Ep. 89 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin Chapter 13 Part 2

 Episode 89

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 13 Part 2

Ep. 88 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 13 Part 1

 Episode 88

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 13 Part 1

Entertainers of Goats

While others shelve the Scriptures to become entertainers of goats rather than feeders of sheep, we must declare with William Still, "Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goat-land"! A pastor must feed his flock with "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) as one who knows that the Bible, as is the Christ it reveals, is true food and drink (cf. John 6:55), both for his people and also for himself. Show me a pastor for whom the Bible is the song of his heart and the source of his deepest convictions, and I will show you a pastor who speaks with the power of heave behind his words, yet who walks in a spirit of humility and in utter dependence on God.

William R. Edwards, Theology for Ministry: How Doctrine Affects Pastoral Life and Practice

The Call of the Wild - Chapter 6 - For the Love of a Man

 The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Chapter 6 For the Love of a Man

Ep. 87 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin Chapter 12 Part 3

 Episode 87

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 12 Part 3

Pride Month Resources for the Church

 7 Pride Month Resources for the Christian Community 

The Gospel Coalition (Canada) recently published an article sharing resources for Pride Month. (You can read that article by clicking here.) This, along with the onslaught of pride-related images, posts, updates, and shares, got me to thinking that I ought to put some resources out there for my Edgewood Church family as they navigate pride month, pride fests, and pride coalitions, along with the proud people promoting these things. It has become increasingly important for me, as a pastor, to consider what I can do to shepherd the flock of God in all faithfulness so that when the Chief Shepherd appears, I might receive the crown of glory (see 1 Peter 5:1-4).  

This shepherding duty is not one that I take lightly. And now with people professing to know the truth and desiring to be teachers, but not having "...understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions." (See 1 Timothy 1:7), the job of defending the faith is one that requires two voices... as John Calvin says, "The Pastor ought to have two voices, one, for gathering the sheep, and another, for driving away wolves."

image via https://www.reftoons.com/ 

Being a bi-vocational pastor, I don't always have the time or the energy to deploy both voices as often as they are needed. This means that sometimes my best option is to point the sheep to the best watering holes and the richest pastures. Specifically, places where other shepherds have taken their flocks or where I've seen other sheep come away stuffed with a marvelous feast. So, here are a few of those bountiful places to graze, especially if you are famished or starving for some genuine food.

Reclaim the Rainbow by Bryson Gray, Shemeka Michelle, Jimmy Levy

Ep. 86 Reading with Pastor Matt the Mortification of Sin Chapter 12 Part 2

 Episode 86

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 12 Part 2

Shipwreck

 

Be thoughtful about the excellence and majesty of God and your infinite, inconceivable distance from him.

 

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 12

Ep. 85 - Saturday Unscripted for June 10th, 2023

 Episode 85

Saturday Unscripted for June 10th, 2023

In this episode, I talk about my week, my other podcast, tomorrow's sermon, and a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote from Life Together.

Ep. 84 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 12 Part 1

Episode 84

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 12 Part 1

Reading Books

 I know that if you've followed this blog for any amount of time, especially in the last few years, you know I also have a podcast. What you may not know is that I have another podcast... 

To be honest, I forgot I had the other podcast. 

My other podcast is called Public Domain Books that are Harmless. I initially created that podcast during the "lockdowns" of 2020. I created it because I had been tasked with making "homeroom" videos for my school, where I was a disciplinary dean. (As you can imagine, there weren't a whole lot of disciplinary issues that we were dealing with.) Since I had a little more time on my hands, I decided to do some reading and making it available to the students.

Come to the Quiet (Psalm 131) by John Michael Talbot

 
Come to the Quiet (Psalm 131)
by John Michael Talbot

Lyrics: 
Lord, my heart is not proud
Nor are my eyes fixed on things beyond me
In the quiet, I have stilled my soul
Like a child at rest on its mother’s knee
I have stilled my soul within me

Israel, come and hope in your Lord
Do not set your eyes on things far beyond you
Just come to the quiet
Come and still your soul
Like a child at rest on its Daddy’s knee
Come and still your soul completely

Reading the Call of the Wild by Jack London Chapter 1

 Reading The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Chapter 1 - Into the Primitive

Reading Revelation Number 1 - Revelation 1:1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ 

[1] The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, [2] who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. [3] Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. 

(Revelation 1:1–3 ESV)

I've been avoiding you, you Book of Revelation. Not all revelation, just the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Wow, that sounds terrible. More clarity is needed... I've been avoiding the actual Book of the Bible that we call "The Revelation to John." 

Ep. 82 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin Chapter 11 Part 3

 Episode 82

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 11 Part 3