Joseph F. Radosevich

Baptist News published an article on rural churches in Indiana . The author interviewed a number of people serving in rural Indiana. I've heard a number of those comments and trends. I disagree strongly with a lot of what is mentioned and thought I'd respond with my own observations here. I pastor a church with an average of 65 people in a town of 250 people. There is no stop light or grocery store in our county of 5000 people. We are very rural, but if we drive 16 miles, we can be in a town of 10,000 people with a Wal-Mart Supercenter and an Aldi. Here are my scattered thoughts responding to some of what is said in the article. Churches and leaders using 1970's methods to search for a pastor are not going to be successful. A paragraph in the state newspaper or on a job board is not going to get many views or applications. That might have worked in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, but it is time to change how you look for a pastor. Lost people in rural America are not ...

Dan John's Humane Burpee was a great way to finish some of my workouts last month. It took me around 4-5 minutes. Instead of doing normal burpees which includes a squat and push-up in every rep, this has 15 swings followed by 4 squats/4 push-ups; then 15 swings/3 squats/3 push-ups; etc. down to 1. It is 75 swings, 10 squats, and 10 push-ups. After all my regular exercises, the swings were tough. Each time, I tried to beat my previous time without throwing up. I've started doing a bit of grip strengthening. I started it because I tried a wrist exercise and it felt so good. I bought a kit on Amazon with different levels. It makes me feel good, but I also hope it helps my grip and elbows for doing pull-ups and my finger strength for guitar. I finished In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton. It is so good! I could hardly put the book down. I walked around for a week saying, "And then the sharks came." I also read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I've seen movie versi...

 This morning, The Gospel Coalition published an article on similar themes to what I wrote about yesterday-- The News Can Wai t. It's an excellent article with similar remedies. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/news-media-what-now/

I stumbled onto a way to improve my life this month. In the week leading up to the election, I stopped checking the news. I limited my news to a newsletter that I read once each morning and once in the afternoon. It made my week so much easier mentally. I didn't think constantly about what is going on in world, USA, or politics.  I liked it so much that I am still doing it almost three weeks later. Anything important will be in the news in either the morning or evening. My mind is freed up to think about more important things--more present things. My conversation is not about the latest controversy.  I don't want my kids memories of these years to be about whatever the latest controversy is. I don't want them to remember me talking about the news all the time. I found that the news can wait.

I love making leaf compost to use in my garden. We have amazing trees around our house, so I pile them up, shred them, pile them, and wait. If I have any extra leaves, I put them in our flower beds as mulch. I put the leaf mold (or leaf compost) around the rhubarb and in our raised beds in the spring. I decided to make a pen this year so that I could hold more and so that it doesn't just look like a messy pile on the ground. I like a tidy garden.  You can see the rhubarb and brussels sprouts in the background. There is rye in those beds but they have been slow to grow. From now on, any leaves that I pile and shred will go in my flower beds. This pile will do its work while the garden rests. If you try this, wear a mask. It makes so much dust. I am paying for not wearing a mask one day.

Of course if by an ‘expository’ sermon is meant a verse-by-verse explanation of a lengthy passage of scripture, then indeed it is only one possible way of preaching, but this would be a misuse of the word. Properly speaking, ‘exposition’ has a much broader meaning. It refers to the content of the sermon (biblical truth) rather than its style (running commentary). To expound Scripture is to bring out of the text what is there and expose it to view. John Stott, Between Two Worlds (125-126) Expository preaching is defined not by a style nor by a particular methodology, but by the end result of explaining and applying the meaning of the text. Expository preaching is any kind of preaching that shows people the meaning of a Biblical text and leads them to apply it to their lives. Hershael W. York and Bert Decker, Preaching with Bold Assurance (33) 1. The message finds its sole source in Scripture. 2. The message is extracted from Scripture through careful exegesis.  3. The message prep...

Expository preaching is not merely what your favorite preacher does. It's not a style. It's not a series. I'm overly sensitive about that term. I realized it recently when I protested extra strongly over someone's use of the term. I've had hurtful words said about my preaching using that term. I need get over that. In the future, I will let it go. It's better to trust the LORD than defend myself. It is helpful for people to understand what expository preaching is, though. It's just a term that means a sermon that explains and applies a passage of the Bible. You can do that in many ways. The way that you organize your points doesn't make it expository. The amount of verses that you cover doesn't make it expository. The use of illustrations or lack of illustrations doesn't make it expository. Explanations of Greek and Hebrew does not make it expository. I think expository preaching is the right way to preach. I think it is important to talk about i...

NIV Study Bible I have had this the longest. I refer to it every week, but I use its insights the least. It is vanilla but not in a good way. ESV Study Bible This is the largest study bible that I own. It seems the most rigorous, but most of its energy goes into articles. It does point out the main point of each passage. That is the main reason I use a study bible in sermon preparation--to identify the main point of the passage. Reformation Study Bible This is all about reformed doctrine. Every passage is explained in terms of how it relates to doctrine as Ligonier Ministries sees it. It is worthwhile if you want or need that. CSB Study Bible This is my favorite study bible. I bought it for our home so that our kids can refer to it with a question. Every time I have a question, it refers to and explains the details of passage. No other study bible is as textual as this one and as insightful. I highly recommend this study bible. Why do you need a study bible? To answer a question. This ...

We just finished vacation. We love staying in a cabin near Lake Shelbyville and taking it easy. The area clears out, and we had the run of the playground, fishing ponds, 3-hole golf course, etc. I've started taking shorter naps. I watched this video and adjusted all my naps to 30 minutes. They don't interfere with my sleep at night this way. Getting sick a couple of years ago caused me to take my naps more seriously. I feel much less stress and no neck pain when I get in 4-5 naps a week. I used to nap 1.5 hours on the week, but this is better. I read several young adult and children's novels on vacation. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Westing Game and The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow . They are completely different but really fun. I will warn you that Westing  is weird. If you don't mind the weirdness, then it was fun. I had just finished a history of the International Mission Board Make Disciples of All Nations . It was worth reading because of some les...

My kids asked me about my blog, and I struggled to answer why. I didn't want to be proud. I don't want to be driven by vanity. So I asked myself, "Why have you kept this blog for 5 years? Why have you kept other versions of this blog for close to 20 years?" Why do I keep a blog? This is my professional resume. It is where I process out loud what I'm thinking, what I work on, what I know, and what I do. Some people call that doing your work publicly. I have 5 years worth of thinking and work on here so that if someone wanted to know me, they would get a pretty good idea by reading through this site. This gives me practice writing. By writing, editing, and publishing regularly, I practice the skill of writing that I use in my current work and may use someday in other forms. I have enjoyed writing and written for years. I loved journalism in college and planned to write in some form for my career. Blogs have always been one way that I can practice for what I want to ...

I switched my workout journal this month from a spreadsheet in Google Drive to a composition notebook with grid lines. I've kept track of my weight for years in Google Fit and a then spreadsheet so that I can make a chart over time. I had kept my workout journal along with it to make it easy. I decided this month to switch to a physical journal, and grabbed an old composition notebook with grid lines from my garden bookshelf. I started in two places. In the front, I started a chart to track my weight and waist each morning. Halfway through the notebook, I track my workouts, heart rate, and blood pressure. The main use for tracking my blood pressure is that it helps me know when I am overtrained and need a break. It shows when my blood pressure is up ten points over a normal workout. I always thought that having a digital copy of my workouts and the ability to make a chart out of weight, waist, or heart rate made the digital version better. When I switched to the physical journal, I...

In the afternoon, the Midwestern Seminary For The Church National Conference hosted breakout sessions. I went to the second one on prayer led by Jed Coppenger. It was so good that I went to book tables in the lobby of the conference to see if his book on prayer was for sale. I couldn't find it so I ordered it the next day. After this afternoon breakout, I told a friend that Coppenger said extremely profound stuff on prayer but also extremely obvious once we looked at Matthew 6. I couldn't believe that I'd never noticed those things before. Here are some quotes and pictures of my notes: "Your prayer life shows your view of God." "Pride doesn't pray." "We don't know what or when or how the problem will be fixed. We know who will handle it." *I took my notes for myself without a plan to post them on here. I had the idea after I got home. You can tell by my handwriting. I used a pencil also to prevent fountain pen leaks and messes while mov...

 I went to the For The Church National Conference at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. I thought I would do a quick review. Bullet points summary: The campus was beautiful. It was the first time I'd been there, and evidently it has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Parking was a little packed but not as bad as it could have been with 1000 people there. The chapel is perfect because it holds a lot of people without feeling large. The student center is amazing. The Spurgeon Library is a museum quality space with so much to read, look at, and listen to. They had unlimited black coffee that was good quality. I talked to a student that told me it was brewed by the on-campus coffee shop.  The speakers were really good. Some of them were more my style like Tony Merida, Jared Wilson, and Crawford Lorritts.  The conference was too short for me. It was over in 25 hours. I prefer a slightly longer conference for my own growth and refreshment. The worship ...

  I learned this method of taking notes before college. On the left, I write the main points. On the right, I add any quotes, supporting ideas, and my thoughts. I usually have space at the bottom to write things to remember or apply. It's really fun to add a picture of the speaker or something visual. At this conference, each speaker had a version of a stained glass logo that was slightly different than the others. Above is the logo/icon for Merida's sermon.

 I pick conferences that help me grow personally. I've been to how-to conference but I prefer ones that are rich in theology and encouragement. I bring a mostly empty backpack. There are lots of giveaways, so I need space to put things. I also usually have a cup of coffee so if I didn't have a backpack m then both hands are full.  I try to be friendly and meet people. I met one of my best friends at a conference.  I take notes in the same notebook I use for other conferences. It is fun to know where my conference notes are. This time, I used a mechanical pencil and loved it. I use a special note taking method that I learned years ago. It helps me stay engaged,  I avoid phone use. It's a chance to get away from work. Even then, I had to put my phone in power saving mode because I wasn't near a charger much, and it was easy to drain the battery by checking it. I do stay in contact with my wife.  I take lots of pictures to show my kids or to text my wife during the...