An Evangelical Voice

The Pastor Target

2010-11-05T09:53:00.000-04:00

By no means am I implying or stating that I feel targeted. Nor am I trying to convince anyone that I am struggling or being attacked. Rather, I wish this post to be a means of heightening other's awareness of the easy and vulnerable target that pastors are in a church, in a community, and in the world.

First, sometimes we pastors are our biggest problem. We make ourselves a target by our attitude, our words, our antagonism, our actions. We can be an unruly bunch. We can be insensitive at worst, clueless at best.

So here are a few articles I read recently that are particularly encouraging to me, challenging to me, and I hope insightful to you, those whom we pastor's seek to serve diligently, faithfully, and prophetically.

One note, you will notice that many (if not all) of these article links come from The Gospel Coalition. This is a fabulous storehouse of resources and encouragement for pastors. I have attended the conference hosted by this consortium of pastors. It is amazing!

"On the Tendency to Criticize, and the Need to Protect", Our Pastors" by Justin Taylor

"In Praise of Ordinary Pastors", by Kevin DeYoung

"Pastoral Pressure Makes You a Better or Worse Man", by Justin Buzzard

"How Much Vacation Time Should a Pastor Take", by Brian Croft

"Pastoring Your Family When It Is Costly", by Dustin Neely

"5 Ways Shepherding Helps Grow a Pastor", by Darrin Patrick

"Pastor Dad", by Mark Driscoll (a downloadable ebook)

Sincerely serving our Savior,

Pastor Steve

One Way in which God Answers Prayer

2010-11-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

If you are at all like me, then you have pondered the purpose, the power, and the provision of praying. In this insightful reflection any answer to our prayers may come in the least likely (or in the least desired) of ways.

Keep on praying! All to the praise and glory of His exalted name.

Pastor Steve

Lent Isn't for Wimps - # 2

2010-02-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

As a means (or as a vehicle) to a very specific end (or destination), Lent affords us the opportunity to slow down, to "examine" our lives, and to surrender a little more fully to the Lordship of Christ. Amid recent conversations and personal reflections on the meaning of Lent, the complex subject of fasting unavoidably came up. As a routine practice in the Roman Catholic tradition, as well as some smaller pockets of the mainline church, fasting is what Lent is all about. But fasting is just an aspect of a greater surrender to which we are called by our Lord. Consider these few generalizations about Lent...

Lent is about pouring ourselves out so that we might be empty before God at the foot of the cross.
Lent challenges our earthly appetites so that we might find our satisfaction and sufficiency in Christ.
Lent opens our eyes to the hardship and heartache experienced by those both near and far so that we might offer whatever aid we can to ease their suffering.
Lent is the darkening of this groaning Creation's night before that glorious dawning of God's unveiled and manifest Light in the face of Christ.

These, and so many more, are serious and sincere means and reasons for engaging in some tangibly expressed outcry for the Living God. Such a cry is first heard from the lips of the contrite criminal hanging on a cross beside the dying Christ. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom," he cried. To this Jesus offers him Good News, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." Shortly after the announcement of this Good News, Christ Himself cries out and breathes His last. Truly, "It is finished!" The fulfillment of Good News is final so that finally Good News might fill us.

Find a way to cry out to God in these very few weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter. Cry out! Cry with words. Cry with actions. Cry with tears. Cry with fasting. Cry with giving. Whatever you do, cry out! Cry out so that you can come empty before the treasured wealth of the King of Glory. Cry out!

Lent Isn't For Wimps

2010-02-19T15:02:00.002-05:00

Here is a great link to some great thoughts on why you and I should actively participate in the observance of Lent.

The invitation and the demand, as well as the reward of Lent is not easy. It's not for spiritual wimps. But the sacrifice is worth the surrender.

As Paul encourages Timothy, "...train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7b-8)

A Word to Ponder

2010-02-15T10:25:00.001-05:00

Living Free

from the customs & conditions of our brokenness.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2 from the ESV)

For a few weeks I have been quoting from A. W. Tozer. He was a radically faithful servant of Christ who wrote prolifically while also pastor's prophetically. To read him is to read someone who had a profound love for Christ, for Christ's church, and for those still lost in their sinful separation from Christ. If you are able to get your hands on any of his writings I sincerely commend your attention to them. To behold Christ in the writings of A. W. Tozer will leave you carrying around "the aroma of Christ".

Here is another of Tozer's thoughts from his book, The Warfare of the Spirit:

The true Christian is uncommon for the reason that he is not in the majority; he is as different from the world in which he lives as Abraham was different from the inhabitants of Canaan. He is likely to be a lowly, humble, approachable man with no claims to greatness or superiority, but his moral standards, his attitudes toward fame, money, earthly pleasures, life and death, mark him as a being from another world.

It is custom that destroys aspiration and turns every man into a copy of every other. "Woe unto thee, thou stream of human custom," wrote Augustine. "Who shall stay thy course? How long shall it be before thou art dried up? How long wilt thou carry down the sons of Eve into that huge and formidable ocean, which even they who are embarked on the cross can scarce pass over? . . . And yet, thou stream of hell, into thee are cast the sons of men." (from the chapter "The Menace of the Common Image")

The challenge and calling of every follower of Christ is to live separated - not in righteous superiority or proud humility - but separated from the world by living increasingly separated to Christ.

Week in Review - 02.12.2010

2010-02-12T00:01:00.005-05:00

Check out the backlash from Focus on the Family's Tebow Super Bowl Ad. The issue of life and choice are starting to heat up again.

Heaven, as the inheritance of those who yield by faith to Jesus Christ, is far beyond specific description or cheesy metaphor. In this line, Justin Taylor reminds us of C. S. Lewis' witty and wonderful challenge of the glories of heaven.

As Christian parents we are always being tugged into a compromised and dismissive parenting-style. As with every other aspect of our lives, we are not to conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (see Romans 12:1-2). HERE is a link to 3 Creative Ways to Play with Your Kids.

Monergism.com is a wonderful storehouse of online Christian writings, study resources, audio files, and so on. Check 'em out!

Not much news in the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been good for about four decades, and the latest reports from the Research Office continue that trend. The Layman offers some thoughts on this latest research. Or, you can view it by Presbytery for yourself HERE. Lastly, as an "outsider" Al Mohler offers his take on these latest trends.

Lastly, we all know how tough all things economic are right now. Couple that with my incessant avoidance of fear mongering and I find myself a bit troubled by a well written article I came across this past week. Check out The Coming Crash of 2011.

Why Christ Must Suffer - Introduction

2010-02-11T19:04:00.000-05:00

INTRODUCTION

It is always amazing to see how some of the most complex concepts and events can be conveyed through children’s stories. While volumes have been written and innumerable sermons preached on the meaning and reality of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, to grasp the living reality of it never seems to be fully appreciated. One such window into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Velveteen Rabbit.

This story is illuminating because of the awakening and transformation that takes place in a children’s stuffed rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit. The rabbit is told that as the child loves him, he will become real especially as he is loved and cared for by the boy. Unfortunately, his understanding of becoming real is too limited. As the boy’s affection for the rabbit grows, the rabbit thinks he has become real. He thinks this is what it means to be a toy, a rabbit, and one loved and cared for. But, when the boy gets scarlet fever, all his toys are to be destroyed by fire. At this point, the rabbit realizes that he has not been real all this time. Instead, he had been living with a false sense of being real. As the rabbit was about to be burnt a tear fell to the ground. Out of the tear a fairy appears and kisses the nose of the Velveteen rabbit. Immediately, the rabbit is transformed from a toy made of velvet and stuffing to a living, breathing bunny rabbit. To be real is not just to be loved, but to be transformed into a new form of existence.

This story is dripping with allusions to the transformation that takes place in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and subsequently in those who are heirs of His redemptive work. In Christ a new humanity is revealed. Only through Christ is the full meaning and experience of what it means to be alive and in a relationship with the Living God experienced. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”[1] We see, then, in the story of the Velveteen Rabbit, a type of the promise, reality, and experience the cross and the empty tomb have for us.

As we have a Biblical understanding of our redemption in Christ, we are able to begin to interpret faithfully the texts under consideration in this essay. This will be useful for accomplishing our task here. Within the two main sections that follow, a brief survey of relevant scriptures will be done.

From these passages their theological implications will unveiled in an attempt to expand our understanding and experience of this central truth of the Bible: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”[2]

[1] 2 Corinthians 5:17 from the NIV.

[2] 1 Timothy 1:15 from the NIV.

A Word to Ponder

2010-02-10T09:32:00.002-05:00

On the Wrath of God in Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God":

The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.

What is it that relents the wrath of God in our lives? It is the cross, the cross of Jesus Christ, who bore the wrath that was assigned to us. For "He paid a debt He did not owe", that we might receive a righteousness that only He possessed. Nothing is more wretched and more wonderful than the cross upon which the Prince of Glory died!

A Matter of "Want"

2010-02-09T13:35:00.001-05:00

"As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."

Psalm 42:1

We have an appetite, a hunger for so many things - so many good things. And whenever we have a hunger we naturally seek to feed it. If the stomach growls, you feed it. If the heart aches for a friend, we reach out to them. If the hands are restless, you build or create. An appetite is there to be fed. And an appetite by itself is neither a good or bad thing. It's simply an appetite.

At the same time, an appetite expresses a hunger for something deeper, something more lasting. A hunger for food expresses a starving for life. A hunger for a friend exposes a pining for connection. A hunger to build or create points to a longing to contribute.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made with deep appetites and deep possibilities. Ultimately, we are constructed to crave God, made with an appetite and hunger for the Almighty. To find and be found in Him as our life. To live and move and have our being in Him. To know and experience Him as the giver of all good things. To hunger and thirst for His righteousness. And so it is, like the deer panting for running, flowing water, we pant with parched tongue for the cooling refreshment of God as our life and nourishment.

Perhaps at this point, you still need some convincing that God is to be your all in all, your life, your purpose, the ultimate fulfillment and deeper satisfaction of every other appetite. If so (or simply for the sake of a deeper reflection on the matter), then what you or I need is to want to want God. That's right, we need have a hunger to hunger for God. We need to have an appetite to crave God. I know it sounds redundant, but it is the hunger for which we must hunger. Even a pretty-boy '80's rock band expressed this odd longing. Here is the song, "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick.

Now keep in mind, they're still a rock band, and they're not singing some spiritual classic. Instead, they're singing about love (or LUST), and the longing to feed the appetite to be with some beautiful woman. Nevertheless, remember that our appetites reveal a deeper hunger. A sexual appetite expresses the deeper longing for vulnerable intimacy, the knowing and being known without judgment or strings by another. And this hunger God has designed to be whetted by a spouse within the bounds of marriage, and finally in Himself through faith in Jesus Christ. So even Cheap Trick unwittingly plays into God's hand by writing a song about sexual hunger, thinking this is all, and in the end they are singing about hungering for God.

"WAIT!", you may say. "They aren't singing a song of they're hunger for God." And right you would be, kind of. The song expresses the hope that the woman they find desirable would in return find them desirable. In some twisted way they want the same appetite to develop in a woman that is rumbling deep inside of them. But in following the line of thinking above (namely, that all appetites simply and superficially express a deeper and more basic hunger), the song is about satisfying a hunger that only God is capable of satiating.

Next time you feel an appetite or craving for something, stop and ask what you are really hungering for. Recall the hunger expressed in Psalm 42, the hunger each of us has for God. So in reading and reflecting upon these words and these thoughts from Psalm 42, remember who fully satisfies. For in them you may see the repetitive reminder that God alone is the One and only One who truly satisfies. Not Snickers, not sneakers, not sex... Nothings truly satisfies but God alone!

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my food day and night,

while they say to me all the day long,

"Where is your God?"

These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

(Psalm 42:1-6a from the ESV)

Jump Starting the Week

2010-02-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

Continuing with the thoughts of A. W. Tozer, let me direct your attention to his words about the centrality of the cross in the life of Christ's disciple, of every true and faithful follower of Christ.

THE INSTRUMENT OF SELF-DEATH (from The Warfare of the Spirit)

I have long believed that a man who spurns the Christian faith outright is more respected before God and the heavenly powers than the man who pretends to religion but refuses to come under its total domination. The first is an overt enemy, the second a false friend. It is the latter who will be spewed out of the mouth of Christ; and the reason is not hard to understand. One picture of a Christian is a man carrying a cross. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion. The man who will not brook interference is under no compulsion to follow Christ. "If any man will," said our Lord, and thus freed every man and placed the Christian life in the realm of voluntary choice. Yet no man can escape interference. Law, duty, hunger, accident, natural disasters, illness, death, all intrude into his plans, and in the long run there is nothing he can do about it. Long experience with the rude necessities of life has taught men that these interferences will be thrust upon them sooner or later, so they learn to make what terms they can with the inevitable. They learn how to stay within the narrow circular rabbit path where the least interference is to be found. The bolder ones may challenge the world, enlarge the circle somewhat and so increase the number of their problems, but no one invites trouble deliberately. Human nature is not built that way.

Week in Review - 02.05.2010

2010-02-05T00:01:00.023-05:00

How profound it is when someone boils down a thought to its most simple and basic "foundation". Enjoy THIS QUOTE from Ravi Zacharias.

If you ever wanted to see and hear an example of a person who has suffered an illness with Christian grace, faith, and character, then HERE one such instance in the life of Matt Chandler (the church he serves and some of his messages).

The folks at Desiring God do an incomparable job of serving and feeding the wider church. Their latest conference for pastor's concluded Wednesday. HERE is a link to the messages and some of the message manuscripts. I assure you, you will not be disappointed!

Life is the most fundamental social justice issue there is. For without life there is nothing else! With that in mind, I came across a couple of articles this week that highlight the threat, not just to a pro-life stance, but to the fundamental and inalienable right of life. HERE is the first. HERE is the second.

Seeing the Dark Side - Part 3

2010-02-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

"Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:11-13 ESV)

Darkness and it's veiling influence applies not only to our individual lives, but to our corporate lives as well. Not only are we prone to the anxiety and fear darkness creates, but institutions can function under an umbrella of fear, too. Fear of closure. Fear of financial collapse. Fear of competition. Fear, doubt, and dread flowing from the unknown and unexpected.

How we deal with this fear reveals the real power a threat has over us. The threat of being late may make us drive a little faster, but not necessarily through ever last red light. The possibility of losing your job may make you cautious with your spending, or even consider getting your resume in order. The looming dark of illness may drive us to the doctor. But what do we do when a powerful threat far beyond our capabilities or wisdom is cresting the horizon? What do you do then? What does an institution do then? This becomes a fight for existence, for survival.

This is a dangerous place to live. The survival instinct can make us, can make institutions do reprehensible, uncharacteristic things. We might lie, cheat, steal, even kill in order to live. But is this really living! No. Instead, this is merely a fight for existence. And a fight alters us, alters institutions.

Where am I going with this? So many of us, and so much of Western culture is bent on survival, on just staying alive but never really living. By consequence, we lose our purpose, our meaning, our value, our significance. We lose that for which God made us. We now seek to survive because we displace God as our source of life. We become our own "source" of life. And eventually we become bankrupt, morally and spiritually and emotionally and physically bankrupt, lost to God and ourselves. Yet in all this there is good news...

Jesus, in describing the purpose for which He came, said this: "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." (Luke 19:10) Those of us, all of us, who are lost may yet be found. Found by the One who made us!

Consider reading and reflecting upon Psalm 139. It will do your soul well to hear and remember who God made you to be.

A Word to Ponder

2010-02-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

The LORD, Mighty to Save

"By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ's might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy!" (Morning by Morning, C. H. Spurgeon, January 14th)

Seeing the Dark Side - Part 2

2010-02-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

My childhood was indelibly shaped by the force. Before you think I'm trying to sound ultra-spiritual and vaguely religious, I mean the epic story of Star Wars.

On so many levels, Star Wars is philosophically and religiously bankrupt. It portrays a world-view in direct opposition to the Christian faith and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. George Lucas posits a world in which two equal and opposite forces are engaged in a tangled tango for power. As one pushes forward the other yields ground, until...until a great push back occurs. As a whole the six Star Wars movies portray this back and forth cycle. In the final end of the sixth installment, Return of the Jedi, the door is left open that the final end of "the dark side" has come.

Now I know we come away with a sense of closure. The Emperor is finally destroyed, at the hands of his star pupil, Darth Vader. Symbolically, evil appears to have breathed its last breath. But, we can never be sure.

Unlike Star Wars, we don't live in a universe that is ultimately governed by equal and opposite "forces". This universe is governed, all that is, is governed by the Living God. The only hope for darkness is to flee the light. James 4:7 offers both a command and a promise:

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

If the command and promise in James 4:7 is true, then the only power darkness has over us is that which we give it. And the only way we give the darkness of the devil power in our lives is when we fail to live and move and have our being by faith in the light of Christ.

Jump Starting the Week

2010-02-01T00:01:00.010-05:00

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all,

which is the testimony given at the proper time."

1 Timothy 2:5-6

A Word from A. W. Tozer's Warfare of the Spirit.

"Christ the God Man"

We are under constant temptation these days to substitute another Christ for the Christ of the New Testament. The whole drift of modern religion is toward such a substitution.
To avoid this we must hold steadfastly to the concept of Christ as set forth so clearly and plainly in the Scriptures of truth. Though an angel from heaven should preach anything less than the Christ of the apostles let him be forthrightly and fearlessly rejected.
The mighty, revolutionary message of the Early Church was that a man named Jesus who had been crucified was now raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God. "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
Less than 300 years after Pentecost the hard-pressed defenders of the faith drew up a manifesto condensing those teachings of the New Testament having to do with the nature of Christ. This manifesto declares that Christ is God of the substance of His Father, begotten before all ages: Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world: perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting: Equal to His Father, as touching His Godhead: less than the Father, as touching His manhood. Who, although He be God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by the taking of the manhood into God. One altogether, not by the confusion of substance, but by the unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ (Athanasian Creed, nos. 31–37).

The Weeks Sermon - 01.31.2010

2010-01-31T14:18:00.001-05:00

THESE ARE WRITTEN

"Seeing Christ in the Whole of Scripture"

The Arkport Presbyterian Church

15 Main St. Arkport, NY 14807 (607) 295-7944

www.arkpres.org

arkportchurch@arkpres.org

Sermon Title: An Eternal Plan

Sermon Text: Galatians 4:1-7

Click HERE to listen and follow along with this weeks sermon.

Week in Review

2010-01-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

One respected Christian blogger provided a collection of links offering a much needed analysis and critique of The Shack. Check them out HERE.

In a culture that has sorely undermined the realm of the spirit, the Resurgence offered a corrective reminder to that fact that there is an enemy of our souls who is feverishly at work to see and seal our demise. Check out the "10 Temptation Truths" HERE.

As I have tried to express in my own terms, so often we live life with a dreary malaise. This past week, Trevin Wax offered his own perspective on the need to encounter the Living Christ in the midst of the mundane of life. His thoughts can be found HERE at "Kingdom People".

Last Sunday in my sermon I drew upon a story from the book, Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture. Here is great review of the book.

While not sounding like a popular thing to do in the mainstream media, I have great respect for Tim Tebow and his mother for the stand they have taken about pro-life issues. Many of us may already be aware that Focus on the Family has paid for an advertisement telling the Tebow story during the upcoming Super Bowl. May God bless the words and message of those who are standing on the side of life.

Seeing the Dark Side - Part 1

2010-01-28T00:01:00.003-05:00

"We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes.

We stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men."

Isaiah 59:10

There are many aspects of the dark that can trouble me. Probably not some of the things you might think, however. It's not the fear of a lurking threat. It's not the unknown shrouded in a veil of black. It's not the loss of orientation. It's not even the looming shock to the eyes of a light suddenly illuminated. NO! My anxiety spikes as I wonder what object is going to cause unbearable pain to my innocent and vulnerable feet.

A friend once shared with me a story about his sister while they lived in Texas. While on her way down the hallway amid one of those late night bathroom runs, she stepped over a pile of socks on the floor. Infuriated by the failure of her husband to put his socks in the hamper, she mumbled under her breath to the bathroom, while in the bathroom, and on her way back to the bathroom. In an out of the ordinary move, she turned the hall light on as she stood before the pile of socks. Looking down, she soon realized the pile of socks was not a pile of socks. Instead, there sat a giant tarantula! Needless to say, her husband was forgiven for the socks, but was called to arms by a shrill cry in the quiet night air.

Darkness blinds us to the truth, to the way things truly are. Darkness also deceives. It disorients our perceptions, our understanding, our ambitions, and our appetites. No wonder the prophet Isaiah used the image of darkness to describe those lost and separated from the LORD.

How will you face this darkness? I do believe Jesus had something to say about darkness and its relationship to Him as the Light of Life.

"In him was life, and the life as the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness had not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

"I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." (John 12:46)

Remember, it was light that brought clarity to the sock pile in the hallway. It is light that will bring clarity to your life and my life. It is the light of Christ that will bring clarity to the the events of the world. Once Christ's light shines, darkness must flee.

----------------------------------

Light of the world,

Shine into the darkness of our hearts, the darkness of our lives, the darkness of our homes and schools and communities. Shine your light, that your glory might bring truth to life and truth to light. And as your light shines, may you bring us to repentance, to a change of heart and mind, that we might also come to a change of life. Bring us from darkness into your marvelous light.

Through Christ, the ineffable Light of Your glory. Amen.

A Word to Ponder

2010-01-27T00:01:00.015-05:00

God's DELIGHT in us.

"Let us note that Christ delights to think upon his Church, and to look upon her beauty. As the bird returneth often to its nest, and as the wayfarer hastens to his home, so doth the mind continually pursue the object of its choice. We cannot look too often upon that face which we love; we desire always to have our precious things in our sight. It is even so with our Lord Jesus. From all eternity "His delights were with the sons of men"; his thoughts rolled onward to the time when his elect should be born into the world; he viewed them in the mirror of his foreknowledge. "In thy book," he says, "all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Ps. 139:16)." (Mornings, December 17th)

Into His Everlasting Arms

2010-01-26T00:01:00.002-05:00

"The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Deuteronomy 33:27

Aside from the understandable fear of heights, consider the awe that overwhelms you when standing upon the edge of a great precipice. Maybe you have stood near the edge of Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon. Perhaps you have gone skydiving or cliff jumping. Or maybe not! Whatever your experience, being on the proverbial edge seems to envelope us in the infinite and the eternal.

While hiking the Presidential Range in New Hampshire, I had the experience of being on "the edge". After a long, hard, and rewarding climb up the lion's share of Mount Washington, I called it a night. As I drifted off to sleep I pondered the joy of this opportunity to be "here" and to be climbing this mountain. In the early dawn of morning I soon realized that the sunny, beautiful yesterday had succumbed to a stormy, turbulent today. Faced with the daunting task of hiking on the razor's edge of the mountain began to humble me. Suddenly I was shaken with the need to be in the hands of someone greater, more powerful, more stable than myself. God again became pressingly close to me, or better yet, I became pressingly close to God.

"The Edge" is a terribly wonderful place. To dwell in the eternal presence of God. To live under the shelter and care of His perpetually strong and invigored arms. To live by His boundless life. Does this seem too much, to good to be true, utterly impossible?" Perhaps... until you've be confronted and challenged by the greatness of God Almighty. Once you are found in the shadow of His majesty, the radiance of His glory, the abundance of His grace, then...THEN you stand upon "the edge". That edge is the threshold of knowing that by faith in Christ alone,

...your life is hidden with Christ in God

...you are not your own, but have been bought with a price

...it is no longer you who live, but is it Christ who now lives in you.

If you find "the edge" in your life, there you will find the everlasting arms of God waiting to hold you and carry you through this life, and on into the life to come. Find the edge. Let the edge find you. There, when your rope has finally ended, God is ready to carry you. Find the edge, and finally...forever be found in Him who loved you and gave His life for you.

Faint vs. Full Light

2009-07-30T11:29:00.003-04:00

As I tried to make the case against idolatry in the last entry entitled - "Less than the Best" - one such way we fall into the trap of idolatry is our fixation (and limitation) on the natural world.

Who hasn't seen a sunset and been awed by majesty? Who hasn't seen the ever-flowing expanse of rolling hills and been stunned by the infinite? Who hasn't looked up into the "wild blue yonder" and been humbled by your smallness? Who hasn't ponder the delicate system of the human body and enthralled with your own fraility? Unfortunately for far too many, that is where our sense and seeking of "the divine" stops. For us, God stops at the creation!

I have heard so many say that taking a walk in nature is all the church they need. What a slap in the face of God! What a small appreciation for what the church is!

The nature world, Creation if you will, is only the starting point for any true and right knowledge of God and self. It is the beginning, not the thing it itself. Calvin observes it this way:

"Therefore, though the effulgence which is presented to every eye, both in the heavens and on the earth, leaves the ingratitude of man without excuse, since God, in order to bring the whole human race under the same condemnation, holds forth to all, without exception, a mirror of his Deity in his works, another and better help must be given to guide us properly to God as a Creator. Not in vain, therefore, has hea dded the light of his Word in order that he might make himself known unto salvation, and bestowed the privilege on those whom he was pleased to bring into nearer and more familiar relation to himself." ("The Institutes of the Christian Religion", Book I, Chapter 6, Section 1)

Just as we can really misconstrue and misjudge who a person is simply by watching them, so too we misconstrue and misjudge who God is (and by implication who we are) by only observing God at a distance. For this reason, God not only revealed himself in his works and creation (the natural world), but he also spoke, uttered words, communicated verbally and propositionally who is. Therefore, there should be no mistaking who he is and who we are, for God has told us!

Break free, not from a facination and reverence for nature and creation, from the idolizing of nature. Seek and find in God's Word who he is, who you and I are, and what God has done ultimately through the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Apostle Paul said, now we only see through a glass dimly, but then we shall see as He truly is. Nature only gives us a faint gleam of who God is. But, Scripture enables us to see in the full light who God is.

Less than the Best

2009-07-30T10:59:00.004-04:00

There appears to me to be a recurring theme in the human race. While we want the real, we settle for "knock-offs".

While living in Princeton, NJ, there were a handful of jewelers on the main street that carried authentic Rolex watches. Never in a million years could we ever afford one, but they were really nice to stare at! Yet, we had no problem finding AND BUYING, mind you, a Rolex knock-off on the streets of New York City. To the casual observer all seemed right. I had my "Rolex" (actually Rolox!). However, upon closer observation, not only was the name on the watch different, but the numbers were listed around the dial in the wrong direction. AND, the watch only lasted one good bump. What a cheap piece of junk! But as "they say" - yet get what you pay for, right!

The Bible discusses the subject of idolatry over and over again. Actually, God has something to say about idolatry. Maybe this sounds familiar...

"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:3-6)

I venture a guess that none of us actually has some "idol" or object that we get on our knees and pay homage to. But it is not the actions of our body that displays our idol worship; it is the ambition and allegiance of our heart!

What do you want most? What do have to have at any cost? What would your rearrange and reprioritize your time to be with? God is probably not our first answer. That means there is idolatry in our life.

So what is the cure for idolatry? Clean house! Remove from your life those things, those people, those time demands that dominate us most. Repent for displacing Him from the rightful center of your life. Reacquaint yourself with God's goodness, greatness, and majesty. Jesus Himself made a great promise to those who "remove, repent, and reacquaint":

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

The Beginning and End of ALL Knowledge

2009-07-30T10:44:00.004-04:00

From "The Institute's of the Christian Religion", by John Calvin (Book I, Chapter 1, Section 1):

"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone. In the second place, those blessings which unceasingly distil to us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain. Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility. For as there exists in man something like a world of misery, and ever since we were stript of the divine attire our naked shame discloses an immense series of disgraceful properties every man, being stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness, in this way necessarily obtains at least some knowledge of God. Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us, (see Calvin on John 4: 10,) that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him."

Again, nothing new is being stated here. We have been made, and continue to operate with two basic "knowledge desires": 1) to know God, 2) to know ourselves. The overwhelming majority of seeking, studying, and satisfaction in our day is inordinately focused on us, on the self. But, no true knowledge of self can be attained apart from God! So, we continue to perpetuate and flounder in our hopeless, deficient, and broken condition.

Perhaps Calvin, or I am not convincing enough about our need to pursue a true and right knowledge of God FIRST, so here what G. K. Chesterton has to say about he matter...

"All the real arguments about religion turns on the question of whether a man who was born upside down can tell when he comes right way up. The primary paradox of Christianity is that the ordinary condition of man is not his sane or sensible condition; that the normal itself is an abnormality." ("Orthodoxy", p. 153)

A right and proper knowledge of God reveals a clearer picture of ourselves - we are sinners! Chesterton describes our state as "upside down", yet we know not that we are that way. It seems the "normal" or "ordinary condition of man". But sin is the not the status quo. Life, apart from God, is not the status quo, highest end of humanity. Instead, to know God and to enjoy Him forever is our chief end, main purpose, the sole satisfaction or our soul.

Seek Him while He still may be found.

Preference as the "new" Truth

2009-06-14T20:57:00.003-04:00

Today (June 14, 2009), the sermon I preached from Colossians 2:8-10 hit on the point this title makes. For decades many concerned and much smarter Christians than me have explored the consquence of the erosion of absolute truth. In the infinite void left in our lives and understanding by the supposed absence of absolute truth, we have inserted the "new" absolute of personal preference. The individual and independen "I" now rules the day, or at least we might think.

This idea seems to jive with the observation David Wells made in his book No Place for Truth, or, Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?:

Being practical now substitutes for being theogical, for there is little left to theology except practice. Stripped of doctrineal substance and rendered unreflective about and uncritical of the culture, theology now transforms "virtue" into a set of everyday skills for finding success in a world of technology and affluence. Knowing how to be religious now means knowing how to "make it" in a pragmatic world that is decidedly hostile to absolute principles and transcendent meaning and, in consequence, is driven to seek meaning only in self-fulfillment. The fuel for this new practical virtue comes not from the Bible but from the popularized nostrums of psychology, not from the older practices of self-examination and the pursuit of holiness but from the newer concerns for psychological wholeness and happiness in an age of affluence. It should not be hard to see that this new program has nothing in common with the old and that this drastically reduced theological vision has nothing to do with the task that has engaged the church for most of its life. (p. 112)

Do you hear Wells' message? Preference in the autonomous "I" replaces God's absolute truth as the basis for all knowledge and life.

If you want to listen to this message, it can be found HERE and read HERE.

Graciously in Christ,

Pastor Steve

Snap-shots of the Christian Faith

2009-06-14T20:21:00.002-04:00

The Beginning of Knowledge - The Beginning of Wisdom

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 1:7

"Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil."

Proverbs 3:7

John Calvin begins his Institutes on the Christian Religion with these words:

"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves."

There is a body of knowledge and facts and truths that are entirely "earth-bound", that is to say they are limited to, mastered by, and originating in finite people. This knowledge takes us only so far, but most definitely does not lead us to God.

In the opening sentences of Calvin's work, the first substantial attempt at systematizing of the doctrines of the Christian faith, he takes great lengths to establish the limitations of our knowledge, albeit any knowledge apart from the influence and input of God Almighty. In fact, all true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is rooted in and grows out of the knowledge of God.

Calvin didn't come up with this idea on his own. It is declared from beginning to end in holy Scripture. From the very beginning, as the apex of God's Creation, we were made to find our sole identity and the sum-total of truth in the One true God.

Amid all the learning you have acheived, in the midst of all the learning you are still experiencing, seek to know Him first, Him only, and Him always. For as we know Him we come to know and understand His Creation, and by inference we come to grasp a greater understanding and knowledge of this world He has made.

As a concluding thought, I think this helps to illustrate God's point, Calvin's point, and my point here...

The house we live in now is easily over 100 years old. There have been many occasions when we needed to know some small detail about the house, but our experience and knowledge of the house was limited to a few years, or even a few months. So, to gain the necessary knowledge of the house we asked the previous owner. If that owner didn't know the answer, we had the privilege of being able to talk to the grandson of the original builder. Eventually, we were able to gain the information we needed from someone who knew the builder, who knew the original designer of the house.

There is much we can learn and know about the universe and about ourselves, but all of that knowledge is deficient until it is rooted and grows out of the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. Seek the builder, the designer, the architect of this world and of your very life. In Him dwells the fullness of wisdom and truth, for He is Truth!

A VOICE OF ONE IN THE WILDERNESS...

2009-06-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

Before jumping headlong into Calvin's Institutes (next week will be the kick-off), check out this op-ed piece by Charles Krauthhammer in the Washington Post. Click HERE.

I love "call a spade a spade" thinking and talking. Here we have a nice reminder and warning for us as followers of Christ. Our concern should not be so much conservative/liberal or Republican/Democrat. Our focus AND allegiance must ever and always be Christ and Him crucified, our only hope - the Living God!

So, beware anyone who positions themselves in pride above the fray, over the common and ordinary, who exalts themselves as a lord - be it the one we elected or not, the one we like or not.

Consider Krauthhammer's thoughts, and pray that all those whom God has placed in positions of authority might lead and serve with humility not pride, grace not guile, truth not persuasion, Christ not self.

A New Endeavor

2009-06-01T11:42:00.006-04:00

For some time now I have been immersed in a two-pronged study: 1) to grow in understanding our day (particularly in light of the many "days" that have preceded our own), and 2) the word that God's timeless Word has to speak and how it comes to bear upon our day. Essentially this boils down to the practice of reading and understanding the times in the light of God's timeless Truth. A task such as this is no small undertaking.

That I am in the midst of this task ought not to imply that I am somehow capable or arrogant enough to think I can decisively complete this work on my own. Instead, it is a task to which I have felt led by the Holy Spirit. So, if the Spirit has led, then He surely shall guide.

In this manner, then, our congregation has been exploring the deep and wide and lofty truth of Paul's letter to the Colossians. Such a small letter must not be underestimated. In fact, it might be one of the hidden gems of the New Testament. For in it are declared "twin pillar truths" particularly urgent for our day: the incomparable uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the infallible authority of holy Scripture.

To this end, I have also been reading and re-reading "The Institutes of the Christian Religion" by John Calvin. The coupling of the Institutes (affectionately nicknamed) with Colossians has made for most interesting reading, study, and illumination into our day and the Word of God. My posts here shall consist of observations and challenges faced by the text of the Institutes. To follow our study of Colossians check here.

And, just in case you want to read the Institutes for yourself (a most noble and worthy endeavor), check it out online here.

Graciously in Christ,

Pastor Steve

UPDATE!

2009-04-20T10:19:00.004-04:00

Yes, it has been almost two weeks since I last offered any thoughtS or ruminations about all things God. If you are a reader who likes to read this "blog", then first, thanks and kudos, and second, let me know you are a visiting reader.

Please leave me a message in the "Comments" section on this site. Include your email address if you would like me to stay in touch with you. I would love to hear from you. Also, if you

have any suggestions or ideas of things you might like to hear some thought about, let me know that, too.

Right now I am embarking on a new sermon series entitled: "Love So Amazing". It is an exploration of the central and essential truths of the Christian faith as proclaimed in the Letter to the Colossians. Periodically I may offer some extra commentary on passages or portions from Colossians that grow out of my study, but also go beyond the scope of my Sunday sermons. So make sure you keep checking back, or subscribe to this blog through Google Reader. (That may take some further explanation if you aren't familiar with it.)

If you want to check out my sermons click here. It will take you to the sermon page of my church website.

Lastly in this lengthy update... I am heading off to Chicago, IL today for a week long conference hosted by the Gospel Coalition.

If you would like to listen to the main sessions as I hear them, or if you would like to listen to them later, check out this website: http://www.christianity.com/gospelcoalition/Default.aspx

I leave you with this thought about the Gospel, and about the core message of the Letter to the Colossians:

"The Christian faith itself either stands or falls upon these two eternally central truths: the uniqueness of Christ and the authority of Scripture. Any faith built upon another foundation is not the Gospel, is not the Christian faith, and does not right us with Almighty God."

LENT 2009 - Day 40

2009-04-11T07:38:00.003-04:00

"I tell you this, brothers:

flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,

nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold! I tell you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep,

but we shall all be changed,

in a moment,

in the twinkling of an eye,at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound,

and the dead will be raised imperishable,

and we shall all be changed.

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable,

and this mortal body must put on immortality.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable,

and the mortal puts on immortality,

then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

'Death is swallowed up in victory.'

'O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?'"

1 Corinthians 15:50-55

This isolated day between Good Friday and Easter morning is designed to remind us that death does not have the final word. Death has been defeated in Christ. Death's captivity has been led captive. Life, eternal life - life in and through and from Jesus Christ, now rules the day. Paul's long, poetic prose quoted above tells us of Christ's triumph over this last enemy. Read it and re-read it slowly. In it lies the mystery of God that "Death has been swallowed up in victory!" What appeared to be loss and defeat, in the plan of God, actually turned out to be triumph and victory.

Thanks be to God! And, happy Easter a few hours early!

LENT 2009 - Day 39

2009-04-10T08:41:00.004-04:00

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 8:12

The image of light and darkness runs from the first page of the Bible until the last. The metaphor of light points us to the purity, holiness, and righteousness of God, while the darkness illustrates sin, rebellion, and death. If God used this image so much, then there must be an important lesson behind it. I believe the lesson is completed in today's events.

See, today is a day of darkness. The sinless One became sin for us. The light of the world became shrouded in the darkness of brokenness and death. He was pierced for our transgressions and sins. The cross, as the center-piece of all of human history, is the last moment where darkness exerts its last ounce of power. For death is about to be swallowed up in victory. Christ will triumph over sin and the grave. But not yet!

Luke describes the hours of Christ's crucifixion this way:

"It was now the sixth hour (12 Noon), and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (3 PM), while the sun's light failed." (Luke 23: 44-45a)

Darkness reigned one last time. Death took its final victim. The sun failed. That's not all. Death could not hold Him. Sin could not vanquish Him. The Son did not fail!

Today, think on these things. Reflect upon the truth that the perfect and sinless One became our sin for us, so that we might become His good and please and perfect righteousness. In Christ, light has become our inheritance. Darkness nolonger rules in our life. That is the victory Christ won for us! As John declares above we need not walk any longer in darkness, but in the light of Christ's life. Walk on!

LENT 2009 - Day 38

2009-04-09T09:03:00.003-04:00

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

What did you give up for Lent? Or, what was the last thing you actually said 'no' to, that you

deprived yourself of as an expression of self-control? 'No' is an ominous word these days. We reserve it for the most severe of occasions. Perhaps a child who needs our discipline, or to protect someone from hurting themselves. Other than that, most of our life is spent saying 'yes'. Now some of you might take issue with this. But remember that our silence can still convey support. So the last time someone asked if what they were doing was a good idea and you simply said nothing, you gave them your approval. Do you see what I mean? We just find it easier to go along with things and people by saying 'yes'.

Let's look at Jesus... Thursday of Holy Week turns out to be a day where Jesus could easily have said 'no'. In the Garden of Gethsemane He resigned Himself in submission to the will of the Father when He said, "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42b) As Judas kisses the Master's cheek in betrayal, Jesus could have denied Judas and turned the tables on him. Amid the late night interrogation, Jesus could have spoke up in denial in the face of all the false accusations. Even into Friday, as Pilate and Herod independently examined Jesus, He could have simply said, "No, I am not the king of the Jews. No, I am not any of this. No, you have the wrong guy."

Never does Jesus say 'NO!' In fact, His entire life seems to be a resounding 'yes' to the eternal plan of redemption, and to this culminating moment in human history - THE CROSS.

Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this..." Jesus said 'yes' to the Father's will. But He also said 'yes' to you and to me. In His love and devotion to us He said 'yes' with His very life.

In comparison to Jesus' 'yes' and 'no', don't our 'yes's' and 'no's' seem pathetic? They sure do to me! Come Lord Jesus, and let my life be a resounding 'yes' to you.

LENT 2009 - Day 37

2009-04-08T15:25:00.005-04:00

"Weary Wednesday"

"And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged out the mount called Olivet."

Luke 21:37

Do you know that feeling of weariness that sets in late in the day on Wednesday? Two days down, two more to go. And here I am in the middle of the week just "working for the weekend". (Perhaps you don't get my reference to the 80's rock band Loverboy)

At a minimum, we all understand the fatigue of life as it sets in. The demands of children and/or grandchildren. The responsibilities of home. The expectations of work. The weight of the trouble we see in the news. Our spouse, neighbors, community... On and on go the many influences that feed our lives, but also drain our lives. Eventually, if we are not careful, deep fatigue will set in. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Jesus was about to hit that point. The weight of the world's sin, the debt and deserved death that is due all people, was beginning to weigh on Him. Nevertheless, Jesus is found teaching the people in the Temple. He never stopped. The Temple is where His mom and dad found him as a young boy. He never stops. Even in the last few days of His life Jesus is earnestly telling the people of the things of God. He continues on and on until the work is done - the work of atonement, the work of His death for those who are now dead in their sin.

While the weariness of Wednesday may be descending up you and me, Jesus Christ, who never slumbers or sleeps, is ever waiting to extend mercy and grace and life to us. If you have ever read the Book of Hebrews, this is the message of Jesus Christ our Great High Priest. We hear echoes of Christ's life given for us in Hebrews 9:28...

"... so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

Lord, help us to rest in you as we are renewed by you and as we await your return to be with you in glory forever. Amen.

LENT 2009 - Day 36

2009-04-07T13:10:00.003-04:00

The following is a prayer I am praying this Holy Week. I invite you to join me, that this prayer might become your conviction, and as it becomes your conviction it would become your life!

"Loves Lustres At Calvary"

My Father,

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips,

supply words that proclaim 'Loves lustres at Calvary.'

There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on thy Son,

made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;

There the sword of thy justice smote the man, thy fellow;

There thy infinite attributes were magnified,

and infinite atonement was made;

There infinite punishment was due,

and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,

cast off that I might be brought in,

trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend,

surrendered to hell's worst that I might attain heaven's best,

stripped that I might be clothed,

wounded that I might be healed,

athirst that I might drink,

tormented that I might be comforted,

made a shame that I might inherit glory,

entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped away from my eyes,

groaned that I might have endless song,

endured all pain that I might have unfading health,

bore a throned crown that I might have a glory-diadem,

bowed his head that I might uplift mine,

experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,

closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,

expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me,

All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;

Help me to adore thee by lips and life.

O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,

my every step buoyant with delight,

as I see my enemies crushed,

Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,

sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,

hell's gates closed, heaven's portal open.

Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross,

mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

AMEN.

LENT 2009 - Day 35

2009-04-06T10:30:00.005-04:00

"Manic Monday"

"Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."

Mark 11:17

Monday was a big day for Jesus. He just came off the high of a coronation reception the day before. Virtually all of Jerusalem was hailing Him as someone mighty, perhaps even their king. But on Monday He got right to work.

Now Monday for us is usually the "back-to-the-grind" day. We bemoan Monday. After a weekend of rest, relaxation, and revelry we don't want to go back to work (read that last phrase with just a hint of teenage whining!). No such thing for Jesus.

He curses the fruitless fig tree as a metaphor for the fruitlessness of the Jews, their traditions, and their wandering from the God who created, called, and delivered them as a people. History has not been a great testimony to their obedience.

Jesus also enters the Temple, the heartbeat and center of Jewish faith and life. There, He goes crazy. Essentially, Jesus turns the place upside down. No animals, no business, no abuse, no extortion, no, no, no. Nothing is to occupy the place of this holy place except a humble, contrite heart bent toward seeking God.

Monday is a manic day for Jesus. Not because He went nuts, but because He was finally addressing the cold, lifeless, and hardened heart of the people. They may have had an outward appearance of faith and devotion to God, but inwardly they were dead and powerless (consider 2 Timothy 3:5).

God is not concerned merely with external religion, a life that looks right and righteous. He is after our heart. He has made us to want goodness, to seek holiness, to hunger for righteousness. God works to rid our lives of every pretense and show to get us to a place of genuine faith, genuine devotion. That is the essense of Christ's cleansing of the Temple. That is the essence of Christ cleansing our hearts.

Today, reflect on this verse as you go through your "manic Monday":

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. so glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

LENT 2009 - Day 34

2009-04-03T15:10:00.005-04:00

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Galatians 6:14

There is much about which we brag about in our lives, but Christ and His cross? That is precisely the claim Paul made in this verse from Galatians. Not only that, Paul established all he did, all he said, all he desired, and all he believed on the cross of Jesus Christ.

If the agony of the cross does not live fresh in your memory, then watch this brief clip from The Passion of the Christ:

Please do not forget what Christ did for you and for me. He was wound for us. He was broken for us. He was killed for us. He suffered for us and for our salvation. He is the One who brings us peace, true peace.

LENT 2009 - Day 33

2009-04-02T14:35:00.007-04:00

Every once in a while I revisit old books once read a long time ago. There is one in particular I re-read more often than others. Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis, is one such book. Now I know it is a favorite of just about any person who has ever read even portions of it. But for me, it was one of the first books I actually read and understood as a new Christian in college.

Just yesterday I happened to pick it up and turn to a random page. While Lewis was in the midst of unfolding a logically organized argument over the whole of his book, I thought it expressed quite profoundly the ambition I have for these daily entries. So, I offer you an elongated quote from the chapter "We Have Cause To Be Uneasy". Lewis writes:

Now my third point. When I chose to get to my real subject in a roundabout way, I was not trying to play any kind of trick on you. I had a different reason. My reason was that Christianity simply does not make sense until you have faced the sort of facts I have been describing. Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need any forgiveness. It is after you have realised that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind that law, and they you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power -- it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk. When you know you are sick, you will listen to the doctor. When you have realised that our position is nearly desperate you will begin to understand what the Christians are talking about. They offer an explanation of how we got into our present state of both hating goodness and loving it. they offer an explanation of how God can be this impersonal mind at the back of the Moral Law and yet also a person. They tell you how the demands of this law, which you and I cannot meet, have been met on our behalf, how God Himself becomes a man to save man from the disapproval of God. It is an old story and if you want to get into it you will no doubt consult people who have more authority to talk about it than I have. All I am doing is to ask people to face the facts -- to understand the questions which Christianity claims to answer. And they are very terrifying facts. I wish it was possible to say something more agreeable. But I must say what I think true. Of course, I quite agree that the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is no use at all trying to go on to that comfort without first going through that dismay. In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end : if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth -- only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair. Most of us have got over the pre-war wishful thinking about international poliltics. It is time we did the same about religion.

LENT 2009 - Day 32

2009-04-02T09:07:00.004-04:00

"Why did Jesus have to die?"

If you have ever taken some time to think on this BIG questions, then you know it is a very challenging one. We are faced with some very personal and profound realities.

God's existence and His holiness.

Our sinful and broken lives.

The innate longing to know and be known by God.

Our inability to please or praise God.

Christ's perfection.

And on and on.

Maybe you haven't gotten that deep with the question. But when we consider how final death is, His death takes on a profound and perplexing tone.

Scripture emphasizes this as the answer to why Christ had to die: God made an "exchange" at the cross. The righteous for the unrighteous. The perfect for the corrupted. The holy for the defiled. The powerful for the powerless. The Lover for the loved. The Truth for the confused. Jesus Christ for you and me!

2 Corinthians 5:21 proclaims it this way: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." The sinless One took on our sin, suffered and died for it, in our place, as we were unable to bear it. Then, the sinless One gave to us His very own righteousness. The old was taken away. The corrupted removed. The separation breached. Christ opened the way for us to know and be known by God once again. In Christ, we are remedied, renewed and restored. Now that is Good News! That is the Easter message!

LENT 2009 - Day 31

2009-04-01T09:24:00.002-04:00

"...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising ithe shame..."

(Hebrews 12:2)

With regard to this painting, J. I. Packer says this:

"From Jesus youth, indeed even from his birth, the cross cast its shadow ahead of him. His death was central to his mission." (The Cross of Christ, J. I. Packer, p. 17)

Gaze at this masterful and illusory piece of art work. It is layered with the many aspects of Jesus' own life. But ultimately it directs our eyes to the haunting reality that Christ would suffer - Christ did suffer - for us!

Just as the cross was central to the life and mission of Jesus Christ, the cross is also the center from which the church and all of Christ's followers must find their true selves. For it was on the cross that we were crucified with Christ. It is was on the cross that we died with Christ. The cross is the place where sin, death, and the devil were defeated. The cross is that place of true and eternal transformation whereby we are brought from death to life, brokenness to wholeness, a lie to the truth, depression to hope, sorrow into joy.

Let us come to the cross. Draw near to the foot of Calvary. Lay your life at the feet of the Lord who bled for you. And see there the One who gave His life that you might have life.

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

("When I Survey the Wondrous Cross", by Isaac Watts)

LENT 2009 - Day 30

2009-03-31T12:56:00.007-04:00

For today's thoughts I direct your attention to some of the incredible wisdom of A. W. Tozer. In writing on the subject of "revival" Tozer offers some pressing insights into the affections and ambitions of our heart. Enjoy just a taste Tozer's profound thoughts and deep passion for Christ alone...

"Heart Hunger"

In nature everything moves in the direction of its hungers. In the spiritual world it is not otherwise. We gravitate toward our inward longings, provided of course that those longings are strong enough to move us. Impotent dreaming will not do. The religious urge that is not followed by a corresponding act of the will in the direction of that urge is a waste of emotion. The awe-inspiring power of a discharge of lightning may dissipate itself in the atmosphere and accomplish nothing, while a flashlight battery may provide illumination for a miner hours on end. One is a dramatic display of immense power without direction, and the other a quiet application of modest energy to an intelligent purpose.

It is my conviction that much, very much, prayer for and talk about revival these days is

wasted energy. Ignoring confusion of figures, I might say that it is hunger that appears to have no object; it is dreamy wishing that is too weak to produce moral action. It is fanaticism on a high level for, according to John Wesley, "a fanatic is one who seeks desired ends while ignoring the constituted means to reach those ends."

(from "The Size of the Soul", by A. W. Tozer)

May God revive us first in our hunger for Him. Then, and only then, may God revive us in our prayers and effort for the lost.

LENT 2009 - Day 29

2009-03-30T07:46:00.006-04:00

"...for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."

Jonah 4:2b

Have you ever been bothered by God simply because He's God? I know that seems a bit odd. What I mean is this... Have you ever been bothered by the way God seems to act sometimes? He is gracious where you want judgment. He judges where you want grace. People hurt whom you wish were healed. People are healed whom you wish remained hurt.

Thankfully, God does not work or act or exist according to our wishes. He is not fashioned in our image, we are formed in His. He does not act in accordance to our will, our will is conformed to His. In the end, God is totally free. And in His freedom God acts in complete concert with His character.

Now as we turn to Jonah, he was irated with God. See, he hated the Ninevites. They were a wicked people. They had mistreated Jonah's people. They lived and asserted themselves against Almighty God. Jonah wanted to see them destroyed. And it was to these people that God called and sent Jonah with His message of repentance and grace. Jonah wanted nothing to do with it. In the end, after a terrible storm and a whale's belly, Jonah resigns himself to God's call. To the Ninevites Jonah goes. Relunctantly he preaches, all the while hoping they do not change so God can wipe them off the earth. The Ninevites do repent. Jonah is furious. God is glorified.

In the end Jonah gives voice to his frustration. He throws in God's face God's own character. "I knew you were a gracious God..." But even in the face of such hostile and angry words, God also softens Jonah's heart. It wasn't just the Ninevites that needed to surrender to God, Jonah did too.

The great Charles Spurgeon said this about every person's proper approach to Almighty God:

"It has been said by some one that the proper study of mankind is man. I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedinngly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity... We shall be obliged to feel -- Great God, how infinite art thou, what worthless worms we are!" (Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855 "The Immutability of God")

LENT 2009 - Day 28

2009-03-25T21:43:00.004-04:00

"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust."

Psalm 143:8

I must confess, God is not always the first thought in my mind when I first wake up. Usually coffee is. I wonder if I set the timer? How much should I make? Perhaps I could stop at the store and get a cup there. I could easily arrange my whole morning around that first cup of coffee. How terrible is that!

God longs that our first thought, our first desire, our first step be toward Him. David tells us that in the verse above. Psalm 143 gives voice to David's cry in the midst of distress and difficulty. And in the midst of his cries we could easily gloss over what is really at the heart of David's cry. It is that God would be his first thought, his only thought. He longs for God to be at the very heart of his life.

And a lesson I have learned, much like David is this... It is not our job to rid ourselves of all that displaces God. Rather it is God's job to displace in us everything that hinders us from Him. Did you catch the subtle difference? We make seeking God about us. It is our seeking, on our terms. But, it's really about being found by God.

So, while coffee may be my distraction (feel free to insert your own...), it is as God is our first ambition, all other things can be put in their proper place. I have discovered that as God is my first thought, that first cup of coffee actually tastes better - everything is better when it is enjoyed as that which is second to God!

LENT 2009 - Day 27

2009-03-25T21:25:00.004-04:00

"But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared."

Psalm 130:4

How do people usually prove how great they are? Clothes, cars, possessions, jobs, kids, friends, reputation... Or is there something more?

How do people usually demonstrate their character? Words spoken, deeds done, love lived... Or is there something else?

As for God, He has proven both His greatness and His character is His act of forgiveness. Who can forgive, I mean truly forgive, but God. Think of it this way. Forgiveness lays down the right and will to get even. As broken, sinful people we refuse to and are powerless to lay do both the right and will to get even. God alone is able to do that. And that He did.

Christ died for us. Christ did in our place. Christ died to free us. Christ died to forgive us.

How awesome is God that He not only is able to forgive, but that He chooses to forgive. That kind of power and devotion demands our reverence and awe.

LENT 2009 - Day 26

2009-03-25T21:11:00.004-04:00

"The LORD is my portion..."

Psalm 119:57

If you have ever served pizza to kids, then you know a debate that often ensues. As slices are being handed out, eventually a competition begins over whose piece is bigger. Meticulous comparisons are made over the shape, the size, and the overall girth of the many portions. Behind all of this is a desire to have the biggest and the best.

As adults this desire (competition) doesn't seem to go away. We see a neighbor with a new car, so we start to see ours as inadequate. A co-worker talks of the big vacation they will take, so we start to long for our own big trip. Over and over we compare, criticize and crave longing for the bigger and the better.

Jesus Himself told us to "seek first His kingdom, His righteousness, and all these (everything necessary for our life) will be added to us." The Psalmist knew this. He understood that the LORD was His portion, the source and substance of all His needs. Do you know this? Do you believe this? Do you accept this? Do you live like this? This is what faith, trust and devotion to Christ is.

The LORD is our portion. In this day of dire financial trends, struggling families, and tough cash flow, who is it that has an infinite and inexhaustible supply - the LORD! Trust Him as your portion.

LENT 2009 - Day 25

2009-03-25T10:41:00.004-04:00

"O God, you know my folly..."

Psalm 69:5a

What is your reaction to this photo? Not many of us have seen a horse laugh before. When I saw this I couldn't help but think of how silly we can be sometimes. Or perhaps it is only me that feels that silly streak set in, I don't know...

There is much room in the Christian life for lite-hearted silliness. You know, a little joke here or a crazy story there. Too often we reduce following Christ to a stuffy, dry, dull, and boring way of living where we do nothing but piously pray and preach. Where is the life in that. After all, Jesus Himself said he came to give us life, and life more abundantly (see John 10:10). Our trouble is we don't know where the line is that divides too far from just right.

The Psalm above says that God is well aware of our folly. This does not mean that God knows when we are feeling silly. It means God knows when we have gone too far, when we have crossed the line, when we cease to carry ourselves with wisdom and grace. And just one verse later (see Psalm 69:6), the Psalmist is concerned that his "folly" may actually be causing others to dishonor God. So we might ask ourselves: Did I carry the joke too far? Was the story just a little to colorful? Did I cross the line?

We are encouraged to not cause another follower of Christ to stumble. And at the same time we are called to live life to the fullest in obedience to Christ. So maybe we could take a page from the life of a horse. Embrace your inner silliness and let's bless one another with a lite-hearted laugh, with genuine joy that overflows from the presence of the Holy Spirit who so richly dwells in us.

LITE HEARTED LAUGHTER

2009-03-24T19:57:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I need to watch or hear something funny to lighten the mood. Today is one of those days. So here is video montage that I think is hilarious. Besides, is there a funnier animal on the planet than a cat!

LENT 2009 - Day 24

2009-03-24T19:26:00.003-04:00

"My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness..."

Psalm 38:5

That is a verse to reflect upon. Consider the puss. The infection. The red and painful sore. Have you ever had something like that? I have.

There once was a time when I had been doing some construction work. Amid all the bumps and bangs that happen to the body on a work site, I didn't realize I had a sliver in my hand. I noticed the ache. I even noticed the red cut, but hidden beneath my skin was this tiny piece of wood. A week later, long after the ache should have subsided from my muscles, the pain just got worse.

Eventually, I actually took a look at the side of my hand, and there it was... a deep splinter in my infected hand.

The right thing to do seems pretty obvious now, but I did nothing right. Instead, I grabbed a knife, cut open the skin, and drained the infection. After covering it with a bandaid, I went back to work. End of story. Wrong.

The cut just got worse. Finally I decided to clean it properly. Peroxide, antibacterial ointment, a proper bandage. And good thing, because I was close to needing a doctor to look at it.

There is much we do to try to clean and cover our wounds. We brush off careless words, left-out invitations from friends, maybe overt acts of wrong, but they impact us no matter how much we pretend they don't. If we don't deal with these small hurts, they will fester and stink, eventually infecting our heart and life. The only power to heal us is that of forgiveness. We must experience the forgiveness of Christ in our lives. We must extend the forgiveness of Christ to others.

Try extending forgiveness to those who have hurt you. Remember, freely we have been given, freely we must give. Forgive and be forgiven. Try it, then the "splinter" of hurt may be healed in you.

LENT 2009 - Day 23

2009-03-23T20:09:00.005-04:00

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."

Psalm 32:8

Parents know that there are a whole host of ways we communicate with our children, especially when it comes to discipline. The most subtle, and quite possibly the most powerful way is THE LOOK. We all know the look. It is the infamous stare down. It says, "My will is stronger than your will. And if you do that, then you will pay the piper!"

How do you feel knowing that God has A LOOK, too? All that we do, all that we say, let alone all that we think and desire, is known before His eye. The extent of God's "eye" is not limited just to the bad we do. God's "eye" is also a strong communicator of what we should do, where He is leading us, what is right for us in any given situation. The Psalm above says as much... "I will counsel you with me eye upon you."

God can and will lead us in the way we should go by the directing of His eye. God also continues to gaze upon us as we move in the way of His will.

Here are two tangible ways we can benefit from God's gaze. First, behold His eye in the power and truth of His Word. The Bible declares and demonstrates the way we are to go. Second, is the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit indwells all those who have received Christ by faith. The power and person of God dwells within us as followers of Christ. So listen for His leading. Look for His directing. Long for His eye to always be upon you. Perhaps you will come to know that God sees us as "the apple of His eye".

LENT 2009 - Day 22

2009-03-21T12:30:00.003-04:00

"Who is the man who fears the LORD?"

Psalm 25:12a

The question the Psalmist asks might be rephrased this way: "How can you tell who truly trusts God?" The problem with determing who trusts/fears God is that it is an inward thing before being something recognizable on the outside of a person. Try to think of it this way...

Surely you have been misjudged. I mean, people have

misunderstood who you are and what you are about because they based their opinion and understanding purly on what you look like, how you act, even the words you use. Unfortunately, these are not always an accurate representation of who we ARE. Maybe you were having a bad day. Perhaps you were not feeling well. Or, what if you were just having one of those days where you felt off. So many things can hinder us from showing on the outside who we are on the inside.

Now, we shouldn't misunderstand this to mean that we are off the hook for not showing on the outside who we are on the inside. That has been an excuse many have used before us. They used harsh words while claiming to be a kind person. They treated others horribly while claiming to be filled with the love of Christ. At some point who we are on the inside must begin to be seen on the outside. If we claim a change of heart by the risen Christ, then His presence in our life must show through our exterior in our words, deeds, priorities, and overall person. (see 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 2:20)

Back to the above Scripture passage... Who is it that fears the LORD? It is the one who has the

LORD as their first, primary, and sole trust. If we have a trust in anything or anyone other than Christ, then we are not one who fears the LORD, we are not one who trust Him as our all in all.

The whole book of Proverbs tell us that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom". (Proverbs 1:7) This fear, this awe, this reverence is the first step and evidence of a person who is filled with God's truth, God's understanding, and God's wisdom. Paul said, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise..." (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Let God grow in you and me a renewed awe in His glory, His greatness, His graciousness to us.

And may the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 be a guiding principle for our life, as the impetus for a life

that demonstrates the truth and love of Christ, our Lord.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths."

LET THE DISUNITY BEGIN!

2009-03-20T09:41:00.007-04:00

In recent days (although not a recent debate), conservative Christians have been arguing over the sinfulness or acceptability of infant baptism (referred to as paedo-baptism). It is interesting to see how friendly, and yet how heated the rhetoric is becoming. Here are some links to what has been said:

http://9marks.org/CC/article/0,,PTID314526|CHID598014|CIID2468850,00.html

http://euangelizomai.blogspot.com/2009/03/soggy-fish-award-mark-dever.html

http://blog.9marks.org/2009/03/the-sin-of-infant-baptism-written-by-a-sinning-

baptist.html http://heidelblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/for-

what-its-worth-this-paedo-is-not-offended/

But, if you don't want to wade thorough this important, but ridiculous debate, here are some thought I have posted on some sites about the issue of infant or believer's baptism. While you will notice that I am not advocating a position on one or the other (that's not to say I don't have one), I think there is a more pressing issue at stake. To that I speak and declare...

I genuinely appreciate the sincerity of those offering their understanding and conviction about infant or believer's baptism. But, if I may, let's step back for a bit of perspective for just a moment.

I am a pastor in a "sinking ship" denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA). As a servant of Christ in this sick denomination I share the same core convictions as any other conservative, evangelical, orthodox, Bible-believing, born again Christian. But let me share with you what we are facing in the PC (USA)...

We are divided on who is Jesus Christ.
We are divided on what is the Trinity.
We are divided on what is Scripture.
We are divided on what is Truth.
We are divided on what is sin, salvation, and sanctification.
We are divided on Israel/Palestine.
We are divided on issues of sexuality, abortion, social justice, marriage, etc.
We are divided on what it means to be Reformed.
We are divided on EVERYTHING!

As a servant of Christ in this denomination I am battling for the reestablishment of truth, the central authority of Scripture, the reality and relevance of God, and on and on. Needless to say, baptism is almost lost as an issue of contention while we contend for even more foundational issues.

Therefore, the perspective I would like to offer is this... Simply by the fact that a debate over infant or believer's baptism is "raging" among Christians who agree on so much other stuff, I find it interesting that you are arguing at all. It goes to show this: no matter how much unity there may be in church, we still will find things to fight over, even if it be the color of sanctuary carpeting.

So I offer this exhortation... Let the conversation continue, while also affirming the overwhelming majority of important theological things with which we are in agreement. Let us a be a witness to such dying streams of the church as the PC (USA) that Christian's are people of the truth, but are also are people who are intensely united around and in Jesus Christ who is our Lord and Head. That is what a dying world needs. That is what a dying church needs.

LENT 2009 - Day 21

2009-03-20T08:41:00.005-04:00

"I am weary with my moaning, every night I flood my bedwith tears; I drench my couch with my weeping."

Psalm 6:6

When was the last time you had a good cry? Now, guys don't be too quick to respond. And ladies, we won't make any assumptions about you. But, the truth is, we all shed tears occasionally. The difference is, what is it that we are shedding tears over?

The loss of a loved one. Being layed off or let go from a job. The defeat of our sports team. Another birthday (mine is today and I'm NOT crying!). A touching story or movie. Hitting our thumb with a hammer. We cry over all kinds of things. With all this talk about crying, when was the last time you cried in the presence of God?

David, in Psalm 6, is faced with a very troubling situation. But that is not the ultimate cause of his tears. It is the awareness of his life lived in the presence and power of God's great care. Try reading the whole Psalm and see what I mean. It's a good one: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Psalm+6&src=esv.org

When we realize and embrace the truth that our life is God's, we belong to Him, and all we do is done in Him, then we begin to appreciate how humbling and amazing it is to be a member of God's family. God lives in us. God lives through us. God is our all in all!

If you're still not convinced of how awesome it is to have our lives lived in and through God, then consider these few verses from Colossians:

"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

"For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (Colossians 1:29)

"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3)

Know to whom you belong and then rejoice eternally in being His child!

LENT 2009 - Day 20

2009-03-19T09:10:00.004-04:00

"When the king heard the words of the Book of the Lawe, he tore his clothes."

2 Kings 22:11

What really gets you going? I mean, what would it take for you to get so fed up with life as usual, the status quo of your life, so that you make a radical change? Suppose it is losing weight, your diet, the priorities you have set, the way you manage your money, etc. What would it take for you to drastic changes to take place in your life?

Some have likened it to waking up from a dream. Suddenly they just see the world, their lives more clearly. Others have had to hit a dire crisis to get their attention. Still others have experienced changes in their lives and lifestyles that were beyond their control; they were made for them!

Josiah, the king referred to in the above Scripture passage, is the the one who tears his clothes. He has such a drastic response to the Word of God. Now that may seem a bit over the top, but we must remember that most of us live with multiple Bibles in our homes, or we can read hundreds of versions of the Bible on the internet. Josiah, on the other hand, had never heard the Word of God for himself. It had been lost. And by consequence, the people and nation had wandered far off the path God had designed for them to follow.

Josiah, as the king, responded to God's Word in radical ways to stem the tide of wickedness, godlessness, and spiritual indifference. Josiah reestablished the worship of the one true God as the heart and life of the nation. All, and I do mean all, distractions from the people seeking and serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were removed, destroyed, and put to death. Not that is radical.

Is there something you are holding back from God today? Is there some aspect of your life that God is not yet fully Lord of? Are you genuinely His disciple, yet still kind of live the life you want with God only an aside to your daily agenda. Josiah shows us our necessity of God being our all in all. Similarly, Josiah shows us that returning to God must be an immediate, God directed, and full surrender. And lastly, our life of faith and service of the Heavenly King must always be ordered by His Word.

Today, let's all get right with God.

LENT 2009 - Day 19

2009-03-18T08:55:00.002-04:00

"David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.'"

2 Samuel 12:13

If you have ever lied, then you also know how hard it is to cover it up. Tirelessly you work to chase every rabbit-trail, every connection, every overlooked detail so that you are not caught in your lie. If you are anything like me, and I be you are, then you have probably gotten away with a lie at some time. When this happens, it does something in us. It emboldens us to lie a little more easily the next time. Soon, our live is lived in a web of lies. Eventually, we are so entangled in this life of lies that we collapse under the weight of covering our lies, or worse, we finally get caught in a gross lie and all crumbles to the ground.

Lying, the practice of lying, reminds us of something very important. Evil is always easier than good. Wrong always seems smoother than right. I think that is why so much time, effort, money, education, media spin, etc. is given to the idea that there are no moral absolutes, no genuine and real standard to which every person is accountable. Rather, it is easier to let right and wrong be established by each individual person, or smaller collective groups of people. Because, if there is a morally absolute standard to which all are accountable, then we are left with the great challenge of living by and up to that standard. It is far easier to live according to our lower and looser standards, than God's standard. So, let's just get rid of God and His standard!

David found himself in exactly this situation. While he was genuinely devoted to God, he had a moral dilemma. His eye had caught the beauty of Bathsheba. His heart had become intoxicated with desire for Bathsheba. His mind became obsessed with the thought of Bathsheba. As king, David wanted Bathsheba, so he got Bathsheba. The problem is, David and Bathsheba were already married. Each of them were now guilty of marital unfaithfulness - adultery.

David embarks on the difficult and all-consuming task of covering his tracks. He tries everything. Bathsheba is found to be pregnant. To fix this problem, David brings Bathsheba's husband back from battle so maybe they would be together. Her husband, Uriah, is such a man of devotion to the king and to his work as a soldier he refrains from distracting himself from his military work. David comes up with another option. He sends Uriah to the place of the fiercest fighting so that Uriah might die in battle. In fact, that is what happens. Uriah is killed. David swoops in and takes Bathsheba as his wife. Everything is all better now right!

Let's briefly peel back David's problem. First, he found himself desiring another man's wife. Second, David was acting unfaithfully to his own family. Third, David acts on his desire and cheats on his wife. Fourth, with a new baby expected David tries to pin it on Uriah. Fifth, David has Uriah killed.

David's initial bad choice and act spiraled out of control. In the end, as he is confronted by Nathan the prophet, David came clean. He admitted his wrongdoing. He repented. He confessed that against God he had sinned. He saw his life in relation to God's standard, not the wishy-washy standard of David's heart.

Here is the good news, even the gravest of sins God can and will forgive. We need only to admit our wrong, and with sincerity of heart confess our sin to God. The apostle John had something to say about that in 1 John 1:9:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Now there is one of the greatest promises of the Bible. Take some time to see this great promise made real in your life.

LENT 2009 - Day 18

2009-03-17T10:41:00.004-04:00

"For to me to live is Chirst, and to die is gain."

Philippians 1:21

For this St. Patrick's Day, read and reflect on this prayer, the enscription often called "St. Patrick's Breastplate". In it lies a great challenge for Christ to be our all in all.

I bind unto myself today

The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same

The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever

By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;

His baptism in Jordan river,

His death on Cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spicèd tomb,

His riding up the heavenly way,

His coming at the day of doom

I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power

Of the great love of cherubim;

The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,

The service of the seraphim,

Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,

The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,

All good deeds done unto the Lord

And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today

The virtues of the star lit heaven,

The glorious sun’s life giving ray,

The whiteness of the moon at even,

he flashing of the lightning free,

The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,

The stable earth, the deep salt sea

Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward;

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,

The vice that gives temptation force,

The natural lusts that war within,

The hostile men that mar my course;

Or few or many, far or nigh,

In every place and in all hours,

Against their fierce hostility

I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,

Against false words of heresy,

Against the knowledge that defiles,

Against the heart’s idolatry,

Against the wizard’s evil craft,

Against the death wound and the burning,

The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,

Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,

The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three.

By Whom all nature hath creation,

Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

Praise to the Lord of my salvation,

Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

(From the Gaelic poem called "St. Patrick's Lorica")

LENT 2009 - Day 17

2009-03-16T10:26:00.008-04:00

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness."

Lamenations 3:22-23

This past winter has been especially bleak where we live. Cold, snowy, and dark. Did I mention cold? Every year, while fully immersed in the "dead" of winter, I wonder if life will ever come again. Looking over the drab landscape it amazes me that God brings life out of death.

He who created this wonderful and mysterious world has affected

a way to even bring life into our broken and dead lives. Sin and death do not have the last words, God does. God always does!

Right now we have buds beginning to form on the trees and bushes. The grass is beginning to shift its color from empty brown into a vibrant green. Birds are venturing out more bravely. The sun shine is warmer and brighter. Life is emerging once again on our little corner of the universe.

How great is God's faithfulness to creation, and to us. The promise or resurrection. The realization of life. God grows beautiful things, all for His glory, out of the fodder of our lives. His mercies are new EVERY MORNING. Every day is an opportunity for a fresh start with the Lord.

Seek Him this day. See Him grow His grace in your life. Serve Him as He works His power mightily in and through you. We don't have to live our lives as if we are already dead. Instead, we can live our lives as if we are already in eternity. Life with ceaseless praise to the God who brings life out of death. Praise be Him through our Lord Jesus Christ!

LENT 2009 - Day 16

2009-03-16T09:34:00.006-04:00

"I have sinned... because I feared the pople and obeyed their voice."

1 Samuel 15:24

Saul, the first king of Israel, committed a terrible offense. We might not consider it to be that bad, but in the eyes of God is was terrible. Saul followed public opinion and served as a people pleaser, rather than following God's opinion and living as a God pleaser. So what's the difference?

The difference in pretty glaring, but many Christians do blur the line. It is relatively easy these days to pay lip service to God, His will, His truth, His Son, and yet live, act, and serve with such selfwill in our hearts. And that's just pastors.

A wise man once told me upon my entrance into full time ministry: "You can serve your whole life chasing taller and taller steeples. At the end of your days, when you take stock of your life, you will be able to look back with nostalgia and say, 'What great things I have done.' Or, you can humbly and faithfully seek God's will while following His plans and end your life with a very different reflection. At the end of your days you will be able to say, 'How great is God! Look what He has done.' Steve, which do you want to be your response?"

Saul obviously didn't have someone to speak such encouragement into his life? Or did he. There was the prophet Samuel, who regularly spoke the word of God to Saul. Nevertheless, Saul did not heed this word, God's truth and direction. In the end, Saul was humbled by God's judgment. The throne was taken from Saul. Another was anointed in his place, the young man David.

Each of us has a choice before us, not just once for all, but each and every day. Whom will we serve? Self or the Savior? Earthly praise or heavenly reward? People's praise or God's praise? Today, search your heart's motives and resolve to surrender all to Him.

All to Jesus I surrender;

all to him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust him,

in his presence daily live.

("I Surrender All", by J. W. Van Deventer)

LENT 2009 - Day 15

2009-03-13T09:10:00.005-04:00

"Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."

Numbers 21:5

Have you ever noticed how old habits die hard? At last, we think we have finally shed some habit or vice only to have it rear its ugly head again. Perplexed, we cry, "Where did that come from!" Not much has changed in roughly 4000 years.

On multiple occasions the Israelities grumble. They grumbled against Moses (actually even before they left Egypt). They grumbled against God. They grumbled against each other. They grumbled against the wilderness. They grumbled against the Promised Land. They grumbled

against the food and drink they had, or did not have. They grumbled, grumbled, GRUMBLED!

Now picture a whining child. They grumble and complain. They fuss and fight. Not only are they indecisive, but they fret over any choice that is made saying, "But I don't want that." What an annoyance, right! Maybe we even hatch a plan to teach them a lesson. While our efforts are often a mix of correction and corrupted motives, God's efforts are eternally pure and right. Here is what God did when the people grumbled in Numbers 21.

God sent nasty snakes into the people. Whoever was bitten by a snake died. End of story! That should get their attention, right? It did, and in a hurry. They were so broken by their childish complaining that they admitted their wrong against God and against Moses. They were really sorry.

What made them grumble like this, though. Undoubtedly the wilderness was wearing on them.

Their fuses had grown short. Their tolerance had worn thin. The novelty of their wandering had long since worn off. The monotony of manna and quail and water had struck a nerve. They were fed up. While their disdain was with their circumstances how could they become disgusted with God? The truth is, we all do.

The Psalmist cried, "How long, O LORD?" (Psalm 13) Job loathed his own birth. (Job 3) And we, sometimes, can't take it any more. The problem is not with our circumstances or even our attitude. Our problem is with our allegiance! We don't turn to or trust God.

It's easy to trust God when things are good, the sailing is smooth, living seems easy and natural. Undoubtedly because it is in these times that we are able to trust in anything but God. It is a totally different story when the clouds begin to form on the horizon. At this point we begin to be troubled. My friends, our full reliance upon God ought to be in season and out of season, when it rains and when it shines, when the going is easy and when the going gets tough. If God is God, then we owe Him our trust always and forever.

O Lord, shed the fair-weather nature of our trust in you. And grow in us a trust that abides both day and night, all for your glory. Amen.

LENT 2009 - Day 14

2009-03-12T08:55:00.004-04:00

"Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned..."

Joshua 7:10-11a

As with most people, underdog stories are a weak spot of mine. Maybe it's the David & Goliath syndrome, I don't know. But watching an overmatched, underskilled, and out of place group take it to a giant is strangely gratifying. Besides, I have been known to shed a few tears while watching Remember the Titans.

With respect to the world, God's people have always been the underdog. Now I don't mean that God is to blame for our underprepared and anemic condition. That is part of the problem. Many times we are overlooked and underestimated because we appear weak. Let's be real, left to our own devices we are pretty weak. But God in us, that is a force to be reckoned with!

Joshua learned that when we walks on God's side there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. He watched God deliver His people out of Egypt, he experienced God provide for them in the wilderness, and he enjoyed the priviledge of being only two of his generation to enter the land God had promised to His people. Not only that, but God made Joshua the leader of the people as they went about taking this new land that God have given them.

Early on, Joshua learned that God is in charge. God has a plan and method, while maybe unorthodox to ordinary military tactics, that is effective. See, God had the people march around Jericho for seven days like a big parade. In the end, it worked and the walls fell down. The people of God took the city. The problem is, now they thought they were hot stuff. These underdogs got a taste of victory and it started to make them cocky.

The swagger in their step was setting God's people up for a great defeat and disappointment. Very quickly they began feeling like they had this warring thing down. Spies were sent to check out the next city. They easily decided that this place was nothing compared to Jericho, so they recommended only sending a portion of the army. Big mistake!

The Israelites decended upon Ai to take it with only 3000 warriors... and they received a swift defeat. Israel was left running and licking it's wounds. Joshua was devastated. He tore his clothes and immediately set about mourning, grieving, and repenting before God. But God had another idea about what Joshua should be doing.

In no uncertain terms God commanded Joshua to get up. God informed him that this is not the time for repentance. This was the time for something else.

This doesn't make sense though. I thought repentance was the right and fitting response to God when we have done wrong. Well it is, unless we have not yet taken care of the root of our problem.

Israel had sinned, but there was still more sin in the camp. God told Joshua to clean house, rid the people and the land of anything that is unclean, evil, and used to worship false gods. In other words, stop sinning so you can go about properly repenting.

In most underdog stories there comes a time when the team or people face a crisis of identity. They start out weak, and gradually they come together as they gain strength and confidence. But they aren't completely there yet. They must face a test, a great challenge to see what they're made of. In sports stories this usually means a tough loss mid-way through the story. This changing moment is crucial. There are two options they lay before them: 1) return to the people they used to be, 2) press on and press through this challenge into a new kind of people.

We must do the same. When we face defeat or challenge or discouragement, do we just fall back into our old way of life, our old habits, our old sin, or do we push through into that new life Christ has given us? I urge you, press through, clean house, and let God lead the way. Victory is sure when God is in charge.

Joshua tried a second time to defeat Ai. This time he did it God's way. And this time the people were successful. Sure something is there for us to learn.

LENT 2009 - Day 13

2009-03-11T13:08:00.004-04:00

"I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me."

Numbers 22:34

I have to admit, it is taking a great deal of restraint not playing word games with alternate names for donkey. I think you know what I mean. So instead of using "that word", I propose the use of the word "slurpie". You'll see what I mean in a little bit.

Balaam was a sooth-sayer, a psychic magician in the land of Moab (a neighboring land to Israel). The leaders of Moab caught wind of a wandering people, the Israelites, and that they were starting to encroach upon their land. In order to gain wisdom about what to do, they called upon Balaam, the local spiritist. However, God had warned Balaam not to associate, listen to, or even go up to these Moabite leaders. Balaam could only resist for a little while. Eventually he gave in to their persistent pleading. Against God's instruction, Balaam began to plot against God and His wandering people, all for some money.

So God sent the angel of the LORD to stop Balaam. So prominent and hard to miss would be the angel of the LORD, shrouded in the piercing brilliance of God's glory. But that is exactly what Balaam does - he misses the piercing brilliance of God's glory. Ironically this was a man who claimed to have the inside track on all things spiritual. For him to miss the presence of God shows the sham that Balaam really was.

God tries another approach. He speaks through Balaam's donkey, through his "slurpie". Here this "slurpie" shows Balaam what a "slurpie" he really is. All his revelations, insights, words, and advice has been a charade, a ploy and gimmick to make him rich.

It is by the voice of the "slurpie" that the "slurpie" humbles himself in repentance before God. He sees his wrong, his misguided motives, the scam-artist he has been, and now he longs to be set right with the Living God.

Here is the connection with the inserted word "slurpie". Who doesn't love a slurpie? They are a wonderful and refreshing treat on a long, dry, hot summer day. There is one catch, however. The flavor doesn't last as long as the ice. And if that weren't enough, the ice either gives us a "brain freeze" or melts into a watery mess.

Balaam was a "slurpie". His words enticed for a while, but left people empty. The people were in such a drought for truth that they ate up anything that sound remotely good. And as they gobbled up Balaam's empty words, only more pain resulted for them.

While there are many "good" things with which we can feed ourselves from this world, only one is "great" and satisfies. Take some time today to rediscover a love for God and His word to us in Holy Scripture. His word is not empty, and will not leave us in more pain. Rather, His word is a lamp unto our feet. His word is life to our bodies. His word is nourishment for our souls. His word is comfort and promise to every hurting heart.

God, grow in us a hunger for Your word as nourishment for our soul.

LENT 2009 - Day 12

2009-03-11T12:23:00.004-04:00

"This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong..."

Exodus 9:27

Throughout these forty-plus days of Lent 2009, I am offering daily reflections on repentance as a regular and necessary practice in the life of every follower of Christ. While early on I have attempted to explore some of the more technical aspects of repentance, Day 11 turned a corner for us in our reflections together.

Now, beginning with Joseph and his brothers, we are taking a look at the many people, in many times and in many places, where they have repented for their sin in reference to Almighty God. Although this is not an exhaustive look at every instance of repentance (to do this would require a lengthy look at every event on every page in every book of the Bible), it will be a pretty thorough glance at repentance as it was embodied in a wide variety of people, some faithful and godly, others desperately wicked and godless. Today's reflection offers a look at Pharoah.

Re-read the verse at the top of this entry. Do you notice one small phrase, a very important "qualifier" of Pharoah's repentant words to Moses? The phrase is "this time". Pharoah was upset that he was caught in his wicked rebellion against God and His word "this time", but not as a chronic condition of his heart.

Pharoah's cry of repentance comes after Moses and Aaron have been messengers of seven of God's plagues. Pharoah makes a similar cry of repentance after plague number eight (see Exodus 10:16-17). How unfortunate it took seven, even eight plagues, challenges, crises, obstacles to get Pharoah's attention. Yet, God did not have Pharoah's full attention. Yes, he will let the God's people go after the tenth plague, but his heart hardens one last time against Moses, Aaron, the people of God, and against God Himself. He pursues them with reckless abandon, throwing caution to the wind. His only concern was to vindicate himself, to protect the laziness and livelihood of Egypt, and to assert himself as a mini-sovereign, even over God.

Well who has the final word? God does, of course! The separated walls of the Red Sea decimate Pharoah's charging army. More importantly God humbles Pharoah in the sight of Egypt, in the sight of God's people, and in the sight of God Himself.

I invite you to recall the warning of James 4:6:

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Like Pharoah, if we are inclined to assert ourselves in proud authority over others, even over God, then God has a word for you (AND FOR ME!). God will knock us down to where we belong, reverently bowing before Him. More importantly though, if we gladly bow before Him in love and worship, then God gladly and gloriously gifts us with His grace.

To irreverently botch Shakespeare, consider a revision his classic poetic phrase: To be like Pharoah or not to be like Pharoah, that is the question.

LENT 2009 - Day 11

2009-03-11T09:39:00.002-04:00

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good..."

Genesis 50:20a

Perhaps your memory has covered over the incident, but odds are that at some point in your life you have been really hurt or wounded by someone.

Or,maybe the memory of this offense hasn't faded. Instead it is vivid and real. The hurt still stings as if the wound was cut yesterday.

Such was the situation between Joseph and his brothers. Now, the fact is that all of them in the end were guilty of inflicting deep wounds. Joseph, as an ambitious and eager youth, boldly flaunted the vision God has given him about his brothers and his parents. They would one day bow in worship before him. What delusions of grandeur, right? Needless to say, Joseph hurt his family.

His brothers were hurt further when their father, Jacob, favored Joseph over the other ten brothers. Being mom or dad's favorite does a lot to solidify hurt in our hearts, doesn't it?

Fast-forward to the end of the story... Joseph has been sold as a slave by his brothers. He ends up in Egypt, first as an attendant to Potiphar, one of Pharoah's army generals, then in prison after the deceptive desire of Potiphar's wife, and finally as second in command over all of Egypt. Talk about going from the depths of despair to the heights of power and privilege. In the end, a great famine drives Joseph's family to Egypt to buy food where the whole family is reunited.

After their father Jacob dies, Joseph's brothers fear that he may now take out his anger upon them in some horrible revenge against them. Let's be honest, opportunity for revenge usually means we take revenge. Joseph's brothers new what they would do, what they had done. Even better, Joseph's brothers understood what we would probably do, too.

To quench the fire of Joseph's revenge, they plead for mercy. They call upon the name, reputation, and word of their father to extinguish the flames of Joseph's fuming anger. But, they have sorely underestimated their brother. Joseph had come to understand the bigger picture of what God can and does do. He knew, even before Paul penned these words, "that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

God is able to take the good and bad, the pleasant and painful, the comforting and the hurting, and make a life that is good and pleasing to Him. God is able to heal our hurts, cover over our pains, and renew us in joyful love even for those who wound us.

Take some time to seek the Balm of Gilead, to experience His deep work of healing, and to release others from the the prison of their debt against you. God will renew your strength, your joy, and your love for your neighbor.

LENT 2009 - Day 10

2009-03-11T09:10:00.004-04:00

"For freedom Christ has set us free..."

Galatians 5:1a

As movies of deliverance and freedom go, Braveheart can not be much improved upon. What a radical William Wallace was. He would not allow himself to be imprisoned by a law that was unjustly binding over him. The English king was not his king. In history we learn that Christ was ultimately Wallace's King!

In this scene the Irish and the Scots are set to go to battle in an attempt to live into the freedom that was truly theirs. What I mean is, in heart and mind and spirit they were already free. The task before them was to see this inward freedom become a reality in their outward lives. This struggle continues to this day.

What holds you imprisoned? What has imprisoned you and held you captive? Where in your life do you find shackles chaining you to defeat? Whatever it might be, hear these words again... "For freedom Christ has set us free!"

Christ's suffering and death was in one respect Godward. It fulfilled God's righteous requirement of holiness and perfection, exactly what we are powerless to do as those imprisoned by sin. Christ's suffering and death was also humanward. He took away our shame, our guilt, our brokenness, our rebelliousness, and gave us His perfection, holiness, righteousness, goodness, etc. We have been made new!

Our struggle then, is not to fix ourselves up, but to work out what God has worked in us. Our task is to so walk in step with the Holy Spirit that we will see in our outward life a demonstration of the freedom and liberty of spirit that is our as Christ's redeemed.

So, I'm going to ask you to do a somewhat strange thing. Take a good look around you. See if you are all alone. Once you have established the fact that it is just you and God whereever you are, then do this. Scream at the top of your lungs... "FREEDOM IN CHRIST IS MINE!"

If it doesn't work the first time, then try again. But what I'm asking you to do is declare to yourself and to the realm around you that Christ now reigns in freedom in your life.

As those who are free in Christ, let us now live as those who are free in Christ.

LENT 2009 - Day 09

2009-03-06T10:00:00.002-05:00

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."

Psalm 42:1

Left to our own devices we really don't have a hunger for God, at least not a hunger that dominates all other appetites. Instead, we have appetites for people, for things, for fame, for just about anything else as a replacement for an innate hunger for God, that God Himself has placed within us.

There are two things I love and have a constant appetite for no matter how full I might be. They are coffee and peanut butter. Now if Reese's could come up with that delectable, classic combination of coffee and peanut butter I might sell the farm. So, no matter how stuffed I might be, if someone were to offer me a cup of coffee or a peanut butter ANYTHING it takes the spiritual gift of self-control to say no.

Well, Psalm 42 tells us of that hidden hunger inside each of us that will only find its satisfaction in God. Notice...

The deer longs for, it pants out of dire thirst, not for just any body of water, but a fresh and free-flowing stream of cool water. This description is analogous to the hunger we are to have for God. He alone can quench the thirst. He alone is refreshing. He alone offers grace and comfort that is free and ever flowing. He alone provides nourishment for our soul.

While we live with disappointments, discouragements, and defeats in life, that is not the end of it all. We will never be disappointed, discouraged, or defeated as one who seeks, finds, and rests in God.

A. W. Tozer says it this way in his book, The Pursuit of God:

"For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."

It can't be said much better than that. Happy Day 9 of Lent. Amen.

THE TRILLION DOLLAR QUESTION

2009-03-06T09:03:00.003-05:00

No, this is not an entry on politics, government, or money. Rather, these thoughts are about someting much more confusing and frustrating (at times).

What is that one statement we loath hearing from the back seat of a long car ride? Here's my top five:

5. "Stop touching me." Actually, this one comes in many forms. It could be stop touching, stop looking, stop breathing, stop smiling, stop frowning, stop stop stop!

4. "I have to go to the bathroom." Now it is a troubling one. After all, we just stopped and we were told that no one had to go to the bathroom. So we might be inclined to say, "Tough!" On the other hand, we can't remember if we added scotch-gaurd seats to the package when we bought the car. O, what to do.

3. "I'm hungry." Just look at number 4 again and insert "hungry" for "bathroom" and we get much the same idea.

2. "Look!" Many of us might really be interested in this one, but there is one problem. We don't know where to look: ahead, behind, to the left, to the right, at the ground, in the sky. A second problem concerns our first responsibility: driving or navagating. So, like most of us, we politely say, "I can't right now, thanks."

1. "Are we there yet." There is the grand-daddy of them all. Miscommunicated through our outburst of anger are these thoughts. If we were there, the car would be stopped. You would see "there" out the window. We would be telling you to unbuckle your seatbelt. We would be opening our door and getting out of the car. There are so many signs that would show that we were in fact "there". Instead, all we can do is yell, "NO!"

What is this all about. While we are not necessarily still an impatient child sitting in the backseat of a car, in spirit we are still there. Consider Paul's words from 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

As a follower of Christ, in a sense we are sitting in the backseat while He, God, drives our lives in the direction and to the destination He has purposed. And in the end, the goal of it all is an eternal weight of glory, a far surpassing and exceedingly great destination. So we don't lose heart. (see 2 Corinthians 4:16) Instead, we continue to place our trust in our Heavenly Father, He who hides us in the shelter of His wings. (Psalm 17:8)

Let us renew our trust and devotion to Him who drives our life. Though we may be bothered by those around us (# 1), we may need relief, rest, food, or acknowledgment of what we see (# 2-4), ultimately we can know that in God's time we will arrive at His destination for us.

LENT 2009 - Day 08

2009-03-04T22:38:00.004-05:00

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth."

(Job 19:25)

Job was a man well acquainted with hardship. Some fault was his own, after all he was born under the curse of Adam's sin. But, God Himself identified Job as a man who was faultless and blameless. Yet, Job saw fit to act out his repentance before his family, his friends, and a watching public. Even amid his friends examination and exhortation to admit his wrong and be set right with God once again, Job maintained a right approach to God - one of humble acknowledgment that God is God and he was not!

Where did Job's steadfast faith and firm conviction come from? I am convinced that Job was a man who knew that God was real, God was in control, that all of life is lived in the light of God's plan and purpose, and the proper posture of any person before Almighty God was that of worship. So Job's strength and confidence came from the certainty of God. Our strength must also find its source in the certainty of God.

All this talk about sin, repentance, and a right standing before God only matters if God is really there, and God is who He says He is. Do you have that certainty? If so, praise God. If not, then ask God to show Himself to you as your Redeemer, as the one who loves you and gave His life for you.

Remember, Lent is about being found by God. May God truly find each of us today - every day! O, to live everyday in the hope and assurance that "my Redeemer lives."

LENT 2009 - Day 07

2009-03-04T22:14:00.003-05:00

How do you show that you're sorry? Do you cry? Do you grovel at another's feet? Do you repeat an apology over and over?

How about this... Do you throw on your burlap sack and douce yourself with soot from the fireplace? That's right, the ancient practice of wearing sackcloth and ashes. At one time this was the way to display and act out your repentance. So what's so special about this scratchy fabric and smeary dirt?

Sackcloth was worn as a sign of mourning. It rubbed against our skin as a constant reminder of our grief or sorrow. Sackcloth is also a common and cheap material. It replaces the glory and splendor of our "Sunday's best". By wearing this coarse material we shed ourselves of comfort, wealth, and all the reminders of self-dependence (most likely the reason we are in the position of which we need to repent!).

What about ashes? They signify complete waste and desolation. As a result we display our weakness and utter emptiness. Much like the waste left behind a forest fire, ashes show that we are lost apart from Christ.

So if you're sorry and wish to repent of wrongdoing, then let's run right out to the barn and grab that burlap. Scoop out some of those ashes. Is that really what we need to do? Not necessarily.

But, our brokenness and need to repent is not a private matter, just between you and God. Sin is a public issue. It affects all of us. A transgression in one way, shape or form, touches us eventually. Therefore, we must seek ways of displaying our sorrow, not to draw attention to or glory in one anothers "religiosity". Rather, let's take seriously God's call to holiness. Let there be no sin in the camp, or at least let us not be content to excuse one anothers "minor discretions". And let us make it a priority to keep short accounts of wrongdoing against one another.

Imagine how radically different our witness would be if we lived the Gospel like this before a watching and wondering world. Maybe they might actually come to believe that we really do believe what we profess. Now that would be awesome.

LENT 2009 - Day 06

2009-03-03T14:34:00.002-05:00

Repentance, as the overall act of stopping, turning, and moving in a new direction, is closely linked the practice of CONFESSION. Unlike repentance as the big picture, confession is the heart of repentance. Confession is the flat-out admission of guilt (the subject of Day 05). But why do we confess? That is the crucial question.

As I see it there are five main reasons we might confess (I know there may be more):

Because we are told to confess. In this sense we do it out of fear, because we have been threatened by punishment. Our sole intention is to avoid punishment without really being sorry.
Because we see our own guilt. In this sense we see ourselves more clearly than we once had. Now we see ourselves as we truly are - people made and loved by God, but desperately corrupted and controlled by the power of sin.
Because we see how we hurt others. In this sense we come to recognize that our actions, attitudes, words, and secret thoughts and desires affect others. We hurt them by what we do or say.
Because we are less than we could be. In this sense we see that we were made for a different kind of life, to be a better person. And we are not there right now, nor are we even close.
Because we rebel against God. In this sense we see that God and His glory have been injured.

Which seems right? Is there one that sits more comfortably with you than the others? Is there one (or more than one) that just plain bothers you? While all five are true in many ways, it is number five that must be the first motive and engine of our confession.

Yes, we are guilty and deserve punishment for wrong doing (#1). A sense of our own guilt does in some ways drive our confession (#2). Surely our actions, attitudes, etc. do impact people and they must be dealt with (# 3). We have (and continue to) fall short of God's glory (#4). But at the heart of our need to confess and repent is this: we have sullied God's glory.

As people made in God's image (in His likeness), we ought to see God's character, activity, and reality in every person. Instead, we see self, pride, etc. etc. We tarnish the image of God in us. And by virtue of that act we tarnish the image of God before His creation.

Gain a sense of God's glory and we find there is much we have to confess.

LENT 2009 - Day 05

2009-03-03T13:41:00.003-05:00

I fear the last reflection may mislead us with a subtle message that is wrong and grossly unbiblical.

Repentance, while a human act, springs forth from a work God does in us before we are even aware of it. What I mean is, before we even take a step toward God, shift our thinking toward God, or feel in our heart the least bit of love for God, God has already been at work in our lives. Remember, we bring nothing to the table when it comes to us drawing near to God. Actually our drawing near to God is His act of drawing us to Himself.

Paul said it this way in Philippians 2:13... "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Did you hear that? Did you see that? God works in us first. As a response we then long for ("to will") and live for ("to work") His glory ("his good pleasure").

So the real "first move" of repentance is God getting our attention. And by the time we have our attention on God, He has already been at work in us getting us to that point.

This is awesome, huh? Well, actually God is awesome!

God, get a hold of us.

LENT 2009 - Day 04

2009-03-03T13:22:00.002-05:00

Repentance is the theme I am exploring this Lenten Season. While some basic definitions and mechanics have been touched on in these first few days, now we will look a little more closely at some specifics about repentance.

The first "move" of repentance is THE RECOGNITION OF WRONGS. Certainly each of us have known someone who was clearly in the wrong. They may have hurt us, or we may know full well they have crossed a line with someone that was terribly wrong. To our frustration, though, this person has no clue! They don't see it, nor do they want to see it. In fact, they brush off our contempt as if it were our problem or our fault. How utterly frustrating and aggravating it is when we encounter such a person.

Now imagine we are the guilty party. How deep must the agitation be for those folks who see more clearly than we do our own guilt. What about when our action or attitude has injured God? There we are, guilty of an offense against God and we have no clue.

Well, repentance involves a coming to our senses, seeing things as they truly are, and taking some action to deal with our guilt. There are a whole host of things we can do to deal with guilt. We can stuff it by pretending it isn't there. We can deaden it hoping its sting goes away. We can deny it as a hoax, as a figment of our imagination. On and on can go various ways of dealing with guilt without really dealing with it - all these ways simply last for a while until it rears its head in our hearts again.

Repentance, true Biblical repentance, begins with the recognition of wrongs. It admits our accuser is right. We are wrong. We must change in relation to the world, to others, to God, not the other way around. And rather than making some change the first move it is the act of amitting we are wrong that is the first move. No action can change the state of our heart. Our heart (our inner drive and ambition) must stop before it can be turned around.

Only after we admit where we are can we then begin to move a direction that is good, right, and pleasing to God. No human effort sets us right with God. Only God sets us right as we come to our senses and confess our dire need of him.

Take some time to stop, look, and see where you are. Perhaps you will find that you might have some wrongs to own up to and admit to God.

LENT 2009 - Day 03

2009-03-03T13:07:00.002-05:00

The Bible refers to many numbers throughout the 66 books contained within its cover. One number referenced almost 100 times (a pretty significant number in itself) is the number '40'. Let's look briefly at this humble number.

Forty is most often associated with struggle, hardship, punishment, or cleansing. Consider the forty years of wandering in the wilderness by the Israelites. Moses was on the mountain with God for forty days at a time. Jesus himself spent forty days fasting, praying, and wrestling with evil while in the wilderness. Forty invites us to draw near to God, to encounter God, to be confronted by God, and to be transformed by God. Forty is just enough time for us to die to ourselves that Christ might be born anew in us, that the renewing work of the Holy Spirit might be revealed in us, and that intimacy with the Father might be restored to us.

Lent is a season of forty. Take the time, give the time, utilize the time to draw near to God. One time tested truth is this: God will not and does not pass up any serious offering on our part to draw near to Him. And in the end, you will never be the same again - for the better of course!

WHEN BAD REALLY IS BAD!

2009-03-02T12:08:00.011-05:00

"They have healed the wounds of my people lightly, saying,

Peace, peace,' when there is no peace."

Jeremiah 8:11

There is much about the world, our nation, and the church that should greatly encourage us. But even as I try to bring to mind just a small portion of those things that ought to encourage, I am in short supply. Instead, there is an overwhelming sense of dread looming in the air. Can you feel it? I sure can.

This dread isn't directed at our national leadership, the sad state of the economy, or looming threats from people or nations that wish harm upon us. No! Instead, this dread is rooted in the misdiagnosis the vast majority of people are living with for what really ails us. For in the end this restlessness is not caused by unemployment rates, a big drop on the Dow Jones, or a flawed or failing policy instituted by our leaders. What ails us is a plague and curse much deeper. These other factors are only symptoms of a deeper sickness.

For a very long time we as a nation, a culture, and a world have been able to deaden our awareness of this dis-ease, or we have been able to live completely unaware of it. But no longer! Now we must face our fears. The world isn't as nice as it has seemed. People, left to their own devices (when everyone does what is right in their own eyes), do not have all the answers. God really does come to bear on every area of life, not just those privatized moments as secularism has claimed.

What are we to do with this unrest, this sickness, this dis-ease - THIS SIN? Cast ourselves at the feet of the Savior, the only mediator between God and men. The One who is both just and the justifier. The One who died in our place, for our guilt, out of His love for you and me.

Do not buy into the lie or be decieved by the promise of peace by any other means than by the Lord Jesus Christ. No well written and crafted speech by a president, no new and glitzy law by our leaders, no surge and gain by the stock market, not even a gospel preached by pastors promising prosperity without a cost... They only way of peace is by bending in adoration and thanksgiving before the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Join me in bowing to Him who alone is worthy.

WHY?

2009-03-01T16:07:00.002-05:00

Have you ever seen something and wondered what in the world is that about? This clip did that for me. What do you think this is about?

Please help me!

LENT 2009 - Day 02

2009-02-28T15:04:00.005-05:00

Have you ever had a change of heart? You know, where you sorely disliked someone or something, but one day something changed. Suddenly that person or that thing became appealing to you. Springing from an internal change grew an outward change of action and attitude.

I once had this happen. There was a time when I absolutely hated carrots. I don't know why. Now I think carrots are one of the greatest foods. Cooked, raw, old and shriveled, dirty right from the garden, it doesn't matter now - I love carrots! What changed? My acceptance of their goodness? The irrationality of my dislike (maybe they were too crunchy!)? All I know is that a change was wrought inside of me toward carrots that grew in me a love of them. Such is the work that needs to take place in us toward God.

Pastors and teachers of the Bible know this change by the term "repentance". To repent means to turn around, to stop and completely change the direction in which we are heading. Repentance in us develops as God begins to work in us. He shows us how dispicable, rebellious, and broken we are in the light of His perfection, goodness, and glory. As we see our condition, God reveals to us that in Christ, by Christ, and through Christ alone are we able to change, to be changed. The right response of those in whom God does this work of revealing is REPENTANCE. We come to our senses, we stop the life we are living, and we embrace the new life that God gifts to us in Jesus Christ.

The first step of Lent must be a right view of ourselves, a right view of God, and a repentant heart. Join me in turning from our broken, rebellious, and wicked way of life and let us fix our gaze and ambition on following the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, show me your glory, show me who I am in the light of your glory, and do a work in me that brings me from the darkness into the light of your presence.

LENT 2009 - Day 01

2009-02-28T14:55:00.004-05:00

Lent has been a sorely misunderstood and often overlooked season of church life in Protestant and evangelical quarters. This has been to our loss. Lent is a powerful time of preparation for Easter. Like so many other aspects of our life, we rush into them without much thought, without much preparation, without much reverence for where we are or what we're doing or why we're doing it. Lent has suffered the same fate.

Lent, simply put, begins on Ash Wednesday and represents the 40 days (minus Sundays) from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. Lent, by definition, means to allow possession of. During these six plus weeks of Lent we are to put ourselves in a place where God is allowed a greater, if not entire, possession of who we are. After all, as St. Augustine once said, "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you."

May this be a time of drawing near to God. And during these 40+ days, may God grow as the One who reigns supreme in your life, in my life, in the life of the church.

Lord, take possession of our lives that You may be Lord and that Your will may be done.

Yet Another Video

2009-02-23T12:26:00.003-05:00

If any parent wants to be challenged, then give the message of this video clip long and thoughtful consideration... Remembe we live as those constantly watched!

Some Lite Christian Humor?

2009-02-23T12:18:00.004-05:00

Some years ago I saw this clip on a blooper program. Recently I was reminded of this hilarious video clip. As you watch it offer your thoughts. I waffle back and forth between side-splitting laughter and a real sense that God might actually work through the odd in our lives.

Enjoy!

A Second American Revolution?

2009-02-16T22:14:00.007-05:00

While I know this is a hiatus from the stream of thought I have been proposing, there is a pressing reality I am feeling compelled to address. So, here it goes...

There is a real discontent gurgling in the hearts and minds of many conservative Christians right now. Explanations are many, but at the heart of it seems to be this: there is the feeling that we have lost not only representation, but an understanding in the wider culture of our core convictions and worldview.

This void exists not only with us evangelicals. These same issues are at work when it comes to who Americans are in 2009. We feel we have lost representation, and America's core convictions and worldview has been lost. If you don't believe me, consider the discrepancy between what elected officials (Republican and Democrat) are doing through the legislative process and what the federalist and anti-federalist founders of the American Constitution stood for.

Who the average citizen is and what they stand for is not "represented" in who and what elected officals are. Corruption, greed, and unabated power are at work, while the average citizen is callously held accountable to corruption, greed, and power. Where's the equality?

By way of presenting a more substantial and well thought through argument about this reality, I direct your attention to a portion of D. A. Carson's book, Christ & Culture Revisited (Chapter Four to be more specific).

Carson presents a developing argument this way. First, secularization has exerted it's seductive grip upon the culture. Second, democracy, while perhaps the pinnacle of human devised government, is really a mystique. Third, freedom has become the almighty god we now worship. Fourth, power becomes the highest ambition to which our heart aspires.

Wow! I know, you're probably thinking this is way over my head. So let's slow down and make this chewable and digestable.

First, the seduction of secularization. Basically, "secularization" involves the squeezing of anything religious to the boundaries of life. Unlike pressing the juice out of grapes, a fine wine does not become the final product. Instead, "secularization" patiently and gradually removes anything religious from the public arena, thus reducing it to a completely private matter. In the end we are not allowed to talk about anything religous in public, nor can we make the claim that religious ideas have anything helpful to say to public issues.

Second, the mystique of democracy. Democracy, as a form of government, was originally intended to be the rule by people for the work of preserving the rights of all people. Democracy now claims to preserve the rights of all people so long as these "all people" fit the popularized values. But remember, these popularized values have been stripped of any religious influence due to the squeezing of all things religious to the private realm. In the end democracy ceases to preserve the rights of all people unless that means people have the right to do whatever they want. Out the door goes the rule of law.

Third, the worship of freedom. As democracy preserves yours and my right to do whatever I want, unrestrained freedom rules the day. The individual becomes free to do whatever the individual pleases. In this "culture" there exists no common good as there once did. Now there is only the individual good! No wonder our sense of family, community, and national identity have disintigrated. The worship of freedom erodes family, community, and national identity.

Fourth, the lust for power. As secularization squeezes out public religion, the unchecked rights of all are preserved, and the individual is complete free to do as they please, there is no reason to stop there. The ball has picked up so much speed that it becomes nearly impossible to slow down. Each and ever person can now move unhindered in their quest for total control!

Here is where we are today. The personal and very public pursuit of total control. Control of each other. Control of everything. Control of God! Unfortunately we have long since forgotten what happens when someone tries to sack the throne of God. God does not and will not permit a challenge to His authority.

It is time that the rule and reign of God as sovereign and supreme over all tribes, all languages, and all nations is revered again. It seems time for a second American revolution. This time, not a political revolution, but a God-revolution! Isn't that what we do as we pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Let that be our prayer, and this time let's mean it!

Firmly Fixed Nowhere

2009-01-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

Reference points are critical for almost every area of life. They help establish were we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. They give guidance to and help shape our life and our living. Unfortunately awareness of and adherence to reference points is rapidly disappearing from our world today.

Imagine trying to land a plane on a dark night without runway lights. Consider the difficulty of staying on a fog covered country road with no outside white line to mark the roads edge. How difficult would it be to play a game of soccer without clear and marked out-of-bounds lines?

In each of these scenarios we run the risk of pain, problems, and pointlessness. Short of a miracle the plane would surely crash. After peeling our hands off of the steering wheel we might arrive at our destination without incident. Rapidly the soccer game would slip into chaos as players chase the elusive ball off into the distance.

Without a reference point life becomes weightless, meaningless, rootless, and ruthless. This becomes especially so when we accept the lie that truth, absolutes, or a universally binding moral standard does not exist. Without truth how can we discern a lie! Without absolutes we are left with feelings, and I don’t know about you, but my feelings are about as consistent as a weather forecast. Without a moral standard everyone is left to do what is right in their own eyes. This might not sound so bad until another’s standard collides with my standard. How then can we tell who is right?

In our contemporary day, reference points of almost every kind are being eroded, torn down, and demolished. Yet, Christ, and the Christian faith, is one unique and clear voice reminding us that a true, absolute, and morally binding reference point does exist.

What does all this have to do with you and me right now? I believe we have an urgent need to become reacquainted with God’s truth and its relevance to our lives and world. In the ensuing months I will examine these “reference points”, these “essential truths” of the Christian faith. Check it out and become firmly fixed to Jesus Christ, the One who is TRUTH.

Firmly Fixed Nowhere - Sources for Study

2009-01-26T21:37:00.004-05:00

I know that most of these are often quoted and referenced sources when it comes to theology. There good reason that they are so popular. That's because they are classics, they are great, and they stand head and shoulders above most of the other writings out there when it comes to articulating the historic, orthodox, evangelical Christian faith.

Check them out. They have greatly informed my own understanding of God's message to us in Holy Scripture. Enjoy, learn, and grow!

Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin

Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, R. C. Sproul

Christian Foundations, 7 vols., Donald Bloesch

Our Sovereign Savior: The Essence of the Reformed Faith, Roger Nicole

The "First" of the Kingdom

2009-01-15T12:42:00.004-05:00

Made for Devotion

At our most basic element we are a people made for devotion. God has created us for deep and meaningful connection with everything that is not us. Unfortunately, the heart of our problem, the world's problem, and the current problems facing us as a nation lies deep within us. This is in copmlete contrast to what everyone else is proclaiming. Social observers and critics of the world draw our attention to these things:

Social evils are condemned.

Anxiety and dread over financial loss looms large.

Outrage and disgust at war, violence and every other expression of evil.

Justice is a right which must be sought and acheived for all.

Transformation of Heart

Each of these are noteworthy concerns, but ultimately the are unresolvable and unachievable apart from a transformation of the heart. The prophet Ezekiel makes this case when he spoke the Word of God to us in Ezekiel 36:26, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

God knows that the heart is deceitfully wicked, fixated on seeking and serving self above all others. God understands the root of the problem, both ours and the worlds. The issue is one of the heart, the inner disposition, desire, and demand of the human heart. God alone knows the secret ambitions and purposes of the heart. God spoke through the Psalmist saying, "For he knows the secrets of the heart." (Psalm 44:21)

First Things First

In these days of unrest and unpredictability, I wish to send for a clarion call to all who read and consider this... "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) Let us make our most basic and most ambitious desire be the seeking of God in all things, in every situation, for all needs, and especially every moment of every day.

How can social and societal ills be confronted and corrected? Through a personal encounter with the risen Lord! He alone is the One who can transform the human heart in the midst of the most horrific, most helpless, and most hopeless circumstances. And as the human heart is transformed and its devotion is redirected Godward, the circumstances of our lives and the world take on a whole new appearance. Suddenly they become opportunities for God, for His grace and provision to become manifest in the darkest of days.

Seek first His kingdom, yield your devotion to the One who knows the secret things of your heart, and allow Him to transform you from the inside out. As we experience this work of God in our lives we will also begin to notice that He has provided for our needs already, even before we ask.

"Purpose Precedes Programs"

2009-01-08T09:12:00.005-05:00

"No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old."
Luke 5:36

As the story goes… The Spanish philosopher, Unamuno, once talked of the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor."

They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.

What is to be learned from this story? We, like most churches, do many things. We have many vital and faithful ministries that are reaching, teaching, and growing people as followers of Jesus Christ. Despite all of this, a healthy church is always assessing the quality, not the quantity of its ministries and programs. How would we characterize the quality of our ministries?

Are we brining the cool refreshing water of the Gospel to the people around us?

Are we making the Gospel an archaic museum piece, or the relevant Word to people today?

Are we trading the ancient message for a hipper, cooler, more comfortable message?

Am I implying we have a problem, or are somehow inadequate, and that we must change? Not necessarily. What I am encouraging us to do is never settle for less than God's best. Let us resist the tendency to get so comfortable that we become idle. Let us "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:14)

May God so rekindle our heart for the lost, the hurting, and those who need the life of Christ brought into the death of their lives.

Purpose with Power

2008-12-30T18:21:00.001-05:00

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

Not too long ago we were doing some remodeling in our home. One project involved replacing a light in a bathroom. I followed the directions meticulously. All the appropriate wires were connected. The light was properly mounted. Most importantly, the power was off throughout the whole project! Finally, all was right and ready and in order. The only thing left to do was turn the power back on. So, I flipped the switch… NOTHING!

Obviously everything wasn’t done properly. After a few hours of working on the light, I finally gave up and called in an expert. Thankfully, they quickly and easily resolved the problem.

So what was the problem… the wires were crossed. Without the wires properly connected the power does not flow properly. Without power there is no light. Without light there is no clarity.

Having and implementing a vision, a plan, or a purpose is not unlike my simple project. Not only can wires become crossed (there can be a break down in communication), but more urgently, there may be a problem with our connection to the power source.

God created us to rely upon Him. This not only involves the small daily things of our lives, but also the larger purposes He is working though us. It is possible to love the right things and even do the right things without even welcoming God into our lives. We can even do this as a church. We might do the right things, say the right things, even maintain the right programs, but God is an afterthought.

Remember, God’s power is made perfect in us when we are the weakest. It is when we rely less and less on ourselves and more and more on God that His glorious power moves through us. I don’t know about you, but I want that kind of relationship with our Lord. With His help that is who all of us can become.: living lights and conduits of the Christ's truth and love!

What's Happening?

2008-12-22T21:05:00.003-05:00

Most assuredly I do not mean to be a drag, but as of late I have spent the majority of my praying and studying fixated upon the present state of the world. Sadly, it doesn't look good! That isn't to say there aren't great and exciting things happening, yet I still have a feeling in my gut that things aren't good.

At the heart of my angst is the sense that there is a universal sickness plaguing the Creation. While the obvious diagnosis would be sin as the root of our collective sickness, it seems to be a particular manifestation of sin I am coming to grips with. I might call it ignorant indifference.

We just don't seem to care anymore. Sure we have a variety of cares and concerns, but we don't really care about much with depth, with meat, with content to it. Rather we are satisfied with cheap thrills, half-hour laughs, passing pleasures, and cold trinkets. Where has the depth gone? I'm not just describing the condition of the lost, but that of Christians, too.

Where is our heart-felt compassion for the hurting, the helpless, and the hopeless? Where has our sincere and selfless interest in the life of another gone? Perhaps this in only in my own heart (although I suspect many more might admit agreeing in private), but I seem quite content to offer insincere platitudes of concern, while really only concerned about what I'm going to get, how I'm going to be benefited, when my next blessing will come. This is a sad state of affairs for one (for the many) who call themselves disciples and follower of our selfless Lord and Christ!

If we, and if I, long to see change in this world, change that more readily and glaringly reflects the glory of God, then it must start with us, with me! To make a respectable editorial twist on Ghandi's words, "We must be the change God acted to accomplish in this world."

Our gracious Father, bring revival to this land... and start with your church!

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

2008-12-18T12:33:00.004-05:00

After hanging around in religious circles for a while it becomes crystal clear to most people that conservativism, if not Christian faith as a whole, is leaning on its heals. This is especially so among evangelicals. For almost three decades now we (evangelicals) have been defining and redefining ourselves. We have published and criticized evangelical statements of faith. We have proudly decried the state and priorities of our culture while failing to be self-critical of our own faults and failings.

What has perched evangelicals in this position? Answers to this question are complicated and varied. Even today I read an article complimenting new and innovative ways of "being" (that is living out and practicing in daily life) evangelical. Check it out and read it for your self (http://www.christiantoday.com/article/innovation.key.to.evangelicalisms.survival.says.researcher/22154.htm) The answer may not lie in innovation, or in something new and reinterpreted. The remedy may consist of embrace that one, absolute, and timeless truth. The heart of the Gospel!

I have to say, in the midst of many ideas and observations touted by people much more intelligent and educated than me, I have become greatly discouraged. Now two important things need to be pointed out first before I can share my disappointment. First, all those who know me would never describe me as a person prone to discouraging or negative opinions. I am an overwhelmingly positive person. Second, my discouragement must not be confused with defeatist feelings either. After all, as a positive person, I still see the cup half full!

My discouragement lies in our (evangelicals) lose of identity. We no longer truly understand who we are. And I think we have lost this sense of self-understanding because we have ceased to be

awed and enamoured by the greatness and glory of God. Like Peter, our attention has become fixated on the wind and the waves and we are beginning to sink. The question, then, is this... When will we again cry out, "Lored, save me." (see Matthew 14:22-32)

I believe we have lost our way because we have ceased to believe the Gospel is enough. Always I hear people talk about "God and..." Our life as a follower of Christ, any ministry our churches carry out, any effort we make to engage the culture with the timeless and transforming message of Jesus Christ, it must never be "God and".

So I propose a modest suggestion. May we once again be consumed and transfixed by the Living God. He is enough. He is sufficient. He is able. Yes, we must always and ever embody and live the Gospel before a watching, waiting, and wounded world. But, we must never suppose that our embodying and living is the sum-total of it all. For remember, God is enough.

Let us return, therefore, to the "main thing", to the heart of the Gospel.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" (Romans 1:16-17)

A MOUNTING REVOLUTION?

2008-12-15T14:14:00.001-05:00

“A Mounting Revolution?”
The essence of the Evangelical Voice

By Steven Jewell

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”

And so goes the opening to Charles Dickens’, A Tale of Two Cities. Those words sought to express and capture that turbulent, even unsuspecting period before the history-altering events of the French Revolution. Who really had any idea of what was about to unfold? Who really had any idea of what the lasting impact would be?

It may be that in our day the Church of Jesus Christ, as well as the world to which His church is called to proclaim and live the Gospel, is perched on the precipice of revolution. There is an uneasiness in the air. Tempers and rhetoric run high and long on issues that skirt the REAL ISSUE. Outbursts of disenfranchisement and hate abound. And that’s just what is going on in the Church universal, not to mention the cultures in which the Church finds itself.

Nonetheless, the world as we know it is on the brink of a revolution, not unlike those recounted by students of history. There is a mounting multitude of people, simple followers of Jesus Christ, who are dissatisfied with the state of the Church, the state of belief (or unbelief), the state of truth (or whatever seems right in ones own eyes), the state of the state, and the state of those souls who are yet found lost and wading through the slough of despond.

The heart of the “Evangelical Voice” is to offer a platform for encouraging the weary in their walk with Christ. The E.V. wishes to maintain a biblically faithful, historically orthodox, and counter-culturally evangelical conversation regarding issues of theology and practice. And E.V. longs to expand and strengthen the network of believers who are seeking to follow God’s leading and work of renewing the Church…

“…that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
(Ephesians 5:27 from the New American Standard)