by Eric Holter on February 4, 2006
Eric Holter, February 4th, 2006
INTRODUCTION
“But encourage [exhort] one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13
A few years ago I took special notice that among the gifts listed in Romans 12:8 was the particular gift of exhortation – “he who exhorts, in his exhortation…” I had not really thought about exhortation as a distinct spiritual gifting before. I began to wonder what made a person an exhorter as opposed to a teacher, a prophet or an administrator for that matter. What precisely was exhortation, and how would one exercise exhortation according to his measure of faith – in obedience to the teaching of Romans 12:8? While I had some understanding of how the other gifts in this list functioned, I hadn’t considered how exhortation as a ministry would be actively and intentionally pursued.
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by Eric Holter on December 12, 2005
Eric Holter, September, 2003 – December, 2005
I’m an American – home of the free, land of liberty, fight for your rights – American. And I was born a New England Yankee – live free or die, don’t tread on me, toss the tea overboard – Yankee. I grew up in Connecticut and settled in Rhode Island where Roger Williams established the state on the foundation of religious freedom. Today, on top of the Rhode Island state house stands the “independent man.” He grips his spear shining in golden splendor, as he exalts the virtues of freedom and independence. He reminds all Rhode Islanders that our forebears fought and died for freedom. We Americans love our independence. Every 4th of July we celebrate how we won it through revolution. Throughout our history America has stood tall and fought for the superior virtue of freedom and independence at home and throughout the world – and we continue to fight for it to this day.
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by Eric Holter on February 20, 2005
I enjoy reading. I especially love books that unleash my imagination and inspire ideas. The puritan Richard Baxter once wrote: “It is not the reading of many books which is necessary to make one wise, but the well-reading of a few, could they be sure to have the best.” Books like Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith make my list of the few best business books that should be read often, and read well. But I reviewed that book in a previous newsletter. This month I’m reaching way back. While the books being reviewed in this newsletter are certainly available at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders, you won’t find them in the business section. You’ll have to head over to the religion aisle for these – they are the book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.
The first chapter of Ecclesiastes states that “there is nothing new under the sun.” I read business and marketing books for new ideas and perspectives, but while new ways of looking at business realities can be helpful, the realities themselves are always the same. This fundamental truth is reinforced for me when I discover great business wisdom contained in these ancient books. The insights in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes top anything I’ve ever read off the business best seller lists.
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by Eric Holter on December 17, 2004
John Piper preached a message he titled “Be Devoted to Prayer.” He invented an acronym – “F.A.D.E.S.” Each letter stood for a couplet of two complementary aspects of prayer that need to be balanced in order to keep our vulnerable prayer lives vital. “F” stood for Free and Formed; “A” stood for Alone and Assembled; “D” stood for Desperate and Delighted; “E” stood for Explosive and Extended; and “S” stood for Spontaneous and Scheduled.*
While developing the “F” (free and formed) part of the acronym, he broke it into several sub-points relating to the formed aspect of prayer. While the free aspect of prayer is also important – our words should flow freely from our minds through unplanned and unstructured expressions – counter balancing freedom in prayer is the use of “form.” Formed prayers are structured or modeled after patterns. Formed prayers follow outlines. Formed prayers do not rely on the mind’s capacity for self-expression.
My guess, based on my own experience, is that most evangelicals rely on and value freedom in prayer more than form. People like me embrace freedom, self-expression, and “genuine” experiences. This preference is even stronger in people who grew up in dry, liturgical, religious environments, where their disappointing experience with lifeless and formulaic prayer now makes formed prayer repulsive to them. Nevertheless, I think there is great value in embracing certain kinds of form in prayer. I’m not suggesting that praying in a formed way, without an engaged heart, is valuable. But in as much as my mind is weak, and my understanding of God is shallow, using forms to help me pray can deepen and strengthen my experience in prayer.
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