Fresh Picked Daily (23 May 2011)

The Monday edition of "Fresh Picked Daily" is about pastoral education, evangelism, church membership and church history. Enjoy!

On Choosing a Seminary: Over at Reformation 21, William B. Evans of Erskine College provides some wisdom for those called to ministry considering pastoral education... "Prospective students choosing a seminary need to recognize that schools differ, that there is no such thing as 'generic seminary education.' Just as students need to be concerned about 'fit' when they choose a college or university, so also they need to pay close attention to the distinctives of the seminaries they are considering." It is the task of institutes devoted to pastoral education and training to balance theology and practice, catechesis and critical thinking, and ecumenical breadth and confessional depth.

Its a Matter of Time: At The Gospel Coalition, Petar Nenadov of Lakeside Christian Church in Akron, Ohio recently interviewed Rico Tice of All Souls Church in London, England on the subject of evangelism. Tice, who is known for his book entitled "Christianity Explored" (a Christological study of Mark's Gospel) explains the importance of evangelism and prayer in the life and preaching of the pastor, collective relational evangelism, and balancing church work (administration) with the work of the church (making disciples).

Church Membership: In the latest issue of 9Marks' E-Journal, Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Highland Village, Texas examines what the Bible says about church membership. Starting with Hebrews 13:17, he poses a number of questions regarding pastoral responsibility (care & discipline) and the obedience/submission of believers under elders. Next, Chandler provides biblical evidence for the need of fellowship and service for the sake of building up the body of Christ and postulates a divine mandate for membership in a local church.

Historical Theology: I have created a resource page for the study of church history. My plan is to have pages dedicated to Systematic Theology, Biblical Theology, Exegetical Theology, Pastoral Theology and Apologetics. I hope to update the pages regularly with links, books, PDFs, articles, etc. If you have any books, articles or online resources to share... I would love to hear from you!

That does it for "Fresh Picked Daily"... make sure to follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook for updates. I am also on The City. Soli Deo Gloria!

Fresh Picked Daily (20 May 2011)

The "fresh picked" for today are a few items that peaked my interest recently. Practical advice, antiquarian promotion, a birthday and breaking news in the SBC...

A Called Man: For those (like me) who believe they are called to Pastoral Ministry. Darrin Patrick, author of "Church Planter: The man, The Message, The Mission" and vice President of the Acts 29 Network shares the two ditches that church leaders can fall into as they help confirm a man’s calling.

Old School: An interesting thought... "In the age of digitized books, some might be hesitant to invest in an original copy of a judicious old divine or celebrated scholar from a previous age when you can download a digital copy from almost anywhere. However, it’s the book itself that takes you on the journey, not just the bare text. The book is the place where people congregate to find shared experience and fresh ideas." If you enjoy books (like me), if you really enjoy theological works (like me), if you appreciate the history and production of actual bounding and pages (like me), and if you have enough money to buy rare, antique books (not like me)... this site is for you. Thanks to Nicholas Batzig from Feeding on Christ for letting me know about this site.

Happy Birthday, Robert Murray M'Cheyne: He was born one hundred ninety-eight years ago (tomorrow), and lived to be only thirty years old, but M'Cheyne is fondly remembered partly due to his good friend and biographer Andrew Bonar (youngest brother of Horatius Bonar... check out "The Everlasting Righteousness" free e-book). Robert Murray M'Cheyne, though called home to be with the Lord at a relatively young age, lived his life pointing others to Christ and had a fruitful Spirit-empowered pulpit ministry. Let us look to him as an example; that we might "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12c) and "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14), for life is short and our days are numbered.

"Exciting Days Ahead!": Tom Elliff (President of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board) announced today in a tweet that Chuck Lawless has been named as the IMB's VP for Global Theological Advance. Lawless is the Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Please pray for Dr. Lawless in this time of transition as well as the SBC, SBTS, IMB and any other acronyms I have forgotten.

That does it for "Fresh Picked Daily"... make sure to follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook for updates. I am also on The City. Soli Deo Gloria!