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297 days ago
This is an odd blog posting to interrupt my lengthy silence, but maybe I'll get better about it. Got elementary kids? I do, and no, he doesn't have a cell phone. Won't for a long time. We have a Wii, though. One admittedly mundane but cool feature is the ability to send and receive e-mail with it. My son is never out of the living room for long when he's home. If I am away and want to just drop him a line, he notices the blue Wii e-mail flash pretty readily, and knows how to reply. Doesn't happen often but it is nice when I need it.
630 days ago
I was reading in 2 Thessalonians this morning, and began to feel convicted about being so focused on "my church". In 2 Thess 1:3, Paul makes it clear that we ought to give thanks for those churches that are growing in the Lord. Paul says we should. By doing so, we are encouraged and we can encourage others (v4). Give thanks for what? Paul, talking to the church there, is thankful for their: - faith that is growing abundantly - love that is increasing - steadfastness in the face of persecution - steadfastness in the face of afflictions - faith in the face of persecution - faith in the face of afflictions We can't give thanks for this if we don't know what is happening in other churches. How is God blessing your church? At Hope, we are preparing for our first two-service Sunday on Easter. God has been changing lives, blessing us financially, and challenging us to use His provision (people, finances, physical space) more wisely. I am so thankful for our ...
678 days ago
Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see. Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see. For the Father up above is looking down in love, So be careful little eyes, what you see. Why be careful? The opportunities are everywhere of course. My most recent episode was with Facebook. I have appreciated the fact that this service has remained essentially free of the ads and such that feature scantily-clad individuals trying to lure viewers to singles sites, etc. etc. But then just this week, I sign in and, right there on the top of the page is a picture of a topless celebrity. I spent a few minutes trying to determine how to get rid of it, and finally decided that Facebook wasn't really that important and cancelled my account. But it got me thinking... I have a son who will soon be dealing with these temptations. I cannot imagine growing up in today's world, with the junk that is out there - TV, Internet, magazines... I can see him asking "why not?". 1 Corinthians 6 ...
945 days ago
John 8:48-59 : One of the key senses of "to glorify" would be to directly communicate an accurate estimation of something or someone's significance. This is the most common use of the word that I hear among believers. To "glorify God" is to praise Him, specifically to "tell of His excellent greatness" as the old hymn says. In this passage, Jesus says "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me...". There are two examples that come to mind where the Father specifically communicated to those around of Jesus' significance. In Matthew 3, we read of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. After the baptism, the gospel accounts tells us the heavens were opened, and a voice from heaven was heard to say " This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." And again in the account of the transfiguration, for example in Mark 9, we read "And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of ...
946 days ago
Luke 4:15 : Starting from age 12, we see that Jesus did not leave His wisdom behind when He came to earth. In this passage, those who hear His teaching in the synagogue glorify Him because of it. However, we can see that it is possible to glorify Jesus, but to do so only temporarily. He was "glorified by all", but not for long. His wisdom demonstrated that He is God. He could read the thoughts of those who confronted him or derided him. He knew the future. But many of us are that hard or rocky ground that He warns about, and we are forgetful -- because we do not spend time with Him and His word, being reminded daily of that divine wisdom -- or we allow ungodly things of this world to choke out the truth of His infinite wisdom.
