John Preston was well educatedwith training at King’s College and Queen’s College. He studied philosophy, medicine, and astrology. During his time of studies he was unconverted, but in 1611 went with other students to hear John Cotton preach. It was upon this occassion that God graciously saved a hard heart.

Preston, along with other students, came to hear Cotton to ridicule his plain style of exposition. During this time, Cotton felt led by God to proclaim a simple, pointed sermon even though he knew it would not gain much applause. he sighed to the Lord: “Lord, I have counted the cost, let me cout it loss for Thee.” Later that evening, Preston knocked at his door. God had told him one thing was needful-not an oratorical appointment at court or some luctrative practice as a physician, but the salvation of his soul.

What an encourament to simply preach the text and to attend the hearing of simple exposition of God’s Word. Preston and Cotton became lifelong friends after this point. In fact, Sibbes and Cotton became mentors to Prestons short but full ministry, dying at the age of forty. He was a valued politician, an influential teacher, a great preacher, and an author renown.

I ran across this helpful list in my studies this evening. This is taken from a Sermon from 1994 by John Piper

What is pride and humility? I’ll try to answer that with ten biblical observations about pride. Humility is the opposite.

1. Pride Is Self-Satisfaction

2. Pride Is Self-Sufficiency and Self-Reliance

3. Pride Considers Itself Above Instruction

4. Pride Is Insubordinate

5. Pride Takes Credit for What God Alone Does

6. Pride Exults in Being Made Much Of

7. Pride Aspires to the Place of God

8. Pride Opposes the Very Existence of God

9. Pride Refuses to Trust in God

10. Pride Is Anxious About the Future

Sorry for the lack of posts and the disappearance of the Puritan of the Week posts. Puritan of the Week will resume next week, but will be switched from Tuesdays to Wednesdays. There has been a lot going on in church and family life, limiting my blogging.

We have just returned from Greenville, SC where we celebrated the life, love, and home going of my grandmother, Virginia Lutz. I am thankful for the past three days with my Grandpa, father, and family. We all rejoice she is no longer diseased and now worships her Savior face to face. She will be missed, I cannot think of Grandpa without her. They were married 65 years. As a grandchild, I will be forever grateful for the love exhibited by my grandparents, and not simply toward us and their children but toward each other. My words will fail to explain what I have observed over the years and watching my Grandpa grieve, but I love to hear my Grandpa speak of Grandma for he adored her and gave himself for her. He cared for her for over 15 years where she was confined to a wheelchair and/or bed, and in that time he adored her equally if not more. He truly seemed to delight in being able to serve her in those years. When we first got down to Greenville, I asked him how he was doing. He thought I was my dad standing beside him. He teared up and said, I am grieving, I miss my wife. I want that in my relationship with Heather, to give myself up for her as Christ did for the church, and I want to delight in it in sickness and in health. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!

For those who are interested, here is the video played at her funeral:

For the men at Edgewood, in application of last Sunday’s AM sermon my calendar is open for lunches and breakfasts in the month of June:

You can listen and become familiar with the melody.  We will be sing each of these in the afternoon service on Memorial Day Weekend.

The Power of the Cross:

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O Church Arise:

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Speak O Lord:

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Several quotes have been rattling around in my head lately and I am trying to put them together.

• It is fairly easy to build a church centered around compassion. Innately, people usually want to do good to others in order to feel better about themselves.

• It is fairly easy to build a church centered around restrictions. It also is true that people usually want to find fault in others to make them feel good about themselves.

• It is more difficult to build a church centered around Christ. People often don’t like the true Christ because trusting him requires dying to self.

What are your thought?

Yesterday we had a church softball game, but Heather had to return our niece to Ohio.  So she took the van and I took my car. Only one problem, all our softball gear was in the van: gloves, balls, and cleats. No big deal, I can borrow a glove and my cleats are over 10 years old; I will just go buy a new pair. So I headed to Dunham’s Sporting Goods (the only sporting goods in Anderson to my knowledge) to see what I could find. I really didn’t like the options, or I did not want to pay $80, so I headed to the clearance table. To my surprise I found a pair of white 1985 Spot Bilt cleats size 10.5 (just my size) marked $1 on the bottom. I picked them up and headed to the checkout, only to find out I owe $2 and change. The guy at the checkout said “that will be $1 per shoe.” Who charges per shoe? And why? Has any one ever said, “I just need the left one, boy am I glad you guys just charge per shoe?” Even when I lived in Kentucky, they charged per pair of shoes. I asked, “do you always charge per shoe?” He replied, “only the clearance ones.”

I am not a regular on posting Friday’s Fotos but I have been away this week to Alistair Begg’s Basics Conference and am now catching up on other things. So, here are a few shots from over the last week:

Kara Turned 7!

Lauren was the flower girl at Matt and Alison’s wedding

I enjoyed catching up with friends from Southern Seminary, Rick Crews and Jeff Douglas at the Conference

It appears that much of the torture was fabricated.  I apologize.  I had received my information from a solid source, but it appears to be wrong.  However, the three men were truly murdered as they held a Bible study for 5 other men.  Here is a letter from the church in Turkey.  And then a second correction letter.

As I continue to read through Meet the Puritans I am struck by several thoughts. One, how few of these men I have heard anything about. The second with the first in mind, how much influence these men had on the whole of their society in their lifetime. It is a reminder to me in my own ministry, it is not important that my name be remembered but rather that the true gospel be preserved and preached for future generations.

William Bridge spent most of his life in England and was ordained a priest in the church of England. However, he did spend a brief time in Holland because he was excommunicated from the church of England for teaching the doctrine of limited atonement. During his time in Holland he co-pastored with several men including Jeremiah Burroughs, both of whom served on the Westminster Assembly of Divines.

Bridge was noted for being “an excellent preacher, able scholar, and prolific writer…He often studied for Seventeen hours a day, and yet did not become an ivory tower theologian.” His devotion and knowledge did allow him opportunities to be called on to preach before Parliament and be called on to consult them on church-related issues. I know the culture of England in the 1600’s and the U.S. in 2007 is a bit different, but it is an encouragement to see the influence of a godly man reaching outside of his study walls and even his church’s walls to the whole of society. Despite such influence, it was within the church that he was most used and loved.

His parishioners viewed him as a charitable and candid pastor whose ministry helped many people…the people flooded in such numbers to hear him that by 7 A.M. there is no room to be got.

Funny thing or not so funny thing, I only had one in my Sunday School class at 9:30 A.M. (starting time) last Sunday, the rest showed up at between 9:40-9:45 A.M.. I am no William Bridge.