February in the South

Ok folks... Something is really wrong with this picture. That's a drop of 41 degrees.

The Grand Old Story

Come and hear the grand old story,
Story of the ages past;
All earth's annals far surpassing,
Story that shall ever last.

Christ, the Father's Son eternal,
Once was born, a Son of man;
He who never knew a beginning
Here on earth a life began.

Hear we then the grand old story,
True as God's all-faithful Word,
Best of tidings to the guilty
of a dead and risen Lord.

Hear we then the grand old story,
And in listening learn the love
Flowing through it to the guilty
From our pardoning God above.

Dr. Bonar.

The Authority of the Risen Christ

I wish that I could say something or paint some picture that would cause you to realize that if all the authority of all the armies and all the governments of the world were put in a balance, and on the other side were put the authority of the risen Christ, they would go up like air. All authority on earth and in heaven has been given to Him - all of it. The risen Christ has the authority and the right to tell every man and woman in this room what to do, what to say, and what to feel, and what to think every second of your life, no objections! Absolute authority, for He is God! - and we dare not quibble with Him.

- John Piper, Worship the Risen Christ

Spiritual Adultery

"What ye love besides Jesus, your husband, is an adulterous lover."

Samuel Rutherford

The Gracious Sovereignty of God

"It is now many years since the apostate angles made a question, whether their will or the will of their Creator should be done; and since that time, froward mankind hath always in that same suit of law, compeared to plead with them against God, in daily repining against His will. But the Lord being both party and judge, hath obtained a decreet, and saith, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure' (Isa. xlvi. 10). It is then best for us, in the obedience of faith, and in a holy submission, to give that to God which the law of His almighty and just power will have of us. Therefore, Madam, your Lord willeth you, in all states of life, to say, 'Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven:" and herein shall ye have comfort, that He, who seeth perfectly through all your evils, and knoweth the frame and constitution of your nature, and what is most healthful for your soul, holdeth every cup of affliction to your head, with His own gracious hand.'

From the Letters of Samuel Rutherford

Living for Christ

My Lord and Master is chief of ten thousands of thousands. None is comparable with Him, in heaven or in earth. Dear brethren, do all for Him. Pray for Christ. Preach for Christ. Do all for Christ; beware of men-pleasing. The Chief  Shepherd will shortly appear.

From the Letters of Samuel Rutherford

Longing for Christ

O for eternity's leisure, to look upon Him, to feast upon the sight of His face! O for the long summer day of endless ages to stand beside Him and enjoy Him! O time, O sin, be removed out of the way! O day! O fairest of days, dawn!

From the Letters of Samuel Rutherford

Rutherford Rejoices in the Christian's Eternal Abode in Christ's Blessed Land

O how sweet to be wholly Christ’s, and wholly in Christ; to dwell in Immanuel’s high and blessed land, and live in that sweetest air, where no wind bloweth but the breathings of the Holy Ghost, no sea nor floods flow, but the pure water of life that floweth from under the throne and from the Lamb, no planting, but the tree of life that yieldeth twelve manner of fruits every month! What do we here but sin and suffer? O when shall the night be gone, the shadows flee away, and the morning of the long, long day, without cloud or night, dawn? The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" O when shall the Bridegrooms wife be ready, and the Bridegroom say, "Come?"

From the Letters of Samuel Rutherford

An English Merchant's Description of Samuel Rutherford's Preaching

I came to Irvine, and heard a well-favoured, proper old man (David Dickson), with a long beard, and that man showed me all my heart. Then I went to St. Andrews, where I heard a sweet, majestic looking man (R. Blair), and he showed me the majesty of God. After him I heard a little, fair man (Rutherford), and he showed me the loveliness of Christ.

From the Letters of Samuel Rutherford

Snow!

10 inches of it....

“He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.” Ps. 147:15-18

Getting Slammed: Time to Get a Thesaurus!

It seems as if the English Kuwait Times got a little overzealous. A screen shot from just a moment ago:

OK, so not really all that news worthy, but it looked interesting. On another more important note, let us not forget that though today is a day of national thanksgiving for the blessings that God has bestowed on us, every day for the Christian should be Thanksgiving.

Col. 3:17, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever!

Youth Ministry in the Days of the Apostles....

I found an interesting blog post some time ago talking about modern youth ministry's money hungry habits. He made some interesting comments:

Can we have $$-less youth group?

If so, what would it look like?

I wonder if we have succumbed so much to the marketing and materialistic side of culture that we have forgotten what youth ministry is all about!....

Have we set ourselves up to be completely dependent on the dollar? 

Does our economy dictate our youth ministry structure? Should it?

Listen, I am to blame on this one. I had a summer calendar full of days trips, service project weeks, movie nights, mini-golf, etc.

Almost every single event cost money. Even the activities we do at the church, while they may not cost our students money, take a toll on my youth budget. But the elders don't mind because it gets students here and so it is money well-spent. Or is it?

In the course of an average year, if a student were to participate in every event we offer, they would probably have to shell out between $1,000-$2,000. But parents don't mind since the price of golf memberships here run $30,000 or more, with $5,000 annual fees. “A few grand to keep my kid involved in church is a great deal,” they would say.

Now for students who cannot afford it, we offer scholarships to ensure that every single student can go if they want to. But again, everything revolves around money (and in a sense entertainment)

I realize this is where our culture is, and I do believe in embracing culture. But I also believe in the power of Jesus to transform culture in areas that are counter-biblical.

It appears to me in the books of Acts that monies collected in the early church went directly to help the widows and orphans and to feed the hungry. At some point, even Paul argues, that those who do the Lord's work should receive money for it so they don't have to work elsewhere. But I wonder where in the history of Christianity did the tithe money go towards funding students’ boat trips on the Sea of Galilee, their ski trip to Sinai, and purchasing the latest lights to trick out the synagogue’s teen room?

Read more here.

A Year Ago in October

I went to God's Country... Colorado! One of my favorite states in the Union (maybe CSA some day).

It's Been 2 Years...

It is hard for me to believe, but 2 years ago Monday, I arrived in Plymouth, MA having left two days previously from Goshen, IN where I had lived the previous 21 years. It was the first time I had ever made a trip alone and the first time I had ever lived on my own. It was the start of an amazing journey through which the Lord would bring much sanctification and start to really make a man out of me. Now, just two years later, I work for a national ministry to the church of Jesus Christ, I live south of the Mason-Dixon Line (in general, that is a plus), I have a house to live in, I host people on a regular basis for diner, and, in general. I live a life fully integrated with my (truly) local church, something I had never done before. I have been able to get to know families from coast to coast and border to border, attend some of the best family-integrated churches in the United States, and interact with church leaders and influential homeschool leaders from around the country. I've learned many new skills as well, from coding to graphic design, from editing books to editing audio, from customer service to conference operation, from managing a house to cooking.

All these have worked mightily in sanctifying me and bringing me closer to Christ. It has allowed me to see the hand of God work in very personal ways, to see miracles take place, to see the gospel preached to the lost, to see the love of Christ change hearts.

Well, one last thing before I go: I made it to 30,000 miles on my gps odometer about a week and a half ago (when I drove to Greenville, SC to visit a good friend who was in a hospital there), all in less than two years. Unlike the previous times, I actually missed getting a picture of the rollover because I was driving at night in pouring rain. Oh well.

With a moving average speed of 40 miles an hour, that is a driving time of 750 hours, or 31.25 days on the road driving. Praise the Lord - that's 31 days of driving on trips with no accidents or speeding tickets. Further, that doesn't include the thousands of miles I have driven just in my regular driving - also without accidents (save a deer I smashed) or tickets. Add to that the many trips I have taken without the GPS and the Lord has really been gracious in protecting me from the many, many times I could have easily been injured or killed.

To God be the glory, great things He has done.

The Episcopal vs. the Baptist

I found the following on a website and got a good laugh out of it.

I love the old story about the Episcopal Priest and the Baptist Pastor who were very good friends and decided to have a ‘friendly’ debate on the subject in front of the gathered congregations. The only rule was that each debater could only use Scripture quotes. The Priest went first and said, “Suffer the little children to come to me and forbid them not.” The Baptist then rose and said ferociously, “Og, King of Bashan and all his hordes!” The Priest looked at his colleague incredulously and asked, “What does that verse have to do with baptism?” “About as much as yours did,” replied the Baptist.