I’m going to try syndicating my posts to Twitter for a while.
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via pirateipsum.me
Jump over to whimsical.club. With so many overly-serious websites these days, it’s fun to explore some “websites that spark joy.” HT: @chrisaldrich
I’ve tried to follow the directions but can’t figure out how to get canonical urls automatically added to tweets that have been cross-posted from micro.blog. @help any suggestions?
I’m designing a course on Christian maturity and discovered the Workload Estimator 2.0. If you are a teacher, bookmark this. Students might find it helpful too for planning their schedules.
Over the next two of days, I’m attending Acton University Online. There are so many interesting sessions that choosing my schedule was tough. I’m excited for tomorrow.
Gospel of John, 17v3:
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the ony true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Epistle to Diognetus, 12v4:
For neither is there life without knowledge nor sound knowledge without true life.
Last’s night’s sermon was on these words from Genesis 17:1: “walk before me and be blameless.” Listen to hear what that looks like, why we should, and how such a wonderful thing is even possible.
This morning I preached John 16:25-33. In this passage, Jesus tells us three truths that steady our hearts and give us peace.
Meredith Kline on p. 318 of Kingdom Prologue:
…divine demand for godliness is therefore found in covenants of works and grace alike. The precise kind of conditionality carried by the imposed obligations differs, however, in these two types of covenants.
Todd Bordow is the pastor of Cornerstone OPC in Houston. He has degrees from Westminster Seminary California (M.Div.) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando (D.Min.). He blogs occasionaly at Kingdom Kompilations.
In the following episodes of the Glory-Cloud Podcast, Pastor Bordow talks wtih Chris Caughey about several challenging and controversial issues church leaders face, especially in conservative churches. Bordow is a careful exegete with a deep commitment to Scripture. He also speaks from years of experience and demonstrates genuine love for Christ and Christ’s flock.
So I’ve complied this mini-series here for easy reference. He begins with some thoughts about pastoral counseling in general.
☞ 154 – Critique of Nouthetic Counseling
☞ 156 – Counseling Continued – The Elephant in the Room
☞ 157 – Counseling Cont’d – Narcissists & Manipulators
☞ 158 – Counseling Cont’d – Men & Women
☞ 159 – Counseling Cont’d – Men & Women II
☞ 160 – Women & Church Leadership
☞ 162 – Myths & Mistakes About Gender Roles
✿ Bonus article: Women in the Church by S. M. Baugh
This is entry 3 of the blogchain Better Leading, Better Meeting.
Meeting with people on the Internet has a specific set of blessings and challenges, just like other ways of meeting. And like other others meetings, how you act and treat others will depend on the context. Are you goofing around with your friend or interviewing for a job? Are you hosting the meeting or attending it?
Here are eight guidelines for video conference meetings that lean toward the formal where you are the attendee. Use wisdom to adjust to your particular video conference.
- Remember that we connect and communicate a lot with our eyes. Your attention shows care. To give this kind of attention, look into the camera. This works best if you put the camera at eye-level. This is not always easy, so be patient with others.
- As with in-person meetings, guard against distraction. For example, be careful about using technology for any purpose other than engaging in your meeting.
- Web conferences lean toward informality. Watch out for this if you’re attending a more formal meeting. For example, avoid playing with backgrounds or experimenting with other features during the meeting. Give thought to what you wear and what is within audio/visual range.
- In general, keep your audio muted when you’re not speaking.
- Be courteous during techno-lags in the conversation. People may look funny if the video freezes, just wait for the video to resume. Moving a little slower in a meeting and checking in often a benefit to everyone.
- Do not use the private chat feature unless the host has encouraged it.
- Connect a little early and be prepared to start on time.
- If you are new to video conferencing, read these tips for better video conference calls. If you are new to a particular platform, download the software needed (desktop is better than mobile) and test it out to get familiar with the features. You could practice with a friend, or try out a real Webex meeting or Zoom meeting online. Practice is your best friend. This will give you time to find and fix problems before the meeting and fully participate once the meeting begins.
Bonus: Skills Checklist for Attendees
- Do I know how to mute and un-mute myself?
- Do I know how to start and stop my video?
- Do I know how to share and stop sharing content?
- Do I know how to switch between the different viewing options?
- Do I know how to raise my hand (virtually)?
Instead of counting to 20 when you wash your hands, sing a hymn. It’s a practical way to trust in God instead of getting anxious. And since each verse of the hymn I picked lasts about 20 seconds, even if you sing fast, it helps you do the job well while glorifying God. We are learning verse 1 this week. Join us! My amazing daughter, Clara, will show you how. #handwashhymn
The Berlin Phil is offering free streaming of its concerts. And starting Monday with Carmen, the Met is going to be streaming a free opera every night. Thank you, musicians!
Passing communion trays is a very common practice, but it doesn’t seem to be the best way if you are trying to limit the spread of germs. So are there other ways to serve communion in accord with God’s word and Christian prudence?
Consider the history of the Reformed churches. Though not without some controversy, the history of the Reformed churches shows a variety in practice.
At the heart of the Reformed understanding of the Lord’s Supper is the sharing of the sacred meal. The medieval Mass put the emphasis on reciting the canon through which the miracle of transubstantiation took place and the consecrated host was offered up as a sacrifice for the living and the dead. As Reformers taught it, the communion was the focal point of the service. The sign Jesus gave was the sharing of a meal and as the Reformers understood it the visual sign should look like a meal shared by the communicants. Various approaches were taken by churches to make the celebration look more like the sharing of a meal. In Strasbourg, right from the start, the altar was replaced with a table. People came forward and stood around the table as the ministers passed the bread and wine to them. In Zurich a table was set in the middle of the church in front of the pulpit. While the people remained in their seats the bread and the wine were passed to them. The church was centered around the baptismal font, the pulpit, and the table. In the Rhineland, the Netherlands, and Scotland special tables were set up in the front of the church and the people left their seats, sat down at these tables, and passed trays of bread and the cups from one to another.
For more details on this history, see B. B. Warfield’s article, The Posture of the Recipients at the Lord’s Supper: A Footnote to the History of Reformed Usages., and also Liturgical Space: Christian Worship and Church Buildings in Western Europe 1500-2000 by Nigel Yates.