CatHouse Chat

God bless Kyle Busch and M&Ms - NASCAR #18 car!!!

Tomorrow night, September 10th, the Richmond International Raceway is hosting the NASCAR Wonderful Pistachios 400 (??? OK, crazy name...), and my Beloved and a friend of his are up there enjoying a guys' weekend out. Well, earlier today, they tweeted this photo to me:

Kyle Busch, who drives #18 (sponsored by M&Ms), is apparently the favorite to win, and I pray he does! Because not only is he racing in the Red White and Blue, M&Ms and Busch have stripped ALL corporate sponsorship logos from the car so that she can race in honor of the fallen of 9/11.

God bless you, sir. Thank you, M&Ms (I am so glad that they are my favorite candy already!)

My Beloved tells me that the tailgate reads,

 

"Never forget!"

Thoughts on the END OF THE WORLD that, well, wasn't

It has been rather amusing - and somewhat painful - to watch all the sturm und drang that Harold Camping's prediction of the world's end on 21 May stirred up. I wasn't too surprised when the media et al. hyped it because that's what they do - and God forbid that they should bring in, you know, an actual biblical scholar or theologian to discuss the matter and provide a real, non-sensational rebuttal to Camping's non-biblical bid for attention.

So, basically, my main reaction was amusement at the gullibility of 'most everyone who opined on the matter in their quest to sensationalize a topic that is really quite serious.

Which point brings me to the painful aspect of all the hoopla: you may not believe it, but the Bible - God's Word - does speak of the end of the world. Jesus, in fact, speaks more of unsaved man's fate in Hell more than any other person in the Bible; if He spoke of it so much, simple respect for His character should make us take a look at our eternal destination and the end of the world.

Since I've written about salvation a few times on this blog but not about the end of the world (not that I recall, anyway), I thought I'd toss in a few of my own thoughts on the matter as my blog-brother, Michael, has.

Full disclosure time: while I hold to the premillennial rapture view of the end times, it is not something which I hold with a "closed hand." What I mean by that is, since

1. I have not personally done a dedicated study of end time prophecies and the history of that doctrine as held by the Christian Church, and
2. while I consider it an IMPORTANT doctrine, I don't believe it's a doctrine (generally) that is an essential of the faith (i.e., if you don't believe in the premillennial rapture view, you're not a Christian), so we should view the subject through the lens of Christian charity and liberty, and
3. several Bible teachers who I hold in great respect and honor for their diligence in the study and proclaimation of Scripture have opposing views, each with biblical reasoning that, at least, requires me to give them careful consideration, even if I don't think I agree with them, and
4. finally, remember that in any discussion, positions A, B and C (or however many), when they are in opposition, cannot ALL be right... but they CAN all be WRONG! We are still imperfect humans, and "see through a glass, darkly." We have not yet been glorified with the Son and thus do not have perfect knowledge untainted by sin. Even when we do enter Eternity to be with our Savior, there will always be things we do not - and will not - know: finite creatures such as ourselves are incapable of fully comprehending the infinite God who created us.

Due to these points, I cannot be dogmatic on what Christian view of the end times is the "right" one - except, of course, for the fact that Jesus said He would return to judge the world, condemn the unrighteous to eternal punishment, take His Church to be with Him in Eternity, and to bring a "new heaven and a new earth" in which there is no sin and no tears (see Revelation 21).

OK, so what's the big deal about the end times, then? Why did I feel saddened by all the posturing and pontificating and derision heaped up on Camping and his deluded prediction?

Simple: because Christ IS coming back! When, we don't know - but it could be before I finish this post, or it could be hundreds of years from now: we just don't know. However, God knows. He has set the year and the day and the hour and the very minute that He will bring history to an end and usher us all into eternity.

Look, folks, you don't even know if you'll be alive five seconds from now, much less what the date is for the end of the world. Yet the Bible makes clear that NOW is the time for salvation, NOW is the time to repent of sin and turn to God for forgiveness. Once you die, there will be no second chance, and your eternity is fixed. There are no second chances!

So, Christian, while we wait in anticipation of Christ's glorious Return, we should be diligent in being committed disciples of Christ. We should be earnestly working out our salvation by immersing ourselves in His Word and rooting out sin in our lives. We should be loving and nurturing our families, working to support them and training our children up in the love and admonition of our Lord. We should be gathering together as a Church family to worship and praise the One who is our Salvation and our Strength, committing ourselves to proclaiming His name to all the earth. We should be dedicated bosses and employees, working honestly and fairly at our jobs as a witness to the character of Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

We should be living lives of faithful service, forsaking indolence and foolishness, so that when our Savior returns, He will not find us idle or behaving shamefully.

Unbeliever, what about you? The End of the World™ has become rather a joke, hasn't it? I am sorry for that, but I do urge you to take a sober look at your life and at the reasonableness of the Christian faith (yeah, I know, you've been told it's all smoke and mirrors - but have you actually read any Christian apologists with any semblance of an open mind?). Christ is not narrow - "whosoever will may come" (John 3:16, naturally) and be welcomed. Christ is not a killjoy - "I have come so that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Christ does not ask you to come to Him blindly, but to count the cost carefully.

You know, there's a famous challenge given by Blaise Pascal, known as "Pascal's Wager." It basically says that, if you are an atheist and there is no God, you have lost nothing - but if there is a God, you lose EVERYTHING. However, if you are a Christian and there is no God, again, you have lost nothing.

But if you are a Christian and there is a God, you gain EVERYTHING.

Atheist futures: either neutral annihilation or eternal loss.

Christian futures: either neutral annihilation or eternal gain.

It's a poor reason to accept Christ, but perhaps it will put your feet on the path to understanding the depths of your own sin and the infinite love, grace, and forgiveness that Christ offers with an open hand.

At Pentecost (Acts 2), Peter stands up among the people in Jerusalem and quotes the prophet Joel. In Joel 2, God calls for Israel to repent and return to Him and then promises:

And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
& For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

NOW is the day of salvation; you do not know know the hour of your reckoning. NOW is the time, before it really is the End of the World.

(crossposted to Virginia Virtucon)

 

In preparation for Resurrection Day (also known as Easter *grinz*)

You know, technology can be a pain and it can be dangerous - but it can also be a blessing. I was listening to my Christian "channel" on Pandora today, and a song by Shane and Shane came up that was PERFECT for today: "Before the Throne of God Above."

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

Isn't it amazing that the God who created all the "infinite" universe - all the stars and galaxies, all the cells and atoms, all the people and animals that exist - would care so much for humanity that He came down to us and lived among us? Isn't it incredible that the God we sin and rebel against every day would still love us so much that He, in the Person of His Son, stands before the Father every moment, interceding for His children? Doesn't it fill you with awe that this perfect, holy, transcendent God would still be so involved with His creation and so desiring to reconcile us to Himself that He would bear all the punishment for our sins and pay the penalty in full on our behalf?!

My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

Christian, do you realize that nothing you do can ever make God love you more? Do you realize that nothing you do can make Him love you LESS? Do you realize that He has loved you with an everlasting love and has chosen you as His child from the foundations of the earth? Do you - and I - really understand that no matter how intensely and truthfully Satan may accuse us and bring up all our sin, the sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God as a propitiation for our sins has completely removed all the filthiness of sin? We stand efore God clothed in the perfect righteousness of His Son,m who loved us and gave Himself for our salvation.

Unbeliever, do you understand that God's mercy is deeper than the depths of the sea and more vast than all the heavens, and that He is willing and eager to gather you into His family and into eternal joy - if you will only listen to His Spirit calling your name and repent? The Perfect Father is waiting with open arms and will hold you close in His arms and pour out His love upon you if you will only come to Him!

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Satan is no longer my master; I have a new Master who desires only my eternal good. Satan has been defeated, and my new Master will no longer allow Satan to steal, kill and destroy me. Satan's power over me is broken forever, and if I resist him, he will flee. Instead of a callous slavemaster, I am now under the care and authority of the Loving Father who holds me in His hand and will never leave me nor forsake me. Though the devil may accuse me, I look upon the Author and Finisher of my faith: Christ Jesus, whose Spirit dwells within me... And greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world!

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Jesus cried out on the Cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" The very Son of God, who always did all that the Father commanded and in whom the Father was well-pleased, prayed to His Father for my forgiveness - for your forgiveness! How could God not have heard His Son's prayer and granted it with all His heart?!

Jesus cried out, "IT IS FINISHED!" All the infinite debt for our sins has been completely satisfied - paid in full. Jesus' work on the Cross has fully appeased the just wrath God had toward us, and now His resurrected life brings us into the very presence of His Father. We are now clothed in the spotless white of Jesus perfection and are presented before the Throne of God without stain or blemish.

No further sacrifices, no other acts of atonement are required of us - they would, indeed, be blasphemous! Since Jesus' perfect, complete, and finished work of atonement has been accomplished, Christians are now free to live before Him in grateful love and joy. We can now follow Him in liberty, desiring to do His will out of love rather than fear. We have been loosed from the terror of the penalty of the Law and follow the Spirit of God because the Law is now written on our hearts.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!

One in Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

So I look back to yesterday, Good Friday, and can mourn: it was MY sin that nailed Him to that Cross. But I also look back to Good Friday and rejoice, because Jesus knew my sin before I ever lived - and He loved me enough to provide the only way to gather me into His eternal kingdom.

I contemplate the stillness of this Saturday, when Jesus' body lay in the Tomb and Satan had apparently defeated God... I see that sad stillness and I look forward to Sunday, Resurrection Day, when Jesus rose from the grave in triumph over sin, death, and Satan. Jesus' resurrection is the proof of His completed work on the Cross - proof that God the Father had fully accepted the sacrifice of His Son on our behalf.

It. Is. FINISHED!

He is risen - He is risen indeed!

Christ has triumphed over my sin, and I can only live a life of loving gratitude and joy for all He has done for me.

Do you know Him? Have you bowed before Him to say "thank You"? Have you laid your life and hopes and dreams at His feet, knowing that He will remake them into an everlasting hymn of praise and glory to His name? Do you understand that though you give up your life to Christ, He will give it back to you transformed into holy perfection and multiplied to an eternal expression of His abundant life?

All I can do is echo His praises and point you to His perfection and love...

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!

(crossposted to Virginia Virtucon)

Passover

Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.

‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.

So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. (Exodus 12:1-28, NKJV)

A few thousand years ago, God called His chosen people out of Egypt - but not before He had brought a series of judgements upon the land where they lived. Most people think that these judgements were only against Egypt, but here you see that the Jews who did not listen to and obey God's command would also suffer the consequences of the wrath of God.

The blood on the doorposts pointed to the sacrifice required to pay for the consequences of sin "for without shedding of blood, there is no remission" of sin. (Hebrews 9:22) Someone, something, must be given up to placate the wrath of the Holy and Perfect God against the sins of man.

This past Sunday, Christians celebrated Palm Sunday commemorating  Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

God presented His perfect, unblemished Lamb - His only begotten Son - to His chosen people. At the exact right time, in precisely the right manner, Israel's rightful Lord and King entered Jerusalem to the shouts of praise from thousands of people:

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

       “ Tell the daughter of Zion,
      ‘ Behold, your King is coming to you,
      Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
      A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

      “Hosanna to the Son of David!
      'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
      Hosanna in the highest!”

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11)

God had returned to Jerusalem!

But only a few days later was Passover, the reminder of God's mercy in sparing the firstborn of Israel - and this time, God had provided His own Lamb, His judgement fell on that Lamb, and the Wrath of God wase poured out upon His Son who had offered Himself up as a propitiation for us all.

I would ask my brothers and sisters in Christ to keep His willing, loving sacrifice before us each and every day of our lives. Because Jesus suffered the full wrath of His Father in our place, we now walk in joyful freedom and loving obedience - or, we SHOULD. Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our salvation, and run with perseverance the race He has set before us - looking only unto Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

And I would ask - humbly, with earnest love - that my Jewish friends would turn their eyes upon Jesus and see that their long-awaited Messiah has come! He awaits them with open arms, longing to circumcise their hearts as they have circumcised their flesh. Just as God provided Abraham with the ram, so He has provided His own Lamb for the sins of His people so that the Law will no longer be a curse but a blessing!

As Paul - a Pharisee of Pharisees, a persecutor of Christ, and finally Christ's chosen apostle to the Gentiles - says of his people the Jews:

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:1-13)

And in the meantime, I wish everyone a Passover and Easter filled with thanksgiving and joy, friends and family, and prayerful contemplation of all that our generous, loving and sovereign God has done for us.

SHALOM!

Hi, I'm Gomer, the sheep...

Yeah, a weird title, I know. But it came out of listening to two different Christian programs today that really run together quite well. The first program was from Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church:

The second program is from Ravi Zacharias' program, "Just Thinking," from a four-part series called "Worship: A Clue to the Meaning in Life."

Pastor Mark speaks of the parable of the Lost Sheep, wherein the Good Shepherd leaves 99 sheep who are not lost to go search out the one who is lost and carries it home. Dr. Zacharias mentioned the prophet Hosea, who God called to marry a harlot named Gomer as a picture of God's relationship with Israel.

So, hello - I'm Gomer the sheep.

Sheep are dumb. They're weak, they're not very tough, and they often like to wander off and get lost. They're really too stupid to find their way back home, and when they're out away from the flock and the Shepherd, they tend to get into trouble and get beaten up, abused and into some really bad situations. Fortunately, if they belong to the Good Shepherd (in other words, if they really ARE a sheep and not a goat), He always searches them out, puts them on His shoulder and carries them back home. My Shepherd is always on the lookout for me, ready to rescue me from danger, clean me up and get me back with the flock so I can be safe, close to Him.

Gomer was a harlot. Hosea married her and loved her and had two children with her - and she left a happy, secure and loving home and went back to her prostitution. Pretty confusing, isn't it? Why would she leave a good situation to go back to the filth and degradation of whoring herself out? Certainly one could understand if Hosea threw up his hands and had nothing else to do with her - but he doesn't. In obedience to God's command and as a beautiful picture of God's love for His wayward and rebellious people, Hosea searches Gomer out and takes her back as his wife. He never stopped loving her, and he returns her to her home and cherishes her. Just like God keeps searching out His sinful people and keeps pouring out grace into our lives, even when we don't deserve it!

So, hello again: I'm a stupid, weak, wandering, rebellious and sinful sheep named Gomer.

But my Husband, my Savior, my Shepherd keeps searching high and low, chasing after me and carrying me back to Himself, showing me His eternal love and pouring out His infinite grace upon my life. He holds me tight to His heart, and that small reflection in His eye - the one you have to get very, very close to see - that's where I am. He has clothed me in the righteousness of His Son, not for anything that I've done, but just because for some unfathomable reason He has chosen to set His love upon me!

And so, I'm happy to be a stupid sheep named Gomer - and by the grace and guidance of my Beloved Shepherd and Husband, I will get better and walk ever more closely to Him in love and worship.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(REPEAT)

Courage

Have you ever thought about the fact that THE prerequisite of courage is fear?

Christ has sent the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete, the Comforter (from "cum forte" with strength), to encourage and strengthen us through our times of trial.

"Fear not!" Christ says, and then He gives us Someone who comes alongside and stands with us through our fears.

(Thank you to RC Sproul's ministry at Ligonier for this thought this morning!)

Forgiveness: It Ain't for Sissies

The past few weeks, I've had the honor of team teaching in my Adult Bible study at church and we've been going through the Tale of the Prodigal Son from Luke (chapter 14, vv 14-32). Last week we discussed the forgiveness shown by the father in the parable and it provoked a passionate and intense discussion about what forgiveness looks like and how it works out in real life. I think, perhaps, the one thing that really fueled the flames was my statement that forgiveness is not a feeling but an action.

I'll say that again, and even put it in bold accents:

Forgiveness is not a FEELING
forgiveness is an ACTION

Romans 8

I think that Romans 8 is the most glorious, the most freeing, the most comforting, and the most uplifting chapter in the whole Bible (well, for me, anyway!). For ten years and more, Romans 8 is where I go when I need reassurance, when I need to remember God's love, and when I need to be reminded of just why I really do want to forsake sin and obey the infinite, awesome and holy God who loves me and gave Himself for me.

Earlier today, I'd posted on Facebook (via my Android YouVersion app) Romans 8:30 -

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

This prompted a couple of "likes" and and a comment from a friend, and here is what I replied:

Romans 8 is probably my mostest favoritest in the whole Bible ;-) The picture of God's infinite kindness and mercy in forgiving all who come to Him through His Son is amazing!

And He doesn't just do that, but He also adopts us and gives us the right to call Him Father - DADDY! He promises us that He will work everything out to make it bring forth good things... He promises us that He will bring us to Himself (see the verse quoted above), and He promises that He is FOR US - and so nothing can really be against us.

Most of all, at the end of the chapter, He promises us that NOTHING can separate us from the love He has for us through His Son - nothing created, nothing above or below, no powers of angels or demons - NOTHING can separated us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

When I meditate on this chapter - and I've returned to it many, MANY times over the past 10 years - it keeps getting deeper and richer and more wonderful to me. I read it and praise the God who made me and who brought me out of darkness and into the glory of His salvation and His kingdom...

I meditate on these words and am astonished that people can refuse this glorious and beautiful eternal gift. How could anyone not see the infinite love that sent Jesus, willingly, to the Cross to die for the sins of His sheep?! How can anyone be told of this marvelous thing and NOT run to God and fling themselves at Him so He can catch us and hold us in His love forever?!

Oh, how I long for God to send His Spirit for the conviction of sin and the resurrection of some particular souls in my life! I know that I need a continual revival in my heart, and I know that I need to live a life of continual repentance and rejoicing in God's great goodness and mercy towards me, but how I long for His blessed and irresistable call to come to... my someone!

God has been BEYOND good to me... and His mercy is over all the earth

Cooking dinner tonight and chatting with my Beloved about "whatever"...Teasing and joking quips bouncing between him, our daughter and me... Seeing our darling daughter make good choices with a wonderful attitude... Getting hugs and love from the BEST hubby and daughter... Being HONORED to teach Sunday School for my group tomorrow... Having good health, a job with a superior boss, a roof over our heads, enough to supply our needs and many wants, an embarrassing amount of truly excellent friends...

God has been so good!

Crystal Lewis proclaims my gratitude PERFECTLY -

God's been good to me
Oh God's always been good
God's been good to me
Oh God's always been good

I don't always say the right things
Boy I try
I don't always live my life the right way
But God is faithful to forgive me
When I fail or fall
I am unworthy of it all
Still He keeps on givin

God's been good to me
Oh God's always been good
God's been good to me
Oh God's always been good

My God has given me
More than I ever dreamed
A precious family
And friends who care for me
Why should he love me so
Oh that Ill never know
I am unworthy of it all
Still He keeps on givin to me

God's been good to me
Oh God's always been good
God's been good to me
Oh God's always been good

It would take hours and days at a time
For me to sit down and write down
All the things Hes done
Let me say this that its nothing I've done
But its the grace He gives freely to everyone

Tell everybody
Tell everybody 'bout it
Tell everybody
Everybody 'ought to know

"God's Been Good to Me" was brought to mind because I heard Crystal's version of "Be Thou My Vision," an old, glorious hymn that I pray - ONE DAY - I may live to the fullest:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

 

 

 

Hallelujah, glory be to our great God!

I heard this song on my Droid this morning, and I had to repost this entry from February, 2007:

I first heard this beautiful song, "Our Great God," on the City on a Hill album Sing Alleluia. It is a rhythmic, driving, and dramatic duet between Mac Powell of Third Day, and Fernando Ortega. I believe Mr. Ortega actually wrote it, as it also appears as a solo on his album Storm.

Because of my odd ear (the first version of a song that I hear and like is always and ever, to me, the "original"), I prefer the duet. However, I highly recommend Mr. Ortega's albums, because they are superb! His voice, the simplicity of his recordings, and the purity of the lyrics - he loves to record old hymns - are simply out of this world, and excellent to listen to and meditate upon.

Of course, when I want to worship from my gut, Third Day cannot be beat. They have a southern-rock style which grabs you, shakes you up, and gets you dancing before the Lord before you know what you're doing! Mac Powell also has a wonderful duet with Randy Travis, "Love Lifted Me," on Randy's Worship and Faith CD. Mac's powerful, growly voice compliments Ortega's light, classical tenor as well as Randy's country bass, and you should go and listen to the samples on all the linked albums - I think you'll find a lot to enjoy.

But the words of this song never fail to make me lift my eyes to Heaven in praise and gratitude to the Living God, who reached down and rescued me from Satan's clutches. I now serve, however imperfectly, the One True God and live in His kingdom of light and love and righteousness.

Eternal God, unchanging,
Mysterious and unknown -

Father, You are so big! You are infinite, and we will never know You entirely. But You have given us Your Word, and so we know that You are holy and just, merciful and loving, righteous and powerful. We know that You created the world and all that is in it, and we know that You have created each and every one of us in Your image.

Your boundless love, unfailing,
In grace and mercy shown.

You shower Your love upon us each and every day: You offer Your salvation with a patient, consistent hand; You send the rain and guide the Sun; You hold the Universe together by the power of Your Word. You sustain our lives and each breath that we take, and You provide us all that we need. We know of Your great love by Your Word and the awesome sacrifice You made for our salvation on the Cross. The bounty of Your goodness and grace pours over us in an everlasting display of Your loving-kindness!

Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight
Around Your glorious throne,
They raise their voices day and night
In praise to You alone.

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!" Thus sing the the seraphim endlessly, giving due honor and praise to their Creator. The Lord is high and lifted up, He is exalted above all the Universe, for it is His Word that brought everything into existence, and there is nothing made that He has not made. Father, help us to live in praise to You and follow the example of the seraphim; let us always keep Your perfect holiness in our minds, and live openly and humbly before You.

Lord, we are weak and frail,
Helpless in the storm.

Father, without You, we are lost and dead in our sin. We deserve judgment and Hell, yet You have reached down to us and provided Your salvation. You in Your mercy and grace have given us what we cannot earn and do not deserve: Heaven and eternal life. Father, remind us that in our weakness we may rest in You and Your power. Help us remember and trust that You are our mighty fortress, our strong tower of refuge. You hold us in Your hand, and nothing can wrest us from Your embrace.

Surround us with Your angels,
Hold us in Your arms.

Your love is displayed daily in Your protection and provision. Your holy angels watch over us at Your order, and while we are thankful, we still know that it is You and You alone who truly protects us. You will never leave us nor forsake us, and You will never desert us to our foes. We can do all things in the power of Your strength. You and You alone are worthy of our praise and worship. You and You alone deserve all honor and glory!

Our cold and ruthless enemy,
His pleasure is our harm!
Rise up, o Lord, and he will flee
Before our Sovereign God!

Satan is a defeated foe. He is but a creature, and will one day be undone with a simple word from Your mouth. True, he is powerful - but greater is Your Spirit who dwells in us. You have promised that if we resist the devil he will flee, but we can only do that in Your power and strength.

Let every creature in the sea,
And every flying bird;
Let every mountain, every field,
And valley of the Earth;
Let all the moons and all the stars
In all the Universe

Let all of creation acknowledge its Creator. Let all creation bow down before its Lord!

Sing praises to the Living God
Who rules them by His Word!

Our God - the Living God - is Sovereign and in control. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and there is no place we can hide from Him. He sustains the Universe by His power alone, and He does not sleep or grow weary. Our King is on His throne, guiding and protecting, providing and calling, judging and forgiving. His will is unstoppable, and there is none who can resist it. He is perfect in holiness and glory, and there is nothing which can compare with Him!

Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!

Amen!

(I pray that this reminds you - as it does me - of the wonderful, glorious love and grace that God offers to us!)

Calling out for help! (UPDATED)

Dear friends, I have a wonderful blog-brother, Kender MacGowan, who is trying to raise some money so he can come and spend Christmas with me - and maybe pad his bank account a little for medical and living expenses *grinz*

Kender blogs at Kender's Musings, and also has an internet radio show: Young Gun Conservative on Right Talk Radio. He's one of the blogosphere's burrs-under-the-saddle; funny, irreverent, intense and definitely not politically correct. The K-man tells it like he sees it, and has a very low tolerance for liberal idiocy.

Kender is a talented and passionate writer and has two books of poetry published: Shattered Ashen Heart: Poetry For Loves Victims [link updated] and Watering the Tree: Thoughts on Liberty and Tyranny. [UPDATE] Kender also has a THIRD book, The Hunter and the Elf Queen, which I totally brain-dumped on...

Tree has colored illustrations to go with each poem, and the forward is written by the wonderful and awesome Evan Sayet ! [/UPDATE]

To get from California to Virginia, the K-man needs to sell 500 copies of Watering the Tree (although if you ALSO wanted to purchase Ashen Heart, I'm sure he would have no objections, LOL). So I'm asking all my friends to click on the links and buy a copy or two if you like what you see. Plus, if you can, please spread the word to YOUR friends and ask them to do the same.

If you're not interested in the book(s) but want to help out a bit, Kender does have a "Donate" button in the left hand column at Kender's Musings.

So please help out as you are able, because I adore my K-man and really want him to be able to spend Christmas with me! 

(crossposted to Virginia Virtucon)

A cure for the Monday blues...

Well, it's been a long time since I did a "Songs from my iPod" post - possibly because I haven't HAD an iPod for about 2 years. Now, of course, I have my wonderful MotoDroid and can get Pandora. I've also got an awesome BlueTooth-to-radio device by Motorola that my Beloved Husband got me, so I can truly enjoy music wherever I go.

I've set up a Christian "station" for myself on Pandora, and here's what blessed me this morning:

Rebecca St. James' "Song of Love," from her worship GOD album:

Jesus, King of my heart
Father, my peace and my light
Spirit, the joy of my soul You are

Jesus, to you none compare
Father, I rest in Your care
Spirit, the hope of my heart You are

CHORUS:
The heavens declare You are God
And the mountains rejoice
The oceans cry Alleluia
As we worship You Lord
For this is our Song of Love

Jesus, You save my soul
I'll thank You forevermore
Jesus, the love of my life You are

CHORUS

Jesus, I am in awe
Of the love that You have shown
Jesus, how precious You are to me

CHORUS

[source]

Paul Coleman's "The One Thing," from his Let It Go album:

Here I am
In a river of questions
Can I pour my heart out to a listening ear?
I see this life
Its valley's and mountains
And I think of all the roads that brought me here

I've questioned my reasons
The life I'm living
I've questioned my ability 
To judge wrong from right
I've questioned all the things that I've ever called certain
My race, my religion, my country, my mind

But the one thing I don't question is you
You really love me like you say you do
You really love me like you say you do
Hold me
Hold me

I've questioned significance
Meaning and relevance 
Does the work I'm doing really matter at all?
Well I've questioned my friendships
Alliance, dependence
Who will still be here when I fall?

Only one thing doesn't change
Only one thing stays the same
All I know at the end of the day is your love remains

[source]

And finally, Third Day's song, "Medley" (from their Offerings II: All I Have To Give album), has a snippet from the old classic, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" -

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

So, there you go. If you are wearied by Monday and long for the weekend, remind yourself of the true and everlasting Sabbath Rest we have in Jesus. Lay your burdens down at His feet; trust in His strength and promises. "And the things of earth will grow strangely dim," and He will hold us while we sing Him our Song of Love.

May God richly bless you today as you trust and follow Him!

(crossposted to Virginia Virtucon)

Israel 2010 - 10July - Part 1: worship on the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the Primacy of Peter

OK, I think I'm sort of motivated after getting Day 2 posted. They are here and here, in case you need the links - and don't forget, you can always access ALL of the posts about the Israel trip (including the ones I posted via my Droid while still traveling) by clicking on my "Israel Tour 2010" category, down on the left column.

At any rate, our first morning on the Sea of Galilee was beautiful! We woke up to the sun beginning to shine over the Golan Heights

And after breakfast (yummy, yummy - I love Middle Eastern cuisine!) we went out on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and had an absolutely INCREDIBLE morning worship service:

More awesomeness under the fold...

Calvin's Institutes again: Yielding up our whole selves to God

Image via Wikipedia

While I am - yet again - resisting the roaring lion, I am trying to replace some bad habits with some that are more edifying in the hope that they will help me draw nearer to God in love and obedience. So, this morning I've picked up Calvin's Institutes again and gone back to the beginning.

This quote from Book 1, Chapter II, section 1, caught my attention:

... until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that nought is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; nay, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity.

I pray that God will work in me so that this awareness of His love and goodness and provision increases daily so that I may yield myself up to Him and His will. I know that He is conforming His children into the image of His Son, working in us by His power to make us more holy day by day. I know that He will accomplish His work in me...

I just want to stop fighting it so much! "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

Israel 2010 - 09 July - Part One: Caesarea Maritima and Mt. Carmel

As you can see from the title of this post, we had a very busy day - and that was the norm throughout the trip. (UPDATE - I should have said, "from this post AND the next one" because I had to split the day into two posts! LOL) I asked our guide, Fabrizio, how our tour stacked up against other groups he'd guided, and he replied that Pastor Jim's groups always had very full and complete itineraries.

We had two buses, called "Garnet" and "Gold" in honor of the FSU Seminoles (quite understandable, since this trip was sort of sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Bobby Bowden was the co-host with Pastor Jim). Each bus had its own driver (Ziad, who drove the Gold bus, was awesome!) and guide, and Malcolm and Fabrizio, the guides, were extremely knowledgeable and helpful - we all loved them.

Don't forget that I thought I didn't have batteries for my Canon xSi (they were tucked securely away in an obscure corner of my suitcase all the while), so most of the pictures will be from my Droid (and thank you to Verizon Wireless for having an excellent international data plan and wonderful connectivity throughout Israel!). So, I was able to post from the Droid as we were touring - see here, here, here, here, and here, for my moblogs from this day - which was great fun; international moblogging, woo-hoo!

Anyway, on to the day - and this is going to be fairly long and have lots of pictures, so I'm going to put it under the fold:

 

 

 

A roaring lion...

We all have "roaring lions" in our lives, even if they come in looking all cute and cuddly. Actually, often lions are the most dangerous when they look cuddly, because who wouldn't want to have the chance to snuggle up to a lion without - we suppose - getting eaten? And so, we snuggle in close, refusing to see the baited trap that lies in wait.

This morning, I posted two verses from 1 Peter on my Facebook page:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

The devil - the lion - is looking for his lunch, and he is very hungry! He will use all the tricks he has to entice you closer and closer until he can pounce on you and tear you to shreds. He will lure you, he will seduce you, he will tempt you. He will use your wants, he will use your family and friends, he will use your emotions, and he will exploit even the smallest weakness that he finds.

Satan was created as the most beautiful and wise angel; he didn't lose that when he rebelled against God. He has observed human nature throughout our history, and he is very talented at deception, manipulation, and seduction. He is a dangerous, crafty foe, and we are called to stand firm - we are to know the tactics of the devil and resist his wiles by the strength of God in us.

We know we cannot do this in ourselves. Just before Peter's call to be sober and vigilant, he says:

...be clothed with humility, for

“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

James agrees, then adds -

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We humble ourselves before God, knowing that we have no strength of ourselves to combat this mighty enemy. Like sheep who are wholly dependant on their shepherd, we must fully rely on God's wonderful grace and love for protection, strength and guidance. Our old, rebellious nature that is still within us wants to partner with the lion, wants to indulge in sinful lusts and actions, wants to have an easy "carefree" life - and that is the way of destruction. That is the way of eternal damnation, and the devil rejoices over one more soul that will be in torment with him in hell forever - misery really does love company, you know.

But our new nature, the heart of flesh that longs for God and His righteousness, the living spirit that God has given us, that spirit wants to obey and to resist the devil's wiles. This is the spirit we must feed and nurture.

This is the nature of a child of God, whose destiny is an eternity of life and love and joy in the very presence of our heavenly Father.

Well, I've been playing tag with the lion, and it's time to stop.

The next time he comes knocking and wanting to play, I think I'll let Jesus answer.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee

Israel 2010 - 08Jul2010 - Arrival in Tel Aviv!

Image via Wikipedia

All right, I've lollygagged long enough; it's time I got off my lazy rear end and started posting my pictures and commentary on my ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC trip to Israel from 07 to 17July.

First off, although I left on the 7th, I arrived the morning of the 8th. I traveled with another couple between Newark, NJ, and Tel Aviv, and not with the vast majority of the group; there was a small mix up figuring out connecting flights, and since I wasn't leaving out of Orlando, I used different flights.

Continental actually had a good schedule, and I very much liked the fact that eash seat had its own viewscreen - plus, there were over 170 movies available to watch at no charge! Loved that, both going and coming, because I can never get proper sleep on a plane. However, when Judy and Larry (the other couple) and I arrived in Tel Aviv, I encountered a wee problem: my luggage apparently didn't travel with me! I had seen my bag when I left the arrival plane in Newark, and I'd deliberately left TONS of time for the connection, so I don't know what happened.

But, in spite of that inconvenience, I must remember that when the plane's wheels touched down on Israeli soil, my heart leapt and I had to choke back a tear or two. To be in the Holy Land where Jesus walked and preached and healed and died and triumphed over sin and death...! I cannot express how wonderfully moving that was (and is, even just in memory).

Anyway, Judy, Larry and I landed at Ben Gurion International fairly early at about 930am, and the rest of the group wasn't going to land until around 1pm. Our driver took us to the hotel - the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv - right away to wait for the rest of the group, so I had some time to dither and fret about my lack of luggage (oh, I wanted a shower and fresh clothes!!!) for a while. But, the rest of the group got in at about 4pm (after a brief stop at Joppa on the way from the airport), and my wonderful roomie, Barbara, went with me to shop for some emergency clothing.

At dinner, I got to meet some of my fellow travelers (76 of us in all, two buses - Garnet, and my bus, Gold), and learned of Verizon's international data plan - so I texted my Beloved back here in the States, and he got me set up right away (oh, I DO love modern technology!!!). After dinner, there was a brief orientation meeting, and we went to our rooms to crash for the night.

I walked into the room while setting up my Droid for the international plan (roaming and wireless access permissions and whatnot), turned around, and THERE was my blue Delsey bag, waiting for me! God is indeed good... ;-)

Of course, then I found out that (I thought) I'd left both batteries for my canon xSi DSLR back in the States... So, all of the pictures I took of the trip - until we got in to Jerusalem - were taken with my Droid. Frankly, the Droid did a very, very good job for a cell phone camera, AND I really think God used this little bobble to remind me that my main purpose for being in Israel was NOT to go hog-wild with pictures and video and blogging, but rather to learn and soak in all that He had planned for me.

So, the very first day was a bit of a trial, but by God's grace I was able to maintain my calm, and He took care of me the whole way. Even if He hadn't returned my luggage to me, I knew I was in His hands and that things would all work out - one way or another. It was a wonderful, practical, real-life illustration of 1 Peter 5:6-7:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

All right then, since I've broken the ice on getting started, I hope to have my round up of our first full day - 09 July 2010 - up by tomorrow or Saturday mid-day! Keep bugging me, people; I need a little extra motivation. As a matter of fact, threatening me with 20 lashes with a wet noodle might not go amiss! ;-)

<

The blessings of my life...

I am BEYOND blessed... I am enjoying a quiet night in and around the pool with the Beloved Husband. Hawaiian music (courtesy of Pandora, Verizon Wireless, and my MotoDroid...) playing quietly in the background...

How can life on earth get better?!

Google Listen just got a WHOLE lot better....

... mainly because I just figured out that I can add a podcast feed to the "Listen Subscriptions" folder in Google Reader, and it will be picked up by the app on my MotoDroid.

Listen has been driving me insane because it was extremely difficult to find the podcasts I wanted using the search engine in the app. Frankly, I was seriously beginning to wonder if there was a bias against Christian podcasts!

But now I've got my daily Bible reading, J. Vernon McGee's "Through the Bible," and Ravi Zacharias' "Let My People Think." Plus, there are a whole slew of excellent teachers to whom I now have access.

WOOT!

Eulogizing my father, Harry Harlan Stuart II

Yesterday, the mail delivered the CDs of my father's memorial service from 18May, and it was an emotional experience to re-listen to the tributes we paid to him. The service was about an hour and fifteen minutes long, but I've trimmed it down to include only the personal remembrances.

First, Pastor Jim Henry spoke. Pastor Jim is the pastor-emeritus of First Baptist Orlando and past president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As you will hear, we didn't know until the very last minute that he would be able to attend, and it was a great honor that he was able to attend and participate. Pastor Jim is one of the hosts for the tour of Israel I'll be going on next month, and he was very tender toward me the day of Daddy's memorial; I know he'll take good care of us all while we're there in the Holy Land.

Second to speak was Del Wright, of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Del and Daddy had a very close and loving relationship; I am honored to think of him as Daddy's second son. During the two weeks leading up to Daddy's death, Del was a huge encouragement to me. He gave strong and kind support to us all, and his love and respect for Daddy shone through every word and action. He references an award that the local chapter of the FCA gives out, called the Harry H. Stuart Servant Leadership Award. It was created about 14 years ago, and I remember being completely delighted when I was told about it; Daddy, by God's grace, was very much that sort of man!

After Del spoke, we three kids had our say - first my older brother, then me, and finally my darling sister. It was hard for each one of us - I'm sure you'll be able to hear the stress in our voices - but it was such a blessing to be able to stand up and give strong testimony on behalf of Daddy. He was a wonderful man, and we will all miss him.

The other voice you'll hear is Pastor Don Burke, who was our pastor at Greenwich Baptist Church when I was growing up. My parents kept in very close contact with him after we moved from Connecticut to Orlando, and he has truly been a family pastor to us. I didn't include his homily from the service because he spoke more theologically about what it means when a Christian dies, and I wanted to post the tributes to Daddy. I might, at a later date, put up Pastor Don's remarks...

At any rate, this runs about 30-40 minutes I think, and I pray that it will be an encouragement to you.

(EDIT: For some reason, the embedded player that always worked for me is now... NOT. Here is a clickable/downloadable link.)

The picture below is Daddy's American Airlines pilot picture, probably taken about 30 years ago...

The picture above was taken during World War II - Daddy is standing on the left.

"In God is our trust..."

My last post actually fits in neatly with what we studied today in church: Trust in God.

Seriously, my brothers and sisters in Christ, do we really trust in the God of Creation? Do we honestly place our hope in the covenant God of Israel? Do we place our full confidence in His unshakable and unbreakable promises? Do we rely completely on the power and faithfulness of our risen Lord and Savior?

That is the foundational question we must all ask ourselves: Is our trust in God alone, in Christ alone?

For Sunday morning Bible study, we just began a new section based on Ray Pritchard's book, Fire and Rain: The Wild-hearted Faith of Elijah. I really loved the way Mr. Pritchard describes Elijah:

Elijah was a mountain man. Because he came from the mountains, he was probably a bit uncouth. Because he came from the mountains, he wasn't very refined. Because he came from the mountains, he wouldn't have had the same level of education as those who were raised in the city of Jerusalem [actually, since Elijah prophesied to the Northern Kingdom, it might have been better for them to say "Samaria," since Jerusalem was the capitol of the southern kingdom of Judah -Kat].In that day, people from the city tended to look down their noses at men from the mountains the same way people today sometimes look down on folks who come from the hills. Hill people. Hillbillies. Elijah was like an Old Testament hillbilly. Before you laugh too much, remember this. You don't want to make those people mad. You'll lose that argument. You might lose something else, too. You don't want to mess with mountain folks. They're a tough breed.

Elijah was sent by God to Ahab, who was probably the wickedest king of the whole Old Testament. Elijah, a man with no genealogical background (very important to the Jews), a mountain hillbilly, stalked in to Ahab's throne room, and said:

And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” (I Kings 17:1, NKJV)

BAM!!!! 

Elijah spoke what God told him to say with no prelude, no buildup, and no waffling - and then he stalked right back out, back to his hills. O_o (<--- that's an emoticon for flabbergasted astonishment, in case you didn't know. Think two big eyes, hehe.)

Yo, Ahab? Dude, you just got served! The gauntlet is down, man... You are so wicked, so far from God, and so hardhearted, that God doesn't even have His prophet explain anything, he just speaks God's judgment bluntly and leaves. Ball's in your court, your kingship!

As Pritchard writes, "They're so far down in the pit, a city boy isn't up for that kind of job." No, sirree, gotta get an uncouth, no-nonsense, loud-mouthed hillbilly man to smack 'em upside the head with God's word, that's for sure!

Now, the point of our lesson this morning was, where the heck did Elijah get all that chutzpah?! Well, take a look at that verse.

"As the LORD God of Israel lives..."

Elijah served the living God. Ahab just worshiped ol' Baal, a fertility god made from the hands of men. If the rains didn't come, the crops wouldn't grow - and where would Baal's power be? A fertility god ruling over a drought-ravaged land certainly isn't very powerful or helpful, is he?

.But the God of Israel LIVES! He rules, He reigns, and He is in control over everything. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being, it is by His power that all the universe was created, and it is HE who upholds and sustains all creation. Baal? Hah, Baal is just a two-bit wannabe!

Elijah served this living and almighty God; why should he fear the king of Israel?

"As the LORD God of Israel lives..."

Elijah served the covenant-keeping God.

Hey, Israel, Who called your daddy Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees? Who sent Moses to all-y'all and plagued Egypt so bad that they threw all their riches at you and begged you to leave? Who was it again who destroyed their whole army when the pharaoh had a change of heart? Who was it who gave you the manna from Heaven and protected you through forty years in the wilderness? Who descended upon Mt. Sinai and gave you the Law? Who went before you into the Promised Land and delivered it to you? Who sent the Canaanites and Philistines to punish you when you sinned and left God's commands? Who sent judges to rescue you from the Canaanites and the Philistines when you cried out your pain to Him? Who gave you David and Solomon, the two greatest kings of history (save for One, of course)?

ISRAEL!!!! Who has been with you all this time, upholding His covenant with you and calling you to turn back to Him???

The LORD God of Israel, that's who!

So, what's Baal done for you lately? Not much? Yeah, that's what I thought, too...

Elijah served the living and almighty God who always keeps His promises and who watches over His people. Ahab? Meh, he's just a guy in a fancy robe.

"As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand..."

Elijah served in the presence of God.

The living God is everywhere, you know. There is no place we can run or hide and escape His presence. God knows everything as well, so there is no possibility of concealing ourselves and our true motives in the "privacy" of our minds. God is everywhere, and He knows everything - we all live in His presence each and every day...

But Elijah knew this. He knew to the very marrow of his bones that wherever he went, God was with him. Whatever he said at God's direction had the full force of God's power and truth. Whatever he did under God's leading had God's authority and effectiveness. Elijah lived coram deo, before the face of God, and he knew it!

Elijah served the living and almighty God who always keeps His promises, who watches over His people, and who goes with His servants to guide and protect them.

So, yeah, of course Elijah went in to Ahab's throne room and threw down that gauntlet with such confidence! After all, wouldn't you?

Ah, so maybe you wouldn't? Yeah, I'm there with you. I get far too caught up in the

• "What will they think?"
• "What if God doesn't come through?"
• "But I'm just nobody, how will they listen to me?"
• "Do I really need to do/say that right now?"

Let me tell you, Christian, I look at those attitudes in myself and think, "Gee, Kat, I guess you don't really trust Him much, do you?"

Do you see that in yourself as well?

Well, how can we work to increase our trust in God? It's all very well to say, "Well, buck up, buddy! Put your best foot forward! Stiff upper lip! Go get em, tiger!" and so on, but unless we base our trust and confidence on biblical truth, this bravado will crumble in the face of opposition fairly quickly. And this point leads me to Pastor Hank's sermon this morning, which dovetailed nicely with the Bible study lesson.

Hank's sermon was titled "Walking in Faith: the Cure for Unbelief," and his main Scripture came from Genesis 18:9-15. God has come to visit Abraham, and He tells him that Sarah will have a son the following year. Sarah, who is listening in secret, "...laughed within herself, saying, 'After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'" She doesn't believe that God can do this! She thinks that this task is too difficult for God - the LORD God Almighty! - to perform!

Well... You know the story - the following year, Sarah gives birth to Isaac (whose name means "laughter" - and who God had named already: see chapter 17), so I suppose God got the last laugh after all ;-)

But Hank gave some good pointers on how to strengthen our faith and our trust in the living God who is faithful, trustworthy and able to do all things He purposes:

Trust God because of Creation - take a look at Genesis 1. Out of nothing, God brought forth everything! Can you imagine the power that must have taken? And do you realize that all that power didn't take even the least amount of effort on the part of our infinitely powerful God? Do you know that He is still keeping the universe going out of His own power (see Hebrews 1:3)?

When I look at creation - fallen and marred by sin as it is - I see the powerful hand of a good, loving and beautiful God, and I cannot help but have confidence that He will take care of His servants.

Trust God because of Conversions - did you know that all twelve of Jesus' disciples abandoned Him at His darkest hour? Oh, sure, Judas Iscariot betrayed Him and proved to be a false disciple, but all of the other "faithful" deserted Him in Gethsemane. Even Peter, who swore he would never leave Jesus, denied Him three times when a young girl challenged him. Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, the disciples were continually scolded for their unbelief! And where did Christ find His followers when He came to them after the resurrection? Huddled together like frightened children in a locked room!

And yet, something happened to them between Jesus crucifixion and Pentecost, something amazing! They, like the Cowardly Lion, found their courage. But their courage wasn't a paltry medal - it was the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Ghost, who came into them and lived in them. The Holy Spirit empowered those men to go out and preach the Gospel and the resurrection with uncompromising power, and almost all of them died horrible martyrs' deaths for it. What changed?

From that time to this, God's Spirit has indwelt His people, giving them His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He has taken the dregs of humanity, filled them with His love and power and made them shining vessels of His grace and mercy. He has made millions of everyday sinners witnesses to who He really is.

When I look at all He has done - in me and in other Christians - I know that I serve a powerful God who makes cowards courageous.

Trust God because of Inspection - Have you ever really looked at Jesus? Really looked at the evidence? Have you ever put aside your materialistic, secular, smug intellectual "superiority," and come to examine the life of Christ? Have you studied why He came? There is so much evidence of God's power, love, kindness, mercy, perfection, and tenderness in just the four Gospels, that anyone who has come to them to seek and ask in humility and honesty is blinded by the glory of Christ and of His infinite love for us.

Lee Strobel, who used to be an atheist, did the research - and gave his life to Christ (the Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus is a must-read!). Josh McDowell was an agnostic (which is really simply a soft way of saying "atheist"), but when he went to the evidence, it piled up so high in Jesus' favor that he converted, and eventually wrote one of the best reference books on the subject ever: the NEW Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Just two examples - but two men who have documented their journeys and research, and have provided them for our benefit.

The more I look at Jesus, the more I read my Bible, the more I know I can trust God to do what He has said that He will do, and the more faith I have in His promises of things yet to come.

Trust God because of Distinction - Jesus is unique. He is the sine qua non. He has no equal or match. He is the God-Man who left eternal glory and came to live in persecuted poverty - all for the love of us. Unlike Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius, David Koresh, Jim Jones, all the popes, all the apostles, and any of us, He alone is God-made-flesh, and He alone has an empty grave. He laid His life down for us - it wasn't taken from Him, He gave it - and when the time was accomplished, He took it up again in His own power.

Only Jesus. All the Jesus-wannabes, all the other soi-disant "prophets" of God and "teachers of enlightenment" are dust and gone, their graves weathered by time. Jesus alone has the empty tomb; proof that He is who He said.

Only Jesus. The more I meditate on that fact, the more my faith in Him grow

Only Jesus. The more I fix my eyes upon the Captain of my salvation, the more He helps me lay aside the hinderences of sin, the more my confidence in Him blossoms.

Only Jesus. And maybe one day, as I journey towards full faith and trust in Him, I can be a hillbilly gal like Elijah!

There are more verses to the "Star Spangled Banner"....

Got this via Da Mihi Animas... AWESOME!!!

For those who don't know, here is the full text of the "Star Spangled Banner" -

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Happy birthday to my beautiful Darling Munchkin!

Two days ago (Monday, 24 May) was a rather quiet day for me. Daddy would have been 92 years old, and I'd just completed the first two weeks of my life without Daddy here on earth.

So it is a great joy for me to post these Happy Birthday wishes for my most darling child, who delights her parents every day, and is the Most Wonderful Child in the World™! (Well, IMHO, anyway...)

 

Happy birthday, young lady. You're not a child anymore, but you're not quite all grown up yet, either. You are my precious gift to the world, and I am so blessed and honored that God chose to let your Daddy and me take care of you here on earth. I pray that you will continue to grow up to be a woman of grace and joy and kindness, and that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.

I love you, sweetheart - no one could be a better daughter than you!

My remarks at Daddy's memorial service Tuesday

In 1 Thessalonians 4, the Apostle Paul writes,

... I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

My father was a wonderful man: good, honest, loving and gentle. He loved his family with every fiber of his being. We are his heritage; his gift to the world. And there is very little that can match, much less surpass, that legacy. But I'd like to tell you about the gift my father gave me which is even better than all that.

The most important gift Daddy gave me is his faith. From the time he placed his faith and trust in Jesus Christ, Daddy lived out his faith in every moment of his life and with everyone he met. Daddy was not a perfect man before he believed in Christ, and he was not perfect after, but he knew his Savior, and he knew to the depths of his soul the love and forgiveness that Christ gave to him. Daddy's faith was simple, but not simplistic; child-like, but not childish. Daddy's faith never wavered. It was pure, strong and true; he was never ashamed of it and was always willing to proclaim his Savior in word and in deed.

Everyone who met Daddy would tell me about what a good man he was. But really, it is because of his faith that Daddy had such a good name, an excellent reputation, and was known for his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - which is the fruit of the Spirit of God. My father was a good man because he believed in his Savior, and his life was a journey toward being transformed into the image of Christ.

I stand before you, saved by that same God's mercy, in large part because of the faith my father lived before my eyes. His patience with me, his daily prayers on my behalf, his quiet talks - all these were used by God to draw me to my Savior. Daddy's calm persistence, his unpretentious life, and his unreserved love are all earthly examples of God's great love for all of us. This is my father's best gift to me; the legacy for which I will always be thankful.

Right now, I mourn because I miss Daddy so much. He's always been my Daddy, a title too few fathers earn these days. But I can rejoice in my grief because I know the promise of God that I just read from Thessalonians. I know where Daddy IS: he is in Heaven with Jesus Christ. In Heaven, Daddy will never again know sorrow or pain or suffering. Instead, he is in eternal glory and worshiping the Savior he loved so much. He has heard that wonderful welcome from God's own lips: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord." Daddy is perfectly, absolutely happy and blessed.

Right now, I rejoice because I have hope. Not the "hope" of "Oh, I hope I win the lottery" or "I hope it will rain tomorrow" or "I hope there's chocolate cake for dessert" (although that would be great - Daddy loved chocolate cake!) - no. Not that kind of hope. I have the hope - I have the real confidence - in the unshakable promise of the God who cannot lie, the Almighty Savior who loved us and gave Himself for us, that I will see Daddy again some day in the very presence of God. In my grief, that knowledge, that promise, is the ray of glory that lights up all the dark corners.

While he was alive, Daddy prayed for each one of his family. His deep desire was for each of us to know the God he loved and served. He would never have said this, because he was not a prideful man, but his life was lived out before our eyes - the eyes of his family and his friends and his acquaintances - as a prayer that this quiet, deep, transforming faith be born in our hearts as it was in his.

My father's body is now ash and will be scattered over the waters. And we all mourn. Yet I say to you, rejoice!, for my father is alive and well, and lives forevermore!

But now I have a question for you: what will you do with Daddy's faith? Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." I ask you today to take this faith to yourself; hear that voice of God whispering in your soul, and join the real family, the eternal family. I ask you, as Daddy would, to place your trust in his God - Christ Jesus who is also my Savior - and continue the legacy of faith that Daddy lived.

I'll miss you, Daddy. I'll see you soon.

Gone to Glory: Harry Harlan Stuart II

My Daddy passed away this morning at 9am and is with Jesus.

I want to thank all my friends and "family" on the Internet for all their prayers for Daddy, and all their encouragement and support for me and my family.

If you feel moved to do so, would you please leave a comment here so I can print it out for Mom? I know that she would feel so blessed and honored over the way Daddy has had an influence over people he'd never even met.

Thank you, my friends. Your love has really helped carry me through this sad time.

I don't know that life is a circle as much as it is a roller coaster...

Daddy came home yesterday from the rehab/nursing home. He'd been very unresponsive this week (something we're getting far too used to, sadly), but perked up yesterday afternoon before his ride home. His eyes were open and watching me, he made a few attempts to talk, and when I suggested I read to him (from Just So Stories, a family favorite since forever), he was able to indicate which story he wanted to hear ("The Coming of the Armadillos") . He slept all through the ride home in the medical transport, and settled in here quite quickly.

One day, I think he's hours away from going Home, and the next, I'm thinking that I might get to keep my Daddy here on earth a little longer.

Sorrow, joy, anxiety, bafflement, confusion, tenderness, fatigue, hope.... As I said, a roller coaster of emotions.

Yesterday the local Christian music station, Z88.3, played a song by Tenth Avenue North - "Hold My Heart" - that really expresses my feelings right now:

How long must I pray, must I pray to You?
How long must I wait, must I wait for You?
How long 'til I see Your face, see You shining through?
I'm on my knees, begging You to notice me.
I'm on my knees, Father will You turn to me?

One tear in the driving rain,
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?
One life, that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Would You come close and hold my heart

I've been so afraid, afraid to close my eyes
So much can slip away before I say goodbye.
But if there's no other way, I'm done asking why.
I'm on my knees, begging You to turn to me
I'm on my knees, Father will You run to me?

One tear in the driving rain,
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?
One life, that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Would You come close and hold my heart.

So many questions without answers, Your promises remain
I can't see but I'll take my chances to hear You call my name
To hear You call my name

One tear in the driving rain,
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?
One life, that's all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Won't You come close and hold my heart.

Hold my heart, could you hold my heart?
Hold my heart.

I'm on my knees, Father, needing Your wisdom and Your strength to navigate these troubled waters. All I can do is rely on Your grace and mercy. Help me trust my Daddy to Your care and believe that Your will is good and perfect. Help me become more Christlike through this trial so that I may bring glory to Your name and honor to my father's life.

One day He's coming...

Living, He loved me,
Dying, He saved me,
Buried, He carried my sins far away!
Rising, He justified, freely, forever,
One day He's coming,
O glorious Day!

Yesterday I sat in church for the first time since before Easter, and it was so wonderful to be back, worshiping our wonderful, loving God with His family. The choir special had this as the song's chorus, and tears ran down my face in joy and longing and gratitude.

My public readers don't know this, but I am currently in Orlando - I have been for a week - helping Mom. Daddy fell and broke his leg just before Easter, had surgery, and is not doing so well right now. He's 92 and doesn't bounce back as quickly as a younger person, but the past two weeks he's been withdrawn and not participated with his therapy.

Two years ago Thanksgiving, I thought it would be my last with my beloved Daddy; he was exhibiting some of the same symptoms - sleeping all the time, unresponsive - but we found out his medication needed to be adjusted, and I got my Daddy back. During that time, though, we could see him fighting to try and respond to our encouragements to wake up and he was still eating breakfast and dinner.

This time, Daddy doesn't seem to be fighting, and he's hardly eating at all.

This time may indeed be my last with my Daddy.

I pray this isn't so. I pray that God, in His infinite mercy and kindness, will let me have my Daddy around for several more years - but I also know that His answer may be "No, child, it's time for my beloved son, Harry, to come to me and be eternally healed."

And that's why I was so grateful for this song. It reminded me that Jesus has come and lived a perfect life, died to atone for my sin, risen to prove His effective and accepted sacrifice, and has given His grace and forgiveness to Daddy. Jesus stands at the right hand of God the Father, claiming Daddy as a son of the Kingdom. When it does come time for Daddy to die, I know he will behold the face of the Savior he has loved so much in this life. I know that Daddy will be fully healed: He will no longer live in a frail, weak body and his mind, currently afflicted by Alzheimer's, will be clear and restored - better, even, than what he ever had here.

When Daddy dies, he will go to a far better place.

But this place isn't for everyone. Those who die without accepting the gift of God's forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ, will not go to a heavenly reward, but rather to a hellish retribution. Rest assured, one day your sins will find you out, and they will be paid for, one way or another. Daddy and I have humbled ourselves before God, confessed our sin, and asked Him to deal with it all - and Jesus paid our debt. If Jesus is not your Lord here on earth, one day your knee will bend before His throne in Heaven, and you will be sent to hell to pay for your sins all by yourself - for the rest of eternity.

If Daddy could talk to you, here and now, he would urge you to accept the outstretched hand that Jesus offers you - because Daddy has always loved family, and he would love to fellowship with another brother or sister - you? - in Heaven!

UPDATE: Here are the full lyrics - 

One day when heaven was filled with his praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin—
Dwelt amongst men, my example is he!

CHORUS:
Living, he loved me; dying, he saved me;
Buried, he carried my sins far away;
Rising, he justified freely, for ever:
One day he's coming—O, glorious day!

One day they led him up Calvary's mountain,
One day they nailed him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is he!

One day they left him alone in the garden,
One day he rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o'er his tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Saviour is he!

One day the grave could conceal him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then he arose, over death he had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!

One day the trumpet will sound for his coming,
One day the skies with his glories will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
Glorious Saviour, this Jesus is mine!

Well... Perhaps I'm not as "back" as I thought...

Mom called me and asked me to come down; Daddy is not doing so well. He'd broken his hip just before Easter, and come through the surgery all right, but he's fading now. It's very difficult to watch a beloved and cherished parent go through this, and I only arrived this afternoon.

I am so blessed and honored by all my online friends who have been lifting up my Dad and Mom and me before the Throne of Grace and Mercy. It hasn't hit me fully yet - hey, I was here two and a half years ago, thinking it was the end for Dad, and he pulled out if it - but I'm sure that there's a reality-bus heading my way at a high rate of speed.

If I didn't have God, if I didn't know my father's faith, I don't know what I would do. How can people go through this painful roller coaster without the bedrock knowledge that there is a holy, perfect, all-powerful God who has chosen His children and watches over them in love and tenderness? How can people go through trials without knowing their eternal Father is permitting the test so that His children are strengthened and encouraged in their confidence in His goodness and righteousness?

I am so grateful that He is with me, and has sent many of my brothers and sisters of the faith to lift me up and encourage me.

This song by Salvador, "You Rescue Me," really puts it into words for me:

Something in the motion of my history
Like a desert highway flying under me
All these guilty wounds that cannot be redeemed
By time, by time

Aching in a place that only I can see
Tears have a way of catching up to me
All it ever takes is a glimpse of something free
Like birds in flight

So I'm giving up on clarity
'Cause I want to trust when I cannot see and

Chorus
You rescue me, You hear my cry
You shelter me through the night
And You are my strength when I am in need
You are my God, You rescue me

Caught between the ocean and eternity
Broken by the weight of my attempts to be
Everything that everyone expects of me
This time, and every time

So I'm giving up my righteousness
'Cause grace, alone, will give me rest 'cause

Chorus
You rescue me, You hear my cry
You shelter me through the night
And You are my strength when I am in need
You are my God, You rescue me

Thank You, Father, for rescuing me. Thank You, Jesus, for coming to this sad, sorry earth to redeem Your people. Thank You for saving... me.

You Rescue Me

Yes, it really is GOOD Friday!

Have you ever wondered why Christians refer to this as "GOOD Friday"?

Isn't this the day that Jesus suffered and died? Isn't this the day when He was beaten and scorned? Isn't this the day that He was whipped until flesh was hanging of Him in bloody strips? 

Isn't this the day He was forced to carry the instrument of torturous death upon His shoulders to the place He would die?

Isn't this the Day?

"This is My body, which is broken for you..."

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

"...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

"...to give His life a ransom for many."

"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."

That's why we call it "GOOD Friday." We look at the Cross and see the terrifying price Jesus paid for our sin. We look on the Cross and see the filthiness and depths of our sin.

We look at the Cross and see the infinite love of God for His children, that He should send His willing Son to bear His Father's wrath against sin.

I look at the Cross, I remember Jesus suffering, and I see my sins against my holy and perfect Creator punished. I see my Savior, who paid the debt I could not pay.

Yes. It is, indeed,

GOOD FRIDAY!

A meditation for Holy Week: Grace vs. Works (or, "Am I refighting the Reformation?")

In our Christian life, we often walk a fine line that balances between faith and unbelief, credulity and skepticism, legalism and lawlessness, grace and works. Many - most! (including myself) - stumble toward one side or the other, forgetting that inspired tension that characterizes the true Christian walk.

How can I rely fully upon Jesus' work on the Cross, God's sovereign will, and the Holy Spirit's work in me, while still working out my salvation, running the race, and being a diligent disciple of Christ?

Monday evening, I read a post from Parchment and Pen and then yesterday, I listened to a podcast from Renewing Your Mind featuring Sinclair Ferguson (watch it here, but I don't know how long it will stay at that link). Each caught my attention, and it seems to me that they dovetail together beautifully.

Michael Patton at P&P crafts a solid metaphor for the "carnal Christian" as a resident of "Starting Line Village." These Christians begin their Christian life - they assert their belief in Jesus - but they never do anything with it. It puts me in mind of James' epistle where he says:

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

and also:

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

James is making the point, not that are saved by faith PLUS works, but that a proclaimed faith that has no works is a false faith. The natural response to an authentic faith is a growing display of the fruit of the Spirit and of the works OF faith. Our work and effort springs out of our gratitude for what God has done for us through His Son, Christ Jesus. However, it is a good thing to remind ourselves that, even though God created us for good works, even if we were to live perfect lives, we are at best "unprofitable servants," doing only what is expected of us and no more. No act we do, no work we perform, no sacrifice we make, can surpass (much less equal) the work of Christ on our behalf.

Patton says:

I have often said that it is easier to tell when someone is a true Christian than to tell if they are not. In other words, some people wear their conviction on their shoulder. The power of the Holy Spirit could not be clearer. Their passion, understanding, grace, humility, and faith are clearly evident in everything they do. I know and can state with a great degree of confidence that they trust in Christ and are saved. They are in the race and they are running. Others, however, it is hard to tell. They may say they are saved, but I am not convinced with the same degree of conviction. They may be convinced, but I am not. I am not saying they are not saved, I just don’t know. Some live in a perpetual state of doubt, failure, and terrible sin. They may be in the race, but they are not running. However, even when they are at their worst, I cannot say with the same degree of confidence that they are not saved than when I can say someone is saved.

To get right down to it, there IS such a thing as false faith, and if your faith has produced no fruit - of character or of works - then you need to sit down and soberly, truthfully examine yourself to see whether you ARE in the faith. If you have no changes in your life which are due to the awe and gratitude you have for all that God has done for you, then you need to worry and repent. If you have no holy dread of God's judgment and righteousness and no desire to be an active disciple of Christ, then you need to consider whether your faith is truly given to you by God, or if you're just playing the Christian game because it makes you feel good about yourself.

If you think Christianity is simply to make you feel good about yourself and make you a better person, then you have it completely wrong. Christianity is all about glorifying God and making Him look good! Yes, He takes us and changes us for the better, but only so that we may bring Him even more glory as we worship Him in Eternity. God takes broken, ugly, disgusting, unrepentant rebels, and out of grace turns them into little reflections of His perfect Son - just because He loves us, just because He can.

I highly recommend the podcast by Sinclair Ferguson (and, oh, don't I loooove that Scots accent!) that I linked above (here it is again), because he does a wonderful job of defining that line between faith+works and faith leading to works.

Again, it is that critical balance that Ephesians 2:8-10 states so well:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

How much more clearly can God say that HE has saved us by His sovereign grace, gifting us with the re newal of spirit that permits us to place our faith in the completed work of His Son, and that we have nothing to contribute to it? All we can do is display what God has done IN us by doing the good works He has prepared so that His goodness shines OUT of us.

And, dang, it's good to be writing again! ;-)

God's encouragement for me today

From Isaiah 51:

"Listen to Me, My people;
And give ear to Me, O My nation: 
For law will proceed from Me, 
And I will make My justice rest 
As a light of the peoples. 
My righteousness is near, 
My salvation has gone forth, 
And My arms will judge the peoples; 
The coastlands will wait upon Me, 
And on My arm they will trust.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, 
And look on the earth beneath. 
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, 
The earth will grow old like a garment, 
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; 
But My salvation will be forever, 
And My righteousness will not be abolished. 
Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, 
You people in whose heart is My law: 
Do not fear the reproach of men, 
Nor be afraid of their insults. 
For the moth will eat them up like a garment, 
And the worm will eat them like wool; 
But My righteousness will be forever, 
And My salvation from generation to generation. ... (vv. 4-8)

I, even I, am He who comforts you. 
Who are you that you should be afraid 
Of a man who will die, 
And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? 
And you forget the LORD your Maker, 
Who stretched out the heavens 
And laid the foundations of the earth; 
You have feared continually every day 
Because of the fury of the oppressor, 
When he has prepared to destroy. 
And where is the fury of the oppressor? 
The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, 
That he should not die in the pit, 
And that his bread should not fail. 
But I am the LORD your God, 
Who divided the sea whose waves roared— 
The LORD of hosts is His name. 
And I have put My words in your mouth; 
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, 
That I may plant the heavens, 
Lay the foundations of the earth, 
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people." (vv. 12-16)

Father I thank You for being my Rock and my Salvation. Thank You for giving me comfort and strength. You alone are God, and Your power upholds the universe. You are my God; who shall I fear? Father, let me walk in Your love and peace today. Draw me ever closer to You, and have Your way in me so that I am conformed to the image of Your Son. Help me learn how to let my light so shine before men that they may see my good deeds and glorify You.

U.K. Church Leaders: "Wives, submit to your husbands"

The sermons sparked outrage among many churchgoers, especially women.

One woman said she was "disgusted."

"How can they talk that way in the 21st century?" she told the Daily Mail.

(Daily Mail Online via FoxNews)

How can they talk that way? Well, because it just happens to be BIBLICAL. I note that the original article also adds "be silent," which Fox's excerpt does not mention.

Nevertheless, it is a biblical command that women should respect their husbands and accept their leadership - after all, honey, if you don't respect and love him enough to follow him, why are you (why DID you) marry him?!

One thing that's really, REALLY irritating to me is that the "women, submit to your own husbands" verse is almost ALWAYS quoted alone. In context, the husband is called to LOVE the wife who is submitting to him as Christ loved the Church.

Just for those who don't know - Christ DIED for His church! Jesus loved His people so much that He came to give us life. He came to people who were sinful, hateful, rebellious, and who didn't want to love God...

BUT!!!

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8, New King James Version)

God loves us so much that He came and DIED for us, even when we still hated Him.

So, Ladies, you need to see this video (and, yeah, it's long, but WATCH IT ALL!!!) with your husband (or boyfriend).

And then.... THEN!!! You both need to watch Pastor Mark talk to the man in your life...

Yes, it will take you two or more hours to watch both videos. BUT... After you see and consider BOTH videos, after you understand the responsibilities and duties that each party in a marriage has... Who, really, is being a slave?! Who is being a doormat? Who has the more difficult calling? Who is called to be Jesus and live the harder, more sacrificial life...????

Wives... We should cover our heads and bow in shame for the insolence and rebellion we show to the men who live the Christ-like life of sacrifice and selfless love. We should repent of our arrogance, pride and selfishness when we marry. We should turn away from our demands to be firstoneonlyBETTER over our men and our demands that they be less than they could be, less than they were made to be...

Lord Jesus, please! Bring reconciliation, bring humility and unselfish love to the men and women who are married. Reveal Yourself to them: the humble, loving sacrifice You made to redeem Your people - the example Husbands should follow - and the loving obedience and submission to Your Father that every wife should emulate.

REPENT!!!! Oh, by God's mercy and grace... Repent!

Folks, we Christians in the United States (and I do include myself) are selfish, complacent and unfeeling.

We live in the richest nation on earth - resources, opportunities, finances, families - and yet, although America is the most generous nation on earth, the Christian Church has not stepped up to the plate and given to God's work proportionately to the blessings He has HEAPED upon us.

I am convicted and shamed by my own selfishness and concern for the future. I need to be slapped in the face with God's promises to provide for the needs of His children and His promise to pour out blessing to faithful givers. He does not promise financial blessings, but rather to bless the influence and grace of our inheritance in Heaven.What a treasure could be waiting for us, if we only open wide our hands and give back to God that which is already His!

Yes, for some, He will add blessing upon blessing financially - because He has found faithful servants (or is testing the servants whom He has blessed with financial assets) who will still put His Kingdom before their own needs. God is searching for men and women to bless richly so they can bless others according to His provision in their lives.

Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church spent 30+ hours in Haiti after the earthquake. I ask you to please watch the whole video... And then do what God lays on your heart.

We in America have been given riches beyond measure. The poverty line in Haiti is roughly $1300.00 a year, and 80% of the population can't even make that...

As Christians, we have no percentage guideline for giving to the Church in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Folks, for us, Jerusalem is our home, Judea is our community/state, Samaria is our nation... And the "end of the earth" is all our brothers and sisters in Christ who need our help to spread the wonderful Gospel of Salvation.

Do you earn $10,000? Can you offer $10 - at least???? Do you earn $60k? Can you give $500? Do you earn whatever, and realizing the blessings God has given you - just by being born to this prosperous and blessed country!! - you realize you need to give back to His Kingdom by loving, supporting and encouraging your brothers and sisters in a far country?

Please watch the whole video... and then give all that you possibly can to rebuild, uplift and encourage the Church in Haiti and all her people.

"God gave the best He had...

... to save the worst He could find."

Have you ever thought about that? It would be like you or me taking in the molester and murderer of our child, paying the penalty of his horrific crime, and accepting him and cherishing him as if he were a most beloved member of the family.

How amazing!

Romans 5 says that, while we were enemies of God - sinful, rebellious, and altogether ill-deserving of His love and kindness - Jesus died for us. He didn't wait for us to be sorry; He didn't wait for us to get our act together. No. The very Breath of Heaven saw our hopeless and vile condition, and came to seek and save the lost.

The very worst He could find.

You and me.

Isn't He AWESOME?!

The Carnival of Christmas, 2009: GLORIA!

UPDATE, 25Dec2009 - What a lovely Christmas present: a link from the Blog Daddy himself! Thank you, Prof. Reynolds, and I hope your day was a joyful as mine. For those who would like more Christmas awesomeness, you can also read the first, second, third and fourth Carnivals of Christmas. I love hosting this wonderful Carnival; it has blessed me each year. So, I hope to see you all again for the SIXTH Carnival next year - and you'll send something in for me to link, right? ;-)

Best blessings to you all for a glorious day! (/UPDATE)

UPDATE (24Dec2009, 9a)! Kender, that blessed man, decided to feature the Carnival on his Right Talk Radio program on the 23rd of December. He graciously sent me the file and encouraged me to post it here. So, for your listening pleasure - and in hopes that this becomes a Christmas tradition - here it is. It's just over two hours long, and Kender did an AWESOME job! Thank you, my friend!

(UPDATE to the UPDATE(25Dec2009 7a): *sigh* The complete file was just too long, and died at about 1:15:00, so I have uploaded the eight parts separately.)

Carnival of Christmas, part one

Carnival of Christmas, part two

Carnival of Christmas, part three

Carnival of Christmas, part four

Carnival of Christmas, part five

Carnival of Christmas, part six

Carnival of Christmas, part seven

Carnival of Christmas, part eight

Thank you for coming by this year's Carnival of Christmas. It's a little quieter than it was last year, but there is a lot here to encourage and bless you for this most holy day.

I want to give my deepest thanks to all the contributors; it wouldn't be the Carnival without you all, and I am blessed and honored that you got involved. I truly appreciate all the beauty and care you put into your submissions, and I know they will be a wonderful gift of grace to your readers. Thanks again!

This year's Carnival was a bit hard for me, since we're mourning the loss of our dear Princess Pixel of the Prodigious Purr. It's sad to lose a beloved pet, especially so close to the holidays, but she lived a very good life with lots of kitti-skritchies, snuggles, cuddles, and love. We will miss her cat conversations and her quirky character very much.

With Pixel in mind, I'd like to open with an entry from A Ski, "The Christmas Tale of Baby the Cat." I think that I'm going to see if I can find a little Hummel cat figurine to add to my crèche scene, so that I can remember the purrs who have gone across the Rainbow Bridge.

Let's start with entries about

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Adam, the founder of the Carnival, gives us "The Season of Good News," and reminds us -

Presents are nice, and it’s great to share Christmas with family, but the extravagant gift of God, of what He invites us into is what is the true meaning of Christmas, and that’s why Christmas can be meaningful, even to the pauper and the lonely.

A.F. Ticker reminds us of the Reason we celebrate Christmas - 

Now this is a reason for celebration! The King Who came to the world as a child, grew to manhood, was crucified, buried, raised from the tomb, and ascended into heaven is coming again. This time He will not come as a peaceful Child. This time He will come as The King of kings and the Lord of lords.

My friend Doug, who writes at Political Pistacio, sent this in:

On Christmas Morning in 1987 it was my third Christmas in the United States Navy, and my third Christmas away from home. Like all of my other Christmas mornings, I was alone, and on duty.

The first Christmas I was in the state of Mississippi. I volunteered to stand duty watch, since I had nobody else to spend it with.

On my second Christmas in the Navy I was out to sea. I served underway watch, cold in the dark of night with the sea spray tapping on my skin. I served watch alone. I had nobody else to spend it with.

My third Christmas was on shore duty, in an office, alone. I had nobody to spend it with.

I was alone each Christmas, or so I thought, with nobody to spend it with. But during that time, when I felt my most lonely, He was watching over me, keeping me safe, keeping me close. I thought I was alone, but it was then that He was with me.

I assumed I had nobody to spend the time with, but despite my doubts, Christ spent the time with me.

Indeed! Remember, one of the Names of Christ is Immanuel - God With Us!

My dear blog brother, GM Roper, sends in his story about Daddy Bah - 

... when you give something to someone this Christmas, do it not because giving is important, do it from love, because Love is most important and the most important gift you can give.

I adore the Random Yak, and this year he sends in proof that Yak the Younger knows the true meaning of Christmas, too!

“Besides, it’s not about getting an expensive gift.  We only give presents to remind one another that Christ came into the world to live and die on our behalf.  The presents aren’t important, and if you put too much emphasis on them, people forget what they’re really all about in the first place.

“It doesn’t matter what they give me.  I know what it stands for, and I’m glad they care enough to send anything at all.”

Ah, Kender - my dear brother, my goofy, fierce, and wonderful friend - Kender sends in his own poem about the Reason for the Season -

No gift on Earth can equal
What the Lord above has done
He sent us our salvation
When He Sent His only Son

Kender is an excellent wordsmith in his own right - and I'm still waiting for that collection of poems and stories, my friend! ;-)

Of course, Kender isn't the only poet here at the Carnival; David at Third World County has penned a beautiful set of verses, the Gift, to celebrate the Reason for the season!

Big Dog has a great post up - no, trust me! - "It's all about the gifts" -

But the true spirit of Christmas is when we give something, no matter what the value, to someone we either do not know or do not have a close relationship with. It is our chance to demonstrate the kindness and to redeem ourselves. It is a chance to do something without any expectation of something in return.

And Cao chimes in with some great Illinois pictures and says

Material things…wealth, money – they come and go. But hopefully through it all, we’re able to maintain relationships with family and friends and help each other out and be there for each other when the times get tough. It is when people go through rough times that you truly find out who cares about you. It is those times when Christ’s message shines through…in that forgiving, unconditional love that is taught in 2nd Corinthians.

The Sounds of Christmas

Adam also sent in two old time radio shows, first from Let George Do It, and the second from Dragnet. Both have Christmas themes and are lots of fun to hear.

LOL, well there are sounds in this one, but it's not quite what you'd expect! Both GM Roper and David at Third World County thought this worthy of inclusion...

The cadences of poetry frequently set the mood for some stirring or thoughtful ideas. David at Third World County found this beautiful gem by C.S. Lewis, truly an excellent writer in a class of his own.

Nice Deb sends in her annual "A Very Perry Christmas" - oh, I remember Steve Perry (and Journey)! I guess I do miss the 80's sometimes ;-)

"Crabs for Christmas"? Well, Fishersville Mike says you might not get it if you're not from Baltimore... LOL! Very cute, though!

One of my Virginia blog friends, Rick Sincere, has a fascinating discussion of carols and Christmas hymns that I earnestly encourage you to go read. There's a lot of information there, and a lot to learn! Do you know where your favorite carol came from?

A Ski, who sent in the story about Baby the Cat, also sent in this video on YouTube - a beautiful choral rendition of O Magnum Mysterium.

The Traditions of Christmas

My dear friend, Always On Watch, has had a very hard year. But thanks to friends who believe in doing what Christ commands, AOW and her husband have had a joyous early Christmas!

Is it really the tree or the presents that make Christmas? Brian from Bearing Drift sends in a story about the best Christmas Tree ever - and gives an excellent answer to the question.

The Random Yak reappears to comment on the traditions of how we choose our Christmas trees (oh, I've seen one or two of those trees in my own life!), and reminds us that these family memories really help make Christmas special.

What could be more traditional for Christmas than Santa Claus? Well, Paul at Thoughts of a Regular Guy has a great entry that explains why he believes in Santa - the real Santa! And for more information about St. Nicholas, I encourage you to go over to the Mars Hill Church blog and read all about him.

I can remember, many years ago, that my parents got quite upset with the abbreviation of Christmas to "Xmas." David at Third World County reminds us that "Xmas" is actually a respectful and historical version of the word - so let's keep the "X" in Christmas!

Laying Wreaths at Arlington and other National Cemeteries is very definitely a tradition of Christmas, and one we should hold close. never forget the Man who took the Ultimate Fall, so that we might be raised to new life in Him...

SWAC Girl also posts some gorgeous pictures of Christmas in Williamsburg - a colonial Christmas is truly a thing of beauty, but oh, that candy!!! Yum! Plus, she also has an absolutely perfect story about visiting Santa as a young girl, as well as going to have a Christmas tea after seeing Santa.

Obi's Sister has a picture-filled post up about all the gorgeous Santas she owns  - truly an impressive collection!

The Flavors of Christmas

David directs us to a Christmas "Chili" - apparently it's not a real chili, but it certainly looks awesomely excellent!

And Peppermint Bark? I loooooooove Peppermint Bark! This looks like an excellent recipe, posted over at Charm Offensive Cooking.

Christmas in the News

This is a new section for the Carnival, but I received two entries that I think warranted it. First is from Beth Shaw at Right Pundits, "Advent Conspiracy: Have Americans Lost Our Way?" It is indeed a good question, with so many resenting a cheerful "Merry Christmas!" wish. Beth's post dovetails in nicely with a post from last year by Cassie Fiano at Stop the ACLU: "Christmas is now an official holiday in Iraq." I pray that, as Iraq celebrates Christmas - officially - for the first time this year, that the Savior whose birth we celebrate is born in many hearts!

And that's all for this year's Carnival; I hope that all these wonderful posts will help you enjoy Christmas. May you be surrounded by family and friends this year, but most importantly, I pray that you remember and rejoice over the greatest Gift ever given: a little, helpless babe born in a tiny town who is the God who came to us to be our Savior.

May the Spirit of Christ be born in your heart this year, and may you bow before Him in worship and gratitude for all the abundant gifts He has poured out upon us!

Thanksgiving, 2009: Count your blessings, for they are abundant!

Last year was a very hard Thanksgiving; my father, who is 91 years old, was doing very poorly and I was not certain how much longer he would be with us. Daddy was too weak and disoriented to make it to the table with us, and my sister and I were both shocked and saddened at how "un-Daddy" he seemed.

This year, however, there is a new story - isn't God so good?! - and Daddy is back to himself! Sure, he's old and frail, but he knows who we are, and he's up and active instead of dozing the day away. My brother and his lady are in town, his son is due in any moment, and my sister and her two boys will be arriving later tonight.

For Thanksgiving 2009, Mom and Dad will have all their children and grandchildren to celebrate with them!

Truly, this is a great blessing from God Himself.

So, for my readers and for anyone else who may stumble across this in a web search, I want to ask you to step back from your life and take a good, hard look at all the blessings God has poured out upon you. It is true that life can often be bleak and tiring, but even in the midst of trial, there is always the kind hand of God to remind you of His love and mercy.

I am thankful for the breath I breathe each day. I am thankful for the family I have. I am thankful for the good health we have. I am thankful for this time to enjoy my family. I am thankful for the friends I have. I am thankful for the warm house that shelters us. I am thankful for the safe car I drive. I am thankful for jobs we are able to do. I am thankful for the safe travel the past two days.  I am thankful for the church which blesses and nurtures me. I am thankful for the Pastor who leads our church. I am thankful for the freedom to worship in liberty and peace. I am thankful for the food on my plate. I am thankful for computers and the Internet which permit me to add my gratitude to countless others'. I am thankful for warm, comfortable clothing. I am thankful for good medical care. I am thankful for our cuddly pets. I am thankful for the rain on the thirsty ground. I am thankful for the glorious sunrise and sunset every day. I am thankful for my country, which in spite of her faults is still the most wonderful place to live on earth.

I am thankful for so much, and every bit of it is given by the loving, generous hand of God.

If this Thanksgiving finds you lonely and hurting, I pray that God will bring one of His angels your way to remind you of all He has done and of His steadfast love for you. I pray that His Spirit will open your eyes to His marvelous Son, through whom you may receive the gift of eternal life and joy.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain

I pray that this Thanksgiving finds you celebrating with family and friends, and that you enjoy the day with a deep sense of gratitude for all the abundant blessings we have received from the hand of the God who loves us so deeply.

What Do I Know of Holy?

This song was recommended to me by a darling young lady who is in my daughter's class at school:

Addison Road

And here are the lyrics:

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?

Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

(CHORUS 2)
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

Beautiful!

For Ft. Hood...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4,ESV)

Cass at Villainous Company posted this video to mourn the terrible tragedy of the Ft. Hood killings today, and it moved me to remember God's promises and His love for us:

May God bless them and keep them, may He cause His face to shine upon them, and bring them peace. May He lift up their faces and turn their mourning into dancing. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

For we do not grieve as those who have no hope; we know to Whom we have entrusted our souls, and we have faith that He is able to work all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. He has begun a good work in us, and He will complete it. It is His power that works within us so that we may so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

He is Father to the fatherless, and Husband to the widow. He watches over and cherishes the orphans. He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, yet we fear no evil, for He is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us; He is with us always, even to the end of the age.

He is our Rock and our Savior. Thousands may fall by our side, and ten thousand before us, yet we will not fear. He is the perfect Judge and will execute righteousness upon the earth.

We dwell in the shadow of the Almighty - He is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble. We place our full trust and faith in Him, and He will direct our paths. We rejoice in God our Savior, the Living God, who loves us and gave Himself for us.

The Lord is a warrior; our enemies will stumble and fail, they will be dishonored and shamed. The Lord of Hosts is a mighty man of valor; none can withstand His wrath and none can deny His rule. His will shall be done, in earth as it is in Heaven.

Our Savior pours out His lovingkindness upon His people. His Spirit of comfort dwells within us and makes us cry out to our Father. He gives us life and freedom; His power upholds all creation and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. All the earth is filled with His glory, and the heavens proclaim His name. He blesses us from the heavens in accordance to all His riches, and there is no good thing that He will withhold from those who call upon His name.

He knows our end from our beginning, and His hands formed us in our mothers' womb. There is no place we can flee from His presence; even if we descend to the depths of Hell, behold He is there. He has made us a little lower than angels, yet we will one day judge them as we sit at His right hand. He has ransomed us and purchased us and has clothed us in His glorious righteousness, so we may worship Him in spirit and in truth.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

    "For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
   we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39, ESV)

Amen, and amen. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away: blessed be the Name of the Lord.

THIS is how "the Lost Get Found," Christian!

Britt Nicole just went out and opened her eyes and looked to see who God had placed in front of her - and then she did her best to shine God's love into their lives.

Why don't you - why don't I - why don't we... do the same?

Wednesday morning Spurgeon: He goes before us

Image via Wikipedia

Always First in Fellowship
"He goeth before you into Gailee; there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you" (Mark 16:7).

Where He appointed to meet His disciples, there He would be in due time. Jesus keeps His trust. If He promises to meet us at the mercy seat, or in public worship, or in the ordinances, we may depend upon it that He will be there. We may wickedly stay away from the appointed meeting place, but He never does. He says, "Where two or three are met together in my name, there am I"; He says not, "There will I be," but, "I am there already." Jesus is always first in fellowship: "He goeth before you." His heart is with His people, His delight is in them, He is never slow to meet them. In all fellowship He goeth before us. But He reveals Himself to those who come after Him: "There shall ye see him." Joyful sight! We care not to see the greatest of mere men, but to see Him is to be filled with joy and peace. And we shall see Him, for He promises Himself to them. Rest assured that it will be so, for He does everything according to His word of promise: "As he said unto you." Catch at those last words, and be assured that to the end He will do for you "as he said unto you."

Jesus promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us, and as Spurgeon notes, He has promised to go before us as well. These great promises, along with so many others, bring great comfort to me - especially when I'm in a very Romans 7 mood, like today:

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched [woman] that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

I get so tired of dealing with the sin in my life; it's very wearying! I keep falling into the "I've got to DO something for God" attitude, and forget entirely that He wants me to love Him, to know Him, and to worship Him first and foremost. Again and again I fail and turn away, and again and again He calls me back and guides me on the path He wants.

He reminds me over and over again that He calls weary and burdened people to Himself, and He gives them rest:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Instead of casting all my cares upon Him, I keep insisting on carrying them myself - how foolish I am! Why can't I remember the simple truth in that old Sunday school song, "Jesus loves me, this I know... [I am] weak, but He is strong"?

Additionally, I need to remember that Romans 7 does not end in the hopeless cry of "Who will rescue me?!" but rather with this joyful declaration:

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Jesus will rescue me, Jesus has rescued me, and Jesus will continue to rescue me all the days of my life and forever into eternity future. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus! 

So I need to cling to the promises that Jesus will go before me and never leave me, and also trust Him when He says

... He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil 1:6)

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:12-13)

God cannot lie, and so I know that the work He has begun in me will be completed in His time and by His power to the praise and glory of His name.

Jesus has gone before me. He has never left me, but He also calls me come into His presence and find rest. He wants me in fellowship with Him, to receive love, grace, and strength to serve Him each day. His abundant kindness surrounds me every moment of every day, and the joy and gratitude I feel for that simple truth should fill my life with praise for my great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Um, yeah, er... About that Calvin's Institutes thing?

Can you tell I've fallen waaaaay behind on that? I mean, nothing since May?!

*sigh*

I guess, sometimes, I really set myself up for failure... But, on the other hand, my daily Bible readings are going quite well, and Tabletalk has been a huge help with that.

At any rate, I'm trying to get back to the Institutes, and have backed up a little to Book One, chapter four, "the Knowledge of God Stifled or Corrupted, Ignorantly or Maliciously," and these two sentences caught my eye:

Mingled vanity and pride appear in this, that when sinful men do seek after God, instead of ascending higher than themselves, as they ought to do, they measure Him by their own carnal stupidity, and, neglecting solid inquiry, fly off to indulge their curiosity in vain speculation. Hence, they do not conceive of Him in the character in which He is manifested, but imagine Him to be whatever their own rashness has devised.

Isn't that so true? All this "spirituality" these days is nothing but vain and prideful people making a little god in their own image. They don't like it when their God-given conscience reminds them of God's law in their hearts when they do something which offends Him, and so they'll say, for instance, "Oh, God is love, so He loves me no matter what I do!"

Well, that's true - but it's extremely one-dimensional. If you're a Christian, IF you're one of God's children, He will never leave you nor forsake you, and His love for you is perfect and unchanging. Nothing you do can make Him love you more, and nothing you do can make Him love you less. BUT! He loves His children too much to allow them to be disobedient and willful. God's plan is to conform His children to the image of His Son, and those who He loves, He will discipline when necessary.

And that applies only if you're His child; unbelievers do not have God's favor, they do not have His firm and unchanging love, and they bear His wrath, not His loving correction.

Wait... Was that a contradiction? Doesn't the Bible say that God loves the world? Yes, it does. After all, He causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the wicked and the righteous. He gives life to us all, and allows us to enjoy this glorious world He created, eat food He has provided, have friends and family and possessions - good and evil, saved and unsaved together receive the abundant blessings poured out from His hand.

But God's love for the unsaved is accompanied by His wrath, and one day His love will be taken away from those who refuse His Son's sacrifice, and they will eternally endure His righteous judgment and condemnation. Too many people stop at the end of John 3:16, and forget to read what follows:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

So, be very careful about the character of God. Be very careful to align your view of Him with how He has revealed Himself in the Bible. If you think He is only love and ignore His wrath, as in the example above, you may be in danger of not understanding your deep need for His mercy and salvation. If you go too far to the other side, you only see His wrath and judgment, and that may keep you from seeing that He loves you and is willing to rescue you if you will only trust and believe in Him.

Father, please help me to be wise and not stupid. Help me to see You as You are, and not how I wish You to be. Keep me from idle curiosity and vain speculation, but rather help me be grounded in Your word so I do not succumb to rash imagination. Let me live in Your presence, faithfully following the Captain of my salvation, Your perfect Son, Jesus Christ my Savior.

Thursday morning Spurgeon

Image via Wikipedia

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon"   (Psalm 92:12).

These trees are not trained and pruned by man: palms and cedars are "trees of the LORD," and it is by His care that they flourish. Even so it is with the saints of the LORD: they are His own care. These trees are evergreen and are beautiful objects at all seasons of the year. Believers are not sometimes holy and sometimes ungodly: they stand in the beauty of the LORD under all weathers. Everywhere these trees are noteworthy: no one can gaze upon a landscape in which there are either palms or cedars without his attention being fixed upon these royal growths. The followers of Jesus are the observed of all observers: like a city set on a hill, they cannot be hid. The child of God flourishes like a palm tree, which pushes all its strength upward in one erect column without a single branch. It is a pillar with a glorious capital. It has no growth to the right or to the left but sends all its force heavenward and bears its fruit as near the sky as possible. LORD, fulfill this type in me. The cedar braves all storms and grows near the eternal snows, the LORD Himself filling it with a sap which keeps its heart warm and its bough strong. LORD, so let it be with me, I pray Thee. Amen.

via www.crosswalk.com

While we are not righteous in ourselves, and although we only poorly reflect the holiness and glory of God, still we are His. He has given us the beautiful raiment of the perfection of His Son, and we may stand before Him with all our sins covered and paid for by the shed blood of Christ.

Father, may we never forget but instead grow ever more aware of Your great love for us. Mold us and make us, shape us as the potter does the clay, until we are conformed to the image of Your Son.

Forgive us our pride and stubbornness, which lead us to do things our way and not Yours. Help us to follow after You humbly, willing to be led and taught by the only One who knows the end from the beginning and who works all things together for good. Help us - help me - put ourselves aside and live for You. Help us be people whose lives are a praise and a sweet aroma to You, so that we may flourish like the palm and grow strong like the cedar.

"... the things that are unseen are eternal."

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us 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. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV)

This is a timely reminder for me. In today's Scripture reading (2 Cor. 4, for the New Testament portion), Paul speaks about his ministry. He stresses that the Gospel is not about him or any of his fellow workers, but rather about Christ. Everything he does, all the trials he goes through, all the physical torments he's endured are all to proclaim Christ in power and in truth.

Paul also reminds his readers that it is not his power, but God's - we are all but crude earthen vessels: unattractive, fragile, and unworthy. But God has chosen His children, flawed though we may be, and placed within us a treasure beyond compare: God Himself has chosen us as His dwelling place!

And so, "we do not lose heart." Even though I fail, even though I reflect His perfect glory in a chipped and damaged mirror, still His Spirit dwells within me, a pearl beyond price, a treasure more beautiful than gold or diamonds.

My outer being is cracked and worn, an unassuming and drab earthen vessel. What people can see of me is slowly being worn away, aging and decaying - and that's normal. That's OK. I know that I am only a sojourner and pilgrim on an earth that is not my home. This is a momentary affliction, transient and finite.

But that which is within me is eternal and glorious! By God's grace, His Spirit within me is changing and molding me so that one day I really will be fit for the "eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." This eternal part of me shows through the cracks occasionally, trying to widen and enlarge them so that it can shine through more and more, renewing me, reviving me, remaking me in the image of Christ.

One day, the vessel will shatter, or dissolve, or disappear, and the Unseen will be Seen, and I shall behold the face of my God and Savior to be clothed in a new vessel which will perfectly reflect His infinite glory for all eternity.

How often we get caught up in the here-and-now, forgetting that we are immortal beings, created in God's image. Some of us cannot help it because we are only crude and worthless vessels with nothing inside. The here-and-now is all these empty vessels have; it is the closest to Heaven and perfect joy they will ever come.

But those of us who are members of God's family - God's Chosen People, claimed and redeemed by the shed blood of His Son - must look beyond what we can see and touch and taste and feel. We must live for and remember our infinitely greater hope: this is the closest to Hell we will ever come, for the Treasure within us will one day break free, and

...no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9)

Thus, the question is: What is hidden in your earthly, worn, flawed vessel? Is it more of the same? Or is it the glorious treasure of God's Spirit dwelling within you? Are you a vessel destined for destruction? Or have you placed yourself into the Potter's hand so that He may transform you into a worthy vessel to bear the weight of glory beyond comprehension?

Christian, do not lose heart. The way can be hard, you may be discouraged, but God has promised to complete His good work in you. Continue in the race, take up your cross, do the work He has laid before you, and follow diligently after Him, for it is God's plan and His power working in you to do His good pleasure.

Christian, do not lose heart. The God of all truth has given His promise, and He will fulfill it. The Day has been appointed, and He will return for His own.

And then,

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."

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

(crossposted to Virginia Virtucon)

I waited on the LORD, and He inclined to me and heard my cry

My post this morning about some of the frustrations I've been having with my walk with God has drawn some wonderfully encouraging and helpful feedback (thank You, God, for these friend's You've given me!), and I decided to do a sort of follow-up based on a couple of songs I was listening to on my way home this evening.

Verse of the Day

Since my brother Michael posted Micah 6:8 for his verse today, I thought I'd post mine... Mainly because I'm having issues with it. Since the beginning of June, I've been having real issues with reading my Bible daily - heck, reading it WEEKLY - and it's getting me down. My nasty, sordid sins are creeping back into my life, and I haven't been in the Word so it can lead me to the Cross for forgiveness and cleansing... [headdesk]

Not. GOOD! [gives self a Jethro slap]

So... I thought I'd give myself some scriptural help. First, from John's first epistle:

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

And then from the magnificent book of Romans:

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.

Reading my Bible, turning to my Father for help and forgiveness... These aren't things that I have to do as much as they are things that I get to do because of His love and sacrifice.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to occupy myself the next little while by catching up on my Father's love letter to me, and having a good, long talk with Him.

God is faithful - and He has His people EVERYWHERE

We had a nasty scare today: we accidentally left my Hilton Grand Vacations beach bag at A-Bay today, and when we returned for it -within about 20 minutes - it was gone. A nearby family said that a gentleman had asked them if it was theirs, so we went looking for him and didn't find him.

Up and down A-Bay beach we went, and I confess that I fretted quite a bit. That wasn't surprising, since it had BOTH our wallets, BOTH our cell phones *AND* my beautiful Canon Rebel XSi camera!

But before I went completely off the rails, God in His kindness and grace reminded me to focus on HIM and His plan. Whatever happened - whether the bag turned up untouched or whether we had to wade through the nightmare of identity fraud - whatever happened, He was watching over me and my family. He would take care of it one way or another, and EVERYTHING would work out to His glory and to encourage me in my faith and help me learn to walk closer to Him.

God gave me opportunity to give a small witness of confidence in Him to several people, and I pray that His name will be glorified by it.

And God does not leave His children floating in the abyss! He didn't have to, but He chose in His grace to reward my poor effort of active faith with the return of the bag - the Beloved Husband is picking it up at the Hilton hotel's lost and found right now. The gentleman who picked it up did not leave his name, but I firmly believe that he was one of God's "earthly angels" doing the work of service and encouragement.

God is good. He is kind. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching over me.

Thank You, Lord!

Good morning! Time to worship...

With "Revelation Song."

Phillips, Craig & Dean have a version of this song that is beautifully done, and I love waking up to it!

Worthy is the
Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat
[Repeat 2x]

(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You…!
Yeah!

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,
Yeah

(Chorus)

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah...

(Chorus)
(Chorus) (Repeat at a cappella)

Come up lift up His Name
To the King of Kings…
We will adore YOU Lord…
King of heaven and earth
King Jesus, King Jesus
Aleluya, aleluya, aleluya!
Majesty, awestruck Honor
And Power and Strength and Dominion
To You Lord,
To the King, to King
To the King of Glory

01 - Revelation Song

Mount up with wings like eagles!

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths shall faint and be weary,
   and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
   they shall walk and not faint.

Faith plus nothing - or, "Picking a fight on a Sunday"

Well, not a fight, exactly, but rather a re-visitation of ("to"?) a topic some friends and I were discussing on New Year's Day. I didn't post anything about it here - it was all on the e-mail list - but it's been bugging me for the past couple of months.

Anyway, we basically refought the Reformation, and one of my buddies pulled out a verse to use as support of "faith PLUS works." Philippians 2:12b -

...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

Thing is, my mind wasn't in the right place when we were discussing this, because I forgot about that old saw "Text, without context, is pretext." After all, Philippians 2:13 continues

...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. [emph. mine]

Certainly, I will agree that works of Christian faith are important -after all, God has prepared good works for us to do from before the foundations of the earth:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

But our works cannot save us, for they are all tainted by sin. Only the works that we do through faith in Christ, in worship of and obedience to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us, are considered worthy offerings to God. And, as I said, those works have nothing to do with gaining our salvation - they only display the proof of it to an unbelieving world.

Salvation is of God alone, through faith alone, in the finished and perfect work of Christ alone.

God has taken dead men (yeah, yeah, and women and children, too), and He has made us alive in Christ. He has taken us  out of the kingdom of sin and darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. It is He who has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, and He who will complete that work.

Yes, as children of the Most High, our lives are to reflect and display the glory and perfection of our Father. We are to take up our cross and follow Him as diligent and faithful disciples. We are to be witnesses to His power and forgiveness. We are called to proclaim His grace and mercy through how we live our lives...

But that is the outworking of the salvation He has given us, and the natural consequence of His power and will working through us. It is not anything we are doing of ourselves to gain or retain the gift of lovingkindness by which He has given us life.

Therefore, because it is God who works in us and through us, and because salvation is of God alone... Therefore we can proclaim, "To God alone be the glory!"

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

So, that's my little Sunday Smackdown. Go check out the linked verses - and their context - and give praise to God Most High for His wonderful, awesome love and kindness to dead sinners!

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

... by Stuart Townend, is a "modern" hymn which well deserves a place in the canon of true anthems of the Church. I label it "modern" only because Mr. Townend is alive and has penned it within the past 50 (actually, I think it's less than 5 years old...) years. It is a sad thing that the present day Church, at least in America, appears to have turned to "praise choruses," and set aside the classic hymns which are so rich in good theology and true adoration of our glorious God and Savior.

Mr. Townend tells a little bit of the story behind the hymn:

I'd been meditating on the cross, and in particular what it cost the Father to give up his beloved Son to a torturous death on a cross. And what was my part in it? Not only was it my sin that put him there, but if I'd lived at that time, it would probably have been me in that crowd, shouting with everyone else 'crucify him'. It just makes his sacrifice all the more personal, all the more amazing, and all the more humbling.

Amen!

At any rate, on Good Friday, my iPod gave me Fernando Ortega's recording of this song, and it brought me to my knees in repentance and gratitude for all that my Savior has done for me. As the quote from John Newton (who penned "Amazing Grace," one of the great anthems of Christianity) says, "... I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior."

And I, too, am a great sinner. It is only by the grace of God Most High that I am able to make any small gesture of faith and love to His glory. I thank Him and praise Him for the mercy and kindness He has poured into my life, because I know I do not deserve them!

So, in hopes that the lyrics will encourage and edify you as well, here they are:

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Indeed and AMEN! Thank You, Jesus, my beloved Savior. Thank You for choosing the Cross, and thank You for claiming me!