The Parable Of The Lawn Mower: We all know that words, without deeds, are dead. All of us have seen the terrible effect of a person who doesn’t practice what they preach, and if we haven’t, then we have read the New Testament and found such people in its pages. But fewer of us recognize that deeds, without words, are also dead.

7 Signs We May Be Worshipping Our Family: By all means, let us enjoy and treasure our families. Let us celebrate the gift they are. Let us pour out our lives and hearts into ministering to our spouse, rearing our children in Christ, and filling our homes with the love and truth of Christ. However, in so doing, let us also be worshippers of the Christ we are seeking to honor. Let us worship Him in our worshipping families, rather than worship our families in the name of worshipping Him.

The Pastor's Kid: Who should read The Pastor’s Kid? It’s a must-read for PKs and their parents. It also is an invaluable guide for church members that will gently correct some misconceptions about how to minister to PKs. Piper speaks with the heart of not just a PK but a parent who is seeking to love his own children well. The Pastor’s Kid deeply stirred my memories of growing up and encouraged me to know that my feelings and journeys were not wasted. Barnabas, from one PK to another: thank you!

Answering Alternatives To The Resurrection: When it comes to the resurrection of Christ, there are an infinite number of possible alternative explanations for the development of belief in a risen Christ other than opting for the most obvious (Christ actually rose from the grave). For centuries skeptics and non-believers have offered their possibilities, but, in my opinion, they are never a probability.

7 Different Ways To Read A Book: Reading is kind of like repairing a bicycle. Kind of. For too long now my bike has been semi-operational. It has one brake that just doesn’t want to behave and all my attempts to fix it have failed. Why? Well it turns out that I haven’t been using the right tool. To get the bike working I need to use the right tool. And when it comes to reading, well, you’ve got to use the right tool—you’ve got to know what kind of reading to do. Here are seven different kinds of reading.

Preaching 'God' And Justifying The Self: Okay, so what I’m saying is, if you can see how that can work in the self-justifying God-rhetoric of the left, isn’t there just a chance those of us on the more conservative end of things can fall prey to this too? I mean, surely, if you’ve got a Reformed understanding of the power of indwelling sin, you can’t put this past yourself, right?

9 Things You Should Know About The Male Body Image Issues: Body image is the mental representation we create of what we think we look like; it may or may not bear a close relation to how others actually see us. Body image issues are often treated as if they were only a problem for women (see here for 9 Things on female body images issues). But men suffer from many of the same debilitating problems caused by skewed perceptions of their bodies. Here are nine things you should know about male body image issues...

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During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

____________________

We’ve discussed some ways to be intentional with our summers and to use our vacations well. The days are getting shorter again, and such times call for honest reflection on how well we’ve stewarded our summer thus far.

As we think these things through, don't be discouraged if things don't seem to be going very well. Remember what Jesus has done, and that His perfectly submitted and stewarded life has been credited to you in His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Because of His work in us, we can course-correct if needed, celebrate the wins, and keep going.

Here’s how to evaluate your plans and tweak them as needed.

One practical and over-arching idea before we get started: write things down. I hate writing things down. But I never regret doing it. At the very least, it helps me process what happened. If you choose to do so on paper, you can always throw it away. If you do so digitally, you can always delete it. But the discipline of processing externally always helps.

1. Talk about your plans with someone else.

This is particularly applicable to families. Make it a habit to “debrief” your vacations, trips, and events. 

If you can, talk with someone else about things that you think went well with the event, and things that you didn’t think wen’t so well. If you’re married, talk about how well you connected as a couple and with others

Now, you probably don’t want to debrief your trip to the grocery store to pick up zucchini. But If you undertake to build relationships, discuss what happened on the drive or walk home, listen actively, and make notes if needed.

Then, you’re better equipped to make plans that build relationships in the future.

2. Know Yourself

This may shock you: People are different. 

Earth-shattering news, right? But it’s easy to forget. We so easily compare ourselves to others and the plans they make, then expect to be able to keep up whether we’re able or not.

But you should know how you get energy, and how you lose it. To which kinds of activities do you naturally incline? Do you get energy by being with people, or by being by yourself? Then, evaluate your summer plans with your inclinations and limitations in mind.

Now, the kinds of things you like to do may not be the ones you frequently undertake. For example, I love backpacking. There is a clarity of mind that comes with being out in the woods with my wife, forcing myself up a steep incline to make camp atop a ridge or in a forest. It’s also exhausting, physically and mentally, and takes me away from other responsibilities for a weekend. So, I probably shouldn’t get out every weekend, even if my responsibilities are taken care of.

As you do this, recognize that God created you with limitations, and He did so with divine wisdom. If you and I could do everything we set out to do in our own power, we would be blinded to our spiritual need.

3. Be Honest

It’s not too late to say “No” or “Yes” to some things. Some of us have made ourselves so busy that we’ve missed opportunities to be intentional. On the other hand, some of us have passed by great opportunities to build relationships because we’re not busy enough.

As we look back on our summers, be honest with yourself about where you’ve failed and succeeded, and repent and change as needed. Remember that Jesus stewarded His life perfectly for our inability to do so.

Mining And Refining: So, friends, when these trials and grievances come your way, preach the gospel to yourself and to others. God could not love you and be satisfied with leaving you as a piece of ore. You have so much potential in Christ, and the Lord will refine you so you can reach your highest level of strength and beauty!

The Danger of Coasting: I’ve been thinking about this lately because I see in my own life a tendency to coast—to coast in my relationships, to coast in my pursuit of godliness, to coast in my pursuit of God himself. And here are some things I’ve observed:

Praying for Our Child's Salvation: There is nothing automatic about salvation. There is no room for mere presumption; Christian parenting is an enterprise of faith. God’s promise gives us a solid foundation for all our prayers and for all our hopes for our children. But He also commands us to use the appointed means to obtain His good gifts. Do you pray daily for your children? Do you pray daily with your children? If not, what can you expect from the Lord? Whether they are saved or not, are you able to say, by God’s grace, that you storm the mercy seat for them with a heart aflame for their well-being and God’s glory?

7 Ways To Love Your Pastor: When my husband (my favorite pastor!) was ordained to be a minister of the gospel, one of the elders who ordained him, Pastor Paul Martin, spoke to our congregation and charged us with this: Beloved, let me give you this one charge: Love your pastor! In this charge, Pastor Paul shared seven ways that a congregation can love their shepherd, and his words of encouragement are applicable to every local church context.

Push Through The Awkward: There is one piece of advice I give myself and other women more than any other and it is this: push through the awkward. We are women who long for community and to live lives of purpose, but as anything that is good and beautiful and worth having, these things don't come just because we want them. They are invited by those who push through the awkward.

Gospel-Driven Productivity: I’m not saying that there should be no exceptions to this. But it is the foundational guideline for effectiveness. By working in this way, you actually get more done, not less, because you are able to get in the zone and reduce the amount of time that your tasks actually take. 

Television's Rape Epidemic: Here is what I wonder, and here is what we ought to be asking ourselves: If Christians won’t allow explicit scenes of sexual violence to keep them from watching television shows, what will? If scenes of rape are not over the edge, what is? If we won’t draw the line there, will we draw it anywhere?

Christ The Educator: There is a great richness of meaning in these texts that goes beyond our discussion here. But with renewed eyes as disciples of Jesus we can hear him invitation to learn and be trained in soul by our gracious Christ, the Educator.

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Blog Post by Michael Finley (Gospel Community Director for Redeemer Church)

Part of being a disciple of Jesus is being the family of God, to be his people that live intentional and relational lives with Him and each other. At Redeemer we call this our Gospel Communities. And just like every other aspect of discipleship, our growth in Gospel Community is a process. It would be nice to plug everything we need to know into the back of our heads like a scene from the Matrix but the truth is discipleship is often very slow.

In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us that we are to grow up in everyday into Christlikeness. Growing is an ongoing process. Just like our bodies we all have times of growth in different areas of life at different times. Whether it is your physical body growing taller, your intellect growing smarter, your love capacity growing larger, or your skills growing more refined, we are to be growing in everyday of lives into Christ. However we often neglect to see Gospel Communities in this same way.

In my time in group ministry I have witnessed a "Group Model" in which all the groups in the church attempt to reflect the same model. While models have their role, I have found some problems. Here are three:

1. Reaching The Goal Of A Model Instead Of Reaching For Jesus

Often we are so focused on "how" our group should look that we forget "Who" we are suppose to look like. At Redeemer we have two goals for our Gospel Communities, for those who know Him to love and look more like Jesus and for those who don't know Jesus to meet Him.

2. Models Tend To Encourage or Discourage

Some groups fit the model already in personality, maturity, and/or ministry development. While others may find it hard to reach the model because they do not have the time, the training, or the overall group maturity to obtain it. The first group finds the model very encouraging because of their success and the second gets very discouraged because of their perceived failure to look like the first group.

3. Group Models Tend To Move The Bar

The question is, where do you set the bar for where a groups should be? No group has arrived; in every group on the planet there is room for growth. If you set the bar to low, the group isn't challenged enough and often halts the discipleship process. If you put the bar in the middle, for some it is too high and some it is too low. It is always changing.

Progress Is A Win

Rather than placing a model in front of every group and say, "this is what your group should look like," I have found it more helpful to say, "praise God your group looks like it does, here are some ways you and your group can continue to grow in Christlikeness." 

When a new Christian puts their faith in Jesus we celebrate. We are not discouraged that they do not know how to pray or they do not understand the Bible. At every step of a Christian's walk we celebrate progress. We need to start looking at our Gospel Communities in this way as well. There is always room for growth but we should always celebrate progress. I am pretty sure I have not see an unhealthy group that is growing in Christlikeness. When a group becomes static its health declines, when it remains dynamic Jesus shines.

Think of your group as a family growing together in Christ. Do not get discouraged, celebrate the evidence of God's grace where you are, and then put your hand to the plow and move forward!

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Four Things To Do When Bringing Home A Child From A Hard Place: My biggest advice when you bring your kids home is to know that this is a journey. Two steps forward and three steps back is how I look at it. It’s a long and hard journey and if you thought that your wait for your child was grueling, you have no idea what the next few months/years have in store for you.

Confessing Our Sins Together: When we bring our sins to another Christian, they become concrete and their ugliness cannot be hid from view.

Darkness Is My Closest Friend: One of my biggest frustrations with western Christianity is our tendency to fake spiritual maturity. We use theological words and phrases that sound impressive – like kingdom, worship, and die to self – but they have little meaning in our daily lives.

A Different Kind Of Millennial Problem: But the most shocking part? 90% of our church is under 30 years old. We have the exact opposite problem of most churches. When someone who looks older walks through our door, we pray they are solid and that they’ll stick around to pour into the mass of youth we have.

What To Do When You Don't Like The Bible: So what should we do when we come up against those passages and parts of the Bible that just seem to be hard for us to embrace? Here are a few things I talked with my friend about.

On Daughters and Dating: How To Intimidate Suitors: So let’s talk frankly about what you need to do to guard her(Daughters) interests when it comes to dating. Instead of brandishing a shotgun or breaking out an application, you need to build a wall.

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During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

___________________

What is the most exciting thing you look forward to when your on vacation? For some people their answer will be relaxing and reading a book, for others it's making memories with friends and family. But when it comes to vacations, I don't know about you, but I always feel like I do either one of two things. One, our family planned too much to do and I come back feeling more tired than before the vacation. Or two, I didn't plan anything and I come back feeling lazy and unaccomplished. 

Vacationing means a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel. But lets be honest you cannot suspend everything while your on vacation. Life still goes on and things need to get done. 

In this post from our blog series, "Don't Waste Your Summer," we will give you 4 ways to vacation well. You may have more to add to this list, but hopefully this list will get you in a good place to enjoy your vacation well.

Your Family Gets A Say

When you hear the word family what do you think of? You are probably thinking of your mom, dad, siblings, etc. And yes your right, these people are your family but what about your church family? If we look at what the bible teaches about family, it would include your brothers and sisters in Christ (The Church).

When deciding a place and time of year to go on vacation, why wouldn't you include your church family in on your decision? Here is what I mean, say there is someone in your Gospel Community who is going to be graduating and would really like you to be there for that moment to celebrate with them. Why wouldn't you want to be there to celebrate with them? I guarantee these memories you make with them will out way an hour on the beach on Mexico.

So before you request your vacation time off and plan your trip. Go to your Gospel Community and ask if there is any big event that someone in your GC wants you to be at. For leaving for vacation, you will feel much better about resting by knowing that you were their for the ones you love and care for from your church family.

Plan, Prep, Stop Working

I like working, well that is an understatement. I love being busy and feeling like I am accomplishing things. The problem I find when I go on vacation is I don't plan and prep well enough before I go on vacation. So I end up using some of my vacation to work.

For my job, I have many day to day tasks and many projects that I am constantly doing. If I don't get these things squared away before my vacation, my vacation will turn into work. I don't know about you, but I like to not think about work related things while I am on vacation with my family. My family deserves my full attention.

My suggestion is start planning and prepping way before you have to leave for your vacation. What I like to do is write everything down that I need to get done a month before my vacation. This includes finding people to cover some day to day tasks I normally do. This also includes getting projects done before I leave so I stop thinking about them cause I know they are done. Once your on vacation, put your cell phone away. Stop checking your email. Don't answer the phone. You are on vacation to rest from the very thing you do on a regular basis, so actually vacation. And you can't vacation well unless you prepare well.

Don't Take A Break From Corporate Worship

Sadly in our culture we think we need to vacation from gathering as the church family for corporate worship. When I say corporate worship, I mean hearing God's word preached, taking the sacraments, and joining in singing with the body of Christ. The reason we do these different types of worship towards God is because they remind us of the reality of who God is and reminds us of His grace towards us in Jesus Christ. The truth of the gospel needs to be continually put before us so we may not drift from the gospel. 

When you are planning your vacation, where ever you go, look for healthy gospel centered churches that you can join for a cooperate gathering on a Sunday away from your regular local church. Make it a priority on your vacation to gather amongst God's people. Parents your children will begin to see and learn that being apart of corporate worship is a benefit and an opportunity to be reminded of what God has done and continues to do. Vacation well by not vacationing away from the church.

Here are a few places you can look for good gospel centered churches in the area you plan on vacationing in:

The Gospel Coalition

The Acts 29 Network

The Sojourn Network

Every Moment Is An Opportunity 

Every moment in life is an opportunity to learn or teach something. As a parent, you have opportunities to teach your kids or learn a few things yourself. As a kid or young adult, you have an opportunity to learn from experiences and others. Every moment, whether you're on vacation or not, has an opportunity to be a special moment. 

Great memories of past experiences shape our lives over time. And vacations are a prime opportunity to seize these moments to create memories. Memories are events and moments in life that shapes who we are. Don't use your vacation as a time to not do anything.

Parents your main call is to disciple your children. Your not raising children, your raising adults. Embrace the moments that a family vacation provides you and create those lasting memories with them. 

Kids and Young Adults, embrace the opportunities that are provided on vacations with your families or friends to seek to grow. 

You will vacation well if you intentionally take moments to create lasting memories along your vacation. 

To Conclude

Vacationing isn't a time to stop life in its tracks. Life continues to move forward whether we like it or not. From this list you have an opportunity to plan, prepare and pursue lasting memories on a joyous vacation with those you love and at the same time not neglecting the life you left back home. Enjoy your vacation!

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