Sunday, August 31, 2008

August Book Giveaway Winner

Congratulations CGL, your the winner of this month's book giveaway: Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

I'll get the book to you as soon as possible. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Good as an Enemy of the Ultimate

In this world we are surrounded by good things. Existing in the midst of God's creation guarantees our proximity to goodness, to many good and enjoyable things.

Yet great danger remains as the extraordinary potential exists for us to attempt to turn these good things into the ultimate thing. Our fallen nature combined with the wiles and illusions of the enemy of our souls leaves us in a rather precarious position. Hungry as we are for happiness and heart satisfaction, we are like children filling our bellies at the penny candy store when a King's glorious and nutritious 7 course feast awaits our attendance.

C.S. Lewis said it like this, "We are far too easily pleased."

May God grant us eyes to see what is truly most valuable and ultimately satisfying, namely Himself. May He grant us eyes to see the penny candies for what they really are, empty and short lived.

This is the story of mankind from the fall of Adam until today. We are continually pursuing happiness in everything else but in Him. Adam and Eve pursued it in the lie that the apple would fulfill their lives more than God would. Our problem today is the same as it was then. We too continually pursue happiness in the apples of this world. When will we realize that nothing else will satisfy our hearts like He can. If and when we realize that, what will we do about it?

I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.
- Hosea 5:15

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14

You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek."
- Psalm 27:8

"Whom have I in heaven but you, and on earth there is nothing I desire besides You."
- Psalm 73:25

Friday, August 29, 2008

May The Wilberforce Be With You

"Faith is a subject of such importance that we should not ignore it because of the distractions or the hectic pace of our lives. Life as we know it, with all its ups and downs, will soon be over. We all will give an accounting to God of how we have lived."

"When we do not take our problem seriously, we do not seek the solution God offers with the measure of sincerity and intensity that our true condition requires. If we don't understand how seriously ill we are, we don't pursue the remedy with the required diligence. If we are slightly ill, we take an aspirin. If we are dying, we passionately pursue a cure. The cure is not forced on us; it is offered to us."
- William Wilberforce, Real Christianity

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Wise Words

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly... who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat.
- Teddy Roosevelt

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hello... McFly...

Oversight...

It's kind of funny how we (specifically me) can miss the main point, repeatedly. I'm referring to one of my favorite portions of Scripture, the rich young ruler's encounter with Jesus.

Mar 10:17-22
10:17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 10:18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 10:19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 10:20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 10:22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Having been enthralled with Jesus' wisdom and ability to see right to the heart of the rich young rulers idolatry, I failed to see the obvious. The young man comes with a serious question. Jesus answers the young man's question, what he must do to inherit eternal life is this: come and follow Jesus. Jesus merely confronted the young man's idolatry and then gave him the greatest wisdom possible, "come, follow me."

The rich young ruler had not eyes to see that Jesus was the infinitely valuable treasure. He chose instead to go away sad because he had many possessions.

What's really interesting about my finally being able see this is that it came as a result of a simple question from an inmate at the jail. He came up to me just prior to leaving and speaking very quietly, asked something like, "Jesus wasn't saying you will inherit eternal life if you merely keep all these commandments, was he?"

All of the sudden it occurred to me I had missed the main point of the passage. The bottom line answer to the young man's question is Jesus' instruction for the young man to "come and follow me."

The tragedy of this portion of Scripture is the young man's inability to apply the life giving wisdom of Christ. The tragedy is not however the main point.

I think I failed to mention that I've taught on this portion of Scripture at the jail at least 5 or 6 times now.

Thank goodness for grace...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Contrasting Pleasures

It is an interesting thing that God has made pleasure. He has made many things for us to enjoy. He cares tremendously for us and enjoys giving His children good gifts. He is very good at what He does (understatement) and His creation is significantly enjoyable. Although none of these gifts surpass in greatness the ultimate gift that He gives - Himself, it is none the less evidence of His goodness that He would grant such delights.

Oh, but delights can be dangerous... Augustine said something like, "He loves Thee to little who loves anything together with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake." These delights can be avenues of praise towards God for His goodness or they can be sought as ends in themselves. That such pleasures, though gifts from God, may be used and pursued in a manner which turns them into gods is the dangerous part. I think this is one reason why the Scriptures warn us to guard our hearts.

Here are two contrasting examples of the different uses of delight:

The first man wakes with the sunshine upon his face. He travels to the bank to cash the check from his weeks work. He goes to the grocery store to purchase food for dinner and some roses for his wife. He returns home and enjoys the dinner and the smile upon his wife’s face, who is grateful for the roses.

This man is grateful that God made the sun to shine upon him today and realizes that it did not have to be that way. He knows that God has provided him the strength and wisdom to work during the week and thanks God for His provision for his family. He praises God for the lovely food available at the grocery store and the finances to purchase such. He is happy in God's creativity that He made flowers that the man might bring to his wife. He is glad that God has given him his wife, he is delighted that God has arranged that she often smiles. He is glad that God has made her to enjoy flowers. This first man's delight is ultimately in God and everything else he enjoys are but sunbeams of blessing which cause him to look up in gratefulness and praise the God who is providing such blessing.

The second man has the exact same day as the first man. The second man is glad that the sun is shining because he has plans for the day and does not like being caught in the rain. He cashes his check and is happy that it is pay day but always wishes for a little bit more. He gets the food at the grocery store, picking his favorite dinner. He gets the flowers just before leaving the store in the hopes that they may work in his favor. He returns home and enjoys his favorite meal made just the way he likes it. His wife is smiling at the roses and he is thinking his plan has worked.

The second man is at the center of his affections. Life is all about him and his pursuit of his happiness is in whatever he delights in. He too is pursuing happiness, but this happiness is a result of avenues of praise leading directly to self.

The very same act could be done with two completely different motives. The same day in this example could be experienced by two different people in two entirely different ways. One enjoys God from whom all blessings flow and the other enjoys self as his enjoyment sends blessings and praise down the avenue of self.

I believe the old Catechism question and answer is true and tremendously appropriate:
What is the chief end of man?
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Considering the above statement it would seem that we have two options:
We can fulfill our purpose by glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.
OR
We can rebel against our God designed purpose by glorifying ourselves and enjoying ourselves for a very limited time.

What or Whom will you most enjoy today? And why?

Monday, August 25, 2008

An Excellent Message

Yesterday Del Fehsenfeld III gave an excellent message at FPBC. He entitled the message, "Let's talk about change." This one has already found it's way into my favorites file. It is approximately 45 minutes in length and is available to download for free.

I was greatly impacted and encouraged by this tremendously God-Glorifying and Christ-Centered message which focused on the first few verses of Colossians 3. If you did not have the privilege of being present when the message was given, do yourself a huge favor and listen to it.

Colossians 3:1
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Slaying Dragons

I just now finished Jackie Pullinger's "Chasing the Dragon." What grace it was that brought me across this great book.

It reminds me of the often repeated encouragement I've heard from a few particular sources, "Read good biographies." Overflowing after such a wonderful read, I now concur with the need to encourage others to read good biographies.

I was impacted by the singleness of focus upon Jesus, from which came the ability to love and serve in faithful, patient, and fruit yielding obedience.

Revelation 2:10b
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

There are those who slay dragons and there are those who hide from them.

Friday, August 22, 2008

A Limited Yet Squandered Resource

24 hours per day x 365 days per year = 8,760 hours per year

At almost 30 years old I've used up the overwhelming majority of the 262,800 hours that add up to 30 years.

At 70 years old a person will have lived 613,200 hours.

At 100 years old a person will have lived 876,000 hours.

What are you doing with the hours you are given? You are only given so many. The really tricky part is that you will most likely never know when your hours will come to an end.

You and I have very limited time in which to honor and glorify God in a unique way. I believe that we will be able to honor and glorify God, as we live on this earth, in ways that we will not be able to in eternity. For instance, in eternity there will be no sin, there will be no battles with sin, there will be no intense battles with suffering, and here these things abound. Therefore we are in a position to be able to honor and glorify God with our lives in ways that are unique to the time that we are given to live on the earth.

The sand in the hour glass is constantly falling. Some would even argue that it continues to fall at a faster rate. What are you and I doing with these hours we've been given, these grains of sand slipping through the hour glass.

Piper's lightly edited version of the old catechism phrase is helpful here: The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

Are our hours being spent glorifying and enjoying Him, or ourselves? God has had much to say in the Scriptures about stewardship and faithfulness. I'm quite certain that this stewardship and faithfulness also has to do with our time.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Mike Guglielmucci: Healer

Last Sunday I went to my old church in Marshall to visit my friends there. During the powerful worship time one of the worship leaders shared about this song and then sang it. The story behind the song is that the man who wrote it was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Upon returning home from the hospital after this diagnosis he began to worship. This is the song that resulted.



Since it is incomparably the greatest dignity to be introduced into the company of angels, nay, to be made the associates of Christ, he who estimates this favour of God aright, will regard all other things as worthless.
- John Calvin

Monday, August 18, 2008

12 Year Old Addicts?

During a traffic stop this last week I had an unusual encounter as I came across a 16 year old driver with a 15 year old passenger. A search of their vehicle resulted in locating 2 substantial baggies of crack cocaine.

What is unusual about this traffic stop is not finding the crack, as the area in which it was found is a high drug traffic area. Rather it is the age of the subjects who were found to be in possession of the narcotics. During a subsequent interview of the driver it was discovered that the 16 year old has been using crack since the age of 12.

This is devastating.

12 year olds are supposed to play with G.I. Joes and video games and enjoy playing various sports with their friends, not get addicted to crack. The grave concern in this incident is not that this is a rare thing, but that it is likely less rare than we know. Statistically speaking, if as a police officer I encounter two youngsters with such issues there are likely many more involved in such things.

As I write this I am reminded of another shockingly depraved incident in which two very young teenagers ran away from home and threw themselves into prostitution as well as other horrors of "street life."

Both of these incidents occurred in the inner city, which is not at all to say that these types of incidents are restricted to the inner city. Yet there is an inner city sub-culture in which such terrible things are not remotely uncommon.

The depravity of man is not limited to adults. It is clear that when children are exposed to greater levels of depravity in society they are greatly impacted and also often succumb to the levels of depravity with which they are surrounded. One only needs an occasional glimpse at national headlines to have an idea of the devastation that is involved when children are drafted into this street life, which includes but is not limited to narcotics use and distribution, prostitution and other illicit sex, violence, theft, and various other criminal activity.

All that to say this:
These incidents are powerful evidences that the need for intervention is enormous. There is an incredible need in our society to reach into the lives and culture of the inner city with the powerful and life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that there is no other hope.

I came away from the interview with the 16 year old and his mother overwhelmed with the fact that the need in our society is so great.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Thoughts on Lakeland

The happenings in Lakeland Florida have caught the attention of the media and of Christians throughout our country. Several friends and family have asked my opinion on these happenings (as if my opinion mattered anyway). A dear friend of mine has even gone to Lakeland and was prayed for by the leadership there. Some of the testimonies from this place are amazing and some of the excesses there unnerving.

As far as my lightly-to-be-considered opinion: A good friend once told me, "God can hit straight with crooked sticks." As I consider the crookedness of some of these "sticks" I can't help but see the crookedness in myself, this helps to restrain my propensity towards rash judgment.

It seems that there is a mixture of blessings and difficulties that have come from these happenings in Florida. I'm not ready to say it is 100% from God, nor am I ready to say that it is 100% not from God. That humanity is fallen hardly needs to be emphasized, but it's inescapably true. That God would allow us to take part, at all, in the majesty of what He is doing in salvation is simply unimaginable - yet He does. Something that is also rumbling around in my musings on this issue is the fact that throughout Scripture, God has continually done things that are unusual to say the least, not to mention uncomfortable, and controversial.

The newest issue raised regarding the Lakeland happenings is something that should cause us to be saddened with contrition and compassion, and to avoid rash judgment and pointing fingers. Piper provides some helpful and insightful thoughts on the matter here.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

"Declare His Glory Among The Nations"

Yesterday I listened to this great message on missions: Declare His Glory Among the Nations. "We have the best news in all the world. Let's sing it, and let's spread it."

In this sermon on Psalm 96, Piper briefly highlights two websites and encourages us to check them out:

JoshuaProject.net

PeopleGroups.org

Monday, August 11, 2008

Chasing the Dragon

As recommended by Sam Storms in Convergence, I purchased Jackie Pullinger's Chasing the Dragon. I'm nearly finished reading this and Storms was not overzealous in his strong recommendation of this book. It has been both encouraging and faith building.

This is the story of a brave young lady who followed Christ into the mission field in China. Not unlike Abraham, she followed the Lord though she knew not where she was going. Missions agencies would not accept her. After prayer and seeking counsel Jackie Pullinger purchased a one way ticket to China, believing that the Lord would lead her. He did. She soon found herself ministering to the poorest of the poor, the heroin and opium addicts, and the prostitutes in Hong Kong's Walled City.

This is testimony of one who follows Christ. Pullinger followed Christ into dark places where she would minister life and love unto the least of these. Through her simple (not extravagant) faithful love and service, many would see Christ.

Mark 10:29-30
Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

Romans 10:14-15
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

As I consider the life of this missionary I cannot help but to ponder eternity. This lady is living a life that will be seen to have been very wise in light of eternity - though it looks quite foolish now in light of this temporary life. "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:25).

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Indescribable...

Simply amazing...

I recently watched the video of Louie Giglio speaking on the magnificence of God displayed in the universe. My family members strongly urged me to watch this video and said it would be well worth my time. They were right. This video (approx. 45 minutes) is literally one of the most God glorifying things I've ever seen.

I was incredibly moved, almost to tears. At the end of this wonderful video I saw more clearly than I ever have the depths of Psalm 8:3-4. "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

We're going to purchase several of these videos to be given to friends and family members. I also hope to show it to the inmates at the jail.

Click here or here for more details about the video as well as for ordering information.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Monday, August 4, 2008

Book Giveaway: Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

The book giveaway for the month of August will be Driscoll's Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

To qualify to win this book just leave a comment on this blog post. At the end of the month I'll draw names from a hat and mail a new copy of the book to the winner.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

I recently finished Driscoll's "Confessions of a Reformission Rev." After my previous post about this book I was wondering if it would live up to my expectations. I was not disappointed. This was a great read.

Driscoll highlights his experience in starting Mars Hill Church in Seattle. This church started out as merely a few folks gathered in his home and quickly grew into the large, very influential, and culture engaging church that it is today.

The stories of struggle and change are inspiring. Driscoll is very open and sometimes brutally honest about the difficulties and graces that surrounded the growth and maturing of this Reformission church.

I would highly recommend this book as a refreshing look at Church and an inspiring testimony of what God is still doing in and through His people.