I'm not much for resolutions, but I'm all for change. So, in response to a fantastic message in church yesterday regarding the fruitless fig tree, I want to do my part to make sure this coming year is full of digging and fertilizing and greater fruitfulness. You might even say abundance.
I want the gospel to get down inside of me and move around inside of me and rearrange the inside of me so that I can leave this life FULL, not full of STUFF, or even full of HAPPINESS, but FULL of Gospel living, and THAT'S what abundant life is.
"A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance." ~ John 10:10
When Jesus spoke these living words, He didn't mean that you would have THINGS. What a preposterous thought! We here in the western world might think that. But a great percentage of our brothers and sisters on this earth don't live in a land of plenty. How unfair, how bigoted of Jesus to say that we would have abundant life if He meant that we would have STUFF, because then he just outed the majority of his family.
What a slap in the face to those believers who are starving in third world countries.
What a slap in the face of those believers who are beaten up and dragged from their homes and thrown in a cold prison.
What a slap in the face of those precious sheep who are suffering with disease, far from adequate medical care.
That's not very abundant is it? So is Jesus lying? Of course not!
He meant something else, because that's not what abundance is. Abundance means to be abundant in Gospel living, because that's what we're saved TO: Gospel living. We're saved FROM slavery INTO Gospel - good news - FREEDOM...
Freedom to see merciful Spirit led change our hearts, freedom to have godly relationships while this life lasts, freedom to live and walk in the light in the midst of a dark world - THAT is abundance. NOT. STUFF.
So get it out of your head (I'm speaking to myself). The same Jesus that said He had come to give abundant life, is the same Jesus that said not to worry about your life and your clothes and your food. The same Jesus also said, don't store up treasures (stuff) on earth. He did not mean abundance from a fiscal or physical standpoint (though certainly He may bestow these blessings on anyone He chooses). Any message or messenger that says differently is LYING.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
What Children Want Most (A Good Christmas-y Tie In Repost)
Behold, my first grade class (I'm the fella in the blue Star Trek shirt on the front row. Yeah, I'm cool like that):
My first grade teacher passed away last week. She had taught first grade for 37 years. I guess when something works well, there's no need to change it.
I distinctly remember NOT learning how to read in first grade. For me it just "happened". I do remember reading out loud for Miss Hehn (later Mrs. Purdon) about a dog name Spot and how he loved to run, and I remember being so proud. Not proud in the nasty, arrogant way adults are, but the face-beaming, heart-warming way that six year olds are when they've accomplished something. I credit Miss Hehn for that.
I also remember that I felt safe in Miss Hehn's class. I knew she loved me, and I trusted her. First grade was completely comfortable for me. Even at her funeral, the eulogy spoke of the countless times her students called her "mom" or "grandma" because she was such a comforting presence in class that they forgot where they were. I love and admire Mrs. Purdon for that.
In my church setting, I am a teacher. I am also a father. I guess the two are somewhat interchangeable, or should be. And what I've learned being a father and a teacher is that a most effective vehicle for delivering a lesson, whether in math or morality, is a loving heart toward the child being taught (we can talk about teaching adults another day...) I owe this, at least in part, to Mrs. Purdon as well.
Some time ago I read that if you're a father, your children's self-image is primarily derived from how they think you feel about them. I don't think I could agree more.
What children want most is to know that an adult loves them (oh, and by the way, discipline is included under the heading of love). I'd like to say "parents" in place of "adult" but there are so many kids who have no parents, or at least parents who will ever really love them. But I guess if I were to boil this down to something targeted at a male audience, I'd say that a child only wants to see their father smile at them.
I ask myself (ask yourself): When does my day brighten? My hope soar? My heart sing? When I remember that my Father smiles at me - that the One who chose me before the foundation of the world and sought me out and saved me through Christ loves me constantly and consistently and with infinite care.
Miss Hehn loved me and I thrived in her class. I'm trying my best to love my sons and help them to thrive. My Savior loves me and when I let myself believe it, I thrive.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Longfellow on Christmas (Repost)
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Historical Note: This hymn was written during the American civil war, as reflected by the sense of despair in the next to last stanza. Stanzas 4-5 speak of the battle, and are usually omitted from hymnals:
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Historical Note: This hymn was written during the American civil war, as reflected by the sense of despair in the next to last stanza. Stanzas 4-5 speak of the battle, and are usually omitted from hymnals:
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Closer...please.
A heartfelt song from John Mark McMillan for desperate times in our lives. There is no hiding the emotion in this song. How truly desperate are we?...am I?
Come closer, closer to me.
Find me broken, find me bleedin'
cause I need more now than a fairy tale,
a god who lives in a book.
I need someone real.
So would you come?
Would you come?
If I begged you, would you come closer to me now?
Come closer, closer to me.
Find me broken, find me on my knees,
cause I need more now than philosophy.
Some god in outer space doesn't mean anything to me.
So would you come?
Would you come?
If I begged you, would you come closer to me now?
Would you come?
Would you come?
If i begged you, would you come closer to me now?
Son of David, don't pass me by,
cause I am naked,
I'm poor and I'm blind.
Son of David, don't pass me by,
cause I am naked,
I'm poor and I'm blind.
Come closer, closer to me.
Find me broken, find me bleedin'
cause I need more now than a fairy tale,
a god who lives in a book.
I need someone real.
So would you come?
Would you come?
If I begged you, would you come closer to me now?
Come closer, closer to me.
Find me broken, find me on my knees,
cause I need more now than philosophy.
Some god in outer space doesn't mean anything to me.
So would you come?
Would you come?
If I begged you, would you come closer to me now?
Would you come?
Would you come?
If i begged you, would you come closer to me now?
Son of David, don't pass me by,
cause I am naked,
I'm poor and I'm blind.
Son of David, don't pass me by,
cause I am naked,
I'm poor and I'm blind.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Craig Ferguson (Yes, really)
I am a pastor primarily to young people, a.k.a teenagers. Over the years I've realized that my goal in ministry isn't to make teens into godly teens. My goal and purpose is to train and prepare them to be godly adults, into people who are assets to the kingdom of God and to whatever church they belong to when they "grow up." But it's really, really hard.
And this is not a slam on the young people I work with and love. The simple fact is that there exist some very energetic cultural tides that want to sweep young people out into the sea of stupidity. Seriously. "Youth" has its advantages, but I know that, given the choice, I would NOT want to return to "teenagedom". Especially not 19 - that was perhaps the apex of my stupidity.
At any rate, I offer the video below in which Craig Ferguson (actor, comedian, host of the Late Late Show) offers some amazingly insightful thoughts about youth vs. experience. Please watch but be warned that you'll hear a bit of rough language and the worst bit (right at the end) is dubbed out. What Mr. Ferguson has to say is not meant to edify you, but merely to bring to light some very real facts about the world we live in, and to reveal the challenges we face in ministry and the priority of Gospel-centered teaching.
If you care to, you can watch another Craig Ferguson monologue here that I found intriguing, heartfelt and honest. A few believers I know (self included) could stand to be this transparent. Caveats: Craig Ferguson is not a preacher - don't expect it - he will cuss - he might offend - his perspective is from an (as yet) unredeemed heart. But there is wisdom to be had here.
And this is not a slam on the young people I work with and love. The simple fact is that there exist some very energetic cultural tides that want to sweep young people out into the sea of stupidity. Seriously. "Youth" has its advantages, but I know that, given the choice, I would NOT want to return to "teenagedom". Especially not 19 - that was perhaps the apex of my stupidity.
At any rate, I offer the video below in which Craig Ferguson (actor, comedian, host of the Late Late Show) offers some amazingly insightful thoughts about youth vs. experience. Please watch but be warned that you'll hear a bit of rough language and the worst bit (right at the end) is dubbed out. What Mr. Ferguson has to say is not meant to edify you, but merely to bring to light some very real facts about the world we live in, and to reveal the challenges we face in ministry and the priority of Gospel-centered teaching.
If you care to, you can watch another Craig Ferguson monologue here that I found intriguing, heartfelt and honest. A few believers I know (self included) could stand to be this transparent. Caveats: Craig Ferguson is not a preacher - don't expect it - he will cuss - he might offend - his perspective is from an (as yet) unredeemed heart. But there is wisdom to be had here.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thomas From Kempen
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis has been one of the most important books in my spiritual formation. A whole bunch of years ago I adapted some of Thomas' words and put them to music. For now we'll skip the music, but here are the words that express the believer's utter dependence on God:
Lord there can be no goodness in us if You withdraw Yourself.
No wisdom can benefit us if You cease to guide.
No strength can preserve us if You no longer defend.
No purity can be secure if You do not guard it.
No watchfulness of our own can protect us,
if You don't keep watch.
If You abandon us, we are soon lost.
But if You come to us with Your grace,
we're lifted up to live again.
We are weak but You make us strong,
we are cold and dull but by You, we are set ablaze.
Lord there can be no goodness in us if You withdraw Yourself.
No wisdom can benefit us if You cease to guide.
No strength can preserve us if You no longer defend.
No purity can be secure if You do not guard it.
No watchfulness of our own can protect us,
if You don't keep watch.
If You abandon us, we are soon lost.
But if You come to us with Your grace,
we're lifted up to live again.
We are weak but You make us strong,
we are cold and dull but by You, we are set ablaze.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Try Kye Kye
No, it's not food like couscous or quinoa, it's a band whose members are originally from Estonia. Their music may not be your cup of tea (rhythmic, folksy electronica) but I love it. Their lyrics don't always follow the typical patterns and cadences that we're used to this far west (Blindside, hailing from Sweden, is the same way) which makes things fresh and interesting.
Studio version of "Broke" (lyrics are posted at the bottom of the page):
Now a live, more acoustic-y version of "Broke":
The Kye Kye remix of a Josh Garrels tune called "Rise":
Lyrics to Broke :
I broke in the silence
to repeat what I've done in the past won't change me (Phil.3:3-11)
I broke when you told me I could try all the time
but my ways won't change me (Eph.2:8-9)(Gal.3:1-3)(Ro.3:20-22)
We tried this, but we failed
we know this but we're too blind to see (1Cor.2:14) (2Tim.3:7)
that there is freedom within me (Col.1:27) (Ro.6:4) .
your life brought light for all to see (Jon.12:46) (Mrk.4:11)
When I was lost so I, so I thought that I was searching all alone
like I was lost so I didn't know (Gal.4:1)
what I was keeping all along (Col.1:27) (Ro.8:11)
I knew from the moment my mistakes all stood out
your light's my only safety (Ro.10:3-13)
oh all the times that I didn't look your way (Mat.13:22)
look what I was missing lord you fill in every space
that I replaced instead of you (Eze.36:26-27)
Revived us, we will sing (Eph.2:4-6)
restored us, you are the source to breathe (Jon.4:14)
ignite us to a need to bury everything I never want to be (Ro.8:13-14)
I broke in the silence
to repeat what I've done in the past won't change me (Phil.3:3-11)
I broke when you told me I could try all the time
but my ways won't change me (Eph.2:8-9)(Gal.3:1-3)(Ro.3:20-22)
Revived us, we will sing (Eph.2:4-6)
restored us, you are the source to breath (Jon.4:14)
ignite us to a need to bury everything I never want to be (Ro.8:13-14)
Studio version of "Broke" (lyrics are posted at the bottom of the page):
Now a live, more acoustic-y version of "Broke":
The Kye Kye remix of a Josh Garrels tune called "Rise":
Lyrics to Broke :
I broke in the silence
to repeat what I've done in the past won't change me (Phil.3:3-11)
I broke when you told me I could try all the time
but my ways won't change me (Eph.2:8-9)(Gal.3:1-3)(Ro.3:20-22)
We tried this, but we failed
we know this but we're too blind to see (1Cor.2:14) (2Tim.3:7)
that there is freedom within me (Col.1:27) (Ro.6:4) .
your life brought light for all to see (Jon.12:46) (Mrk.4:11)
When I was lost so I, so I thought that I was searching all alone
like I was lost so I didn't know (Gal.4:1)
what I was keeping all along (Col.1:27) (Ro.8:11)
I knew from the moment my mistakes all stood out
your light's my only safety (Ro.10:3-13)
oh all the times that I didn't look your way (Mat.13:22)
look what I was missing lord you fill in every space
that I replaced instead of you (Eze.36:26-27)
Revived us, we will sing (Eph.2:4-6)
restored us, you are the source to breathe (Jon.4:14)
ignite us to a need to bury everything I never want to be (Ro.8:13-14)
I broke in the silence
to repeat what I've done in the past won't change me (Phil.3:3-11)
I broke when you told me I could try all the time
but my ways won't change me (Eph.2:8-9)(Gal.3:1-3)(Ro.3:20-22)
Revived us, we will sing (Eph.2:4-6)
restored us, you are the source to breath (Jon.4:14)
ignite us to a need to bury everything I never want to be (Ro.8:13-14)
Sunday, November 18, 2012
No Question About My Birth Certificate
I don't plan on running for President (too busy), but in case I ever did, my birth records clearly indicate that I'm a Kansan by birth. And if anyone wants to know about my spiritual heritage, my birth certificate plainly states that I was born in Zion. Sinclair Ferguson explains:
It is interesting to notice that Paul speaks of believers as having 'the firstfruits of the Spirit (Rom. 8:23). He does not mean that we have only part (the first part) of the Spirit, but that the Spirit himself is the firstfruits of our inheritance. The word he uses (aparche') was also used to describe the birth certificate of a free man! Perhaps this nuance was present in Paul's mind here, too, in a passage that is dealing so much with the concept of the believer as a son of God, adopted into his family. So, the Spirit serves as our 'birth certificate', actively engaging in our lives to assure us that we belong to the Father! - Excerpted from Children Of The Living God.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
We Are Vitally Connected
So last night in the middle of my workout in my cold garage I pulled my left hamstring. That's a large piece of meat to injure, and today my whole body feels slightly out of whack as I hobble around compensating for the pain in my leg.
Also last night I read what Dietrich Bonhoeffer had to say about the "connectedness" of believers:
Also last night I read what Dietrich Bonhoeffer had to say about the "connectedness" of believers:
"Every act of self-control of the Christian is also a service to the fellowship. On the other hand, there is no sin in thought, word, or deed, no matter how personal or secret, that does not inflict injury upon the whole fellowship. An element of sickness gets into the body; perhaps nobody knows where it comes from or in what member it has lodge, but the body is infected. This is the proper metaphor for the Christian community." Excerpted from Life Together
Friday, November 9, 2012
Scandalous
"Those who draw really close to Jesus think of themselves, first and foremost, as those loved by him rather than as those who profess their love for him."
~ D.A. Carson, Scandalous (emphases added)
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Christ: Hated, Murdered, Victorious!
1 Samuel 18. Psychotic, tormented, lame duck King Saul is phobic and full of hate about young David, who has risen swiftly in the military ranks and the hearts of the people of Israel. Saul yearns to kill David and tries to do so both covertly (sending him into heated battle) and overtly (sending spears his way). Eventually, though, David would rise to reign as shepherd over Israel and Saul would perish and be forgotten.
In the same way, centuries later, sinful men driven by the spirit of evil, raged against the Messiah and not only tried but succeeded (by God’s own decree and purpose!) in killing Him, but as in all cases in which the Lord Jesus goes to battle, He was completely victorious and unstoppable. As David son of Jesse rose to Kingship in Israel, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God rose from the grave to snatch victory from the jaws of hell and become the one King before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
You Know What Today Is?
Happy Reformation Day!
“Nothing in my hands I bring,
simply to thy cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the Fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die” ~Augustus Toplady
Monday, October 29, 2012
Growing Young
Here'a great thought from Brennan Manning that I saw over at Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology the other day:
Let's finish this off with one of my favorite songs from Rich Mullins, Growing Young:
A Philistine will stand before a Claude Monet painting and pick his nose; a person filled with wonder will stand there fighting back the tears. By and large, our world has lost its sense of wonder. We have grown up.I'm pretty middle-aged now and I have sensed parts of my heart getting a little - I don't want to use the word "hardened" - let's say, road-weary. Calloused seems harsh. Maybe crotchety would work. At any rate, I don't like it. I never want to lose the wonder I once had as a child where every day was an adventure, every stream was a river, every hill was a mountain, every stick was a sword, and God was a super, shining, invincible hero bristling with cosmic power. I want the wonder of my childhood to mingle with the knowledge that years of experience and study have bought me, and I want it to keep me from becoming brittle and ... boring ... in my faith.
--Brennan Manning
Let's finish this off with one of my favorite songs from Rich Mullins, Growing Young:
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Heroes And Motorcycles
Tim Witten will like this...(aside from the shattered motorcycle)
Posting these two vids today because...well, because they comprise such a heroically cool story. And I like motorcycles.
Posting these two vids today because...well, because they comprise such a heroically cool story. And I like motorcycles.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Preaching Through Adversity
The one thing that's done me the most good in the past several weeks is this message by John Piper titled "Preaching Through Adversity" based on the life of Charles Spurgeon. His concluding words were a quote from Spurgeon that gave me the kind of chuckle that comes when common sense suddenly comes into focus and you realize you can breathe a sigh of relief: Confidence has returned.
"You never met an old salt, down by the sea, who was in trouble because the tide had been ebbing out for hours. No! He waits confidently for the turn of the tide, and it comes in due time. Yonder rock has been uncovered during the last half-hour, and if the sea continues to ebb out for weeks, there will be no water in the English Channel, and the French will walk over from Cherbourg. Nobody talks in that childish way, for such an ebb will never come. Nor will we speak as though the gospel would be routed, and eternal truth driven out of the land. We serve an almighty Master ... If our Lord does but stamp His foot, He can win for Himself all the nations of the earth against heathenism, and Mohammedanism, and Agnosticism, and Modern-though, and every other foul error. Who is he that can harm us if we follow Jesus? How can His cause be defeated? At His will, converts will flock to His truth as numerous as the sands of the sea ... Wherefore be of good courage, and go on your way singing [and preaching!]:The winds of hell have blownThe world its hate hath shown,
Yet it is not o'erthrown.Hallelujah for the Cross!
It shall never suffer loss!The Lord of hosts is with us,
the God of Jacob is our refuge."
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Beautiful Eulogy
Beautiful Eulogy is a fresh, talented and truth-full band out of Portland and the video below shows their passion and creativity in the eponymous final track of their album.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Cowper's Grave
William Cowper suffered miserably under the smothering weight of dark depression, yet through his life and writings became a display of God's glory and faithfulness.
Elizabeth Barret Browning wrote a poem a century after Cowper's death describing his great influence on hymn writing and scholarship, and she also alluded to the afflictions of the mind that were a regular part of Cowper's life. Some of the lines describe places of the heart that are as familiar to me as my own backyard, and it is the sweet and stirring final four stanzas that display the power of Christ and His sure and certain victory over the darkest of nights.
I hope you have the time to read "Cowper's Grave", and to read it out loud (poetry is better appreciated when spoken).
It is a place where poets crowned may feel the heart's decaying.
It is a place where happy saints may weep amid their praying.
Yet let the grief and humbleness, as low as silence, languish.
Earth surely now may give her calm to whom she gave her anguish4
O poets, from a maniac’s tongue was poured the deathless singing!
O Christians, at your cross of hope, a hopeless hand was clinging!
O men, this man in brotherhood your weary paths beguiling,
Groaned inly8while he taught you peace, and died while ye were smiling!
And now, what time ye all may read through dimming tears his story,
How discord on the music fell, and darkness on the glory,
And how when, one by one, sweet sounds and wandering lights departed11,
He wore no less a loving face because so broken-hearted,
He shall be strong to sanctify the poet’s high vocation,
And bow the meekest Christian down in meeker adoration.
ever shall he be, in praise, by wise or good forsaken,
Named softly as the household name of one whom God hath taken16
With quiet sadness and no gloom I learn to think upon him,—
With meekness that is gratefulness to God whose heaven hath won him,
Who suffered once the madness-cloud to His own love to blind him,
But gently led the blind along where breath and bird could find him,
And wrought within his shattered brain such quick poetic senses
As hills have language for, and stars, harmonious influences.
The pulse of dew upon the grass, kept his within its number,
And silent shadows from the trees refreshed him like a slumber.
Wild timid hares were drawn from woods to share his home-caresses,
Uplooking to his human eyes with sylvan26 tendernesses.
The very world, by God’s constraint, from falsehood’s ways removing,
Its women and its men became, beside him, true and loving.
And though, in blindness, he remained unconscious of that guiding,
And things provided came without the sweet sense of providing,
He testified this solemn truth, while phrenzy desolated,
—Nor man nor nature satisfy, whom only God created.
Like a sick child that knoweth not his mother while she blesses
And drops upon his burning brow the coolness of her kisses,—
That turns his fevered eyes around—“My mother! where’s my mother?”—
As if such tender words and deeds could come from any other!—
The fever gone, with leaps of heart he sees her bending o’er him,
Her face all pale from watchful love, the unweary love she bore him!—
Thus, woke the poet from the dream his life’s long fever gave him,
Beneath those deep pathetic Eyes, which closed in death to save him.
Thus? oh, not thus! no type of earth can image that awaking,
Wherein he scarcely heard the chant of seraphs, round him breaking,
Or felt the new immortal throb of soul from body parted,
But felt those eyes alone, and knew,—“My Saviour! not deserted!”
Deserted! Who hath dreamt that when the cross in darkness rested,
Upon the Victim’s hidden face, no love was manifested?
What frantic hands outstretched have e’er the atoning drops averted?
What tears have washed them from the soul, that one should be deserted?
Deserted! God could separate from His own essence rather;
And Adam's sins have swept between the righteous Son and Father.
Yea, once, Immanuel’s orphaned cry his universe hath shaken—
It went up single, echoless, “My God, I am forsaken!”
It went up from the Holy’s lips amid his lost creation,
That, of the lost, no son should use those words of desolation!
That earth’s worst phrenzies, marring hope, should mar not hope’s fruition,
And I, on Cowper’s grave, should see his rapture in a vision.
Elizabeth Barret Browning wrote a poem a century after Cowper's death describing his great influence on hymn writing and scholarship, and she also alluded to the afflictions of the mind that were a regular part of Cowper's life. Some of the lines describe places of the heart that are as familiar to me as my own backyard, and it is the sweet and stirring final four stanzas that display the power of Christ and His sure and certain victory over the darkest of nights.
I hope you have the time to read "Cowper's Grave", and to read it out loud (poetry is better appreciated when spoken).
It is a place where poets crowned may feel the heart's decaying.
It is a place where happy saints may weep amid their praying.
Yet let the grief and humbleness, as low as silence, languish.
Earth surely now may give her calm to whom she gave her anguish4
O poets, from a maniac’s tongue was poured the deathless singing!
O Christians, at your cross of hope, a hopeless hand was clinging!
O men, this man in brotherhood your weary paths beguiling,
Groaned inly8while he taught you peace, and died while ye were smiling!
And now, what time ye all may read through dimming tears his story,
How discord on the music fell, and darkness on the glory,
And how when, one by one, sweet sounds and wandering lights departed11,
He wore no less a loving face because so broken-hearted,
He shall be strong to sanctify the poet’s high vocation,
And bow the meekest Christian down in meeker adoration.
ever shall he be, in praise, by wise or good forsaken,
Named softly as the household name of one whom God hath taken16
With quiet sadness and no gloom I learn to think upon him,—
With meekness that is gratefulness to God whose heaven hath won him,
Who suffered once the madness-cloud to His own love to blind him,
But gently led the blind along where breath and bird could find him,
And wrought within his shattered brain such quick poetic senses
As hills have language for, and stars, harmonious influences.
The pulse of dew upon the grass, kept his within its number,
And silent shadows from the trees refreshed him like a slumber.
Wild timid hares were drawn from woods to share his home-caresses,
Uplooking to his human eyes with sylvan26 tendernesses.
The very world, by God’s constraint, from falsehood’s ways removing,
Its women and its men became, beside him, true and loving.
And though, in blindness, he remained unconscious of that guiding,
And things provided came without the sweet sense of providing,
He testified this solemn truth, while phrenzy desolated,
—Nor man nor nature satisfy, whom only God created.
Like a sick child that knoweth not his mother while she blesses
And drops upon his burning brow the coolness of her kisses,—
That turns his fevered eyes around—“My mother! where’s my mother?”—
As if such tender words and deeds could come from any other!—
The fever gone, with leaps of heart he sees her bending o’er him,
Her face all pale from watchful love, the unweary love she bore him!—
Thus, woke the poet from the dream his life’s long fever gave him,
Beneath those deep pathetic Eyes, which closed in death to save him.
Thus? oh, not thus! no type of earth can image that awaking,
Wherein he scarcely heard the chant of seraphs, round him breaking,
Or felt the new immortal throb of soul from body parted,
But felt those eyes alone, and knew,—“My Saviour! not deserted!”
Deserted! Who hath dreamt that when the cross in darkness rested,
Upon the Victim’s hidden face, no love was manifested?
What frantic hands outstretched have e’er the atoning drops averted?
What tears have washed them from the soul, that one should be deserted?
Deserted! God could separate from His own essence rather;
And Adam's sins have swept between the righteous Son and Father.
Yea, once, Immanuel’s orphaned cry his universe hath shaken—
It went up single, echoless, “My God, I am forsaken!”
It went up from the Holy’s lips amid his lost creation,
That, of the lost, no son should use those words of desolation!
That earth’s worst phrenzies, marring hope, should mar not hope’s fruition,
And I, on Cowper’s grave, should see his rapture in a vision.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Confessions. True Ones.
This was originally posted over at the most excellent Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology website and it was strangely encouraging even as it painfully laid my soul bare. It was as if the words these Puritan men wrote were my own:
In the 1640s our forefathers drew up the Westminster Standards, those marvelous statements of Christian doctrine that have stood the test of time and continue to guide the church today. Rich, careful, reverent, true.
A few years later, in 1651, a group of pastors in Scotland who had accepted these documents doctrinally realized that they had another need, not in their creeds but in their hearts. They determined that they needed not only to confess publicly these doctrines but also to confess publicly their sins as leaders of the church.
Here is part of what they confessed, reproduced in Horatius Bonar's Words to Winners of Souls.
*Exceeding great selfishness in all that we do; acting from ourselves, for ourselves and to ourselves.
*Not caring how faithful and negligent others were, if it might testify to our faithfulness and diligence, but being rather content, if not rejoicing, at their faults.
*Seldom in secret prayer with God, except to fit for public performance; and that much neglected, or gone about very superficially.
*Glad to find excuses for the neglect of our duties. Neglecting the reading of Scripture in secret, for edifying ourselves as Christians. . . . Not given to reflect upon our own ways, nor allowing conviction to have a thorough work upon us; deceiving ourselves by resting upon absence from and abhorrence of evils from the light of a natural conscience, and looking upon the same as an evidence of a real change of state and nature.
*Not esteeming the cross of Christ and sufferings for his name honorable, but rather shifting sufferings from self-love.
*Not laying to heart the sad and heavy sufferings of the people of God abroad, and the not-thriving of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the power of godliness among them.
*Refined hypocrisy; desiring to appear what, indeed, we are not. Artificial confessing of sin, without repentance. . . . Confession in secret much slighted, even of those things whereof we are convicted.
*Readier to search out and censure faults in others than to see or deal with them in ourselves. Accounting of our estate and way according to the estimate that others have of us. . . .
*Not praying for men of a contrary judgment, but using reservedness and distance from them; being more ready to speak of them than to them, or to God for them.
*Not preaching Christ in the simplicity of the gospel, nor ourselves the people's servants, for Christ's sake. Preaching of Christ, not that the people may know him, but that they may think we know much of him. . . .
*Too much eyeing our own credit and applause; and being pleased with it when we get it, and unsatisfied when it is lacking. Cowardice in delivering God's message; letting people die in reigning sins without warning.
--Horatius Bonar, Words to Winners of Souls (American Tract Society, 1950), 24-28; language slightly updated.
In the 1640s our forefathers drew up the Westminster Standards, those marvelous statements of Christian doctrine that have stood the test of time and continue to guide the church today. Rich, careful, reverent, true.
A few years later, in 1651, a group of pastors in Scotland who had accepted these documents doctrinally realized that they had another need, not in their creeds but in their hearts. They determined that they needed not only to confess publicly these doctrines but also to confess publicly their sins as leaders of the church.
Here is part of what they confessed, reproduced in Horatius Bonar's Words to Winners of Souls.
*Exceeding great selfishness in all that we do; acting from ourselves, for ourselves and to ourselves.
*Not caring how faithful and negligent others were, if it might testify to our faithfulness and diligence, but being rather content, if not rejoicing, at their faults.
*Seldom in secret prayer with God, except to fit for public performance; and that much neglected, or gone about very superficially.
*Glad to find excuses for the neglect of our duties. Neglecting the reading of Scripture in secret, for edifying ourselves as Christians. . . . Not given to reflect upon our own ways, nor allowing conviction to have a thorough work upon us; deceiving ourselves by resting upon absence from and abhorrence of evils from the light of a natural conscience, and looking upon the same as an evidence of a real change of state and nature.
*Not esteeming the cross of Christ and sufferings for his name honorable, but rather shifting sufferings from self-love.
*Not laying to heart the sad and heavy sufferings of the people of God abroad, and the not-thriving of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the power of godliness among them.
*Refined hypocrisy; desiring to appear what, indeed, we are not. Artificial confessing of sin, without repentance. . . . Confession in secret much slighted, even of those things whereof we are convicted.
*Readier to search out and censure faults in others than to see or deal with them in ourselves. Accounting of our estate and way according to the estimate that others have of us. . . .
*Not praying for men of a contrary judgment, but using reservedness and distance from them; being more ready to speak of them than to them, or to God for them.
*Not preaching Christ in the simplicity of the gospel, nor ourselves the people's servants, for Christ's sake. Preaching of Christ, not that the people may know him, but that they may think we know much of him. . . .
*Too much eyeing our own credit and applause; and being pleased with it when we get it, and unsatisfied when it is lacking. Cowardice in delivering God's message; letting people die in reigning sins without warning.
--Horatius Bonar, Words to Winners of Souls (American Tract Society, 1950), 24-28; language slightly updated.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Somebody Needs To Hear From You
Within the space of 30 minutes this morning, I had two friends contact me to tell me that they were thinking of me and praying for me. One is a friend in ministry that lives here in Kansas, but whom I rarely see. He called just to encourage me and tell me that he prays for me regularly. The other is a college buddy living in Phoenix who has been and continues to be an encouragement to me at just the right times. His text this morning was simple and heartfelt and gave me just the boost I needed.
I gotta admit, it makes me a little suspicious about what's coming down the pike when people tell me they've been praying for me, but it also gives me great confidence because I know that God has enlisted good men to lift me up when I need it most, whether I'm aware that I need it or not!
Who needs a message from you today?
I gotta admit, it makes me a little suspicious about what's coming down the pike when people tell me they've been praying for me, but it also gives me great confidence because I know that God has enlisted good men to lift me up when I need it most, whether I'm aware that I need it or not!
Who needs a message from you today?
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Last Choice
Jesus is all over the Bible. His presence is especially vivid in the life of David.
Consider David the shepherd boy from Bethlehem and how even the very-in-tune-with-God Samuel wouldn't have chosen him as the one to anoint as king over Israel. Samuel wanted Eliab. After all, he was the oldest and the tallest of Jesse's boys; he looked like king material. But of course God had chosen David instead. David was late to the meeting (apparently wasn't even summoned at first) because he was out with the sheep. He was everyone's last choice. But God's sovereign choice.
Consider Jesus Christ, our great and true shepherd, born in Bethlehem. No one though much of him at all; his appearance and appearing were far from kingly. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. No one would have chosen him to be king, much less Son of God. He was the last choice. In fact, multiplied millions still reject Him as Savior. But He will be King nonetheless.
Consider David the shepherd boy from Bethlehem and how even the very-in-tune-with-God Samuel wouldn't have chosen him as the one to anoint as king over Israel. Samuel wanted Eliab. After all, he was the oldest and the tallest of Jesse's boys; he looked like king material. But of course God had chosen David instead. David was late to the meeting (apparently wasn't even summoned at first) because he was out with the sheep. He was everyone's last choice. But God's sovereign choice.
Consider Jesus Christ, our great and true shepherd, born in Bethlehem. No one though much of him at all; his appearance and appearing were far from kingly. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. No one would have chosen him to be king, much less Son of God. He was the last choice. In fact, multiplied millions still reject Him as Savior. But He will be King nonetheless.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Honing Exposition
In my ongoing quest to be better preacher - and by better I don't necessarily mean more likeable or more adept at public speaking or more interesting, although these things have their value - I've been taking a closer look at what constitutes good, expository preaching.
Although perhaps not possible in every setting or sermon, I think an ideal message from a pastor to his people will include exposition (exposing the meaning of the passage), evangelism (revealing and proclaiming the Gospel in the passage), application (what decision and/or action is called for) and an apologetic (why this is Truth with a capital "T").
In regard to evangelism, I like what J.I. Packer says in Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God:
Although perhaps not possible in every setting or sermon, I think an ideal message from a pastor to his people will include exposition (exposing the meaning of the passage), evangelism (revealing and proclaiming the Gospel in the passage), application (what decision and/or action is called for) and an apologetic (why this is Truth with a capital "T").
In regard to evangelism, I like what J.I. Packer says in Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God:
"So, in the last analysis, there is only one method of evangelism: namely, the faithful explanation and application of the gospel message. From which it follows - and this it he key principle which we are seeking - that the test for any proposed strategy, technique or style of evangelistic action must be this: will it in fact serve the word? Is it calculated to be a means of explaining the gospel truly and fully and applying it deeply and exactly? To the extent to which it is so calculated, it is lawful and right; to the extent to which it tends to overlay and obscure the realities of the message, and to blunt the edge of their application, it is ungodly and wrong."
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Spurgeon Rap...No, Seriously!
How cool is this? Shai Linne gives a lyrical biography of Charles Spurgeon:
Sunday, September 30, 2012
So Good
Here is a simply beautiful message from C.J. Mahaney on the first few verses of Ephesians chapter one. The truth herein elicited worship as well as tearful humility from me more than once while I listened to it.
I hope you'll listen at your computer if you have time, or download it to your iPod or smart phone and savor it in the car or out on a walk. Just click on "listen" or "download audio" after the jump below:
C.J. Mahaney on sovereign grace and Ephesians 1.
I hope you'll listen at your computer if you have time, or download it to your iPod or smart phone and savor it in the car or out on a walk. Just click on "listen" or "download audio" after the jump below:
C.J. Mahaney on sovereign grace and Ephesians 1.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
A Sure Thing
At that moment, as Goliath's gory mug was lifted up, fear, doubt and dread lifted from the Israelite camp and flew to the opposite hillside, sending the Philistine forces running in panic. An unlikely champion had shown his mettle in a decisive victory and his triumph was now the triumph of all Israel.
In the very same way, the unlikely hero Jesus of Nazareth dispatched once, for all, and forever the foes of death, hell and the grave when he surrendered himself to be lifted up on the cross, bloodied and (momentarily) defeated. The cross is our sign of sure and certain victory, and no fear or dread should ever become a stationary shadow over the life of a believer since the Shepherd King Jesus has secured our freedom. His bloodied figure is our reminder that death has died and the empty tomb our assurance that we will share in His resurrection.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
A Shining Moment From Sunday
So we're leading our people in a rousing rendition of "Blessed Assurance" last Sunday morning. It's about the second verse or so and I take a moment to gaze out at the congregation where I see one of our young ladies, a 14 year old youth group member, hands in the air, smile on her face, singing boldly through the chorus "THIS IS MY STORY! THIS IS MY SONG! PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG!" I was already pretty joyful before I saw that, but that was just icing. One thing I've observed about our teenagers is that they don't care when a song was written, if it's full of Truth, it becomes a favorite.
Friday, September 21, 2012
How Poor Are You?
I read something this morning that put me in my place. As a preface, let me lay these facts on the table: I earn a very average salary as a pastor. My wife works two jobs. We are not moving up in the world, but we provide quite adequately for our family. A lot of folks around me have a lot more breathing room in their budgets than I have. But I'm an ungrateful fool if I ever start feeling sorry for myself or begin to pine for "more". Whatever that is.
Now, I do understand that my life isn't tied to this planet, and my worth certainly isn't. I know, believe me, I know, that God is faithful and keeps watch over me better than any sparrow could ever dream of being cared for. Yet still at times I actually believe I might be better off if I were...better off. Psh. That kind of thinking leaves no room for Christ-like compassion for the genuinely poor, not just the "poor me".
Below you'll find a simple, albeit somewhat lengthy list, describing what it means to be poor (at least in America):
Being Poor
September 3, 2005 By John Scalzi
Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.
Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.
Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they’re what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there’s not an $800 car in America that’s worth a damn.
Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.
Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends’ houses but never has friends over to yours.
Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won’t hear you say “I get free lunch” when you get to the cashier.
Being poor is living next to the freeway.
Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.
Being poor is wondering if your well-off sibling is lying when he says he doesn’t mind when you ask for help.
Being poor is off-brand toys.
Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.
Being poor is knowing you can’t leave $5 on the coffee table when your friends are around.
Being poor is hoping your kids don’t have a growth spurt.
Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn’t have make dinner tonight because you’re not hungry anyway.
Being poor is Goodwill underwear.
Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.
Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground.
Being poor is your kid’s school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.
Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.
Being poor is relying on people who don’t give a damn about you.
Being poor is an overnight shift under florescent lights.
Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.
Being poor is a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet.
Being poor is stopping the car to take a lamp from a stranger’s trash.
Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw.
Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a goddamned difference.
Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.
Being poor is not taking the job because you can’t find someone you trust to watch your kids.
Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.
Being poor is not talking to that girl because she’ll probably just laugh at your clothes.
Being poor is hoping you’ll be invited for dinner.
Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it.
Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk.
Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.
Being poor is your kid’s teacher assuming you don’t have any books in your home.
Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.
Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually stupid.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually lazy.
Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.
Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn’t bought first.
Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that’s two extra packages for every dollar.
Being poor is having to live with choices you didn’t know you made when you were 14 years old.
Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.
Being poor is knowing you’re being judged.
Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from a community center Santa.
Being poor is checking the coin return slot of every soda machine you go by.
Being poor is deciding that it’s all right to base a relationship on shelter.
Being poor is knowing you really shouldn’t spend that buck on a Lotto ticket.
Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime.
Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won’t listen to you beg them against doing so.
Being poor is a cough that doesn’t go away.
Being poor is making sure you don’t spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back before the lease is up.
Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.
Being poor is four years of night classes for an Associates of Art degree.
Being poor is a lumpy futon bed.
Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.
Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
Being poor is seeing how few options you have.
Being poor is running in place.
Being poor is people wondering why you didn’t leave.
Now, I do understand that my life isn't tied to this planet, and my worth certainly isn't. I know, believe me, I know, that God is faithful and keeps watch over me better than any sparrow could ever dream of being cared for. Yet still at times I actually believe I might be better off if I were...better off. Psh. That kind of thinking leaves no room for Christ-like compassion for the genuinely poor, not just the "poor me".
Below you'll find a simple, albeit somewhat lengthy list, describing what it means to be poor (at least in America):
Being Poor
September 3, 2005 By John Scalzi
Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.
Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.
Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they’re what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there’s not an $800 car in America that’s worth a damn.
Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.
Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends’ houses but never has friends over to yours.
Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won’t hear you say “I get free lunch” when you get to the cashier.
Being poor is living next to the freeway.
Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.
Being poor is wondering if your well-off sibling is lying when he says he doesn’t mind when you ask for help.
Being poor is off-brand toys.
Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.
Being poor is knowing you can’t leave $5 on the coffee table when your friends are around.
Being poor is hoping your kids don’t have a growth spurt.
Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn’t have make dinner tonight because you’re not hungry anyway.
Being poor is Goodwill underwear.
Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.
Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground.
Being poor is your kid’s school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.
Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.
Being poor is relying on people who don’t give a damn about you.
Being poor is an overnight shift under florescent lights.
Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.
Being poor is a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet.
Being poor is stopping the car to take a lamp from a stranger’s trash.
Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw.
Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a goddamned difference.
Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.
Being poor is not taking the job because you can’t find someone you trust to watch your kids.
Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.
Being poor is not talking to that girl because she’ll probably just laugh at your clothes.
Being poor is hoping you’ll be invited for dinner.
Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it.
Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk.
Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.
Being poor is your kid’s teacher assuming you don’t have any books in your home.
Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.
Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually stupid.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you’re not actually lazy.
Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.
Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn’t bought first.
Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that’s two extra packages for every dollar.
Being poor is having to live with choices you didn’t know you made when you were 14 years old.
Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.
Being poor is knowing you’re being judged.
Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from a community center Santa.
Being poor is checking the coin return slot of every soda machine you go by.
Being poor is deciding that it’s all right to base a relationship on shelter.
Being poor is knowing you really shouldn’t spend that buck on a Lotto ticket.
Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime.
Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won’t listen to you beg them against doing so.
Being poor is a cough that doesn’t go away.
Being poor is making sure you don’t spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back before the lease is up.
Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.
Being poor is four years of night classes for an Associates of Art degree.
Being poor is a lumpy futon bed.
Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.
Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
Being poor is seeing how few options you have.
Being poor is running in place.
Being poor is people wondering why you didn’t leave.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Apostle's Creed On An Anniversary
It's been 15 years since Rich Mullins beat the rest of us to glory. His music played no small role in my formation as a teen and a young adult. His lyrics still bring me to tears and the truth he taught in his songs remains a part of my spiritual musculature.
"Creed" is simply the Apostle's Creed set to music (ahhhh that hammer dulcimer) and the first half of the video below features scenes from my earthly home, Kansas: the Flint Hills, Lake El Dorado, windmills and barbed wire.
Favorite line: "I did not make it, no it is making me. It is the very truth of God, not the invention of any man."
"Creed" is simply the Apostle's Creed set to music (ahhhh that hammer dulcimer) and the first half of the video below features scenes from my earthly home, Kansas: the Flint Hills, Lake El Dorado, windmills and barbed wire.
Favorite line: "I did not make it, no it is making me. It is the very truth of God, not the invention of any man."
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
This Always Works!
What always works? God's calling, that's what. It is inescapable, true, and chock full of GRACE.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ~ John 6:44
Charles Spurgeon taught it this way:
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. ~ Acts 2:39
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ~ John 6:44
Charles Spurgeon taught it this way:
It is said, especially, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Now that is not the effectual call which is intended by the apostle, when he said, "Whom he called, them he also justified." That is a general call which many men, yea, all men reject, unless there come after it the personal, particular call, which makes us Christians.
You will bear me witness that it was a personal call that brought you to the Saviour. It was some sermon which led you to feel that you were, no doubt, the person intended. The text, perhaps, was "Thou, God, seest me;" and the minister laid particular stress on the word "me," so that you thought God's eye was fixed upon you; and ere the sermon was concluded, you thought you saw God open the books to condemn you, and your heart whispered, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord." You might have been perched in the window, or stood packed in the aisle; but you had a solemn conviction that the sermon was preached to you, and not to other people. God does not call his people in shoals, but in units. "Jesus saith unto her, Mary; and she turned and said unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master." Jesus seeth Peter and John fishing by the lake, and he saith unto them, "Follow me." He seeth Matthew sitting at the table at the receipt of custom, and he saith unto him, "Arise, and follow me," and Matthew did so.
When the Holy Ghost comes home to a man, God's arrow goes into his heart: it does not graze his helmet, or make some little mark upon his armour, but it penetrates between the joints of the harness, entering the marrow of the soul. Have you felt, dear friends, that personal call? Do you remember when a voice said, "Arise, he calleth thee." Can you look back to some time when you said, "My Lord, my God?" when you knew the Spirit was striving with you, and you said, Lord, I come to thee, for I know that thou callest me." I might call the whole of you throughout eternity, but if God call one, there will be more effect through his personal call of one than my general call of multitudes.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Insurance Doesn't Cover That
Reading through the news this morning this ad caught my attention (as many of them so annoyingly do) and I laughed. I'm so glad to know that not only will my life insurance provide for my family in the event of my demise, but it will also prevent that demise from sneaking up on me. WHEW!
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'" ~ Luke 12:20
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
What "All Things" Are You Talking About?
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
This could possibly be one of the most misunderstood verses of Scripture. We've all seen this verse stamped on posters and images that depict people lifting weights at the gym or climbing a mountain or even hunting bear with a bow.
The problem is, Paul didn't write those words because the Holy Spirit inspired him to encourage human achievement. This statement is in fact the finishing thought for a section of Paul's letter to the Philippians in which he explains that he has learned to be content whether he's hungry or well fed, humiliated or living at ease. It's not a motivational speech to encourage you to achieve your full potential. That's just mamby-pamby milk toast Westernized insipid Christianity talk right there. No, this is a call to godly contentment. IOW, no matter what circumstances life throws at me, I can be OK with that through Christ.
So, through him who strengthens me, I can remain faithful and true when my bank account has an definite echo, when my children are wayward or when I'm disillusioned in my marriage. I can, because He does, grant me the endurance to actually be content no matter what my situation is because I know that He is sovereign.
This could possibly be one of the most misunderstood verses of Scripture. We've all seen this verse stamped on posters and images that depict people lifting weights at the gym or climbing a mountain or even hunting bear with a bow.
The problem is, Paul didn't write those words because the Holy Spirit inspired him to encourage human achievement. This statement is in fact the finishing thought for a section of Paul's letter to the Philippians in which he explains that he has learned to be content whether he's hungry or well fed, humiliated or living at ease. It's not a motivational speech to encourage you to achieve your full potential. That's just mamby-pamby milk toast Westernized insipid Christianity talk right there. No, this is a call to godly contentment. IOW, no matter what circumstances life throws at me, I can be OK with that through Christ.
Paul wasn't working his way up in a company or trying to finish a thesis by a deadline. His goal was to be obedient to God's call, and to do it with Christlike aplomb. That, he was sure, could be accomplished through Christ who was his strength.
So, through him who strengthens me, I can remain faithful and true when my bank account has an definite echo, when my children are wayward or when I'm disillusioned in my marriage. I can, because He does, grant me the endurance to actually be content no matter what my situation is because I know that He is sovereign.
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Puritans On Counseling
This morning I appreciated Justin Taylor's article about the Puritans and what they have to teach us about counseling. Some of the points offered are echoed in a book from Cruciform Press entitled Licensed To Kill: A Field Manual For Mortifying Sin. I'm working through this book right now with a class of teenagers at our church.
Two items in particular resonated with me and what I've been studying lately:
First, the Puritans "looked not just at behavior but at underlying root motives and desires. Man is a worshipper; all problems grow out of ‘sinful imagination’ or idol manufacturing."
Killing sin is not just about changing behavior, it is essentially and more critically about transforming the heart and its very desires.
Second,the Puritans "considered the essential spiritual remedy to be belief in the gospel, used in both repentance and the development of proper self-understanding."
The Gospel isn't just for "getting me saved", it is living and active and vital to my everyday growth, comfort, discipline, sanctification and perseverance.
Two items in particular resonated with me and what I've been studying lately:
First, the Puritans "looked not just at behavior but at underlying root motives and desires. Man is a worshipper; all problems grow out of ‘sinful imagination’ or idol manufacturing."
Killing sin is not just about changing behavior, it is essentially and more critically about transforming the heart and its very desires.
Second,the Puritans "considered the essential spiritual remedy to be belief in the gospel, used in both repentance and the development of proper self-understanding."
The Gospel isn't just for "getting me saved", it is living and active and vital to my everyday growth, comfort, discipline, sanctification and perseverance.
Madison Rising - Star Spangled Banner
I was planning on posting something else today, but then I saw this....(turn up the speakers and plug in your air guitar)
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A Bill Nye Rebuttal
Have you seen this? It is Bill Nye's assertion that teaching children creationism is inappropriate. Even stupid. At least that's what I inferred from listening to him. When Nye had his PBS show on several years ago, I thought it was fantastic, and it was. Best produced science show for kids I've ever seen. However, I didn't realize just how energetic he was in his disdain for creationism. Too bad. So here is the video, followed up by two other very well educated people who have formed a response to Bill Nye. BTW, it is unfortunately not common knowledge that there are many, many PhD's, MD's and smarter-than-me's in every field of science who are Biblical creationists.
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