Jen Sharbono

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

What good news.

[Jen Sharbono @JenSharbono]

@megbasham @DBryanRhodes These kinds of conversations are helpful for people who are considering vasectomies and the consequences of that. The critical spirit displayed here is exhausting.

[Michael Reeves @mike_reeves]

The righteous are not those who have no sin, they are believers against whom the Lord will not count their sin.

[Dane Ortlund @daneortlund]

Ten basics for skilled conversation--easily learned, easily forgotten. (I'm envisioning the hallway at church as I jot these down but they're broadly transposable).

1. Eye contact, including when speaking (it's harder to maintain eye contact when speaking than listening).
2. Listen with a view to what is being said (rather than formulating your own next comment).
3. Smile/gentle countenance as much as possible (90% of people are more discouraged than they're letting on).
4. Ask questions (everyone is more interesting than they realize).
5. Remember that this person, as the image of God, is a king or queen, worthy of accordant dignifying.
6. Be slow to pivot someone's joys or sorrows to your own similar experiences.
7. Adjust to the person--if they are painfully shy, be willing to carry more of the conversation load; if they are talkative, be willing to throttle back accordingly.
8. As appropriate be eager to move to deeper/spiritual things, taking the lead to do so rather than trying to prompt the other person to go deep first.
9. But: nothing wrong with small talk! Talking about the weather and sports and flowers greases the gears for deeper conversation. Christians who only ever talk at a spiritual level are exhausting.
10. It is not rude to smile, shake hands, and swiftly end the conversation (usually the other person wanted it to end too but didn't know how).

As a pastor I've been learning that the art of a skilled conversation is vital, though one that is not taught in seminary. I'm trying to grow in these ways, glad I had parents who modeled this well for me.

What would you add or change?

[Jen Wilkin @jenniferwilkin]

Seeing the way Christians on this site treat their spiritual fathers in their later years is nuts.

How about:

Treat older men as fathers, older women as mothers.

Honor your father and mother.

Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the old, and fear your God.

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

Worth reading slowly.

[Jen Sharbono @JenSharbono]

@BaggettJoe1971 @merelyjwright @ImmanuelNash @nocora You made a statement only God can make. He alone knows who belongs to him and who will be cast out. As for you, love the Lord and love your neighbor. This is a plea for Christlikeness in your responses, as you will one day give an account.

[Jen Sharbono @JenSharbono]

Sarcasm/snark is not pastoral or compassionate, and I am so thankful my pastor engages in neither.

[Jen Sharbono @JenSharbono]

@BaggettJoe1971 @merelyjwright @ImmanuelNash @nocora You aren’t God. That’s a claim you are vastly unqualified to make. But I do hope that the Lord uses this as an opportunity to bless and teach you.

[Jen Sharbono @JenSharbono]

Visited a few years ago. Found it to be quiet & unassuming, considering the famous faces there. It was the first time I realized the gospel could be present even in the welcome address. Jesus was lifted high. That’s the kind of church I would want around me in my brokenness.

[Christopher Talbot @c_talbot]

Immanuel Church Nashville is right down the road from our church. We know a lot of families that attend there. Good time to take your hands off the keyboard and pray for that church--for their pastors and their congregants.

[Beth Moore @BethMooreLPM]

Please don’t let the hypocrisies of those who claim Christ keep you from Christ. Numbers 23:19 says God is not a human that he should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind. He is not us. We must know Jesus firsthand so we recognize who he is and who he’s not.

[Andrew Wilson @AJWTheology]

Delighted to receive this today from @crossway! It’s out in August.

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

There is a great gulf between the Christianity that wrestles with whether to worship at the cost of imprisonment and death, and the Christianity that wrestles with whether the kids should play soccer on Sunday morning.

—@JohnPiper

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

This Easter, I invite you to look at Jesus, consider what he said and did, and ask for yourself what I believe is the most important question you will ever answer: Did he really leave behind an empty tomb? And if he did, what does that mean for you?

This video was made possible and in collaboration with my friends at @ChildlikeMedia.

[Jen Sharbono @JenSharbono]

@Markins Love love love!!!

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

Alistair Begg on knowing vs. feeling in worship.

This is magnificent.

[Reformed1563 @Heidel_bro1563]

“If you ask, ‘Why is this happening?' no light may come, but if you ask,
'How am I to glorify God now?' there will always be an answer."

-J.I. Packer

[Michael Foster @thisisfoster]

https://t.co/DTCvY1eTnI