I read that today's Johnny's birthday and thought I'd share this. It's a bio-vid Mars Hill Church put together in their series on Joy. Depicting Cash's pursuit of joy in Christ over and above his temptation, which was great.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Don Carson books I'd like to read:
Oh Amazon, how you taunt me with your discount books...
A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his Prayers
For the Love of God: A daily Companion for Discovering the Treasures of God's Word
Boomer in the Advert
Well, looks like I found a new blog to browse: A Boomer in the Pew.
This fine bloggerman is giving away a calf-skin ESV Study Bible for an advert. Well, Lord willing I'll be drawn for that!
Check him out.
This fine bloggerman is giving away a calf-skin ESV Study Bible for an advert. Well, Lord willing I'll be drawn for that!
Check him out.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
My Morning Psalm
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
A Psalm. A Song.
Psalm 67
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
A Psalm. A Song.
Psalm 67
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Don't be a wadi.
My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi,
Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow melts.
"When they become waterless, they are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
"The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
"The caravans of Tema looked,
The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
"They were disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
"Indeed, you have now become such,
You see a terror and are afraid.
Job 6:15-21 (NASB)
Job's hurting; spiritually, physcially hurting. Job's friend came out and sat in ashes with him for a week. A good start. He's probably been there for weeks or months himself. Only he's covered in worm-infested boils in places I wouldn't care to even come close to with shards of pottery.
His friend's words: Well, you've done well helping other people, Job. But only people that act in sin have all these bad things happen to them. Don't you see? What? No, well, yeah I see you're in mourning and lament, but let me just... Job's reply: You're like a wadi.
Apparently, a wadi is torrent of water that might freeze, and weary desert travelers would look for frozen waters like these as they melt in the desert sun for sustenance. Job says his friends badly timed, pious preaching is like these frozen wadis that melt and by the time the travelers reach their hope for a source of water, it has evaporated.
Let us not be a mirage of hope to our friends in a time of suffering. Don't be a wadi.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow melts.
"When they become waterless, they are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
"The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
"The caravans of Tema looked,
The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
"They were disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
"Indeed, you have now become such,
You see a terror and are afraid.
Job 6:15-21 (NASB)
Job's hurting; spiritually, physcially hurting. Job's friend came out and sat in ashes with him for a week. A good start. He's probably been there for weeks or months himself. Only he's covered in worm-infested boils in places I wouldn't care to even come close to with shards of pottery.
His friend's words: Well, you've done well helping other people, Job. But only people that act in sin have all these bad things happen to them. Don't you see? What? No, well, yeah I see you're in mourning and lament, but let me just... Job's reply: You're like a wadi.
Apparently, a wadi is torrent of water that might freeze, and weary desert travelers would look for frozen waters like these as they melt in the desert sun for sustenance. Job says his friends badly timed, pious preaching is like these frozen wadis that melt and by the time the travelers reach their hope for a source of water, it has evaporated.
Let us not be a mirage of hope to our friends in a time of suffering. Don't be a wadi.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
My Morning Psalm
A Maskil of David.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32
Monday, February 23, 2009
Duty or Delight? or Dutlighty?
From Between Two Worlds blog, I wanted to post to my blog just for me. But feel free to enjoy as well.
John Piper:
But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.
And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . Is it a discipline?
You can call it that.
It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater.
It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers.
It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns.
It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food.
It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water.
It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid.
It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin.
It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey.
It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.
I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.
God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there spiritual are means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil in 2009, and get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had.
John Piper:
But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.
And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . Is it a discipline?
You can call it that.
It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater.
It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers.
It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns.
It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food.
It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water.
It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid.
It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin.
It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey.
It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.
I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.
God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there spiritual are means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil in 2009, and get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Mighty Fortress is our God
A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his Name,
From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is for ever.
Martin Luther, 1529
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his Name,
From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is for ever.
Martin Luther, 1529
Monday, February 09, 2009
Suffering in Context
Questions presented thus far by our study on the Book of Job seem to be a great start for what I'm sure will be a tough job... er.. on studying.. Job. (That's as good as the humor gets, people.)
--------------
Why do you think some people who have experienced multiple hardships seem remarkably positive while others whose lives have been uncommonly blessed feel cheated?
Is it possible to love God for God's sake and not merely for the benefits of being faithful, even when there are benefits? What if these benefits are all removed and one is left with no benefit but God alone?
What's that, John?
--------------
Why do you think some people who have experienced multiple hardships seem remarkably positive while others whose lives have been uncommonly blessed feel cheated?
Is it possible to love God for God's sake and not merely for the benefits of being faithful, even when there are benefits? What if these benefits are all removed and one is left with no benefit but God alone?
What's that, John?
My Morning Psalm
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
A psalm of David, no. 8
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
A psalm of David, no. 8
Thursday, February 05, 2009
My Morning Psalm
May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
Selah
May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
O LORD, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
A psalm of David, no. 20
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
Selah
May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
O LORD, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
A psalm of David, no. 20
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
My Morning Psalm
We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.
"At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars.
Selah
I say to the boastful, 'Do not boast,'
and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.'"
For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
A Psalm of Asaph
Psalm 75
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.
"At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars.
Selah
I say to the boastful, 'Do not boast,'
and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.'"
For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
A Psalm of Asaph
Psalm 75
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Don't act like he can't play...
For the one guitar player I'm sure may read this someday, enjoy.
For the ladies that would rather see a toddler play Mayer see below.
For the ladies that would rather see a toddler play Mayer see below.
Little Vulturette
If we can keep this little lady away from Guitar Hero, she's on the road to stardom. Turner can say Bible. That's a good start. He'll learn John Mayer someday.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Pray for my car...
My car's CD player is very selective.
Not the cool selective, like it'd rather play Dylan instead of Nickelback. Not even the annoying selective, like it'd only play Beatles albums no matter how much you tell it about Ray LaMontagne.
This morning I tried every CD I had in my car: Piper sermons, ejected. Mayer, ejected. Prince, ejected. Tom Conlon, ejected. Bill Withers, ejected. Hillsong United, ejected. FrontLineLoveWar, ejected. Skipped Dane Cook, Mitch Hedberg and Creed. Then came Timberlake. Justin Timberlake's FutureSexLoveSound. Apparently my car longs for the dance floor. Started right up and loud.
You might ask, with your nose tipped slightly higher, why I have this CD. Drum beats and bass lines. Plus, Justin's so cute.
Not the cool selective, like it'd rather play Dylan instead of Nickelback. Not even the annoying selective, like it'd only play Beatles albums no matter how much you tell it about Ray LaMontagne.
This morning I tried every CD I had in my car: Piper sermons, ejected. Mayer, ejected. Prince, ejected. Tom Conlon, ejected. Bill Withers, ejected. Hillsong United, ejected. FrontLineLoveWar, ejected. Skipped Dane Cook, Mitch Hedberg and Creed. Then came Timberlake. Justin Timberlake's FutureSexLoveSound. Apparently my car longs for the dance floor. Started right up and loud.
You might ask, with your nose tipped slightly higher, why I have this CD. Drum beats and bass lines. Plus, Justin's so cute.
My Morning Psalm
Tsadhe
Righteous are you, O Lord,
and right are your rules.
You have appointed your testimonies in
righteousness and in all faithfulness.
My zeal consumes me,
because my foes forget your words.
Your promise is well tried,
and your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is righteous forever,
and your law is true.
Trouble and anguish have found me out,
but your commandments are my delight.
Your testimonies are righteous forever;
give me understanding that I may live.
Ps 119:137-144
Righteous are you, O Lord,
and right are your rules.
You have appointed your testimonies in
righteousness and in all faithfulness.
My zeal consumes me,
because my foes forget your words.
Your promise is well tried,
and your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is righteous forever,
and your law is true.
Trouble and anguish have found me out,
but your commandments are my delight.
Your testimonies are righteous forever;
give me understanding that I may live.
Ps 119:137-144
Monday, February 02, 2009
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