Bringing Scripture to Life

Richard Baxter (1615-91) was a leading English Puritan pastor, theologian, and author, whose deep convictions for holiness in the pulpit fueled a fire deep within his being. The purpose of his book,  The Reformed Pastor   is to reform the lukewarm pastors of his day, and in their self-reformation, begin pouring themselves out for the Body of Christ, so that every member will be edified and encouraged to grow in their faith. While written with the 17th Century clergy in mind, this explosive work is very timely instruction for pastors in every generation. I have read this book twice now, and each time, I have been most encouraged by The Reformed Pastor. I am blessed and encouraged to continue to seek God, to strive for holiness, and to pour myself out for the body of Christ, so that they might be edified, encouraged, and draw closer to Jesus. Paul's words to the church in Colossae truly summarize the heart of Richard Baxter in  The Reformed Pasto...

My wife Lyndsey and I have been so blessed to see how God has given our little boy a heart for worship. As many of you know, we were told in October of 2001 that it was impossible for us to ever have our own children, and then in October of 2011, almost 10 years to the date, God showed us once again that "Nothing is impossible for God!" One of the cool things about our story, is that the night before we found out we were pregnant, the Lord gave both my wife and me prophetic dreams that we were pregnant. Then when the doctor confirmed the next morning what God had shown both of us in a dream the night before, we were overwhelmed with joy and in awe of God.  Our first response to this news was to cry, and then to worship the Lord. I picked up my guitar and we both worshipped the Lord to the Chris Tomlin version of "Our God." Throughout my wife's pregnancy, she faithfully prayed for Jeremiah to be a worshipper of God, and she use to play Chris Tomlin and Jeremy...