the vertiCALL

Race Versus Ethnicity, And A Good Laugh

2012-01-31T09:36:00.002-06:00

Never, never have I laughed out loud when reading anything that had to do with race issues...until I read Thabiti Anyabwile's Biblical perspective on race (or true lack thereof, actually) in Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology:

" 'Race as biology' entrenches identity in physical appearance. Ethnicity is something that people of various physical appearances can permeate...ethnic identity definable apart from biology....So let me stake a claim right now: one-half of the T4G speaking panel is black. We call Ligon Duncan. Ligon has more knowledge of Earth, Wind and Fire and Bootsy Collins than most 'bruthas' I know. At T4G 2006, Ligon received from me a lifetime ghetto pass. He can roll with me anywhere. I didn't give the pass to Mark [Dever]. We claim C.J. Mahaney; C.J. is just plain cool. He's a brutha. And we claim John Piper. Piper preaches like a black man. He's a brutha. We don't claim Vanilla Ice. Ethnicity is not that permeable. This is a humorous way of illustrating something of the fluidity of ethnicity."

About his transformation from a racially motivated unregenerate bigot to a redeemed man descended from our common father Adam, Thabiti relates this comical anecdote:

"One of the high points of my more recent past was the privilege of speaking at the Twin Lakes Fellowship in Jackson, Mississippi. Twin Lakes is an annual gathering of PCA pastors, which is a polite way of saying there weren't many bruthas there. In the middle of the talk, it occurred to me where I was--an African-American with two hundred white men--in Mississippi in the woods at night. Now, you know that Jesus did that! Getting me from my racist past down to the woods of Mississippi was a supernatural demonstration of the power of the risen Christ."

Yesterday's Worship Set

2012-01-30T11:38:00.002-06:00

God is so merciful to us as we gather on Sunday mornings - some are blessed to play an instrument, but all of us are blessed to sing and lift praises as one body to our Savior and King. These are the songs we used in our corporate worship yesterday.

Let the Praises Ring (we don't do the solo at 2:49, but I think my son could pull it off (; )

Love the Lord Your God

All I Have Is Christ

Healer which transitions marvelously into the chorus of...

How Great Is Our God

The World Tilting Gospel - Diving In

2012-01-27T08:43:00.011-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading The World Tilting Gospel by Dan Phillips on my Kindle (Android Kindle app, more precisely). I think I bookmarked and highlighted enough material to keep me busy blogging for months. It will probably serve as my go-to hopper of ideas when my thoughts on other things are running at low ebb. And don't let that comment fool you; this isn't second rate stuff to be used only in case of emergency.

And so I begin:

"People leap for an experience, fall short of truth, and wander off lost and aimless. A truncated 'half-spell' has been substituted for the biblical Gospel. The 'nice bits' have been snipped out, isolated, and dolled up as more marketable. Folks have signed on without any real grasp of the Gospel in all its fullness and power." ~ Dan Phillips, The World Tilting Gospel

Ask me, I'll tell you that there are sometimes too many circus antics going on in Sunday morning church (not ours, but they're out there). If you tease people with a bedazzled Jesus, they'll likely not find the real Jesus or even care to know Him. That's just not cool.

I am also of the opinion that those of us who are leaders in our churches must carefully guard against trying to lead people to heaven with hype and must reject the temptation to go beyond what is properly felt zeal (nothing wrong with zeal in preaching) in order to stir up a greater 'response' to make ourselves feel better. People should respond to Truth, not just over-the-top oratory.

Good Job Dad, We're Late

2012-01-24T21:23:00.000-06:00

Two of my five sons I drive to school each morning. They go to a private school that meets in a church just four miles down the road. On a typical morning, the lunches are packed (thanks, hon), the dishes are done (this guy) and I'm ready to roll in plenty of time to leave, but inevitably one of the boys has either: lost one shoe, not brushed his nasty teeth, not found pants to wear, or is nowhere to be found. If we're late, it's never my fault. I mean, really, it isn't.

So, just a few days ago we had a morning where our youngest was more distracted than usual in his preparation to leave and there were many loose ends (including his shoelaces) when it came time to leave. We ended up pulling out of the driveway at 8 a.m., when school is supposed to start. Not too big of a deal, since, as I've already mentioned, we only live four miles away.

We pulled into the parking lot at 8:06, and my dear youngster spies the clock on the dashboard and declares, with much cheek, "Good job, Dad, we're late!"

(Fear not, dear reader, for I dealt with the arrogant eight year old in a manner befitting the situation. However, let us continue on to the point....)

I got to thinking, as I drove away, that my boy had perfectly illustrated for me the way so many of us children of God treat our heavenly Father.

There's no money at the end of the month: Way to go, God, why didn't You provide?

Our spouse's health goes down the tubes: Good job, God, where you have been?

The job opportunity slips through our hands: Great, why didn't you help me, God?

The list goes on and on. Why are so quick to get grumpy with God Almighty? How dare we get snarky with the Savior!

Everyday I successfully deliver my kids to school. Everyday I work to earn the money they live on. Everyday I cook a warm, healthy, satisfying dinner they gobble up and benefit from. Everyday I make sure every one of them is tucked in safely before I lock the front door. The accolades for all I do on their behalf are scarce. But it doesn't matter. The things I do for them aren't dependent on their praise.

God does far more for each one of us on any given day. And I must say, for the most part these graces have nothing to do with whether we acknowledge Him and give thanks for them. But I'll bet we could stand to be a little more thankful and a lot less grumpy.

Yesterday's Worship Set

2012-01-23T09:44:00.003-06:00

Here's what we sang in church yesterday. It was a great song set of proclamation, declaring our dependence upon God, as well as our anticipation of our soon coming, all conquering King.

Hear My Cry, O Lord (Psalm 61)

You'll Come (fantastic)

A Love So Amazing (good one from Paul Oakley)

Days of Elijah (love the chorus)

All I Have Is Christ (see video below)

Revelation Song (powerful)

Meet My Sons, Forgetful and Fruitful

2012-01-19T13:10:00.000-06:00

Who names their kids "Forgetful" and "Fruity"? Believe me, my kids can be forgetful and fruity, but I would never name them according to their behavior. (Hey Stinky! Tell Slob and Hyperactive it's time for dinner!) I suppose I might have considered that, if I'd known how they'd turn out, but then I'd have to name each one of my sons "Awesome"......

It's no secret that names in Scripture often bear great significance. Our Savior, for example, bore a common enough name (Yeshua/Joshua/Jesus) which marked His humanity, but it also carried a supernatural meaning: The Lord saves.

Well, when the Vizier of Ancient Egypt, Joseph, was blessed with two sons, he named them, quite cleverly, Ephraim and Manasseh, which roughly mean, "fruitful in suffering" and "forgotten trouble", respectively. If you are familiar with the story of Joseph, you'll understand exactly what those children and their names meant to their adoring father.

For us, it is a simple reminder that sometimes the Lord takes us places we never would have imagined, and in those places that begin as a captivity, God bestows His blessing and causes us to be fruitful in that foreign land and soon forgetful of our former tears.

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."

Isaiah 43:18-19

Last Sunday's Set List

2012-01-16T18:44:00.002-06:00

I think I'll give this a try: every Monday (hmm...let's try most Mondays) I'm going to share the songs that we used in our corporate worship in church the day before. Maybe others could share what they sang, and then perhaps occasionally we might discover a new tune to share with our congregations that will encourage the Body and glorify the Savior. Deal? OK.

So, yesterday's list was sparked when a friend made mention of the song The Love Of God on his blog. We sing in now and then in our church, but it had been a while, and I used it as a centerpiece for our worship set (even though we finished our set with it). Here are the songs we used this Sunday (styles represented in the linked videos may or may not be the styles used at our church):

All Bow Down
Everyday
Blessed Be Your Name
Blessed Be The Lord God Almighty
Bow Down (lyrics below)
Bow down before the Lord worship Him oh worship Him
Bow down before our God enter in oh enter in
Consuming fire and sweet perfume
His awesome presence fills this room
This is holy ground so come and bow down
The Love of God

And there it is; what did you sing yesterday?

Afraid

2012-01-12T10:13:00.003-06:00

Here's something I will almost guarantee you weren't thinking about this morning when you woke up: the fact that you weren't killed in the night by an earthquake. Below are two poignant Facebook status updates posted this morning by a man I met while I was in Haiti. Following those is a link to a photo album at The Big Picture that gives a glimpse into the slow progress being made in Haiti two years after the earthquake that killed 300,000 people.

"I wanna thank God this morning cuz I am still alive."

"Good morning every one! I spent the nite out sleep cuz I was afraid and I remembered the january 12 earthquake when I was cooking food with my friends. Many of the haitian people woke up with tears and sadness! Please pray for haiti cuz its hard to not thinking of january 12 I am sad and I need a prayer for haiti please! Thank u God."

Haiti Slow To Recover

sigh

2012-01-09T13:36:00.003-06:00

This clip of Joel Osteen and Oprah makes me shiver all over more than anywhere else! Especially around the 49 second mark. Brrrrr....

Name That Quote: "The National Razor Which Shaved Close"

2012-01-06T09:16:00.005-06:00

OK who can nail down the origin of that quote?................That's right! It's from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities", in which he devises one of the most clever descriptions of a guillotine ever heard. (You did guess correctly, didn't you?)

And why on earth would I reference a guillotine? Because of the following video. It's a bit disturbing, but I think it cunningly highlights something so true about corrupted humanity. I'm pretty certain it was not the video creator's intent to do this, but he has correctly observed a basic Biblical truth about how fallen men operate.

What I see illustrated in this moving comic strip is man's willingness - no - insistence - in going his own destructive way while encouraging others to do the same. Instinctively men resist God, although instinctively men know that He is real.

"These people are not ignorant about what can be known of God, because He has shown it to them with great clarity...Despite the fact that they are fully aware that God's law says this way of life deserves death, they fail to stop. And worse - they applaud others on this destructive path." Romans 1:19,32 paraphrased

Next from toll on Vimeo.

Noah, My Floor Drain, And Cataclysm

2012-01-03T11:46:00.006-06:00

I saw an interesting thing in my basement last week. Two, actually: the kids had cleaned the living room and the concrete next to the floor drain in the laundry room is eroding.

Next to the floor drain is a length of PVC that drains condensation from my HVAC system. And when I say "drains", I really mean "drips", and it only does it in the summer when the A/C is running. Basically, the only water coming out of the pipe is a very non-forceful dribble, yet the effect of this dribble over the last 16 years (a mere 16 years) is easily discernible. Observe:

You know, I see something like a drop of water falling an easy one inch to the rock hard concrete below it and how it wears that concrete away and it's not difficult to imagine the damage done on a much grander scale to softer surfaces on planet earth during the time of Noah's Flood when the "fissures of the deep" broke open and the globe was deluged from above and below. It's easy to visualize a great inland sea over North America draining in cataclysmic fashion and carving out something like, say, the Grand Canyon.

The evidence for history as the Bible records it is out there. It's the same evidence everyone has, but what makes a difference is the lens you're using to look at it.

One Final Thought....

2011-12-31T11:37:00.005-06:00

...for this year, anyway:

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink."—John 7:37.

Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast He pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year He pleads with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the longsuffering of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our provocations, rebellions, and resistance of His Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy!

Pity expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus cried, which implies not only the loudness of His voice, but the tenderness of His tones. He entreats us to be reconciled. "We pray you," says the Apostle, "as though God did beseech you by us." What earnest, pathetic terms are these! How deep must be the love which makes the Lord weep over sinners, and like a mother woo His children to His bosom! Surely at the call of such a cry our willing hearts will come.

Provision is made most plenteously; all is provided that man can need to quench his soul's thirst. To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Jesus is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible, but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it.

Proclamation is made most freely, that every thirsty one is welcome. No other distinction is made but that of thirst. Whether it be the thirst of avarice, ambition, pleasure, knowledge, or rest, he who suffers from it is invited. The thirst may be bad in itself, and be no sign of grace, but rather a mark of inordinate sin longing to be gratified with deeper draughts of lust; but it is not goodness in the creature which brings him the invitation, the Lord Jesus sends it freely, and without respect of persons.

Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus, not to works, ordinances, or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising Saviour, is the only star of hope to a sinner. Oh for grace to come now and drink, ere the sun sets upon the year's last day!

No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer's loving voice as He cries to each of us, "if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink."

~Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Restless

2011-12-28T13:33:00.002-06:00

Switchfoot. Again. This wouldn't happen if John Foreman wasn't such a clever lyricist. This particular song - composition, melody, lyrics - reminds me of U2 (Bono, another brilliant wordsmith). See if you do not agree!

I am the sea on a moonless night,
Calling, falling, slipping tides
I am the leaky, dripping pipes
The endless aching drops of light
I am the raindrop falling down,
Always longing for the deeper ground
I am the broken, breaking seas
Even my blood finds ways to bleed

Even the rivers ways to run
Even the rain to reach the sun
Even my thirsty streams,
Even in my dreams

I am restless, I am restless, I am restless, looking for you
I am restless, I run like the ocean to find your shore
I’m looking for you

I am the thorn stuck in your side,
I am the one that you left behind,
I am the dried up doubting eyes
Looking for the well that won’t run dry

Running hard for the other side
The world that I’ve always been denied
Running hard for the infinite
With the tears of the saints and hypocrites

Oh blood of black and white and gray
Death and life and night and day
One by one by one
We let our rivers run

I am restless, I am restless
I am restless, looking for you
I am restless, I run like the ocean to find your shore
Looking for you

I can hear you breathing,
I can hear you leading
More than just a feeling
More than just a feeling
I can feel you reaching
Pushing through the ceiling
'til the final healing
I'm looking for you

Until the sea of glass we meet
At last completed and complete
Where tide of tear and pain subside
Laughter drinks them dry

I’ll be waiting
Anticipating
All that I aim for
What I was made for
With every heartbeat
All of my blood bleeds
Running inside me
Looking for you

I am restless, I am restless, I am restless, looking for you
I am restless, I run like the ocean to find your shore
I'm looking for you

I can feel you breathing, I can feel you leading
More than just a feeling, more than just a feeling
I can feel you reaching, pushing through the ceiling
'til the final healing
I'm looking for you
I'm looking for you

Save Me Some Cake

2011-12-27T10:43:00.005-06:00

A dear member of our church passed away in his sleep last night. His painful battle with cancer is over, and his last earthly breath was a sigh of sweet relief. Up until a couple weeks ago, he was still having family members bring him to church so he could be in the presence of the Lord with God's people. He's certainly got that in spades now!

The thing that made me really smile this morning, though, was the Facebook status of one of his grandsons:

"Congrats, G-pa, you're in Paradise now! Save me some cake! ... Love you, Grandpa."

I'm not sure I've ever heard a better send-off! Maybe today (which is whatever day you happen to read this) it would be good to think for a minute or two about how fantastic heaven will be ~ it might give us a little more energy to endure our battles here below.

The God Man

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

"Every human father begets a son or daughter with his sin nature. We may not understand completely how this works, but this is the way of the world after the fall. Sinners beget sinners (Ps. 51:5). Always. So if Joseph was the real father of Jesus, or Mary had been sleeping around with Larry, Jesus is not spotless, innocent, and not perfectly holy. And as a result, we have no mediator, no imputation of Christ's righteousness (because He has no righteousness to impute to us), and no salvation." ~ Kevin DeYoung, The Good News We Almost Forgot.

But He is everything Scripture says He is, and He has opened up the way to save forever, completely, and to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him. (Heb. 7:25)

He is the One Mediator between God and man, CHRIST JESUS! (1 Tim. 2:5)

What The Beach Teaches

2011-12-19T16:02:00.005-06:00

Took a cruise, went to the beach in Mexico, took some macro pictures along the shoreline in Progreso. Look closely...that's not sand. What you see there are tiny bits of worn down shells.

The whole beach was like that. No sand, just tons and TONS of tiny shell bits.
It's becoming a popular theme for me, but I just can't get over the refining influence that trials and time have on us. This is great news for the believer, because, I believe, these are all part of the pruning we must go through...the removing of the dross...the purifying by fire.

You can't sharpen a knife without some serious friction, and you can't become Christlike without suffering. So,

Here's to trials!
Here's to refining fires!
Here's to faith worth more than gold!

As Brooke Fraser sings:

Cheers to the furrows on our brow
To each hard-won victory
Cheers to the losses that grew us up
Killed our pride, and filled our cup

"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." Philippians 1:6

What Do You Do When Your Heart Is Tugging

2011-12-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

In July of this year, I spent a week in Haiti with Mission of Hope. Below, you'll find a 3 minute sample of some small town traffic. If you'd rather not sit through it all, at least skip ahead and watch from 2:50 forward to hear some rather vigorous honking. (Yes, that's my mug you see in the last half-second of the video):

Earlier this week I was led by one of those mysteriously captivating internet rabbit trails to a story about the mass graves that were dug after the January 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake. I was sort of jolted to reality when I discovered that just a few hundred yards into the hills where we had been driving were a number of large burial pits where bulldozers had crudely shoved thousands of earthquake victims to their resting place. The pictures were brutal, and I don't recommend looking them up.

What really impacted me, though, was the sharp reminder of how fresh that catastrophe must still be in the minds of countless Haitians. In all likelihood, some of the people I met there this summer have relatives and friends buried up in those hills. And now I feel mildly foolish for not fully comprehending the nearness of the tragedy while I was there, which is not to say I didn't feel anything. I saw the crumbled buildings and the amputees, but I didn't feel it deeply enough.

But where the devastation of sin is greatest, the light of the Gospel shines the brightest and I can report that God's Church is thriving and growing there. My heart wants to somehow be a part of that, but I'm not sure how. If nothing else, I will at least pray.

Tell Me Your Favorites!

2011-12-14T10:59:00.003-06:00

I've read through many books this year, and I have read most of a few books and a little bit of a lot of books. The stack next to my bed (and archive on my Kindle) reveals my literary travels of the past twelve months. Trust me, I'm no egghead and my memory isn't what it used to be, but I believe my life is richer, my walk with God is stronger, and I'm (hopefully) a smitch wiser than I was in January because of what I've read.

But I'm not going to tell you what I read - at least not yet. I want to know what your favorite books are, particularly what you've read this year that you've enjoyed, and even what books you might have in the hopper waiting for their pages to be turned.

Bring on the raves and recommendations!

Putting Potentates In Their Place

2011-12-12T10:10:00.003-06:00

We know that all authority is given by God, but not all authorities are godly.

I love this bit from Charles Spurgeon where he gives some perspective of and to men in authority:

"...Too often do they serve themselves or Satan, and forget the God whose sufferance permits them to wear their mimic majesty for their little hour."

Get 'em, Charles....

The thing is, though, we would all do well to remember that human nature will take any ounce of authority and fashion it into a ton of oppression or pride or self-service. It's not just Presidents and Prime Ministers who need to guard their hearts. Pastors, teachers, worship leaders, project managers, shift supervisors and parents must all lead responsibly in the fear of God.

Vice Verses...A Little Resurrection

2011-12-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

Jon Foreman, creating his poetry again:

Let the pacific laugh...be on my epitaph.
With its rising and falling
And after all,
It's just water and I am just soul
With a body of water and bone...
Water and bone....

Trembling & Hesitant

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

"The Christian hope is not simply a trembling, hesitant hope that perhaps the promises of God may be true. It is the expectation that they cannot be anything else than true." ~ William Barclay

There is power and glory in the faithfulness of God that at once shames me (as I see my silly sin and craven fears) and lifts me up to boundless, unspeakable joy. Oh, that I would keep His promises always before me - from what countless troubles I could spare myself and how much more boldly I would serve! My desire is to cease with wistful wishing and walk confidently, not in my own merits, but in the One who doesn't change like shifting shadows and whose years will never end!

The Problem With Stuff

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

"When we don't have what we want, the world corrupts us with covetousness. And when we do have what we want the world corrupts us with pride." ~ John Piper in Finally Alive

I'm trying hard to be content. I'm trying to be content with what I have and what I don't have. I think this has become somewhat easier as I've grown older, but I still have within me the tension of protecting what is MINE and desiring what I don't have YET. Our basis for contentment should begin with the state our souls. If we would take more time to meditate on the fact that all is well in that arena (assuming we are right with Christ), then perhaps our attachments to other things wouldn't be quite so fierce.

Snow Days

2011-12-03T06:00:00.003-06:00

I read this post from Kevin DeYoung last Thursday, and wanted to bring it you now because it encourages an excited expectation of our heavenly home in a way that is fresh and childlike and, I think, just what many of us need.

Heaven Is Your Snow Day

Dear 20 Year Old Me

2011-11-30T13:25:00.006-06:00

(Yes, Miss Joni, I stole that title from you, but my content will obviously be from a different perspective...)

If only I'd been around when I was 20. I mean me, the 41 year old. I'd have a few things to say to myself, such as:

*You know far less than you think you do, so stop being so cocky.

*You will always regret THAT stupid thing and THAT stupid thing, etc., so don't do it.

*Stop taking your parents for granted.

*When you become a parent, you will realize how awesome your parents are.

*When you're driving home from the hospital with your first child, you don't need to be afraid that the wheels are going to fall off the car.

*Marriage will not be a gauzy dreamscape like in the movies.

*Marriage will be the most amazing thing you'll ever experience.

*Don't ever be mean to your wife. Ever.

*Don't use that one lady for a realtor when you sell your first house.

*Pray more than you think you should.

*Never let a day slip by without Scripture.

*God is bigger than you've ever imagined.

I wonder what my 80 year old self will have to say?

SIN(s)

2011-11-27T20:25:00.003-06:00

I know that I tend to grieve and be troubled over specific instances of sin in my life more than I do over the fact that I am truly and fundamentally a sinNER. Of course I realize that being justified in Christ profoundly and forever changes my identity, but I'm thinking that even though it is a wonderful and beautiful thing to be granted forgiveness for individual transgressions, it is an even greater and more amazing thing to be paroled and pardoned for my entire sinful nature. It's not just that the thief is forgiven for stealing, but is also forgiven for being a thief!

"There is a tendency to think that our sins are bigger than our sin - maybe because it's that rare case of language when the plural is smaller than the singular. Sins are those individual acts of rebellion - symptoms of the bigger problem. Our sin is the bigger problem: it's our condition or state which is in hideous rebellion toward a holy and good God. When Christians feel that sins (acts) are bigger than sin (condition), they see evangelism as an effort of moral reform rather than explaining the steps that need to take place to rip our our wicked hearts and replace them with new hearts - that amazing work of God that Jesus called being born again." ~excerpted from Marks Of The Messenger by J. Mack Stiles.

Our Love Saves Us - Blindside

2011-11-26T15:56:00.003-06:00

I am a fan of the Swedish band Blindside, and I'm really liking one of their recent songs, "Our Love Saves Us." It's a declaration of hope and commitment in a relationship (marriage, presumably). So, here it is for your enjoyment! (I'm only so-so about the video, but the song is fantastic)

When Nice Is Sin

2011-11-23T08:41:00.002-06:00

Sometimes being "nice" in order to not offend can, in truth, be a sin. When we pull a punch or soft-pedal the Truth (notice the capital "T"), we are, in a very real sense, lying. And we are lying to the potential peril of someone's very soul. I think we (at least I) should begin to see Truth and Compassion as the best of friends. If Jesus was ever harsh with the Truth, it was because He could not, would not, lie.

As fallen creatures prone to self-preservation at any cost, it's vitally necessary that our defenses-turned-dungeons be broken down so that we can see the light of truth burning through the darkness.

"Sentimental love bleeds into the Christian mind in a form of niceness. It's easy to confuse nice with compassion, kindness or love. But nice is not a biblical word. Jesus was extremely un-nice at times, because He wanted to go deeply into people's lives, into their sin with the truth, and that's never nice." ~ J. Mack Stiles, Marks Of The Messenger

I Know What Love Is...

2011-11-21T09:18:00.004-06:00

For many, many reasons, I can't fathom loving any other woman than my wife. It's not because I'm the perfect husband, but "I know what love is, Jenny." I wonder sometimes if I'm as faithful to my Savior as I am to my spouse. In The Good News We Almost Forgot, Kevin DeYoung writes about the exclusivity of our relationship with God:

"Loving God is like loving your spouse: When you choose your mate, it is to the exclusion of all others. You can't do both. You can't tell your wife, 'Honey, here's my other lover. I really wanted you to meet. I know you'll be great friends. You both mean so much to me.' Your wife will say, 'It's me or her. You take your pick.'"

My Children Have Done Something "Fowl"

2011-11-18T15:02:00.004-06:00

My kids love to give goats and soccer balls and especially chickens through World Vision. Today we gave 5 ducks and 2 chickens, which is almost a paltry little thing to us, but will soon mean a daily supply of protein and vitamins for an impoverished family somewhere on the planet. That's cool. If you have children, or even if you don't, please check out the really neat, easy and sensible opportunities World Vision has to help people in need. I promise your kids will get excited about choosing something to give! From rabbits to mosquito netting to water filters to garden seeds to a Mongolian Ger, there are possibilities to bless no matter what your budget is.

Need Of Grace

2011-11-16T12:14:00.003-06:00

When I was younger, I had fanciful dreams about my grown up self:

I imagined I would be the trophy husband, perfect, and adored by my wife.

I imagined that my marriage would be one to write books about.

I imagined that whatever children I had would never be caught up in sin or tempted to stray.

I imagined that my ministry for the Lord would be grand and secretly envied by others.

There was an awful lot of ME in me, back then. And not nearly enough of Christ. Now that I've lived in reality for a while, I know that Christ is all, and all that matters. I know that imperfection, failure, and temptation are the featured flavors of nearly every day.

The following prayer from The Valley of Vision is a sigh of blessed resignation and surrender:

O Lord,
Thou knowest my great unfitness for service,
my present deadness,
my inability to do anything for thy glory,
my distressing coldness of heart.

I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable,
and loathe and abhor myself.
I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest
have me do,
for I feel amazingly deserted by thee,
and sense thy presence so little;

Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth,
and the dreadful sin of my nature,
so that I feel all sin,
I cannot think or act but every motion is sin.

Return again with showers of converting grace
to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.
Help my soul to breathe after holiness,
after a constant devotedness to thee,
after growth in grace more abundantly every day.

O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness,
And am ready to sink because I fall short
of my desire;
Help me to hold out a little longer,
until the happy hour of deliverance comes,
for I cannot lift my soul to thee
if thou of thy goodness bring me not nigh.

Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender,
lest I offend my blessed Friend
in thought and behaviour;
I confide in thee and lean upon thee,
and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.
O that all my distresses and apprehensions
might prove but Christ’s school
to make me fit for greater service
by teaching me the great lesson of humility.

And Can It Be

2011-11-11T16:50:00.001-06:00

Currently loving this:

Why Star Trek Is So Unbelievable

2011-11-08T11:30:00.004-06:00

Multi-level touch screen controls? Got that on my phone.
Phasers? Military is working on that.
Light speed? Sure, theoretically.
An earth where people don't use currency and are basically morally upright? Never.

I love watching Star Trek, and really like that I can watch DS9 on Netflix. Gene Rodenberry's vision was extraordinary, if not a little bit pie-in-the-sky. The problem isn't about the high tech gadgetry and complicated science we've seen from the original series all the way to the present permutations of that futuristic vision.

The thing that will never happen, no matter how much technology advances, is a society that has solved the problems of poverty, crime, racism and religion. Mankind might make a good ray gun, but men will never make themselves good.

Scripture is clear that we're wicked to the core, and we've proven to ourselves over the centuries that whether we're stamping cuneiform characters in clay or use a text to speech app on our smartphone, our hearts haven't changed. We might be smarter, but we're no better. I'm convinced that people confuse technological advancement with morality, but men are just as they always have been: depraved and in need of a Savior outside of themselves.

The only time we'll see everything set right is in a renewed heaven and earth, where wickedness and unrepentance (and those who practice such things) will be forever taken away. And beaming from one place to another will be easy.

Murmuration

2011-11-04T12:27:00.001-05:00

And God smiles....

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Altars For Sinning

2011-11-03T10:01:00.004-05:00

In preparing to preach to our teenagers about the need (present & urgent) for repentance, I was reacquainted with this startling verse of Scripture:

Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. Hosea 8:11

The truth of the matter is that our very hearts which we at first offered to God openly, freely and exclusively can become places where vile worship occurs, places where we affectionately caress the sins we've come to cherish. Altars for sinning. Large or small, the idols have to go and the altar needs to be cleansed. Let's make this a day for repentance and renewal.

Worship That Rocks...Not What You're Thinking

2011-11-01T15:38:00.003-05:00

I pastor teenagers. Some folks call that a "Youth Pastor", but that can carry certain connotations I'd rather not be associated with. I'm to shepherd and disciple these young people, and with God's help, I'm doing my best to fulfill that calling...and I'm digressing.

I pastor teenagers, and you wouldn't believe what some of their favorite songs are. Among the songs they clamor for and request more often than anything else when it comes to our times of worship are: Come Thou Fount, How Deep The Father's Love For Us and Before the Throne of God Above.

I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but these are really teenagers (I've checked their I.D.s) and they have a real hunger for truth. And they love to sing it loud.

Another thing that's so neat about this group is that they're just as happy singing these songs with our full band and fancy lighting or just sitting around on a concrete floor with an acoustic guitar.

I'm sure they could be fed a steady diet of marshmallow-Jesus-fluff and wouldn't know any better. At least at one time. Now they now what Truth sounds like. And they know that declaring Truth in song is God-honoring, edifying, and powerful.

Sovereign Grace songwriter Bob Kauflin has some great thoughts on modern worship, and they're worth noting (here's the blog where I found these comments):

"...Bob lamented the worldly ‘rock concert’ culture that has infected congregational singing in many churches around the world. We see that influence, he pointed out, in a number of disturbing trends:
■People value the power and effectiveness of the performance over the participation of the congregation.
■People value musical skill (and good looks!) in musicians over character and biblical understanding.
■People value musical experiences over word experiences (that is, experiences which are a response to the truth, not simply a response to the power of the music). Music doesn’t really change people; it’s the word of the Bible and the Spirit working through it that changes people.
■People value singer-songwriters over pastors as the people who write our songs. Songs should be written by people who are theologically deep and driven.

Bob also sharply criticised the idea that somehow music brings us into the presence of God; or that music is a way of bringing God down to us—as if ‘God enters the building’ or ‘shows up’ when we start to feel the emotional power of the music.

Bob said lots of other helpful things, such as the central thesis of his first talk: that singing is not a peripheral or unimportant aspect of our church meetings that deserves little thought or quick delegation, but instead is a very significant way in which a pastor leads, feeds, cares for, protects and sets an example for his flock. Singing is an important ministry that can be powerful—for both good and ill. He was urging us as leaders and pastors to take that responsibility seriously.

There were plenty of other worthwhile points made. In no particular order:
■that singing involves the head as well as the heart;
■that singing has a ‘vertical’ aspect (towards God) as well as a ‘horizontal’ aspect (towards each other); this is nicely captured in Ephesians 5:19—”addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”;
■that we need to balance the already and the not-yet in our experience (we don’t yet see Jesus face to face, and yet we do respond to him now with a “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” as 1 Peter 1:8 puts it);
■that we need to hold in healthy tension (as the Bible does) both the transcendence and immanence of God; that is, not lapsing into over-familiar, Jesus-is-my-boyfriend kind of songs, but also not missing the fact that God has invited us to draw near to his throne of grace.

What Gap Are You Standing In?

2011-10-27T09:32:00.003-05:00

Text from a friend a few nights ago, when the day had been particularly difficult for a variety of reasons: "Hey man you were on my mind. I thought I would ask how I can pray for you."

My response, after wide eyes, dropped jaw, and a little contemplation: "Wow. My heart is heavy. [My deep concern went here.]. Wow again. :) Thanks."

His response: "I am in the gap brother."

You have no idea what a profound lift (hmm...oxymoronic?) that was for me. This is not the first time a brother in Christ has told me that his heart was moved to pray for me. I believe the Holy Spirit will prompt us on behalf of our fellow believers if we're paying attention, and that it's not only appropriate to pray, but to tell them we are doing so. The encouragement that accompanies that is unbelievable. What it tells me is that God has not cast me and my problems aside, but is actually enlisting others to wrestle on my behalf.

So let's all pay attention today, shall we?

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

A Thought On Adoption From Packer

2011-10-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

"What is a Christian?" asks J.I. Packer. "the question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father."

Why is this the "richest answer?" Because of how it comes about: through Divine adoption (I am not ignoring the work of Christ's redemption, merely taking time to focus on one facet of that whole glorious process).

An adopted child is chosen, and they are chosen when they're still too young to understand what's happening, and certainly far too young to begin to comprehend the intentional, directional love that motivated their adoption. Children aren't adopted on the basis of their abilities or desirableness, but on the basis of the love of the parent, in spite of the child's background or difficulties. It's a rescue - with permanent implications.

"Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever." John 8:35

Just Like Moammar

2011-10-21T14:58:00.003-05:00

By now you've likely seen photos of a deceased Moammar Gadhafi. You may have even viewed the videos of the men who captured him cheering and chanting hysterically while parading around his broken and soon to be lifeless body. People hated Gadhafi because he was the stereotypical evil dictator. They wanted him dead and they finally got him. This is what we (human race) do with brutal tyrants and evil men: we call for their execution and rejoice at their demise.

Interesting how we did that to Christ.

Paraded in purple, wearing thorns, wounded grievously, ridiculed, dazed and utterly shamed, Christ was led to his execution by us (humans). And thus we showed ourselves to be evil, tyrannical and brutal.

Christ was innocent. Gadhafi was most certainly not. Nor am I. I'm not as bad as Gadhafi, but I'm bad through and through. There's not a part of me that I can offer up to God and say, "See, this part is still innocent!"

They had to make up charges against Christ. The charges against Gadhafi were piled high over his head, and the wheels of justice ran right over him - chewed him up and spit him out. I'm in an even worse spot apart from Christ...

Now imagine if that was Christ in those photographs and videos: bloodied, reviled and ridiculed (It's all so uncomfortable to watch). The shame, contempt and awful spectacle Christ endured was . . . yours and mine.

What a thing my Savior did. Christ stood in the crosshairs of justice so that we could boldly approach the throne of grace. But it doesn't end there...Jesus is alive!

Grudges And Scaffolding

2011-10-17T11:56:00.004-05:00

"Bear with each other, and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13

I've been harboring a grudge. Or at least a bad feeling. Well, I'm not sure I've been "harboring" it, or just trying to figure out what to do with it. Here's the story:

Well over a year ago, when I was yet a member of our local school board, we had to make some really tough decisions regarding budget cuts for our school distirct. One of these decisions involved the closing of one our district's buildings and consolidating students and offices into the remaining buildings. Subsequently, we searched for an occupant who could make use of our empty space and provide us with a little bit of cash flow. There were a few options for prospective lessees, but only one really made sense. As it happened, there was a bit of controversy involving this entity, albeit completely unfounded.

At one point in our decision making process, I had a brief and unexpected run-in with a brother from a neighboring church. What I thought would be a conversation between two believers turned out to be a veiled threat from a City Council member to a School Board member. Sorry, I won't give you the details...

Let it suffice for me to say that from that moment forward, my attitude toward this man changed. I was...baffled, confused, disappointed and stumped. Did he really say that to me? How could he? He's a sensible Christian man! Months after the incident, I still found myself avoiding this man when I saw him in our little town. All I could do was ask the Lord for help. It wasn't right, this thing going on in my heart.

Fast forward to the present. Along with my work in ministry, I work off and on for a friend as a roofer. Guess whose home I replaced the roof on last week? Uh-huh. There was no way around it. There was face time with the man I really didn't want to ever face again. However, there wasn't any discussion about what had been said so long ago. That had been a hit and run, and he might not even remember it. But God had arranged another meeting for the two of us. This fella was going to install new fascia and guttering on his home after we finished with his roof, and happened to wonder out loud where he was going to find some scaffolding to do the high parts. Well, I have access to some scaffolding and found myself offering to arrange for its procurement. I even volunteered to help him put it up.

So, somewhere between him pulling into his driveway with a pickup bed full of scaffolding and the two of us installing the final cross piece 20 feet in the air, we chatted, and the Lord did something in me. And for me. I learned that my brother wasn't a mean-spirited pharisee after all. I learned he was a normal guy - a thankful guy, a humble guy, a good father. He's a guy saved by grace who still does stupid things now and then, a whole lot like the guy I see in the mirror every morning. I still can't explain the uncomfortable conversation the two of us had in the past, but I don't care to. That grudge has sailed away and sunk.

NOT From Yourselves

2011-10-14T08:06:00.002-05:00

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

Antecedents are important. They make all the difference in the world, like in this classic church bulletin blunder: “The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind, and they can be seen in the church basement Friday afternoon” Yikes.

The "they" in that sentence is obviously meant to refer to the used clothing the ladies have donated. The humor here makes the proper antecedent clear.

However, in a sentence like Ephesians 2:8, I've observed folks connecting the pronoun "this" with "grace" instead of the proper antecedent, "faith." First of all, it doesn't make any sense that "grace" would be something "from ourselves" or would be something we could conjure up on our own behalf. Second, Greek grammar clearly indicates that Paul's intent was to show that "faith" is the gift (this I understand from men smarter than myself).

This makes an important soteriological point. If this is true (and it is!), then from the very beginning salvation is from God, acting monergistically (without our help) and giving us the very faith that is required in order to be saved. That just floors me. Praise be to God for His indescribable gift!

Everyone Who Calls

2011-10-10T15:10:00.007-05:00

We must not confuse paradox with contradiction...

Too many people have convinced themselves that the doctrine of election and the urgency of evangelism are incompatible and can do nothing other than butt heads. There are those who skirt around the clear Scriptural teaching of election and try to redefine it because, in their minds, an incomplete (or twisted) understanding of this powerful truth has confused the issue for them.

Some contend that the doctrine of election seems to do away with the love of God, making Him out to be cold and calculating. However, I read in Romans that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Others say that the doctrine of election keeps people out of heaven! Untrue. God's saving purpose in election has actually opened heaven's doors for any and all who would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Without God's sovereign initiative we would all be utterly and justly lost, for none would choose him on their own.

It is not intellectually dishonest to believe that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and at the same time believe that all who are appointed to eternal life will believe. Scriptures that affirm these two simple and separate truths are myriad.

The doctrine of election and the mandate to evangelize are not mutually exclusive. They are merely two different aspects, or facets, of God's redemptive plan. As Spurgeon said, "Look to Jesus and believe on Him, and you will prove your election instantly, for as surely as you believe, you are elect. "

Who can adequately explain this mystery? Not me. All I know is that when I take time to consider it, I'm filled with wonder and awe and worship and gratitude.

Slow Down Jesse!

2011-10-04T09:32:00.005-05:00

Never had I seen a more perfect example of poor leadership. This past weekend a ministry group in our church comprised of 30 teenagers was gathered at our weekly meeting, and between extended periods of sitting, I thought it might be a good idea to burn off some pent-up energy and I enthusiastically organized a round of Extreme Follow The Leader. I chose Jesse as the leader (whose name has not been changed, since he's not innocent....) because I knew he'd have the proper vim and vinegar to be at the front.

When I sent these 30 young people out into the wild blue that surrounds our church, I quickly realized my mistake, and instantly learned a handful of valuable lessons about leadership.

Jesse hit the gravel running. He's a 15 year old boy - what else would he do? Despite my pleas for him to slow down for the sake of the rest of the group, he was off at warp speed. What I imagined would be 30 teens enjoying a fun five minutes of jumping, climbing and animated silliness, turned into about six boys racing around the parking lot and the surrounding fields while everyone gave up the pursuit.

Hm. OK, we were just playing a game and it was really all kind of funny how it went down, but there were some obvious conclusions to be drawn:

Lesson #1. Leadership should not be entrusted to those who do not comprehend the purpose of the mission.

Lesson #2. Leaders should not lead as if those following them are exactly like themselves.

Lesson #3. Leaders should look back once in a while to see if anyone is still following.

Lesson #4: Leaders are allowed to make course changes, but not until everybody is up to speed.

That's not a comprehensive list by any means and there's plenty of room for changes due to special circumstances, but I think these basic rules have a wide application. Next week, we'll parse out the particular lessons to be learned from "Duck, Duck, Goose!" (Just kidding...)

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

All Of Your Promises Tell Me It's True

2011-10-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

Just enough time today to share a sweet song that deftly describes one of God's sweetest promises. Scott and Christine Dente put out a handful of albums in the 90s that were full of fresh and creative music and super solid, intelligent lyrics. To me, their music still sounds brand new. Scott's guitar playing is fantastic and Christine's voice is ... NICE.

"Nothing's Gonna Keep Me From You" is an encouraging song about God's faithfulness and the assurance believers have in His secure hold on us. (Think John 10, Romans 8, et al.)

Nothing's Gonna Keep Me From You

Sometimes life makes me crazy
Can't make sense of what my eyes see
All that I can hold on to
Is Your hold on me

And the only hope I know
Is the love that won't let go

Nothing's gonna keep me from You
All of Your promises tell me it's true
Nothing's gonna keep me from You
No matter what I'm going through
I won't be afraid
I know I'm on my way

Some things are worth waiting for
Many times I have heard it said
All the trials of a lifetime
Can't compare to what lies ahead

And the only hope I know
Is the love that won't let go

Nothing's gonna keep me from You
All of Your promises tell me it's true
Nothing's gonna keep me from You
No matter what I'm going through
I won't be afraid
I know I'm on my way

Accessibility Accentuates Everything

2011-09-29T12:21:00.000-05:00

Who remembers libraries? How about phonebooks? Yeah me neither.

Actually, that's not true. In spite of the powerful technology I carry around in my back pocket, I still utilize these quaint resources from time to time to look something up. Which kind of brings me to the intended topic: the effects of accessibility.

There's no need to do a lot of explaining. If you're reading this blog post you most likely own a smart phone or have a blog of your own or have a very active Facebook account - or all three. You're fairly savvy, cyber-speaking, and you are more than well aware of what it now means to have the world at your fingertips. You're probably also aware of how this accessibility to EVERYTHING seems to only accentuate the influence of everything. It's culture gone hyperbolic.

Take your pick: politics, pornography, shopping, music, social interaction, preaching, teaching, complaining & gaming. All of these and millions more topics, broad-spectrum to niche-like, are brought front and center with a simple search.

It's old news, but nevertheless, my point is this: If you're blogging or posting or Facebooking or tweeting or Skyping or publishing, or whatever you're doing online, be a force for good and for God (Hmmm...sounds familiar). Never before has influence this extraordinary been handed to so many ordinary people. It's a big world, made small by technology, so get out there and start influencing.

A Voice With A Love For Words

2011-09-27T09:40:00.004-05:00

Preacher, teacher, Bible study leader - when you read aloud from God's Word, don't read it as if it were a newspaper or a set of assembly instructions. Break free from the constraints of margins and hard returns and the fear of hearing your own voice! Scripture is living and active - please, try to sound as if you yourself are living and active when you read aloud!

This summer a friend of mine gave me the book "Cry, The Beloved Country". It really is a beautiful book. The story is set in mid-20th century South Africa and hovers in general around the social struggles in that part of the world as apartheid was beginning to emerge, but specifically around the conflict of a devout man as he seeks to be reconciled to his lost son in Johannesburg.

Sitting in a church service, the main character Kumalo listens as his new-found friend and fellow priest Msimangu begins to deliver his message:

"Misimangu opened the book, and read to them first from the book. And Kumalo had not known that his friend had such a voice. For the voice was of gold, and the voice had love for the words it was reading. The voice shook and beat and trembled, not as the voice of an old man shakes and beats and trembles, nor as a leaf shakes and beats and trembles, but as deep bell when it is struck. For it was not only a voice of gold, but it was the voice of a man whose heart was golden, reading from a book of golden words. And the people were silent, and Kumalo was silent, for when are three such things found in one place together?

'I the Lord have called thee in righteousness
and will hold thine hand and will keep thee
and give thee for a covenant of the people
for a light of the Gentiles
To open the blind eyes
to bring out the prisoners from the prison
And them that sit in darkness
out of the prison house.'" (Isaiah 42:6-7)

Have we not all heard before, at least once, someone reading the Holy Scriptures with such love and passion? Was it not something that stirred us up as the inspired Word was honored and elevated in such a way? When you have the opportunity to address others and read from the Bible, love the words you're reading.

Imitation, Flattery, and All That

2011-09-22T10:38:00.002-05:00

If imitation is flattery, these pieces are some pretty superlative compliments (and hasn't God inspired some amazing music???):

Earth Beneath Your Shoe

2011-09-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

Phil Keaggy sings, "There's a road I like to walk, when the morning is brand new, and the only sound you hear is the earth beneath your shoe..."

There actually is a place I like perambulate of a morning. It happens to be an old abandoned highway that used to lead down into a river valley and run through a little town named after a Delaware Indian chief. In 1966 the river was dammed, the valley flooded, and a lake created. (The town was relocated before this, of course.) That town is the place where I now live, and the old highway leading to its ghost is still there, but now it's shrouded in trees and overgrown with brush and it trails off into the lake in lumps of broken asphalt.

As I walk along that road, I often try to imagine it when it was still being used (I see my dad driving his old Chevy down that road). In places you can still discern the yellow lines down the center. I'm sure the folks that used that road never imagined it would one day lay among the trees, hidden and deteriorating like a lost bit of rope.

And that's just the thing with us humans, isn't it? We tend to imagine that the way things are is the way they'll always be. Our highways, our homes, even our nations. But a quick look around should tell us plainly that this is just not so. Every grey, aging and abandoned home I see sitting in the middle of a Kansas field used to be a place where people lived, loved, ate and slept. It was their reality. And I'll bet they thought it would last forever.

Someday my own home will be in ruins, my address forgotten, my existence a faintly whispered memory. But, thank God, the changes I and every believer look forward to have a far better prospect than that!

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." ~ 1 John 3:1-3

A Wise German Preacher

2011-09-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

Of late my schedule has been erratic, my life hectic and my writing sporadic. Ergo, this repost from one year ago today.

So you preach a sermon or teach a lesson and nobody blinks. It's a weird feeling - of amazement, astonishment, disappointment and frustration. Delivering a timely, Biblical, powerful message and having little or no response from the hearers is sort of like standing near the check out lines at Wal Mart with a sack full of 20 dollar bills, offering them to anyone who wanted one (or five, or six), and having people ignore you. It doesn't make sense, and it can really mess with the mind of the preacher!

Well, having experienced this phenomenon several times through the years, I've come to realize that as one fulfilling the teacher/preacher role, response isn't up to me, although it would be easier if that were my only responsibility. I mean, I could preach pure fluffy nonsense and then whip people into an emotional frenzy and feel like they responded to the message. Speakers - even preachers - do that all the time.

As it turns out, I have an even tougher job: to rightly divide the Word of truth, and to proclaim it as if I were speaking the very oracles of God. Oh, and don't forget that little word of encouragement from James 3:1.

All of this is a bit reminiscent of John MacArthur's Theology of Sleep. It's really a great piece of wisdom to grasp. While reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer lately, it seems he had learned it early on as a pastor and preacher:

"He took the idea of preaching the Word of God extremely seriously and wouldn't have dared to speak his mere opinions from the pulpit. He also knew that a word might be delivered that had come straight from heaven and be rejected, just as the messages of the Old Testament prophets had been rejected and just as Jesus had been rejected. The prophet's role was simply and obediently to speak what God wished to say. Whether or not the message was received was between God and His people. And yet to preach such a burning message, and to know that it was God's Word for the faithful, who rejected it, was painful. But this was the pain of the prophetic office, and to be chosen by God as his prophet always meant, in part, that the prophet would share in God's sufferings."

He Shatters And Cuts

2011-09-05T13:32:00.003-05:00

What heavy thoughts have you had lately?

"My child is wayward; what did I do wrong?"

"My bills are mounting, my income is decreasing."

"I've prayed for them so long, my passion has drained away."

"My marriage is unexpectedly difficult."

"My health issues are an affliction, they destroy my joy."

"I'm struggling so much with my sin, will it ever end?"

Today I am thankful that my God, my Redeemer, shatters doors of bronze as if they were kindling and cuts iron bars as if they were match sticks. The impossible, suffocating situation you may find yourself in today cannot defeat the saving purpose of the Almighty.

"For He shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron...Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD." Psalm 107:16, 43

Severely Merciful

2011-09-01T14:50:00.003-05:00

Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. Isaiah 30:26

It is a fact that our heavenly Father disciplines us when we sinfully stray. At times I've been aware that it was happening in my life, but I'm sure there have been other instances in my life when His blows have gone unnoticed, either because I've been to dull or He was working mysteriously, behind the scenes, to bring me back around.

The great thing is that the blows He deals out are the wounds He binds up. See, this is like the loving and attentive earthly father who chastises the disobedient child, yet faithfully tucks him safely into bed the same night. Sometimes the earthly father withdraws his affections for a time so that the child knows for sure his displeasure. But withdrawal is not equal to abandonment.

Yes, sometimes God is distant, but He is distant in order to ignite our hearts to passion once again. He has yet to throw up his hands in disgust to say, "What am I going to do with this kid?" He continues steadily, faithfully forming us.

I think if preachers (including me) would preach these lessons on the folly of sin and the faithful wounds of the Father more often, we might spark an earnest love for and willing obedience to Jesus. It's humbling, and even a little bit frightening, to ponder such things: that our Father is strong and stern and zealous regarding what is right. But He is equally earnest about raising up His dearly loved children in the likeness of Christ.

God Speaks French....et al...

2011-08-30T10:45:00.006-05:00

It is good for us to be reminded that God's native language is not English. I'm convinced that there are actually people here in the U.S. who think that God celebrates the 4th of July, when the only country God really favors is Israel. And graciously, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is open to people of every nation, tribe and tongue! I don't know what language we'll use in the new heavens and new earth, but I'm pretty sure a lot of us will be in for a refreshing dose of diversity on that day!

And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth."
Revelation 5:9,10

Restless Evil

2011-08-26T12:57:00.004-05:00

"No human can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." James 3:8

It's the spillway through which the heart overflows, like a dammed up lake at flood stage, and there's a crazy man with an itchy trigger finger in charge of the "on" switch! Think of the potential damage millions of cubic feet of water could do if turned loose. But if that water is contained, it destroys nothing. Think of how much more damaging our thoughts become when they are transformed into words that flow off of our tongues.

But why is it so easy to sin with our words? I think it's because we justify ourselves so readily and we refuse to believe that what we have to say would be unacceptable. I've justified reckless words before with that kind of thinking, and then regretted it. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is teaching me to be slower to speak and quicker to listen and then to say "...only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

Shelter Me

2011-08-25T13:45:00.004-05:00

I just have to share this song. You'll recognize it if you watch "Sons of Guns" on Discovery Channel, but you really need to hear the whole thing. Composed by Buddy and Julie Miller and performed here by Tab Benoit, "Shelter Me" drips with Scripture and oozes Bayou Blues out of every measure.

I just love the grittiness of the way Tab plays it, especially that nasty Tele guitar solo, and by nasty I mean sick, and by sick I mean awesome. Be sure to have a close look at that lovely Telecaster when you watch the video, and let me know what you think of the song.

That's Not An Excuse

2011-08-23T10:51:00.008-05:00

Today I want to make an ancillary point from Scripture about something near and dear to my heart. Actually it's good for my heart: exercise.

I've heard people dismiss exercise while citing 1 Timothy 4:8 "...for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

That's not a directive to ignore your health, it's an encouragement to NOT ignore your spiritual health. So, no doctrinal point is made about physical exercise, but this passage should certainly not be used to dismiss a daily jog.

Like I said, this is no doctrinal directive, but the passage does say that bodily training (exercise) is of some value. Regular physical activity helps control body weight, improves mood, combats and helps prevents all sorts of physical ailments, boosts energy levels, promotes better sleep and can actually be fun! Besides, you can't serve God if you're dead or laid up in bed.

This isn't a hill to die on (although one could possibly die on their way up a hill if they are not in good shape), but I believe that some form of regular exercise is a fantastic addition to this earthly life. Unlike godliness, which has value for both this life AND the next, physical exercise will only benefit you here, but it WILL benefit you.

You may already have a solid regimen like I have, and you know firsthand the benefits it brings to your body and mind. If, however, you are predominantly sedentary, please consider going for a walk this evening after dinner. Use the time to pray or listen to music or a sermon or just to soak up some quiet. You don't need a gym membership (unless that works for you), just get out and shoot hoop for a while or do those situps and pushups before bed or jump on a trampoline or pick up those dumbbells or ride bikes with your kids or borrow your neighbor's P90 DVDs or hoe the garden or hike the Grand Canyon in bare feet - whatever it is, get your heart pumping and your lungs huffing as often as possible. Oh, and please start eating better.....

Keeping An Edge, or, Help I'm Too Insulated!

2011-08-19T15:12:00.004-05:00

I told myself I'd always remember. I prayed that the Lord would keep the burden heavy in my heart. However, here I am nearly a month past my experience in Haiti and I'm a bit disgusted with myself that my heart doesn't ache and break the way it did while I was there. Things are wayyyyy too comfy here in my hometown. I have clean water, air-conditioning and the rare mosquito I encounter doesn't carry any deadly disease. I want to keep that keen edge of compassion, even while I'm so safely insulated here in North America.

However (again), my heart is still more broken than it was and my conscience more tender. I took my three steps forward and the one back, but I'm still ahead of where I was and I guess that's the thing that is important. By the grace of God Haiti and her people will remain in my prayers, and I will remain a supporter of Mission of Hope.

Meanwhile, when I need a reminder, I'll just have a look at these eyes.

Taking A Large Enough Margin

2011-08-16T15:45:00.007-05:00

I have a friend who recently underwent cancer surgery that required the removal of 3/4 of his esophagus and 1/3 of his stomach. It was critical that the surgeons removed enough of a margin in the tissue to ensure that no cancer was left behind. IOW, if the bad stuff is 2 inches long, remove 3 inches, just to be sure. This sort of practice doesn't work if you're building a house, but when you're dealing with something dangerous, such precautions are a necessity.

It reminds me of the Hebrew laws prescribed in Leviticus 13 and 14 pertaining to cleansing from spreading molds. No chances were taken in those cases. If the mold was in a piece of fabric or the wall of a house, a very meticulous process was started by the priest which included examination, isolation, cleansing and removal. Further examination and isolation were then performed to make sure the mold didn't return. If it did, more drastic measures were taken.

I think the implications are clear for believers in dealing with indwelling sin. When it's discovered, it should be confessed and not hidden. The matter should be taken to our High Priest and through careful examination, isolation and cleansing, the sin can be removed - not just forgiven, but removed. Catch my meaning? The goal is eradication. If, at a later time, the sin should reappear, a larger margin must be taken and more drastic measures introduced in order to mortify sin's presence in our lives. A larger margin might need to be taken; if there are parts of our lives that tend to lead us closer to sin, that aren't necessarily sinful in and of themselves, they might need to go as well.

The Eyes Of Haiti

2011-08-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a visual for you...

The Difference Between Knowledge And Experience

2011-08-12T19:00:00.004-05:00

Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon? Let me put that another way: have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?

Last weekend I visited the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona for the first time. I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of fantastic sights, but never have I laid eyes on anything as incomprehensible as the Grand Canyon. Seriously. It was impossible to even begin to take it in.

Before my visit, I could tell you how long and wide the Grand Canyon is. I could tell you about the Colorado River at the bottom and how John Wesley Powell explored it. I could tell you about all the amazing photographs I've seen of the Canyon.

But it wasn't until I looked over the Canyon rim and even hiked below the rim and into the Canyon that I realized the full grandeur, danger, scope, ferocity, beauty and reality of this geographical marvel. Everything I thought I "understood" about the canyon before just sort of shriveled up and was replaced with the real thing. Besides being confronted with the immensity of the Grand Canyon, I was also delighted with detail: every color, the flora, the shapes, the shadows, the thousands upon thousands of awe-inspiring sights.

In just the same way, there are untold numbers of people who know much about God. They've heard stories about Him while growing up, they've read about Him in books (even in His own book), they've formed opinions about Him and many can talk for hours about Him. But all of that is rubbish until they experience God personally. Up until that point, the human heart misjudges God. Man believes that God is smaller than He is, and that He is able to be contained within books of religion and philosophy. Natural man doesn't understand what the fear of the Lord really means, and misses completely the wonder of the multiplied mysteries of His ways. However, when a human soul finally sets foot on the canyon rim of God's reality, their life is forever changed.

Score!

2011-08-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

Today is my and my wife's 20th anniversary. Below you'll find a song that speaks more truthfully of marriage than any I've heard thus far. Watch it full screen. Watch it more than once. Listen carefully. :)

Rain In Haiti

2011-08-09T16:13:00.003-05:00

"He sends rain on the just and the unjust." Matthew 5:45

God's "common" grace is experienced by all who live. The love of God is seen in every place where people inhabit this planet, even in something as simple as the rain He sovereignly directs through weather patterns to fall and water crops and refresh spirits.

While in Haiti last month I saw much of God's common grace in the form of a truly beautiful country where you can view rugged mountains to your left and the green-blue sea to your right, as well as in the fertile soil and frequent rains that fall on the land. I also witnessed the saving grace of God in a community of thriving believers in whose hearts the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ had dawned.

The man who pastors the church on the property of Mission of Hope has already prayed with NINE (now former) voodoo priests and had bonfires to burn all of their paraphernalia. These men now understand the saving grace of God and His ability to dispel darkness, as well as His ultimate sovereign power.

My prayer for Haiti is that the common graces of God will be acknowledged as coming from Him and that there would also be among the populace a turning, a repentance, and an experience with the saving grace of God.

In The Meantime....

2011-08-01T10:17:00.002-05:00

Busy, busy....first Haiti, then Phoenix. I won't be posting anything (probably) for the next 7 or 8 days, but in the meantime, you could check out my photo blog over at HISWHISPERS. If a picture is worth a thousand words, mine are probably coming in at about 37 words, but you still might wanna browse around a bit. :) Once I'm back in the normal swing of things, I'll be posting some awesome stuff about Haiti...

In His Grip,
Blainemonster

Shaming The Strong

2011-07-29T16:09:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite memories of our week in Haiti was hearing the children from the Mission of Hope orphanage singing in the morning before breakfast. I never actually saw them, but we could hear them from where we had gathered to eat. Each morning, dozens of children would gather together before they had breakfast and sing one or two songs of worship. One morning I heard "Agnus Dei" rising gently and beautifully into the morning sky. Downtrodden, fatherless, feeble little ones lifting up the Almighty, Everlasting Father. In those moments, 60 small children were more spiritually powerful than all the voodoo priests in Haiti, piercing the darkness with their sincere praise.

Kicking It In Haiti

2011-07-27T15:36:00.004-05:00

I just returned recently from seven days at Mission of Hope in Haiti. Unsure of where to begin relating these experiences, I'm starting with the easiest: kids playing soccer. Of all the places I've been, I've never seen downtrodden poverty like I did in Haiti. You can see it even in the eyes of many of the children. However, get those same kids to kicking a ball up and down a playing field, and joy creeps into their faces. I've posted a series of photos at my other blog that displays some serious futbol action. Also, if you want to bring joy to needy children in a very cool way, CHECK THIS OUT.

For The Birds (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

2011-07-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm almost finished reading Reclaiming Science From Darwinism by Kenneth Poppe.

Below is a paragraph with which he finishes off a chapter that discusses how Darwinian evolution is supposed to produce only beneficial traits:

"Watch one singing bird for a few minutes with solitary attention, and then try again to explain how such a 'ridiculous' activity became highlighted in the gene pool instead of leading to the extinction of that songbird's species. Since there is no scientific reason for birds to randomly sing, and every reason for them not to, I will give credit for beautiful birdsongs, as well as my capacity to enjoy them, to their Designer."

Of course, this isn't the strongest argument against evolutionary theory, but it's a pretty simple and elegant one. I think beauty itself (its existence and appreciation) is huge evidence that nothing about this universe is a product of random processes and chance.

The amount of scientific evidence that causes evolutionary theory to crumble is actually quite large. Unfortunately, it's just not cool (politically proper) to let that (cleverly designed and created) cat out of the bag. Evolution doesn't make sense and men and women from every scientific discipline agree on that fact.

Are there changes within species? You betcha. There are plenty of small changes and adaptations going on all the time. Natural selection is at work. But natural selection only favors traits that already exist and natural selection has never made a man from an amoeba, a bird from a dinosaur or a whale from a cow. It's not just improbable, it's impossible. How do I know this? A little bird told me.

Tough (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

2011-07-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

About ninety years ago this little fella was enjoying a fine summer day playing Indians. No doubt he imagined himself a heroic young brave. This little "Indian" grew up to become my grandfather. Today, July 22nd, was his birthday.

My maternal grandfather George Becker Hesse was a tough guy. Not a bar-room brawling kind of tough guy, but a sun-ripened, wind-weathered, hard-working, farming-life kind of tough guy.

One of my favorite memories of him involves a fishing trip to a local farm pond. Grandpa had just caught a largemouth bass and was removing the red and white Midge Oreno plug from its mouth when the fish did some gymnastics and drove the point of one of the treble hooks straight down into the meat of one of grandpa's fingers. I wasn't too far away, and grandpa calmly asked me to come over and help him out. He held the still hooked fish with his unhooked hand, and asked me to pull the deeply inserted hook out of his finger. "Just pull it out," he said.

Easier said than done. I grabbed the treble hook, which was buried well past the barb, and began to wriggle and twist and yank until the thing came out. Not a peep out of grandpa. As a young boy, I was amazed. Grandpa's hero status definitely went up another couple notches that day.

It's easy to remember grandpa running a tractor or spading up a manure pile to find grubs for fishing. I recall his dark farmer's tan on his strong, sinewy arms and his huge appetite. He was generally fairly quiet, but he loved to laugh.

As grandpa's years drew to a close and Parkinson's disease gradually tightened its grip on him, he never once complained, nor was there any hint of him feeling sorry for himself. He passed peacefully in his sleep one January night.

I hope I can learn to face life the way grandpa did: with strength and resolution and peace. I hope I can learn to practice the patient endurance that God grants those who trust in Him. There's something heroic about calmly accepting what life brings and dealing with circumstances not as if they are threatening storm clouds overhead, but as water passing under the bridge.

Love That Will Not Let Me Go (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

2011-07-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

To think of God's faithfulness through all my years is overwhelming. The number of dark and lonely roads I've chosen to travel is astonishing, yet He has always been there at the end to set me aright once again. Then, to realize that His faithfulness toward me began not at my birth, but at the creation of the world, is beyond comprehension. Yet that is the very thing that Scripture teaches.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will..." Ephesians 1:3-5

"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139

Is this the kind of love that will ever let me go? This a relentless love, of which only the smallest part can be understood by men! This is the great love of immeasureable height, depth, width and length that surpasses knowledge!

The bottom line is that if He had not pursued me, I would never have known His salvation, and without Him upholding me, I will never endure to the end.

Take a few minutes and listen to "Love That Will Not Let Me Go" by Steve Camp:

T.S. Eliot and Self-Importance (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

2011-07-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

"Half the harm done in this world is due to people that want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm -- but the harm does not interest them, or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves." ~from T.S. Eliot's "The Cocktail Party"

I, as well as you, have known many folks who fall into this category. I myself have tiptoed in and out of this territory from time to time. There are, however, those who seem to exist there and it must be a strange place to live. To observe them is somewhat entertaining, certainly puzzling, and to experience them firsthand is often frustrating. They confound, they drain, they mystify. They serve as a warning to the rest of us who sometimes feel the need to toot our own horn, lest we hire a band to follow us around tooting many horns and singing our own praises.

:) I vent, therefore I am.

I am, therefore I pray almost daily that God would keep me from giving in to the monster of pride that still lurks somewhere within.

Rekindle (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

2011-07-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

In these United States, one must be at least 35 years old in order to be eligible to run for President. In ancient Israel, there was no such age restriction on becoming king. So, as history records it, a young man of 25 became king of Judah 2,723 years ago. His name was Hezekiah. In Second Chronicles 29 is the way cool story of how Hezekiah enacted religious reform - no, that word isn't quite right - religious renewal as soon as he took office.

The first thing he did was to open the doors of the temple because, as he said:

"Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil the eyes of the LORD our God and forsook Him. They turned their faces away from the LORD's dwelling place and turned their backs on Him. They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel."

2 Chronicles 29:6-7 (emphasis added)

Reading that description is like going to a funeral. There is a feeling of rude finality in what the people had done in regard to their relationship with God. It's just plain awful. The wonderful counterpoint is provided in verse 3:

"In the first month of the first year of his reign, [Hezekiah] opened the doors of the temple and repaired them."

Now, it gets even better when we apply this story as an illustration of our modern day individual lives. It's a call to personal renewal. Certainly we have all found ourselves at a place where we have let the fires of God and the light of His presence burn low in our souls - even all the way out. We've become sour and choked and closed up. We have ceased at times to burn the fragrant incense of prayer and have failed to surrender ourselves as living sacrifices. We have turned our backs and our hearts have turned to stone.

Mercifully, God is patient and gracious and waits as the father of the prodigal for the rebellious ones to turn around (In fact, His Holy Spirit is an agent in that quickening and preserving - even more amazing grace!). In that moment of repentance, there is relief and rest and refreshing. Reform. How many of us need that today? Open the doors, repair them, and let worship, prayer and surrender begin again!

I'm A Bit Apprehensive

2011-07-12T16:12:00.004-05:00

On Friday, July 15th, I will begin a 9 day trip to Haiti. I and those with me (including my oldest son) will be working at Mission of Hope north of Port-au-Prince, playing a small part in the ministry going on at their orphanage as well as painting brand new homes that the Mission is constructing for displaced Haitians.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with 90% unemployment and 80% of the population living in poverty. There are now 400,000 orphaned children in Haiti and 1 out of 5 children will die before they reach the age of 5. So please, quit crying and moaning about America's health care and our recession. (Ouch! Did I say that out loud?)

I'm apprehensive about this trip. I don't fear for my safety or my health. I'm just a bit antsy about what I will be confronted with in my heart and soul. I really mean that. Like so many, our family has felt the squeeze the past couple of years as consumer prices have jumped up and income (at least in our case) has actually gone backwards. It's been ... interesting. But you know what? I've never once gone to bed hungry. Our cupboards have food in them that's going stale because we don't eat it. All five of my sons eat their fill and then some everyday. I have clothes in my closet I haven't worn in a year because I have so many other clothes. I have four vehicles that run. I have a job. I have air conditioning. I have toothpaste and a soft pillow. I have everything I need and way more.

My heart is going to break in Haiti; that's what I expect. But I know it needs to happen and if it makes me more like Jesus, then bring it on.

Two Funnies About Prayer

2011-07-08T15:32:00.003-05:00

Tim Hawkins is funny with a capital FUN. These two short vids about prayer are funny because they're so true...

The Ed-ed-ed-ed-ed example is fantastic. I do think that sometimes we pray as if God isn't even real.

C.J., Still Humble

2011-07-07T11:55:00.003-05:00

(A good portion of what is written below is copied directly from an email I sent to a friend this morning.)

Humility.

I find this strangely....refreshing and encouraging. C.J.'s humility, even in the face of charges having to do with pride, just floors me. Wow, do we need to see more of God's chosen leaders/shepherds submitting themselves humbly to the scrutiny of other trustworthy men to root out things like pride and arrogance and poor stewardship. I'm tired of hearing about ministers stealing money and cavorting with prostitutes. I don't necessarily rejoice to hear about this news, BUT I think we (the Church) tend to let other missteps slide...and mostly in our own hearts. I have no great love for money, I really don't deal with raging lust. But my heart is insufferably proud, I don't love people, and I'm regularly selfish. Anyway, I guess I'm just humbled, yet again, by C.J.'s example. I'm also impressed with the process I see happening at Sovereign Grace. The seriousness and gravity with which the reports were written gave me the first impression that something horribly grievous had transpired. In effect, I guess it did. Sin happened. And God's people (read: ME) should take that seriously.

I want to be very careful and avoid lifting up a man, but C.J.'s words in his letter, in the midst of this circumstance, have humbled me today.

17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17

The Emotion Chip

2011-07-05T20:47:00.006-05:00

"I believe the emotion chip has overloaded my positronic relay."

So says Commander Data after an emotional apoplectic fit overcomes him in Star Trek Generations.

For just a moment I was reminded of how we as humans can get emotionally out of control in so many situations: ball games, weddings, even in church. And really, those are good places to be emotional, as long as we're not overloading our "positronic relay" - especially in worship settings. Before we know it, we start to mistake emotions for the Spirit. And then we're being led by emotions, aren't we? Our emotions should be a response, not a goal, nor a spiritual indicator.

Play skillfully and shout for joy Psalm 33:3

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music Ps 98:4

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,that God should repay him?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36

Dropping Stones

2011-07-01T11:42:00.003-05:00

"At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first..." John 8:9

I've always been intrigued by this part of the "adulterous woman" story (where was the fella, anyway???) where Jesus' words stop the mob in their tracks and the first ones to leave the scene are the older ones of the bunch. I think the reason they left is simple, and this narrative detail is important. These guys with a few more years of experience under their tunics knew their own hearts better than the younger, more brash, and overconfident men, and the fact that they left first simply demonstrates the wisdom that comes with age.

The Lord saved me when I was a child, and I've walked with him for (I can finally say this!) decades. And I'm more aware of my pitiful propensity to sin than I've ever been. But this isn't such a bad thing. Knowing how corrupt I am as a not-yet-fully-sanctified believer just throws more light on God's wonderful grace. It also gives me perspective in my relationships. When before I might be quick to accuse or sideline someone (like a fellow believer) with my own burning moral indignation, now I take a second or two and realize that, like it or not, we're all pretty broken, which means it's time to let accusations based on arrogance fall to the ground with a thud and walk away, trusting Jesus to take care of the situation.

A Valuable Perspective

2011-06-29T12:19:00.004-05:00

We were both overwhelmed. For a while...

Today I sat down to have a quick bite of lunch with our church's administrative assistant. The two of us were moaning slightly about the 473 things that needed to be tended to by the end of the week: this event, that meeting, this pesky person, that phone call, these problems, those issues.

In the middle of all of this complaining, a young woman who is a member of our congregation came in to pick up some materials for a kindergarten class she will be teaching this summer. She has three beautiful kids of her own - an eight year old, a seven year old, and an infant.

And her husband was killed on the job three months ago.

None of us here sees her without thinking of the crushing pain she has experienced. It's impossible (and appropriately so) to talk to her without sensing how tender she must still be.

The administrative assistant found the materials the young mother needed, then came and sat back down to lunch saying, "Well, things aren't too bad around here I guess, huh?"

Indeed. What an important and centering lesson that was for the two of us. We would all do well, when life piles it on thick, to remember that there is always someone out there who is more in need of a break, more in need of compassion, and more in need of help than us. After all, how can I be of any help to other people when I'm only thinking about myself?

On Being Married To Quarrel More Conveniently

2011-06-28T16:45:00.002-05:00

This post is only good for a knowing smile and affirming nod, provided you are married. I haven't read The Horse And His Boy in years, but I have read it at least five times. The story takes place parenthetically within the better known tale of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. One of my favorite bits is on the second to last page when the story of the hero (Cor) and the heroine (Aravis) is being wrapped up. If you're familiar with the book, you'll recall the situation:

"Aravis also had many quarrels (and, I'm afraid even fights) with Cor, but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up they were so used to quarrelling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently."

One thing that is true about every marriage is the existence of "quarreling." Of course the amount of bickering and disagreement varies widely, but I think strong marriages have a healthy dose of it, and healthy marriages have a strong dose of making up. This little sentence at the end of one of C.S. Lewis' works of fiction reminds me that disagreement in marriage is perfectly natural, and where there is true love, so is making up.

Riding The Waves

2011-06-25T19:48:00.003-05:00

Afflictions are often compared to the waves of a stormy sea, and it is certainly true that the same unease, fear and disorientation brought on by rough waters supply a fitting metaphor for the way life often feels.

Believers are not exempt from dangerous journeys and tempestuous times, but the difference for us is that our Savior is in the boat with us, nonplussed and undisturbed by the storm all around. Although waves toss and threaten and even soak us to the skin with their icy chill, they are in fact lifting us up, and this is the purpose of trials in the life of the Christian.

One more thing to remember about waves is their source. It is none other than the wind. The mighty ocean would be perfectly still if not stirred by the winds above. Believers can know for a fact that any troubled waters that threaten them are at the mercy of the Holy Spirit. He moves upon these waters, and they can never overstep their bounds. All waves that the children of God experience are generated by the sanctifying Spirit for the singular purpose of carrying them safely home.

Emaciated Worship

2011-06-22T14:15:00.002-05:00

"An emaciated Gospel leads to emaciated worship. It lowers our eyes from God to self and cheapens what God has accomplished for us in Christ. The biblical gospel, by contrast, is like fuel in the furnace of worship."

Excerpted from "What Is The Gospel" by Greg Gilbert.

Sovereign Or Not

2011-06-20T13:57:00.004-05:00

Just a quick reminder that Almighty God is sovereign - or He is not. It is a logical impossibility to be in complete control without having control over all things.

God declared to Isaiah: "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:10

As clearly explained in Romans 9, God chose Jacob (and David, and Jeremiah, and Paul, and every believer) before he was born so that His "purpose in election might stand."

Believer, take heart! The God that saved you is sovereign and will remain so. His purpose in saving you will not be thwarted, but will most certainly stand. This is the foundation of our hope and the motivation for our growth in holiness.

"The Quotable Rogue" ~ A Book Review

2011-06-20T11:29:00.003-05:00

If anyone has caused a stir in American politics in the last three years, it's been the Pit Bull from Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin. "The Quotable Rogue - The Ideals of Sarah Palin In Her Own Words" by Matt Lewis is nothing more than a compilation of Sarah's own soundbytes on nearly three dozen different topics ranging from abortion to Barack Obama to gun control to faith to Tina Fey.

Frankly, this is a great way to get to know a person without having to read something that would qualify as a "real book". "The Quotable Rogue" is a 180 page collection of quotations that could easily be read in one or two sittings.

One interesting facet of the book is the final chapter titled "What Others Say About Sarah Palin." This section is filled with both positive and negative opinions from both the right and the left sides of the political spectrum. It makes for a nice, well-rounded overview.

The one quote I'll use from the book is from Sarah's meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres in 2008: "I wanted to meet you for many years. The only flag at my office is an Israeli flag, and I want you to know and I want Israelis to know that I am a friend." The fact that Palin is pro-Israel says plenty to me about the way she views the rest of life.

It's certainly not hard to pin down Sarah Palin on her values; she's quite bold and outspoken, a fact I appreciate. "The Quotable Rogue" distills all of her words down into a brief, yet thorough, presentation of what she really thinks about the world around her.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Don't Get Off On The Jam

2011-06-17T11:31:00.006-05:00

"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy[!]" Psalm 33:3

I was on a roof the other day, tearing off shingles with a friend (it's OK, we were supposed to be tearing them off...). He's a fellow minister and musician (I use that term loosely in reference to myself) and we started talking about music and worship and church. He told me that one of his music ministers used to tell the band: "Don't get off on the jam."

If you play an instrument or sing, or both, you know what it's like when you're in the sweet spot: your playing feels inspired, your voice is strong and, well, awesome. It's a fantastic feeling. But it doesn't mean (in the context of the church) that your musical offering is any more "spiritual" or "Spirit-filled." Goosebumps aren't always an indication of divine inspiration. I get goosebumps when my mom makes her strawberry shortcake. Of course, the argument for divine inspiration could be made on that point, but that would be a digression.

The best times in worship, and the best kind of worship, is when your heart is broken because it's filled to the brim and spilling over with the words of truth being sung about the majesty and works of our awesome God, regardless of your ability to play or sing.

Yes, King David tells us to "play skillfully", and we should. At least, we should play as skillfully as we can. It doesn't mean I'll play like Phil Keaggy or sing in the rafters like Phil Wickham. Play skillfully. You're not going to play as good as the best, but you should play YOUR best, whatever that is, and when it's really good, enjoy it, but worship God, not the goosebumps.

My compliments to the Sacred Sandwich for the cartoon...

Marvel At This!

2011-06-15T09:54:00.006-05:00

With the spate of superhero movies coming at us like a speeding bullet these days, I thought these words from Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, June 11) were especially...cool.

"Behold the hero of Golgotha using His cross as an anvil, and His woes as a hammer, dashing to shivers bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned "arrows of the bow"; trampling on every indictment, and destroying every accusation. What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more ponderous than the fabled weapon of Thor! ... Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety."

Of course Spurgeon was just a man, chosen and redeemed by God and worthy of no hoity-toity homage, but he was a hero for the Truth. If he showed up on my Wii, he might look like this:

(The following cartoon has been stolen from Eddie Eddings! Click the image to visit Eddie's site, though it may take a while to load since he lives in Kuwait. Eddie is locked and loaded with humor and is a gun barrel full of laughs!)

The One State Solution!

2011-06-13T16:56:00.003-05:00

I've been high in the mountains (not to be confused with being "high" in the mountains...) the last few days and I've got tons of ideas for posts, but, alas, a paucity of available time in which to create them. In the meantime, you might enjoy this (thanks Kevin!):

Fantastic Download Deal for "What Is The Gospel"

2011-06-07T13:47:00.004-05:00

I'm reading this right now, I highly recommend it, and I just discovered it's less than a buck for your Kindle!

Oh Really?

2011-06-06T15:43:00.001-05:00

It wasn't my fault. It was on right after America's Funniest Videos the other night. It came on my TV screen and I didn't turn it off immediately like I should have. I was embarrassed but at least no one else was around. This is what I saw:

It was like I wanted to change the channel, but couldn't. It was mesmerizing. That is, until I realized I wasn't observing a church service. This was a positive attitude seminar with a motivational speaker.

Let's briefly examine the statements Mr. Osteen and his audience recite at the beginning of their meetings. I won't bother writing them; listen to it again if you can stand it. I will merely point out that each of the statements is absolutely true, except for one. Can you spot the impostor? It's sentence #5: "Today I will be taught the Word of God." I have actually listened to Mr. Osteen preach(?) and have heard nothing more than platitudes and sugar frosted feel good-isms. The fact that this fifth sentence is false makes it so that all the other ones are misleading and even dangerous. Does the audience know what the Bible says about them, whether saved or unsaved? Do they know exactly what the Bible says they have? Do they know for sure what the Bible says they can do? Not unless they're studying the Scriptures intently for themselves...and if they are, why do they go to "church" at Lakewood?

I'm certain I'm painting Joel's audience with a broad brush, but when I see those thousands of folks grinning and saying that they are "what the Bible says" they are and that they "can do" what the Bible says they can do, I don't think they're contemplating their depravity and utter helplessness apart from Christ. This little credo has man at the center, not the Savior.

How To Harm The Church

2011-06-02T13:26:00.001-05:00

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

What better way to harm the Church than to surreptitiously infiltrate. It should be understood that the enemy in disguise is more of a threat than the one that is plainly seen. What often happens is that camouflaged enemies of the Church are allowed in (either on two legs or the winds of false teaching) to consort and converse, to smile and to laugh....and to kill. Whether it's a mortal foe or false creed, we need to be on guard against the small poison of error more than the things that are blatantly profane, for these we are not prone to befriend.

Going To The Concert Is Not The Same As Being In The Band

2011-05-31T10:58:00.003-05:00

"We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets[!]" Luke 13:26

I admit it. At every concert I've ever been to, from Skillet to Phil Keaggy to Pillar to Brooke Fraser (just recently! photos forthcoming!), I've always imagined myself playing in the band. I mean, doesn't everybody do that? Don't get me wrong. I have as much or more fun at concerts as anyone - jumping around, dancing (or whatever it is that I do) and singing. I mean, one of my most satisfying neckaches ever came from headbanging at a Skillet concert. But...to play in the band...that would be AWESOME! That would just be so different, and it's nothing like merely being one of the crowd.

On a very small scale, I know this to be true. Twice a week I experience the profound blessing of playing and singing with our church band. The privilege of actually playing the music, singing my guts out to God and hearing His people lift their voices in praise...that's a whole 'nother level of experience.

And so I come to my point.

Like the folks in Luke 13 that Jesus is describing, there will be many (ARE many) who believe that because they are fans of Jesus, it also means that they are followers. People spend time in God's presence, listen to good preaching, give in the offering and get up early for Easter sunrise service and think that's enough, that is, that all of that is somehow salvific. And it's just not so. Salvation is found in repentance - in faith alone, in Christ alone. All else is secondary.

I can air guitar and jump around in the crowd and sing every lyric, but that doesn't mean the lead singer will recognize me after the concert.
This is one reason why preaching should be clear, why preaching should faithfully and accurately communicate the Gospel in its entirety. If anyone misunderstands the difference between "fan" and true "follower", I don't want it to be because my preaching was less than the full Gospel.

Mission of Hope to Haiti

2011-05-26T11:54:00.002-05:00

Just a brief redirection, if you please...(Backstory: A couple weeks ago I created a site describing this upcoming event, and then Blogger had its meltdown and my new site went down the drain with thousands of others. Like the six-million dollar man, I have rebuilt it!)

My oldest son and I are headed to Haiti in July, click the link and read all about it!

MISSION OF HOPE TO HAITI

Outclassed

2011-05-23T13:06:00.005-05:00

I'm never really political from my soapbox, but:

I'm not sure I can come up with a more comically juxtaposed pair of people at the moment. Obama should have to buy tickets to meet Benjamin Netanyahu.

On a somewhat related matter, here is a book about Mr. Netanyahu's brother Jonathan who led the IDF raid on the Entebbe, Uganda airport to rescue hostages in 1976. I recommend it.

Preaching Hopelessness

2011-05-23T10:30:00.004-05:00

You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ Isaiah 57:10

If you read Isaiah 57 in its entirety, you'll find that it is an accusation against those involved in spiritual adultery who shamelessly gives themselves over to false gods and prostitute their lives with idols. The language is graphic and the situation is seedy, shameful and sad. It speaks primarily to the people of Israel in the time of Isaiah, and secondarily but no less importantly to people of any age who wear themselves out running after anything OTHER than the one true Lover, yet never acknowledging the hopelessness of the pursuit.

One goal of Biblical preaching should be to demonstrate to people their hopeless case apart from the grace of Christ. Haven't all of us who believe been at that point? Haven't we each come to the place where we've said, "It's hopeless" and we've realized, while we're panting for breath, the absurdity of our running after "other gods" in order to avoid running to the One True God?

If we preach, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to convict while we plead the case: It's hopeless apart from Christ! Stop striving! The promise is that "whoever takes refuge in [God] will inherit the land and possess [His] holy mountain."

If people don't or won't realize they are hopeless, they will have no awareness of their need for hope.

What David Prayed

2011-05-20T10:50:00.004-05:00

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, 'Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?'" 1 Chronicles 17:16

OK, now go back and read that again...only this time use your imagination.

David has just left a profound meeting with Nathan the prophet. Nathan announced the staggering news of God's sovereign choice to establish David and his kingdom. David is floored by the pronouncement. He walks in a humbled haze down the palace hall to a room where he can be alone. He flops down in a chair carved of aromatic cedar and puts his head in his hands as the news sinks in. He can only think of how ill-equipped he is to lead and how well he understands his own weaknesses and shortcomings, and yet, somehow, God in His infinite wisdom and sovereign grace has chosen . . . him.

Ever felt like that?

Who am I, that the baby diagnosed in utero with ARPKD almost eight years ago is happy, healthy and thriving in my home today?

Who am I, that the Lord has me in a regular preaching ministry in spite of my laziness and formerly debilitating fear of public speaking?

Who am I, that the Lord continues His grace and keeps me even though my heart is prone to wander?

Who am I, that I have such a gracious, patient and compatible wife even though I'm so hard to be married to?

Who am I, that my five sons honor and love me even though I know I am not worthy of love and honor? And who am I that I should be blessed to have them in my life?

Who am I? Who are you?

"To the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves!" Ephesians 1:6

Unsinkable - A Review

2011-05-18T13:03:00.003-05:00

Autobiographical adventures are a favorite of mine; there are many that reside on my bookshelf at home. Unsinkable is the (mostly) autobiographical account of 16 year old Abby Sunderland's attempt to sail around the world solo and unassisted. Her story made headlines in 2010 when many people criticized her parents for allowing her to make the attempt. They were accused of gunning for a lucrative reality show contract and putting their daughter in grave danger.

However, the truth of the matter was, as the book describes, that this exceptional family was more than well prepared and trained for such a trip as Abbey had been sailing since she was a very young girl. The Sunderlands have seven children and have always lived on or near the water. In fact, Abby's brother Zac completed his own solo-round the year before in 2009, so this was no whimsical decision on Abby's part. She had the full support of her parents and years of sailing knowledge behind her.

When you boil it all down, even though the setting is the high seas, Unsinkable is more about a loving, courageous family than it is about sailing, though I know a whole lot more about the sea than I did 199 pages ago. Definitely a good pick for anyone from their early teen years on up. Abby's daring spirit, her resolve in the face of danger and her faith in God are definitely stirring.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Dynamic Duos

2011-05-16T11:57:00.005-05:00

Music is such an amazing gift from God - it is audible emotion, it is an invisible force that moves the heart and mind, it is color that your eyes can't see but your heart can discern.

So, on this Monday after a tiring weekend and the frustration of having Blogger "lose" one of my blogs, I'm offering music to entertain and inspire.

This first piece is one I've listened many times since I was teen. It's Vivaldi's iconic "Summer" movement from the Four Seasons, with an electric guitar twist. Very nice.

The second is the F Major Invention from Bach, played on mandolins by Rich Mullins and Mitch McVicker.

Haiti Still In Need

2011-05-12T10:11:00.002-05:00

(PLEASE NOTE: The blog I created and linked to below has been lost by Blogger! I am attempting to find it, and if that is to no avail, I will be recreating the blog...)

If you wouldn't mind, head on over to the page linked below. My oldest son and I will be involved in a pretty cool opportunity this summer, and a few friends of mine have already opened their hearts to help us out.

HAITI MISSION OF HOPE

Stolen From Another Blog - Parenting 001

2011-05-11T09:38:00.002-05:00

This post on parenting from Kevin DeYoung is brilliant, humble and realistic. If you have kids, take it to heart...

Parenting 001 by Kevin DeYoung

Dead Egyptians

2011-05-09T12:26:00.003-05:00

"For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again." Exodus 14:13

Captors, pursuers, enslavers, dead. And not just dead - gone. Every time I read this passage about Israel's exodus I get really excited. It reminds me of my separation from sin through the blood of the Savior and that I am dead to sin. It also gives me hope. Although I still live in corrupt flesh and I'm often disturbed and downtrodden because of the sin that still lives in me, there will be a day when those Egyptians will be dead, too, and I'll never see them again.

Daylight

2011-05-06T12:40:00.012-05:00

Here's a song to enjoy (if it's your style) as you head into the weekend. The band is Remedy Drive, and I like their sound. Lyrics from their other songs are also solid, and I appreciate that. Plus the fact that these fellas aren't from Seattle or the West Coast or Miami...they hail from just up the road from me in Lincoln, Nebraska. Good ol' midwestern boys like my man Rich Mullins! Oh, and does anybody think the lead singer resembles a cross between Steven Tyler and Jim Morrison???

Hover here: ROMANS 13:12

Fig Leaves of Morality

2011-05-04T14:11:00.003-05:00

Are you trying to get on God's good side with good deeds? Are you banking on your morality securing you a spot in heaven? I'm sorry. It doesn't work that way.

The Lord in his mercy will bruise us will whatever afflictions are necessary until we see our only hope is in Christ.

Quoting Richard Sibbes:

"This bruising is required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what indeed we are by nature. We love to wander from ourselves and to be strangers at home, till God bruises us by one cross or other, and then we 'begin to think', and come home to ourselves with the prodigal...this bruising makes us set a high price upon Christ. Then the gospel becomes the gospel indeed; then the fig-leaves of morality will do us no good."

Where is your confidence for the covering of your soul? Just fig leaves...or just Jesus?

A Symbolic Death

2011-05-02T11:59:00.007-05:00

Proverbs 11:10 (Hover your mouse over that for a second...)

My Facebook news feed was buzzing about Osama last night. Nearly every status update had something to do with bin Laden's death. Sprinkled in amongst all the celebratory comments were occasional posts that basically urged people to not be so happy about it, since God takes no pleasure in the death of his enemies (Ezekiel 18:32) and we should be saddened that Osama was no believer.

I agree with that sentiment, but I'm not going to fault people for rejoicing in his death. His death means much, much more than "Hey, we finally got that sucker." His death is symbolic; it carries with it the weight of the 3000 souls lost on 9/11. The death of this one man is a whole lot bigger than he was. His death was personal to multiplied millions of people. What people are rejoicing over, I think, is Justice. So I won't chide folks for being happy that he's gone.

When it comes down to it, Osama's death is the same as Joe Schmoe's down the street in that anyone who expires apart from Christ is lost, and lost to the very same degree. Osama's soul is no more depraved than mine. The extent of his crimes was farther reaching, perhaps, but his sinful affront to God's holiness separated him just as effectively as I did in the past with my own sins. And let's remember that God has saved worse critters than bin Laden...

I agree with my friends who say we shouldn't celebrate someone's death, who urge compassion. But I also celebrate in a fashion with everyone else that we finally got this evil man. Didn't people in 1945 mourn Hitler's death? Anyone remember Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his part in the plot to eliminate Hitler?

Ultimately we need to understand that there's more than one thing at work here: there is Justice in which a cold-blooded murderer has been dispatched; there is the power of a nation's memory stirring up sincere emotions; there is the eternal Truth that souls who perish apart from Christ are eternally, horribly, lost.

Biblioburro

2011-04-28T15:13:00.003-05:00

Now, if you're much of a linguist at all, you've cleverly discerned that the title of this post can be translated as "book donkey." And that's exactly what it is. I ran across a delightful story of a man in Colombia who hauls library books around on two donkeys (named Alfa and Beto) so that children can have the chance to read. You can watch a video about the Biblioburro below. Then, when you're finished watching, would you consider a couple of simple questions I've asked at the end of the post?

Of interest while watching: At 4:04, you understand that Luis Soriano's purposes are deep and intentional and altruistic, and at 4:55, you see his heart shine through.

Now isn't that fantastic? A simple passion, a simple - almost silly! - idea, and lives are changed. Wow. So, what is it that you love? What is it that you can do? How can you, out of simple love for Jesus and for people, enrich their lives and bring glory to God? It's the heart that counts; there's no need to do something shiny, flashy, loud or large - just strap some books on a donkey and get going!

A Few of the Most Powerful Songs I Know

2011-04-21T11:14:00.006-05:00

If I fail to celebrate over the next few days, I'm a miserable Christian indeed. Let's all be reminded...(thanks, Chris, for bringing the first one to my attention!)

the vertiCALL

Race Versus Ethnicity, And A Good Laugh

Yesterday's Worship Set

The World Tilting Gospel - Diving In

Good Job Dad, We're Late

Yesterday's Worship Set

Meet My Sons, Forgetful and Fruitful

Last Sunday's Set List

Afraid

*sigh*

Name That Quote: "The National Razor Which Shaved Close"

Noah, My Floor Drain, And Cataclysm

One Final Thought....

Restless

Save Me Some Cake

The God Man

What The Beach Teaches

What Do You Do When Your Heart Is Tugging

Tell Me Your Favorites!

Putting Potentates In Their Place

Vice Verses...A Little Resurrection

Trembling & Hesitant

The Problem With Stuff

Snow Days

Dear 20 Year Old Me

SIN(s)

Our Love Saves Us - Blindside

When Nice Is Sin

I Know What Love Is...

My Children Have Done Something "Fowl"

Need Of Grace

And Can It Be

Why Star Trek Is So Unbelievable

Murmuration

Altars For Sinning

Worship That Rocks...Not What You're Thinking

What Gap Are You Standing In?

A Thought On Adoption From Packer

Just Like Moammar

Grudges And Scaffolding

NOT From Yourselves

Everyone Who Calls

Slow Down Jesse!

All Of Your Promises Tell Me It's True

Accessibility Accentuates Everything

A Voice With A Love For Words

Imitation, Flattery, and All That

Earth Beneath Your Shoe

A Wise German Preacher

He Shatters And Cuts

Severely Merciful

God Speaks French....et al...

Restless Evil

Shelter Me

That's Not An Excuse

Keeping An Edge, or, Help I'm Too Insulated!

Taking A Large Enough Margin

The Eyes Of Haiti

The Difference Between Knowledge And Experience

Score!

Rain In Haiti

In The Meantime....

Shaming The Strong

Kicking It In Haiti

For The Birds (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

Tough (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

Love That Will Not Let Me Go (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

T.S. Eliot and Self-Importance (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

Rekindle (An Oldie But Goodie Repost)

I'm A Bit Apprehensive

Two Funnies About Prayer

C.J., Still Humble

The Emotion Chip

Dropping Stones

A Valuable Perspective

On Being Married To Quarrel More Conveniently

Riding The Waves

Emaciated Worship

Sovereign Or Not

"The Quotable Rogue" ~ A Book Review

sigh