http://christianaudio.com/free_download.php code JUL2009.

If you do read it or listen to it–let me know what you think.  I’m sure I missed something watching my boys body surf.

Awesome!

I Will Rise
By: Chris Tomlin
Album: Hello Love

There’s a peace I’ve come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There’s an anchor for my soul
I can say, It is well

Jesus has overcome
and the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise
When He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise, on eagle’s wings
Before my God
fall on my knees,
and rise…
I will rise

There’s a day that’s drawing near
when this darkness breaks to light
and the shadows disappear
and my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
and the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise
when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise, on eagle’s wings
Before my God
fall on my knees,
and rise…
I will rise

And I hear the voice of many angels sing
Worthy is the Lamb!
And I hear the cry of every longing heart
Worthy is the Lamb!

And I hear the voice of many angels sing
Worthy is the Lamb!
And I hear the cry of every longing heart
Worthy is the Lamb!
You are worthy! You are worthy!
Worthy is the Lamb!

I’ve been thinking about learning and teaching.

Some observations about learning and teaching in the church.

Teachers tend to think about sharing what they have learned.

Student tend to think about interacting with what they have learned and what the teacher knows.

Teachers tend to think about what they want to teach.

Student tend to think about what they need to know.

So . . .

Questions teachers should ask:

• What am I learning?  How is God working in my heart?
• What are my students dealing with in their daily lives?
• What do my students need to learn or be confronted with?
• What do my students need to unlearn?
• What foundational truths do I need to help my students understand, believe and include in their worldview?
• What primary truth do I want my students to learn today?
• Why should they know what I want to share?
• What is the next thing they should learn?
• What should I not include in this lesson in order truly make the primary point stick?

Questions students should ask

• Am I taking responsibility for my own learning?
  First learn for yourself–seek to be a self-feeder on the Word of God.  If you know the passage that is going to be taught, read it ahead of time, record observations.
• How can I share what I am learning with others?
  You may not be a teacher–but think of yourself as a teacher.   This will help increase your retention and application of the truth.
• Do I have a humble learner’s spirit?
  You are not the teacher–so don’t feel the need to correct every area of disagreement with the teacher.

(From the blog Miscellanies)

“I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for preaching, not ready for writing out, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as a crystal. I find the getting of that sentence is the hardest, the most exacting, and the most fruitful labour in my study. To compel oneself to fashion that sentence, to dismiss every word that is vague, ragged, ambiguous, to think oneself through to a form of words which defines the theme with scrupulous exactness—this is surely one of the most vital and essential factors in the making of a sermon: and I do not think any sermon ought to be preached or even written, until that sentence has emerged, clear and lucid as a cloudless moon.”

—J. H. Jowett, The Preacher: His Life and Work (Harper & Bros, 1912), p. 133.