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

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?

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

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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

A-maze-ing Jimmy

Click here to try it for your self. You know you want to. No cheating.