Mission Accomplished

The following is an installment from Charles Haddon Spurgeon's classic devotional Morning and Evening (btw, his daily readings are linked under Must See in the sidebar...).

"Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Micah 5:2.

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for His people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was "from everlasting" that He signed the compact with His Father, that He would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of His people; it was "from everlasting" that He gave Himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of His head to the sole of His foot He might sweat great drops of blood, that He might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death. His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting.

Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus "from everlasting." Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but His delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did He think of them; from everlasting to everlasting He had set His affection upon them.

What! my soul, has He been so long about thy salvation, and will not He accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will He lose me now? What! has He carried me in His hand, as His precious jewel, and will He now let me slip from between His fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will He reject me now? Impossible! I am sure He would not have loved me so long if He had not been a changeless Lover. If He could grow weary of me, He would have been tired of me long before now. If He had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, He would have turned from me long ago.

Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am His everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to Him by His Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

Are You Feelin' It?

ENJOY! It's Toby Mac on the Portable Sounds Tour - this vid features his band, all the other bands on the tour, the lighting guy, the caterer, etc. It's FUN! Turn up the volume and smile :)

Strong To The End

Because of the character and faithfulness of the God who saves us, the blessing bestowed upon Asher is ours as well: "Your strength will equal your days." Deuteronomy 33:25

There are times when the crushing pressure of circumstances makes me want to run far, far away; when I wither before the building pressure. What I'm learning, though, is that the one thing I can be sure of is that the Father will see me through anything. When I've been completely helpless, He has been my help and He has been powerful in my weakness. When I stare blankly at the empty hole that is my own strength, I am liberated to trust more fully in the One whose strength is perfect.

"Your strength will equal your days." As long as life lasts, I know that the strength God supplies will carry me right up to the end. "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:8. If not for the preservation of God the Father, I would surely fall. The only reason I'm blameless is because of the work of Christ, and what's more, He has authored and will finish my faith. He alone deserves the glory!

The Power Of A Parent

I'm taking a little bit of a risk here, realizing that there is a good chance my parents will read this post. But not to worry, I won't be saying anything bad about them; it's just that they might find out how deeply I appreciate them. And that could be embarrassing.

Today is not Mother's Day or Father's Day or any special day, I just got to thinking about what my parents taught me. The things that came to mind weren't lessons that they necessarily meant to teach me, but ones that certainly were taught.

My father taught me the value of work. How many sons have said that over the centuries? I learned from watching my dad to enjoy working hard, in spite of all those frigid Saturday mornings I spent grumbling while helping to cut wood to heat the house. My dad was never very familiar with our couch. His hands could always find something to do, something to fix. To this day he's always busy, even on Saturdays. The thing is, he never seems too busy for people. I think that's what separates him from the workaholics.

Closely following the lesson of enjoying hard work is the lesson of how to enjoy a quick nap. My dad catnaps. In the middle of the afternoon or right after supper. This is a clever skill. Twenty minutes of unconsciousness in the afternoon makes the rest of the day a whole lot more productive.

I've also learned honesty from my father. I've learned to trust his estimation of people, and his honest appraisal of character. Closely tied to his honesty is his simple trust in God. Dad is no eloquent man of prayer, but I've never heard anyone pray so sincerely and trust so implicitly. He figures, "God is bigger than me, so He can handle it just fine." Business, health, life in general - God will take care of it.

I've learned that boys always need and love their moms, even when both are grown up and advanced in years. This was illustrated in a very real way recently, but that is another story.

My mom taught me how to be creative and artistic and stylish (or at least to appreciate creativity, art and style *smiling*). She has an eye for beauty and always showed it in the way she kept our home while I was growing up. She painted pictures, arranged flowers and cooked lovingly.

Many times I witnessed my Mom being thoughtful: sending a thank you, finding the perfect gift, remembering an important but perhaps obscure event in someone's life. She taught me how to value people's feelings.

There is another lesson I learned from her early on. And what I mean by early is early in the morning. I can't begin to count how many dark mornings I would stumble out to the kitchen and find my mom sitting in the living room in that certain chair, reading her Bible by the light of a solitary lamp. Quiet time. Mom never told me I should spend time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, but she sure showed me how to do it.

The example of a parent is undeniably powerful. All of us with kids would do well to spend some time observing ourselves, and thinking about the lessons we're teaching that are not taught with words.

Spiritual Exercise and Endurance

(Proviso - If this topic seems at first to be boorish, hang on until the end for the bit that applies to all of us...)

I have been weight training for the past four years. I've experienced pains and strains and even had surgery to repair a torn bicep tendon. I've also found myself becoming profoundly stronger. The weaker parts of my body that were so susceptible to discomfort or even injury early on have toughened up and come into their own. Even so, there is more room for improvement and development.

This definitely isn't the Bowflex, 20 minutes a day, 3 days per week type of training. This is hard, consistent and smart training. It has involved not just the pushing and pulling of weight, but also the study of the human body and athletic nutrition.

Recently I read an article that succinctly stated the necessity for hard work when results are sought in weight training:

"Most people don't want to hear about hard work. They will insist that there must be some hidden secret they are missing. If they would simply start lifting, stop talking, and put in several years of heavy and hard training, they would be amazed. Of course it is not easy, but nothing that is worthwhile ever is. To get good results you must pay your dues.

"You will see some results after a few months, but what really counts is that you consistently train hard and heavy for the long haul. Heavy and hard training should become part of your lifestyle and be just as basic as brushing your teeth. Nothing to brag about, just a given fact. String several dedicated years together, focus on getting your whole body as strong as it can be, and then you'll see some real results."

I see a lot of people in and out of the gym. There's always a "swelling of the ranks" at the beginning of each new year as people buy memberships to fulfill their resolutions. They come pretty regularly for a few weeks and then by March the gym is once again occupied by just the long-haulers.

Now, having gone on for a bit about physical exercise, let me emphasize that: "physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8

There aren't too many days when these words don't come to mind while I'm at the gym. I know full well that this tent I live in is going to deteriorate and collapse one day. I work out because it elevates my mood, enriches my sleep and increases my overall health, better equipping me for ordinary and extraordinary everyday tasks.

I also know that my soul must also be in training. This regimen must include serious, focused Bible study, a regular commitment to prayer, an embracing of Christ's sufferings and a devotion to faithful service. These disciplines are easily stated but less easily practiced. It's so much like the January gym rats who quickly fade away as their commitment wanes. The real work begins when I feel too sleepy to pore over God's Word or I've planned my day poorly and time for quiet prayer dissolves.

It should be obvious, as disciples of Christ, that we are - that we must - be in it for the long haul. As the title of the above quoted article states "Want Real Results? Just Train for Strength." The Christian life is not about quick fixes or instant results. It is about concerted effort as we are spurred on by love for Christ. As Peter declared when many other were abandoning Christ and Jesus asked his disciples if they, too, wanted to leave: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:68-69

These disciples were in it for the love, they were in it for the suffering, they were in it for the long haul.

Pierced Ears

I read something in Deuteronomy the other day that really made me think. Which, I must say, is a good thing to have happen when one is reading the Word of God.

Moses was reiterating the many facets of God's law to the Israelites and the portion that really struck me was in chapter 15 regarding the freeing of servants:

"If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today. But if your servant says to you, 'I do not want to leave you,' because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life." (verses 12-17)

How often, and properly so, do we hear Christians repeating the words of Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5 that remind us that our God will "never leave us or forsake us." It's true, His faithfulness reaches to the skies. For myself, I wonder how many times I consider this promise from God and then as an adoring and faithful servant moved by the love of his master repeat back to Him, "I do not want to leave you!"

King David expressed this sentiment of belonging in the beautiful Psalm 40 when he sings, "sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced." For David's day, this was a modern expression of "You'd rather have my heart than anything else, and You have marked me and made me Your own."

As many times as I remember God's promise to never forsake me, I want my heart to reverberate with the cry, "I do not want to leave you!" That cry realizes the weakness of man to remain perfectly faithful. It's the heart of the man in Mark 9: "I do believe, help me with my unbelief!" We may not be able to claim, as the LORD can, that we will be unfailing in our faithfulness, but we can respond to His devotion with the most we can muster (and even that is a gift of God's grace)!

Furthermore, perhaps the piercing of the earlobe represents the attentive ear of the adoring servant, the obedient sheep listening for the call of the Shepherd, the outward sign that the heart inside listens to no other voice but that of the Master. Pierce my ears, Lord! I do not want to leave you!

Bought

"...and with Your blood You purchased men for God..." Revelation 5:9



Hallelujah! Soli Deo Gloria! It's impossible to express how it feels when the truth of God's grace hits home.

With Everything Video from Hillsong.

Help for Australia

Please visit the following link for an heartfelt and personal account of the Australian wildfires from a man who lives there: VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES

It Wasn't Your Children

"Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: His majesty, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm; the signs He performed and the things He did in the heart of Egypt...what He did to the Egyptian army...and what He did to Dathan and Abiram. But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done." Deuteronomy 11:2-7 (m/l)

I was reading this passage a few mornings ago and realized something profound yet obvious, and discovered a new way to pray for my kids.

Moses' charge to the Israelites as they edged closer to entering the Land of Promise was, among other things, to remember the deeds of the LORD and to pass on their eyewitness testimony to their children.

Now, I've always realized the importance of talking openly to my kids about God: who He is and how He works. However, I've never thought to pray that they would see and experience the discipline of the LORD, as this Scripture says.

My kids, after all, haven't tried and tested Him like I have. Hearing that His mercies are new every morning means something entirely different to them than it does for me! I pray that they will one day know how true this is in a deep and meaningful way.

I pray that, sooner rather than later, they would witness the LORD's mighty hand, outstretched to save them; that they would have experiences of the LORD's might that they can treasure and stash away for darker days. Or, like Spurgeon said, that they will be able to "arise, go to the river of [their] experience, and pull up a few bulrushes, and plait them into an ark (basket) wherein [their] infant faith may float safely on the stream."

I pray that my sons would learn from the negative examples of others, such as happened with Dathan and Abiram who rebelled against God's authority and met a pretty horrific end. It would be best if we could all learn from the examples of others, however, I will not be naive and be appalled when my sons become entangled (God forbid) in sin. How could I, when I know how deep my own wickedness runs? One thing I can be sure of is the discipline of the LORD. I know that His discipline is as faithful as His tender mercy. In fact, the two go hand in hand.

So I will now be adding a new facet to my prayer regimen for my boys: Father, may each one soon see and experience Your discipline, Your mighty hand and outstretched arm, Your victory over vicious enemies. May they accumulate a wealth of experiences with You that affirm Your faithfulness to them.

A Brief Look Back at The Future

Ever read Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451?

Ever read headlines that make you go hmmmmm?

Bradbury's novel has made its rounds through my reading list at least three or four times now, and it's just as fascinating each time I read it. I believe his intent in writing it was, at least in part, to rail against censorship. I understand that, but I also feel like it's a warning against mindless mass media. The book might be misconstrued as anti-technology, but I don't think that's the case.

People used to say "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." I think things have become up-ended lately. The wonderfully wired (or wireless...) world we live in can provide an endless stream of entertainment and distraction, and it's so easy for minds to lose their edge as they slowly grind against modern entertainment. Now, I'm as hip as the next guy when it comes to using technology, but I sure hope - and pray - and am working toward the goal - that my sons will grow up appreciating the feel, smell and delight of a good book. I hope they realize the reward of silence. I want them to fall asleep at night with their faces in the crease of a novel, not with earbuds stuffed in their ears. I want them to learn about themselves and learn about life as they read and think and discover on their own, guided by the Spirit of God.

Orthodoxy - Isn't That Some Kind of Dentist?

Orthodoxy is a word not often heard in Christian circles these days. It actually means to have the "right opinion" or the "straight truth."

I may be a tad cynical, but it seems like folks in church are more alert to how nice the greeters are than the substance of the message being taught. It seems as if people are more offended by an imagined snub than a doctrinal misstep. It would appear that Christians will read anything they find in the Christian bookstore and accept what it says carte blanche.

I'm pretty sure Jesus never taught us to be NICE. I am definitely sure He taught us to love one another. I am also definitely sure that He was pretty insistent that we be led by the Spirit of Truth.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13

So, to quote someone whom I can't credit because I failed to write down the name (could be Spurgeon):

"The test of orthodoxy, beloved, is not NICE, it is TRUTH."

Andy McKee - Art of Motion

Back to back guitar posts!

The video below is from Andy McKee, a native Kansan (Topeka) who has risen to national acclaim with his guitar playing ability. I actually know a young man who trained under Andy for a while (go Matt Ludwick!), and if he ends up playing half as wonderfully as Andy, he'll be in fine shape.

I Need Something - Newton Faulkner

I'm a sucker for beautiful and creative guitar playing. Newton Faulkner is an English singer/songwriter and writes some fascinating orginal music. So take a three minute break and watch his technique below (pay attention to the neck bending trick at the end - very cool):