Why I Moved My Blog

Well, I have done it again. I have moved my blog to another place. For some time now, I have had my blog on Wordpress. I really liked the format and the neat little features that came along with it. I really liked the ease that one could modify their page with. So, why would one jump ship from something so good?

Ads.

I know that Wordpress, like many other places, have to do ads to keep their services "free." I get that. What set me over the tipping point was the type of ads that were being displayed. 

My wife was reading one of my latest posts, and she said something like "interesting ads." I noticed at the bottom of my posts were some ads that were not of the same nature as the content of my blog. I really don't want to promote "miracle diet pills" or "hottest gfs of celebrities."

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV).

As Christians, it is important that we be proactive on things. Too many times, we get passive and find ourselves in sticky situations. I just didn't want to send any mixed messages so here we are on a new spot. 

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Rewind 10.14.12

Here are some notable blogs that I came across this week. You should check these out.

The Day the Dishwasher Broke by Naomi Stephens. This was a great post by my wife about time.

7 Reasons Why Evangelism Should Be A Priority In Your Church by Thom Rainer. Thom Rainer does a great job of putting together some important reasons why churches should be not just involved but consumed with evangelism.

The Greatness of Jesus in the Massive and the Miniscule by Micah Carter. This is one for you guys and gals that like space and stuff.

Voters in Both Parties Back Abstinence Ed

Baptists in Turkmenistan Beaten & Fined. We need to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world.

10 Questions to Ask Your Wife... If You're Man Enough by Dennis Rainey.

How to Pray For Your Pastor.

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I'm Thankful: Day 2

Day 2: A Wonderful, Godly Wife

As I continue this journey of putting into words things that I am thankful for, I cannot go very far without mentioning my thankfulness for the wonderful gift that God blessed me with in my wife, Naomi.  She is truly a Godsend into my life.  Her passion for Jesus Christ is probably the one thing that stands out most to me.  She seeks to put Jesus first in her life.  I never imagined that Genesis 2:18-24 would be so clearly lived out, but it has been through Naomi.

Another reason that I am so thankful for Naomi is that she is a godly mother to our boys.  This is one of the foremost reasons that I knew that she was for me.  I have told her many times that I saw in her the mother that I wanted for my children.  She loves them more than any other person on the face of the earth.  She lives out the life of what a Christ-follower is supposed to look like to our boys in a way that they catch it easily.  There have been many times when our 4-year-old makes statements of biblical truths that Naomi has shared with him.

A final reason that I would give here for being thankful for my bride is that she is a wonderful pastor's wife.  I know that if you asked her, she would probably tell you that she doesn't quite know what that role is supposed to be, but she really does a wonderful job at it.  She is my main encourager, accountability partner, critiquer, prayer partner, and more.  It was told to me by more than one minister that a wife can either make you or break you in ministry.  I am so thankful that God has given me what I believe is the best there ever has been (or will be).

I would encourage you to check out Naomi's blog and see some of the wisdom that she shares.  You can go to her blog by clicking here.

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Top 100 Church Blogs

No, my blog has not broken into this category (nor do I look for it to).  I just came across this from another blog that I was reading and thought that it would be good to help others find some great thoughts from some great people.  You can go to churchrelevance.com and see that they have put together a great list of blogs.  I would encourage you to check some of them out and be encouraged in your reading.

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New Blog Out

I thought that I would drop some props for my wife's new blog.  She is an amazing woman and has many wonderful insights.  She has recently decided her hand at this blogging thing.  I would encourage you to go and check out the insights that I have the privilege of hearing all the time.

You can find her blog at naomistephens.blogspot.com.

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What's In A Name?

I was talking to my summer intern a couple days ago before his time was up and he mentioned that he liked the name of my blog here. He asked about where it came from. I suddenly realized, I have never posted why in the world I chose this title for my blog. I thought that today I might shed a little light on that subject.

I am a student pastor full-time at FBC Birmingham, Alabama. For most of my Christian life, I have heard the joke that if you don't know an answer to a question asked (maybe in Sunday School or during Bible study) then remember that "Jesus is the answer!" I have never been content to just settle with that cop-out answer. Honestly, that frustrates me greatly.

The more I pondered this thought, I realized that even in my own life there were times when I answered a question with a "Sunday School answer." These are those answers that you know the word that goes in the blank because you've been in church for so long, but you don't know the meaning nor the impact of that answer. I believe that it was after hearing someone mention this phrase (No Sunday School Answers) that it really clicked that not only do I need to be prepared to give an answer for the reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15), but I also need to really know what the answer is.

I realize that I don't have all the answers to people's questions.  I don't even have the answers to all of my questions.  But one thing that I am committed to is that the answers I give and base my life on are not just those that can fill a blank, but rather they can fill my life.  Now maybe we can all sleep a little easier knowing the reason behind the name.

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A Big Thanks

I want to give a big thank you shout out to Jeremy Flint.  He is a good friend that has allowed me some space to be able to host my blog.  I greatly appreciate him and all that he does for me and our church fellowship with sound and computer stuff.  This weekend, he was able to raise my blog from the grave.  I'm not sure what I did wrong, but I know that I did something.  I tried to figure out different things but it just didn't work.  So I called out to my friend Jeremy who seems to know all about this stuff... in a short time, the blog was back.

This got me to thinking about a passage of Scripture (go figure).  1 Corinthians 12 talks about spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes among believers in Christ.  It also has this great word picture of a body.  Though it's one body, there are many parts with many different functions.  Each part has a role and function.  If a foot decided to try to do the function of the heart, you'd be in serious trouble.  God truly reminded me this weekend that we all have a specific role to play and that we can't do everything by ourselves.  That's not just referring to "church work" but also everyday life.

How has God taught you this lesson lately?

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