Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: Mourning What?

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." 

-Matthew 5:4

It's been a few days since visiting MLJ's Studies in the Sermon on the Mount.  A little late, not forgotten.  Today's chapter focuses on Matthew 5:4 and has to do with mourning.  One of the benefits of reading through Scripture at a slower pace is the opportunity to track with the intent of the author or speaker.  God has inspired Scripture intentionally and not with haphazardness.  So if we take seriously MLJ's argument that all of the Beatitudes are related and have a sequence that "makes sense," we can start doing away with some misconceptions about them.  And, like any Beatitude, this second one can be used, abused, and misused.  We must come to this and ask, "What kind of mourning is the Savior talking about?" to gain a real sense of what the blessing of comfort spoken of here has to do with.  Does this mean everyone on planet earth who is mourning (over one thing or another, from the loss of a child to the loss of their dictatorship over a country) will be comforted?  Is there some kind of "universal blessedness" promised here?  Does the audience matter?  Should we "force" mourning?  What is being talked about here?

Hallmark Doesn't Help

Scripture is complete.  Scripture is clear.  And Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, has themes and truth about God that becomes very clear when we go to it as its own interpreter, in the light-giving ministry of the Holy Spirit.  If a passage of Scripture seems to make you turn your head like the dog in the RCA commercials, like it doesn't make any sense at all, one of the most helpful things you can do is ask this question: Based on what I know about the Bible and what other "clearer" passages have to say about what's in question, what does this passage not mean?  That's probably one of the more helpful questions to understanding hard passages and its not usually the first we want to have answered.  We're quick to want the kernel of application and not so quick to want to know how to get it.  So when we come to something that seems like it could be - and has been - taken way out of context, how do we understand it?

In short, coming to the Word of God and taking one verse here or there isn't as helpful as it is popular.  I've seen "Christian" Valentine's Day cards that go out of their way to find a verse that has love in it, but doesn't make biblical sense to use it that way.  And to fire off a "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" to anyone and everyone is like sending off a greeting card that says (true story) "I have derived much joy and comfort from your love" as a romantic gesture.  Paul was telling Philemon what a blessing it was that he had served the saints so well and faithfully.  Frankly, it would just be better to write "I love you and here are the dozens of reasons why" and fill in the blanks than to chop up a passage of Scripture and use it out of context.  Words matter much more than that!

Mourning What?

So what kind of mourning is in view here?  Here is what MLJ has to say: "Our Lord did not say that those who mourn in a natural sense are happy, meaning by 'mourning', the sorrow experienced because of the death of someone. . . . As we saw that poverty of spirit was not something financial, but something essentially spiritual, so this again is something entirely spiritual and has nothing to do with our natural life in this world" (Studies, 43-44).  Whoa.  Is this too harsh?  Is Lloyd-Jones guilty of "over-spiritualizing"?  In one sense, I think we need to be careful to not over-correct the false impressions we get of these things.  There is comfort for those who are in Christ and mourn.  The Scriptures are clear about God's compassion and care for His people.  And in one sense, every bit of mourning that happens in this fallen world is a result of sin.  So yes, the comfort that comes to those who mourn has to do with real stuff, a real grief over the fallenness of this world.  But what MLJ points out - and this is what we have to see - is the kind of mourning that follows right on the heels of poverty of spirit.  If someone knows themselves bankrupt of any righteousness that will be acceptable before God, what must they mourn?  How do mourning and poverty of spirit relate?

The answer, Lloyd-Jones suggests, is to see that the threshold of conversion is stained with tears mourning sin and its sinfulness.  And as a very, very practical point of application, he has this to say about the failure to recognize the place that mourning over sin has in the Christian life, even characterizing conversion to greater or lesser degrees: "I cannot help feeling that the final explanation of the state of the Church today is a defective sense of sin and a defective doctrine of sin.  Coupled with that, of course, is a failure to understand the true nature of Christian joy.  There is the double failure.  There is not the real, deep conviction of sin as was once the case; and on the other hand there is this superficial conception of joy and happiness which is very different indeed from that which we find in the New Testament.  Thus the defective doctrine of sin and the shallow idea of joy, working together, of necessity produce a superficial kind of person and a very inadequate kind of Christian life" (Studies, 45).

These are certainly hard words.  But if you give some thought to it, it won't take long to conclude that Lloyd-Jones hit the nail on the head more than half a century ago when he preached these words.  And it hasn't gotten any better.  When the garbage of health-wealth-prosperity teaching can convince millions that their best life is now and when the design to provide a shopping mall experience of take it as you like it Christianity marks so many churches, is it any wonder that the Gospel - the life-changing, world-changing, sin-killing, love-producing, God-glorifying Gospel - is not taking hold?  We've got many folks who identify as "evangelical" Christians, yet don't know the Good News that makes evangelicalism evangelical.  MLJ: "They have failed to see that they must be convicted of sin before they can ever experience joy.  They do not like the doctrine of sin.  They dislike it intensely and they object to its being preached.  THey want joy apart from the conviction of sin.  But that is impossible; it can never be obtained.  Those who are going to be converted and who wish to be truly happy and blessed are those who first of all mourn" (Studies, 45).  Indeed, happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Not with the cheesy enticements and false promises of an illegitimate gospel - but with the comfort of God who welcomes sinners into His Kingdom, who extends gracious and open arms for a world at enmity with Him. 

Again, MLJ says: "The man who truly mourns because of his sinful state and condition is a man who is going to repent; he is, indeed, actually repenting already.  And the man who truly repents as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit upon him, is a man who is certain to be led to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Having seen his utter sinfulness and hopelessness, he looks for a Savior, and he finds Him in Christ. . . . He sees in Him the perfect provision that God has made and immediately he is comforted.  That is the astounding thing about the Christian life.  Your great sorrow leads to joy, and without the sorrow there is no joy" (Studies, 49).  Further, this goes on throughout the Christian life - mourning sin, our own and the sin of others, the sin that has brought this world into a ruinous fall - mourning it and finding fullness, hope, peace, and comfort in Christ. 

So that's where we'll end for this installment.  There is certainly more to be said, but I'll leave it off there.  I've got a good, cheesy movie to watch with my wife and a late supper to eat.  Meekness is up next and, Lord willing, that chapter will come in a couple two-three days, as we say around Wisconsin.  Take care.

To God Alone Be the Glory,
-Chris

Weekly Where-to-Go: May 7th

The title might be a little forced, but hey - I like alliteration.  I've really enjoyed Tim Challies' A La Carte postings with links of interest that he puts up on an almost daily basis.  So I thought I'd join the club and put some links out that might be fun and helpful.  Here's the round-up for this week:

The Gospel Project: Available for purchase today, this looks to be a really useful resource for the local church.  Here's their own description: "The Gospel Project is a Christ-centered curriculum that examines the grand narrative of Scripture and how the gospel transforms the lives of those it touches. Over a three-year plan of study, each session immerses participants — adults, students, and kids — in the gospel through every story, theological concept, and call to missions from Genesis to Revelation."  I love the Children Desiring God curriculum, but see this as another really solid option for introducing kids to the "big picture" of the Bible.  There are some other interesting aspects of the curriculum that I'll let you check out on your own, but I do want to mention one thing that really sets The Gospel Project apart: it has separate (and I'm assuming) complementary tracks for children, youth, and adults.  So moms and dads can be learning "together" with their kids, even if they're not in the same classroom.  Plus, they have practical take-homes that can encourage families to put into practice what they're learning.  Thumbs-up.

A Conversation with J.D. Greear on Teaching Kids the Gospel: Trevin Wax interviews J.D. Greear about the heart of a good kids curriculum.  A good tie-in to look at with The Gospel Project in mind.  Says Greear, "You want them understanding from the very beginning that this is about worship and about grace and that what they do for God is a response to what He has done for them."

The Campus Tsunami: An interesting look at the place of technology in education and its emerging role at top-notch schools.  As an alum of Reformed Theological Seminary's Virtual Campus, I can attest to the benefit of providing a distance option at a quality school.  Some of us just can't move our family across the country.  Distance education is no longer just TV/VCR repair.

The Underestimated God: God's Ruthless, Compassionate Grace in the Pursuit of His Own Glory and His Ministers' Joy: Very good message by Ligon Duncan from this year's Together for the Gospel.  And though it's very helpful pastors, it's not for pastors only. 

Parents: Keep Reality Before Your Children: Cat-e-che-sis

Cat-e-chesis does NOT ensure lots of yawning for you, your kids, or your cats.

Let's cut to the chase: the word "catechism" (and its family of words "catechesis" and "catechize") is not popular in evangelicalism.  For most people, including myself, it rings of lifeless memorization and Wednesday night boredom.  Here in Wisconsin, a huge percentage of the population is Roman Catholic.  And, while I don't mean to needlessly offend anyone, Roman Catholicism has some pretty unhelpful stuff in tow, including a denial of the Gospel.  For my part, the tradition I grew up in, Lutheranism, maintains a good deal of the traditionalism but changes some of the theology.  But in all, assumptions are made about people being "Christian" because they've joined the church or been baptized.  And those assumptions are played out, sadly, in the realm of relating to kids - assuring them that their standing before God is equal to their standing in the church.  I realize that there's a small minority who may not reflect this, but to be fair, the vast majority do.  What's more, the official teaching of Catholicism and Lutheranism reflect an understanding that a child is saved by virtue of his relationship to the church and the act of baptism itself or the exercise of the faith of his parents in baptism.  This post isn't about Catholicism or Lutheranism, but our rejection of them has also affected our neglect of a really helpful tool, which is the topic for today: catechizing our children.

My relationship toward using a catechism with our kids is fairly spotty.  I never gave much thought to using it as a discipleship tool for my girls, though I have great respect for confessions and catechisms that are biblically faithful.  The idea just didn't seem particularly interesting to me in leading my home.  Before I go into anything about using a catechism, I want to relate to you a personal story that can hopefully pique your interest if you're looking for a way to get truth before your kids "systematically," which is really all a catechism does.  The story goes like this...

Early on in January of this year, someone from the Watchtower Society came by our home.  She was looking for the previous tenant, who clearly doesn't live here.  But I took some time to share the Gospel with her and she seemed genuinely interested and challenged.  The next week, she came back to the door with a man who clearly had no intention of hearing the Gospel, but trying to stamp out the truth with the false teaching of the JW's.  The conversation lasted much longer than it should have, but afterwards, something changed about our Lydia.  She no longer wanted to pray or say "God."  Rosalie and I were torn up about it.  We talked with her, prayed for her, and tried to understand what had happened.  However, just over a week ago, I printed out a copy of Charles Spurgeon's catechism to use as a family (which is essentially the Westminster Shorter Catechism with Baptistic distinctives and a little more and less at a few points).  When Lydia was 1 or 2, we taught her question 1, "What is the chief end of man?"  And at the end of a day that was particularly discouraging concerning the above, we sat down and I dusted off old question 1.  And that night, with my little girl on my lap, she answered question 1.  I wept for joy over our little one's freedom from whatever fear had held her for the past few months.  Since then, she's asking almost every day if we can do our catechism time.  Praise God for this change of heart in our daughter!

I share this with you both to speak of what God has done and to encourage you to consider how great a blessing the use of a catechism might be in your home.  Honestly, as much as I value the truth in the catechism, until recently I never gave much thought to the long-term impact of memorizing truth together as a family this way.  And a couple years ago, I never thought that the words I was repeating with my daughter about "man's chief end" would be the magnet point to draw her heart back.

Using a catechism does not have to be a mess of boredom.  It really doesn't.  And I'll share with you, in a second, how our family has embraced it.  But I want first of all to affirm this: a catechism is a condensed packaging of biblical truth intended to build a worldview in our minds and hearts.  It's foundation work.  While God's Word is itself our only certain foundation, a good catechism has taken the truth of God's Word and distilled it so that a good deal of truth can be communicated in a sentence or two.  Helpful is the best word, at the least, to describe the right use of a catechism.  It is not a substitute for Bible memory or for reading through the Bible with your family.  But it communicates the truth of the Bible in a way that is accurately and easily remembered.  It's the "Cliff Notes" of systematic theology.  And instead of tackling Grudem or Berkhof, a catechism is a great place to go as a family, because, frankly, my daughters aren't in a position to do much more than look at a page and think about how it could be best colored.  The catechism gives you a great advantage in training your children because you're learning it together and it has so helpfully done the work of parceling up truth into manageable packages.  So, what and how?

So You Want Some Tips, Eh?

• A good catechism is (not that) hard to find.  In reality, it isn't that tough.  There are some helpful ones out there.  As a Reformed Baptist, I can't completely endorse Westminster or Heidelberg, though they both are extremely important in the history of the church.  We use Charles Spurgeon's catechism, which is essentially Westminster with the appropriate adjustments.  The language is "kind of" antiquated, but it preserves a sense of historicity at the same time, which we value in our home.  Spurgeon's is 82 questions long and the answers are meaty.  Here's a link to Spurgeon's Catechism.
• Don't sell your kids short.  Like Scripture memorization, you'd really be surprised to find out how much your kids can memorize.  And how old and out of shape our memories are (yikes!).  Because every family has a different dynamic, it's really important that you get a feel for where your little ones are at.  But here's the (kind-of) fun part: challenge them!  They may really enjoy tackling things that seem bigger than what they suppose is possible.
• Don't rush it.  I know it's tempting to want to have all 82 questions answered in as many days.  But unless you're living at a monastic retreat center with your family (and haven't been asked to leave because the kids disrupt the painful solitude), it's just not realistic to expect things to sink in right away.  I think this is particularly the case when your family culture has been missing these kind of elements over a longer period of time.  If you're just now realizing that handing over an XBox controller to your 10 year old for 3 hours a day over the past 3 years is not a good idea, don't expect him to immediately understand why you've pulled the plug and are sitting down to memorize something that's more than fifteen times older than he is.  God has been patient with you and you can be patient with your children.  Even if you've hit the ground running with a solid handle on family life, just remember where your kids are spiritually.  If your 6 year old hasn't made a profession of faith, then it's just not appropriate to expect that he'll be champing at the bit over these things.  So be patient and keep plugging away at it.
• Make it special.  I love the fact that our families have unique cultures.  We have friends who climb trees with their kids and run around outside all day.  We're kind of homebodies who like to cook and take walks and special trips to Target together.  Our families reflect who they are composed of.  And because of that, you have the opportunity to recognize what is special and valued (culturally) in your home and play off that in your family worship life.  Here is an example from our home: we do "special treats" as ways of spicing up the day.  So I'll randomly tell Lydia "I have a question for you..." and then get into a catechism question, letting her know that if she can answer it, we'll get a special treat at the store.  It doesn't always have to be that way, but that's something fun to attach to that time.  (Though I've also made clear that we give her the treat because we love her and want to be gracious to her, not because she's storing up merits!)  For the catechism itself (and I'm sorry to sound like I'm on Pinterest, which I'm not - though Rosalie is and she keeps me posted on what she finds), I formatted the questions in a decent font, put a page border up, and printed them out on nice cotton resume paper.  Then I glued those to some heavier stock paper.  I finished it off with some wood-pattern scrapbook paper reinforced with heavier stock for the covers and hole punched the edge.  And to offset the use of the term "scrapbook paper," I burned the edges of the paper to give it an "old" look and bound the edge with some ribbon.  Then I dedicated it on the inside.  So the catechism itself actually looks neat and it's something that we can hold on to and have some importance attached to its being made.  As well, I plan to have a special party when each of our kids has been able to memorize the whole thing, giving them a "diploma" and celebrating as a family.  It'll probably mean a night at a hotel, a nice meal, and some time fun swimming time in the hotel pool.  Maybe it'll be a picnic at the zoo.  But I want them to know that what they've been able to do, by the grace of God, matters a lot.  However you might choose to do it, you have an opportunity to hold out time spent over a catechism as something fun, special, and important and you have the freedom to pursue options that make it moreso to your family.  Not everyone would enjoy putting together a bound copy of the catechism and that's okay.  Just find something that can communicate to your family that this is special.
• Remember the heart.  One big difference between using a solid catechism and one that's off-target (like the Roman Catholic Catechism) is the content.  That's obvious - we don't want to teach our kids falsehood.  That's why we turn to a good, solid, biblical catechism.  But the danger, even in using an orthodox and truth-laden catechism, is the temptation to forget the heart and focus so much on making sure everything is being memorized to the letter.  Memorization is good.  But it's even better to go through the questions, read the Scripture "proofs" attached to each answer, and talk about what the truth means.  The verse that is included over our catechism is 2 Timothy 2:15 and we try to recite that every time we come to review the questions as a family.  It gives context and purpose and grounds it in God's Word.  So be careful that you don't get so caught up with little Billy memorizing so much and grasping so little.

So there are some thoughts about catechesis.  It's a word that's loaded with a lot of strange assumptions and rightfully so, at least around these parts.  But for the family hoping in Christ together, using a catechism can be a downright refreshing and enjoyable thing.  I can tell your from the experience I shared with you above, that it has definitely been used by God that way in our home.  And our goal in all of this is that we might keep the reality of Scripture before our little ones by serving them these condensed statements of truth that they can think about and not have to wander as they think about "What does the Bible say about...?"  Ultimately, it's a tool - and I think, a good one.  Lord willing, in a couple days we'll look at "reading time" with our little ones.

To God Alone Be the Glory,
-Chris

Parents: Keep Reality Before Your Children: Scripture Memory

I'll admit it.  Scripture memory is for me the flossing of spiritual disciplines.  It's something that I know is very good for me, will probably head off some problems down the road, is recommended by 10/10 godly men, and should be practiced regularly.  What's more, it's something that I tend to get excited about in spurts.  I'll get revved up about it because I've got a few extra minutes with my girls in the car while I wait for my wife to grab some things at the store and I'll grab my Bible and turn around and recap our memory passage that I hadn't touched for a week.  It ends up being the most easily excluded thing for me during our family worship time, oftentimes because a) I've forgotten to go over it or b) it's bedtime already. 

Candy floss sure seems to be more appealing than the waxed variety.

If you're like me (with flossing - and for the sake of your teeth, I kind of hope you follow through with it more often than I do), you can at least identify with how I relate to Scripture memory.  Unlike flossing, though, Scripture memory isn't painful - even if you haven't done it for a while.  Memorizing God's Word is intended to be a delight (Psalm 119:14, 16), a vaccine against sin (Psalm 119:9), and satisfy the yearning of our hearts after the Word (Psalm 119:20).  It provides us with material to recount the wondrous works of God to each other and to our children.  And even if we have a Bible on us all day, it really is the surest way to guarantee that your thoughts have something godly to turn to when you're tempted to sin or just check out and think about baseball.  At the end of the day, like any biblical discipline, you won't regret it.

Unfortunately, we sometimes like to think that we can bypass our minds and head straight to the heart.  While the heart is crucial, God didn't design us as purely emotional beings.  We were made with minds.  And just as we are to love God with all of our heart, we're to do the same with our minds.  Yet like our emotions, our thoughts need to come under the sway of God's Word.  So when you wonder why little Billy is chucking his Duplo blocks across the room, remember that his darkened heart is also informed by a darkened mind that seeks to suppress the truth he knows.  And while memorizing Scripture doesn't save someone, how will someone believe unless they're given biblical, gospel truth to believe?  It's a whole lot more reasonable to keep hammering Billy with truth than hammering him with behavior modification.  And it's a whole lot more biblical as well.

How does Scripture memory become a part of family life?  Let me suggest this: if anything is going to put you on a path to walking together as a family (or even as a church), it's making sure that we're thinking God's thoughts after Him together.  I'm not going to say it's a secret that I think a primary way of keeping our kids from jumping into the deep end of the culture pool is by loving them well and involving a regular time of family worship into the daily routine.  And a really big way of keeping reality before our kids is making sure that we don't privatize our time in God's Word so that the only time we're in it is in the morning, before they wake up.  As helpful as that time is for us personally - and it is crucial and should not be neglected - consider how your little boy is going to develop a heart to spend regular time in the Word.  We need to teach our kids and model for them a love for Scripture.  And a really sweet way of doing that is to together memorize the same passages and focus on going together to the treasure chest of Scripture.

You Want Some Tips, Eh?

Well, here you go.  For what they're worth - and I do hope they are of some help to you - give these ideas a thought (or two or three):

• Think about your family.  Because each family and each learning style is just a tad bit different, I'm not going to tell you that there is a "best" way to approach it.  But here are some things to consider: What is going on in my family life right now that could be spoken to specifically by the Word of God?  What stage of life do we find ourselves in?  What area of sin seems to be pronounced in our family life or in the lives of our little ones?  Is there a particular book of the Bible that you've been reading together?  Are there particular things about God that you want your little ones to be seeing right now?  Any of these questions will help you come to a conclusion that approaching such and such a passage and eating it up together will be especially relevant to your family.  For our part, we're working to memorize Ephesians.  It's a tremendous book that covers so many different aspects of Christian doctrine and living.  And I want my girls to have a solid foundation of truth in context.  So that's where we're at.  But you won't go wrong, so long as you get an idea about what would be helpful for your home.
• Get a plan.  Plans fail for lack of counsel.  They also fail when they don't even exist.  So instead of just thinking that it's a good idea to memorize Scripture, think about how you might best help yourself and your family to actually do it.  Is there a better time of day to recite it together?  Would five minutes over dinner be helpful?  What about breakfast?  Don't feel that your plan is concrete - but try some things out and see what works best.  As helpful as my turn around in the car parked at Walmart moments may be, it's not the best time to ensure we're committing God's Word to memory together - mostly because it's just irregular.
•  Don't expect too much - or too little.  We have a tendency to assume that we can't memorize a whole lot.  We chafe at the thought of memorizing a whole chapter, not to mention a whole book.  But it can be done.  Just don't expect it to happen overnight!  If you think about all the little songs and ditties and commercials that we can finish the words to, you might give yourself a little more courage to say "We can do this."  And with your little ones, recognize that their minds are on overdrive.  Us old folks are the ones whose memories aren't getting any better (that is, unless, we exercise them!), while our little ones have minds that God has designed to gather and retain so much of what they're seeing and hearing.  I am so encouraged when my Lydia stays right on track with me when we're saying our passage.  Even so, remember that we have our off days and so will our kids.  That's just how it goes.  For my part, I'd rather set a high bar and deal graciously when we don't meet it than assume that a four year old can't hold on to the word "beloved" because we don't use it in every day speech.
• Enjoy the time and encourage and affirm each other.  Words of affirmation and encouragement are a big deal to me.  If they're not there, I can start feeling bummed out.  They mean a lot when they're there.  So remember, you've got little ones who look to you (and a spouse, for that matter) who would be blessed to hear a "Well done" from mommy and daddy.  Sometimes, I'll repeat the verse until I get to a point where there's a "key" word and then stall out a bit and ask for help in finishing it, in the hope that Lydia will pick up on it and chime in.  So affirm the goodness of your child's memorization by showing that it even serves your memorization efforts.  And ultimately, enjoy the time together.  Find something that can express your pleasure in memorizing and reciting Scripture together and offer it to your family.  It was a delight for David to commit God's Word to heart and it should be for us in our homes, as well.

Again, I hope those tips can help you out a bit.  I want to leave you with some  resources that can hopefully be of good service to you.  With the advent of smartphones, we've got even more and nearer tools to do this.  So let's take advantage of them (or use the old pen and paper, if you like) and actively commit to memorizing Scripture.  It might be like floss for some of us now.  But it has much greater promise than any flossing ever will and it's part of a rich legacy to leave your children and for them to take on to college and into their own families.  May these few thoughts and resources help us to serve our families well by keeping the truth of God's Word before our children regularly.

• Fighter Verses (Desiring God): Pretty much the go-to site these days for Scripture memory, along with a number of tools to help you as a family or church to get memorizing together.  (If my memory serves me right, I remember visiting Bethlehem Baptist one weekend and having someone from the congregation or a group from the congregation getting up and reciting the verse(s) for the week.  It wasn't awkward or performance-like, but reflected the discipline of grace embraced by the church.  Great testimony for corporate - be it family and/or church - Scripture memorization.)
• Seeds Family Worship: Scripture set to some catchy tunes.  The albums are divided by theme.  We've got a number of their songs and they probably get stuck in my head more than they do in our girls.  The music glues it to your memory very well.
• Journibles: While not "technically" a memorization tool, I know that writing things out can help lock in what we're thinking about.  These journals are set up for you to write out the Scripture you're journaling through.  Giving one of these to each member of your family, depending on the road for memorization you're taking, could help things set up a bit more.

Well, there you be.  It's a small sample, but a start.  The Fighter Verses are so well developed at this point (with apps for your smartphone and everything) that it may very well be the best and only tool for you to look at.  Whatever the case, memorizing the Word together is key.  And from memorizing it, we should be encouraging each other to be doers of the Word as well.

Next up on the list of tools, to be tackled later this week, Lord willing: the big, scary word, "catechesis" (rest assured, we're not talking here about the Roman Catholic catechism - instead, I'll be featuring Charles Spurgeon's).

To God Alone Be the Glory,
-Chris