As we are still a couple of weeks away from Easter of 2011, I have been thinking of a couple of thoughts that could serve to be themes, not only for our Maundy Thursday service and/or our Easter Services at Markham Street.
The themes that come to mind most during this time of year are death and hope.
For those who have been truly redeemed and rescued by the hound of heaven, may we live lives as people who have been rescued from death and actually do have a future that is secured in the hope of Jesus Christ. May we live as aliens on this earth and may be effort to bring others into the kingdom as the Lord moves among us...
May we have hearts that are concerned for the lost, but also, may we have hearts that yearn for revival and renewal of our churches and our people...We cannot offer the hope of the gospel to anyone if it is not a natural by-product of the hope being produced in our own lives...
As Matt Maher sings: "Chris is risen from the dead, Trampling over death by death...Come Awake....Our God's not dead, He's alive, He Alive !!"
HE is Risen, He is Risen Indeed !!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Reminiscing about relationships...
Over the last couple of weeks, I have noticed that my 5 year old son has been reminiscing with me about some of the things we have done or watched together...His point to each story is that he loved that he was there with me and that I was with him...
For the last few days, his last memory story has left me wondering.......when was the last time I shared my reminiscing stories with my Heavenly Father about time spent with Him...
What a question!!!...Begs some pretty tough thinking and some heartbreaking answers...Truth be told, I have fewer stories to tell the Lord than my son has to tell me...Maybe my lack of stories is really telling me that my love of spending time with my Lord is lacking...
My prayer is that I will effort and pursue some authentic times with the Lord....
May we pursue times with the Lord that will create memories that we can use to reminicise with the Lord...
For the last few days, his last memory story has left me wondering.......when was the last time I shared my reminiscing stories with my Heavenly Father about time spent with Him...
What a question!!!...Begs some pretty tough thinking and some heartbreaking answers...Truth be told, I have fewer stories to tell the Lord than my son has to tell me...Maybe my lack of stories is really telling me that my love of spending time with my Lord is lacking...
My prayer is that I will effort and pursue some authentic times with the Lord....
May we pursue times with the Lord that will create memories that we can use to reminicise with the Lord...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Setting Apart Christ as Lord - Sounds Hard !
I awoke about a week ago early in the morning with 1 Peter 3:15 on the forefront of my mind. I have spent the last week pondering and debating with God the 2 main thoughts Peter wrote about in this verse and in the context of Chapter 3 of 1 Peter.
What I have come away with is this: The sufferings of this world are best responded to by us when we can "set apart" or "honor" Christ as Lord and our response to the world is an answer of hope.
We are to be such hopeful people that it literally flows out of us. According to this verse, hope is to be such a part of who we are that it is very recognizable by the world around us. What about you ? You got the hope of Christ flowing out of you ?
It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that gives us our initial foundation of hope, He is the root; it is our growth toward maturity and into the likeness of Christ as we "set" Him apart that gives bloom and blossom to the hope that is rooted in Him alone.
Another thought on this verse, if we as a people could get to the place where the honor and glory of Christ really did come first, would we still argue and complain about the things we argue and complain over today ??
It is simple to do but not easy to live out. But it is commanded of us and is therefore possible.
What I have come away with is this: The sufferings of this world are best responded to by us when we can "set apart" or "honor" Christ as Lord and our response to the world is an answer of hope.
We are to be such hopeful people that it literally flows out of us. According to this verse, hope is to be such a part of who we are that it is very recognizable by the world around us. What about you ? You got the hope of Christ flowing out of you ?
It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that gives us our initial foundation of hope, He is the root; it is our growth toward maturity and into the likeness of Christ as we "set" Him apart that gives bloom and blossom to the hope that is rooted in Him alone.
Another thought on this verse, if we as a people could get to the place where the honor and glory of Christ really did come first, would we still argue and complain about the things we argue and complain over today ??
It is simple to do but not easy to live out. But it is commanded of us and is therefore possible.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Trusting God with my Deep Dreams
The question that lingers tonight is this: am I willing to trust God with my dreams ?? And I am not talking about the ones that involve sheep and clouds. !
Now, that is a large question. I am not just talking about the dreams that you and I have thought of from time to time and have thought to ourselves, "Oh, now that would be nice." NO, I am talking about those dreams that have been placed deep within you. The dreams that have been written on your heart by the hand of God and you know that His handwriting is there. These are the kind of dreams that you cannot forget. These are the kinds of dreams that no amount of difficulty or circumstance can erase from you mind and memory. In fact, in many instances, the more they are tested, the more they are confirmed.
Maybe for you, you have decided that punting on your dreams is a good thing, maybe the safest thing to do. Maybe you think that by doing this, your heart is safe. No risk of having your heart broken, again. !! But you know that you cannot punt on the very things that the God of the Universe has written deep within you. The question is, will you be willing to allow the dreams that God has placed within you to compel you on in your glorious pursuit of an all-surpassing, all-inspiring, all-dream launching God.
Maybe some others of you cannot quite uniquely define the exact things that God has written in your soul and you find it continually frustrating. I recommend that you begin to have a dialogue with God about what frustrates you. Maybe it is time to tell Him that you think that He maybe holding out on you. Maybe you feel that confusion is the state in life that you will forever live in. Talk to Him about it and see what He has to say. He wants you and I to know those things which He has created us for and He wants us to strive for those dreams. The ones that He and only He can write on our hearts.
I do know this, if the dream I am compelled by or the dream's I wish I could drop every for and pursue with every ounce of my being, are from God, He will accomplish His work in due time. Just trust Him, He knows when the time is right. Maybe you have some self made dreams that are really stumbling blocks for you, trust Him with those to. I can trust God with my dreams and passions. Truth is, am I willing to trust myself with these things more than God ???
God, what is it that you have written on my heart, deep within me that would cause me to glorify you with the most of my being as is possible ??
Now, that is a large question. I am not just talking about the dreams that you and I have thought of from time to time and have thought to ourselves, "Oh, now that would be nice." NO, I am talking about those dreams that have been placed deep within you. The dreams that have been written on your heart by the hand of God and you know that His handwriting is there. These are the kind of dreams that you cannot forget. These are the kinds of dreams that no amount of difficulty or circumstance can erase from you mind and memory. In fact, in many instances, the more they are tested, the more they are confirmed.
Maybe for you, you have decided that punting on your dreams is a good thing, maybe the safest thing to do. Maybe you think that by doing this, your heart is safe. No risk of having your heart broken, again. !! But you know that you cannot punt on the very things that the God of the Universe has written deep within you. The question is, will you be willing to allow the dreams that God has placed within you to compel you on in your glorious pursuit of an all-surpassing, all-inspiring, all-dream launching God.
Maybe some others of you cannot quite uniquely define the exact things that God has written in your soul and you find it continually frustrating. I recommend that you begin to have a dialogue with God about what frustrates you. Maybe it is time to tell Him that you think that He maybe holding out on you. Maybe you feel that confusion is the state in life that you will forever live in. Talk to Him about it and see what He has to say. He wants you and I to know those things which He has created us for and He wants us to strive for those dreams. The ones that He and only He can write on our hearts.
I do know this, if the dream I am compelled by or the dream's I wish I could drop every for and pursue with every ounce of my being, are from God, He will accomplish His work in due time. Just trust Him, He knows when the time is right. Maybe you have some self made dreams that are really stumbling blocks for you, trust Him with those to. I can trust God with my dreams and passions. Truth is, am I willing to trust myself with these things more than God ???
God, what is it that you have written on my heart, deep within me that would cause me to glorify you with the most of my being as is possible ??
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Pursuing a Fearful God - Part 1
In this day and age, it is not much of a stretch to say that the idea of "fearing" the Lord is one that is not taught and is an idea that is nearly non-existant in the American Church...It is not merely a matter of why this has happened, it is more a matter of how it has happened. Meaning, the question is not singularly why does the church not fear the Lord as we are commanded and compelled by Scripture to do, but how did we get to the place were "fearing" the Lord has become the taboo topic that it is today.
The simple fact remains that the Bible is explicitly clear on this matter. There are to many references in the Scriptures that render our lack of "fear" as idiotic, ungodly and unbiblical.
Can it be said of the American Church, "there is not fear of God before their eyes" ??? Do we not fear the Lord at all ??? Do we shutter in "fear of God" before we willingly sin ?? Do we not expect that God will/should repay us in the manner that our "inquities" deserve ??? Do we lean to heavily on OUR understanding of God's grace instead of what the Bible teaches about the grace of God ???
Does the American Church ask the same question that Lucy asks in Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" when asking the beavers about the great Lion, Aslan, "is the great lion, safe ? " In other words, is he wild enough to fear ???
I leave the questions to you for now. More to be said later. In the meantime, check out Psalm 103 to refocus your perspective on this God of ours.
The simple fact remains that the Bible is explicitly clear on this matter. There are to many references in the Scriptures that render our lack of "fear" as idiotic, ungodly and unbiblical.
Can it be said of the American Church, "there is not fear of God before their eyes" ??? Do we not fear the Lord at all ??? Do we shutter in "fear of God" before we willingly sin ?? Do we not expect that God will/should repay us in the manner that our "inquities" deserve ??? Do we lean to heavily on OUR understanding of God's grace instead of what the Bible teaches about the grace of God ???
Does the American Church ask the same question that Lucy asks in Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" when asking the beavers about the great Lion, Aslan, "is the great lion, safe ? " In other words, is he wild enough to fear ???
I leave the questions to you for now. More to be said later. In the meantime, check out Psalm 103 to refocus your perspective on this God of ours.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Making Time for Pursuing God
After our first Praise & Prayer night at Markham Street and in the days of reflection following, I am left with a single thought that continues to strike me. Namely, how difficult and uncomfortable it is for most of us to take the time that we know we need/have to take to authentically pursue the Lord of Glory.
It seems that most are willing to make some effort in their pursuit of God so long as it is in a comfortable setting, in a familiar place, with familiar activities and only for a short time...The problem is, can we truly say that we are pursuing God with any effort given all the limitations that we place on our ability to meet with God ???
I am of the opinion that most church-going Christians need to stretched in many different ways, but maybe most of all, we need our appetites for God to be streched and enlarged.
Outside of the power of God compelling us along, I think many like us are asking folks to chase hard after something and someone that they do not highly treasure. So asking folks to pursue the God they save the love above all, even in intentional and structured forms, is asking them to stretch themselves to a point that many do not see worth the effort.
We complain about how the modern day church has put God in a box, but are we willing to pursue God with all that we are if it means breaking out of our comfort zone also ???
Am I willing to give God 5 legit minutes today ??? Am I willing to give God 75 minutes on a Sunday ??? Am I really willing to be still before Him and know that He is God ???
God help my undesires !!!
SDG
JW
It seems that most are willing to make some effort in their pursuit of God so long as it is in a comfortable setting, in a familiar place, with familiar activities and only for a short time...The problem is, can we truly say that we are pursuing God with any effort given all the limitations that we place on our ability to meet with God ???
I am of the opinion that most church-going Christians need to stretched in many different ways, but maybe most of all, we need our appetites for God to be streched and enlarged.
Outside of the power of God compelling us along, I think many like us are asking folks to chase hard after something and someone that they do not highly treasure. So asking folks to pursue the God they save the love above all, even in intentional and structured forms, is asking them to stretch themselves to a point that many do not see worth the effort.
We complain about how the modern day church has put God in a box, but are we willing to pursue God with all that we are if it means breaking out of our comfort zone also ???
Am I willing to give God 5 legit minutes today ??? Am I willing to give God 75 minutes on a Sunday ??? Am I really willing to be still before Him and know that He is God ???
God help my undesires !!!
SDG
JW
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Da-Da, I hun-ga-ry...
Funny name for the title of this post, huh??? Maybe it is. But for me, the words entitled above are words I hear very frequently from my son, Mathis age 3...It seems that no matter how often his tummy says that he is full, before to long he is going to be "hun-ga-ry" again.
I mention this for no other reason than to examine 2 things. First, my response and second, his persistence.
Everytime I hear these words my immediate, initial response to feed the boy so he does not starve to death...I am always inclined to respond to my son's petition that he is hungry and he knows that I can help meet his needs. For short measure, if I do not respond timely enough, he comes back again and again until I either get him something to eat or say no.
Is this not a decent picture of the relationship that I need to have with my Heavenly Father? He tells us in His scriptures that he is inclined to hear us and respond to our petitions for help, so why would He not respond to our petitions for satisfaction of our hunger...Hunger, that is, for Him. Beyond voicing our requests that we are indeed hungry, we need to be persistent with this petition. I think God uniquely rejoices over those of His children that keep coming and coming to Him with a hungry heart.
Father, I am hun-ga-ry for You and You alone.
SDG
JW
I mention this for no other reason than to examine 2 things. First, my response and second, his persistence.
Everytime I hear these words my immediate, initial response to feed the boy so he does not starve to death...I am always inclined to respond to my son's petition that he is hungry and he knows that I can help meet his needs. For short measure, if I do not respond timely enough, he comes back again and again until I either get him something to eat or say no.
Is this not a decent picture of the relationship that I need to have with my Heavenly Father? He tells us in His scriptures that he is inclined to hear us and respond to our petitions for help, so why would He not respond to our petitions for satisfaction of our hunger...Hunger, that is, for Him. Beyond voicing our requests that we are indeed hungry, we need to be persistent with this petition. I think God uniquely rejoices over those of His children that keep coming and coming to Him with a hungry heart.
Father, I am hun-ga-ry for You and You alone.
SDG
JW
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thristy hearts are awakened by God
"Thirsty hearts are those whose longings have been wakened by the touch of God in their lives." - A. W. Tozer
If we are willing to study Christian history, we will see that there have been many that have come before us that can be and sought to be defined and remembered by one thing and one thing alone: their hearts were thirsty for God. These men and women are giants in our historical faith and they speak to us with ancient words that are still ever true.
But...have you ever wondered what made these men and women thirst for God in ways that boggle our modern American theological minds. Tozer answers this question: their hearts were awakened by a touch from God. A pure thirst for the eternal was given to them be the only Eternal being that could satisfy their Eternal desires. It should not seem to difficult to comprehend why the Eternal is deeply involved in the initiating of this thirst or desire that only He can fulfill? If He is the only one who can fulfill it is He not the one that would have to give it to us to start with? GRACE.
This is just like our God isn't it? Being gracious enough to us to know that those who thirst for something deeper than themselves are really thirsty for Him, even though they may not know it. So He comes down, touches the hearts of men, gives them thirst for Him and then directs the thirsts He has given to them back toward the source, Him.
Is this not the definition of grace? Getting something that I do not deserve from someone who has the authority to withhold it. For many, it may be enough that they know of a God who is willing to save. But how many are willing to pursue and know a truly gracious God that can satisfy their thirsts and desires to the deepest parts of their being.
In agreement with the ancients, may we have a thirst for more than the man-made stuff of this world. Man-made stuff always sounds good in the theoretical but habitually fails and falls flat on its face in reality. May we thirst for more of the God who provides the very thirst we need in order that we are able to receive the satisfaction that only He can provide and the satisfaction we desperately need.
Piper put it like this: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." He is the source of it all.
SDG,
JW
If we are willing to study Christian history, we will see that there have been many that have come before us that can be and sought to be defined and remembered by one thing and one thing alone: their hearts were thirsty for God. These men and women are giants in our historical faith and they speak to us with ancient words that are still ever true.
But...have you ever wondered what made these men and women thirst for God in ways that boggle our modern American theological minds. Tozer answers this question: their hearts were awakened by a touch from God. A pure thirst for the eternal was given to them be the only Eternal being that could satisfy their Eternal desires. It should not seem to difficult to comprehend why the Eternal is deeply involved in the initiating of this thirst or desire that only He can fulfill? If He is the only one who can fulfill it is He not the one that would have to give it to us to start with? GRACE.
This is just like our God isn't it? Being gracious enough to us to know that those who thirst for something deeper than themselves are really thirsty for Him, even though they may not know it. So He comes down, touches the hearts of men, gives them thirst for Him and then directs the thirsts He has given to them back toward the source, Him.
Is this not the definition of grace? Getting something that I do not deserve from someone who has the authority to withhold it. For many, it may be enough that they know of a God who is willing to save. But how many are willing to pursue and know a truly gracious God that can satisfy their thirsts and desires to the deepest parts of their being.
In agreement with the ancients, may we have a thirst for more than the man-made stuff of this world. Man-made stuff always sounds good in the theoretical but habitually fails and falls flat on its face in reality. May we thirst for more of the God who provides the very thirst we need in order that we are able to receive the satisfaction that only He can provide and the satisfaction we desperately need.
Piper put it like this: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." He is the source of it all.
SDG,
JW
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Lest we forget
As the first post of the new year, a quick thought reminding us that we need to take time to remember...Why do we need to make an effort to "remember"?? Easy, we quickly amd frequently forget...
I once read were Eldredge said that he has thought many times about creating and hanging a sign on the wall in front of this bed that reads "God exists"..Why?? Just in case he needs to be reminded of that foundational fact when he awakes one morning...Just in case he had forgotten all else.
As is seemingly natural for us, we remember all or most of the bad stuff that has occurred over the last 12 months...So as a result, we need to make extra effort to remember all the good that has occurred and thank God for the journey we are on...
Forgetfulness is one of the reasons we need to saturate our hearts and minds with the Word and with solid Biblical authors, writers, musicians or speakers.....David encouraged us to "hide" the Word within us, why? so we will not forget...
So, I encourage you to take some time before the first week of this year gets away to take some deliberate time to remember and thank God for all He has done or is doing in your life...But most of all, thank God and remember that He is with you wherever you go...
SDG
JW
I once read were Eldredge said that he has thought many times about creating and hanging a sign on the wall in front of this bed that reads "God exists"..Why?? Just in case he needs to be reminded of that foundational fact when he awakes one morning...Just in case he had forgotten all else.
As is seemingly natural for us, we remember all or most of the bad stuff that has occurred over the last 12 months...So as a result, we need to make extra effort to remember all the good that has occurred and thank God for the journey we are on...
Forgetfulness is one of the reasons we need to saturate our hearts and minds with the Word and with solid Biblical authors, writers, musicians or speakers.....David encouraged us to "hide" the Word within us, why? so we will not forget...
So, I encourage you to take some time before the first week of this year gets away to take some deliberate time to remember and thank God for all He has done or is doing in your life...But most of all, thank God and remember that He is with you wherever you go...
SDG
JW
Monday, December 29, 2008
Examination vs. Adoration
I have again been moved by the words of A.W. Tozer...As usual, his words have rocked me to the core...
Tozer makes the point in "The Pursuit of God", page. 73-74, that during his day and certainly in ours, we live in a secular age. As a result, our thought habits are most similiar to "those of a scientist, not those of a worshipper."
A scientist. Does that describe me? What about you? Do we approach God, this God whom we as Christians say we have a 'personal relationship' with, seeking to examine and find proofs about God in an effort to have an authentic faith. Or do we approach God as people who fall to their knees and "whisper '"God'". Are willing to admit that we are going to have to wait until heaven before we are able to explain God? Is God unknowable? Certainly not, Is He unexplainable? Yes, in a limited manner. We can explain God based upon what we 1). Know of Him from the Word and 2). What nature reveals to us about God? For the worshipper, Knowledge of God revealed in the Scriptures and the Glory of God revealed in nature are enough to spur wonder and awe. To the scientist, more is needed.
Maybe you can see it, there is a large difference between the two.
Truthfully, most scientists find it difficult if not impossible to have much "faith" in anything besides their "science". If science cannot explain, it must not be true and real, and therefore, cannot be a valid, authentic option.
A true worshipper on the other hand has very little need for explanation of their faith. They take faith for what it is, faith. "The certainty of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Too bad, in our secular age, scientists are not the ones leading the charge in providing evidences to the church about our God that would spur us on in our pursuit of the Almighty. Instead, they are apparently enemies.
Tozer went further with his words and stated that as a result of this scientific mindset, "we are more likely to explain than to adore." Again Tozer is right on the money.
We are not called to explain God or to even necessarily demand an explanation from God, rather, we are called to come to his feet and adore.
May I be found at His feet in wonder and awe, not standing in the midst of His glory demanding more proof...
SDG
JW
Tozer makes the point in "The Pursuit of God", page. 73-74, that during his day and certainly in ours, we live in a secular age. As a result, our thought habits are most similiar to "those of a scientist, not those of a worshipper."
A scientist. Does that describe me? What about you? Do we approach God, this God whom we as Christians say we have a 'personal relationship' with, seeking to examine and find proofs about God in an effort to have an authentic faith. Or do we approach God as people who fall to their knees and "whisper '"God'". Are willing to admit that we are going to have to wait until heaven before we are able to explain God? Is God unknowable? Certainly not, Is He unexplainable? Yes, in a limited manner. We can explain God based upon what we 1). Know of Him from the Word and 2). What nature reveals to us about God? For the worshipper, Knowledge of God revealed in the Scriptures and the Glory of God revealed in nature are enough to spur wonder and awe. To the scientist, more is needed.
Maybe you can see it, there is a large difference between the two.
Truthfully, most scientists find it difficult if not impossible to have much "faith" in anything besides their "science". If science cannot explain, it must not be true and real, and therefore, cannot be a valid, authentic option.
A true worshipper on the other hand has very little need for explanation of their faith. They take faith for what it is, faith. "The certainty of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Too bad, in our secular age, scientists are not the ones leading the charge in providing evidences to the church about our God that would spur us on in our pursuit of the Almighty. Instead, they are apparently enemies.
Tozer went further with his words and stated that as a result of this scientific mindset, "we are more likely to explain than to adore." Again Tozer is right on the money.
We are not called to explain God or to even necessarily demand an explanation from God, rather, we are called to come to his feet and adore.
May I be found at His feet in wonder and awe, not standing in the midst of His glory demanding more proof...
SDG
JW
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The night that changed it all..!!!
It has become only recently apparent to me why there was only one 'book on tape" that would remotely interest me that night at the Hastings in Russellville about this time last year...
I was just looking for a little company via a 'book on tape' for the 90 minute ride home...Little did I know that the lack of consumer choice that night would change my life...
After listening to this book in its entirety 3 times, I called a couple of God chasing buddies and discussed the issues contained within...We all agreed that this book would be perfect for us and for our group at church, which was in desperate need of a fresh infusion of spiritual meat to chew on...
The book was Waking the Dead by John Elderdge...I had passed over this book many times in bookstores, but that night in the Hastings, it really was my only choice...NOTE: (I do not include any Word of Faith/Health & Wealth books as spiritual choices to pick from)....
The encounter I had with God through our true exposition of this book I thought would have lasting effects on our group as a whole and only in part for me as it dealt with my involvement with the group: Fighting for one another, building a "redemptive powerhouse" from within our group, guarding and protecting our hearts....We have done a lot of talking and reminding, but it has sort of fissiled a little, as we thought it may...But we have made the effort and fought many battles...
However, little did I know that I was reading that book for me, for this night, as I sit at this computer...My heart is being torn apart at current...Some of the issues that weigh on my heart have been previously discussed in this blog.....People who are making decisions at my church have my heart in their hands and I pray that it is handled well...But past history with church people and my heart have very seldom turned out well...
I do not want to get caught in the middle of the frenzy but I do want the desires that God has placed within me to soar...I also have competing desires within that do not want to go through the pain of my heart ignored, mistreated, misunderstood (as is usual most of the time for me) or broken...And I find myself upon that precipice that brings all of the aforementioned into play and possibility...
Truth is my heart has broken in this manner too many time before and I am not, at this time, willing to take the risk again...May the Lord grant me His peace and wisdom that surpasses all human understanding...May He speak to the deepest parts of my heart has He has done so many times this year...
In recent days, I have drawn from the words of Waking the Dead many times...I have been encouraged, confronted and haunted by them...I fear that I may lose heart...I fear that I will lose heart...I fear that my talent is fading fast...I fear that I have been on a different ride than many of the people within my church...It seems I am hearing a lot of fear right now...
The passions within my heart have been shared by me to whoever would listen this year...Those passions call me to pursue God with all that I am and I want others to come along with me...And I know more than anything that music alone cannot do it...Much more has to be brought to the table, but it seems that music is the only way in the door...
And after 12 months, it hits me, all that has been on my heart these last days, and after all that I have endured in 2008 and after all that we have fought for, who would have known, the book was meant for me the whole time...
SDG
JW
I was just looking for a little company via a 'book on tape' for the 90 minute ride home...Little did I know that the lack of consumer choice that night would change my life...
After listening to this book in its entirety 3 times, I called a couple of God chasing buddies and discussed the issues contained within...We all agreed that this book would be perfect for us and for our group at church, which was in desperate need of a fresh infusion of spiritual meat to chew on...
The book was Waking the Dead by John Elderdge...I had passed over this book many times in bookstores, but that night in the Hastings, it really was my only choice...NOTE: (I do not include any Word of Faith/Health & Wealth books as spiritual choices to pick from)....
The encounter I had with God through our true exposition of this book I thought would have lasting effects on our group as a whole and only in part for me as it dealt with my involvement with the group: Fighting for one another, building a "redemptive powerhouse" from within our group, guarding and protecting our hearts....We have done a lot of talking and reminding, but it has sort of fissiled a little, as we thought it may...But we have made the effort and fought many battles...
However, little did I know that I was reading that book for me, for this night, as I sit at this computer...My heart is being torn apart at current...Some of the issues that weigh on my heart have been previously discussed in this blog.....People who are making decisions at my church have my heart in their hands and I pray that it is handled well...But past history with church people and my heart have very seldom turned out well...
I do not want to get caught in the middle of the frenzy but I do want the desires that God has placed within me to soar...I also have competing desires within that do not want to go through the pain of my heart ignored, mistreated, misunderstood (as is usual most of the time for me) or broken...And I find myself upon that precipice that brings all of the aforementioned into play and possibility...
Truth is my heart has broken in this manner too many time before and I am not, at this time, willing to take the risk again...May the Lord grant me His peace and wisdom that surpasses all human understanding...May He speak to the deepest parts of my heart has He has done so many times this year...
In recent days, I have drawn from the words of Waking the Dead many times...I have been encouraged, confronted and haunted by them...I fear that I may lose heart...I fear that I will lose heart...I fear that my talent is fading fast...I fear that I have been on a different ride than many of the people within my church...It seems I am hearing a lot of fear right now...
The passions within my heart have been shared by me to whoever would listen this year...Those passions call me to pursue God with all that I am and I want others to come along with me...And I know more than anything that music alone cannot do it...Much more has to be brought to the table, but it seems that music is the only way in the door...
And after 12 months, it hits me, all that has been on my heart these last days, and after all that I have endured in 2008 and after all that we have fought for, who would have known, the book was meant for me the whole time...
SDG
JW
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thirst that leads to Aching
I have been struck this week by a quote I read in John Eldredge's book, The Journey of Desire. Eldredge's basic thesis of this book is that God has placed within each one of us a specific set of desires that are unique to us and therefore compel us. Some of us pursue these desires; others pull a Jonah and try to run from them, but find that they cannot because these desires are the basic fabric of who they are...And it results in several troubles.
In Chapter 11, Eldredge is talking about recovering and living with thrist and hunger as the M.O. of our lives. He makes this statement that I understood immediately when I read it for the first time. He said "To live thirsty is to live with an ache." Let those words sink in for a moment. Eldredge makes direct application of this statement in both physical and spiritual contexts. I will comment on it from the spiritual context. I have read similar statements from many others including, Augustine, Tozer, Gary Thomas, Pascal, Piper, to name a few. But Eldredge's combining of thirsting and aching are spot on.
As a man efforting to live a life that authenticly pursues the glory of God in my life, thirsting should be the hallmark of my life and the cry of my heart. And having my thirst quenched by an eternal being leaves my heart aching for eternity itself. My heart will ache because it knows that it was meant for another place and another time and because of Jesus, my heart knows it is going to be made whole and complete some day, which is satisfying and dehydrating at the same time.
The point is that Jesus has promised (Matt. 5) that those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled." Our thirst and hunger must be at the forefront of our lives. We must pursue satisfaction from eternal sources and not from sources that this temporal world offers. Jesus has promised to hear us and fill us.
Therefore, we are to live our lives in constant pursuit of the fulfiller of our hunger and thirst. We are to live being: Always Hungry. Always Satisfied.
SDG
JW
In Chapter 11, Eldredge is talking about recovering and living with thrist and hunger as the M.O. of our lives. He makes this statement that I understood immediately when I read it for the first time. He said "To live thirsty is to live with an ache." Let those words sink in for a moment. Eldredge makes direct application of this statement in both physical and spiritual contexts. I will comment on it from the spiritual context. I have read similar statements from many others including, Augustine, Tozer, Gary Thomas, Pascal, Piper, to name a few. But Eldredge's combining of thirsting and aching are spot on.
As a man efforting to live a life that authenticly pursues the glory of God in my life, thirsting should be the hallmark of my life and the cry of my heart. And having my thirst quenched by an eternal being leaves my heart aching for eternity itself. My heart will ache because it knows that it was meant for another place and another time and because of Jesus, my heart knows it is going to be made whole and complete some day, which is satisfying and dehydrating at the same time.
The point is that Jesus has promised (Matt. 5) that those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled." Our thirst and hunger must be at the forefront of our lives. We must pursue satisfaction from eternal sources and not from sources that this temporal world offers. Jesus has promised to hear us and fill us.
Therefore, we are to live our lives in constant pursuit of the fulfiller of our hunger and thirst. We are to live being: Always Hungry. Always Satisfied.
SDG
JW
Friday, December 12, 2008
Maybe Plato was right afterall ?!?!?!
I have a quote from Plato on my desk at work that reads, "Old age has a great sense of calm and freedom when the passions have relaxed their hold and you have escaped, not from one master, but from many."
Are Plato's words as much of a description of your Christian life as they are mine??? How I long for the calm and freedom of having only one passion that masters my life...
I have recently been struck by this song, Reign in Us, by Starfield...The musical aspects of the song are nice and catchy, but as is always important with me, the words always mean more than the tune...The words in this song that are compelling are as follows: "O Great and Mighty One, with one desire we have come: that You would reign, You would reign in us." Notice this over-used phrase in churchianity today, "ONE DESIRE WE HAVE COME"... Come on, really??? One, single, solitary desire. Sounds easier than it lives.
I have become convinced of many things over the years, but there is one thing I have become convinced of out of mere frustrated experience. It is the idea that living the Christian life would theoretically be easier to live if I could indeed reduce all of my passions and desires down ONE thing. Whether it be the Lord reigning in me, or that I would "know and follow hard after " Him, or that I would "come and die"; having one single minded passion would be a much better barometer for me to use to evaluate where I am when compared to this kaleidoscope of perspective I usually draw from. But the focus needed....
Without a doubt, I want to have ONE "pure and Holy passion". I would love to have ONE "magnificent obsession", one "glorious ambition" for my life, but honestly, what a struggle that is. Seems like it takes too much time and effort to narrow down all desires into one. But, I am convinced that it is a noble and worthy road for us travel. It is narrow, lonely, confusing, and difficult, but worth every step and stride.
May God help in this pursuit. May He make it clear what ONE passion He has laid on our hearts and may we pursue His passion for our lives with all that we are.
SDG
JW
Are Plato's words as much of a description of your Christian life as they are mine??? How I long for the calm and freedom of having only one passion that masters my life...
I have recently been struck by this song, Reign in Us, by Starfield...The musical aspects of the song are nice and catchy, but as is always important with me, the words always mean more than the tune...The words in this song that are compelling are as follows: "O Great and Mighty One, with one desire we have come: that You would reign, You would reign in us." Notice this over-used phrase in churchianity today, "ONE DESIRE WE HAVE COME"... Come on, really??? One, single, solitary desire. Sounds easier than it lives.
I have become convinced of many things over the years, but there is one thing I have become convinced of out of mere frustrated experience. It is the idea that living the Christian life would theoretically be easier to live if I could indeed reduce all of my passions and desires down ONE thing. Whether it be the Lord reigning in me, or that I would "know and follow hard after " Him, or that I would "come and die"; having one single minded passion would be a much better barometer for me to use to evaluate where I am when compared to this kaleidoscope of perspective I usually draw from. But the focus needed....
Without a doubt, I want to have ONE "pure and Holy passion". I would love to have ONE "magnificent obsession", one "glorious ambition" for my life, but honestly, what a struggle that is. Seems like it takes too much time and effort to narrow down all desires into one. But, I am convinced that it is a noble and worthy road for us travel. It is narrow, lonely, confusing, and difficult, but worth every step and stride.
May God help in this pursuit. May He make it clear what ONE passion He has laid on our hearts and may we pursue His passion for our lives with all that we are.
SDG
JW
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Evidence of Transformation and the Assurance Thereof
It is safe to say that for the last few days I have been 'haunted' by a statement that I heard posed by Dr. Ravi Zacharias during one his podcasts that I had recently downloaded. His statement went something like this. He said that there is one apologetic question that he is asked from time to time and that he asks himself in return that he has not been able to reconcile and/or provide much of an answer to in his years of defending the Christian faith. The question pertained to the possibility of someone claiming to have had a supernatural transformation resulting from an encounter with God and yet show so little evidence of the transformation in their lives...
His following point was well made before he made it. If our lives do not show the evidence of this transformation or change, then what is it that we claim to have??? Paul Washer separately comments that this claim to redemption by many would be comparable to someone's being hit by a 130-ton log truck while walking across a street and not showing any ill-effects to the impact of the log truck on their bodies. Washer comments that this is a near impossibility.
The overarching schematic to this concern is that the implications are staggering. Although the way we live our lives may certainly affect the way the gospel radiates from our lives, we should not be surprised that we may know many that would fall into the area that Zacharias and Washer illustrate. Maybe even we fall into this...
Jesus said very plainly in Matthew 7, that the road that leads to life is narrow and only a FEW would find it. I think there is a strong possibility that we should not expect to see a bunch of goats walking on this narrow road. The narrow road is reserved for the sheep that can hear his voice and follow his voice.
The transformation that is necessary to make a goat into sheep is supernatural and can only be done by the Holy Spirit Himself...Maybe it is time to start separating the sheep from the goats.
As I write this, I have paused a song that was playing. It is on Hillsong's new album "This is our God"...I paused it in the chorus which says, "The same power that conquered the grave lives in me. Lives in me." Wow! That power is transforming. If I have been transformed by the power of God, that power lives in me. The power should produce some effects.
So what about those of us who have church roots in our blood...Do I display this power in my life? After all, I cannot offer (nor do I wish I could offer) a testimony similar to Paul's Damascus Road or Mary Magdalene. However, these questions/doubts about our conversions do come and thankfully are readily answerable by the Holy Spirit to help those like me KNOW that we have eternal life...
Maybe it does all boil down to simply asking, where do my passions lie? What am I pursuing? Do I look forward to heaven or am I striving to Live my best life now? Am I being conformed into the image of Christ? Or is the answer to all of these questions, No.! God save me if the answer is no.
Resolved to live, believe and radiate "The same power that conquered the grave" that lives in me!!!!
Soli Deo Gloria
JW
His following point was well made before he made it. If our lives do not show the evidence of this transformation or change, then what is it that we claim to have??? Paul Washer separately comments that this claim to redemption by many would be comparable to someone's being hit by a 130-ton log truck while walking across a street and not showing any ill-effects to the impact of the log truck on their bodies. Washer comments that this is a near impossibility.
The overarching schematic to this concern is that the implications are staggering. Although the way we live our lives may certainly affect the way the gospel radiates from our lives, we should not be surprised that we may know many that would fall into the area that Zacharias and Washer illustrate. Maybe even we fall into this...
Jesus said very plainly in Matthew 7, that the road that leads to life is narrow and only a FEW would find it. I think there is a strong possibility that we should not expect to see a bunch of goats walking on this narrow road. The narrow road is reserved for the sheep that can hear his voice and follow his voice.
The transformation that is necessary to make a goat into sheep is supernatural and can only be done by the Holy Spirit Himself...Maybe it is time to start separating the sheep from the goats.
As I write this, I have paused a song that was playing. It is on Hillsong's new album "This is our God"...I paused it in the chorus which says, "The same power that conquered the grave lives in me. Lives in me." Wow! That power is transforming. If I have been transformed by the power of God, that power lives in me. The power should produce some effects.
So what about those of us who have church roots in our blood...Do I display this power in my life? After all, I cannot offer (nor do I wish I could offer) a testimony similar to Paul's Damascus Road or Mary Magdalene. However, these questions/doubts about our conversions do come and thankfully are readily answerable by the Holy Spirit to help those like me KNOW that we have eternal life...
Maybe it does all boil down to simply asking, where do my passions lie? What am I pursuing? Do I look forward to heaven or am I striving to Live my best life now? Am I being conformed into the image of Christ? Or is the answer to all of these questions, No.! God save me if the answer is no.
Resolved to live, believe and radiate "The same power that conquered the grave" that lives in me!!!!
Soli Deo Gloria
JW
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Worship is making much of Christ
Well, I have just done something that I thought I would never do...That is to say, never do again...I have submitted my name for consideration to my church...We are soon to have a need for a 2nd service (contemporary) worship leader/pastor...
It has been almost 5 years since my last gig/shot at this "worship" leading. But as I look over the last 10 years of my life, especially spiritually, I can see that "worship" is a topic that I have passionately pursued and studied for a decade now...Thanks be to God that I have stopped short of "worshipping worship". The first time I heard the phrase - "worshipping worship" - I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard, now I get it...But...
In my circles and in my life, I can say that I have been a part of, in some form, the "worship" movement that has taken place since 1997 or so...It did not take long, however, before "worship" ceased to be a verb and turned into a noun and almost a proper noun at that...And the moment worship became a noun, it became an idol...And it turns my stomach...
The mistake that has been routinely made is leaders thinking that "worship" can be done the same way everything else is - man-made and manufactured....The problem is that God does not work that way and He never has. The fallacies in our thinking are many but a couple of large ones that cripple our worship and quench the Spirit of God would include:
1). Man is the audience
2). God needs our help
3). God is required to 'show up' at our whim and on our time
4). Worship should be entertaining and friendly
Again these are just a few of the fallacies that have run rough-shod over the church the last, who knows how many years...
Simply put, worship is showing people Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit work from there...We are to make much of Jesus Christ and we are to plead with the Holy Spirit and let Him know that we want Him and need Him in our meetings and services...
May we make much of Christ. May the Holy Spirit allow "worship" to flow freely amongst us. We rebuke man-made performances that are sold to us as true, authentic worship...
Seeking the Light that has been shown in our hearts, revealed to us by the Father in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).
Soli Deo Gloria
JW
It has been almost 5 years since my last gig/shot at this "worship" leading. But as I look over the last 10 years of my life, especially spiritually, I can see that "worship" is a topic that I have passionately pursued and studied for a decade now...Thanks be to God that I have stopped short of "worshipping worship". The first time I heard the phrase - "worshipping worship" - I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard, now I get it...But...
In my circles and in my life, I can say that I have been a part of, in some form, the "worship" movement that has taken place since 1997 or so...It did not take long, however, before "worship" ceased to be a verb and turned into a noun and almost a proper noun at that...And the moment worship became a noun, it became an idol...And it turns my stomach...
The mistake that has been routinely made is leaders thinking that "worship" can be done the same way everything else is - man-made and manufactured....The problem is that God does not work that way and He never has. The fallacies in our thinking are many but a couple of large ones that cripple our worship and quench the Spirit of God would include:
1). Man is the audience
2). God needs our help
3). God is required to 'show up' at our whim and on our time
4). Worship should be entertaining and friendly
Again these are just a few of the fallacies that have run rough-shod over the church the last, who knows how many years...
Simply put, worship is showing people Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit work from there...We are to make much of Jesus Christ and we are to plead with the Holy Spirit and let Him know that we want Him and need Him in our meetings and services...
May we make much of Christ. May the Holy Spirit allow "worship" to flow freely amongst us. We rebuke man-made performances that are sold to us as true, authentic worship...
Seeking the Light that has been shown in our hearts, revealed to us by the Father in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).
Soli Deo Gloria
JW
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thoreau's words apply to us today
The World Net Dictionary defines "desperate" in part as : "showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire."
It was Henry David Thoreau who said: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
I know most folks do not carry Thoreau's works with them to the woods, but I think Thoreau's words are applicable to us as children of God and believers in Jesus Christ. His words help to define for us the type of life we should live in our pursuit of the glory of Christ….
Although Thoreau was an agnostic, he spoke volumes about the struggle and fight that life can be and the resulting mental challenges that are raised from the issues that we battle….
For Thoreau, he believed that most men quietly struggled to sing the song of life that they had been given…The song of life that desperately needs to be sung, but for many, for some reason, is not able to be sung….
For us as believers, there is also a quiet struggle that we fight, not to simply sing our life songs, but to sing the songs that come from an intimate relationship with God…Our stated belief in Jesus Christ should help to free us from all the sin and struggles that hinder us or to quote James 1: Jesus enables us to be free from the sin that so easily entangles…
Folks, we are called by Christ to live desperately…Not as people who are lost, but as men who have been found and are thirsty and hungry for God…We are called to follow hard after God…We are to drink deeply of God….King David can be used as an example of a life that was lived in spiritual desperation for God…
May we be people that are desperate for God alone not because we are hopeless but because we are hopeful….May we live lives that fulfill this call and may we follow hard after God and may he reward our efforts…
Soli Deo Gloria,
JW
It was Henry David Thoreau who said: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
I know most folks do not carry Thoreau's works with them to the woods, but I think Thoreau's words are applicable to us as children of God and believers in Jesus Christ. His words help to define for us the type of life we should live in our pursuit of the glory of Christ….
Although Thoreau was an agnostic, he spoke volumes about the struggle and fight that life can be and the resulting mental challenges that are raised from the issues that we battle….
For Thoreau, he believed that most men quietly struggled to sing the song of life that they had been given…The song of life that desperately needs to be sung, but for many, for some reason, is not able to be sung….
For us as believers, there is also a quiet struggle that we fight, not to simply sing our life songs, but to sing the songs that come from an intimate relationship with God…Our stated belief in Jesus Christ should help to free us from all the sin and struggles that hinder us or to quote James 1: Jesus enables us to be free from the sin that so easily entangles…
Folks, we are called by Christ to live desperately…Not as people who are lost, but as men who have been found and are thirsty and hungry for God…We are called to follow hard after God…We are to drink deeply of God….King David can be used as an example of a life that was lived in spiritual desperation for God…
May we be people that are desperate for God alone not because we are hopeless but because we are hopeful….May we live lives that fulfill this call and may we follow hard after God and may he reward our efforts…
Soli Deo Gloria,
JW
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Waiting in a Dependant State
In Gary Thomas' Authentic Faith he makes a statement that is reality shattering for any American Christian...He says "In spite of our obsession with instant results, we serve a God whose calendar moves by millennia not minutes, and who thinks in terms of generations, not seasons. Unless we understand this about God - that he moves in millennia, not minutes - we will never understand his ways."
To illustrate the above point, Thomas notes that it took God 25 years to deliver on His promise to Abraham by providing Isaac…see Genesis 12…Thomas also uses Psalm 130: 5-6 to illustrate that God's blessings do not always come with the speed of a bullet, but rather with the slow, steady approach of a glacier…See also, Lamentations 3:24,26…
Thomas notes that one clear fact remains: God will not be rushed…
However, honestly, "this 'discipline' of waiting on God can be debilitating and suck our souls dry - unless it is marked by hope in God. Waiting, for the believer, is not the futile and desperate act of those who have no other options, but rather a confident trust that eventually God will set things right" - even if he is operating outside of our time frame (Isaiah 40:31)...
It is true that without a willingness to wait on the Lord, we will become "regularly frustrated" with God and we can, as a result, become disillusioned with our faith…Sometimes, we will have to wait until the present becomes the past before we can make sense of what is happening at present….
We must remember that this "discipline" of waiting on God is the single place that belongs to us as children of the Living God...As Andrew Murray pointed out, this place of utter and sole dependence on God is the only place or state in our lives that God has promised to bless and commune with us...
May we seek this place of dependence...May the "waiting" that is required of us so that we grow in maturity and faith be a place of worship not whining...
JW
To illustrate the above point, Thomas notes that it took God 25 years to deliver on His promise to Abraham by providing Isaac…see Genesis 12…Thomas also uses Psalm 130: 5-6 to illustrate that God's blessings do not always come with the speed of a bullet, but rather with the slow, steady approach of a glacier…See also, Lamentations 3:24,26…
Thomas notes that one clear fact remains: God will not be rushed…
However, honestly, "this 'discipline' of waiting on God can be debilitating and suck our souls dry - unless it is marked by hope in God. Waiting, for the believer, is not the futile and desperate act of those who have no other options, but rather a confident trust that eventually God will set things right" - even if he is operating outside of our time frame (Isaiah 40:31)...
It is true that without a willingness to wait on the Lord, we will become "regularly frustrated" with God and we can, as a result, become disillusioned with our faith…Sometimes, we will have to wait until the present becomes the past before we can make sense of what is happening at present….
We must remember that this "discipline" of waiting on God is the single place that belongs to us as children of the Living God...As Andrew Murray pointed out, this place of utter and sole dependence on God is the only place or state in our lives that God has promised to bless and commune with us...
May we seek this place of dependence...May the "waiting" that is required of us so that we grow in maturity and faith be a place of worship not whining...
JW
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I want some of whatever Tozer was Drinking!!!
It never ceases to amaze me (and honestly make me a tad bit jealous) when I read or hear Christian folk who, by what I am reading or hearing, are or were at such a deeper level with God than I am. So much so that it makes my heart and brain hurt at the same time. Talk about a paradox. It begs comparison of my life to theirs almost without thinking about it.
To many, A.W. Tozer would fall into this category of foregone folks. Although Tozer's last words were spoken in 1963, his words live on and speak almost prophetically to the American church in 2008. I will give one such of his quotes from the "preface" of his "The Pursuit of God", originally "The Divine Conquest"...Again this is from the "preface"...
"Within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself...They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep from the Fountain of Living Water..."
When I read this recently, it knocked me back like a high-n-tight fastball...It spoke deeply to my heart. Why? Because there are many days that go by that I feel a little lonely in this pursuit. Not so much lonely in my relationship with the Lord, but lonely in relation to my fellowships and shared experiences with the brethern. It is hard to find someone who have even heard of guys Tozer, much less talk about what Tozer commented on 60 years ago...Kind of like a lone ranger or Elijah...But Tozer went further.
"...this hunger must be recognized by our religious leaders. Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seems satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Mount Carmel...But God be thanked there are a few who care...They are those who, while they love the altar and sacrifice, are yet unable to reconcile themselves to the continues absence of fire. They desire God above all..."
Wow!!! How much time do I spend worried about the forms and external pressures that drive my worship and our worship as a people? Do I notice that there is a lack of fire coming from our sacrifice of praise? Do our "religious leaders" give a rip about feeding this hunger and fanning the flame or are they more worried about numbers and offerings?? I like to think that I desire God above all things. But to desire God above all things means that I have to be concerned about and look for fire in my worship. May we seek the "fire" and may we kick anything that does not help stoke the fire to the curb! SDG. JW
To many, A.W. Tozer would fall into this category of foregone folks. Although Tozer's last words were spoken in 1963, his words live on and speak almost prophetically to the American church in 2008. I will give one such of his quotes from the "preface" of his "The Pursuit of God", originally "The Divine Conquest"...Again this is from the "preface"...
"Within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself...They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep from the Fountain of Living Water..."
When I read this recently, it knocked me back like a high-n-tight fastball...It spoke deeply to my heart. Why? Because there are many days that go by that I feel a little lonely in this pursuit. Not so much lonely in my relationship with the Lord, but lonely in relation to my fellowships and shared experiences with the brethern. It is hard to find someone who have even heard of guys Tozer, much less talk about what Tozer commented on 60 years ago...Kind of like a lone ranger or Elijah...But Tozer went further.
"...this hunger must be recognized by our religious leaders. Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seems satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Mount Carmel...But God be thanked there are a few who care...They are those who, while they love the altar and sacrifice, are yet unable to reconcile themselves to the continues absence of fire. They desire God above all..."
Wow!!! How much time do I spend worried about the forms and external pressures that drive my worship and our worship as a people? Do I notice that there is a lack of fire coming from our sacrifice of praise? Do our "religious leaders" give a rip about feeding this hunger and fanning the flame or are they more worried about numbers and offerings?? I like to think that I desire God above all things. But to desire God above all things means that I have to be concerned about and look for fire in my worship. May we seek the "fire" and may we kick anything that does not help stoke the fire to the curb! SDG. JW
Friday, October 31, 2008
Out of the gate
In honor of always trying to get a quick start out of the blocks, this little blog is the first of my life. The purpose of this blog will be to always seek to help us to look up in our pursuit of Christ.
I, like the Reformers, am of the opinion, that although it may be difficult to flesh out, the single greatest pursuit you and I can and should have is for the Glory of God to be pursued, captured (relatively speaking) and displayed in our lives. "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul thirsts for you..." David -
May the Lord help us in our pursuit. Seeking the Glory of God as revealed in the face of Christ.
JW
I, like the Reformers, am of the opinion, that although it may be difficult to flesh out, the single greatest pursuit you and I can and should have is for the Glory of God to be pursued, captured (relatively speaking) and displayed in our lives. "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul thirsts for you..." David -
May the Lord help us in our pursuit. Seeking the Glory of God as revealed in the face of Christ.
JW
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