Back real soon!

I will be back to regular posting in a day or so.  Enjoying last day in NC!  Glorious beauty of God and enjoy meeting more of God’s people along the way!

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“Bumping into” people from my past

I went on a ministry trip a month or so ago and was to travel with another pastor that I had never even meant in my life. As we were getting to know each other, after about five minutes, before we even boarded the plane, he asks where I  had pastored before Erie, PA. After about two more questions, we find out that he grew up in the same church (Tabernacle Baptist Church, Hazel Park, MI) where several years later I pastored.  So for the next several days we had a great time talking about that ministry and the people he grew up with and I pastored.

Fast forward to this past week. We pull up to our vacation retreat area which is for pastors and Christian workers.  We go to the orientation meeting and begin introducing ourselves and lo and behold-voila–one of the couples who had ministered at Tabernacle Baptist, HP, for many years–just before we arrived.  In fact, he (Ken) was the Christian education minister just as I was.  His wife, Connie grew up at the church. Connie’s mom is a dear precious saint of God.  One of their sons and his family were there as well along with in-laws.  Their children and Stefan really enjoyed a great time together.

What a small world.  How neat to see God bringing people from your past into your life and hearing how God continues to work in and through them.

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The cross still matters!

“There are differences in the ways the New Testament writers present the facts, but there can be no doubt that for the New Testament writers as a whole it was the cross that was at the heart of the faith. In the literal sense of the term it was ‘crucial’.

We are saved, not by some fine theory and not by some blinding revelation and certainly not by our own best effort, but by Christ’s atoning death.

Therefore, any really serious attempt to understand the Christian way must begin with the cross. Unless we come to see what the cross means we do not understand Christianity.”

– Leon Morris, The Atonement

From OFI blog

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Does your job really matter?

Think about this question for a minute?  Yes or no?  And why?  or why not?

Then read Blazing Center’s brief but helpful answer to this question:

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Short quotes, powerful truths

We covet both the past and the future & disregard the only time we have: today. ~Julie A Link

The boundary line b/w enjoyment & enslavement is hard to discern sometimes… ~Greg Dutcher

There’s only one way to expose [things that promise us satisfaction but leave us w/nothing]: by prayerfully reading the Scriptures. ~Greg Dutcher

Calm, unruffled silence is often the most eloquent response to another’s unkind words. ~David Roper

–From Discovery House

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Gotta like the title of this book

The title alone makes got my attention! Actually it’s the subtitle that caught my attention!  So look at the graphic carefully and read the review.

Click here.

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Living by prayer

“Living By Prayer” from the Valley of Vision:

O GOD OF THE OPEN EAR,
Teach me to live by prayer as well as by providence,
for myself, soul, body, children, family, church;

Give me a heart frameable to thy will;
so I might live in prayer,
and honor thee,
being kept from evil, known and unknown.

Help me to see the sin that accompanies all I do,
and the good I can distill from everything.

Let me know that the work of prayer is to bring my will to thine,
and that without this it is folly to pray;

When I try to bring thy will to mine it is to command Christ,
to be above him, and wiser than he;
this is my sin and pride.

I can only succeed when I pray
according to thy precept and promise,
and to be done with as it pleases thee,
according to thy sovereign will.

When thou commandest me to pray for pardon, peace, brokenness,
it is because thou wilt give me the thing promised,
for Thy glory, as well as for my good.

Help me not only to desire small things
but with holy boldness to desire great things
for thy people, for myself,
that they and I might live to show thy glory.

Teach me that it is wisdom for me to pray for all I have,
out of love, willingly, not of necessity;
that I may come to thee at any time,
to lay open my needs acceptably to thee;
that my great sin lies in my not keeping the savour of thy ways;
that the remembrance of this truth is one way to the sense of Thy presence;
that there is no wrath like the wrath of being governed
by my own lusts for my own ends.

HT: Aaron Sauer

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Is anyone cheerful? Sing!

“We have already seen that in 1537 one of the four foundations for the reform of the Church was congregational singing. . . . We have seen in effect that Calvin placed singing at the heart of his theology of the Church. The reason is not far to seek. To put it with the utmost simplicity: The Church is the place where the Gospel is preached; Gospel is good news; good news makes people happy; happy people sing. But then, too, unhappy people may sing to cheer themselves up.”

T. H. L. Parker, John Calvin, page 87.

From Ray Ortlund

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SON!

Today is our oldest son’s birthday!  He is 20 years old!  Happy Birthday, Ian!!!!

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Excellent computer screen cleaner

This is the best I have seen.

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