The following is a summer challenge I issued to our church family by email this week.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been enjoying an early morning, fast paced walk with Carolyn on a pleasant trail in the woods near the house. It’s really all I can do to keep up — she’s been walking about an hour a day, almost every day, for a couple of years now. On our walk this morning I saw a tall pine tree lying beside the trail. The tree looked like it had been blown over recently.

What I found interesting about it was the fact that though the tree had been standing not long ago, probably about 20 feet tall or so, a young pine, and appeared to be healthy, I saw no tap root. From what I understand about pines they grow a deep tap root that gives them strength and stability. Evidently the tap root of this tree had been compromised or was simply insufficient to withstand the severity of the storm that hit it.

How’s your spiritual tap root? Two characteristics seen in 1 John of believers who are strong in their walk with Christ are that they are people in whom God’s Word abides (1 John 2:14) and they are people who abide in Christ (1 John 2:27) — that is they yield to the work the Holy Spirit is working in them.

Let me encourage and challenge you to give attention to strengthening and growing your spiritual “tap root” by reading God’s Word this summer. Summer will go by quickly and I know there are many things we’d like to do during these wonderful but few warm days in Northern Michigan. Take time to enjoy them, but don’t neglect God’s Word. Better yet, get outside, pull out your favorite lawn chair or Adirondack and enjoy God’s Word while you enjoy His creation. And then be certain that you approach God’s Word with reverent humility, ready to obey as God’s Spirit works in you. Grow your spiritual tap root deep this summer.

I just read a piece on C.J. Mahaney’s blog, which quotes C.J., Jeff Purswell, and Mike Bullmore and touches on so many areas that challenge and encourage me — a pastor’s abilities, calling, preaching effectiveness, and use of time. I think many pastor’s deal with challenges in these areas, so I share it with all who will hear me and go read this post.

For those reading who are not pastors you can read and learn how to encourage and pray for your pastor as he schedules his time and prepares to preach God’s Word, a very precious privilege, week in and week out.

When I finish my breakfast it’s back to my own studies, because Sunday ’s a comin’.

Go read: Counsel for Discouraged, Average Preachers

Christmas sugar cookies. Do you remember the fun you had as a child making sugar cookies with your family at Christmas? Do you remember the enjoyment of cutting out the shapes, little snowman, the star and Christmas tree shapes with the cookie cutters in the gooey white dough? I know it’s fun because I’ve watched my children and the joy with which they cut the shapes and spread the frosting and add the sprinkles and other decorations after the cookies come out of the oven. Great fun — great memories.
—Read the Rest of the Entry…

Check out Eight Ways to Improve Your Daily Bible Reading from the ESV Bible Blog.

And you should also listen to John Piper explain why he — and good pastors in general — emphasize Bible reading and prayer so much. Listen to the audio or read the transcript.

“The safest way to hear God speak is to read your Bible. And beware of every other notion about how you are going to hear from God.”

Allister Begg, Why Bother With the Bible - Part One B

eBible.com has gone live today. You could call eBible.com the Web 2.0 of online bibles.

Pulpit Magazine’s blog has moved to my favorite blogging software, WordPress, and today posts an important piece on interpreting scripture. What Does This Verse Mean “to Me”?

The nucleus of all that is truly practical is sown up in the teaching of Scripture. We don’t make the Bible relevant; it is inherently so, simply because it is God’s Word. And after all, how can anything God says be irrelevant?

NASB MacArthur Study Bible available soon…

I was just speaking last night to someone at church about highlighting and writing in my own books as I read them. Today I find that Mortimer J. Adler has written a thoughtful piece on why you should. (from Between Two Worlds)

Update: Al Mohler shares Some Thoughts on the Reading of Books that mentions marking your books but I find his remarks previous to that quite helpful for the pastor/preacher in me.