Nuff said: Trusting scripture, a Gospel without words, a Trader or a Christian?, Does Powerpoint help?, Be a people person, Selfies Anonymous

The necessity of trusting the scriptures

Ben Taylor wrote this entry back in January 2013, and it’s still a great, short read about why Christians must trust the Bible:

This is not an option for the Christian: We must believe that that God’s revelation is available to us now, in an essentially and sufficiently accurate form…We must believe that all that God requires us to know about him will by him be preserved and made available to his people in every age. He cannot be thwarted by connivingreligiousleaders or sloppy scribes who would attempt to distort his word. Nothing can sever Jesus, the Head, from His Body. Thus the Christian must affirm and believe a doctrine of the divine preservation of revelation (the inerrancy of scripture, as it is usually called).

Words and deeds

Duane Litfin wroteWorks and Words: Why You Can’t Preach the Gospel with Deedsin Christianity Today in May 2012. He uses aquote most often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words”) as a launching point for saying that you simply can’t preach the biblical good news about Jesus without words.

It’s simply impossible to preach the gospel without words. The gospel is inherently verbal, and preaching the gospel is inherently verbal behavior.

I made a similar point inPreach the Gospel at all times… and use words!:

Service without proclamation of Jesus’ love does indeed meet needs, but a filled stomach without hope is a tragic paradox…if someone has to tell you to tell others about the joy and hope of your salvation, then most likely you’re not currently living in it.

Ed Stetzer also has an excellent entry about it.

What do you think? Can there be good news without words?

What is a trader?

This video byBrian Mosley of RightNow.org is well done, and I’d encourage you to watch it. The only thing I’d do different is dispense with the needless trader vocabulary and simply say Christian instead. We keep looking for words to give “Christian” more oomph and meaning.How about instead of looking for better words, we simply start living better lives, in love with Christ and obedient to His Word?

Do visual aids in speeches (like Powerpoint) increase retention?

This is an encouraging article for those of us who feel the pressure at times to spice up our presentations (for me, it’s sermons) with a presentation.

You have all heard the statistics — that listeners retain only 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they see, but more than 30% of what they see and hear, or something along those lines…The problem is, the numbers are cooked… Name one significant speech in human history that ever relied on props.

I’m not against using Keynote or Powerpoint, but I use it sparingly. I feel that ultimately it’s a distraction and should only be used if needed to truly illustrate a point, not to simply reiterate a point. Too many speakers use presentations to allow active listeners to become passive readers.

Be a people person.

That could be the the summary Kathryn Mott’s30 Simple Things You Don’t Realize You Do That Impress Everyone Around You. If you struggle making friends (or keeping them), consider some of these practical points. While some of you may think, “Doesn’t everyone get this?,” the answer to that is “No.”

Last but not least… Selfies Anonymous by Tripp & Tyler: