Luther's Marriage with Katie

Now here's a romantic comedy. Dr. Barrett, a prof from Southern Seminary gives a glimpse into Luther's Marriage with Katherine Von Bora. Luther and Katie had 6 children, adopted 4, and regularly had several orphans find shelter in their home - once having 25 under their roof! Looking back on marriage Luther says:

"The first love is drunken. 

When the intoxication wears off, 

then comes the real marriage love."

Heartbreaking

Scott's Top 7: Reforming Student Posts

Yesterday marked a year since I started this little hobby.
Here are my favourite posts over the past year.

Must Be Christmas Tonight
Dead and Now Alive
Sowing to the Flesh
Whitefield on Essentials
The Best Two-Hour Date I Ever Had
Skipping Stones with my Friends
Man You Cut Me Deep

What Do Guys Look for in a Girl?

Two months ago I posted "Looking for a Real Christian Woman". It's humbling when the largest reading this blog has ever had was a re-posted article (receiving 170+ hits). After you've read that post, this should be a good-balancer. I'm pretty biased myself, when it comes to what qualities a girl should have. To be fair, I decided to collect from a group of my Christian friends what qualities they look for (or would look) in a girl whom they want to marry. I asked 11 guys from across the board: 2 married, 3 engaged, 2 dating, and 4 who aren't dating. I compiled their responses into fifteen traits/standards that guys are looking for in a girl (after traits 1 & 2 there is no order).

One of the guys responded with this essential to have before reading any of these criteria/traits. He says...

Before looking at all these criteria and thinking: "She has to be like this!", I remind myself that the work I have to do is first and foremost in my own life... for God to make me a man that fulfills these criteria personally. I cannot expect of my future wife anything that I am not expecting of myself, when it comes to these criteria. May the Lord allow me to please him and be myself a man of God instead of eagerly seeking someone who fits with all my desires.

15 Traits for a Woman

1 - Her foremost love is for God
She actually loves Jesus. She loves the Lord, and it is genuine. This is essential so that we are both longing for the same goal as we belong to Christ. The cross of Christ in her life is central.

2 - Christian life matches up with her love for God
She loves others and its rooted in what Christ has done for her. She isn't bogus or putting on her "being Christian" face for others, especially for me. She acts the way she does because she loves God since he first loved her.

3 - Fun
She doesn't take herself too seriously. We laugh together and at each other. She's not rude, yet she has a quality sense of humour.

4 - Prayer & Bible Reading
She talks with God. Her time with God is of daily import. She's always growing here and is excited to talk about what God is teaching her.

5 - Selfless
She thinks about treating others as she would want to be treated. She's known for doing things without being asked.

6 - Complimentary with her gifts to myself
She seeks to help me where I'm weak and to point out where I can improve. As well, she affirms me at what I'm good at.

7 - Disciplined
She's not lazy. She's focussed and determined to be diligent with her time.

8 - Money is not her master
She has a biblical view on money. She isn't drawn, ruled, or controlled by it. She works hard and lives within her budget.

9 - Communicates
She is a good listener; she listens then speaks in response - she's not just waiting for you to stop talking so its her turn. She is honest and clear and speaks with kindness. She's not known for being loud and/or in-your-face.

10 - Wisdom
She is prudent. She knows she is a sinner and is not all-knowing. She learns and changes her life from her mistakes. She's invites critique and is open to reason.

11 - Physical
She takes care of herself. Exercises and eats good. She isn't obsessed with how she looks but she's not a slob by any means. She spends more time in her Bible in the morning than on her hair and face.

12 - Local Church
She meets with the local church and sees that its essential to be apart of. She actively helps out and serves where she can.

13 - Family
She doesn't just say "they're important", she actually loves them. She spends time with them, phones them. She wants kids. She knows and wants her ministry to be first with her own family. She doesn't neglect them.

14 - Currently Submits
To those who are over her - her dad (and mum), her elders, her boss, her landlord. She shows submission to these authorities by obeying them willingly.

15 - Domestic (Cooking & Cleaning)
She cooks...and its good (or at least she's improving)! Even though she may hate cooking and cleaning, she does it out of love for those around her. She's not stuck-up, but sees the necessity of looking after the home. Even if she works she's willing to help out significantly.

Tell me if the list gave you a shock or if you were nodding your head.
What would you add/take away from the list?

Scott's Homecooking

So, the first week of January there was a class held by Dr. Stephen Dempster on Micah here at TBS.

However, there was no food made by Miss Myrtle.

So I took to the kitchen.

Check it out. 

This was my first Carrots and ham stirfry.

And my last.

Challies On Money

"Maybe it's the clothing catalog or Etsy or a list of new books. Whatever it is, materialism holds out the promise of happiness and fulfillment through stuff. And to varying degrees we are all drawn to it."

This quote is from a post I was reading on boxing day by Mr. T. Challies on money. 

Richard Baxter on the Responsibility of Christian Conversation

Be sure to do most where you have most authority and obligation. He that will neglect and slight his family, relations, children, and servants, who are under him, and always with him, and yet be zealous for the conversion of strangers, doth reveal much hypocrisy, and showeth, that it is something else than the love of souls, or sense of duty, which carrieth him on.

View the rest of "Motives to Christian Conference and Exhortation".

One Big Step

I asked.
She said "Yes".
That's how it went down for Justine and I.
We got engaged on December 22, 2011.
We're thanking the Lord for how far he's brought us and
where he's going to bring us.
Now I gotta get that kilt ready.

Jesus Film

Have you ever watched this? I never had seen this movie but heard about it a lot from C4C folk. It doesn't have Dolby Digital Surround Sound or Lucasfilm effects but it surprisingly packs some punch.  Yea, its cheesy in a few spots but I enjoyed seeing the accounts of Jesus talking and eating with the disciples. It was easier to see the personable nature of Christ. There are a few things I would have liked to see changed (i.e. transfiguration scene, it was weak), but a thought provoking change on the movie reel. Helps to attach the reality of easily glanced over moments in Christ's life. Such as the filling of the nets with fish and the calming of the sea. The parable of the sower and the analogy of the light on a stand. Watch it here. Since it's original release in 1979 it has been translated into over 1,120 languages. Pretty cool. For more info go to the website.

The Exceptions aka the Barn Band

Tyler, me, and Daniel (Now)

Heres's the boys and I getting together. We went to hang out at Salem Haven (Ty's place) over the break. Ever since high school we'd come to Ty's place and hide out in his barn for hours on the weekend. The barn has over a dozen stalls that were used for keeping horses before Ty's folks bought the place. One of them got insulated (some-what) and had a door thrown on it and carpet put down. We got the pearl kit in there, tys bass, my guitar and a few disco lights. We'd be in there almost every weekend throughout high school. It was our getaway. Here's a little snip-bit of those days.

Ty, Dano, me (Then)

Have a Happy New Year,
Love on behalf of The Exceptions.
Coming soon to a Wild Wing near you. 

TBS - Back in Action

Looks like school is about a week away. Lord-willing, this will be my last semester at TBS. It's been some great times here in the core of Tdot. Justine and I were just saying how we are going to miss walking everywhere in a matter of minutes from Allen Gardens. Studying the Bible formally, I would recommend to everyone before they pursue job/career/marriage. Even if its just for one year. I hope my kids will one day. I've made some great buddies here at school. Learning theology with the friends I've made here has broken down a lot of bogus bounderies socially, that I'm glad for. Learning that Christ needs to be first in all things really brings together a motley crew. Speaking of the crew...

Where art thou Stauffer?

Well? 

Get your jet-pack on and get back here already!

Paul Brandt's had enough of you - get Ontario-bound, on the double!

85 Years Of TBS

January 4th, 1927 was the first class held at Toronto Baptist Seminary. Today marks the 85th anniversary of TBS having been opened for theological studies. I hope there is some cake or balloons or maybe those dab-on tattoos:

I <3 

T. T.

Stauffer, I'll save you one ok?

Preaching: It's Two-Fold Character

"From its origin preaching has a two-fold character - proclamation and teaching. It proclaims the gospel of Christ to men with a view to their acceptance of him as their Saviour and Lord; and it teaches to those who have so accepted him the lofty morality and the inspiring hopes and consolations which that gospel includes. It brings to men's minds the truth of God, to their wills his law, to their hearts his love. In the very beginning, and ever as time goes on, these two elements of proclamation and instruction are variously combined in the Christian sermon, which as a part of the congregational worship is occupied with the explanation and enforcement of the mind and will of God as revealed in Holy Scripture. From this origin the history of preaching proceeds through the centuries."

Edwin Charles Dargan, A History of Preaching: From the Apostolic Fathers to the Freat Reformers A.D. 70-1572 (London:Hodder and Stroughton, 1905), 553.