Salt & Light

The Mantle of Elijah

2011-11-28T16:41:00.001-05:00

By David Wilkerson
January 17, 2000

Second Kings 2 contains one of the most spectacular passages in all of the Old Testament. This chapter tells the miraculous story of the aging prophet Elijah and his servant Elisha. When we pick up the tale, God has informed Elijah that his ministry on earth is over. Now he is to cross the Jordan River and go to a certain place, where a heavenly chariot will pick him up and translate him to glory.

As the old prophet pondered his last day on earth, he decided to visit the towns of Bethel and Jericho. He invited his servant, Elisha, to go along with him, and the pair set off for what I see as a "teaching journey." After visiting both towns, they arrived at the bank of the Jordan River. Elijah took off his mantle - a wide, loose-fitting garment or gown - and he smote the water with it. Supernaturally, the waters parted, and the two men crossed over on dry ground (see 2 Kings 2:8).

When they reached the other side, Elijah turned to his servant and said: "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee" (verse 9). Without hesitation, the younger man answered, "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" (same verse).

At first glance, Elijah appeared surprised by Elisha's response. He said, "Thou hast asked a hard thing..." (verse 10). Then he answered, "...nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so" (same verse). He was saying, "If you see me as the Lord is taking me away, your desire will be fulfilled. But if you miss the action, you'll have to go home disappointed."

As they walked along, suddenly a chariot appeared out of heaven and separated the men. In a flash, Elijah was taken up in the chariot - and Elisha witnessed the whole scene. He cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces" (verse 12).

Elijah was gone - but his mantle had dropped to the ground. When Elisha saw it, he ripped off his own clothes, tore them into pieces and placed Elijah's mantle on his back. Then he returned to the Jordan and did just as his master had done: He took off the mantle and struck the water with it. Immediately the waters parted, and Elisha walked over on dry ground. Thus began the young prophet's own remarkable ministry.

The events in this chapter are absolutely incredible. Yet what does this passage have to say to us today? I believe God has given us an unmistakable lesson here, with a clear, simple meaning: God wants to do greater things with each succeeding generation. And each new generation must seek the Lord for its own experience of the Holy Spirit and its own enduement of power from him.

It is wonderful to read about God opening the Red Sea for Moses and parting the Jordan for Joshua. But it's another thing for us to ask God to perform wonders for us. Yet that is exactly what our Lord desires for us. He wants to perform miracles and provide more of his Spirit for his people beyond anything seen in the past. He longs to increase and enlarge our faith - so that, like Elisha, we ask for a double portion of his Spirit, for his glory.

In this Old Testament scene, Elijah is a type of Christ ascending to the father. And Jesus promises us, "You're going to do greater works than even I have done, because I go to my father" (see John 14:12). He's saying, in essence, "You're going to need more of my anointing, power and authority than any past generation has had. And my Spirit is going to endue you with all you need to overcome."

1. My First Question in
Rereading This Story Was,
"Why Did Elijah Take Elisha
On This Whirlwind Trip?"

Why did the older prophet want his servant to accompany him to Bethel and Jericho? Surely it wasn't just a sentimental journey for Elijah, one last trip down memory lane. No - this wise, old man wanted to teach Elisha - as well as us today - our need for more of God's power and anointing.

The two men first came to Bethel, whose name means "house of God." Indeed, Bethel had a great spiritual heritage. Jacob himself had offered his sacrifice there. Yet, over the years, something had happened to the city. Jeroboam had set up a golden calf there, and soon the people were given over to idolatry. As a result, an entire generation had been lost to skepticism, scoffing and mockery, robbing their children of any trace of Bethel's spiritual roots.

Things were so bad, these people probably mocked Elijah and Elisha as the two arrived. How do we know this? Just a day or so later, when Elisha came back to Bethel, the young men of the town ran out to mock him.

Now, as they walked through the streets, Elijah probably noticed his servant's horror and indignation at the totally backslidden society. Elijah himself had faced mockers and scoffers in his own day, on Mount Carmel. But he knew it would take even greater supernatural strength to face this new generation. These young people were far more hardened and godless than the idolatrous priests he had battled.

I believe it was at this point that Elijah decided to test his servant. He most likely suggested, "Elisha, why don't you settle here and pastor these people? You have a sure calling, and you've been well- trained. You could help restore Bethel's great heritage."

I'm sure Elisha listened, because he knew his master had powerful discernment. Yet I believe the young man quickly recalled the story of another prophet. God had sent a certain unnamed spokesman to Bethel to prophesy against Jeroboam's idolatry. This prophet had cried, "Jeroboam, your golden calf is coming down" - and immediately the idol fell from the altar, spilling ashes. When Jeroboam saw this, he reached out to strike the prophet - but suddenly his hand was paralyzed.

God affirmed the unnamed prophet's ministry with other supernatural works. Yet this same holy prophet was later seduced and compromised by a lack of spiritual power.

As Elisha surveyed the situation in Bethel, he knew he wasn't ready to stand up against the wicked spirits there. He realized what Elijah had known all along - the need for the Holy Spirit to do a greater, more powerful work in him before he could face down the evil in such a wicked city. So he told his master, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee..." (2 Kings 2:6). Then, scripture says, "...they two went on" (same verse).

I believe Bethel represents the kind of evil society our own nation has become in just a generation's time. We too live among scoffers and mockers - sensual people given over to lust, idolatry, homosexuality. And this present generation is worse than any Elijah or Elisha ever faced. Those holy prophets saw children mocking, scoffing and blaspheming - but America's children are murdering one another. Ten-year-old boys are raping five-year-old girls. Young children are killing without any guilt or sorrow - cutting down parents, classmates, innocent strangers.

I don't wish to make a broad, sweeping judgment against all youth. I know there are many godly teenagers in this society who are on fire for Jesus. I thank God for every young person who takes a stand for Christ in these wicked times.

Yet, this evil day demands that God's people obtain a double portion of his power and authority, to be able to reach this lost generation. It's going to require a measure of anointing such as we have never seen in all of history. It demands that a holy remnant rise up like Elisha and cry, "Oh, Lord - more is needed."

2. We Know This Trip Is
Not for Elisha's Sake Alone,
But to Instruct Every
Succeeding Generation.

Elijah and Elisha proceeded to Jericho, which means "a place called pleasant." Yet this city was now barren, dry, utterly lifeless. There were no trees, no pastures, no fruit. Everything had withered because a stream of poison had infiltrated Jericho's water supply.

This city represents dead, dry Christianity - a church Jesus describes in Revelation this way: "...thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Revelation 3:1).

Elijah had established a school of prophets in Jericho, and apparently he and Elisha visited the school. Some of the young, upstart prophets approached Elisha, asking, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day?" (2 Kings 2:5). Elisha quickly cut them off, telling them, "Be silent."

Now, these strong young men of God were students of the scriptures. They even had some prophetic vision, because they knew Elijah was going to be taken up that day. This was the generation of ministers who would be sent out across Judah and Israel to minister to society - building schools, feeding the poor, preaching the word.

But something was clearly missing in them: the power, anointing and authority of the Holy Spirit. The next day, these same ministers would be begging Elisha to let them go look for Elijah's body, in case the Holy Spirit dropped him off some mountain or into some valley. They were totally ignorant of the ways and workings of the Holy Spirit. They could witness, preach, speak of miracles - but they hadn't experienced God's power for themselves.

Elijah probably overheard their conversation with Elisha. And he must have wondered if his servant discerned where this fleshly ministry was headed. So, once again, the old prophet tested his young protege. It appears he suggested, "Elisha, you're looking at the next generation of ministry. Yet you can obviously see the lack of the Spirit's work in them. Why don't you settle here and teach these ministers the ways of the Spirit? You're just the man to awaken this dead, dry, intellectual church."

But Elisha knew what would happen if he pastored these ministers. They would remain enamored of Elijah's powerful ministry - and they would constantly barrage him with questions about it: "How many hours a day did your master pray? How much time did he spend in the books of the law? What methods did he use? What doctrines did he preach?"

Elisha would end up spending all his time recounting revivals and miracles of the past. And these young ministers would spend all their energies trying to be little Elijahs, hoping to recreate his miracles - yet without the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.

The church today has fallen into the same snare. We study past movements and revivals, looking for keys, trying to discover methods to bring down fire from heaven. Since I can remember, the church has been crying for an old-fashioned, Holy Ghost revival. Yet this all stems from a desire to see God recreate something he did in the past.

Elisha now answered his mentor, "I will not tarry here. I will not leave you" (see verses 2, 4, 6). He knew he couldn't impact anyone in this dead, dry church until he received his own touch from God. He couldn't rely on Elijah's great works. And he wasn't going to settle for anything less than more of the Spirit than his mentor had.

He was telling Elijah, "I respect the faith of my forefathers, the spiritual giants of the past. But I know the Lord wants to do a new thing. And I have to have a greater touch from him than anything seen before."

I want to go back now to the scene at the Jordan River. Why did Elijah insist on miraculously passing through? The Jordan wasn't a deep, wide river, and scripture gives no evidence that it was swollen. Besides, there were fifty strong, young prophets on the other side who could have built a raft for them in a matter of a few hours.

I believe Elijah sought to teach his successor that the miracle crossings of the past - from Moses, to Joshua, to the present day - were all ancient history. He wanted to challenge Elisha, as if to say: "When you start your own ministry, and you preach that God is a God of miracles, you have to testify of what he has done for you personally. I'm going to be gone soon, Elisha. And tomorrow, when you return to this river, I want you to go back across the way you came. Believe God for the miraculous in your own life."

Most of us don't have faith to believe God for our own miracles today. We spend our time poring over the incredible wonders in scripture - yet all along God wants to tell us, "I have something even better for you. I want to do miracles in your life - to change your home, fix your marriage, save your unsaved loved ones. You're going to face your own Red Sea, your own Jordan River - and I want to part those waters for you."

3. Now Over the Jordan, Elijah
Said to Elisha, "Ask of Me What
I Shall Do for You Before I Go."

The old prophet didn't offer this as if, like a genie, he could pop out of a lamp and grant three wishes. He offered it to Elisha as a godly teacher in the faith. It was one last test, and he wanted to see how his young charge would respond.

I believe most Christians today would have answered, "Society is warped, and things are getting more chaotic all the time. I'm tired of the battle, weary of the devil's harassment. It is now dangerous just to be alive. Elijah, take me with you. I want to go home. Surely there's room for two in that chariot."

Indeed, our cry as God's people should be, "Come, Lord Jesus." Yet Jesus also tells us, "Occupy till I come." As he was ascending to heaven, he commanded his disciples, "Why do you stand here gazing? Go, tarry until I come again."

Elisha knew his place wasn't with the Lord at that time. He knew that God still wept over the rebellious children of Bethel and the barren church in Jericho. And he knew what was needed: He had to remain and take on the responsibility of facing an evil society and a dead religious system.

I'm sure he told Elijah, "You've shown me the condition of this society and this church. And you know I'm going to need more power, anointing and authority than anyone before me has ever had. So, I'm asking for a double portion of the Spirit that God gave to you." "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" (2 Kings 2:9).

When Elijah heard this, he answered, "Thou hast asked a hard thing..." (verse 10). Yet, who exactly would this task be hard for? Would it be hard for God? Would it be hard for Elijah, a man who had raised the dead and called down fire from heaven?

No - it was going to be hard for Elisha. This was something he would have to obtain for himself. Elijah didn't have the ability to empower his servant with a portion of the Spirit residing within himself. Only God can impart his Spirit to man.

But, Elijah replied, "...nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so" (verse 10). It is important to note that the words "when" and "am" in this verse do not appear in the original Hebrew. They were inserted later into the text of the King James. Thus, I believe Elijah is saying to Elisha, "If you see me as being taken from you."

Elijah was saying, "The Holy Spirit can't do a special work in you as long as you're still leaning on my memory. You have to consider me gone. You don't need me, Elisha. Turn to the Lord, whose Spirit also worked in me. He will answer your cry."

The moment he saw his master whisked away in the heavenly chariot, Elisha assumed his responsibility to carry on God's work to his generation. And as he stood at the Jordan and struck the water, the words he cried out were, "Where is the God of Elijah?" The young prophet was saying, "Lord, all of my spiritual forefathers are dead and gone. And this awful hour requires even more than you have given so far. Work again, Lord - this time through me. I have to be empowered with more of your Spirit."

4. Elisha Went Back to the
Same Two Cities, Retracing
His Steps With Elijah.

Now, after receiving a touch from God, Elisha went forward with his own faith. And his first stop was Jericho. The college of fifty prophets immediately recognized God's touch on him, saying, "The same spirit that was on Elijah is now on Elisha." It was obvious to all that this hidden servant was moving in a deeper power and authority of the Spirit.

The young prophets told Elisha, "...the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren" (2 Kings 2:19). They were saying, "There's poison in the water, and it's killing everything." Yet, apparently, these fifty men of God were powerless to stop the poison from bringing death to Jericho.

According to Isaiah, this "pleasant place" represents the ministry: "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant..." (Isaiah 5:7). Also, water here represents the word of God.

Do you see the picture? The poisoned waters of Jericho signify the polluted word being preached from the town's pulpits. These men of God had never dealt with their own sins, so their sermons were full of poison from corrupted hearts. And their lifeless, flesh-oriented sermons were causing spiritual death among the people.

Show me a preacher in the pulpit who no longer believes God's word is infallible - who has rejected the virgin birth, who is hooked to a secret sin, who no longer weeps over the sin he sees in God's house - and I'll show you a church that's dying because of the poison spewing out of his heart.

What was the cure for the poison in Jericho? It was to purify the water supply. And that's just what Elisha did. He took a clean vessel, filled it full of salt and poured it into the fountainhead of the city's water. Soon all the waters were cleansed, and life sprang up all around.

Of course, the salt Elisha used represents the gospel of purity and holiness. And the clean vessel he used represents ministers who have been cleansed by Christ's blood and sanctified by the Spirit's purifying fire, prepared to preach a pure gospel. Beloved, only these things can stem the evil tide in God's house: clean, pure vessels who walk in holiness and preach a pure word with fresh anointing.

Now Elisha went back to Bethel - the corrupted society with a lost generation of youth. And as soon as he arrived, he was mocked:

"He went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them" (2 Kings 2:23-24).

What an awful scene. You may think, "How cruel that God would allow little children to be attacked by bears." But the words "little children" here are a poor translation. In the original Hebrew this phrase reads "young men" (Spurrell, Hebrew).

Did Elisha cause their deaths in a selfish fit of anger for being taunted? No. This godly man was moving under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. The fact is, those mocking young men had committed an unspeakable sin. Let me explain.

Undoubtedly, the boys had heard about Elijah's translation into heaven. Yet now, by taunting Elisha with the cry, "Go up, baldy," they were ridiculing the work of the Spirit. They heard the truth about the Spirit's holy work, but they didn't accept it. Their actions toward Elisha were an act of mockery against the ministry of the Holy Spirit - an unpardonable sin.

Young Preachers Today Are
Doing the Same Things the
Ministers in Bethel Did.

For many years God was patient with the fallen church in Bethel. Multitudes flocked there to worship at an altar of accommodation. And the Lord sent many prophets, including Elijah himself, to speak warnings. But a time came when God no longer tolerated the city's idolatry and wickedness. So he called for judgment, sending onto this wicked scene a man with a double portion of the Holy Ghost. Elisha moved with authority in Bethel, preaching judgment against their sin.

Too many young ministers today are relying on the same fleshly methods that the fallen church in Bethel did. They are bringing into God's house the very music that first incited rebellion and sensuality in this nation. They are polling a sin-saturated society to learn how they can lure non-believers into a church building. And instead of offering worship, they are staging skits, parties and rock concerts. They are attempting to entertain the youth rather than confront their sins and emptiness with the simple, pure gospel.

Likewise today, the church faces the same spirit of mockery Elisha faced. Militant homosexuals scoff at God's word. Prestigious museums in New York City proudly display blasphemous art: the cross of Christ submerged in a vat of urine; a portrait of the virgin Mary smeared with elephant dung. Such blatant, arrogant wickedness was once inconceivable.

As sin has abounded in these last days, I have been in contact with many godly seekers. I call these people "the Elisha Company." They are going on with the Lord - interceding, grieving over the wickedness in society and the church, pursuing a greater anointing of the Spirit. And they are all hearing the same message from the Lord: Judgment is at the door. As they consider the awful catastrophes taking place - floods, hurricanes, deadly mosquito plagues - they know God is speaking.

Personally, I am not satisfied to sit around studying past revivals. I want to see the Holy Ghost work the greater wonders Jesus promised. I will continue to preach mercy and grace to all who have an ear to hear - but I will not be a wimp who cowers before scoffers. The time has come to warn all Christ haters: Their time is up. God is going to bankrupt them with awesome judgments. And when that happens, even the most hardened will say, "This is God's doing."

The Elisha Company will not be satisfied with the status quo, or with recreating some past revival. Right now they are shut in with the Lord, continually praying for more of the Holy Spirit's power. And they are preparing their hearts to see the Lord do a new thing in these last days.

Psalms 103

2011-08-01T14:23:00.000-04:00

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.”

–Psalms 103

Endurance...

2011-05-22T09:58:00.000-04:00

"The man who lives for God is not in a sprint, but in a long distance race. He does not look for the things that will bring instant gratification, but he has his eye upon eternal goals."

...I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

-R. Lessin.

Mary & Martha

2011-05-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

"Martha was cumbered about much serving."
--Luke 10:40

Her fault was not that she served: the condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve", should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had "much serving." We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart, and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master. Happy Martha, to have an opportunity of entertaining so blessed a guest; and happy, too, to have the spirit to throw her whole soul so heartily into the engagement. Her fault was that she grew "cumbered with much serving", so that she forgot him, and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune. Joshua never grew weary in fighting with the Amalekites; but Moses, on the top of the mountain in prayer, needed two helpers to sustain his hands. The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to rear: the most heavenly graces are the most difficult to cultivate. Beloved, while we do not neglect external things, which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though it be under the specious pretext of doing him service. The first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for his glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above everything else in the world.

God's Chisel

2010-11-24T11:38:00.002-05:00

"God, I've let you down so many times"

"No. You were never holding me up. I hold you up with my victorious, righteous right hand, and don't you forget that. In this relationship, I hold you up"

"Ok; go ahead and chisel....Just be prepared for what you're going to find in there. Because I know who's inside there. God, I get up every morning and look in the mirror, and it is this scared, little kid who gets up every day, who tries to dress like an adult, and act like an adult, but I can't! So just be prepared for what you're going to find in there."

"You have listened to so many voices for far too long that are not of me. You think you're junk, don't you? You really, really, really think you're junk. Listen to me. I don't make junk. What does that say about me? How can I show you that my love for you has no boundaries? Do you remember the prayer you wrote in your journal when you were a teenager? Why don't you read it?"

"Dear God, today, I am turning everything over to you. I am not going to hold on to anything anymore. your word says you will make me your masterpiece and use me to do great things. I don't see how that's possible, but I want it with all that I am, so please do whatever it takes to make me what you want. I love you God."

"I love you too, Tommy. And I love you too much to leave you where you are at. So, this salvation that you hold. Don't let it be some sentimental gush, or some head knowledge. I want you to work it out in every detail in your life. And don't compare yourself to someone else, because that is just trivial nonsense. You are my original masterpiece, you are one of my workmanship, in you I find favor. -- This chisel; don't look at this as a prison, but look at this as a Father disciplining his child. A Father disciplines the ones that he loves."

"I know, but it's going to be tough."

"Yes, it will be tough, but you bought into the lie thinking that everything was going to be easy when you said yes to me. That is not how it works."

-From the SkitGuys skit: "God's Chisel"

Do you know that you are God's original masterpiece? Why not let him chisel on you a little bit today?

Heal the Wound But Leave the Scar

2010-11-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

I used to wish that I could rewrite history
I used to dream that each mistake could be erased
Then I could just pretend
I never knew the me back then

I used to pray that You would take this shame away
Hide all the evidence of who I've been
But it's the memory of
The place You brought me from
That keeps me on my knees
And even though I'm free

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

I have not lived a life that boasts of anything
I don't take pride in what I bring
But I'll build an altar with
The rubble that You've found me in
And every stone will sing
Of what You can redeem

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Don't let me forget
Everything You've done for me
Don't let me forget
The beauty in the suffering

You are not your own...

2010-11-01T13:24:00.002-04:00

Oswald Chambers November 1st

There is no such thing as a private life, or a place to hide in this world, for a man or woman who is intimately aware of and shares in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. God divides the private life of His saints and makes it a highway for the world on one hand and for Himself on the other. No human being can stand that unless he is identified with Jesus Christ. We are not sanctified for ourselves. We are called into intimacy with the gospel, and things happen that appear to have nothing to do with us. But God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. Let Him have His way. If you refuse, you will be of no value to God in His redemptive work in the world, but will be a hindrance and a stumbling block.

The first thing God does is get us grounded on strong reality and truth. He does this until our cares for ourselves individually have been brought into submission to His way for the purpose of His redemption. Why shouldn’t we experience heartbreak? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, as if to say, “Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine.” If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?

Thank you, dear God, for breaking my heart. I want to be used by You, and for You, whatever the cost. Help me not to wallow in self-pity, but to recognize where it comes from and enable me to eschew it. I know I have been bought with a price by your blood, Lord Jesus, therefore, let me give myself to You in reckless abandon....And help me, dear Lord, to gladly take up my cross daily and follow You. Amen.

God's Mercy

2010-10-21T17:55:00.000-04:00

"When God decided to show mercy He did not consult your unworthiness, but His own unbounded goodness and vast love. He saw how the grand enemy of souls desired your ruin, but He upheld you by His secret power. Through this, when Satan thought that you were destroyed, the snare was broken and you have escaped."

-John Bunyan

Ye Are My Witnesses...

2010-09-17T14:37:00.001-04:00

“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isaiah 44:8

If we are witnesses for Christ, why are we standing in the witnessing-stand of life's courtroom with absolutely nothing to say? At the end of our lives we'll never regret saying too much for the Lord.

...I have remained silent too long...

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and *ye shall be witnesses* unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

World Changers...

2010-09-15T09:16:00.002-04:00

We want to do big things. We want recognition. We would desire nothing more than to get our picture on the front page of the top newspapers as some epic hero. We want to be able to say that through us, some 20 million people were affected and led to the Lord. We want to be able to say that choices we made changed the way of life for scores of people. We want our name to roll down through history as a person who rocked the world to the core. We envy those who seem to have the world by the tail and have it all together. That's great...or is it? There is one key problem with our desires. Most of the desires are not bad in and of themselves, but they still all point to us. And that is exactly where the problem lies. WE want to be important. We forget about the true meaning of life; the glorification and exaltation of God and God alone. What about letting God do the big stuff, and being content to be perfectly faithful in the little things? We want to change the world? How about making life wonderful for those who we have influence over. You want to rescue a country from poverty and illness? Why does your elderly neighbor pine away in utter solitude? Sometimes I think that we confuse God's desires with our own. God has given each of us gifts and abilities. I am confident of that. If we are honest with ourselves, we all feel a bit unworthy and insecure but God loves us AND our weakness. In it, HIS strength shines through. Nevertheless, I still maintain that most of us have things RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSES that we could be doing for God instead of wishing that we would be used for a bigger purpose. I'm sure Jesus felt like it was a waste of his short life to be building chairs in a carpenter's shop. He remained faithful until God called Him to other things. Are we better than Jesus? Not at all. So, you want to be a world-changer? Don't wait for the opportunity to arise, go out and be faithful in the little things, change the things you CAN change, and then see what God will do with your life. Remember, faithfulness is enduring.... It may be 30 years of faithfulness before God really "shows" you what a blessing you really are in people's lives. It may never be shown to you. But God blesses the faithful. Job never knew that his story would be the most known and quoted story of suffering throughout the history of the ages. We would probably go through twice as much if we knew our lives would bless even half as many people. But all that is for eternity to reveal. For now, just remember: "When opportunity comes, it is too late to prepare." Why not invest time in scripture memory, serving your neighbors, encouraging lonely people in your church, and being a blessing in your home. If God rewards someone giving a cup of cold water, he surely smiles upon faithfulness in the smallest things. In fact, I am convinced that the same sensitivity that God has for sin, he has for faithfulness. In other words, if you do the smallest little sin, and expect to be able to hide it from God, you are so mistaken. Nothing passes his notice. The same applies to our faithfulness. Every little bitty thing you do in Jesus name and for his sake, he remembers. He is not slack concerning his promises. Nothing is too small or too big to do for God.

True Humility...

2010-09-13T08:58:00.001-04:00

"Humility is not the ascetic denial of one's own goodness, but rather the soul realization that every ability and strength are not ours, but gifts straight from God to us."

Criticism and Perception

2010-08-31T14:50:00.000-04:00

The difference between criticism and perceptive love is that one points out and exploits another's failures, and the other lifts that individual up in prayer for their deliverance.

"Love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things..."

A Tribute To My Father

2010-06-20T18:58:00.000-04:00

“I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.” 1 John 2:13

I know that I have never really been able to express the respect and love that I feel for my earthly father. Since I have become a little older, I have been able to comprehend in just a small measure some of the sacrificial love that he had for me, as well as see a few of the tough decisions that he made for me. As I was reflecting over who my dad was at one time: a successful, influential, senior engineer at Boeing, I wondered where I would be at this point if he had stayed there. He made some incredibly hard decisions to leave his job in faith, to sell our custom-built home, and to forsake all that he knew and loved to follow His master; Christ. None of those things were easy in and of themselves, yet many times we compounded his pain by not being willing to follow him in the path that he knew God was calling him on. As I reflect on my childhood, one of the biggest things that stands out to me was how much time Dad spent with me. After quitting his job and moving to Wisconsin, he stayed at home, sacrificing not only monetary compensation, but also had to deal with the identity crisis of not having a 'position' in the world. He took that all in stride, lovingly raising us to the best of his abilities. When peer-pressure started affecting us negatively in our hearts as youth, he was willing to stand up for what he believed, in the face of cruel criticism from not only the church, but from within our family, leading us on to where God was asking him. That path was a lonely one, yet he remained faithful to God, asking, seeking, knocking... After four years of silence, he finally felt God leading him to bring us to another church. He had been fearfully condemned for his choices, and yet stood firm.

What am I digging at? I don't know how to express it, but this is just a small way that I can try to rise up and honor my father while we are both still on this earth. Neither of us are promised life tomorrow, and I hate leaving thanks and praise for a person as nothing but a flowery posthumous tribute. In the following paragraphs, I will try to put into words some of the things that stand out to me about my Dad's life as being exemplary.

Dad was very consistent. As a child, I never appreciated the fact that nothing *ever* got by him, but as I have grown up, I see such a great lack of consistency in other people's children. They hear their parents say one thing and do another. Dad never let us get away with that. There are countless times in life that I look back and see the foundation that was laid because of that consistency, and I can only say a small "thank you" in return... Oh, if only more fathers would be willing to stand up against their children and be 'hated' in the short term; your children WILL rise up and call you blessed later on. Giving in to your child's requests is not only injurious to your relationship in the future, but will mar your child's character for ever. If you talk to older children who have left home early, inconsistency is almost always at the top of their list of reasons why they left. Inconsistency is more than simply never changing, it is about honoring your word, and living exactly what you say that you believe. Trust me, children can smell inconsistency farther off than a dog can smell a rabbit.

What Dad lacked in sensitivity, he had in love. I always knew that my Dad loved me. He not only showed me that he loved me, but he told me verbally. Regularly. Actions AND words. Do your son a favor. Make sure he KNOWS that you love him on a daily basis. No, dad was not one that I could run to and just bare my heart to, but he always wanted to be there if I needed him. He was willing to see and admit his lack in that area, and worked with mom to make sure that we as children could confide in her and through her, he was still deeply involved in our personal lives.

Dad loves my Mom. No, they have not had the smoothest of all marriages, nor have they ever pretended that it was so. But one thing is paramount in their relationship. They love each other, and that makes all the difference in the world to a kid. Kids have an uncanny and inherent ability to see through falsity, and call parents on it. Most parents foolishly think that their children are not perceptive enough to pick up on a covertly strained relationship. Are they ever wrong. I know it was hard for them to be open with us children about their struggles, but it was needful, and we appreciated that transparency greatly in the long run.

Dad and Mom prayed for us children. I knew that from little on up. They prayed for our future spouses, they prayed for our protection spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Besides the fact that God's power was behind those prayers, just the knowledge alone of them holding me up daily to the throne of grace was enough to keep me away from some things.

Dad chose his 'battles,' or confrontations with me carefully. Instead of just blithely bludgeoning me over the head with his standards, he would carefully and prayerfully ask God which things he needed to address in my life, and which things he needed to let go of and allow God to work out in me. In this way, he built trust by not overwhelming me with a list of the top 100 things that I have to change in my life in order to meet his standard. He picked things that he knew would be immediately injurious and derogatory to my Christian walk. The smaller things he allowed me to "burn myself" so to speak, and learn the hard way. It built trust in my relationship with him, because I knew that even though he wanted the absolute best for me, he realized there were things that I would have to learn myself to be satisfied in my own mind.

Dad held a high standard. Were we ever able to reach that standard? No. But it was something that he gave for us to shoot at. God does the same. Can we ever attain perfection? No, but we are called to press toward that mark with everything that is within us. In the same way, Dad never wanted us to be content with the status quo. He wanted us to always strive to be more like Jesus.

Dad helped us attain our goals. He was very supportive of our aspirations, as long as they were in line with what he felt God's will for us was at the time. He always taught us to look to Christ for wisdom, and not to rely on men who were only out to tickle our ears. He taught us to look for counsel that wasn't neccessarily what we wanted to hear, but that we knew was truth. As in the case of Ahab's 400 prophets in 2 Chronicles 18, where Micaiah stood up against the 400 and spoke the truth at the expense of his freedom and probably his life, Dad always taught us to stand up against opposition when we knew that God had asked us to. Whether for spiritual or earthly attainment, you must stand against the masses to attain a higher level.

The time would fail me to tell of all the literal years that he poured into me teaching me helpful things about everything from microelectronics, to tearing apart auto A/C compressors, explaining how the rotary compressor works at different RPMs, all the way to chemical reactions... He has a wonderful knack for just explaining how stuff works, and was always willing to share his knowledge with me for my benefit.

If God sees fit to bless me with a wife and children in the future, I pray that I can be an example to them in the same way that my dad has been to me.

I LOVE YOU, DADDY!

Candid Thoughts on North Korea...

2010-06-11T13:24:00.001-04:00

New York Times ~ North Korea

   Sometimes I wonder... What must God think of me as I sit here in my comfortable home, in front of an expensive computer, looking out over a land that is, even in a time of economic depression, richer than most other countries combined. I have a home, a car, food, clothing, yet my lifestyle proves that I lust greedily after more and more...The American Dream^®.
   Recently, the currency in North Korea was devalued, as the leaders thought the free-marketers (more like black-marketers) were becoming too wealthy. So he cut the value of the Won to about 2% of it's original worth. You have $1500 saved? Awesome. Welcome to the new Won, where $1500 = $30. So you were starving before, now what are you doing? Then your government decides to torpedo South Korea's warship, cutting off $333 million in aid from the south. Talk about having a reason to disrespect your government... I think we would be wise to keep our heated opinions about our government to ourselves, if we care about the scriptures relating to honoring those who are in authority over us. You think you have cause to complain, just think about having Kim Jong-il as your president.
  We feast at the Lord's table in a land where Bibles are more plenteous than food is in NK, and yet there is a famine of the truth of the Word of God. We hear more preaching on the "good things" that God has in store for us, while millions of God's children suffer horrific abuse at the hands of governments, activist groups, and terrorists. Are we really part of the same family of God? Do we really care? What are we doing in response to that? "Well, there's nothing I can do," you might say. Have we even tried? There is a 16 year-old girl that is out right now attempting to do a solo circumnavigation of the globe by herself. If that's not dedication and nerve, I am not sure what is, and yet we say that we are not equipped to do the work of the Lord. Have we not "the cattle on 1000 hills" at our disposal? And yet, sometimes God desires us to wait....And sometimes that waiting can be the hardest thing of all.

While I'm Waiting ~ John Waller
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Somebody's Mother

2010-05-09T21:50:00.001-04:00

The woman was old and ragged and gray

And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.

The street was wet with a recent snow

And the woman's feet were aged and slow.

She stood at the crossing and waited long,

Alone, uncared for, amid the throng

Of human beings who passed her by

Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eyes.

Down the street, with laughter and shout,

Glad in the freedom of "school let out,"

Came the boys like a flock of sheep,

Hailing the snow piled white and deep.

Past the woman so old and gray

Hastened the children on their way.

Nor offered a helping hand to her -

So meek, so timid, afraid to stir

Lest the carriage wheels or the horses' feet

Should crowd her down in the slippery street.

At last came one of the merry troop,

The gayest laddie of all the group;

He paused beside her and whispered low,

"I'll help you cross, if you wish to go."

Her aged hand on his strong young arm

She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,

He guided the trembling feet along,

Proud that his own were firm and strong.

Then back again to his friends he went,

His young heart happy and well content.

"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,

For all she's aged and poor and slow,

"And I hope some fellow will lend a hand

To help my mother, you understand,

"If ever she's poor and old and gray,

When her own dear boy is far away."

And "somebody's mother" bowed low her head

In her home that night, and the prayer she said

Was "God be kind to the noble boy,

Who is somebody's son, and pride and joy!"

- Mary Dow Brine (1816-1913)

I LOVE YOU MOMMA!!!

Every Man

2010-04-28T15:55:00.001-04:00

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” Colossians 1:26-29

It would seem like Paul is trying to get a point across. And that point is that we need to preach CHRIST, who is IN us, and is our HOPE of glory, to EVERYONE. How soon I get distracted from that. Just yesterday I was in Winston Salem, and passed an older gentleman who was holding a sign that read: "Homeless Vet; Needs Food" or something that effect. I decided that I would stop and talk to him. I found a parking spot a little ways away and went back to him. He came over to me, the whites of his eyes yellowed and bloodshot, his breath thick with alcohol. He asked me what I wanted, then asked me if I was a preacher, motioning towards my Bible. I told him that I wasn't a preacher as he was thinking, but simply reaching out to him since the Bible tells us to preach the Gospel to ALL people. He grunted in approval, and then asked if I was going to pray for him. I said that I would, and made a pointed prayer asking God to soften his heart, and lead this man to Himself. The poor drunken man didn't seem to care how pointed that I had been, and once we were finished, I asked him how I could help him. He said that he needed money for food and for washing his clothing, but wanted to let me know that he drinks, as I would have probably noticed by his breath. I told him that I had noticed the alcohol on his breath, and that while I would be happy to take him somewhere to get something to eat, I didn't want to supply him with cash just so he could drink it away. He mumbled something about always saving enough money to get something to eat, then staggered off across the road, yelling something over his shoulder about how I shouldn't bother someone if I wasn't going to give them money. I figured the case was closed, so I made my way back to my car.

After leaving, I was thinking to myself: "Yep, totally what I expected. Wonder why I even stopped..." Sadly enough, that is my mindset after doing something like that. I get the idea that no one wants to hear, so "Why Bother." Firstly, it's putting a command of the Bible and of God on the level of a "bother," and secondly, it is not taking into account the one that might be receptive. We would have been totally out of luck if Jesus had decided that out of the billions of people on this earth, there were only a few hundred-thousand that were going to follow him, and only a few dozen that would *really* follow him in reckless abandonment of flesh and self. Imagine with me if he had told God that it just wasn't worth the bother to save only a few. That he might as well take care of things in heaven that were far more important that the few little people on earth that would end up living for themselves anyway.

Praise God that he didn't do that to us. So, pray tell, why should we do that to others? Do me a favor today. Reach out beyond your comfort zone, and touch someone else's life today. They may not show it, but you could be an answer to their prayer. Be sensitive to God, and let him use you for HIS eternal glory, and the salvation of souls!

Trusting God

2010-04-04T00:29:00.002-04:00

"It is terribly important to us as humans to be able to attach some reason and comprehension to our circumstances. It is of utmost priority to GOD that we learn to trust Him in all things, particularly when there are no answers."

-- Judi Stauffer
(originally found: http://penwithapurpose.blogspot.com/2010/03/trust.html)

On Letting Go...

2010-02-04T18:33:00.006-05:00

Letting go would sound like something fairly trivial. Letting something out of your hands is as simple as just relinquishing your grip on it, right? I mean, seriously, all you have to do is just give it up, and leave it for someone else to take care of. Not only do you not have responsibility of it anymore, but if it crashes and burns, you aren’t responsible. Sounds great to me.
Or does it? Try giving up control of a vehicle sometime in adverse conditions, when you feel that you have superior technique and training. Impossible. Now try that same relinquishment when you know the other person has been driving in those conditions for years. Easy. What is the difference? Simply put, it’s faith and trust.

In other words, what I am digging at is the fact that when I don’t give the control of my life to God, I am in essence saying to Him that I have a better understanding of what’s really going on in life. I have more control, and He just doesn’t understand me the way that He should. I am slapping his omniscience, His omnipotence; the very core being of who He is. It's the reason that faithlessness is such a grave sin. It's undermining the very character of God.

The writer of Hebrews puts it very plainly: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence [or, conviction] of things that are not seen.” It is the very essence of what is not. Paul writes in 2 Corinithians 4:18 “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” We are also told that "without faith, it is impossible to please God" (Heb 11:6)

What does that mean for us? I think it means a complete paradigm shift from the traditional. Perhaps it's time to step out on the fragile limb of iconoclasm, and risk a fall or two. Is the idea just to be different? No. If you are simply looking to be different, then become part of the '60's counterculture. It's still alive and well, trust me. This is not just being different for the sake of standing out, or being noticed. It is shifting our thoughts and minds from ourselves to the things of God, and when that happens we WILL stand out. I have heard that 90% of Christians say no to God. In everything? No. Just in the everyday things of life. The things that God asks us to stand alone in. And then when the big things come along, God has no choice but to pass us by since we were not willing to do the little things for Him.

Last week at Bible School, I heard a thought-provoking quote: "When opportunity comes, it is too late to prepare." In other words, if we wait until God wants to use us in the "big" things of life to say yes to Him, we will never be asked. Imagine with me if a girl decided that she was going to just wait until a guy asked for her hand in marriage before she would make an effort to learn how to cook, clean, sew, and just be a general housewife. Suppose she just decided that she would rather not "waste" her formative years with such drudgery. Foolishness, right? What self-respecting young man is going to marry a girl who was too lazy to prepare how to be a wife when she was growing up? What does that tell us about her character?

God looks at us in the same way. No, it's not our self-effort that makes Him love us more or less. Our actions never change his love for us, but we CAN change how he uses our lives. If a young recruit puts everything he has into his military training, more than likely he is going to succeed in going up the ranks in the future. His superiors are going to notice his tenacity, his courage, and his valor; promoting him when the opportunity arises. The place where God differs is in WHO He promotes. While the general of the US military is going to notice the cocky, self-assured person, God notices the humble man. The man or woman who always puts others first. The man that is talked about in Isaiah 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

So I digress, but all that to say that God is calling us as young Christians to give things up. To live lives that are not easy in this "easy-believism" society. We need to reject the status-quo, and press on for deeper things. Say yes to God. It WILL be hard, but in the end, it will be infinitely worth every tear a million times over.

“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” Matthew 10:37-40

May God bless you as you let go of your life, and let God lead!

Define the Antonym of Love

2010-01-24T22:59:00.001-05:00

Some food for thought from the sermon today... From a Biblical perspective, what is the opposite of true love?

True Thankfulness...

2009-11-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

...can only truly be felt after the absence of the desired object.

In other words, after being in Russia where showers were scarce in places, it's SO great to have a shower every morning! ;)

We're Home!

2009-11-25T16:27:00.000-05:00

Just letting y'all know that we are back in the USA. Already missing Russia.

It's About Time...

2009-11-13T08:49:00.001-05:00

About time for a lot of things. The one thing that it is about time for is some good, though-provoking posts on this dolefully silent, barren place that is called Salt & Light. Wow. I was looking back at some of the stuff I was posting on there in times past, and it surely seems as though I have slipped into a place of either laziness, lack of drive, lack of spiritual insight, or just plain lack of making time for it. I even composed a draft a while back that was going to ask if I should shut this place down. I just cannot seem to find the time and desire to write at this time in my life.

So, what am I proposing? I'm not really sure, but I am not going to shut the place down. I'm actually going to try and put some effort into a small goal: 1 inspirational post per month. Whether that is just a poem, song, or quote that has inspired me, or whether it's a 20 page exhibition on some lofty spiritual truth (yeah, ok, I'm joking), I'd like to make this place a little more worthwhile than it has been. Not only that, but I'd like to relax a little, and not be so up tight about making every last person happy, and impressing them all. I've wasted far too much time in my short life trying to make everyone happy... Let's face it: God leads us each down different paths. Some of my closest and dearest friends believe stuff that I consider downright heresy (well, not quite... :} ) and I KNOW that they have the Spirit of God. What does that mean? I'm learning what it means. Slowly. It means not being quite so stuck up, and giving them an ear, first of all. They are children of God, and they have just as much a right to discern the Bible differently from me as I do from them. I used to think that my way was the only right way, because God surely revealed it to me... I've been wrong a few too many times holding that stance. YES, we MUST stand for what we believe, and most of all, stand for Biblical truth! I am not trying to diminish the truth of standing and "earnestly contending for the Faith." Quite the opposite. What I am trying to get across is the importance of living at peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The devil is quite happy to see us fighting over some worthless doctrine... The more shells we hurl at one another are that many less damaging the enemy's kingdom. He's more than happy to author a doctrinal debate that gets us nowhere other than thinking proud thoughts that "We are so glad that God has revealed the truth to us!"

So all those random thoughts to say that I am still alive, and feeling a good bit better after getting out of the American Rat Race ^® for a few months. It's given me time to thing, pray, seek God, and do things that, quite frankly, I just didn't have time to do in the States. In that sense, I am really dreading coming home. I want to stay sensitive to the Lord. It's taken all of 3 months just to unwind and relax from work/church/financial/emotional/physical stress, and I just am not feeling up to entering back into that battlefield quite yet. Battlefield. Not at all saying it hasn't been one over here... It's been more intense than I wish to ever feel... Talk about literally seeing and feeling spiritual weaponry being trained and fired upon you. It's so real you can taste it, and yet, in one sense, I don't really know why. It's not like we are over here as God's gift to missions. We didn't come with some great evangelization itinerary. We aren't globe-trotting preachers that can at a whim sweep 10,000 guilty souls into repentant tears. We didn't even bring Russian tracts. We came to love the Russian people, and to help a friend. Somehow that small endeavor excited the ranks of the evil one to send the entire 16th infantry regiment in assault against us. Yes, the battle is real; but it keeps us alert.

Being out of the US for three months has given me quite a bit of time to think about priorities. Not just what is important and what is not, but the whole concept of what I am spending my life for. It is SO subtle, and yet it is not. I just took an honest, candid look at my American life, and realized a very sad truth. I spend almost ALL my efforts in one direction: making money. Now, I could quickly justify that I am not nearly as bad as most Americans, or I could attempt to persuade you that I really do manage my money in a godly sort of way... Excuses. They are ALL excuses. The rubber meets the road in the facts. What dictates my life? What central monolith dominates and dictates the orbit of all my secondary activities? Now contrast that to the life of Jesus. Suddenly discrepancies can be found all over the shifting, bucking plates of my earthly excuses. Jesus' life was centralized around One, and all other interests found their place around that. His Father. His Father's smallest whims were calls to duty in his heart. Yes, one can argue that He was God, which is true, but he also had an earthly life. He had a job. He chose to live differently. No, sorry, Bible times were not before the concept of materialism was birthed. Just take a look at a few Bible characters like Lot, Judas, Ananias & Saphira, etc. Nevertheless, it is something that I think the devil has really hoodwinked us into. If we really desire to "Know Christ," it's going to take sacrifice. It's going to be painful. It's not children's play to love your enemies, nor is it some romanticized tale of rescuing your arch-enemy's kid out of an exploding building. This is day-to-day stuff. Loving that smelly old neighbor who takes advantage of your kindness, day in, and day out. It's serving the Lord in a way that nobody will notice you, and without grudging.... It's about giving everything and seeing nothing here on Earth.

We talk so much about faith, about trusting God. Do we even comprehend what faith is? Our everyday lives deny the fact that we believe in God. We're self-reliant, self-motivated, self-assured. We think faith is some lofty pinnacle to which we must attain it's soaring peak before it is worth anything to us. What about trusting God in the small things? Take rewards for example. We do something for someone, and itch for commendation. We do it secretly, hoping beyond hope that they will somehow find out, and not only thank us, but be amazed that we were attempting to do it without getting recognition. How carnal can we get? Do we not esteem God's rewards, or maybe we think that perhaps it was too small for Him to notice and that He will forget? He's promised that giving a cup of cold water for a fellow believer is enough to earn a reward! I think it's about time we start banking on that account, and leave the few kopeks that we get out of earth's foul banks for the birds.

I honestly wasn't expecting to write all this, nor spend so much time ranting, but this is what was on my heart today; take it for what it is worth! :)

Russian Riddle

2009-10-05T04:22:00.000-04:00

So what happens when you have a MAJOR traffic jam because of (poorly executed) road construction, and you are in a MAJOR hurry (just because you happen to be really rich, proven by the fact that you're driving around in Russia with a Land Cruiser)? How would YOU get somewhere fast in that situation? You're driving on a four-lane non-divided suburban highway; the right two lanes are completely jammed, and it is around 11pm.

Let me know what you think in the comments, and then I will post the solution to the riddle sometime in the near future... :)

Hello?

2009-10-04T18:09:00.000-04:00

So, yeah, anyway, *cough*... Still here, existing on planet Russia. Just about the time that we get reliable internet, our schedule takes off into NITRO-boost mode. Wednesday and Sunday evenings we're helping two young ladies with their English studies, and since one of them is a photographer, I have also been lending her some of my camera equipment. Her goal is to raise some money for a trip to South Africa.
Sundays are our busiest, as we are going to the Peterhoff church in the morning (Rebecca can well remember the process from last time, I am sure!) and then trekking across town to a church on Nevski Prospect (rather than Kolpena; so it is a little shorter) having our second service there, and then doing an English class after that. Once we travel all the way back to the last train station, it's usually too late to catch a bus, so we've got to hail a taxi. It's quite a bit more expensive, but it is the only way to get back to the dacha after 11pm. So, yeah, it's fun. :)

Sorry this narrative is not more poetic or creative; I didn't really have time to wax eloquent since it's already past 2am. Just wanted to tell you all that we're still alive and kicking, and we appreciate your love, care and prayers!

I'll try and post more pictures as I have time! :)

Blessings to all those back home! We love and miss you!

Life in the Garden...

2009-09-17T15:05:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures for those of you who have been asking and waiting for them! (You know who you are! :) )

Back in St. Pete! Yay!

Working on the Dacha!

Our Moldovan friend, Anatoli

Building bridges...

Putting up siding with an old ladder!

Traversing muddy streets

Playing with High Voltage

A home here in the little village that we are living in.

Singing with the youth.

Picnicking.

Front yard fun around the fire.

Still alive! :)

2009-09-14T03:31:00.000-04:00

We have just been really busy working on the little "dacha," and
haven't had too much time to get on the Internet. To all those who
have written emails and notes of encouragement, I just want to say
thank you! It is such a blessing to feel the love, prayer, and support
of everyone back home! I'll try to get some more pictures posted of
our projects and of our Moldovan friends, Anatoli and his daughter
Alena. They came to help us for a week on finishing the walls and
floor of the addition.

The dacha is somewhat of a mission guest-house, though its primary
purpose is a warehouse for storing all the Emmaus Bible courses and
Christian books before they get shipped out all across Russia.

Blessings to all!

Our Dacha...

2009-09-02T08:31:00.000-04:00

Our dacha from the outside

The kitchen

Storage shed with a ROSHA (Russian Occupational Safety and Health Administration)-Approved ladder.

The neighbor's yard.

The view from my dacha window...

2009-09-02T00:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry, it's through the screen, and with my iPhone, but it's a picture
for those of you who are wondering where I am! :)

Home Safe!

2009-09-01T13:51:00.001-04:00

Just a note to tell everyone that we arrived safely! Thank you all for
your prayers!!!

We were met by our good friend Natasha and Ulia; it was *so* good to
see them again. Ulia had to go back home, so it's sink or swim as far
as communication goes... It kinda feels good not to have to rely on a
translator, though. :)

To Russia We Go!!!

2009-08-14T12:03:00.006-04:00

Wow. I almost thought this time wouldn't ever get here... Staring at an email that says my Visa is complete, and my tickets are bought... Wow.

We're leaving the 31st, should be back the 25th of November, Lord willing.

I'll try to keep up with you all via this blog and PhotoJewels. If you don't hear from me, encouragement emails will be welcome! :)

God's Voice...

2009-06-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

"God speaks to us in our joy, but shouts to us in our grief."
-Adolf Coors IV

It's Only Between You And HIM

2009-06-24T09:55:00.004-04:00

A quote I saw on a friend's GTalk status:

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do to day may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have; it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, its is between you and Him. It was never between you and them anyway.

Wow. That's Powerful.

Sporadic...

2009-06-04T14:21:00.002-04:00

This is truly pathetic. It's been forever since I have posted anything worth reading here... I have a story in the works, and some ideas for future posts, but I have honestly not had any time.

I'm out here in California, so just had a few moments of rest and peace from all other distractions. Wow, it's nice.

Blessings to all!

Long Time...

2009-05-06T17:08:00.001-04:00

...No Post. Sorry folks. Been really busy. Check out PhotoJewels for more info!

Greetings!

2009-04-01T00:30:00.002-04:00

Just a quick hello from Honduras! I will try to post some pictures soon...

Off To Honduras....

2009-03-22T21:22:00.003-04:00

Well, tomorrow at about 7:00^PM, I am leaving NC for the airport in Washington D.C. We depart from there to Honduras, where we will be until April 2^nd, Lord Willing. I would appreciate your prayers, as I am feeling somewhat under attack by the enemy. I wish to be a blessing to those that are laboring down there, and also be effective for the Lord in the largest capacity that I can.

We are going as a prayer team to pray for specific needs that are present down there, and in specific towns and areas that are somewhat resistant to the gospel, so I would appreciate your prayers and thoughts as I go. I will try and post some photos when I get back. :)

Thank you!

Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

2009-02-23T19:17:00.002-05:00

“And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.” Joshua 7:6-14

This passage of scripture has been a real blessing to me in the last few days. So many times I feel like giving up because of sin or failure, but God's command still echos out loud and clear: "Get up, why are you sitting there lying on your face in depression? Repent of your sin, sanctify yourself, and move forward. There are more battles to be fought, and more victories to be won."

Getting up can be hard, though, after a crushing defeat. Nevertheless, brothers and sisters: Let's get back up on our feet and be soldiers for God. One defeat does not mean that we have lost the entire battle. Time is shorter than ever, let us use it wisely.

"Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy 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!"

Job 5:6-20

2009-01-08T14:26:00.001-05:00

“Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.” Job 5:6-20

Lord, Thou Hast Searched And Seen Me Through

2008-11-26T23:58:00.000-05:00

Lord, Thou hast searched and seen me through,
Thine eye commands with piercing view
My rising and my resting hours,
My heart and flesh with all their powers.

My thoughts, before they are my own,
Are to my God distinctly known;
He knows the words I mean to speak
Ere from my opening lips they break.

Within Thy circling power I stand;
On every side I find Thy hand;
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God.

Amazing knowledge, vast and great!
What large extent! what lofty height!
My soul, with all the powers I boast,
Is in the boundless prospect lost.

Could I so false, so faithless prove,
To quit Thy service and Thy love,
Where, Lord, could I Thy presence shun,
Or from Thy dreadful glory run?

If up to Heav’n I take my flight,
’Tis there Thou dwell’st enthroned in light
Or dive to hell, there vengeance reigns,
And Satan groans beneath Thy chains.

If, mounted on a morning ray,
I fly beyond the western sea,
Thy swifter hand would first arrive,
And there arrest Thy fugitive.

Or should I try to shun Thy sight
Beneath the spreading veil of night,
One glance of Thine, one piercing ray,
Would kindle darkness into day.

The veil of night is no disguise,
No screen from Thy all-searching eyes;
Thy hand can seize Thy foes as soon
Through midnight shades as blazing noon.

Midnight and noon in this agree,
Great God, they’re both alike to Thee;
Not death can hide what God will spy,
And hell lies naked to His eye.

O may these thoughts possess my breast,
Where’er I rove, where’er I rest!
Nor let my weaker passions dare
Consent to sin, for God is there.

-Issac Watts

Christian Warfare

2008-11-12T19:41:00.001-05:00

“...And now in this warfare we are engaged. The temptations of Satan are not to be escaped: no sheltered position, no seclusion from the world, no sacredness of occupation, can screen us from them. The only question is, shall they prove infinite damage, or shall they be made to recoil harmless and pointless? It is the most awful question which we can be summoned to answer; and yet the decision of this answer may be said to have been placed by the infinite grace of God within our own control. If you yield to the tempter, you become his helpless prey. If you steadfastly resist him, confiding in the grace of God and the salvation of Jesus, he cannot touch a hair of your head. Temptation and sin, if you bravely resist them, will react to your everlasting welfare: your position is impregnable, the protection is ample, the armament is invincible, the supplies abundant, and the fortress can never be entered by the enemy, unless betrayed into his power by your own treacherous hands.”

-William Henry Green (The Book of Job Unfolded)

No Internet...

2008-11-04T00:06:00.002-05:00

Since there just isn't a way to get internet out to where we are living at the present, there will be a dearth of posts appearing on this blog, as well as on PhotoJewels. I do have internet on my phone (how this post came to be. :] ) and at work, but by far, when I do have free time, I don't have online access.

It's been quite freeing, actually. I have no excuse now to stay up to all hours of the night doing work or researching something new that really doesn't matter anyway.

God is so good at teaching us what things are truly important in life, if we let Him. How many times I let trivial things interrupt my time with Him, yet He patiently waits for His errant children.

Oh, that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, for his wonderful blessings to the children of men.

One of the things that God has been trying to teach me is contentment. I know it seems like a given, that we are to be content, but so many times I find myself wishing things were just a little bit different-wishing that perhaps God had me in a different place, or learning a different lesson. May I learn to rest in the blessed fact that my heavenly Father knows best!

Psalms 9:10

2008-11-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.

When God Wants A Man

2008-10-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

WHEN GOD WANTS A MAN
(Anonymous)

When God wants to drill a man and thrill a man and skill a man...When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man that all the world shall praise...Watch His methods; watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects...How He hammers him and hurts him, and with mighty blows converts him into frail shapes of clay that only God understands.

How His tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands...How He bends but never breaks when His good He undertakes. How He uses whom He chooses...with every purpose fuses him; by every art induces him to try His splendor out...God knows what He's about!

When God wants to take a man and shake a man and wake a man...When God wants to make a man to do the Future's will; He tries with all His skill...When He yearns with all His soul to create him large and whole...with what cunning He prepares him...how He goads and never spares him!

How He whets him and He frets him and in poverty begets him...How often He disappoints whom He sacredly anoints! With what wisdom He will hide him; never minding what betide him...Though His genius sob with slighting and His pride may not forget; Bids him struggle harder yet! Makes him lonely so that only God's high messages shall reach him...So that He may surely teach him what the hierarchy planned; And though he may not understand...gives him passions to command. How remorselessly He spurs him...with terrific ardor stirs him When He poignantly prefers him.

When God wants to name a man and fame a man and tame a man...When God wants to shame a man to do His Heavenly best; When He tries the highest test that His reckoning may bring...When He wants a god or king; How He reins him and restrains him so His body scarce contains him...While He fires him and inspires him…Keeps him yearning, every burning for that tantalizing goal. Lures and lacerates His soul...sets a challenge for His spirit; Draws it highest then he's near it! Makes a jungle that he clear it; makes a desert that he fear it...and subdue it, if he can -- so doth God make a man!

Then -- to test His spirit's wrath -- throw a mountain in His path; puts a bitter choice before him and relentlessly stands o'er him...Climb or perish, so He says...but watch His purpose, watch His ways. God's plan is wondrous kind -- could we understand His mind ?Fools are they who call His blind!

When His feet are torn and bleeding; yet His spirit mounts unheeding...blazing newer paths and finds; When the Force that is Divine leaps to challenge every failure, and His ardor still is sweet -- and love and hope are burning in the presence of defeat!
Lo the crisis, Lo the shouts that would call the leader out...When the people need salvation doth he rise to lead the nation; Then doth God show His plan...and the world has found a man!

Religion and Humility

2008-10-22T19:54:00.003-04:00

“Religion rubs our noses in the past to keep us humble. Reviewing the sinfulness of our past in order to become humble is a perversion... It actually creates shame, and that is a poor counterfeit of humility. To maintain consciousness of our sinful past to help us become more humble is the cruelty of a religious spirit. It requires us to keep something in our minds that is not in God’s. In reality it is much more humbling to live in the liberty of unearned forgiveness!”

Amen!

The Tumultuous Hour...

2008-09-30T08:06:00.003-04:00

In my reading this morning, I came across this Psalm... A beautiful set of promises for those of us who fear the Lord and delight in His Word. I was especially blessed by # 8 and #9, seeing how totally freaked out people are getting about the economic situation, world affairs, and the coming elections. We need not fear; our hearts should be fixed, trusting the Lord.

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth:
The generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house:
His righteousness endureth for ever.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
Surely he shall not be moved for ever:
The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor;
His righteousness endureth for ever;
His horn shall be exalted with honour.
The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Psalms 112:1-10

Selah!

The Love of God

2008-09-22T01:05:00.004-04:00

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

—1 Peter 1:3-9

How beautiful His love and mercy truly is; and how little of it we really realize and understand. This morning's sermon was on how the Love of God changes our lives when it truly grips us. When we really try to grasp what the Lord did for us at Calvary, oh, how it should make the things of this earth fade away into utter nothingness... We will never fully understand, but how the boundless, peerless, love of God should thrill our souls, changing the very way that we look at our relationship with our Father in Heaven.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

An Expressed Desire...

2008-08-10T12:08:00.005-04:00

“An expressed desire is a law unto a loving heart”

--Malon Byler

“And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines’ garrison was then at Bethlehem. And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate! And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD, And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.”

1 Chronicles 11:16-19

I love that story... The three mighty men risking their necks for their beloved leader's offhanded request - just because.

[edit]: Thanks for the proper credits, *Becca*!

Paul Was Not Ashamed of the Gospel.

2008-07-13T11:27:00.003-04:00

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

-Paul the Apostle, in Romans 1:16

Every time the Apostle Paul stood up, he seemed to carnal men to be nothing more than a raving madman. Every preacher that has been worth his salt since that day has had the same label put upon him.

-Paul Washer

God's Compassion

2008-06-29T16:07:00.002-04:00

Filled with compassion
For all creation
Jesus came into a world that was lost
There was but one way
That He could save us
Only through suffering death on a cross

God You are waiting,
Your heart is breaking
For all the people who live on the earth
Stir us to action,
Filled with Your passion
For all the people who live on the earth

Great is Your passion
For all the people
Living and dying without knowing You
Having no saviour
They're lost forever
If we don't speak out and lead them to You

From every nation
We shall be gathered
Millions redeemed shall be Jesus' reward
Then He will turn and say to His Father
"Truly my suffering was worth it all"

-Noel Richards

Faith Despite Failure

2008-06-26T19:27:00.005-04:00

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

As I was sharing with a dear friend the other evening, they mentioned the fact that we must believe God and His Word even when we don't feel His presence. I was deeply struck by this simple thought as I had been wrestling with the fact that I was not living my Christian life to God's full potential, and feeling discouraged because of that. As I stated in my previous post, we are not promised the fact that we will FEEL God at every moment of our lives, but we ARE promised that He will never leave us.

Likewise, we MUST retain faith in God even when we don't feel that he is doing what he promised. Think of Abraham, and of his promise. He was told that he was going to be the "Father of many nations" (Gen 17:4) and that God would "multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore." (Gen 22:17) How many years did he wait for the fulfillment of that promise, seeing, feeling, and experiencing absolutely nothing. What could have caused him to retain hope against all odds? (Hebrews 11:1) We see in Romans 4 what the core of that faith was: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;” (Romans 4:20) He trusted God implicitly, because he had a love relationship with him. And so should we. Many times for myself, the aspect of trust is missing from my relationship since I view God as a distant, supreme, non-tangible being, rather than a loving, caring, and understanding Father.

Our culture thrives on performance. Faster cars, cheaper prices, less downtime, optimized workflows. These are all keys to success and advancement. Many times I fear that I attribute that same "American Spirit" upon God. I feel that the more that I do, the better I perform, the faster I get things done for Him, the better my "wage;" His love and acceptance. That is wrong. I am not intimating that we should be lazy Christians, but I think we take this "diligence" thing a little too far. Let's take a quick look at one of Jesus' lesser known parables in Matthew 20 verses 1 through 16. Basically, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a householder that goes out and hires different workers at different times throughout the day. In the end, he pays them all the wages that they had agreed upon; which happens to be the same amount for everyone. This generated no little stir among those that had bestowed the most labor in the vineyard, for they thought that surely they worked harder, and earned more. Somehow, again, I don't think God works that way. Our Christian life is not a race for the top of a corporate ladder, it is a war against the world, the flesh, and the devil, as well as an opportunity to glorify our Father while we are on this earth.

What does all this mean? Well, first off, let me clarify again, as Paul does in his epistles: what then, shall we be lazy in our Christian walk so that we get the most for the least amount of effort? God Forbid! No, God's heart is not to breed laziness, but to encourage the weaker among us. We're not all meant to be "Christian Superstars," if there even is such a thing, and God does not expect us to even attempt to be one. We are all given talents; our requirement is to simply make the best use of what we have. (Matthew 25:14-30) The main point I am trying to make here is that we are all failing in some point or another, but let's not let the devil get us down. We have all sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) This begs the question: if our performance does not affect our gift, then what is the impetus to keep pressing onward for the Lord? The same exact reason that we don't continue in sin even though we are completely free from the law (Romans 6:1, 15; 7:6) In plain English: L O V E. We don't sin while under grace because of love, and we do the best that we can for Him because of love. Whose love? Both sides. We love Him because He first loved us. The only reason that we CAN love Him is because of His love for us and His love in us. If you love someone and you know they love you, you WANT to do things for them. (Anyone watched siblings or friends go through courtship?) :) You get the idea. It's a 'perform because you WANT to,' rather than 'perform to get ahead,' or 'perform because you HAVE to' deal.

All this to say that God IS near us whether we feel Him or not, and He wants our love, for he loves us "with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3) He desires the best for us, and sometimes the best is times of dryness; times where we look to heaven and just cry out. Times where we truly seek Him because of desperation.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

"In My Weakness"

2008-06-05T08:43:00.000-04:00

"Bread of life, pure living water; Lover of my soul,
In my weakness be my strength to reach the final goal.

Lamb of God, dear hope of glory, Savior crucified,
By your blood I am redeemed, my debt now satisfied!

Though they slay me, though I fall; in darkness You are light!
Jesus, I will keep my eyes on you 'till my faith becomes sight!

Precious, holy, Lord and King, so full of love and grace.
Though I live, or though I die, I rest in your embrace."

-Lucinda Bateman (1877)

This song circled through my head this morning as I was pondering recent events in life. Lately, I have been struggling with not really feeling God’s power in my life, and feeling like a total failure because I am not some über man of God after a few years of being a Christian.

God never promised instant advancement in this war. He told us simply to follow him, and that we were to be soldiers. “Endure hardness...” That does not really sound inclusive of being “carried to the skies on flow’ry beds of ease.” It also never was promised that we would be coddled and protected the whole way to heaven. Yes, we are promised: “Lo, I am with you alway; even to the end of the world,” but that is not saying that we will ALWAYS have the feeling that God is there. There are times of dryness, times of testing, and times where we may wonder what is wrong… Don’t you think Paul and Silas may have felt rather blue as they awaited their sentence in the prison house? What about all the disciples at certain times? How did they feel when Jesus was securely buried in the tomb?

It was not in vain that our Lord said: “In the world, ye shall have tribulation, but fear not, I have overcome the world.” Our Lord is with us; He will save us, but we MUST NEVER lose faith, ‘sight,’ and trust in our captain.

I think we forget how much that Jesus truly loves us. At least I do. I get this horrific idea that somehow Jesus is so busy with other better Christians, and he doesn't have time for those like me, who just don't quite hit the mark every time. No, NO, NO!. We are weak, but in our weakness, he is made strong. It is only through the blood of HIS death that we are justified in the sight of God. Remember, our debt is SATISFIED because of the suffering of Jesus, who LOVED us! That is so incredible!

That simple little song is so full of meat; it's incredible. And the tune is almost the same way. Very simple, but incredibly beauteous in how she arranged the structure.

“Though I live, or though I die, I rest in your embrace.”

Rejoice in the Lord

2008-05-26T23:15:00.002-04:00

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man
Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long
In darkness, He giveth a song

Oh, rejoice in the Lord
He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end
Of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified
I shall come forth as gold.

I could not see through the shadows ahead
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead
I bowed to the will of the Master that day
Then peace came and tears fled away

Now I can see testing comes from above
God strengthens his children and purges in love
My Father knows best and I trust in His care
Through purging, more fruit I will bear

The Daily Grind

2008-05-10T10:37:00.000-04:00

“New occasions, fresh tests, difficult circumstances—all bring us up against the question of the will of God or the will of self. If we are hungry to go on with the Lord; if we have an appetite whetted for reality at any cost, then we will set our faces like a flint Crossward. Each will find ‘his cross’ in his daily pathway—waiting at his feet. Providential circumstances bring us up against choices which cross self. These will become the instruments of death to our own wills.”

-From Embraced By The Cross

The Unanswered Prayer

2008-05-03T00:43:00.002-04:00

She asked to be made like her Saviour,
He took her right then at her word,
And sent her a heart-crushing burden
Till the depths of her soul were stirred.
She asked for a faith strong, yet simple.
He permitted the dark clouds to come;
She staggered by faith through the darkness,
As the storms did her soul overwhelm.

She prayed to be filled with a passion
Of love for lost souls and for God,
And again, in response to her longing,
She sank 'neath the chastening rod.
She wanted a place in His vineyard;
He took her away from her home,
And placed her among hardened sinners
Where she humanly stood all alone.

She gave up all wordly ambitions,
Those "castles in air" of her years,
And she knelt in deep consecration,
And whispered, "Amen," through her tears.
She wanted a meek, lowly spirit -
The work He gave answered that cry;
And those who had been her companions
With pitying smile passed her by.

She asked to lean hard on her Saviour;
He took human props quite away,
Till no earthly friend could help her,
And she could do nothing but pray.
I saw her go out to the vineyard
To harvest the golden grain;
Her eyes were still moistened with weeping,
Her heart was still throbbing with pain.

But many a heart that was broken,
And many a wrecked, blighted life
Was made to thank God for her coming,
And rejoiced in the midst of the strife.
She had prayed to be made like her Saviour,
And the burden He gave her to bear
Had been but the great Sculptor's training:
Thus answering her most earnest prayer.

--Publisher Unknown

Break My Plans

2008-05-01T23:43:00.002-04:00

Nikolae Moldoveanu wrote over 8000 songs; songs that are still sung all over Romainia. While he was a young man, he was imprisoned for writing Christian music. Sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, and enduring physical torture, he continued to write songs about his God. He wrote 360 hymns while incarcerated, and would recite 60 songs per day to prevent himself from forgetting them. Sometimes he would share his songs with other inmates who would then tell others after their release about this man who wrote songs in prison. It was the only way that his family knew he was still alive.

Several years after his incarceration, the authorities told him that he could be set free if he would stop writing songs. His reply? "Just keep me here and save yourself and me the trouble. I will never stop worshiping my God with my praise songs"

Years later, when his family was interviewed, his wife told the interviewers that he begins his day at 7:00am with two hours of prayer and Bible Study. If he wakes up two minutes late, he scrambles out of bed, upset that he is late for his appointment with the Lord. His daily prayer is simply: "Lord, break my plans."

-adapted from an article by Mikah Boudreaux

My Little Buddy

2008-04-30T23:37:00.002-04:00

You know, I always used to wonder about these poor folks who went well-nigh berserk with the obsession of taking photos of their little siblings, while pumping out volumes of vainglorious narratives about their every move... And now here I am with my nephew, not even with my own sibling, doing just that. Sigh. It's hopeless.

Every time we go over to Luke and Rebecca's, it's just like one of those involuntary reflexes; I'm thunderstruck with how cute, how petite, and just how adorable little Jamin is. And to all the rest of you who are like I used to be, you'll just have to pardon and excuse my senseless blatherings about my nephew. You have been warned. :)

Uncle Ryan...

2008-04-28T19:39:00.002-04:00

For some reason that sounds really, uh, strange. :)

Jamin Luke
Born April 28th, 2008 @ 7:55am
6 lbs. 10oz, 20 1/4"

Praise God for a safe delivery, a healthy baby, and a healthy mommy! :)

Freedom from Guile

2008-04-26T22:40:00.004-04:00

No man can be a holy man of God if he does not strive with all his heart to remove guile from his life completely. The remnant pictured in Revelation 14:1-5, are described as having no guile whatsoever. Very often, there is more guile in us than we think. There is not one of us who will not have to confess, if we are honest, that we often seek to give a better impression of ourselves to others than is really the case. We need to get rid of this habit. We need to battle against it constantly and put it to death, if we are to be really holy. We should strive to be transparent and to be known as we actually are. I know this is not easy. It is a life-long battle to be always free from all guile. But this is the first step, and there will never be any revival anywhere without this. We are long fooling ourselves if we think that God is going to answer our prayers for revival if we don't make a determined effort to get rid of guile from our lives.

It is guile that hinders real Christian fellowship too. All too often, hidden grudges and an unforgiving spirit are harboured in the hearts of Christian leaders and missionaries. Beneath an outwardly pleasant facade of spirituality are these slimy evils of the bottomless pit. These must be exposed and forsaken if we are to be holy men of God.

Guile and hypocrisy were the sins that Jesus condemned more than any other. "Beware," He told His disciples, "of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy." When this sin appeared in the early church, God dealt with it drastically. He immediately slew the couple involved, lest the whole lump be leavened by this little leaven (Acts 5).

I have often read and meditated on Jesus' testimony about Nathaniel, "Behold a man in whom there is no guile;" and I have wondered whether there is any greater commendation we could covet than that. We need to ask ourselves whether God can say the same about us. Alas so often He cannot—for He sees in us the sins that we have carefully tucked away from the eyes of our fellow-men.- Blessed indeed is the man in whom there is no guile.

—Zac Poonen

Second Best...

2008-04-23T23:26:00.004-04:00

God has His best gifts for the few
Who dare to stand the test.
His second choice He has for those
Who will not have his best.

–author unknown

We're Off...

2008-04-02T23:15:00.001-04:00

...Back to NC. Hopefully I'll have some more picts to post on PhotoJewels in the near future. I may even have a moment to post something here now that I'll be working fewer hours.

Psalms 27:1-9

2008-03-21T00:25:00.003-04:00

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.”

Psalms 27:1-9

"One thing I have desired of the Lord..." Is that our desire today -- to dwell in the house of the Lord like Mary did; sitting at the Master's feet, soaking in the very words of life?

In Memory...

2008-03-13T20:50:00.001-04:00

http://inmemoryofisaac.com/

Please Pray...

2008-03-13T13:10:00.002-04:00

...for the Coates family. More details can be found at Richard's blog or Motz' blog.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Give thanks.

2008-03-08T18:32:00.002-05:00

Recently is has struck me again how much I have to be thankful for. Literally everything that I have is better than billions of others have it. I have a Christian home, freedom to live my Christian life out without fearing that today may be the last day that I ever see my family. I have a warm house in the winter, a cool one in the summer, a job, a car, a beautiful sister (and a wonderful brother-in-law)... Really what more could I ask for? And yet, am I really thankful?

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Luke 17:15-19

Am I not like the other nine lepers so many times? I have all these gifts that God has given me, and yet I am so unthankful in my spirit. I look around me at the literal thousands of people that I see on a daily basis, and they all live broken, empty lives. Divorce, rebellion, bad choices, drugs, alcohol... The list continues as the pain of these people's lives increase. Where, then is my desire and action to go out and serve these people? Tell them of a Savior that died for their sins... Why are we not speaking up daily of the Love of Christ that brought us up and out of the same miry pit? "They won't listen," we say. No, they may not, but aren't you glad that someone spoke a kind word to you? Would not our Lord stop and speak some comfort to their troubled hearts? Are we truly showing Christ in a real way how much His sacrifice means to us, when we are too busy to minister to one of his potential children? Do we somehow think that we are better, and deserve the things that we have been given. Sometimes we sure live like that...

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 Let us apply that same principle to thanksgiving, and see if we can fulfill the will of our Lord in a better way.

Bitterness...

2008-02-09T22:20:00.000-05:00

"Bitterness is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

It's Time...

2008-01-31T10:52:00.000-05:00

Amen! If you have not already, stop by Emily's blog, and get a reminder that this "life is but a vapor." What are we doing for God right now?

"The clock of life is wound but once
And no one has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
at late or early hour.."

Youth Bible School

2008-01-20T21:48:00.000-05:00

If the photos on PhotoJewels stop, (I'm not even mentioning posts here at S&L, sorry... :-} ) and you are wondering why, I'll be at Bible School for the entire week, and we'll have plenty of 'homework' to do as this year's school involves word studies, case studies, etc. If you feel lead, you can pray that I'd learn the lessons God is wanting to teach me, and that I'd have an open, soft, humble heart....

Thank you, and may God Bless you!

Knowing God...

2008-01-12T17:14:00.000-05:00

There are very few believers who have a passion to know God Himself. Most of them seem to be keen only on increasing in Bible-knowledge and on having spectacular emotional experiences.

All this is an indication that we have come to the very last minutes of the last hour of the last days in which Paul said it would be "difficult to be a Christian" (2 Tim.3:1 - Living). It will be difficult to be a Christian in the last days, not because of persecution or opposition, but because many people would "have a form of godliness without its inner power" (2 Tim.3:5).

-Zac Poonen

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

"When Jesus comes to reward His servants,
Whether it be noon or night,
Faithful to Him will He find us watching,
With our lamps all trimmed and bright?

  O can we say we are ready, brother?
  Ready for the soul’s bright home?
  Say, will He find you and me still watching,
  Waiting, waiting when the Lord shall come?

If, at the dawn of the early morning,
He shall call us one by one,
When to the Lord we restore our talents,
Will He answer thee—“Well done”?

Have we been true to the trust He left us?
Do we seek to do our best?
If in our hearts there is naught condemns us,
We shall have a glorious rest.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
In His glory they shall share;
If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
Will He find us watching there?"

-Fanny Crosby

I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow

2007-12-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.

’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“’Tis in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”

-John Newton

I was blessed by this article that I ran across along with this song:

The Lord truly answered Newton’s prayer for grace and faith, but grace and faith do not equal immediate subdued sin and rest for the Christian. Rather, the Lord answered Newton’s prayer by breaking him and graciously leading him to trust Him. This poem cuts to the heart of many issues in the Christian’s life. All too often we think, if we could just have relief from this one besetting sin, we would be more holy or we would be free to trust God more. Rather than thinking like this, we need to be asking God for broken hearts, hearts that are contrite and humble before him (Ps 51). A corollary to these requests means we need to be completely open to how God will answer these prayers. He is the sovereign Lord, and if he deems necessary, he will employ inward trials to make us more dependent on Him, to make us more like Jesus.

-John Fraiser (emphasis added)

How many times do we beg God for some great fruit of the spirit.... “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith...” (Galatians 5:22) and then recoil with shock and horror when He sends trials and affliction our way. If we are truly seeking these spiritual fruits, may we be willing to pay the price of what we desire, and find our all in HIM!

Books

2007-12-25T14:05:00.001-05:00

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"
- Henry Ward Beecher

Who Is The Greatest?

2007-12-15T12:28:00.000-05:00

Often times I think of the greatest people being those that are out on the forefront of the battle. The fiery preacher, the traveling evangelist, the great missionary. But I had to again think of the words that our Lord spoke to his disciples in the 9th chapter of Mark. Typical humans, the disciples had gotten carried away arguing who was the greatest and best follower of Christ. Jesus sat them all down and gave them a very basic object lesson. He placed a child in their midst, and said: “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.” Mark 9:35-37

Such a powerful lesson. I know that we all know (in our heads) that the greatest people aren’t necessarily those out in the forefront, but I think sometimes we forget what the phrase “a Minister of the Gospel” means. The Oxford American Dictionary defines the word simply: “attending to the needs of others.” Simply a servant. And if you back up even farther, the word Christian means “a follower of Christ,” and if we are truly following His example, we are going to be serving others.

I have also often felt the misconception that Jesus was popular. Well, he drew big crowds, didn’t he? He had to run away just to get some prayer-time in... So popularity is not too bad, eh? Well, I have had to ask myself: “How popular was Christ when he was hanging on the cross? What celebrity would the crowds allow him (virtually on a whim) to be crucified? If Christ was so popular, why didn’t the masses intervene on his behalf? Even his disciples fled; his trusted friends. Is this the iconic view of a “great” person?

Maybe God has called you as a prayer warrior, maybe he’s simply called you to serve your elderly neighbor. Maybe your current ministry is something as “lowly” as simply shining as a light in your sin-darkened workplace. Does it make any difference to God? Does he determine our “greatness” by how many people around the world know of our “Christian prowess?” As God so clearly told Samuel at the anointing of King David: “...Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 True greatness is based completely upon our lives bringing glory and honor to God.

So the next time you find yourself envying those Christians that get all the “press,” maybe its time to reevaluate what we are running the race for. Is it for God’s glory, or our own?

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

“Does the place you’re called to labor

Seem too small and little known?

It is great if God is in it,

And He’ll not forget His own.

Little is much when God is in it!

Labor not for wealth or fame.

There’s a crown—and you can win it,

If you go in Jesus’ Name.”

Dying To Self

2007-12-14T00:56:00.000-05:00

When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught,

and you do not sting and hurt at the oversight,

but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;

that is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed,

your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed,

and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart

or even defend yourself, but take all in patient loving silence;

that is dying to self.

When you quietly forbear any disorder, any irregularity,

any impunctuality, or any annoyance;

when you can stand face to face with waste, folly,

extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as Jesus endured it;

that is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any raiment,

any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;

that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation,

or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation;

when you can truly love to be unknown,

that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one

of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly

as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or

resentment rising up within your heart,

that is dying to self.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Thanksgiving...

2007-11-28T15:06:00.000-05:00

It's from a few years back, don't worry! :-)

The Prodigal Son...

2007-11-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

After hearing an interesting twist on the story of the prodigal from the viewpoint of a Messianic Jew, I found this interesting article online. He begins his dissertation by attempting to dispel the stereotypical view that most of us Christians have for God:

This particular parable is especially important for us to rightly understand as Christians. Typically we labor under inadequate or inappropriate images of the God of Israel. We can be almost schizophrenic about Him at times. We know He is a loving Father, yet He seems so stern, demanding and distant. He's "Jehovah," the Law-giver -- a kind of IRS agent in the sky who is ever examining our conduct, looking for just one infraction so he can throw the book at us.

This kind of thinking is neither Hebraic nor Biblical. ... More importantly, it seriously impairs the very way you and I worship and relate to the God of Israel. Who wants to crawl up into the lap of an IRS agent? Who wants to practice the presence of a severe Judge who gives us an impossible law to live up to and then punishes us even for one infraction? Many Christians, I fear, suffer from this difficulty of being truly intimate with our Father in Heaven. We say the right words, but in our heart we are uncertain and uncomfortable. A faulty image of God can cause us to miss out on the fullness and the joy of our salvation in His presence and power.

After attempting to lay the foundation of who God truly is, he proceeds to show us the shocking blow that this parable would have dealt to the jewish culture. Here in "Western" society, we are not surprised in the least to hear of a young man asking for money from his father, and then beating for the city to go "live it up." In contrast, that was completely unheard of in the Jewish culture. It just didn't happen. As the was mentioned in the article:

These last two seemingly simple statements were absolute shockers to the Jewish ear....Jesus' listeners understood that to demand your inheritance from a living father was equivalent to saying, "Father, I wish you would drop dead!"

He then proceeds to explain the horrors of the young man's other choices, and graphically portrays what must be running through the Jew's minds as Jesus spoke:

The emotions of Jesus' audience must have been on a roller-coaster ride during this tale. From disgust and righteous indignation one moment, to anxiety and even pity the next. Surely now they were empathizing with this young man's terrible fate. No money, no food, no friends and no security, exiled from his father, his family, his home, his land and his people -- and even estranged from his spiritual impulses as a Jew. He is having table fellowship with unclean swine! Truly, in every respect the prodigal is lost.

He goes on to state how different the scene of the son's reception probably was from our American mental picture. I have always seen the father as looking out the window of his solitary home pushed back from the road a good distance. Seeing a lone man walking down the lane, the father recognizes it as the walk of none other than his beloved son. In reading further, Dwight points out that the Jews lived communally. That is to say that the entire incident would have been viewed and scoffed at by the entire town. They all knew the man, and they all knew the disgraceful wretch that had left. He was an outcast. By accepting him back, the father risked losing face to his townspeople. He continues:

But again, Jesus turns the tables on his listeners. This remarkable father does not wait for his wayward son's repentance, as one would expect. Compelled by love, he seizes the initiative. He rushes to welcome his son. In an unprecedented act of grace and mercy, the father humiliates himself before the community so his son will be spared their harsh judgment. It was considered demeaning and uncouth for an elderly person to run. But this father eagerly runs the gauntlet of the opposition, so his son will not have to pass through judgment.

In closing, Dwight extends the same appeal that Jesus extended to his listeners: the appeal to repent from sin, and be reconciled to our Heavenly Father.

Dear friends, in this parable please hear the words of a loving Father, full of grace and truth, faithfulness and mercy. The God of Israel, our heavenly Father, has shown unprecedented grace and unmerited love towards you. ... By His grace, we who are separated and alienated from the family of God, can return and rejoice in the Father's presence. But the fullness of His fellowship is experienced only when our repentance is unstinting.

Reach out to Jesus

2007-11-18T18:27:00.000-05:00

Reach Out to Jesus

Are you really seeking for fulfillment in your life?

Are you really longing for a life that’s free from strife?

Are you disappointed in what life has brought your way?

Oh my friend, reach out to Jesus and He will wipe your tears away!

Reach out to Jesus, with love He’s reaching out to you:

He’s so sympathetic, understanding, kind, and true!

His touch will heal you, His love will really make you whole;

Oh why not reach out to Jesus and He will satisfy your soul.

Are you broken hearted? Is your heart filled with grief and pain?

Have your pieces shattered, and your tears fell down like rain?

Bring your cares to Jesus for His arms are open wide:

Oh give Him your broken pieces and He will mend them all again.

Has your life been wasted? Is your heart filled with shame and sin?

Do you seek forgiveness and long for peace and joy within?

Do you feel so empty? “There’s no hope for me,” you say;

Oh my friend, reach out to Jesus and He will cleanse your heart today!

Righteousness Through Christ

2007-10-18T07:52:00.000-04:00

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

—Philippians 3:8-11

Do we count all as loss for Christ? All that we have, all that we are, all that we hope to be, we should give up to Christ–for without Him, we are nothing! The other morning it struck me how the next verse reads: "that I may...be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." A few years ago the departure of several good friends into "freedom from the law" seriously shook my heart. I decided that if once-godly people could now do anything the world did because they were free from the "law," that I was going to forever abide under the law. There alone I would be safe from the creeping infiltration from the world. Was I ever wrong. As I looked at other's lives that had once flourished and were now discouraged, disheartened, and depressed, it occurred to me that they had the same mindset that I did. Fearful of becoming "liberal" they had fallen into the other ditch of legalism. Freedom in Christ is neither legalism nor liberalism. Freedom in Christ is complete freedom to do everything that your Lord asks you to do. He is your owner, keeper, provider, and the giver of your every breath. “What? know ye not that ... ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 The righteousness that the Father sees in us is not ours: for our own righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God. (Is. 64:6) The only redeeming value that we have in the sight of God is that we accepted His Son's offer to live under the cleansing, purifying, and perfecting blood of Jesus Christ. Through this "filter," God sees us as reedeemed creatures; men and women that have their sins forgiven by the suffering, crucifixion, curse, and death of His sinless Lamb. May we take our position by Christ's side with the utmost care and consideration of what pleases Him!

The Love of Christ in Us!

2007-09-24T02:57:00.000-04:00

“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” The words of our Lord as spoken in John 17:25 and 26.

Oh, that we could catch sight of the depth of this prayer! "That the love wherewith Thou has loved me may be in them..." Dear Christian! Do you realize what Jesus was asking for here? The love of the Father toward the Son indwelling in us! The same love that sustained Jesus all the way from eternity past, throughout his entire earthly stay, and through all eternity future, now beats within our breast – but read on, he does not stop there! He also asked that he would dwell within us also! So with this knowledge, as bearers of the Father's love and of Christ himself, how can we live on this earth as though we are our own? “...Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20

Do you love the World???

2007-09-03T17:16:00.000-04:00

Do you love the world, in its pomp and show?
In its course of sin will you onward go?
Is the pride of life more than heav’n above?
Will you lose your soul for the sins you love?

Refrain:
Do you love the world? Will you selfish be,
When the Lord provides everything for thee?
Can you still refuse? Will you come and bow?
Give your heart and life to His service now?

Do you love the world, its applause and fame?
Soon ’twill end in sorrow, remorse, and shame;
Jesus bids you come and redeem your soul
From its awful doom, ere the judgments roll.

Do you love the world? Is it dear to thee?
Can it help thy soul in eternity?
Will you choose its way more than godly fear,
Sealing thus your doom, when the Lord is near?

Do you love the world more than Christ who died?
How the blood flowed free from His pierced side!
When it cost His life to prepare that place,
Will you die in sin, and refuse His grace?

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

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

Old Fashioned...

2007-08-29T23:38:00.000-04:00

They call me old-fashioned because I believe
That the Bible is God’s holy Word,
That Jesus, who lived among men long ago,
Is divine, and the Christ of God.

My sin was old-fashioned,
My guilt was old-fashioned,
God’s love was old-fashioned, I know;
And the way I was saved was the old-fashioned way,
Through the blood that makes whiter than snow.

Old-fashioned, because I believe and accept
Only what has been spoken from Heav’n;
Old-fashioned because at the cross I was saved,
At the cross had my sins forgiv’n.

Old-fashioned, because I am bound to do right,
To walk in the straight narrow way;
Because I have given my whole life to God,
Old-fashioned because I pray.

Old-fashioned, because I am looking above
To Jesus, my glorified Lord;
Because I believe He is coming again,
Fulfilling His holy Word.

—Civilla D. Martin, 1914

Bread of life...

2007-08-24T03:03:00.001-04:00

“There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” John 6:9-12

If we would but take Jesus at his word; believe His promise, trust His grace — we would all be surprised at the bounty that would be ours; including abundant leftovers to share with others!

Teach Me To Pray

2007-08-12T12:58:00.001-04:00

"Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee; Thou only knowest what I need: Thou lovest me better than I know how to love myself. O Father! Give to Thy child that which he himself knows not how to ask. I dare not ask either for crosses or consolations; I simply present myself before Thee, I open my heart to Thee. Behold my needs which I know not myself; see and do according to Thy tender mercies. Smite or heal; depress me or raise me up; I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them; I am silent; I offer myself in sacrifice; I yield myself to Thee; I would have no other desire than to accomplish Thy will. Teach me to pray. Pray Thyself in me. Amen."

—Francois de la Mothe Fenelon

A special think you to Marissa Whitney for the use of this quote from her blog. http://strengthinquietness.blogspot.com/

Teach me thy way, O LORD!!!

2007-08-06T01:14:00.000-04:00

“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”

—Psalms 86:11-13

True Convictions...

2007-07-05T23:31:00.001-04:00

It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
- Alfred Adler

...For HIS Mercy Endureth Forever...

2007-06-28T07:40:00.001-04:00

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

—Psalms 136:1-26

Hebrews 12:11

2007-06-25T23:47:00.001-04:00

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

“Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”

2007-06-17T16:12:00.000-04:00

Chapter 40 of Isaiah begins with a prophecy of the ministry of John the Baptist: “A voice of one crying in the wilderness saying : Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness. Make smooth the desert.” (Isa.40:3-5). This message has an application for us . The Lord is coming back a second time. And just as John the Baptist prepared the people for His first coming, the church must prepare people for His second coming. So our message must essentially be the same as John the Baptist’s:

First of all, “the valleys must be lifted up” (Isa 40:4). There is no place for discouragement and depression under the new covenant. We are never to say, “I am good for nothing, I am useless.” God is a God of encouragement. He has lifted us up in Christ and given us dignity. We don’t have to live in the dumps - in the valleys – any more. We are children of the King and He lifts our heads up.

Secondly, “the mountains must be brought low”( Isa 40:4). All pride in us must be brought down.

Thirdly, the rough places must become smooth. There is a lot of coarseness, rudeness and roughness in our lives. These have to be smoothened out and we have to become gracious and gentle.

Fourthly, the crooked paths must become straight (This is how this verse is quoted in Luke 3:5). There are many areas in our lives. There could be unrighteousness in money matters. All of that has to be made straight. This is what true repentance involves - the valleys being lifted up, the mountains being brought down, the rough places made smooth, and the crooked paths made straight.

Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed in our flesh. In our flesh, others will see the glory of Jesus Christ. That is how we are to prepare people for the coming of the Lord. “The mouth of the Lord has spoken it and all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord”.

—Zac Poonen

Other things...

2007-05-02T23:35:00.000-04:00

Go here for the update...

Voyager 1

2007-04-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

Image, courtesy of NASA

At 22:13 UTC (or 08:21:32 UTC without light-time correction), Voyager 1 was at a distance of 100 AU (approximately 14.96 terameters, 9.3 billion miles or 0.002 light years) from the Sun, which makes it the most distant artificial object from Earth. At this distance, it is more distant from the Sun than any known natural solar-system object, including 90377 Sedna. Though Sedna has an orbit that takes it 975 AU away from the Sun at apihelion, as of 2006 it is less than 90 AU away from the Sun and approaching its perihelion at 76 AU.

At its current distance, light (which travels 186,282.397 miles per second (299,728.376773 kilometers per second) takes over 13.8 hours to reach the spacecraft from Earth. As a basis for comparison, the Moon is about 1.4 light seconds from Earth, the Sun is about 8.5 light minutes away, and Pluto is at an average distance of approximately 5.5 light hours. As of November 2005, the spacecraft was travelling at a speed of 17.2 kilometers per second relative to the sun (3.6 AU per year or 38,400 miles per hour), 10% faster than Voyager 2. Accurate information concerning its location can be found in this NASA paper with heliocentric coordinates extrapolated up to 2015 of both probes. It is not heading towards any particular star, but in 40,000 years it will be within 1.7 light years of the star AC+793888 in the Camelopardis constellation.

Voyager 1, as of September 2006, is at 12.22° declination and 17.051hrs Right Ascension, placing it in the constellation Ophiuchus. NASA continues daily tracking of the spacecraft with the Deep Space Network stations.
-- Article courtesy of www.wikipedia.com --

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

What I find so amazing, is that last statement in the second-to-last paragraph...

...but in 40,000 years it will be within 1.7 light years of the star AC+793888 in the Camelopardis constellation.

This is a listing of stars that we can see.... Let alone the ones that are beyond our feeble 'Hubble-assisted' sight. And notice how far away from the sun it is right now: 0.002 light years, after 30 years of traveling at 38,400MPH. And we think that we are big stuff—able to live without God, because of the might of our nation. If this does not show people that we are but dust, I'm not sure what will!

The Music of Heaven...

2007-04-22T20:06:00.000-04:00

I was contemplating the other day how much I missed singing with other people. I just love to sing... Many of my friends think that I am half-cracked, but I just have something buried deep in my soul that responds to music—especially well-done arrangements of good old hymns. I have always had the dream of starting a small singing group; praising God, and having a good time of fellowship....A dream that has never been realized.
As I was mulling over these things, this song came to my mind: The Music of Heaven. I was struck with its simple, yet profound truth:

The music of heaven is sweeter in measure,
And purer in every strain,
Than the music of earth though it fills us with pleasure,
As it thrillingly rolls over valley and plain.

The music of heaven is sweeter in measure and purer in every strain than the music of earth.... That will be GLORIOUS!
When I get to heaven, there will never be a yearning in my heart to keep on singing long after the rest of a group is tired of singing for the evening. There will never be that sad realization that I can't find enough friends who want to sing with me, or that the ones that do want to sing, live too far away... I'll never have to worry about the fact that I can't always sing perfectly. Nor will I have to worry that my voice wears out before I am finished singing, and I won't have to sit in front of my computer, recording, and overdubbing a song four times to sing 4-part harmony on a song! (yes, I'm that desperate! :-p [it sounds terrible, BTW, just ask Dad! *~* ])
No, all that will be behind me, for:

"When we've been there ten-thousand years, bright, shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun!"

Now that sounds like bliss to me!!!!

Be Alive!!!

2007-04-15T16:14:00.000-04:00

Ask. Seek the kingdom first.
Knock. Practice patience.
Smile often. Feel deeply.
Tell those you love that you do.

Give thanks. Speak truth.
Shine light. Be salt.

Love the Lord with your whole heart,
mind and soul. Forgive.
Receive forgiveness.

Lay down your life.
Receive it back. Lose it again.
Spread joy. Pray. Listen. Laugh heartily.

Trust enough to take a chance.
Sing praises. Rejoice.

Pacific Garden Mission No. 2

2007-04-11T11:35:00.000-04:00

'Beep, beep, beep,' the alarm clock's shrill buzzer shattered the morning stillness. I rolled over and glanced at the clock through sleep befuddled eyes. Suddenly, I sat bolt upright! "Oh Yeah! Today we're going to Pacific Garden Mission!"
I hopped out of bed with a purpose, trying to figure out what to get first. "I'll definitely need my camera," I thought, getting all the paraphernalia together. "Let's see, battery-packs, lenses, flash; good, all that's already in there."
"Son, we'll probably be staying overnight with the family we're going with," Mom's voice called out from the hallway; "So you'll probably want an extra change of clothes." "OK, mom!"
After a little more preparation we got ourselves around, and pulled out—minus the camera bag. About 20 minutes down the road I asked: "Mom, where's my camera?" "I don't know Honey... Did you forget to bring it?"
"Last I saw it – it was sitting on your bureau in your bedroom." Dad said. "I thought you were leaving it behind on purpose."
"Oh well," I said, with a little less enthusiasm. "I guess I'll just have to take mind pictures."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As we made our way through the congested freeways of Chicago's massive outskirts, we were having a great time. Everybody was in a good mood, and both vans were together. Sometimes we'd lose sight of the van that was following us, but soon enough they'd pop back into sight. Then came the exit...
"Daddy!" one of the children cried "The other van didn't exit with us! See! There they go!" Sure enough, as we all craned our necks to look, the other van, laden with over half of our group sailed on by in the seemingly endless torrent of cars, trucks, and vans. HONK!!! HONNNKKKKK!!!! A gleaming cadillac shot up behind us as we tarried for a brief second in the off-ramp. He cranked his wheels to the right, and floored his car as he roared on by. "Welcome to Chicago," I thought to myself ruefully.
"Hey! I thought you knew Chicago better than that!" Richard laughed as he called the other van's driver on his cellphone. "We go a different way usually" came the reply; "We were wondering where you were headed!"
Within minutes, we had arrived, and unfolding the extended version of my Homo Sapiens frame, we waited for the other van to arrive. Ten minutes later, they arrived, happy, but also sore. They all piled out of the van, and we made our way to the front entrance–a formidable looking group: 29 people strong. We filed into the small entryway, noting the faded furniture, aged decor, and clean, but dingy atmosphere. The lady behind the front desk stood up, smiling broadly. "Welcome to Pacific Garden Missions" she said cheerfully. "We're not quite ready to start the tour, but if you would like, we can supply you with tracts, and you can go out an evangelize on the street. We'll be ready for you in about three-quarters of an hour."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Out on the street, I was reflecting on my Madison experience of the previous evening. I was very grateful for it, as it served as an ice-breaker for me, and I was a little bolder than I would have been, had I not gone.
"Sir, would you like a Gospel tract?" I asked one dark fellow. "Sure!" he said "Can you good Christian people get me some food? I have not eaten anything today except for some chips! I'm hungry, man!"
"Well," I responded cautiously, "You're sure welcome to go to the mission. They will give you a meal, and not only that, but there is a gospel meeting tonight."
"Come on, man," he responded, a little more agitated than before "if you consider yourself a follower of Christ, can't you buy me a bag of chips? That's all I ask, man! Just a little bag of chips!"
"I'll take you to the Mission, if you'd like." I was getting a little unsure of how I was going to handle this man. "I'm sure they will feed you! Do you want me to show you the way there?"
"No, man! Just give me a bag of chips!!! I'm hungry! Didn't you eat lunch?" I nodded in assent to his last statement. "See!" he said, "You are full, yet you won't give a poor man on the street a bag of chips!" He walked off, mumbling something about stingy Christian people.
"What was I to do?" I asked Jonathan, who had witnessed the whole scene. "I told him where to find food!"
"I'm not sure" he said "I really don't think that we should have bought him his bag of chips!"
Our time was about up, the various groups that had split up were starting to conglomerate in front of the mission. When the last few people returned, we filed back inside, and were directed into one of the little chapels.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A black gentleman stood in front of us all, waiting for the last guest to be seated. He smiled pleasantly, and then welcomed each one of us; "It was ten months ago that I first came here. I was desperate, and I needed a place to sleep, and something to eat. I knew about PGM since I was a little tyke, and I decided that now was as good a time as any. I decided just to dive in, and see what they offered."
He went on to tell his life's story, how he had grown up, and wandered away from his mother's wise counsel, finally ending up in the streets. He recounted the story that is so familiar to us; a duplicate account of the prodigal son. "And when I finally came to the end of myself, I ended up right here; penniless, hungry, and destitute. I was in poor shape, but JESUS found me! Let me tell you friends!" suddenly his face morphed from a picture of suffering into an ecstatic, heavenly look. Gone were the lines of sorrow, the crevices that had been so carelessly chiseled into his face from years of sin and suffering. He gazed upward, almost shouting "Jesus found me and took me in! He saved me! My friends, I once lived for self, sin, and pleasure, but now..." he paused, as if for emphasis, "Now, I live for the one who died for me! The one that bore my sins on his own sinless body. The one by whose stripes we are healed!! There is no other way to God, folks!!! No other way!"
"What a testimony!" I thought to myself. "This is just the beginning of the tour, yet here we are getting an entire gospel message! I like this guy!"

.......To Be Continued.......

Pacific Garden Mission...

2007-04-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Editor's Preamble:
I'm going to make an exception to my strict blog policy... I'm going to attempt to share our group's personal experiences at the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago Illinois. Unfortunately, we were in a great rush to leave on time, and in the great haste, I completely forgot my precious camera... Can you imagine? I packed it up carefully, charged the battery-packs, put everything into the case, and............ I was pretty bummed. So that obviously means no pictures. I will try my best to create mind pictures, though. Now for the real story:

The kitchen clock ticked steadily onward, as a brother in Christ and I shared our personal struggles, lofty goals, and the many desires we had for our lives. We shared about our recent trips to other countries, and of our desire to do more for the Lord. We also talked about the fact that life seemed pretty dry for both of us as we sat, waiting for the Lord to lead us in His way.
"Why does God create zeal in young people, if we are called to wait while grow up?" I asked, getting a little more agitated. "Here I am, full of life, vim, and vigor, and I am wasting it all by sitting here in America, pulling in a paycheck. If God wants labourers in his vineyard, WHAT AM I DOING SITTING HERE!?!?!"
"I'm not sure," he replied cautiously, "I am struggling with some of the very same issues. But God has a purpose in having us wait."
I struggled a little with his answer, knowing full well that it was the truth. In fact, I had preached the very same to others before, and many brothers and sisters had shared about the same struggles. What I was going through was not a 'private' struggle, and I knew it; I was just at the end of my rope.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Plopping onto my faded computer chair, I let out a long sigh... Just another day's work ahead of me; purposeless, and futile. I was beginning to think along the same lines of Solomon the wise in Ecclesiastes:

“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” –Ecclesiastes 1:2-9

What was I to do? Face the day as a man, and wait on the Lord. As I started working, my mind slid from the things of God into the world of graphics, html, and css. HTML divs, XHTML validity, and CSS pseudo-class selectors started floating around in the intangible abyss of my mind, temporarily stuffing most spiritual thoughts into the background.
Beep! The 'new mail' alarm on my computer snapped me back to reality. I switched mental gears from programming back into the human realm, expecting something important to show up in my inbox. It was from a recent client of mine, and with the subject "Let's Hit the Streets!" I figured that he was ready for me to publish his website as completed. Great was my surprise when I opened up the email, and read that this guy and a few of his employees were planning on going into Madison, WI to do some evangelism. "Sure!" I thought, as a briefly re-scanned the email, trotted over to my parent's bedroom, and showed them the exciting news. "Finally," I thought, "I can get out of this cramped little house, and do something, however little it might be, for the Lord!" I was getting charged up now!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hello?" the other end of the telephone spoke out. "Hi, Wayne, this is Ryan! How are you doing?" I asked cheerily. "I'm just fine," my boss replied. "What can I do for you today?"
"Well, I responded," a little more hesitantly now, "I was wondering if I could come in early Friday morning, and get all the chores done by 2:00pm or so... I'm planning on going to Madison for some street witnessing."
"Yes, I suppose that would work out," he replied, making sure that all the details would work out with him. "That'll be fine then! Thanks for letting me know!" "No problem!" I said. "Thank YOU!!!!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"2:00PM," I typed into the time-clock spreadsheet at work. I jumped into the car and drove home, diving into the shower, and grabbing a bite to eat. Then I drove to the end of the road, and waited for the brother that I was riding with. After a profitable discourse, we arrived at the specified meeting-place, loaded up the tracts, CDs, and the prayer-station tent. I was beginning to feel a little trepidation, as they explained what we were about to do.
"First off, we put up the Prayer-Station booth." they instructed, "Then we put these little red aprons on to identify ourselves with the station." "What?" I thought, incredulously; "I'm going to stand on the streets of Madison wearing this dumb red apron?!?"
We all jumped into the van, and then one of the brothers suggested listening to this tape on the way to Madison. Mel agreed to play it, and we started listening to the man's testimony of mission-work in northern Canada.
As we approached Madison, my heart was full. The tape was almost finished, and I was replaying over in my mind the trials that the man had gone through at the hands of 'christian' people. In his love for these people, he had been beaten, slapped, punched, ridiculed, and almost killed by Russian Mennonites up north. Suddenly the small amount of embarrassment that I was going to feel by putting this little red apron on looked pretty puny. "What a chicken I am!" I thought. "Here these people suffered this persecution patiently from 'christians.'"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ma'am, would you like a Gospel Tract?" I would ask, sometimes receiving a yes for an answer, and many times a no. "You have a good evening!" I'd say, as instructed by the leader. "Make them feel like you are blessing them even if they refuse." He had told us.
Suddenly, this short elderly woman came up to me with a look of disgust on her face. "And who do you think you are!?" she said angrily, announcing her presence. "What makes you think that you are good enough to be the mouthpiece of God? Boy, aren't you arrogant!"
"Tell me;" she demanded; "Tell me what makes you think that you are good enough to speak for God?" I tried to calmly reason with her, telling her that I wasn't good enough... And that God has commanded us to go out and tell the world the good news of the Gospel. After a few more words with her, she walked off, convinced that we were the most arrogant young men on the face of the earth. "It's boys like you that are shaping the demise of America!" she spat, as she turned on her heel, and took off down the street.
"You know, I don't know how I would have handled that situation if I hadn't heard that tape on the drive down here." I commented to the leader. "God's timing is so perfect!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"OK, boys!" the leader called out, "It's getting dark. Let's pack up, and clear out!" As we made our way back home, we all discussed our various meetings with people, and the blessings that we had received... Then I got a TXT on my phone from Mom. "Please call as soon as you are able" it read.
"Hello?" I asked. "Hi, Ry!" my mom said. "How'd your evening go?"
"Great," I replied. "What did you need? You wrote a TXT that said to call you."
"Oh, yes! I was wondering about tomorrow... I know that you already asked to have this evening off from work, but could you get tomorrow off too???"
"Oh, my!" I thought aloud. "What'll Wayne think of that?!? Yes, I'll call and ask! The worst answer I can get is no!" Mom could hear the smile in my voice. "You want to know what we are planning on?" she asked.
"Sure!" I replied, not having a clue of what I was about to hear.
"Well, we were invited to go this Saturday to the Pacific Garden Mission down in Chicago. Does that sound like a good idea?"
"Sure!" I said, not trying to hide my excitement. "I'll see if Wayne will let me off!"

===================================

......to be continued......

On Frittering Away Time...

2007-03-19T11:42:00.000-04:00

"Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble." —Psalms 78:33

The Israelites were complaining – again... So God had to deal with them as with a naughty child. Complaining, murmuring, flattering, serving other gods... Yes, the Israelites had trouble. Because God is infinitely merciful, He brought punishment upon them to correct them, and draw them back to His way. It says over and over that they would ask something of God, and he would give it to them—yet they never trusted Him to care for them. There was always something that God wasn't giving them which they were used to in Egypt. It says in verse 18 that they tempted God, in asking for meat, saying: "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" They asked this even though God had already rained down Manna from Heaven, sustaining their lives for the last umpteen years of travel. So Psalms says here that after he had sent the meat, their hearts had not changed at all; they were still unbelieving and unhappy. What was God to do? It says that he "slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel." "For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wonderful work."
It goes on to say that God "consumed their days in trouble, and their years in vanity." As I read that the other day, I seriously pondered it. God used "timewasting" as a punishment. The Israelites would not listen, and so he made their lives' important minutes, hours, days, and years count for nothing. What *did* they accomplish while they roamed aimlessly over the expansive wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. Exactly that! Nothing! They spent their days in trouble, and their years in vanity. Have you ever felt like you aren't doing anything for anyone? Your walk with God isn't super, you don't feel like helping others, you don't even feel like maintaining your personal walk with the Lord? Check out your internal status.... Are you murmuring against the place that God has you in currently? Are you being obedient to your authority? Are you putting others first?
Lets look at some other examples of people who had nothing to do, yet redeemed the time:

• Jesus -- He was in his parent's home for 30 years, after which he started His ministry. If you recall, though, it was at the age of twelve that he said to His parents "wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?" Yet he humbly submitted to his earthly parents, and made good use of his time for the remaining eighteen years.

• Paul -- I wonder how long Paul and Silas would have laid in that stinking prison if they had resorted to murmuring and complaining about how rank and damp it was down there. I'm sure it stunk worse than a cow-barn, and there were doubtless rats, mice, lice, and cockroaches scuttling around their feet. Yet they decided that prayer, singing, and praise to God was a better use of time; just look at what happened!

• Stephen -- So often we think of our lives as so important here on this earth. The whole American culture is tuned toward extending human life... Really, though, is that our purpose here? I believe that Stephen could have extended his life, had he 'recanted,' and renounced his Lord. But yet he counted not his life dear unto himself, and left us an example of how to die a martyr's death; cheerful, loving, and forgiving the very ones that were slaying him. Yes, he could have probably lived longer, but what would renouncing the Lord profit him in eternity?

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:35-37

• John -- Exiled for his faith, he was spending quality time with the Lord... Not moping! Revelation 1:9 says that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day when he heard a great voice behind him. I can almost assure you that if John would have been indulging in self-pity, thinking that if only he could be "doing the Lord's work" somewhere else, how happy he'd be, God wouldn't have visited him is such a real way! No, I believe John had worked up to this point. God saw that he was faithful in suffering, faithful in loneliness, desolation, and pain, and He knew that John could be trusted to bring this mighty revelation without adding to it, subtracting from it, or getting a puffed head. He had passed the murmuring test!

There are countless others, some of which I touched on in my blog post from a long time ago: Why, God, Why?

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:” Hebrews 11:32

I had to wonder how many people that are out there today, wondering what God has for their life, only to find out that because of discontent, murmuring, and covetousness, God has resorted to making their time vain... We have but a moment on this earth, friends!

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14

Let's make it count for eternity!

2007-03-15T03:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I've decided to start on a new venture... Administrating an online 'radio' station - also called a streaming server. Basically, it is a single stream of music that goes out from my computer, and then gets broadcast to piles of people (hopefully) :) by my webhost's server. This is more or less a test to see if the idea will fly or not.... Before I spend piles of money and time on something that won't even support itself. Currently, I have six albums on board from 2 different distributors who graciously gave me permission to use their music. As I wrote on the stream's website, though, if you know of any music that would fit the tenor of this stream, go ahead and contact me... You may be entitled to 6 months of free high-quality stream service once this thing goes live for real. :-D
Also, please notice that this is still a beta-release... v0.8 to be exact. What this means in layman's terms is: there are still bugs to be worked out, and things to do, but it is getting closer to the point that I can call it a reliable service. You may experience "blackouts," skips, or other odd behavior... If you have time, and are willing, shoot me a quick note from the contact form, and tell me what you are having trouble with. I'd love to help you out. Also, there is a forum that will be available to get assistance on. You can find it here.
Also notice that most of this will be moving to www.shilohstream.com whenever I get that set up.

Thanks, and enjoy!!!
-Ryan

P.S. If you like it, pass the word around... Also, if you want little blog sidebar ads, just contact me. Thanks!

Godly Music...

2007-03-06T01:26:00.000-05:00

I thought that I would ask a question that is fairly controversial.... :^) But honestly, and from the heart, I'd like to know what your personal qualifications for Godly music are.

God's Grace...

2007-02-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

For daily need there is daily grace; for sudden need, sudden grace, and for overwhelming need, overwhelming grace.

—John Blanchard

Time to Pray?

2007-02-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

I got up early one morning,
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
I didn’t have time to pray.

Troubles just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task.
"Why doesn’t God help me?" I wondered.

He answered, "You didn’t ask."

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"Why, child, you didn’t knock."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
He said, "You didn’t seek."

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.

—R. A. Baldomar

Proverbs 29:23

2007-01-28T14:14:00.000-05:00

“A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” Proverbs 29:23

A New Mercedes Benz from God!

2006-12-30T09:39:00.000-05:00

Faith means saying “Amen” when God has said something to you. Faith is always based on the word of God. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God’ (Rom.10:17). You can’t have faith, if you don’t listen to God. Abraham heard God first. Then he said “Amen”. Nowadays, I find many believers saying that they have faith for things about which God has said nothing. They say: “I have faith that God will give me a Mercedez-Benz car. And I believe it’s going to be black in colour.” That’s not faith. That is presumption. It is tempting God. Faith can be born only after hearing God speaking to us first. Only then can we say, “Amen. It shall be so.” If you remember this, you will be saved from presumption and from “counterfeit faith”.

-Zac Poonen

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart...

2006-12-25T13:25:00.000-05:00

Salt & Light

The Mantle of Elijah

Psalms 103

Endurance...

Mary & Martha

God's Chisel

Heal the Wound But Leave the Scar

You are not your own...

God's Mercy

Ye Are My Witnesses...

World Changers...

True Humility...

Criticism and Perception

A Tribute To My Father

Candid Thoughts on North Korea...

Somebody's Mother

Every Man

Trusting God

On Letting Go...

Define the Antonym of Love

True Thankfulness...

We're Home!

It's About Time...

Russian Riddle

Hello?

Life in the Garden...

Still alive! :)

Our Dacha...

The view from my dacha window...

Home Safe!

To Russia We Go!!!

God's Voice...

It's Only Between You And *HIM*

Sporadic...

Long Time...

Greetings!

Off To Honduras....

Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Job 5:6-20

Lord, Thou Hast Searched And Seen Me Through

Christian Warfare

No Internet...

Psalms 9:10

When God Wants A Man

Religion and Humility

The Tumultuous Hour...

The Love of God

An Expressed Desire...

Paul Was Not Ashamed of the Gospel.

God's Compassion

Faith Despite Failure

"In My Weakness"

Rejoice in the Lord

The Daily Grind

The Unanswered Prayer

Break My Plans

My Little Buddy

Uncle Ryan...

Freedom from Guile

Second Best...

We're Off...

Psalms 27:1-9

In Memory...

Please Pray...

Give thanks.

Bitterness...

It's Time...

Youth Bible School

Knowing God...

I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow

Books

Who Is The Greatest?

Dying To Self

Thanksgiving...

The Prodigal Son...

Reach out to Jesus

Righteousness Through Christ

The Love of Christ in Us!

Do you love the World???

Old Fashioned...

It's Only Between You And HIM