The Daily

A Thanksgiving post but I'm not really here

2006-11-23T10:13:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not returning to the blogosphere, this is just a brief stop in for this one occasion.

It is November, a month that is permanently linked (at least here in America, you odd Canadians celebrated a long time ago!) with Thanksgiving Day. It is common, even among those who don't know Christ, to reflect upon our lives during this time. The biggest grouches will inexplicably express gratitude during this time...even if they have not a single good thing to say the rest of the year.

Indeed, most of us have much to be thankful for. Our families, our friends, our homes, our jobs, even the dry (not mine!) turkey that will be on the table in just a few short hours. And it is right that we should be thankful for these things as they are all certainly blessings (yes, even that family member who will complain about the dry turkey), but it occured to me this morning as I was preparing the turkey that it is quite easy to get distracted by these things. In all the hustle and bustle of the season we must deliberately make an effort to lift our eyes heavenward. To be thankful not only for the things on our table, or the laughter that fills our ears, but even more so for the Cross.

To someone who doesn't know the joy of following Christ it may seem strange to rejoice, especially at Thanksgiving, at that broken and beaten Man who hung from a tree. Ah, but to those of us who have had it revealed to us! We are able to see Jesus crying out, "It is finished!" and our spirits can soar! It really was finished that day on Calvary; our enslavement to sin, our separation from God while on earth, the very real reality of an eternity separated from Him...It is finished, beloved! Rejoice!

To be thankful for the earthly things we have is good, and right, we must not overlook these blessings but even more importantly we can (and must) rejoice in the shadow of the Cross. Even those who have recently lost jobs, or homes, or even loved ones can be comforted in knowing that they are held in the Father's hand. He sees all the struggles, He sees the heart ache, and He longs to comfort you but you must turn to Him. If you say you have nothing to be thankful for, that everything is going wrong in your life right now I ask you, do you have Christ? If your answer is yes, then you have it all, my friend. Kneel at the foot of your Savior's cross and be comforted that He has gone before you and is leading you to where He wants you. Yes, even in this uncertain time, even in this grief, He leads. Be comforted in Him.

Be thankful, my friends, and remember the Cross as you gather together to celebrate.

The Daily Ends

2006-07-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

Today I have had the great displeasure of realizing just how easily it is for me to sin with my writing. Never before have I been able to have such a perspective, and quite honestly it breaks my heart. Perhaps the internet lends itself all to well to isolative hostility, after all I will probably never meet the people that read this blog or the people I interact with on message boards. And now I realize that this can be a very dangerous thing spiritually.

You know those verses that exhort us to be slow to speak and quick to listen? By nature I am exactly the opposite, and this in truth is a great struggle for me. Especially when I have resources at my fingertips that lend so well to my nature.

And while I have been seeing God work wonders in my life, consistency this is where I struggle. Yes, most of the stuff on this blog has been good and uplifting and useful (by God's grace), but some of it has been absolutely wretched as well. And it is those posts that make me realize I still have quite a ways to go with the Lord, but they also help me to realize just how far He has already brought me.

The bad posts, I hope, are few and far between and have been written less and less with time. And this latest trial has shown me that I am progressing (Despite what the enemy would have me believe) simply because it was taken down very quickly (Thanks, in part, to someone who was willing to point out my sin. Truly the verses in James about turning a brother/ sister from sin have been played out today!)

And so what does this all mean? I'm not sure just yet. I know He still has much to work on with me - and in me - and I want to be sure to give Him my attention on certain matters. So, whether this be temporary or not so temporary I've made a decision that I trust will serve all of us. This will be, until I feel the Lord release me, my final post. Lest anyone think I'm simply over reacting concerning my latest folly, I am not. I have been thinking, and praying, about this for some time now. And as much as I love to write and share my thoughts on Scripture, I just can't stand the thought of putting more error out there and dragging the name of my precious Savior though the mud.

It is on this note, a note of repentance and of joy, that I think it is fitting to end this blog. I'm sorry for the error I've put out there and the people I have hurt, but more than that I am deeply sorry because I've done these things first and foremost against God. But in this I must rejoice, and I hope that you will with me as I'm stepping forth trusting that I'm following His leading. I rejoice in knowing He loves me enough to change my heart (and my writing), and that He will continue doing so. It is a great thing to realize that He forgives us when we truly repent, and that He will wash us clean and conform us to the image of His Son a little each day...And all we have to do is be willing.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

I've Been Accused of Being Pharisaical

2006-07-21T07:35:00.000-05:00

And so I've removed a post from yesterday so that I might have time to reflect upon it a bit more. I may edit and repost it, we'll see.

Remember This On Sunday

2006-07-20T07:32:00.000-05:00

And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. (Nehemiah 9:3, emphasis mine)

The next time you're in Sunday service at your church and it runs five minutes later than normal, just remember this verse ok? Thanks.

To Those Who Cry Foul Regarding The Israel Offensive..

2006-07-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

This is the second account (the first being here) I've heard of Israel warning before they attacked. If people don't get out of the way it is their own fault. I don't see anything in the news about the Israelites being warned before having missiles launched into their residential areas.

Do Not Sin Because Of Fear

2006-07-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. (Nehemiah 6:10-13)

There may be people that will come to you claiming to seek to protect you, people may bring forth an idea that seems good to the fearful heart. They may say to do something...Or even to stop doing what you are so that your life might be preserved (or just less stressful). But these men may not actually speak for the Lord and what they plan that seems good is actually a wicked trap set to cause you to sin. And in that sin they will say to all who will listen, "See? This person doesn't know God, he doesn't serve God, look at this sin in his life!" Or perhaps they might say, "What kind of God does she serve that she goes out in sin like this?"

And so we must be cautious and prayerful, we must be alert as Nehemiah was and be sure not to sin out of fear. After all, who is man that we should fear him?

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

Rise Up and Defend Your Faith in Prayer

2006-07-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. (Nehemiah 4:7-8)

Now, this is interesting, here we see the world (who normally can't agree upon anything) joining forces to stop the Jews from following God and serving Him as He has called them to. And like the Jews of old we too face opposition when we set out to rebuild the walls. When we set out to separate ourselves from the world and serve God in the way He has directed us to we will undoubtedly be opposed. The enemy will seek to stop our work by threat, violence, or even with the promise of earthly fame, riches, and pleasure. Did he not do this with Christ Himself? Indeed we see this third tactic used in the book of Matthew.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:8-10)

But no matter what way we are attacked it is important that we continue on in our work, we must be attentive and watch for the attack, we cannot allow ourselves to become comfortable lest we are caught off guard when the attack comes. We must watch day and night as we continue on and it is only though prayer that we will find the strength to continue our work in the midst of the attack (see Nehemiah 4:9). And finally we must stand prepared to defend our faith from the attacks of the enemy, and no doubt we will need the support of those around us who share our faith. We must join together in prayer, and in our labors, to help guard each other from the temptation of laying down and giving up.

And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. (Nehemiah 4:14-15)

My God is...

2006-07-17T20:52:00.000-05:00

My God is a God of wonders, a God of patience and mercy, a God of justice, and a God who is faithful unto His every Word. I rejoice in the One who has called and redeemed me.

::end of post, resume your daily activities::

Nehemiah Was A Man Of Prayer

2006-07-17T13:27:00.000-05:00

At fellowship this weekend we reflected upon the first chapter of Nehemiah, this of course sparked my interest as I had never read Nehemiah before, and I dug into the first few chapters this morning during my quiet time. What struck me as interesting, was simply how much Nehemiah relied upon God.

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been formerly sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, (Nehemiah 2:1-2, emphasis mine)

He's afraid, the king has noticed how sad Nehemiah is (from hearing about the sorry state of Jerusalem). That's probably not a good idea. I would imagine kings don't like it when their servants walk around depressed, if the king was in a bad mood that day it could have created life threatening problems for Nehemiah, perhaps this is why he was afraid?

What does Nehemiah do in response to the king noticing his mood? He stops and prays.

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 2:4)

Now, some people get it in their heads that praying always involves getting on your knees somewhere quiet but this isn't always the case. If I only prayed when I was alone in a quiet place I very well might never pray. Instead I frequently seek God in the midst of my activities, especially in the midst of my trials, I've found it is the only way for me to get through certain things. Surely he did not leave the court, go to his house, lock the door, pray, and then come back to talk to the king. That hardly seems reasonable or even possible. I'm pretty sure the king would not have appreciated having the guy that brings him his wine run out for the day. Really the only solution to calming Nehemiah's fears was a brief, silent prayer to God. And it is this type of prayer we see Nehemiah lift up to God before answering the king.

This man, from the very beginning of the book is depicted as a man of prayer. It is his fervent reliance upon God that gives him the strength to proceed and build up the walls of Jerusalem. It is his prayer life that sustains him in the midst of his trials.

At the end of verse eight Nehemiah says, "And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me." Nehemiah had served this man (most likely) every day for quite some time, he may have developed some sort of working relationship with the king (after all the king noticed he was sad, he noticed the change in Nehemiah's demeanor), he easily could have imagined that the king granted his request because he had served so well, but that is not what we see. We see that Nehemiah realizes that in the king answering his request it has nothing to do with who he is, and everything to do with the fact that God's hand was on him. It is easy for us to think that when things go well it is because of something we have done, or because of who we are, it is easy to become prideful when we are blessed, but we must continue to strive for humility before the Lord. We must realize that we are blessed, not because of anything we have done but because of God's power and mercy and provision. We do not see pride in Nehemiah, instead we see a humble heart wanting nothing more than to see God glorified. And so should we be.

Girl Sues School For Violation of Her Freedom of Speech

2006-07-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

And I say, good. Story here.

Rome vs Scripture

2006-07-13T15:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I was actually planning on doing something similar, but maybe now I won't. Click here to see a side by side comparison of some Catholic teachings and Scripture.

Warren Wants Us to Change the World

2006-07-13T14:52:00.000-05:00

I want this blog to get you thinking – and praying – for the coming spiritual reformation in the world, a reformation not of how we believe but a reformation of what we, as the Church, do.

- Rick Warren

You know, I think Bono and Rick could be best friends. ::sigh:: Look, I'm all for helping people, for feeding people, for finding cures for disease, but you know what I'm all about more than that? The truth. Darn that pesky word, TRUTH. God's truth. You know that book, probably a black one stuck in the corner of a dusty shelf that says something about Holy on the front? That's God's word. That is where we, first and foremost, will find our guidance and rulers to line up to. The problem is the fact that is dusty, many people just don't know His Word anymore and because of that they do what is right in their own eyes.

I'd much rather see people reform what they think and believe. Why? Because when you really let God's Spirit open your eyes to His Word, your actions will change. Why do we walk around focusing so much on the outside and ignore the inside? Rick, I'm sure you'll continue right on down this path trying to get people to "do" more, but I think a better start really would be at what we believe, since a large population of the "church" has no idea and have no reason to change because of that painful ignorance.

He Calls Us To Come Into His Presence

2006-07-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:14-17)

The God we serve is a jealous God, He wants us to serve Him and Him alone. And He has every right to expect us to do so since He has blessed us with the great honor of being created by Him. He is our Creator.

He chose the Hebrews to be His, He chose Jerusalem to be the place where they would worship Him. And as the sight of worship it must be dedicated to Him, it should be exactly as He has desired; clean from immorality and false idols, the unbeliever should be uncomfortable being in the place God has chosen to call His own unless they get right before His eyes. Yet this isn't what was found in Jerusalem. There was no wall, no separation. The cultures had mixed and the Hebrews allowed there to be compromise in their walk. They had made things comfortable for the outside world to come in. God's holy land and His chosen people had become polluted. And so the Lord tells Zechariah He will build a wall.

You see, the Lord wants us to be separate. He always has. He called the Hebrews to walk a different life, to follow a different path, to walk the only path to Him. This path eventually led the way to Jesus (and at this point there were those who refused to continue on the path) and after His death and resurrection the doors were opened to the Gentile. Now we can step onto that path and follow. But, and here is the key, the path Christ has laid out does not lead into the world, but away from it. Christ's death did not open the doors so that the Jews might go out (though some did and still do), but so that the Gentile might come in. He calls us to join together with our brethren and head to Jerusalem, to head to His presence. And He calls us to be separate. When we come to Christ He calls us to step inside the protective walls of the city - of His presence.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:4-6)

Notice that phrase, "come to Christ." Have you ever wondered why it is we say that? It is one of those things that I just picked up being around other Christians, I never really stopped to think about what that meant for quite some time. I believe this phrase is used, because it shows the action that must be taken. He calls us to Him. He may meet us where we are, but He calls us to follow Him in righteousness, He calls us to deny ourselves and follow (Matthew 16:24). Follow where? To the Father, of course.

Stay At Home Mothering is Over!

2006-07-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Or so Uma Thurman would have you think.

"For most of the world, it's really a necessity. The stay-at-home mom is over not just because of women's liberation but because of men's liberation from wanting to be the breadwinners."

(HT: David)

Rick Warren Hopes for 3rd Revival Movement in Korea

2006-07-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

Link.

Return To Jerusalem

2006-07-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:5, emphasis mine)

King Cyrus is sending those who would go back to Jerusalem to build God's temple up and worship Him. He's sending them home from their captivity in Babylon, but not everyone will return. They are free, and yet many refuse to return to the land God has promised them, they would rather stay in the bondage, the sin. They would rather live in the world, as the world lives than live as the separate and holy nation God would have them be.

And so it is with the church. There are those who have had some measure of understanding, who claim to follow Christ and yet they refuse to die to their flesh. They have refused to answer that call that beckons them to leave the world and enter a walk to the Kingdom. But in the midst of this rejection God has quickened some and they have responded. These are the people that will return to Jerusalem, the place God has called them to be. These are the people that will return to Him in their hearts, minds, and souls. These are the remnant. These are those who have been so touched by God that they are willing to walk away from their familiar surroundings, even from their family and friends if it comes to it, all to serve God in spirit and truth.

And at the time they leave it may not make much sense, especially to those who stay, but they faithfully step out and say, "Yes, Lord." They hear Him calling and respond as Samuel did, "Speak, for thy servant heareth." (1 Samuel 3:10) They have heard the call on their lives and like Ruth are willing to leave everything behind all to call the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob their own (see Ruth 1:16-18). Again, even Abraham was called out, and he responded in faith. We must, if we are going to bare the name of Christ, be willing to return to Jerusalem, to return and enter into the very presence of the Lord.

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37-38)

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (Philippians 3:7)

Cookbook Forthcoming

2006-07-12T06:41:00.000-05:00

I cook, I like to cook, I like to be organized about my cookbooks. And so I'm combining all the recipes I use on a regular basis into one huge PDF file and will eventually have it available to download. This may take a few weeks because I want to make sure I put everything I can possible think of into it. So yes, be on the look out. Soon you'll be cooking like Kristina, who cooks like the foodnetwork.

**edit**

Link to cooking blog

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

2006-07-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for a good song, this is currently my favorite. So, in my quest for decent versions of this hymn I've heard well over 20 versions. Here is one interesting arrangement, I like it. If you know of any free (and legal) versions of this song let me know.

Continue As You Were Called

2006-07-11T06:42:00.000-05:00

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. (1 Corinthians 7:17-20)

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; (2 Timothy 3:14)

Recipe Review: Moroccan Chicken

2006-07-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

Yum. I think I added too much lemon juice, but that's alright because I didn't actually measure anything. It was great. Quick, easy, yummy. It doesn't get better than that.

Joyful Patience Through Him

2006-07-10T07:07:00.000-05:00

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (Colossians 1:11)

Paul's desire for the Colossians is that they might continue to grow in fruitfulness of the Spirit of God. Here his prayer is that they might be strengthened in patience, and not only patience but a joyful patience. A patience that rejoices in the time they have, a patience that sings praise to the Father in the midst of their troubles, joyfully bearing Christ's name even unto death, for death is nothing to fear when you abide in His name. After all, do we not "have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (vs 14)?

Indeed we do, and so we can rejoice. We can rejoice as we patiently await His return, we can rejoice even if we are brought to our earthly death, because in all we have born His name and been given the great honor of suffering for Him.

Admittedly, this is something I struggle with, I tend to be quick to speak, quick to anger, and slow to hear. But I know that is not God's will for me, and I trust that as I seek Him He will continue to transform my heart. Because of the cross we now have access to a strength that goes beyond our human abilities, we can be patient when the world would not, we can endure when others would fall back, we have hope when the world has none, and we can be joyful when everyone else is weeping...All because we have God working through us.

Boy Survives 11 Story Fall

2006-07-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

The doctor says he can't attribute the boy's survival to anything but good luck, but I can. Praise God this child's life was spared, it is my hope that he understand it is God's hand that kept him alive.

A Balance of Love and Knowledge, of Faith and Works.

2006-07-09T07:01:00.000-05:00

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thin heart:(Proverbs 3:3)

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; (Philippians 1:9)

Here, once again, we see a balance. We see love coupled with judgment, with knowledge. To lean strongly on one is likely to lead you to ignore the other. We must balance ourselves. To defer to love too much can lead to a tolerance of sin, but to go to knowledge and judgment without love can turn into legalism very quickly. And God doesn't just want our actions, He doesn't just want our works, rather He wants our hearts.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)

Christ Himself spoke these words during His earthly ministry in response to the Pharisees's legalism. This of course is not to say that we ignore the actions and doctrine, because to do so will bring us back into a problem of tolerance and complacency of sin. We must be balanced, and by God's grace we will learn to be...If we will let Him show us the sin that is buried within our own hearts.

We see this very balance within the book of James. We are saved by grace through faith. I don't believe you can even attempt to claim being a Christian and deny this very fact. But James says that our faith must produce a change within our hearts which will then produce a change in our approach to the world. If there has been no change in our hearts, if our faith cannot produce any kind of fruit what good is it?

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? (James 2:14)

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)

And so we see a balance, yet again. We are saved by grace through faith, but that faith is of little use if it does not produce a change in the life of the person.

There Is No Need To Fear The Unknown

2006-07-08T07:51:00.000-05:00

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalms 139:11-12)

Our human eyes struggle and falter in the darkness, in nearly ever culture the dark has been equated with the unknown and with death. When we don't understand something it is as if we were blind to it, Scripture indeed is like this. It is only when God opens our eyes that we are able to gain understanding that leads to repentance and servant hood in Christ.

But this is not the case with our dear Father. There is nothing hidden from Him. He sees all, and not even the darkest darkness can hide a single thing from His sight. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing His infinite wisdom cannot comprehend. And so I rejoice. I may not know, understand, or see all but I serve the God who does. What have I to fear of the unknown when my Father, my strength, my guide, my shield, and my Lord has already seen and made a way through to the end for me?

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)

Patiently Endure Until The End

2006-07-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls. (Luke 21:18-19)

Christ warns us that we will betrayed by family and friends, that some of us will even die for bearing His name (vs 16-17), but gives us a promise that should we meet death here we have life eternal waiting for us that will not pass. We may be put to death for Him, but that will not keep us from our prize. And so we have this faithful promise and are commanded to possess our souls in patience. In our afflictions we must patiently endure and remain fixed on Christ. As we await His return we must not allow our souls to become troubled or filled with doubt.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)

God hears us when we call, and He will answer, but we must faithfully be patient, trusting that His response will come in time for His glory to be displayed.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:3-8)

Paul is writing to the Romans who are enduring persecution and instructs them to be joyful in their tribulation. Because it is in this they will learn to patiently endure, their character (a godly character) will be developed and their hearts molded and conformed to the image of God. Knowing that this molding is taking place gives us reason to be filled with great joy. We were created in God's image and as such we are - by God's grace - to mirror His nature. As He is patient with us, so we ought to be with others. Even in the midst of unjust persecution. Christ modeled this so very well for us as He endured the cross.

And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:32-34)

If that isn't patience, if that isn't what we are to be conformed to, I don't know what is. He was being put to death in one of the most humiliating ways man could imagine and still He is consumed with concern for the very people putting Him to death. He doesn't fight, He doesn't try to escape, rather He heads to that cross with every intention of being nailed to it. He came and bore our shame so that we could have the opportunity to turn to the Father. He had a path before Him that He knew He had to walk, and He did it.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:36-39)

We must endure, the Bible makes that abundantly clear. We must wait for His return (or our departure, which ever comes first) with a patient endurance. We are surrounded by people who are watching us, watching the way we conduct ourselves, some even watch just so they might pounce upon us as we stumble. But in all of this we must continue on, we must not give up our pursuit of His holiness in our lives. We must not turn back to our old ways.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

Sometimes it is difficult to keep on, there are so many temptations in this world, so many distractions, but we must. If we truly long for His glory to be displayed in our lives we have no choice but to press forward. We must go on, we must faithful walk the path that God has given us to walk. And in those times of tribulation, in those times of frustration we can take comfort in knowing this world is not our home and there is a treasure waiting for us in heaven.

Grace and Truth. Longsuffering and Doctrine.

2006-07-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

It is quite common these days to hear people say that God is doing a new thing, or that our old way of doing things is, in fact, not what God had intended at all. People often scoff at tradition, insisting that their interpretation of Scripture is correct. Some of these people even insist that one doesn't even need Scripture anymore, that it is not necessary to line up our experiences and ideas with Scripture and should we dare to compare what they are doing with the Word and point out where it contradicts the Bible they simply insist that God is doing a new thing and that their revelation is correct.

Discussing these matters can be quite frustrating, I know this from first hand experience. It is easy to point fingers and show (even correctly) where they have strayed. But, and I think this is key, we must be sure that our rebukes are done in a spirit of meekness. Often times it is easy to become prideful, more often than not we probably don't even intend for it to happen. But it does happen. The Bible is clear, as we admonish those around us to turn to the true Gospel, to the true God, we must not allow our pride to become puffed up. Christ was not prideful or arrogant as He brought the truth, rather He coupled truth with grace in His message.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, emphasis mine)

Likewise we are called to bring the truth, but to bring it in a way that serves. Sometimes people do need a swift kick in the pants, other times a gentler way may be necessary, in all situations we are to serve in a way that glorifies God. Repeatedly we are called to check our own hearts, to be sure we are serving consistently in a humble way, and then if the lost reject what we say it will not be because we put a bad witness out there.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Timothy 2:19, emphasis mine)

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26, emphasis mine)

In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.(Titus 2:7-8)

God is not doing a new thing, but continuing an old work unto completion. By His Word we are instructed to rebuke false teaching and exhort our brethren to continue on in the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we must do so in a way that shows God's heart.

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (2 Timothy 4:2, emphasis mine)

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)

After all, He doesn't wish that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance through Christ's saving sacrifice on that cross. Right? So, we must be sure to couple the truth with grace, He will lead and show the best way to approach the sin of false teachings. Lest you think I'm saying be overly soft and ignore the dangers of false teachings, let me remind you Christ Himself cut loose on people, but He did so only when necessary. It's all about grace and truth, people. To ignore one to favor the other is to do the beauty of the Gospel a great injustice.

Man Shoots Kids, Turns Gun on Himself & Leaves Wife Unharmed

2006-07-05T07:13:00.000-05:00

I just don't understand these things.

North Korea Is Just Begging For A Beating...

2006-07-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

US officials said the North Korean military first fired two Scud-type short-range missiles that landed in the Sea of Japan and later the Taepodong 2 that 'failed early in flight.' Two more launches were detected later.

The launches came as millions of Americans celebrated Independence Day and minutes after the US space shuttle Discovery roared into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Source

That's so very clever. On the fourth of July, wow.

Lil' Kim Reads Rick Warren

2006-07-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

PDL has apparently turned another person's life around. Rapper Lil' Kim has spent roughly 2/3 of a year behind bars, and while serving her time she has "gotten spiritual." No mention of Jesus, but apparently she's turned her life around by reading the PDL and The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success by Deepak Chopra. Interesting.

State Rules On HIV Infection transmission

2006-07-04T06:46:00.000-05:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- One sexual partner may be able to sue another for passing on the AIDS virus if the infected partner "had reason to know" that he or she was carrying the disease, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.

State laws already make it a crime to transmit the disease knowingly.

The court's 4-3 decision means some people who do so without knowing they're infected may now be held liable for monetary damages.

And, despite California laws protecting the privacy of people infected with HIV, they may be forced to reveal extensive medical data and information about their sexual histories, though not the identities of other sexual partners.

Writing for the court's majority, Justice Marvin Baxter cited society's "overriding policy of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases."

The ruling came in the case of a married couple and might not apply to a suit based on a casual sexual encounter.

Judges have traditionally tried to balance privacy and the need to compensate injured individuals, said Lawrence C. Levine, who teaches civil liability law at McGeorge Pacific School of Law in Sacramento.

Monday's decision, he said, marks "a reluctant though unmistakable step toward increased judicial intervention in private sexual conduct."

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation declined to comment until its lawyers reviewed the opinion from legal and public health points of view.

The impact is unlikely to be clear for many years. The court said each case must be evaluated considering factors such as the relationship between the partners and whether one lied to convince the other to have unprotected sex.

In Monday's case the justices ruled largely in favor of Bridget B., who is suing her husband, John B. Each acknowledges being HIV-positive but contends the other brought AIDS into their brief marriage.

Both spouses tested positive in October 2000, two years after they met and just three months after they married.

Source

Contentment

2006-07-04T06:24:00.000-05:00

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

Since the garden man has shown an envious spirit; refusing to be content with God's endless blessings we lusted after the one thing we couldn't have. And it continues to this day. How often, especially in a culture like America's, do we compare ourselves to another? Businesses are built upon the discontentment of the consumer. Oh, but you aren't discontent? Well, that salesman will do his very best to change that before you leave! After all, his contentment rests on being the best and beating out his fellow coworkers, so the worse you feel the better he does.

Our society thrives on lust it seems. A lust for money, for clothes, for faster cars, better paying jobs, bigger homes...prettier wives. And without God one easily becomes consumed with this envious spirit.

Oh, the freedom that is found in Christ though! He says there is another way, a better way, and leads us down that path if we will simply follow. We don't have to be driven by our flesh's ever changing desires, we don't need to follow the latest trends, and finally we don't have to be discontent anymore! That salesman can talk to us all he wants, our contentment is no long found in owning the newest things, but rests solely upon our dear Savior's outstretched arms. Our contentment, beloved, is found at Calvary. It was purchased on that Cross. Now, we have God and that is more than enough. He gives us the food and clothes that we need for that day in order to do His Will, and that is enough. Seek His Will while you consider the lilies my dear friends.

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:28-34, emphasis mine)

Man speaks as brain 'rewires itself' after 20 years

2006-07-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

A MAN who was barely conscious for nearly 20 years regained speech and movement because his brain spontaneously rewired itself, growing tiny new nerve connections to replace the ones sheared apart in a car crash, doctors say they now can prove.

The man, Terry Wallis, 42, from Arkansas, is thought to be the only person in the United States to recover so dramatically so long after a severe brain injury.

Although his progress is exciting and inspiring, doctors said the same cannot be hoped for people in a persistent vegetative state. Nor do they know how to make others with less serious damage recover, as Mr Wallis did.

The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Mr Wallis was 19 when an accident gave him a brain injury that left him briefly in a coma and then in a minimally conscious state, in which he was awake but uncommunicative other than occasional nods and grunts, for more than 19 years.

"The nerve fibres from the cells were severed, but the cells themselves remained intact," said Dr James Bernat, a neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre.

Nerve cells that have not died can form new connections; for example, nerves in the arms and legs can grow about an inch a month after they are severed or damaged. However, this happens far less often in the brain.

The research suggests that instead of the sudden recovery Mr Wallis seemed to make when he began speaking and moving three years ago, he actually may have been slowly recovering all along, as nerves in his brain formed new connections at a glacial pace until enough were present to make a network.

Source

Ask Ninja: Ninja Excuses

2006-07-03T17:41:00.000-05:00

Ninja's always have to have some great excuses in their hip pocket. Yea. Funny enough these excuses remind me of something you'd hear out of some modern preachers.

To Judge Or Not To Judge?

2006-07-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

That is the question. You often hear it, I think aside from John 3:16 it is probably the most commonly quoted verse.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)

But did Jesus really mean not to judge anyone, ever? The way it is thrown around you would think so, wouldn't you? But somehow I get the feeling this isn't quite what He meant. If it was, why would He say 15 verses later to beware of people and the teachings they bring?

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

If He didn't want us to judge anyone, ever, why would He say we can know a tree by it's fruit? In order to discern between good and bad fruit one must make a distinction, a judgment between the two. So, obviously Jesus didn't mean for us to ignore each other's sin entirely. If that is what He meant then we have a serious problem on our hands because in many places through out the rest of the New Testament He would then be contradicted by the New Testament writers.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

If we are not supposed to judge, how then are we to put the wicked away from our midst? If we are not supposed to judge, how then are we supposed to turn our brethren from their error? Clearly the Bible teaches there is some measure of judgement that is supposed to be taking place, and in fact I believe Christ clarifies the issue quite well for us.

If a man on the Sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:23-24)

He instructs us to judge righteously; the religious leaders want to kill Him because He keeps breaking the Sabbath, but He points out that the priests break the Sabbath whenever they circumcise a baby on the Sabbath. The priests are breaking on commandment in order to fulfill another. Perhaps this is why Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 at another point?

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)

After all, God is after our hearts. We can follow the letter of the law, but if our hearts are not in it for God what good is it? And so we must look to the heart. We are called to judge not only others, but ourselves as well. God's word is a mirror and we must come before it and allow Him to show us where we don't line up, and when teacher comes we must be sure to look at what they're saying. It is our responsibility to ourselves, and to others, to examine the lives of professing believers.

My Ideal Bible

2006-07-01T08:08:00.000-05:00

I may have mentioned this before, but ESV has released a new Bible with 2 inch lined margins for taking notes. Now, I don't have much experience with ESV simply because I love my KJV, but man! So, this is my ideal bible:

KJV (yes I prefer it)
Words of Christ in red
Center column reference
Maps
Dictionary
Concordance
Topical index
2 inch margin for notes
Maybe some blank pages in back for extra notes?

And to finish it off I'd like a pen and highlighter attached.

If I could find a Bible like that I'd be able to carry a few less things, which would make me extremely happy, and if the pen was attached there would be no way I couldn't take notes. I'm a note taker, so I'm constantly walking around with a pen, a highlighter, and a spiral notebook in hand. Oh well, I'll just have to carry my things, that's good enough for me. But you can bet that if a Bible like that gets released and I get wind of it I'll be going shopping.

I Know This Is Late, But...

2006-06-30T14:06:00.000-05:00

I was just clicking around and came across an interview Brian McLaren gave. I can't seem to locate a date, but I'm guessing it's pretty old. Even still I'd like to poke around, you'll just have to forgive my tardiness.

You were involved in controversy when the Kentucky Baptist Convention rescinded your invitation to speak because of a controversial paragraph in your book 'A Generous Orthodoxy.' You said, in part, that making disciples doesn't necessarily "equal making adherents to the Christian religion." Did you think the dis-invitation was justified?

When I go to speak somewhere, I'm a guest so I'm not offended if someone would invite me and then decide they would rather not have me. And [the Kentucky Baptist Convention] were very kind and polite in the way they did it.

When you wrote that paragraph, did you feel it would make waves or did it seem natural to write?

I knew it would be seen as controversial to some people. If they had asked me for further explanation, I would have told them that this is an especially important issue for Americans to think about right now. Since the invasion of Iraq, there are millions of Christians around the world who now are in danger. If they associate with a Christian religion, that makes them seem to be associated with the United States for a whole number of reasons. It becomes dangerous and impossible for people who want to follow Jesus in their lives to identify as Christians. Very often if youÂre in a Muslim country, and you identify as a Christian, youÂre set up for exclusion and bad treatment. In some cases, worse.

Source, underlined emphasis mine.

I'm going to put it quite simply and keep this short. Christianity does not equal the right to an easy life. If the apostles and countless others had been unwilling to die for the name of Christ, where would the church be today? Christ Himself told us that we very well might lose our families, possibly even our very lives for following Him. So, where do we come up with the excuse that it is ok to live and expect it not to be any more true for us. Jesus told the man on the shore to follow Him and let the dead bury their own. He's calling us to forsake what we once had if it keeps us from following Him! Why do we think this means our lives are going to be easy?

Yes, people die for the name of Christ. But you know what, He's worth it...isn't He? Yes, I'm speaking from a position where my life isn't in danger for Christ, but does that make what I'm saying any less true? Christ calls us to be separate from the world, from our old lives. And that means you must be willing to be associated as a follower of Chist. Yes, there are people who do many things which mar the title Christian, but does that give us license to abandon the path He has laid out? If anything it should make us passionate to reclaim the title, to show that those people don'necessarily represent all Christians, and in fact may not even truly represent Christ Himself.

Has Noah's Ark Been Found?

2006-06-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

ABC is featuring a story which seems to indicate that this is a possibility. Part of me would love for it to be the actual ark, but part of me sort of hopes that the ark remains evasive.

"There's this idea, if we can prove that the ark existed then we can prove that the story existed, and more importantly, we can prove that God existed," said Bruce Feiler, author of "Where God Was Born."

And this is exactly my point. Why do we need to prove that God existed? Are the skeptics going to be convinced? Hardly. Why is it not enough to simply have faith that what the Bible says is true? Yes, it would be neat, but no our focus simply should not - must not be to prove anything. God has proven Himself, and all will see and have to admit that He is Lord. Proving He exists does nothing if the Holy Spirit has not quickened someone to believe. As for the believers, if we must see tangible evidence, can it really be called faith?

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Palestinian terrorists say they fired rocket tipped with WMD at Israel

2006-06-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

Story here.

My Children Are Artists

2006-06-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

Art project for the day:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Joyfully Walking in the Light

2006-06-28T13:57:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine recently asked me for a few verses that deal with the hope we, as Christians, have in a world of darkness and a time of darkness. I smiled and gave her three verses that fill me with an endless hope. Sometimes it is easy to look around at the world and see everything that is going on and get discouraged, even in Christ this happens. Unlike the world we have a promise of everlasting life, of an abundant life (though this doesn't necessarily mean what it seems to), and a future awaiting us in which we will joyfully worship the Lord for eternity.

And so, having now this promise we must press onward joyfully doing His Will. When we came to Him, when we accepted His sacrifice for our salvation we received not only a promise of heaven, not only have we been brought into a family,not only have our sins been washed clean - our wrong doings are no longer counted against us - but we also have the distinct honor and privilege of doing His Work that He has set before us. We have the honor of being able to display (in part) the greatness of His Son's glory by laying down our old lives and following Him. What a joyful work He has given us, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). How joyful is that work, especially when we understand that He has gone before us, and as long as we walk the path He has laid before us we will not walk in darkness, we will not be alone, and our victory was purchased at Calvary so we have nothing left to fear.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalms 27:1)

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Psalm 40

2006-06-28T13:50:00.000-05:00

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
(Psalms 40:1-17)

Can I Be A Girl For A Minute?

2006-06-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, thanks. At the Target website you can customize your own jeans! I'm so excited.

::end girliness::

A Mother's Faith in Action

2006-06-27T20:35:00.000-05:00

Wow.

Warren to North Korea

2006-06-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

And then, he told the crowd, "I've received another invitation." Warren said North Korea would allow him to preach in a stadium seating 15,000, but that he could preach in a larger venue if he could fill the seats.

...

Alan Bennett, a self-employed worshipper from Orange County, said he was "shocked" to hear the news, but said it was "awesome. ... I was really taken aback that they would allow a Christian speaker, let alone an evangelist," to preach.

Since 2001, the State Department has designated North Korea a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations. Religious freedom essentially does not exist in the highly centralized state, where Kim Jong Il reigns as Supreme Being.

The communist regime prohibits citizens from belonging to unauthorized religious groups. And its authorized groups are largely propaganda, organized for the benefit of foreigners, according to a 2005 U.S. State Department report on International Religious Freedom.

Believers who proselytize or have ties to evangelical groups in China are arrested, tortured or executed, the report said....

Source (emphasis mine)

Does this strike anyone else as odd? They're inviting a well known Christian leader to come speak? He goes on to admit that the government might be using him to draw out Christians, but that he will "use them," as well. But why? Why would the North Korean government take such a step just to draw people out. The persecuted church remains strong, surely bringing in a well known leader and then arresting, and possibly slaughtering, believers that come to see him is not the best way to go about getting them. One it is going to make them look awful in the media's eyes (and rightfully so), but even more than that the persecution hasn't worked. The church remains even now, so I don't imagine they think this could be an effective way to stomp out Christianity. Though you never know, they just might think that. But Christ's message has been chased down since He walked the earth. People have been beaten and killed for His message, and yet it remains to this day. Persecution will not bring an end to true Christianity, it never has and never will.

Want my theory? The North Korean government views Kim Jong Il as Supreme Being, right? Why invite someone who might draw people away from that? Why bring competition upon yourself? Perhaps he understands that Warren's version of Christianity is of little threat, that the gospel he brings lacks the true power of the Cross, perhaps this is why Warren is so welcomed? Eh, maybe, maybe not. Just a thought.

Homosexual Club Flags Removed From School

2006-06-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

A pro-family group is hailing the removal of a "homosexual pride" flag from the wall of a Michigan high school.

For almost two years, conservatives have been protesting the presence of a rainbow flag displayed by the Diversity Club at Howell High School. Students even formed a Traditional Values Club in response to the school's allowance of homosexual activism on campus. Last Thursday (June 22) officials at the school took down the rainbow flag, the Christian flag displayed by the Traditional Values Club, and those of all other campus clubs.

Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, says public outcry forced school officials to reverse what he describes as "one of the most outrageous examples of political correctness ever seen in Michigan."

"This rainbow flag, which is [a] universally recognized [gay pride symbol] ... had been flying at Howell High since the day after the 2004 election, specifically to protest voter approval of a marriage protection amendment to our state constitution," Glenn explains. "And when parents and students protested to the school board, the school board reacted by having a formal flag dedication ceremony for the so-called 'gay pride' flag."

Source

In Christ We Have A New Beginning

2006-06-27T07:56:00.000-05:00

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:8-10, emphasis mine)

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul spends quite a bit of time discussing the importance of the resurrection as there are some who are teaching there is no resurrection. Paul casts down this idea by saying if there is no resurrection then we have had faith in Christ in vain. If there is no resurrection, then Christ is not resurrected and his (and our) faith is all for naught and we are all still in our sin. He goes on to reiterate that Christ is resurrected, that He showed Himself to Cephas, the disciples, to James, to over five hundred others, and finally to Paul who was then called Saul. Paul tells the readers that he isn't worthy to be an apostle as he persecuted the church, yet Christ still called him to be one and by the grace of God he labors abundantly.

Sometimes we cat glimpses of ourselves and we realize that we are not worthy to be called after His name. But praise God it is not by our worthiness that we are called, but by Christ's! Previous failures mean nothing when we come to Christ, because now we have a strength and a guide that is outside of ourselves, truly it is not us doing the work anymore but Him through us. The past has no bearing on the future when we are in Christ. Like Paul we find a new beginning, as dark and sinful as our past was, Christ can lift us up to do great things, and all me must do is trust and obey.

176 Year Old Tortoise Dies

2006-06-24T15:45:00.000-05:00

Sad.

My Son Likes to Shop at Hobby Lobby

2006-06-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

It is a little odd.

I had to go buy a new zipper today and ended up buying the kids sidewalk chalk, paints, and two adorable wooden crosses that can hang on the wall to paint (William picked out a Noah's ark one for him and one with flowers for his sissy). He actually picked out around $70 worth of stuff, but I put my foot down after $8. He's a silly kid.

What the heck is wrong with high schools?

2006-06-24T12:23:00.000-05:00

Really, what the heck.

(AgapePress) - A Christian attorney says a Colorado high school was wrong to withhold a valedictorian's diploma because her commencement speech encouraged people to learn about Jesus Christ.

Erica Corder, an 18-year-old graduating senior at Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, used her commencement speech to speak about the death and resurrection of Christ and to urge listeners to learn more about his sacrifice. After the valedictory address, however, school officials told Corder she would not receive her diploma until she wrote an e-mail to the school community's students and parents, apologizing for her comments.

Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Florida-based Liberty Counsel, believes the school acted inappropriately. "Frankly, schools have no right to withhold a diploma," he argues. "That diploma is earned. It's just like if you already worked at your job, and you get paid after the fact; what you do on vacation or off work does not have any bearing on whether you're going to get paid."

Corder's case has a number of "very disturbing components," Staver says, "because after she gave her speech, she was threatened that her diploma would be withheld unless she wrote an e-mail apologizing to the seniors in her class." But Corder had already "earned" her diploma, he insists, and as the valedictorian, "she was entitled to the diploma, and the school should not have forced her to give this apologizing e-mail."

The pro-family attorney feels this has been one of the most egregious incidences of abuse of power by school officials at graduation that he has ever encountered. Until this situation in Colorado, he notes, "I've never seen a case where a diploma is withheld because someone gave a religious message. I believe that was obviously illegal to do that."

In fact, Staver believes it was unconstitutional for the school to censor the Christian valedictorian's message. The Liberty Counsel spokesman has sent a letter to school district officials on Corder's behalf, informing them that, under the Constitution of the United States, she has the right to share her faith. He says even though Corder agreed to write parents and fellow graduates an apology letter, a lawsuit against the school is still warranted.

Source

Chargest Against Youth Pastor Dropped

2006-06-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

A youth pastor in California was arrested for evangelizing at a local mall. The mall security "arrested" him and he was booked with battery trespassing. All for talking to people about Jesus. Amazing. The charges were later dropped. Story here.

Warren's Mission Is To Evangelize, But Not Create Converts?

2006-06-23T09:33:00.000-05:00

I'm so confused.

The other secret to his success is his passion for God and Jesus. Warren managed to speak for the entire evening without once mentioning Jesus — a testament to his savvy message-tailoring. But make no mistake, the driving purpose of an evangelical church is to evangelize, and it is Warren’s devotion to spreading the words of the Christian Bible that drive his ministry.

Good for him and his flock — and not so bad for us either. His teachings apply to 95 percent of all people, regardless of religious belief. As he put it to a group of rabbis at a conference last year — using a metaphor that might be described as a Paulian slip: “Eat the fish and throw away the bones.”

Warren told Wolfson his interest is in helping all houses of worship, not in converting Jews. He said there are more than enough Christian souls to deal with for starters.

Source, emphasis mine

So, he loves Jesus enough to not talk about Him, and is so concerned with spreading the Gospel and seeing all people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that he isn't concerned with converting Jews? Yea...ok.

Why is it that so many people act as if Jesus is a dirty word? The Jews surely wouldn't have died if Jesus was mentioned in their presence, and perhaps there may have even been some in the crowd that NEEDED and were ready to hear about Jesus. Warren let the opportunity slip right by. I can see not beating these people over the heads with the New Testament, but seriously, avoiding Jesus all together can't be the best solution either.

I realize that putting Jesus out there isn't always the most...comfortable thing, often the mere mention of Christ ruling your life will bring odd glances from the unbeliever, perhaps even a few rolled eyes. But you know what? He is worth it! He's worth being ostrisized for! Now, I'll be the first to admit I sometimes let Jesus take the back seat, but is it right? Hardly, and little by little I'm learning not to do it. If Jesus is powerful enough to save my soul, shouldn't I therefore be compelled to share Him with those around me? If I don't take the oppertunity to share Christ, who will? I can't bet that anyone else will, and I really don't want to stand before my Lord one day and have to say, "Yea, I never told my neighbor about You...and he died."

Don't Waste Your Life Looking At The Sky

2006-06-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

Or a website of the sky. I love it.

The Battle Is Not Ours

2006-06-22T19:12:00.000-05:00

Tell me why, I don't understand.
Tell me why, or show me your hand.
Tell me why because I can't see my way through ~
What now...should I...do ~

(music plays )

(drums play)

The battle is not ours
We look to God above~
For he will guide us safely through
and guard us with his love

I will not be afraid
I will not run and hide~
For there is noting I can't face
when God is at my side
No, there is nothing I can't face
when God is at my side

The battle is not ours
We look to God above
For he will guide us safely through
and guard us with his love ~

- Veggie Tales

The Thankfulness Song

2006-06-22T19:10:00.000-05:00

I thank God for this day,
For the sun in the sky,
For my mom and my dad,
For my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground,
For His love that's all around,
That's why I say thanks every day!

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have,
Thats an easy way to start!

For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day!

- Veggie Tales

Tale of a Lost (Stolen) Cell Phone

2006-06-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

The beginning of this month a girl found a misplaced cell phone and decided to keep it instead of answering the text messages to the phone offering a reward for its return. BIG mistake. Guys, if you find something, try to find the owner lest you end up like this girl (warning: mild swearing). Almost a month later, countless emails, and many an update via the website the girl was arrested and the cell phone is being returned to the rightful owner. New York Times even has an article.

High School Shuts the Mic Off Because of Jesus

2006-06-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

A constitutional attorney is denouncing a Las Vegas school district for pulling the plug on a Christian student's commencement speech because it referred to her faith in Jesus Christ. At a recent graduation ceremony, Clark County School District (CCSD) officials cut the microphone on Foothill High School valedictorian Brittany McComb after she began reading a speech that contained Bible verses and references to God.

The district officials claim McComb's speech amounted to religious proselytizing and could have been perceived as school-sponsored, thus making it a violation of the so-called separation of church and state. But Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the Florida-based pro-family legal organization Liberty Counsel, says the high school valedictorian has every right to take the school district to court over the incident.
...
In vetting McComb's speech, school officials stripped it of biblical references and approved an edited version, cutting six mentions of God or Christ and omitting two biblical references. At the graduation exercises, however, the teen commencement speaker felt compelled to deviate from the edited version. "God's the biggest part of my life," she says. "Just like other valedictorians thank their parents, I wanted to thank my Lord and Savior."

For the Foothill High School graduate, it all boiled down to her faith and her fundamental First Amendment right to free speech. For those reasons , she asserts, she chose in this instance to rebel against authority for the first time in her life. And, according to an Associated Press report, a sympathetic crowd of nearly 400 graduates and their families booed angrily at the school officials for several minutes after they cut McComb's microphone.

Source

How Great Thou Art

2006-06-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

Oh Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed

Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
...

The Instrumentals

2006-06-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, confession. I was a band geek/ nerd. I think aside from the library I spent more time in the band room than doing anything else. And I loved it. The school I graduated from had a long standing tradition of excellence in the music department, and I'm proud to say that I helped to contribute a small part to that. Being in band I was exposed to countless songs, some of which I hated, and some of which brought tears to my eyes performing them. And so here are just a few that I've performed as well as just some other songs that I love.

Mayflower Overture by Ron Nelson
Prelude and Fugue
Sursum Corda composed by Edward Elgar
Fantasia in G by Timothy Mahr
Traumerei by Robert Schumann
Moonlight Sonata Movement 2 by Beethoven
Thy Word by Michael W. Smith
Sonata Number 3 by Rachmanioff
Fantasi Impromptu C#m by Chopin
Nocturne, E flat major, op. 9 by Chopin
Gymnopedie no 1 by Erik Satie
Gnossienne no 1 by Erik Satie

I could go on, but honestly we'd be here all day concerning this single post.

Love Song For A Savior

2006-06-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

Jars of Clay was the first band I heard after I accepted Christ, this song was one of the first songs I'd heard, thus the band and the song became one of my favorites. And while I don't listen to them (or anything) much anymore this song remains one of my favorites.

in open fields of wild flowers
she breathes the air and flies away
she thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
he's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
as close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
someday she'll trust him and learn how to see him
someday he'll call her and she will come running
and fall in his arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray

i want to fall in love with you

sitting silent wearing sunday best
the sermon echoes through the walls
a great salvation through it calls to the people
who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls

he's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
as close a heartbeat or a song on our lips
someday we'll trust him and learn how to see him
someday he'll call us and we will come running
and fall in his arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray

i want to fall in love with you

it seems too easy to call you "Savior"
not close enough to call you "God"
so as i sit and think of words i can mention
to show my devotion

i want to fall in love with you

This Day

2006-06-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

It’s six a.m
I’m so tired
The alarm sounds
And the new day begins
Before I go
And disturb this peaceful moment
I look to you

Chorus:
I want to say a prayer
Before my feet can hit the ground
Lord I give this day to you

I’m amazed how you forgive me
Yesterday seems so far behind
It’s a brand new day
And every day’s a new beginning
I look to you

Chorus

Breathe in
Breathe out
Breathe in
And watch the day begin
I wanna watch the day begin

Repeat chorus

- Audio Adrenaline

I know it's not the most profound song, but still it touches me.

Song Lyrics Day

2006-06-22T09:29:00.000-05:00

Today I thought it would be fun to post lyrics to various songs that I like. Yea, it's a lame idea, but it is entertaining me so deal with it. Besides all these songs have, at one point or another, meant a lot to me and have reminded me of the Lord. Sadly, there are some songs that I can't post lyrics to because they are instrumental, so they'll get their own post listing them.

Go to the Gates and Declare His Message

2006-06-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.
Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
Then spoke the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. (Jeremiah 26:8-9, 11)

Jeremiah is sent by God to stand in the gates of the temple and speak out against the evil the Israelites are committing, judgment is coming unless they repent. In response to the message he brings the priests and prophets seek to kill him. They've spent their time telling people things will be fine, that the nation is prospering, that they are truly serving God though they surely are aware of the fact that they haven't been. Their pride and sinful desires keep them from falling to the floor in repentance and look to remove the reproach (Jeremiah) from their midst.

Jeremiah in a step of great faith further pushes, exhorting them to repent but also making it clear that his conscience is clear, he has faithfully spoken the Word the Lord has given him:

Then spoke Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.
Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
(Jeremiah 26:12-15)

Sadly we see this mirrored even today in our churches. Many of them have gone off to please men and in doing so have built up idols in the Lord's temple (their hearts), and though they may still claim to love God above all and desire to serve Him, quite often this is just not the case.

And so we're sent to our brethren, our loving Father has given us a Word for His lost children (even those who refuse to believe they are lost) and like Jeremiah we're called to stand at the gates and call out to them. We're sent to call the world...and the church...to repentance before it is too late for them to repent.

More than likely they will refuse to hear, they may seek to silence the message by calling the messenger a liar, or by sending us away and removing us from their congregations, and eventually seek to kill us. Indeed we see this happening already around the world, but eventually this refusal to repent and accept the truth will lead to blood shed in every country.

But even when it comes to that we're called to stand, as Jeremiah did, and exhort our lost brothers and sisters to turn back to the true God, to the true Gospel. We must have faith that God's will shall be done, and if they kill us for the message we bring so be it. They'll be unable to stand before God and say they weren't aware of their sin for they will have killed to hide it. But you can't hide anything from God, and eventually He will bring judgment upon those who refuse to repent. Despite the possible risk of loss for us we must remain faithful to the Word He has given us lest we should stand before Him knowing we haven't warned the people of coming destruction.

Last Year: Father Arrested. This Year: Son Jumped

2006-06-20T12:54:00.000-05:00

Last year a Massachusetts father was arrested for refusing to leave his son in a kindergarten class without the assurance that he'd be able to opt his child out of any pro-homosexual curriculum. This year the son has been beaten up at school, officials believe it may be in response to the parents filing a lawsuit against the school.

The young son of a Massachusetts pro-family activist was physically assaulted by fellow elementary school students on the two-year anniversary of same-sex "marriage" in the state.

On May 17, first-grader Jacob Parker was beaten up by a group of eight to ten kids on the playground at Estabrook Elementary School in Lexington. Just weeks before the assault, his father and mother had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school.

Last year, David Parker was arrested and jailed for refusing to leave the school until officials agreed to grant him the right to opt his son out of classroom discussions on homosexuality. The Massachusetts father believes the assault was incited by parents who are upset with his opposition to homosexuality.

...

The pro-family advocate suspects the physical attack on his son may have occurred because parents and school officials are angry over his stand for traditional marriage in Massachusetts and have allowed these feelings to influence kids who attend Estabrook Elementary. Also, he notes, back issues of the "biased" Lexington Minuteman newspaper were placed on a table in the school library for children to read the local coverage of the lawsuit.

What do you call cheese that isn't yours??

2006-06-20T09:57:00.000-05:00

Well?

NACHO (you know, Not yo' cheese) CHEESE!!!

hahaha I love my friend Shelly. She's such a goof! I hope you laughed because I sure did. In fact, I'm still laughing.

A Word From Jeremiah

2006-06-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:1-4)

Hey! Let's Ignore the Bible!

2006-06-19T19:33:00.000-05:00

"The Bible has a great deal to teach us about how to live as human beings. The Bible does not have so much to teach us about what sorts of food to eat, what sorts of clothes to wear -- there are rules in the Bible about those that we don't observe today," she said.

Source

Interesting. We shouldn't follow what the Bible says. Good to know.
::goes out and performs a human sacrifice while wearing nothing but her underwear::

Come on, people. The Bible says we should dress modestly, is that one of those things we should ignore? How about human sacrifice? Perhaps we should start cooking our toddlers up. The Bible says quite clearly that homosexuality is sin, to bust out the KJV, "an abomination" in the eyes of God. So, why is it some people feel it is alright to dismiss this out of hand? Just because they don't like to hear it? People don't like hearing they are sinners and that Jesus is the only way to heaven, but they should still hear that right? Right. So, why on earth would you choose to dismiss something that Scripture is just as specific about?

Psalm 63

2006-06-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

In God I Have Put My Trust

2006-06-19T09:38:00.000-05:00

To the chief Musician upon Jonath-elem-rechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.
Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living. (Psalm 56)

Let Them Return Unto Thee

2006-06-19T07:18:00.000-05:00

I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. (Jeremiah 15:17, emphasis mine)

Jeremiah doesn't join together with those who mock God and His righteousness. He sits separated from those who may pay lip service but do not worship in their heart and spirit. He sees God's hand in his separation, he is frustrated - disgusted even - by the sin of those around him. God has caused him to be incapable of being complacent about sin. He cares, and he cares deeply. He understands that these people who were called by God, who claim to serve Him, are marring the Lord's name. Their behavior, their attitudes dishonor the name of the One who has called them. Surely the pagans that surround them must look at these people and say, "Look at them. They claim to serve the God of gods, yet they do not seem to be any different than us. If their God is greater, why do they do things that our unlawful people would do?"

Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. (Jeremiah 15:19, emphasis mine)

God calls us to maintain our separation from the world, do not return to it, do not return to our previous lives but to remain steadfast in our following Him. Our differences shall be a light to the world, should not the unbeliever be able to see we are different? We're called to be holy as our Father is holy (Leviticus 11:44, Matthew 5:48), and to let our light shine before all men so that they might glorify the God that works through us (Matthew 5:16). And on top of that we have a duty to each other, to our brethren in Christ to point out their sin (I'm not saying beat them in the head with their Bibles, but sin must be addressed). We cannot turn a blind eye to something that can send our brothers and sisters tumbling down the road to destruction and in the process mar their witness for Christ and lead others into temptation as well (1 Corinthians 5).

Hundreds of years before it was written Jeremiah's pleas to the Israelites to turn back from their wickedness seems to foreshadow James:

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

Jeremiah On The Word of The Lord

2006-06-18T07:06:00.000-05:00

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them;" (Jeremiah 15:16) to eat is to be sustained, to be nurished by what you're eating. Jeremiah is saying here that in the midst of his persecution, in the midst of his hardship, in the midst of what must have seemed like a spiritual wilderness he found God's Word and was nurished by it.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

He continues, "and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." Here we see Jeremiah rejoicing because he knows the Word. It is in the Word of God that we find God's love, patience, righteousness, and glory displayed (at least until the return of Christ!) most clearly. He knows the Word and because of that knowledge he rejoices. He's being persecuted, people hate him because he is a reproach to their sinful lives and still he finds joy! It is in knowing and embracing the Word of the Lord that we can rejoice when those around us who do not know the Lord would be weeping and crying out about their misfortune.

We rejoice in knowing that we are "called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." Ignorance of God's Word often leads to doubt, sadness, and hopelessness. But as we learn and grow in the Lord, when we come to understand this God who knew us before we were born, this God who guides and protects us, this same God who created the heavens is calling us to Him we can rejoice and experience a deep setting joy and peace that is not dependant upon our current situations. It is in knowing God as revealed through His Word that we find this joy. And I rejoice in the fact that He cares so much for us that He has chosen to give us His Word as a constant reminder of His ever loving presence in the lives of those who serve Him.

Couples go to U.S. to pick baby's sex

2006-06-16T21:15:00.000-05:00

The Chinese want boys and the Canadians want girls. If they have enough money, they come to the United States to choose the sex of their babies.
Well-off foreign couples are getting around laws banning sex selection in their home countries by coming to American soil — where it's legal — for medical procedures that can give them the boy, or girl, they want.
"Some people spend $50,000 to $70,000 for a BMW car and think nothing of it, but this is a life that's going to be with us forever," said Robert, an Australian who asked that his last name not be used to protect the family's privacy.
He and his wife, Joanna, have two boys. Now they want a girl. Australia only allows gender selection of embryos to avoid an inherited disease.
The United States' lack of regulation means a growing global market for a few fertility clinics. These businesses advertise in airline magazines or post Web sites aimed at luring clients worldwide.
...
Foes call it "consumer eugenics" and say it opens the door to a future where parents will choose their babies' hair color, eye color and potential to grow tall enough to play basketball. U.S. doctors are catering to the same gender bias that has led to female infanticide in China and India, opponents said.
"What you're saying is it's better you don't exist than be the wrong gender for my family. And that's a shocking assertion," said Matthew Eppinette, director of research at the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, a Christian bioethics group.

Source, emphasis mine.

I can't decide what bothers me more, the fact that these couples are willing to seek out people to do this, or the fact that these doctors have no ethical issues with it.

Oh, I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free to destroy and manipulate thousands of babies...Not quite as catchy, is it? Yea.

Man Drives with Wife's Head, Kills Two Others in Accident

2006-06-16T09:44:00.000-05:00

BOISE, Idaho - A man transporting his wife‘s severed head in a pickup truck crashed into an oncoming car, killing a woman and her 4-year-old daughter, police said. The impact sent the head flying onto the road.

Time, 51, who was not injured, told officers he was involved in his wife‘s death, investigators said.

An autopsy was scheduled next week to determine Theresa Time‘s cause of death, Canyon County Coroner Vicki DeGeus-Morris said.

"It was one of the more horrific and complex crime scenes on memory," Hightower said. "A woman and her child killed in a crash, and a severed head from an earlier homicide: It‘s nothing short of bizarre and tragic."

Source.

Give Me The Manna

2006-06-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

If your church has been plateaued for six months, it might take six months to get it going again. If it's been plateaued a year, it might take a year. If it's been plateaued for 20 years, you've got to set in for the duration!

I'm saying some people are going to have to die or leave. Moses had to wander around the desert for 40 years while God killed off a million people before he let them go into the Promised Land. That may be brutally blunt, but itÃ’s true. There may be people in your church who love God sincerely, but who will never, ever change.

Source.

Well, you learn something new every day. I had no idea that God had them wander around in the wilderness because he wanted to kill the Israelites! Here I thought they wandered the desert because of their hardened hearts towards God. I thought their refusal to trust and obey God was why they were in the wilderness? I think this isn't quite the same thing, Mr. Warren. The people who died in the wilderness refused to trust and follow God, it was their stubborn disobedience and distrust of God that kept them out of the promised land. But you're saying that even though they sincerely loved God and wanted to follow Him they needed to be killed off? Don't you think that is a little different than someone who has solid Biblical concerns with your teachings?

You're saying that anyone who doesn't agree with *your* vision for their church is in rebellion to God and essentially will never enter that promised land, simply because they don't share your vision? You're not quite Moses, Mr. Warren. Moses was bringing the Israelites out of slavery, he was the voice God used to deliver the people. God, through Moses, spoke words to the Israelites that would cause them to live peacefully, productively, healthfully, and most importantly, in a way that would cause all the nations to stop and wonder. The Word God gave Moses would, when followed in heart and deed, would bring glory to God. The Word given to the Israelites would set them apart from the world, there would be a major difference between God's people and the people of the world.

Yet you're calling us to go back into the world. To measure ourselves by the world's standards rather than by God's. You're calling us to be the same, show the lost that we're all the same as them, but we aren't! We're called to be seperate! We're called to seek first the will of our Father, but the way you talk it seems as if we're supposed to be more concerned with looking *cool* in the eyes of the world.

Well, Mr. Warren, if your promised land is all about numbers, being hip, and has very little to do with hungering for the Word and seeking God's glory above all, then I think I'll just hang out here in what you consider the wilderness. Better to live on the manna God sends than to fool myself into thinking that the chips and dip you offer is better when it is almost completely devoid of what I need to survive.

Bill Gates to Retire

2006-06-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

That's right folks, over the next two years he'll be phasing himself out. Details here.

You Just Never Know

2006-06-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

David posted this.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. (1 Peter 3:15)

The Kingdom is a Treasure

2006-06-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

For a long time I considered myself a Christian, you see once upon a time I'd had a run in with Jesus and had realized He was exactly who He said He was. But somehow I managed to stray, the hardness of my own heart led me away to follow the voice of one who was not my Shepherd. But I really never thought much about it, I thought I was following God, I realize now how lost I was. Sometimes I think that is even more difficult, calling someone off a path that they are sure leads to God can be more difficult than calling someone who knows they aren't following God. But you see, I think in part my problem was when I began to stray is that I really didn't have much of a foundation. I didn't read my Bible on regular basis, or even a semi-regular basis, the "church" I was in didn't preach on sin, and was absorbed in the latest movements to hit the Body. They were more focused on making everyone feel good about themselves than really displaying God's glory through His Word. It isn't their fault I strayed, that lies on my shoulders, but they most certainly weren't doing their job by calling me back from the brink of sin. Years when by and this continued, I got more lost and the place I called my church just kept on going their own way as well.

But God in His great mercy was calling me back to Him, and one night I hit the floor in tears. A trial like I'd never experienced had just knocked the wind right out of me and I realized there was no way I'd make it through on my own. In the early morning hours of the following day I realized how I hadn't been following God. Oh, I may have been using His name and claiming to know Him, but I most certainly wasn't following Him. I easily fell into the latter category of John 14:23-24:

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

After that night I discovered a deep rooted hunger for God's Word. I just couldn't seem to get enough of it. And the more I studied the more I understood God. And it continues to this day. You see, before this trial I'd never studied the Word and because I'd never studied I really didn't have firm grasp on who God was. I knew Jesus was sent to the cross because of my sins, but I didn't know it in my heart, I hadn't let it take root there. And because I didn't know the Word I wasn't able to understand just how precious Christ's sacrifice was, I wasn't able to see the value of the Cross in a life changing way. I wasn't able to comprehend that losing just about everything I held dear to me was worth the loss if I'd gained Christ.

Ah, but when we get that glimpse, when God opens His Word to us, when we begin to understand the value of living a life in submission to God, when we really begin to grasp that we can and will be changed drastically. Why are people all around the world dying for the name of Jesus? Why are people seeing the Bible and their relationship with God as more important than a house, food, water, or their very lives? It's because they've opened their hearts to Him and allowed Him to show them His magnificence!

I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. (Psalms 119:162)

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)

Oh, how I want Him to open my heart like this, to be willing to risk everything to call Him my own.

In the Name of the Lord

2006-06-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

At what point do our sacrifices become unacceptable? Does God have a standard for how we are to approach Him, or can we simply come however we see fit? It is becoming more and more common to hear that we can come as we please and so long as we are sincere God will accept it. We can take the physical side of yoga and remove it from the intertwined spiritual aspects without concern. We can take things that originally were found in other religions and slap the name of Jesus on it and that will make it "Christian." Or will it? And can we really do a service in the name of God and demand reward for it? If I do x, y, and z do I force God's hand into giving me what I want? If I do 10 prayers does that mean I will get what I want? And if I'm willing to do 100 prayers will I get 10 times as many blessings? Is God a genie that is willing to give whatever we want so long as we bring something, anything to Him? If we just rub that little bottle He'll answer our prayers, after all He has to. Doesn't He?

To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (Jeremiah 6:20)

It seems to me that we can't just do whatever we want and expect God to accept it. If we can pick and choose our methods for approaching God from other religions, why then shouldn't we just be able to follow those other religions and still come to God? If God is going to accept certain aspects of false religions as a way to come to Him, why then would He insist that coming to Him through Christ's sacrifice is the only way (John 14:6)?

If we could make sacrifices to God in whatever manner we wanted, why would He kill Aaron's sons in Leviticus for doing this very thing?

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. (Leviticus 10:1-11)

If God is a God of order, and we know He is, then why would He be so disorderly that man could choose to do whatever he wanted? This idea contradicts all of Scripture. He set up the world in a specific order, the way the ark was to be built, He had Abraham come to a specific mountain to offer Isaac in sacrifice, He brought the Israelites out of Egypt along a specific path, specific ways for how the tabernacle was to be laid out, even the way the land was divided once they were able to enter the land was very specific and left no doubt as to who lived where. God was so specific that He gave over a hundred prophecies concerning the coming of His Son. So, if God is going to be that detail oriented in everything else, why do we seem to think that He doesn't have specific things He will and will not allow as valid ways of worshiping Him?

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
(Matthew 7:22-23)

Likewise just doing the "right" thing isn't good enough. Our hearts must be engaged, we must serve because we long to see God glorified, not to attempt to use our servanthood as something to dangle over God's head. He wants us to do what He commands because we love Him, to desire His glorification over all else. God doesn't do half way. Christ said that those who love anyone more than Him are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37), He shot down the Pharisees outward righteousness because they were not doing their works out of a pure heart (Matthew 23:25). Clearly doing "good" to appear righteous is not righteous at all, one must do good because God has commanded us to do so and one must do that work faithfully with a clean heart to the glory of God.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23)

Google To Take Over The World

2006-06-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Google Calendars! And it will let you share the calendar with people as well as send alerts to your cell phone. I love Google.

On Psalm 124

2006-06-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

A Song of degrees of David.
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:1-8, emphasis mine)

Simply beautiful. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side we would be consumed, truly how could we stand if not for the Lord? I have seen this truth displayed so well in my own life. There have been things that I'm sure I would have never been able to manage if God hadn't been there leading me through. Things I'm sure could have broken me, made me endlessly bitter, even some things could have killed me if God had not been there. But He was there, and continues to be there. And when the trials come He lifts me back up off my knees and leads me through. I rejoice in knowing He has gone before me, all I have to do is walk the path He has laid out...And I don't even have to do that in my strength, but in His.

Food Review: Southern Chicken with Corn Fritters

2006-06-12T11:43:00.000-05:00

I made this a few weeks ago for my family, I enjoyed it. My daughter devoured the corn fritters.

4 chicken portions
Flour for coating
Matzo meal for coating
2 eggs beaten
6TBSP margarine
3 TBSP corn oil
2/3 c soy milk
1 c flour, sifted
8 oz canned corn kernels, drained

Coat the chicken with flour, then dip into the beaten eggs, then into the matzo meal pressing firmly. Chill for 10 minutes to allow the coating to set.

Heat half the margarine and half the oil in a large skillet. Fry chicken until brown, remove with slotted spoon and place in an oven proof dish. Cover and bake @ 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the remaining egg to soy milk and mix. Stir in flour, then season to taste. Stir in corn.

Heat the remaining margarine and oil in skillet and drop table spoons of batter in and fry until brown. Remove with slotted spoon and keep hot.

Truthfully We Can Know The Truth

2006-06-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

The truth can be difficult to hear, especially if you try to convince yourself that there is no truth. You can squirm and disagree and argue all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that there is a truth that can be known, a truth that does not change, a perfect truth. And you're not going to find it within yourself as some would have you believe.

People defend their resistance to the truth by saying that everything is subject to our interpretation. But is it? Is God's truth, as revealed through the Bible, subject to our personal gut check? If something convicts us do we get to reject it simply because it doesn't make us feel good? Hardly.

People like Neale would have us believe that everything is relative and that whatever makes me feel good is true for me, and whatever makes you feel good is true for you. So, if being an Islamic terrorist makes you feel justified then go for it! If joining a community to drink some special Kool-aid is going to make you feel accepted and loved, then obviously that's what you should do. GIVE ME A BREAK, ok? When has everyone doing whatever they wanted made anything better? Look around you, most people are doing whatever is "true" for them and the world is a mess! But Neale would have us believe it is all the Church's fault, trying to force people into believing what they believe, etc. And yes, it is partially our fault as we still sin, but let us not chalk it all up to human error. Just because I screw up doesn't make Jesus' statements any less true.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Jesus understood the idolatry of the human heart, He knew we want to go our own way and declare ourselves God, but He also knew that this belief will lead to nothing but destruction. And so we find written in the pages of Scripture instruction, guidance, a moral compass, AND most importantly we find the message of Salvation. In Christ, through Christ. He understood our flesh wants to live it up and fill every lustful desire, but He tells us "[i]f any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me, " (Matthew 16:24) ah but that doesn't sound very fun does it?! But Jesus is the truth, He speaks the truth, and that truth is found within our Bibles. So, when the text that is declared to be God inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) says that destruction is coming for anyone that rejects Him (Matthew 3:10, Matthew 7:13, Matthew 24:51, Philippians 3:19, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Revelation 20:10-15) and speaks of old things passing away and a new heaven and a new earth coming (Revelation 21:1), you can be sure it is true.

I can't imagine still going through my life leaning on my own understanding (see Proverbs 3:5), all I remember is how lost I was, how distraught, how miserable. But in Christ I have a loving Father who protects and guides me, I have something that doesn't change to line myself up with to see if I am in error. And this God through His Word tells me to be a servant, to be lowly, to care for others rather than seeking to lift myself up. People can blame whoever they want all they want, but the fact remains that the mess this world is in isn't God's fault. We've all departed and rejected the truth in order to seek out our heart's sinful desires, so when someone comes along and says that we can't know the truth all they're really doing is feeding into this lie that nothing matters. I can do what I want, because it is true for me. Hogwash.

In this everything is relative world, I lean upon the one constant, the one truth. The God who is revealed through the Bible.

Posting Question

2006-06-09T06:46:00.000-05:00

For anyone who stumbles upon this and uses blogger to create your posts, when you create a post do you still get the option at the bottom of the window to edit the date and time of when the post gets listed?

For example, I used to be able to create a post at 4am, publish it, and have the blog say it was published at 4pm. Now that option seems to have gone away. I even gave in and checked it in IE, and it is still not giving me the option. ::shudder:: Yes, I was that irritated that I opened IE. I'm going to get some counseling right after I get this figured out.

Attacked By Wolves!

2006-06-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

Carla narrowly escaped with her life from a pack of wolves in her back yard....or not. It is a great read, pretty frightening actually. Darn Calvinists trying to eat people again.

The Canaanite Woman: A Woman of Scripture

2006-06-08T06:29:00.000-05:00

[Today we'll wrap up the (Gentile) Women of Scripture series, you can find Ruth here, the woman at the well here, and Rahab here.]

Can I be honest? This woman and her interaction with Jesus had me scratching my head for a good three days. Really, go read Matthew 15:21-28. I mean at first Jesus ignores her pleas for mercy, (I can count on my hand the times Jesus doesn't reply to someone) then because she keeps crying out the disciples turn to Him and basically say, "Look, Jesus, You should send her away. She keeps crying, she's getting on our nerves, should we tell her to go for You?!" And finally He responds by telling her that He has come for the lost children of Israel, He's come for the Jew. And so she bows herself down in submission to Him (she obviously knows He is the Messiah) and worships Him. And still He seems to want to dissuade her:

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. (Matthew 15:26)

Boy, if Jesus had said that to me when I'd been pleading for the life of my child I'd probably just sit and cry (or I'd be shocked at least for a moment). But not this woman, she was there to fight, she knew He could deliver her daughter from the spirits and refused to give up.

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. (Matthew 15:27)

Oh, she's a quick one! And so Jesus marvels at her, can you imagine? Jesus just sitting there for a moment, jaw agape. He sees that she has "great" faith and sends her on her way with the assurance that her daughter will be fine.

Now that aside, how does this apply to our faith, what lesson can we pull from this, how does this connect to the other three women of our series? Truth be told I started this series because I was studying Pentecost. And what is one of the things that happened at Pentecost? The Gentile was brought into the family of God. The lost were found and redeemed. The faith went from the Jew to the Jew and the Gentile. God opened up the gates and declared for all to come. The Jew, the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, everyone can come! But you must believe.

One verse really stuck out to me (verse 27) and that's where God started me at with this woman. The crumbs. Jesus says it isn't right for Him to take what is for the Jew to give to a dog and the woman retorts, "Yes, but even the dogs are fed crumbs." The dogs get the crumbs, the left overs! What struck me so significantly about this verse is that I had just been studying the Law of the Old Testament, and in that God commands that when one harvests their crop they must leave some for the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger that is amongst them. It is as if this woman who wasn't a Jews and probably didn't know the Law understood this concept. Jesus came to feed the Israelites first, but the crumbs, the left-overs were rightfully for the stranger.

It strikes me that while crumbs may not sound great, or that God loves the Jews more, we have to keep in mind that the Jews walked all those years in the wilderness being fed by God. And what did He choose to feed them? Manna...Crumbs from heaven! And those crumbs were enough, heck they were more than enough! Left-overs in the field were more than enough to sustain Ruth. God's crumbs are plenty, and are something to rejoice over!

Admittedly this can be hard to hear, especially for all us non-Jews. Our pride tends to puff up, but really let us consider this. God isn't a respecter of persons, the Bible tells us that repeatedly. So, obviously God isn't playing favorites, He doesn't love them more than us, so what's the deal?

I have two children. They're both small and I love them both. But the fact remains that my boy is nearly two years older than my girl. Now, I give my son bigger portions of food, I give him food that takes a little more effort to eat. Does this mean that I love my little girl any less? Do I love her with an inferior love because I don't think she is ready for steak just yet? I love her just as I love my son, and truthfully it is the very fact that I love her that keeps me from giving her things she isn't ready for! I give her just what she needs lest she be overwhelmed or choke.

Similarly God loves us. The Jews started out with the manna that fell from the sky just as crumbs would fall from a table. And you know what? That was exactly enough to take care of them, and it taught them to depend only upon God. It taught them to wait beneath that table eagerly expecting those crumbs to fall. And they weren't under that table eating crumbs for eternity, when God determined they were ready He brought them up to the table and gave them the next step up. And so the Gentiles are brought in. For a time we need to learn that same dependence, that same eagerness, that same persistent pursuit of food, of His provision. And when we get to the point where He decides we are ready for more than just crumbs He'll step us up to the corn. He'll bring us to it, but out of love for us He will not give us more than we are ready for. And so we must wait upon the Lord.

One last thing about this woman. When she approaches Jesus she's pleading for mercy, and for the deliverance of her daughter from evil spirits. We see in this woman a child-like faith. She knows who Jesus is, she knows what He is capable of, she knows that He can do this work and save her daughter. She asks Him to have mercy on her, why and what is this mercy she desires? She asks for Him to deliver her daughter, and in doing so He will have mercy upon her. Any parent knows how heart wrenching it is to see a child being afflicted. Do our hearts not break for our children when they are hurt, do we not cry out for deliverance when we see them going astray? And when our child heals, or returns from disobedience do we not rejoice? In delivering the daughter He is being merciful to the parents. And this is what the woman cries out for. She knows He can do this, and she has it in her mind that she will not leave until she hears from God. She'll wait there behind Him for as long as it takes, but she will hear Him answer. She knows He can answer and refuses to let a slight delay in that answer deter her. She hears those around her saying He will not answer, that she should give up and go home, she hears all this and still she has faith. He will answer, but she must wait.

We are called to have this faith. To know that God does hear us, and that even though He might seem silent, He might seem as if He will never answer, we know He will. It may not be what we want to hear all the time, but He will answer. He hears us when we call, we can be sure of that. Sometimes it is beneficial for us to have to wait. But He will answer in His timing.

Google Spread Sheets

2006-06-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

I'm excited. I don't use spread sheets much, but this is definitely good, especially for a budget (which is what I'm using to test it out). I love Google.

Rahab: A Woman of Scripture

2006-06-07T06:26:00.000-05:00

[Today we'll take a look at the next person in the (Gentile) Women of Scripture series, you can find Ruth here, and the woman at the well here.]

In the second chapter of Joshua two spies are sent to Jericho from the Israelite camp, upon coming to the city they hide in the home of a harlot named Rahab. I've always wondered, when she let them into her house did she immediately realize these men were not native to the city? Did their speech betray them? If she did know who these men were before the king sent for them, then she'd probably been ready to hide them from the very beginning. Another question I've had, how exactly did the king and his advisers know the spies were in her house? Did someone see them enter? Surely she wasn't the only woman of her...occupation, so perhaps someone saw them enter her house. Perhaps one of her competitors was trying to put her out of business. However it came about the king knew the men had been there and sent people to capture them.

Rahab sends them on a wild goose chase by telling them the spies have left. She knows the Lord has given them the land, she has heard about the Red Sea, the various battles, and she understands that the city will not be able to stand. In fact, she tells the spies how the men of Jericho have no courage because they have all heard of these things. This is why the king seeks them out, no doubt to prevent their return to the Israelites. She asks that since she protected them that they would protect her and her family. They tell her that they will, but she must hang a scarlet rope out her window.

This gentile woman heard of all that the Lord had done for the Israelites and when given the opportunity to serve or reject Him she embraces and protects what He has trusted her with. God sent these men to her, He gave her this opportunity and she responds faithfully.

This reminds me of our lives, how God has given us a most precious treasure, how He has entrusted us with His word, with His message. When we first hear the Gospel message, when we understand the value of it, when we begin to understand the strength of God, the holiness of God, the glory as it is displayed in the Gospel, when we embrace this message the enemy comes knocking. You see he knows how dangerous this message is, that this Word that has entered our hearts means the sure destruction of his plans, and so he seeks it out to destroy it. But we must guard our hearts and protect the message, we must not open the door and let the kings men take the spies away.

These men coming to her was a merciful act on the part of God, had they not gone and all this transpired Rahab would have died with the rest of the city. But God had a plan for her, He loved her and was calling her to the family, and it was His love for her that enabled her to love and serve Him.

The scarlet thread is an act of faith. She puts herself out there, marks herself as the harlot that hid these men and trusts the men (and by implication, God) will stay true to their word and save her. When we come to Christ, we must lay it all out in faith, trusting God is an honest God and will forgive our sins.

Can you imagine how frightening it must have been to stay in that house and trust she would be safe when the attack came? How difficult it must have been to not run away? The faith it took to stay in the midst of that terror astounds me. But she stayed, and God did save her.

And He will save us when we trust Him. When God tells us to stay we must. When God tells us to have peace we must. When God speaks a promise to us, you can be sure it shall come to pass exactly as He has said. We must rest in Him as Rahab did, and have confidence that He will bring us through.

End of the World Blog Spotting

2006-06-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

People sure are fixated. It's quite funny.

Carla is sure the world is ending because the cat didn't come home and the coffee maker is acting up.

Frenzyboard has been dreading this for an entire 24 hours, has declared that it is 6/6/6, and wonders if we are dead yet.

Editor at Large has a list of useful endtimes phone numbers and websites you might want to check out. Sooner Thought has the same list. Truly it is the end times when two blogs post the exact same thing!

And of course no End Times post would be complete without the Left Behind people declaring that the Rapture comes today!

The Woman at The Well: A Woman of Scripture

2006-06-06T06:28:00.000-05:00

[Yesterday we kicked off the (Gentile) Women of Scripture series, you can find Ruth here]

In John 4 Jesus is traveling with His disciples and comes to rest at a well, the disciples go off to find some food while Jesus rests. And as He rests this woman, this Samaritan woman comes to draw some water. Jesus turns to her, and despite all the many cultural reasons why a Jewish man would never address a Samaritan woman He asks her for a drink, He asks her to serve Him. To say she is blown away is the understatement of the year.

When we first hear God's call, when we first realize He wants us to serve Him our response very often is, "Do You know who You are talking to? I mean, really Jesus, You must not know or there is just no way You'd be talking to me!" But He says to us that it is we who don't understand. If we really understood at that point who He was, we wouldn't question why He is calling us. When He calls it can seem odd to us, after all why would God be talking to me?! But still He calls, He sees us going about our business, going back to the same temporal well to fill our needs each day, trying desperately to feel whole, and when He offers that living water, when He offers Himself to us we're amazed because we'd never imagined anything could fill us so that the luster of the world seems to fade. We try to make our lives "better," more complete by our own strength, but this emptiness we feel, this emptiness we try to distract ourselves from can only be filled by God. When He offers this living water, this thing that can make us thirst again we get excited, we cry out just as the woman did, "Lord, give me this water!"

But then He tells us to go get our husband - we have no husband but have been laying down with man after man, temporary fix after temporary fix, sin after sin. I imagine the woman's heart sunk a little as He told her to get her husband, I imagine her shame as she told Him she had no husband. Perhaps she thought, "Oh no, He won't take me now. He won't give me that living water, He won't fill this need now. I've messed up and now He will revoke His offer." Instead of withdrawing, however, He probes further.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. (John 4:17-18)

You see we cannot hide anything from God. We can't hide our actions, our thoughts, or even our desires from Him. He sees it all and in spite of this He is still calling. Do you remember? Can you imagine it? The way her heart must of rejoiced! He knew everything about her and still He called her! He calls us to bring forth our "husbands," the idols in our lives to present what we having trying to fill our lives with. I think there are two reasons for this. First, we bring these things forth and must admit to ourselves and to God that we have had idols in our lives, and in bringing them into the light we are able to see that the Glory of God is so much greater than anything. We have the opportunity to rejoice as He shows us the fallacy in our lives. He calls us to bring forth that man, that job, that drug, that TV show, that CD, whatever it is we are using to distract ourselves from Him He tells us, "Bring it here! Set it next to me! I'm going to show you my greatness, so go and get this thing, this powerless thing that has been crafted by man's hand. Go and get it, and I will show you nothing can stand, nothing can over power the beauty of My Glory. Go, get it, I know it's there, bring it forth and release it!"

Can you imagine the excitement as He declared to her that He was the Messiah? As He confirmed her suspicions? Can you hear the joy in her voice as she rushed to tell everyone the Messiah had come? And for some it is like that, someone in their life receives the call and it causes them to wonder, perhaps they even accept that what this person says is the truth as many of the people in John 4:39 did. But those people weren't content with just hearing it from the woman, they needed to hear it from God's own lips, they needed to experience God for themselves. And so it is with us, we cannot ride the back of another, we must go down to that well and meet Jesus for ourselves, we must hear Him ourselves, we must because everything else is a sad substitute to really knowing Him. We must hear His call from His own lips. And when we go down to that well, then we will believe not just because this woman's life has been turned inside out, but because our own lives have been turned upside down. And so it is with the Church. We are called to tell the world about our wonderful Savior, but ultimately we can only point the way. They may believe what they say, but they can only believe because God has enabled them to. We love Him because He loved us first.

The Leper Who Came Back

2006-06-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests.
And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
(Luke 17:11-19)

How I long to be like that leper that turned back! How often do we take God's deliverance for granted? How often have I cried out for mercy and when I received it I went on my way rather than falling to my knees in thanksgiving? Oh how I long to see my heart transformed, to see in those moments that God is glorified and has given me another opportunity to lift His name up. Oh, I want faith like that!

How I Love Moments Like This

2006-06-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

You know sometimes I just catch a glimpse of God's love, a glimpse that is much more clear than my every day understanding. Sometimes it just hits me, overwhelms me really, and I can scarcely believe the mercy, grace, and love He has bestowed upon me. Honestly I can't explain it, I don't even understand it sometimes. All I know is that He has chosen me, has called me, has redeemed me, loves me, and protects me despite the fact that I have done nothing to deserve it and countless things against Him. And it's enough. It is more than enough. My God is here with me, and is willing to use little ol' me as an instrument to display His Glory. Truly astounding. I love moments like this, the realization of His love has been freshened this past weekend. I hate becoming complacent about it, about the cross, about the sacrifice Christ made, but I let myself become so far to often. But He has answered a long standing prayer, and will continue to answer a prayer...Soften my heart, peel back the layers of hardness and transform me, ah how it amazes me how He's already moved in this prayer! And how I rejoice in knowing He will continue! Truly God is good.

Iowa State Prison to Close Bible Program

2006-06-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

An Iowa prison has been ordered to close it's Bible program and repay the state over one million dollars. Details here.

The InnerChange Freedom Initiative was implemented in Newton in 1999. State prison officials have said they hired the religious group to improve inmate behavior and reduce recidivism — not promote Christianity.

Give me a break, ok? I'm not trying to sound like a snot, but give me a break. You hire a Christian oranization, full of Christians, and then expect them not to promote Christianity? Someone is either half asleep on the job, or needs their head examined.

Ruth and Naomi: Women of Scripture

2006-06-05T06:53:00.000-05:00

Naomi and her family lived in Bethlehem during a famine, but rather than riding out the famine they decided to leave. Famines were generally understood to be of the hand of God, usually brought about by sin and corruption seeping into the hearts of the people. In this aspect it could be argued that famines were most often a direct result of the people walking in disobedience outside of the will of God. And as we all know, being outside of the will of God has consequences.

Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. (Deuteronomy 28:38-39)

If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
(Deuteronomy 28:58-59)

So, the famine was a result of sin, of disobedience, of an unwillingness to humble themselves before the Lord. Rather than seeing God's great patience and mercy in this they see it as trouble and run away. God sent this as a wake up call. Can you not hear His heart pleading, "My beloved children, turn back to Me! Do you not see what your disobedience brings? Your land and lives are in great peril. Turn back and walk in My loving protection!" But Naomi and her family refuse and turn their backs on the God who loves them all in order to join hands with an unbelieving world and try to prosper in their own strength. This, of course, is directly against what God commands of them in Deuteronomy 26:3, "Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days forever." This further disobedience leads to further destruction - Naomi's husband dies. In this God is being merciful, Naomi and her two sons are still alive, they easily could have returned to Israel but refused to do so.

Instead her son's go against God's commandment and marry foreign women. The sons die, now only the women are left. One family's disobedience has not only brought devastating results in their lives, but has directly affected the lives of two other women. After all this Naomi gets wind that the famine has passed in Bethlehem and decides to return. Now, at first glance one breathes a sigh of relief because she's returning. Perhaps all this trouble has caused her to understand how she needs God and she's willing to trust Him now. Sadly, I'm not sure this was the case. Notice she only returns after the famine passes. They left because life got rough and now she returns because life got even more rough. And so she prepares to head home. She bids her daughters in law farewell, and after some convincing one daughter decides to return to her family, to her friends, to her old life, to the gods of her youth. But in Ruth we something truly remarkable. We see a heart called by God. In the midst of what must have been a sad and frightening time we see a woman who has gotten a glimpse of God's glory and has been changed by it.

We see a woman who is unable to turn her back and forget what she has seen. We see a woman who, upon hearing the call on her life, turns away from everything she has ever known in order to follow the God of her mother in law. She leaves behind her friends, her family, the idols of her home land, even any opportunity she would have had to get remarried and be cared for. She trusts God, and despite the difficulties that laid before her she sets off with Naomi.

In Naomi's family we see people who were brought up knowing God, yet their hearts refuse Him and they turn away to serve their desires. We see a family who knew God on some level but chose to ignore Him. They went out to find food and prosperity and found only destruction.

Upon her return to Bethlehem Naomi declares that she should be called Mara (bitter). She says that she went out full and returned empty. Still she seems unwilling to accept the sins she and her family committed and refuses to look at God's grace in all of it. She didn't come back empty - she came back! She was alive and able to return! God had sparred her life, yet she sees only the death. And as if her life weren't enough He blessed her with a loyal daughter in law who sought to care for her. But still she cries out "I have nothing!"

This is quite the contrast to Ruth. She has lost just as much as Naomi and yet we never hear these complaints from her. Perhaps she, like Paul, counted the costs and realized everything she lost was nothing if she'd gained God. She is willing to step out in faith and do the work He provides her. Sunrise to sunset she is in the fields collecting food to feed her and Naomi.

You see, God has seen all of this. He has seen the devastation and hardship, He has seen Ruth's faithfulness. People who had heard about Him and sat under His teaching all their lives didn't seem to get it, but Ruth did. She'd only just heard about Him, just come to Him, and yet she shows more character, more faith than those around her. With a child-like faith she sets out. God put a specific field in front of her, ironically enough it is the field of the husband He has determined to give her, and told her to work it. He says, "Here is your work, I've determined this is what is best for you. Do the work and trust that it will be enough." God knows all she needs, He knows she essentially has no family, but by seeking God she has been brought into His family and eventually He blesses her with a godly husband with a heart for serving the Lord. He knows she needs food and a roof over her head, and He provides the means to receive those. But beyond that He gives her time. Time to unlearn her old way of life, time to learn about Him. Time to learn to trust Him first and foremost.

You see, if He had given her Boaz right after coming to Bethlehem she would have been more likely to focus on him. She would see him as the one who protects and provides for her, and yes this is true he would be, but God protects and provides for him, so really anything Boaz is able to give her would have been by the hand of God. And she needed time to learn that. In all of this we see that God gave her the highest treasure, Himself. The gods of her youth had no power, now she had an all powerful God caring for her. She was hell bound and He called her to the salvation which can only be found in Him. God in His great mercy rescued her from a life that would have ended in the destruction of her life, He called her out of the world that didn't care for her and could provide nothing of lasting value for her. He saved her from her sins. The ones He had originally reached out to turned their backs on Him, yet He used this sin to bring in a Gentile woman and join her with the faithful in worship of Him.

We cannot read the book of Ruth without seeing God's passion for calling the lost, without seeing what He desires for the believer - to draw them to Himself in faithful submission to His will. He longs to provide and protect, to make us part of the family with Him as the head. He longs to redeem us from our sin. He longs for us to wake up and see His glory and that there is nothing this world could ever offer that compares to that.

Naomi had it backwards, she didn't leave full and come back empty. She left with nothing because she was leaving God, and came back with everything to gain. And that everything, the beginning and the end was God.

I'm Stealing a Joke...

2006-06-04T07:40:00.000-05:00

From The Thirsty Theologian. Enjoy.

The king of a primitive tribe was so well loved by his people that they hired one of their artisans to carve an ornate throne to celebrate the anniversary of his coronation.

When they presented it to him, he was so delighted that he had the throne hauled into his grass hut immediately. There, he faced a dilemma: what to do with the old throne. For lack of a better idea, he had it hauled up into his attic.

That very night, while he was sleeping, the sticks and grass of the attic floor gave way under the weight of the old throne, which fell on the king and killed him.

The moral of the story: People who live in grass houses shouldn’t stow thrones.

Women of Scripture Series

2006-06-04T07:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will be starting a short series, I'm not really sure what to call the series quite yet, but it is a study into the lives of four Gentile women in Scripture that were brought into the family of God. These women are fabulous depictions of faith at work, and I believe there is an endless wealth of knowledge and encouragement that can be gleaned from their lives as God unfolds their stories for us. And as their lives unfold I believe we can gain an even deeper appreciation for God's grace, His mercy, and above all His glory. These stories help remind me that it is often the small stuff, the things the world wouldn't see as miraculous that are truly from the hand of God. If we sit around waiting for the seas to part we're going to miss all the little things that go on around us each day that are as much a blessing as that would be. I'm not going to tell you who the women are ahead of time, though you'd probably be able to guess at least a couple of them. So, come back tomorrow and we'll get started. One a day until I run out of notes. I'll see you soon.

**Update**

Here are the links to the articles:
Woman one.
Woman two.
Woman three.
Woman four.

Coming Soon...

2006-06-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

Expect lack of activity for the next couple of days, I hope to have a lovely study finished up for Sunday and don't want to distract myself with other projects until it is finished. I'm looking forward to getting this written up as I believe it will help me (and if anyone should actually read the blog) have a better grasp on God's great love for the Church. I'm very excited about this. See you soon.

It's Grey Out

2006-06-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

So pretty. I love over cast days.

Translating Truth

2006-05-31T22:13:00.000-05:00

I got a new book tonight...Well, actually I borrowed it, but at any rate it is in my hands waiting to be devoured. I just started reading the forward, written by J. I. Packer, and a quote jumped off the page at me. At this point I'm sharing exactly where I am in the book, so I can't comment anymore on it until later on, but I wanted to share this quote before I forgot.

Back in Britain, almost two generations ago, I heard it declared that the minister's first priority is to teach, and his second priority is to teach, and his third priority is to teach. More than fifty years of not doing this have inevitably hastened the decline of interest in the Bible and in effect promoted the sense of its irrelevance to modern life.

Facing this pervasive shrinkage of Bible knowledge and influence, many in the churches hoped that simplifying and streamlining public worship would bring people back to the life of devotion and that simplified and streamlined versions of Holy Scripture would bring people back to the habit of Bible reading. Neither hop has been fulfilled in today's post-Christian West, nor seems likely to be.

- Pg 9-10, Translating Truth

Isn't that generally the argument for using these easy read versions of the Bible? That if it is easier it will be read more? I have often suspected that this isn't the case. Now, I'm not calling for everyone to go out and purchase a KJV, I think a Bible is a very personal choice that needs to be decided upon between the reader and God. That being said, I don't like many/ most of the translations out there for various reasons and quite honestly when people have these "easier" translations I don't see them reading it. People complain that the KJV is outdated, but really, who cares at this point? I'd bet that many, if not most, of the people who sit in various churches on Sunday wouldn't know Exodus from Ezekiel. The vast array of translations haven't gotten the job done that they propose to do, Bible illiteracy is at an all time low despite the fact that the availability of the Word is at an all time high. It is sad, but true.

Anyway, I don't really have a point, I just thought I'd put that out there.

New Toys For The Computer

2006-05-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

Microsoft has released the beta version for Microsoft Office, I just got it. And I discovered a new tool from Google (have I mentioned that I love Google?) called Google Trends. It's actually quite interesting, you can see what cities/ countries search the most for whatever you type in.

Fear Not, Beloved

2006-05-31T08:29:00.000-05:00

When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (Deuteronomy 20:1-4)

Speaking to the Israelites Moses passes on this commandment from God. When going into war that the Lord has led you to do not fear. When the enemy is bigger, fear not.

Throughout Scripture we are exhorted to trust God, to not worry, to not fear. If our hearts would tremble we must speak to them to have trust, we must abide in the beautiful rest that is found in following and submitting to His plan for our lives. God has promised to go before us, He has gone and has made away for us to go, all we must do is faithfully walk it out.

When we follow God and a trial arises we can take comfort in knowing God has led us here for our good and will lead us out. When the enemy rises up and appears to be bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, or even more rich, we must not fear. God has given us victory in the cross. But we must trust Him, so fear not. And if you do fear, cry out to Him. He will hear you, even in the midst of your trials.

The Bible Needs a Warning Label?

2006-05-31T08:24:00.000-05:00

One Hollywood actor thinks so.

Well, I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying this is fiction. I mean, walking on water, it takes an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie. Not that it's true, not that it's factual, but that it's a jolly good story. And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing after they've seen it.

- Ian McKellen on The DaVinci Code