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Interview with Matt Chandler, the Village Church

Interview with Matt Chandler, the Village Church 1920 1080 cheryl

This is the story of a couple who divorced, then were reconciled to each other by God after experiencing a series of painful events. God does not ever waste the sorrows of His people. For those who are Christians, God uses sorrows/hardships for His glory and our joy.

When you give your life to Christ, it doesn?t mean that everything will start to go your way. But it does mean that He will give you the strength to walk through the trials of life.

Originally posted on?The Village Church!

Never Stop Being a Student of God

Never Stop Being a Student of God

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Take a moment today to reflect on if you are still learning from the Lord. Paul David Tripp writes such a wise post on how to continue to keep learning from the Lord; about having a spirit of a student sitting under the ultimate Teacher.

Upcoming Events:

We have some upcoming speaking events we would like to let you know about! Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.

  • February 14th: The District Church in Eldorado Hills, CA.
  • February 20th: First Baptist Church Sachse in Sachse, TX.
Sweet Article on Marriage by Lauren Scruggs Kennedy

Sweet Article on Marriage by Lauren Scruggs Kennedy

Sweet Article on Marriage by Lauren Scruggs Kennedy 1920 1080 cheryl

Married Life: Beauty in the Transition

I can?t believe Jason and I are about to celebrate our one year anniversary! Isn?t it almost scary how fast time flies? Because of the occasion on the horizon, I thought it was fitting to re-post this article from the lovely blog, The Refined Woman, started by my dear friend Kat Harris. Their blog has such beautiful influence.

Even if there is a longing to get married or date or have a family, can we all admit that single hood is truly one of the best stages in life? Yes, the contentment in that time can be a struggle because an internal longing for the future may allow the disintegration of the joyful present. But this time of beautiful aloneness ignites a sweet desire to discover who you are as a woman, and it offers the time to identify your identity: the quirks, the love languages, the passions. Think about it?it is the only season of complete freedom. you can take a Pilates class at 8am. you can loudly unload the dishwasher at midnight. you can take a nap at 5pm without a care. your girlfriends can sleepover whenever you please. you can blast Britney Spears when you are getting ready. It is such a time to cherish and use to better yourself through laughter, reading, and the allowance of any stretch of adventure.

Obviously, I am a major fan of singleness, and it seems that the majority who have entered the beauty of married-life look back on that time with more recognized gratitude. It prepares you. It stretches you in solitude. It seasons you with some of the sweetest, craziest, and most unforgettable memories and challenges. To digress, I must say first that being a wife is the best gift I have ever received. My abs have improved due to my consistent belly laughs, my character has strengthened from being lovingly challenged, my walls have slowly been knocked down due to feeling safe to communicate the good, the embarrassing, and the hard. In a brief conclusion: marriage makes everything better.

Yes, that?s a pretty extreme statement, but I stand behind it with full confidence, and I don?t believe I am speaking out of a ?newlywed? mouth. The depth of our relationship cannot be shifted by circumstance; the foundation of our love is built on something so solid and unchanging; the grace we have learned to give comes from something greater.

So, now I live with a boy (yikes!). I kid. Honestly, the biggest transition has come in the form of being purposefully bothered by someone special, being tackled over and over on the bed as if I were his sibling (his excuse: he never had brothers!), and being surrounded by loud melodies and random acting scenes. I must admit I love all of the above.

A little tidbit into the life of Jase and Lo: we have identical OCD. True stories: we have collided while picking up the same crumb off the floor; a dirty shirt on the dresser is utterly offensive; water drops or fingerprints on the counter are distracting. Oh, and when we arrive home at midnight from a vacation, we open all the mail, unpack, and make sure everything is in its place. We. Have. Problems. + what are we going to do when we have kids? Pray for us.

The point of sharing these silly quirks is to fully exclaim how easy it has been transitioning to living with a guy! I must brag on my husband for a second: he is the most helpful person I know, he is so aware of me emotionally even without me speaking, and he takes care of all of the man-jobs such as replacing light bulbs, cleaning the gutters, etc, etc. My eyes don?t even see those things. Sadly I know the stereotype of marriage is often distasteful, but it doesn?t have to be. I have realized that marriage is truly shaped around who you are as individuals and most importantly the foundation in which your marriage stands on.? Do. Not. Settle. Open communication is key. Fair expectations are a game changer. Owning your faults is the path to healthiness.

I must admit, marriage is such a learning process. We have been married six months, and it has taken about that long to truly get each other on the most internal level and get on a rhythm as a couple.? It took fights and misunderstandings and vulnerability to get there, but man is it worth it. I know we still have so much learning ahead of us, but it has been the most enriching journey to experience thus far. Yes, we are both who we are individually, pursuing our own passions with freedom and support, but we will never allow too much distance.? Our priority is creating intentional time together to talk deeply, to not talk deeply, to crush, to flirt, to be adventurous and random, to lay in bed all day. We were both saying last night that we have never enjoyed spending time together as much as we do now!

A lot of what has brought us where we are is from not pushing conflict under the rug, fighting well (oh crap, we don?t always do that), but in the end, the struggle, the slamming of doors, and the crazy emotions all end in this appreciation for each other that could have never stemmed from a la-dee-dah day. A little tiff or frustration is always rooted in something bigger. If you get to the root, you will always find sweetness and a greater grace.

To wrap it all up in one final thought: you are in this specific time and place for a brilliant purpose. Use it to prepare for what may lie ahead. A marriage is so much ?easier? when you know yourself and see beauty in who God made you. When you know who you are as a woman, there is a sweet co-existence with your husband rather than a dangerous co-dependence. Yes, every story and transition is different, but marriage is so deeply satisfying when it isn?t rooted on yourselves. See the bigger picture. Be on each other?s team. Intentionally keep your relationship deep and exciting. Oh, and laugh. a lot.

Questions Asked by The Refined Woman

When you were single, what did you think marriage would be like? I felt like I could only grasp a vision of marriage from what I saw in marriages around me. I knew it required work and intentional communication from watching my parents and from being the mediator in some of my sister and her husband?s productive arguments. I knew it was such a joy to have someone to live life and create a home with. I knew it would be infused with lots of laughter and sweet memories. Even after seeing these things played out in front of me, I realized all that I had envisioned was a distance from experiencing marriage in reality. It is so much more cultivating, life-giving, and deepening than what I imagined.

What has been better than you expected? Living with a boy. Traveling together is my favorite. Lazy days with him are too good. I feel more loved the more vulnerable I am (he?s an angel). Creating a home together. Just being together. Going on dates. Hanging with friends. Marriage honestly makes everything so much better.

What transition are you looking forward to, in your marriage? Every transition! Kids, changes in career, retirement ha!

Photos by: Kat Harris, Lindsey Brittain, and Sarah Shreves

Paul David Tripp - Post from Wednesday Word- Oct 7, 2015 - "PEOPLE"

Paul David Tripp – Post from Wednesday Word- Oct 7, 2015 – “PEOPLE”

Paul David Tripp – Post from Wednesday Word- Oct 7, 2015 – “PEOPLE” 1920 1080 cheryl

Don’t miss this incredible word from Paul David Tripp:?”PEOPLE ? You should be thankful for the people whom God places in your life.?You should love them dearly. You should treat them with honor and respect. You should do all you can to maintain the unity and peace of your relationship. You should be willing to give generously and serve sacrificially. You should be humble as they speak truth into your life.?BUT … you cannot look to people to provide for you what only Christ can provide.”

There are many, many Christian relationships that are painful and marked by conflict and disappointment because one person, or both people, in those relationships are placing a burden on the other person that no human can bear:

  • No person can be the foundation of your identity
  • No person can provide the source for your joy
  • No person can give you a reason to get up in the morning
  • No person can give you a reason to continue in the midst of difficulty
  • No person can be the carrier of your hope
  • No person can give your heart peace and rest
  • No person can change you from the inside out
  • No person can alter your past
  • No person can atone for your wrongs

AND YET … we have all asked someone, at some point and in some way, to be the fourth member of the Trinity for us!

It’s simply a relationship doomed for failure. When we ask a person to do for us what only Christ can do, we place a crushing and impossible burden on them, and then judge them when they fall short.

It’s vital to remember that human love is a wonderful thing – you should pursue people who love you, and you should be pursued by people because you’re loving. But you will only ever find life – real, heart-changing, soul-satisfying life – in a vertical relationship with one Person (capital P).

Only Christ can be your source of spiritual vitality and strength. Only Christ can save you, change you and deliver you from you. One Christ can give your soul what it’s desperately seeking.

Could it be that the disappointment you experience in your relationships is the product of unrealistic and unattainable expectations? Could it be that you have unwittingly put people in God’s place? Could it be that you ask the people to do what only Christ can do for you?

There is but one Savior, and He is yours forever. You don’t need to put that burden on the person next to you.

God bless

Paul Tripp

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. What person, or people, are you thankful that God has placed in your life? Why?
  2. Is there a way in which you’re looking to them for what only Christ can provide?
  3. How have your past relationships suffered as a result of your unrealistic and unattainable expectations? What can you change moving forward?

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Great word on Prayer.....by Paul David Tripp

Great word on Prayer…..by Paul David Tripp

Great word on Prayer…..by Paul David Tripp 1920 1080 cheryl

?Prayer is abandoning all other objects of worship and giving myself to the daily worship of God alone.I shouldn?t have to say this, but I think it is necessary?prayer is an act of worship. It is profoundly more than bringing to God our grocery lists of self-defined wants and needs. Here are seven ways in which prayer is rooted in worship.

Prayer acknowledges God?s existence. This is the bottom line of all true prayer. It begins and ends with the recognition that there is something more ultimate in the universe than you. Prayer places emphasis firmly on the first four words of the Bible: ?In the beginning, God . . .? So prayer is an acknowledgment of God as Creator and Sovereign. It is rooted in assent to his power, wisdom, and rule. It would make no ?sense to pray if you thought that God was your equal.

Prayer bows to God?s glory. This is the constant requirement of prayer. You cannot pray properly without recognizing that there is a greater glory in this universe than your own glory or the variegated glories of the physical created world. Prayer is recognition that no created glory can or will ever satisfy the heart of the one who prays. It flows from the understanding that it is only when you live for the glory of God that your heart can rest content.

Prayer submits to God?s plan. Prayer is not asking God to endorse and resource your plan for your life. Prayer is recognition that the One who made the world, including you, knows what is best for you. As the psalmist says, ?the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether? (Ps. 19:9). Prayer is not bringing your list and asking God to sign on the bottom. Prayer is handing God a blank sheet that you have already signed and trusting him to fill it out as he sees fit.

?Prayer confesses allegiance to God?s kingdom. Prayer is recognition that on this side of eternity there is a war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of self. In prayer, you don?t ask God to endorse the self-focused little dreams of your claustrophobic kingdom of one; rather, you commit your heart to the plans and purposes of God?s kingdom and seek the grace to be part of what God is doing and not in the way of it.

Prayer rests in God?s provision. True prayer isn?t spoken in a panic, but in a spirit of trust and rest. You know that the One to whom you pray is near, faithful, and willing to meet your every need.
?Prayer celebrates God?s grace. True prayer arises when you are blown away by grace, for it is grace that gives you the desire to pray, the welcome of God to pray, and the promise that he will answer.
Prayer commits to God?s work. Finally, prayer is an acknowledgment that between the ?already? and the ?not yet,? there is work of God to be done, and you need wisdom and strength for that work.?

Excerpt From: Paul David Tripp. ?New Morning Mercies.? Crossway. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

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Great word on Wed’s Word by Paul David Tripp on what it means to Obey!

Great word on Wed’s Word by Paul David Tripp on what it means to Obey! 1920 1080 cheryl

paul_seated_300OBEY

There’s simply nothing you can do to gain God’s favor.

You have to accept this and remember it: you will never be righteous enough for long enough to satisfy God’s holy requirements.

Your thoughts will never be pure enough. Your desires will never be holy enough. Your words will never be clean enough. Your choices and actions will never be honoring enough. The bar is simply set too high for us to ever reach.

We all live under the same weight of the law, crippled by the inability of sin. We’re better at rebelling than submitting, more inclined to arrogance than humility, more skilled at making war with our neighbors than loving them. We leave a trail of evidence every hour that we’ve fallen short of the glory of God one more time.

So what’s the point of obedience in the Christian life? Well, this hard-to-swallow pill of bad news is actually the doorway to eternal hope and joy, not depressive self-loathing. How? It’s only when you accept who you are and what you’re unable to do that you begin to understand and celebrate the necessity of God’s gift of grace.

Let’s put the bad news and the good news together. The Apostle Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but that’s only half of the story. He continues, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25, ESV)

A propitiation is an atoning sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus appeased the wrath of God and created a reconciliation between God and all who place their faith in him. In more simple words: you don’t need to obey to gain God’s favor.

Don’t misunderstand me: grace doesn’t make obedience optional. Obedience is the life-long calling for followers of Christ. But, your obedience is never a fearful payment. It’s a hymn of gratitude to the God who met you where you were and did for you what you could not have done for yourself.

Your obedience doesn’t purchase God’s love for you; Christ’s blood is the only purchase that could do that. Rather, your obedience is a thankful expression that you understand the significance of God’s love being placed on you.

So today, humbly admit that you’re more messed up than you think you are. And commit once more to a lifestyle of obedience, not because Jesus needs you to, but because you understand how much you need Jesus.

God bless

Paul David Tripp

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

How have you fallen short of the glory of God already?

What motivated your obedience yesterday?

How will you remind yourself to obey for the right reasons today?
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Great 20 min Sermon by David Zahl on FORGIVENESS!

Great 20 min Sermon by David Zahl on FORGIVENESS! 150 150 cheryl

Ever listened to David Zahl? What a treat! Check this 20 minute talk on forgiveness we all need to hear!

Kathie Lee Gifford’s Tribute to her husband, Frank. A man of Faith & Family

Kathie Lee Gifford’s Tribute to her husband, Frank. A man of Faith & Family 150 150 cheryl

If you have not listened to and watched Kathie Lee Gifford’s bold tribute to her husband on The Today Show this past Monday, you must! Frank passed away unexpectedly last week. He was a man of deep faith in Jesus Christ and a man who loved his family. Watch this video of bold proclamation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on national television!

This is absolutely one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard…..praise God @kathielgifford for the love u have for your husband and your boldness about our Savior Jesus Christ!

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Kathie Lee and Hoda uploaded a new video.

Watch Kathie Lee Gifford‘s personal and touching tribute to Frank Gifford. She shares how faith was the foundation for his life. http://on.today.com/1MxyNip

 

“One More Try” by Gary Chapman, Dr. Russell Moore speaks true identity; Paul David Tripp speaks on how “GRACE Liberates you Foolishness”

“One More Try” by Gary Chapman, Dr. Russell Moore speaks true identity; Paul David Tripp speaks on how “GRACE Liberates you Foolishness” 150 150 cheryl

BOOK: “One More Try” by Dr. Gary Chapman

When doors slam and angry words fly, when things just aren’t working out, and even when your spouse has destroyed your trust, there is hope. If you feel like your marriage is near the breaking point – even if you have already split up – Gary Chapman will show you how you can give your marriage one more try.
Separation does not necessarily mean divorce is imminent. Matter of fact, it?s possible that separation may even lead to a restored, enriched, growing marriage. The outcome of this time of transition is determined solely by the individuals involved. If you?re willing to make the most of that process, begin the journey with confidence as Gary walks you step-by-step towards healing and hope.

Order here: “One More Try”

Russell Moore –? “God & Country Crucified”

Listen to Dr. Russell Moore on understanding your true identity……..

[youtube]https://youtu.be/_jp-zhRuF7M[/youtube]

Paul David Tripp – “GRACE Liberates Your Foolishness”

Something exists inside the heart of every human being – whether it be a screaming infant, an anxious teenager, a demanding spouse, a critical boss, or a corrupt politician – that creates disaster. It’s the foolishness of sin. In this plenary session from Liberate 2015, Paul Tripp teaches on four types of foolishness and how only a divine appearance liberates us from each.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/TQ9hTx5nYRY[/youtube]

 

Short video: The Importance of Man Skills | Paul Tripp from Manhood series

Short video: The Importance of Man Skills | Paul Tripp from Manhood series 150 150 cheryl

?and gentleness . . . ? Treating a person with gentleness makes him or her want to move near you. Responding with gentleness teaches another person that he or she is safe in your care. It is an essential relational bond.?

Excerpt From: Paul David Tripp. ?New Morning Mercies.? Crossway. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBooks Store: https://itun.es/us/p-8l4.l

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZd1jOJ9Kto[/youtube]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff & Cheryl Scruggs