Weekly Wisdom [08.31.18]

Need some Weekly Wisdom?  Here are my favorite resources of the week.

VERSE OF THE WEEK

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them [Gen. 1:27].

BOOK OF THE WEEK

What God Has Joined Together by Travis Agnew

I released this book on marriage this week, and well, I read it again.  I have reread this book numerous times trying to get it right.  I pray it equips your marriage.

What God has joined together, let not man separate. Marriage is simple in theory but difficult in application. God puts a marriage together, and then we are supposed to do our part to keep it together. Along the way, we turn out to be the real problem.

Regardless of how healthy or unhealthy your marriage currently is, it could be more robust. Any degree of separation between you and your spouse needs to be addressed immediately. This resource seeks to help you in just that worthy endeavor. This book contains 31 succinct chapters focusing on 31 particular marriage separators. You can read this book by yourself or with your spouse. You can read it altogether or one chapter at a time. Each section contains some specific applications with which to get to work right away. If your marriage could use any type of help, would you put some effort into it now? I don’t know how strong your marriage is right now, but I do know this: Jesus is for your marriage. Out of all the helpful experts I could bring to a situation, no one who can rival his ability to strengthen what is weak or resurrect what is thought to be dead. He put marriage together, and he can help keep yours together. Will you join him?

Favorite Quotes

  1. So many marriages end because one or both parties “fell out of love.” Honestly, they missed the nature of love.  Anything you can fall into can be climbed out of later.  Love isn’t a feeling; it’s a commitment.
  2. If you still want to be with your spouse at the end of your life, you must be heading in the same direction now.
  3. The person who knows you the closest is often able to hurt you the deepest.
  4. If you don’t take time to nurture your relationship now, you won’t have the relationship to nurture later. Don’t allow the most crucial person in your life to receive the leftovers.
  5. While sin separates you from God and your spouse, the gospel can reconcile you to both.

PODCAST OF THE WEEK

How Has Social Media Changed Bible Reading?  

Recorded on Ask Pastor John with guest Jen Wilkin.

You opened the piece by writing, “Beware the Instagram Bible, my daughters — those filtered frames festooned with feathered verses, adorned in all manner of loops and tails, bedecked with blossoms, saturated with sunsets, culled and curated just for you.” Wow. So what’s the Instagram Bible? And what’s your warning?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will. -A.W. Tozer

SONG OF THE WEEK

“Just Like You” is an older song by Lecrae but one of the most important songs written for our culture in years.  I’ve had it on repeat this week after some conversations with some young men who have gotten in trouble.  Lecrae shines light on young men who without the right type of approval goes looking for it in dangerous places.  Even if you aren’t a fan of hip-hop, this song is important for you to listen to.  Lyrics listed below:
[Hook: J.Paul]
I just wanna be like you
Walk like, talk like, even think like you
The only one I could look to
You’re teaching me to be just like you
Well I just gotta be like, like
I just gotta be like you

[Verse 1: Lecrae]
Dear, Uncle Chris, Uncle Keith, Uncle Ricky
Before the Lord get me I gotta say something quickly
I grew up empty since my daddy wasn’t with me shoot
I wasn’t picky I’d take any male figure
You, stepped in at the right time
It’s ‘cuz of you that I write rhymes
You probably never knew that
I loved the way you used to come through
Teach me to do the things that men do
True
You showed me stuff I probably shouldn’t have seen
But you had barely made it out your teens
And took me under your wings
I wanted hats, I wanted clothes just like you
Lean to the side when I rolled just like you
Didn’t care people didn’t like you
You wanna bang, I wanna bang too
Skyline, piru
You would’ve died, I would’ve died too
You went to prison, got sick, lost your pops
Yeah, I cried too
You never know who’s right behind you
Gotta a little son now and he do whatever I do
But it’s something deep inside you
That tell you what gotta be more than doing what other guys do
They had nobody there to guide you
But I followed your footsteps and this shouldn’t surprise you
You realize you
You realize you, you, you
Yeah

[Hook: J.Paul]
I just wanna be like you
Walk like, talk like, even think like you
The only one I could look to
You’re teaching me to be just like you
Well I just gotta be like, like
I just gotta be like you

[Verse 2: Lecrae]
Now all I see is money, cars, jewels, stars
Womanizers, tough guys, guns, knives, and scars
Drug pushers, thugs, strippers, fast girls, fast life
Everything I wanted and everything I could ask life
If this ain’t living and they lied well
Guess I married an old wives’ tale
Wow, fail
I don’t know another way to go
This is the only way they ever showed
I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, way to go
And get that verbal affirmation on know how to treat a woman
Know how to fix an engine
That keep the car running
So now I’m looking at the media and following what they feed me
Rap stars, trap stars
Whoever wants to lead me
Even though they lie they still tell me that they love me
They say I’m good at bad things at least they proud of me

[Hook: J.Paul]
I just wanna be like you
Walk like, talk like, even think like you
The only one I could look to
You’re teaching me to be just like you
Well I just gotta be like, like
I just gotta be like you

[Verse 3: Lecrae]
I was created by God but I ain’t wanna be like Him
I wanna be Him
The Jack Sparrow of my Caribbean
I remember the first created being
And how he shifted the blame on his dame
For fruit he should’t have eaten
And now look at us all out of Eden
Wearing designer fig leaves by Louis Vuitton
Make believing
But God sees through my foolish pride
And how I’m weak like Adam, another victim of Lucifer’s lies
But then in steps Jesus
All men were created to lead but we need somebody to lead us
More than a teacher
But somebody who buy us back from the darkness
Say He redeemed us
Taught us that real leaders follow God
Finish the work ‘cuz we on our job
Taught us not to rob
But give life love a wife like He loved the Church
Not seeing how many hearts we can break first
I wanna be like you in every way
So if I gotta die everyday
Unworthy sacrifice
But the least I can do is give the most to me
Because being just like you is what I’m ‘spose to be
You said you came for the lame
I’m the lamest
I made a mess but you say you’ll erase it
I’ll take it
You said you came for the lame
I’m the lamest
I broke my life, but you say you’ll replace it
I’ll take it

[Outro: J.Paul]
I just gotta be like..I just gotta be like.. I just gotta be like you
(like you like you like you)

POST OF THE WEEK

Is It Time to Go Back to the Heart of Worship?  by Tim Challies

I had been lost in a kind of daydream and snapped back to reality with the realization I had been singing “The Heart of Worship.” It surprised me to learn I know the song by memory, and since I was already well into it, I kept on going. You probably remember the chorus: “I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus.”

TIP OF THE WEEK

Write Every Single Day.

After releasing a book this week, I went back and looked over things I had written years ago.  Amazingly, I realized that the more you write, the better you write.  I have spent years blogging and trying to equip people through written mediums, and it strengthens the muscles.  If you want to write, write every single day.