Marriage Question - Part One

When Karis and I meet with an engaged couple to talk about their wedding and marriage we don't question whether they are 'compatible' for marriage, rather give them an opportunity to discuss important questions to encourage emotional intimacy. Since emotional intimacy is not something just for soon-to-be-marrieds and our preaching is focusing on marriage will be making these questions available for you to discuss as couples. If you are married you will obviously need to change the questions slightly (ie: from 'what will leadership look like' to 'what does leadership look like'). If you are not married they could be helpful to a dating couple, but please exercise boundaries as the answers to some of these questions will be beyond what is appropriate to share if you are not going to be making a marriage covenant together. I will post new questions each week. And, yes, Karis and I will be discussing them as well.

Session #1 – Foundations of Biblical Marriage
What do you want to get out of your pre-marital counseling sessions?
How long have you known each other and how long have you been engaged?
Are you well acquainted with your future spouse’s immediate family? Describe your relationship with them.
Do your families approve of your choice of spouse?
Why have you decided to marry this person?
What do you think makes a good marriage?
What will leadership look like in your marriage?
Name a strength and a weaknesses in yourself.
Name a strength and a weaknesses in your future spouse.
What makes you as an individual ready to be married?
What would you consider grounds for divorce?
What are your goals in life?
What does the Bible say about marriage? How is this relevant to your marriage?

What kind of church should we be?

Often people ask about what kind of church we are, or what kind of church I would like our church to become. We are part of an association of churches by which our name "Fellowship Baptist" comes from, but such associations have less to do with our priorities than they used to. I get questions about how 'charismatic' we are, and some people have attended our church for several weeks in the end to leave because we are not 'charismatic' enough. If you have attended for a long time, in particular, if you were a part of the preaching in Jude, you will know that we don't put much emphasis either way on what we call 'non-essentials'. So what do we put much emphasis on? What kind of church are we? If we don't care about anything, we really aren't a church after all. I agree along with the men in the video I have posted below that we are and need to become a gospel-oriented church. This is the major point of everything the New Testament teaches. This is our work as a church, our focus, and the foundation of our church. Because God's word is absorbed with the gospel, then I want nothing more than for us to do the same. We sing songs about the gospel, take communion regularly (right now twice a month), preach from the Bible, and see the answer to all of our problems in what God has done. I will as your pastor work to make sure nothing else takes over the main emphasis in our congregation.

How I make bread

I have been asked several times how I make bread.  I have been learning how to make bread this past year and as a result the following process is what I follow.  Please mix it up, keeping it tasty is all about using different ingredients.  Buy some different flours, throw in some seeds, or sprinkle the top with something interesting.  Let me know how you made out and how I can learn from your creations!

Melt ½ Cup of butter in a large pot on the stove (take off heat as soon as melted)

Pour ½ cup of warm water into a large bowl and add 1½ tbsp of traditional yeast

Add 1 tbsp of salt and ⅓ cup of honey or molasses to the butter

(I usually use honey for lighter recipes and molasses for darker grainier bread)

When cooled to about 100 degrees add 3 cups of milk

Pour the contents of the pot into the yeast after it has percolated for 10 minutes

Add 3 cups of (whole wheat, mulit-grain, etc) flour and 1 cup of white flour

Mix (at this point add any raisins or seeds, etc if they are going in)

Slowly add 3 more cups of (whole wheat, multi-grain, etc) flour and 1 cup of white flour

Knead to perfection

Place in a large buttered bowl with a warm, wet towel overtop in warm quiet place

After at least an hour knead the dough again slightly

Divide into pieces (it makes two big loaves, or many buns, etc)

Shape and place in pans 

(I really recommend stoneware for bread, use butter if you use anything else)

Let rise 10-20 minutes depending on how dense you want it to be

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the bread

Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack

Marriage, Sex and Children

As we continue to study God's good creation order in the first chapters of Genesis I am preparing for sermons on 'Marriage', 'Sex', and 'Children'.  The scripture has clear teaching on all three of these issues and one week at a time we will look at them.  As I prepare to teach what God's word is saying I thought you could help me with the application by hearing what questions or specific topics you would like covered on Sunday morning.  Please respond to this post with your questions and I will work diligently to respond.  The dates for these sermons are October 26 (Marriage), November (Sex), November 9 (Children).  

Why I don't believe the earth was created in 6 days anymore

After teaching on the creation of the earth I have had more agreement from many of you than I thought I would have.  I'm thankful for this as I really don't want to just stir the pot with a topic that is well-mixed as it is.  Since I consider myself someone who places the Bible as my highest authority, I have for years assumed a literal six-day creation.  Since I have no real deep interest in the scientific arguments against such a belief I was content with my 144 hour earth.  The following reasons though, have me not stirring the pot of 'old earth/young earth', but rather throwing the whole pot out.  Here's why...

1. The point of Genesis 1-2 is not to answer the question of how the earth was created, but who created the earth.  Our obsession of seeing Genesis 1-2 as a history of the earth's coming into being is only because our defenses are up since Charles Darwin and his followers have threatened.  The ancients were not concerned with such questions as comparable creation myths show (ie: the Enuma Elish).

2. Everywhere else in the scriptures where the creation of the world is described the focus is on 'who' created it, not 'how' it was created.

3. Pre-Darwin, the question for Christians was not why it took only six days to create the world, buy why did take so long.  

4. Discussions and arguments around how the earth was created only create discussion over what is unimportant (how) at the expense of the important (who).  At this Christians are guilty of poor stewardship as 1 Timothy 1:3-4 points out. 

Since the scriptures do not speak to the question of how the earth was created we are not meant to know.  I'm fine with this and more comfortable not trying to make the scriptures say something thing I want them to say.