The universe and you: big and small!

Several links below for you who love to think about our universe! Enjoy!

Very cool interactive website that shows the scale of hundreds of things relative to one another in the universe! Did I say cool?

An HD picture of the earth released by NASA recently.

Fly over the earth in the ISS in this video.

More pics and video from the International Space Station!

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Psychology and the Christian

Matt takes on the question “Is all truth God’s truth?”–especially as it applies to the use of psychology in Christian counseling. It’s not light reading, but I think every thinking Christian ought to examine the presuppositions of psychology and consider the worldview it represents.

He begins:

All truth is God’s truth, or so the saying goes. The problem with this seemingly axiomatic assertion is not simply its ambiguity, but the way it serves as a means to justify using extra-biblical sources (such as psychology) to deal with spiritual issues. This is especially common among integrationists in the field of Christian counseling. The view of integrationism is that only when Scripture and psychology are integrated—brought together into a unified whole—is one able to engage in a truly effective counseling ministry. This view is really an assault on the idea that Scripture alone is sufficient for spiritual growth.

Click here to read and think biblically about this issue.

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Talk to yourself!

As a congregation we are memorizing Psalm 103 currently–a psalm full of praise and blessing to God.

In this brief meditation, Ryan Griffith suggests that we use a psalm like this one to talk to ourselves in times where our faith may be low or our outlook dim.  He begins by asking,

Do you talk to yourself?

I don’t mean when you’re wrestling through your taxes or walking through your to-do list. But do you talk yourself, really? When you are fearful, do you command your soul to trust in the Lord?  When your affections are low, do you command your heart to bless the Lord? As Paul Tripp is fond of saying, “no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do.”

In the particularly difficult moments of the day, how do you talk to yourself? How do you specifically exhort yourself to hope in God?

Psalm 103 has been immensely helpful for me as a pattern for commanding my soul in seasons of low affection. The Psalm begins (Psalm 103:1–2) and ends (Psalm 103:20–22) with David’s exhortation to his own soul to bless the Lord. While there is much to draw out of this rich text, I’d like to highlight two observations.

He then explains how we should talk to ourselves specifically about what God has done and we should cling to one specific promise or attribute of God in times of need.  Read the rest of this short article here.

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Father, help my unbelief

“Father, You say You are sufficient for my every need, my Strength for my every weakness.

- Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

Father, You say You work all things together for good for those who love You (even feebly).

- Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

Father, You say You create the deaf, dumb, blind (and genetically-disordered) for Your greater glory.

- Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

Father, You made man in a fearful and wonderful fashion leaving much of my own inner workings an invisible mystery.

- Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”

. . . .keep reading more of this prayer by Paul Tautages here.

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The eyes of Christ upon us

From Ryle Quotes:

Let us remember that the eye of our loving Savior is upon us morning, noon, and night. He will never suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear. He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, for He suffered himself being tempted. He knows what battles and conflicts are, for He Himself was assaulted by the prince of this world. Having such a High Priest, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

~ J.C. Ryle

Tract: Are You Fighting?

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