Oct 15, 2010
Speak less, speak more.
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Gospel Living | Comments (2)
Ed Welch offers some great advice on the role of concise words. An effective communicator can take a complex subject, such as a person, and simplify that subject in such a way that there is no loss of meaning. Preachers are exhorted to be able to summarize their sermons in a sentence, and not a run-on sentence. Writers submit their manuscripts to publishers with a synopsis of their book in a sentence. If they can’t do it, they won’t be published.
Oct 04, 2010
Gospel Living: Futility in Earning God’s Favor
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Gospel Living | Comments (1)
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." This often used quote by John Piper is one that I have heard many times but didn’t truly understand its profoundness until recently. Our Satisfaction is God’s Glory What I have learned by reading Pipers “Desiring God” and comparing his insights to Scripture is that God isn’t about us dutifully doing things to earn His favor but rather us totally desiring to worship and serve Him. Piper describes this as “Christian Hedonism” – I describe itRead More...
Sep 29, 2010
Gospel Centered Parenting Part 2: Expecting Obedience
Posted by Mitch Sliwa in Parenting | Comments (2)
Theology Shapes Parenting My understanding of raising children has been changed by my understanding of God and how he responds to his children. God is so gracious, loving, kind and patient with his children. I look at my own heart, and I don't see the same attributes that I see in God the Father, but I strive towards them as the goal. The more I learn about God and his communicable attributes (Attributes God and man share in) the more I learn how to be a Father, and how far I fall short. When I look at his incommunicableRead More...
Sep 28, 2010
Six Simple Ways to Encourage Dialogue
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Community | Comments (2)
In my last post, I discussed the benefits of healthy dialogue to the learning process. This post goes over a few tips on fostering this kind of dialogue in your own community groups. This list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to add to it in the comments below. 1 - Break the Ice In the early stages of relationship building, group discussions can be awkward and silent. If the participants do not know each other very well, they are full of insecurities and reservations keeping them from engaging in conversation as freely. Spending time interacting in a less Read More...
