Jonathan Edwards Discipline- JED

Just read The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards (Long Line of Godly Men Profile)- Steven Lawson.

I gave the book a 2 out of 4 stars. I anticipated a biography of the great man. I have heard lots about Edwards but read little. So, I was a little disappointed that the book is not really a biography.

It is a short introduction into the Resolutions of Edwards. He made 70 resolutions as a young man of nineteen and then spent his life attempting to be faithful to his resolutions and His Lord. This is one reason why Edwards was able to accomplish so much.

The book was subpar but it did give me a great interest in Edwards and a renewed vigor towards spiritual disciplines. In fact, I have resolved to follow some spiritual disciplines extra closely during the Lenten season. I have asked for volunteers from our church to join me in this and have surprisingly received a very positive response.

Beginning on Wednesday, Feb.24, here is what we intend to do.

Here is the letter of invite that I sent to our church.

Gentlemen and Ladies, Young Men and Women of at least age 13,

Would you consider taking a wilderness experience with me?

I have been reading a biography of Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest men in the history of the United States. He was a bit austere, truly a modern Christian ascetic. I am not agitating for asceticism. But I do think some serious spiritual discipline practice is likely to benefit us. We will not be doing anything even so drastic in these 40 days as the way he spent his entire life.

Here is what I am proposing. For the Lenten season, beginning Feb. 17, let those who would willingly do so, embark upon a journey into the wilderness. For the 40 days of Lent, we will practice spiritual disciplines, perhaps in a way that we have never done before. We will meet weekly to discuss our triumphs and failures as well as the benefits or drawbacks, to such a course.

By the way, I am not trying to create a new Lenten practice at our church. I do not necessarily believe in penitential seasons. I am not proposing that. I think concentrated focus on doing the right things is good. Extended times of several weeks of personal introspection is not necessarily good. Too much focus on self and what we are doing here also might be too much focus on self. Maybe this will give us some insight on how we might want to celebrate or practice in our Pre-Easter season in the future, maybe not. But this is being done as a one-time thing.

The goal will be to practice discipline and develop habits of those disciplines that most benefit us. I imagine we will be in for some surprises. We will probably also have lots of failures but I think the successes will make it worth it.

We will call it JED- Jonathan Edwards Discipline

What will this 40 days entail?
1. Prayer three times daily, morning, noon, night. These may be short times or longer as occasion or opportunity arise. But at the minimum, 15 minutes a day, at least five minutes per prayer time.
2. Arising early, 5am, Or, not more than 7 hours of sleep per night. I know, but part of this is to see what we can get out of this time. It’s only 40 days, you can do it. Part of this discipline is simply redeeming the time. We may find that we need more sleep but we may find that we can get by just as well or even better on 7. I generally get a lot of sleep so this will be a challenge for me.
3. Reading a short biography of Jonathan Edwards and his Resolutions.
4. Read his 70 resolutions weekly. They take about 5-10 minutes to read. We’ll discuss them.
5. Develop your own life resolutions. Say, at least 12 resolutions.
6. Practice an Edwardsian moderation in diet. Well, not exactly, he was a Spartan, but choose to eat carefully and wisely such that you are not sluggish. Maybe, for this season setting some guidelines on amounts of food and drink. (ie. Only one helping, not more than one soda, beer or glass of wine per day, maybe not eating something you tend to indulge in that is not particularly good for you, that sort of thing).
7. Changing some behavior that wastefully uses up a lot of time.(For me, checking internet for news, sports, etc. Not using the internet at all at home in the evening. I can take a break for 40 days.) Each of you might have a different time waster.
8. Fast at least one meal per week.
9. Fast one full day during this 40 days. We may pick the same day so we can compare notes and talk about how it went.
10. Read the Bible for at least 30 minutes per day. (easy to do if you get up at 5am). Recommend several psalms or page of psalms, one proverb, reading in OT and NT. Or follow your regular reading plan but get in at least 30 minutes.
11. Walk or some other exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. (see number 9) Amazingly, Edwards did this and still accomplished an unbelievable amount of work. We have all the time savers but cannot get outdoors regularly.
12. Actively pursuing godliness, kindness, gentleness, serving, careful speech, goodness, etc. May want to pick one specific area of godliness where you need work and practice getting better.
13. Meet once per week on Wed. at 5:30am to discuss how things are going, starting Feb. 24.

Sundays are exempt for all requirements related to food, sleep, exercise, etc. Sunday is a feast day.

Star of Bethlehem

Have you seen the Star of Bethlehem? Just watched it. I was very impressed. Thanks Philip.

Have a look here.

I have always been a bit of a pre-sup apologetic sort and the Evidence that Demands a Verdict can also simply be discounted as having been created after the fact, or simply the imaginations of the faithful.

Don't misunderstand me, I think there is a great deal of convincing evidence from the Bible and from extra-biblical sources. I believe it. But at the end of the argument, the skeptic can still maintain his nonchalant attitude, having not been fully convinced. Of course, it always take the Holy Spirit to make a convert.

But I think this film will shake up a skeptic.

Water, Bread and Wine

"In Baptism, the thing that represents Christ is water; in the Supper, the things that represent Christ are bread and wine. Water is appointed to represent Christ in Babtism because it is most appropriate to represent our washing with the Blood of Christ. What is better to wash with than water?

So there is nothing more suitable in which to wash the soul than the Blood of Christ. In the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, He has appointed bread and wine because there is nothing more appropriate to nourish the body than bread and wine."

Robert Bruce, The Mystery of the Lord's Supper

Demographic Winter

Check this out. Our church growth program is having babies. Make sense, eh?

Lord of the Floods

As Psalm 93 declares, Yahweh on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

How often we fail to live as if this were actually true. Like Peter, we begin to move in faith only to find ourselves glancing about in fear. The waters begin to roll over us and we lose sight of Jesus.

We understand Peter and empathize with him because we realize how much faith it took to even get out of the boat, especially when we compare his faith with ours. No one else even got out of the boat. But we must remember the lesson. Jesus is on the waters. He bids us to come to Him. We must go in faith. He is mightier than the waters, the floods of the sea. Peter did not continue walking in faith but at least He called out to Jesus to save him in the tumultuous waves.

We may not literally walk on the sea but we have very real fears, waves and wind that pull our eyes from looking to Jesus. Perhaps we are distracted by money problems or health problems or personal doubts or theological conundrums or simply fear of the unknown that lies ahead in 2010. We find many reasons to fear and too few reasons to have faith.

Stop looking at the waters, the troubles, the enemies. We have weapons enough in our arsenal to walk, to overcome, to win. The Lord Jesus is on our side. He bids us walk through all of our troubles in faith. Confess your doubts and fears. Receive the forgiveness of the Lord and walk forward into this new year with full faith in Jesus Christ.

Communion Meditation-Renewal

As we start a new year, we should be aware of renewal. God has granted us forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Of course, there is a sense in which this covers all of our sins, past, present and future. But there is also a sense is which we cannot walk in the newness of life unless we continually are renewed. The life of the Spirit comes to all those who are truly in Christ. God governs this by His inscrutable wisdom. But those who do not remain in Christ do not receive the blessings of Christ. That is a self-evident statement, redundant, almost silly.

But the there are those, and reformed types, too, who may insist on receiving the blessings of Christ simply because they once prayed a prayer or because they believe they are of the elect or because they are churchmen or have been declared forgiven by a minister. All of these things are good and true blessings but unless you believe in the Lord Jesus today, right now, then what you did back then doesn’t do you a lot of good.

This does not mean that if you have weak faith or doubt or have fallen into sin, that you are left out of God’s blessings. He grants mercy for all His bruised reeds and shimmering lights. But you should renew your commitment to Him, your need for Him, your trust in Him, your hope in Him on a regular basis, even daily, each morning. At the very least, you should do this weekly, in our liturgy, in our prayers, our songs, our hearing of the word, our confession of sin, the absolution from the minister and especially here at the Lord’s Table.

Renew covenant with God, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the ever present Holy Spirit. Be filled up with God as you eat and drink. Take heart, make strong the hands that hang down and the knees that grow weak. All things are new in Christ.

Communion Meditation-Remember

Today, our sermon was simply remembering. It is good for us to think about where we have come from and how God has provided for us. When we do this, it bolsters our faith to look into the unknown future believing God to be as faithful in the future as He has been in the past. Also, we expand our hope beyond our own circumstances to the circumstances of others, to our church, to the body of Christ and to the world.

If we do not forget, if we remember what God has done, how can we not be thankful? How can we not have hope? How can we not be encouraged?

This meal is one of thankfulness but it is also a meal of remembrance. God has done things. He has been faithful to His people through all ages and He has been faithful to us. So, it is fitting that we give Him thanks.

There may be very real troubles in our day. There may be troubles in your life. These troubles look to Christ and when we do so, we remember that He has always rescued us in our time of greatest need. So, we give thanks and we hold onto this hope for the times that we are in and for the uncertain times that lie ahead.

Remember and give thanks.

Faith in Jesus Christ

We are called to be a people of faith. What does that mean? Do we have faith in faith? Is faith some substance we store up to get us through troubled times? Do we squirrel away faith so that we can dig it up in the long cold days of winter?

What do we mean when we say we are to have faith or that we are to be a people of faith? It means that we put our trust in the Lord. Faith is not some substance we store up. Faith is believing God, laying hold of His promises, bowing before Jesus Christ because we know He is our King. When we say that we are to have faith, what we really mean is that we are to put our faith, our trust, our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You do not have to worry about storing up enough faith or losing some of your faith. But you do need to practice your faith. You do not need to worry if you have enough faith but you do need to look to the one in whom we have faith.

God makes promises. God keeps His promises. His people are blessed by His promises. You are God’s people. Do you believe this? Do you believe Him? Do you believe that He is able to save you from your sins and overcome the world, the flesh and the devil? If so, that is faith. Do you believe? Do you need the Lord to help your unbelief? He is faithful in this as well.

Come to the Lord Jesus. Confess your unbelief and have faith in Christ for He is ever faithful.

Formal-ISM Kills

It is true that formalism is a danger to our very salvation. When we grow so used to a routine that we cease to think at all or only think about how sleek and plumed we have grown, our very existence as the people of God is at risk.

And while this sort of danger is clearly seen over centuries or even generations, the danger can become reality much quicker than that.

Even in your own homes, you have realized how quickly a practice can become a regular routine. The prayer before dinner, the good night hug, the departing farewell: all of these are good and meant for good. But when they grow stale and lifeless, the very blessing of them begins to mock us. We often continue on with the outside of the thing when the inside, the heart and soul, has already grown hollow and cold. The thing, the hug, the kiss, even the prayer may eventually begin to disgust us as it points out our own failure or even hypocrisy.

Formalism in the church does much the same thing. We have all these wonderful traditions, full of meaning and meant to bless us. They do so as long as we are paying attention, as long we actively participate, as long as our hearts are warm and our minds are engaged.

But let hold fast to the outside of the thing, only, and the slow death begins to set in. It is a slow death, so we may not notice it until there is no chance of resuscitation. Where are you? Are you holding on to the center of our liturgy? To Christ, Himself? Is the service real and lively and life producing? Or do you know these dance steps and they are starting to bore you and you are beginning to wander in mind and heart? This day, renew yourself in Christ’s Spirit. Turn to Him once again and participate in this service, in your family, in your walk as one who is alive from the dead.

Communion Meditation-Peacemakers

Brothers and sisters hear me. I call you brothers and sisters and so you are. Although none of you have the same birth mother as I do, all of you have the same adopted parents. You are all children of my Father, the creator of heaven and earth. And you are all children of my mother, the New Jerusalem, the shining city of God, the church triumphant.

While these are spiritual truths, they are no less real, no less important than your own relationships by birth. Our bond of brotherhood is kept for us by the bonds of faithfulness of Jesus Christ. It is kept for us in heaven by His grace and might and recognized on Earth through His beloved bride.

Do not take this lightly. To the extent that you seek peace and fellowship with your own earthly parents, seek peace and fellowship with God, our Father and His Son, through His Spirit, and the bride of Christ, our Mother, the Church, through faithful living and loving.

To the extent that you seek fellowship with your born brothers and sisters, seek peace and fellowship here in the bonds of brotherhood through baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

To the best of your ability, you must be at peace with your parents and your brothers and sisters. So, too, here, to the best of your ability, you must be at peace with God and with His people. This meal says that you are. If this is true, God bless you all. But to the extent that it is not true, make sure that you are doing all that is in your power to be at peace with Father, Mother, Sister and Brother.

And so eat and drink of this blessing of unity in Christ.

Exhortation-Not Like Cain

Shortly after the fall of man, the broken will of man was revealed. Cain rose up and slew his brother because "Yahweh had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."

We do not know exactly why the Lord had respect for Abel and his offering but not to Cain and his offering. The text makes us think that Cain was already broken and sin was looking for an opportunity to express itself in a large way.

But what we can note is that Cain was jealous and envious of his brother. If Abel was going to receive respect and honor from the Lord, Cain was not going to be happy. He determined to destroy Abel.

This is the pre-eminent lesson. We must desire the good of our brothers. When they are respected, honored, enriched, blessed, or glorified, we must not complain and grumble. We must not lament that we are overlooked. Perhaps you are as honorable as your recognized brother, or perhaps, like Cain, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”

Whether or not you are happy for the elevation of those you think beneath you reveals much about the state of your soul. Let me say that again, Whether or not you are happy for the elevation of those you think beneath you reveals much about the state of your soul. Perhaps they do not deserve it. But that is up to God. If He thinks so, don’t you think you should agree with Him?

So, let us not be like Cain, unhappy towards God because of the envy in our hearts towards others. This envy must die so that Abel and you may live.

Tired

Since I posted a brief about my surgery, thought a follow up would be appropriate. The best description would be tired. My shoulder is doing fine and I suppose a full recovery is hidden in the next week or two. But for now, tired.

Night Riders-Robert Penn Warren**

Just finished Night Riders by Robert Penn Warren. I give it two stars out of four. Robert Penn Warren was the fist Poet Laureate for the United States. He wrote many novels and obviously was a first rate poet. I have yet to read his poetry and this was the first novel of his that I have read. It was also his first novel. I plan to read more and assume that his subsequent novels were much better.

This book follows the fate of Percy Munn, caught in the labyrinth of the tobacco wars. The novel is a dreary tale of Munn's demise. Warren's premise, repeated often, is how things tend to change, almost imperceptibly over time. But the change is real and sometimes drastic. There comes a time when the drastic change is finally noticed and one might even be able to put their finger on when the change started but the change itself is hard to trace.

Munn is a respectable man who finds himself on the side of justice attempting to do what is right by the law and right by nature. Over time, through small compromises, he turns into a compromised criminal, doing wrong for the right reasons. His demise is inevitable and unstopple. He commits adultery and murder almost without a thought only to find his conscience will not sleep. He is plagued by a sleepy remorse but cannot find the place of repentance.

The book is long, almost 500 pages, and I made it to the end, always hoping for hope. But it is faithful to its premise and the hope is unrealized. Percy Munn dies unrepentant and unredeemed.

Shoulder Surgery

Had shoulder surgery today. Hurt it when I crashed skiing in March. I wrecked my knee then, too, and had ACL reconstruction and torn meniscus surgery in May. My arm and shoulder is now totally numb do to nerve block to help with post surgery. Typing with one hand.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. Got good pain meds for a few days, lying low and David C. preaching for me Sunday.

I'll appreciate your prayers for a speedy recovery. Lord willing, next year a year of health.

Duck Hunting

Just got back from an Idaho Duck Hunting trip with my son Zachary. Spent time with brother Gary, nephew Jedidiah, my mom (not in the duck blind) and various other family members.

We had a great time. Got some real Idaho experience. We missed our Phoenix connection because the Charlotte to Phoenix flight had a medical emergency. Guy was having diabetic shock. His insulin pump quit working. We had an emergency landing in Oklahoma City. So, we missed our connection and had to wait in Phoenix for 10 hours. Got to Boise at 11:00pm. Got to Twin Falls around 2:00am, then up to go hunting around 4:00am.

It was cold, about 15 degrees. The first day we limited out, 7 ducks each, 21 total, in two hours. Back to cabin, big lunch and nap. That night, beer and brauts around the campfire, 15 degrees and sitting very close to the fire.

Next morning, bitter cold, about 11 degrees, not many ducks flying and a wet foot due to a leaky wader. Cold, lots of walks down the island to stay warm. Built a little fire to keep the cold away. Got a few birds, hunted all day, mixed some Kalua with the coffee to fake out the cold.

Third day, wind is blowing about 40 miles an hour. Brother wants to make the trip out to the island in one pass. Four men, dressed in many layers of clothes, a dog, a ton of gear and large contingent of duck and goose decoys in a sixteen foot aluminum fishing boat. About six inches to the gunnels. Fear. Water splashing over the side from 30 inch breakers. Hoping to live another day. Coat hoods are frozen solid from water splashes and massive winds at 18 degrees. Cold. We are scared and having fun. We survive and make it to the island. Get set up and lay down to take a nap with our back to the winds, in the dark, 45 minutes to shooting time. Cold is trying to penetrate but we think we fake him out, lying down. Birds are flying but we have a hard time hitting them. A snow squall blows in across the dessert, beautiful, cold, lovely. We get our birds, not a limit but a good day. Could have had a bunch more if only we could have shot better. Maybe so many clothes, three days of cold feet, wind, tired but an adventure and a good one.

We make it back to Twin on Saturday and have a huge duck dinner at the Peking Restaurant. Lots of food. It's hot at the restaurant. Is that possible? Outside it is snowing and inside we are comfortable and full. So full. Then home.

Founding Brothers

Founding Brothers, The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis is a good read. The book is primarily about Washington, Adams and Jefferson.

Ellis does a good job of reporting a balanced view of these men. While clearly representing their giant status in the history of the formation of the United States of America, he also portrays them as men and not gods. They were men caught in plots and intrigues that are similar to the same sorts of intrigues we experience in our highly politicized environment today.

Washington seemed to be above much of this. Of the three, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, his was the most exalted presidency and fame. Adams' administration was rife with discord, much of it arising from the presence of his own Vice-President, Jefferson, himself. Jefferson, with Madison, were intent upon undermining the authority and long-term success of Adams.

Jefferson smells the worst in these intrigues. The political 'machine' really got rolling under his and Madison's careful development. They did seem to do this with the real good of America in mind. They sacrificed some of their gentlemanly principles for the 'greater good.' I think they also entrenched a mindset that personal behavior and political behavior operated in two distinct spheres. Bill Clinton did not make this up.

The end of the book is the best part. In it, Ellis recounts the reconciliation of Adams and Jefferson after many years of bitter enmity. In the last 14 years of their lives, they wrote 158 letters to one another. Adams wrote twice as many as Jefferson. This letter writing, in the words of Adams, was so that 'we might explain ourselves to one another." It left Adams a prime opportunity to give his side of the story. By far, Jefferson made the greater concessions of error in these letters but was also able to clearly express his own views and defend them.

Ellis points out that this correspondence had some impact on the views of the country and the great war between the states. Jeffersonian views became the centerpiece of the South. Adams' views of a strong central government became the centerpiece of the North. No surprise.

Jefferson and Adams had been friends, enemies and friends once again. They lived together through glorious days, climaxing on July 4, 1776 with the Declaration of Independence. It is Jefferson's greatest fame. Adams was jealous of this knowing that Jefferson would come out as the shining star of the moment, even though he was mostly merely the penman of the document. Adams went so far as to argue that the most important day had not been July 4, 1776 but May 15, 1776. Alas, for Adams, Jefferson was right.

Both men died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Declaration. Jefferson died about five hours before Adams. Adams, not knowing that Jefferson had already given up the ghost, uttered his famous last words, "Thomas Jefferson still lives."

Evil and the Justice of God- N.T. Wright

N.T. Wright answers the problem of evil in an unexpected, fascinating and glorious way. In the process, he answers why we often feel so empty and unsatisfied at modern Christian funerals. Christians have made peace with death, the enemy.

But death is defeated by the work of Christ on the cross, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead, by the promise of bodily resurrection for all of God's people, and finally by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in real time on the earth.

Modernity's promise that the world will simply gradually improve falls short. So does the typical Christian answer of a continual spiritual existence. It is not satisfying that the spirit leaves the body and lives on. If that is all there is, then bodily death still wins. But thanks be to God that that is not all there is. One day our bodies will rise and we will be able to laugh at our defeated enemy, death.

Note, I said, our bodies will rise. We do not merely believe in the immortality of the soul. That is a Platonic belief and of course, is true. The soul is immortal. But those Greeks also believed that the body, bodies, things, were essentially evil. The good thing was to escape this and get off to the world, the perfect world, of ideas. Ideas apart from bodies. That was ultimate.

Not so in Christianity. The ultimate ideal in our religion is the body raised a victor over death. Bodies need redeemed and perfected. The earth groans for this to happen. All creation waits for the glorious resurrection when death, evil and all sin will be made the laughing stock.

And yet, now, we still see sin, ugliness, death, persecution, senseless victimization, exploitation. Basically, we see all the results of sin, the very nature of sin, chaos in the world. And we wonder, what is the answer, NOW.

Wright posits that within the broader promise of eschatological hope in the bodily Resurrection is the present manifestation of Christ to the world. This is the body of Christ, His Church, acting like Jesus. The greatest manifestation of Christ on the earth is forgiveness.

Forgiveness disarms evil. Evil wants to hold God and His people hostage. Evil, sin, death, say that all is not right and cannot be right, as long as they exist. But forgiveness is the antidote.

Forgiveness does not shrug its shoulders hoping for a good time on a cloud. Forgiveness calls evil, evil and then disarms it by granting forgiveness. This brings healing to the forgiven but even greater than this, it releases the forgiver from bitterness that enslaves. Only in Christianity do we see the glory of forgiveness displayed in this way. Only in Christianity does forgiveness answer the demands for justice.

Jesus so gloriously simplified this for us in the Golden Rule, treat others as you would have them treat you.

For some, this book would be immensely disappointing. What? That is your answer to the problem of evil? But those who know the grace of God in Christ in receiving forgiveness will understand, that until the resurrection, this is the only thing that really disarms evil.

Swine Flu

Dr. Gordon Wilson sent me a link for information about the swine flu.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swine-flu/ds01144

I can summarize it for you. There is a swine flu. You might get it. If you do, go to the doctor. Try not to get it. Wash your hands a lot, especially if you have to go or have gone to a place where swine flu has been reported.

If you get swine flu symptoms, you are contagious for seven days. Stay home. Drink lots of liquids, take some pain relief. You may want to take Tamiflu or Relenza if you are diagnosed early enough.

Also, I might add a couple things. There is a large scare on this and the Executive Branch is helping to push the scare. They like crises. It helps them push an agenda. So, remember to trust the Lord in this and not react to these things as if they were a crisis.

Make sure you love your neighbors. It would be good to have a heightened sense of awareness of sickness over the next several months. If you or your children have flu symptoms, please keep them home from church and school. Pray that the Lord spares us from any dramatic, debilitating effects of this virus. If you think you caught a cold or flu from another person (which you will have if you do), especially another person from your church, then do not hold it against them. It could have been you giving it to them. Love and forgive. Treat them as you would have them treat you.

These sorts of things are a judgment and a scourge but they are also an opportunity for the body of Christ to grow in grace, love and wisdom. It is part of our sanctification.

Josephus-Jewish Wars

Josephus was a Jewish general that was captured by the Romans in the war that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70.A.D. This is his chronicle of that war.

Of course, Josephus makes himself look better than he should. After all, he was the one who lost his entire army and city. Some 40,000 under his charge were killed by the Romans. Finally, Josephus tried to convince the last 40 soldiers to surrender. They refused, preferring to die. Josephus convinced the men that it would be more honorable to kill one another rather than let the Romans kill them. So, each of the remaining forty men killed each other. Finally, only Josephus was left and promptly surrendered himself to the Romans. No amount of re-writing of that history can bring him into a good light.

That being said, we are immensely thankful Josephus surrendered and then wrote. Furthermore, the wickedness of the rebelling Jews is so stark, that we have some empathy for the Romans and for any Jews that thought it honorable to surrender.

While the Romans were the conquering and domineering power, they were exceedingly provoked by the various factions among the Jews themselves. There were so many factions and such cruelty from Jew to Jew, that a pax Romana ought to have been a welcome sight to the entire Jewish nation. The Romans mostly waited while the Jews wiped each other out.

Even in the final assault on Jerusalem, the Jewish factions had almost completely annihilated one another before the Romans entered the city. According to Josephus, the Romans finally entered the city in an attempt to save the temple. But, alas, a conflagration had begun that burnt it entirely to the ground.

This is an important background in understanding the utter devastation that came upon the Jews as a direct result of rejecting the Lord Jesus as the Messiah. Josephus does not interpret these events in this manner. However, as we look at the dire predictions of Matt.24, Luke 21 and Mark 13, we can see how they come to fruition in this devastating war.

Furthermore, we see that it was not simply the Romans that caused this. The Jews, themselves, repeatedly bring the curse upon themselves by the way that they treated one another. They proved that they did not love God because they did not love one another. In fact, they showed an abject hatred for their own brotherhood. These Jews were descendants of Cain and not Abel. There were dangerous Jewish warlords who repeatedly attacked Jewish cities, killing tens of thousands of fellow covenant members.

In the seige of Jersusalem, there were three main factions seeking the ascendancy, that, even up to the end, hoarded food from a starving populace. The result was that at least one mother even ate her own child. They continued to steal from and kill one another until the very moment when the Romans entered the city. The tens of thousands of dead inside the city were piled high upon the inside of the city walls, long before any Roman ever stood inside the gates.

How could God not punish such wickedness? And how could such wickedness even be perpetrated without God's judgment? God's judgment was to leave them to their own devices and sin since they rejected His remedy for their forgiveness, the Lord Jesus, the rejected Messiah.

My Family and Other Animals-Gerrald Durrell

This book is a fun read. The Durrells were a rather eccentric family that moved from England to the Greek island of Corfu. The family consisted of mother, son, son, daughter and son, the youngest being the author and primary trouble maker, Gerry.

Gerry reminds me much of my friend Gordon Wilson, who told me about the writings of Durrell. Gerry, like Gordon, had two older brothers and an older sister. Gerry, like Gordon, loves all things biological. Gerry had a hey day roaming the island of Corfu along with various interesting characters, including a wife-murderer, always scanning the beautiful countryside and seaside for creatures of interest. He usually ended up bringing something back to the villa and a wild scene would commence.

Gerry and his family had four dogs, turtles, pigeons, a large gull, watersnakes (in the yard and bathtub, too!), lizards, scorpions, and a variety of other bugs and animals. His mother was very tolerant of his scientific endeavors, his eldest brother Larry (the literary type, despised it), his next brother, Leslie the hunter, endured him, his sister Margo, tried to ignore him. Gerry made life with the Durrells exciting.

I recommend this book for those of you who simply like to read and for those of you, like me, who need to learn a little more appreciation for the wonder of God's creation. For those of you who know Gordon, you simply have to read this book to appreciate him even more.

God in America

Newt Gingrich has put together a wonderful little book called Rediscovering God in America. He takes you on a stroll through various Washington monuments, including the Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Library of Congress, several war memorials and others.

The point in this stroll is to recognize that throughout the history of America, the idea of God and the appeal to God, has been expressed in the public square since the inception of our nation. It is only in extreme modern times, say the last 20 or 30 years, that this public expression of God has been squelched.

Some of us already know this and we are saddened by it. But I think this book does a service to those of us who know this truth in that it creates boldness to stand against the prevailing currents of our time.

One important section talks about the Jefferson letter often referred to as establishing the foundational idea of a wall of separation between church and state. At that same time there were church services being held in the capitol building with full approval of Jefferson. Obviously, what he meant by a separation of church and state, and what our modern ACLU and liberal cranks mean by separation of church and state are dramatically different.

So, I recommend this book to you to give you courage to be a Christian in the public square. Yes, if you are a Christian, you should be a Christian everywhere. But do not be afraid or intimidated into remaining silent about the One true God in public, in a school, while running for mayor, at your place of employment.

God is woven into the fabric of America. It is clear that as our modern civic unbelievers try to unravel that tapestry, America herself will come unraveled.

This would be a good book to read to your children as civics instruction.

Bed and Board

Robert Farrar Capon's, Bed and Board is a must read for all married couples or those individuals who will be. I will be adding this book to my list of required reads for engaged couples. The book is written well and is full of the experience and wisdom that Capon delivers in another great book of his, The Supper of the Lamb. Bed and Board was Capon's first book. It is a delightful walk through the wonder of God's revelation of Himself in a marriage, at the table, and even, perhaps especially, in the marriage bed.

A coherent theme throughout the book is the idea of coinherence. We might call this mutual indwelling. Essentially, it is the life of the Trinity revealed in humanity and the created world around us. Nowhere is this coinherence more easily recognizable than in the marriage union, from the mutual living space, to the shared ideals, to eating of the same food, to producing more mutually coinherent beings called children, to the glories of the marriage bed.

We should love all of these things, not simply as ends in themselves but because they all reveal the great glory of the great coinherence, God with us, in us and through us. They reveal the very nature of God Himself, which is the key to understanding how we must live before Him and with one another.

He has a great chapter on caring. It made me realize that I really don't care very much. Ouch! But true. It is wonderful to learn something like this about yourself while you still have time to do something about it.

Truly a life changing book.

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl-A review, sort of

Just finished reading Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson. Wow.

I am not sure what to say about the book, where to start, how to review.

Let's start with the bad news and we'll move on. The book is so good I am not sure that the cover design and the title give it justice. I am sure it will be reprinted often. I hope it gets a face lift. My opinion. I think the old adage, you can't judge a book by its cover, is fitting here.

Now the good news: The rest of the book is unbelievably good. Is it a philosophy book? Theology? Practical Christian living? For adults? Crazy people?

I heard a country song I sort of like. The refrain goes like this, "God is great. Beer is good. And people are crazy." Somehow, I think that would be a fitting review of Nate's book.

You just have to read this book. It's schooled me, got me an education I was lacking. Knowledge? Not so much that, although there are some really cool observations about the working of God's world. Wonder? Yes. Life. That, too. Hope.

The book is an apologetic but not like one you'd expect, so forget I wrote that. I guess the more I look at the cover, it makes me dizzy and the book did, too. Maybe the cover is not so bad afterall?

This book reminds me of Lewis, Tolkein, Chesterton, and Wodehouse but with a gospel hope for the future that all of them were incapable of.

Try swallowing all the reductios of your skeptic friends. Bitter? Nate swallows them with laughter. It's not a bad morsel. You should try it.

I'd say this was one of the best books I've ever read but you wouldn't believe me.

The book left me strangely emotional and still has that effect as I sit here and think about it. There is the sadness of the reality of the roughness of the world but it is mixed with the laughter of God's story. I think we can call that Christian joy.

The main effect the book had on me was to wake me up. I have been feeling a bit dreary and sleepy lately, sleepy about life. But this book has woken me up. Remember the Ents?

I think y'all should get this book and just wake up.

Woe is Me

I've been gone for awhile, both in body and mind. It takes two to tango.

I was put in my place today, again, as if I needed it. I saw an old woman, broken, probably by multiple strokes, pushing her cart past BB&T. I'd hate for her to see me write about her thus but she'll never see this blog anyway. To say she's an inspiration falls short. She does more than inspire. She shames. She humiliates. She scorns. She jests. She scoffs. She jokes and laughs lives.

I've been gone for awhile, in body and mind, because I've a body that doesn't mind.

She has a body that doesn't mind, either. It's way more broken than mine. Her arm doesn't work. Her legs barely do their duty. Part of her mouth looks like it has trouble with it's designed function. But she's there, shuffling along, shaming all the whole bodies, slightly broken. She is not complaining. She lives. I don't know her. Maybe she does complain. Maybe she'd like somebody to drive her somewhere. But she walks through my life, a constant reminder that things can always get worse and when they do, what do we do?, we live.

I know this sounds a bit twisted but I see it as grace. God is watching me and her. He smiles at one and shakes His head at the other. Guess which is which? But His head shaking is not disgust, at least I hope not because I am the recipient of the gesture. It's more like a father shaking his head at his son when he tries to his ride his big sister's bike but is too small and too stupid to get it done. He thinks he's big stuff but he's not even big stuff enough to be like his older, and still stupid, sister. The head shaking will end one day and smiles will follow.

Anyway, I did a bit of reading while I was away. Some good, some not so and giving my goneness in body and mind, not sure if I benefited much. But I do think that I am the better for it all. God as my witness.

I promise I'll try to live better.

Communion Meditation-Sabbath

Sabbath is rest. Christ is Sabbath.
Communion is Christ. Communion is Sabbath.

There are many ways to rest. And there are an equal and even multi-numerous ways to not rest. Of course, one way to rest is sleep. If you sleep and if your sleep is sweet, then sleep is a great picture of Sabbath. No worries. No troubles. At least until tomorrow morning. But some cannot sleep. And some, even if they do sleep, sleep in fits and starts with the worries of the world crashing upon them at each waking moment. That is not rest. That is not Sabbath.

So, how do we Sabbath when awake? How can we Sabbath on this day that seems almost as troublesome as every other day. We have to get up and get to church. We have to put on church clothes and church faces and attend in Sunday best with a fitting Sunday attitude. For some, that is exactly the opposite of rest. The day that ought to be the most restful, turns out to be a day of more frantic rushing about.

Well, it starts here at the Lord’s Table. You have been invited to eat with Jesus. Will you turn down such an invitation by Jesus? Will you not eat with the Lord who created heaven and earth? Will you not dine with the Spirit who hovered over the face of the waters in the beginning? Who would make excuses?

We have to work. We have trouble to deal with. We have kids to raise. We have a job that needs oversight.

Stop all that. Jesus has invited you to eat with Him. What could possibly be more important than that? Are you going to bag out on an invitation to eat food with God?

Stop. Change your priorities. Cancel all your engagements. Clear your brain. Say a prayer. Look around at the guests. You don’t have anything else to do. Just sit here and eat with Jesus. That is rest. That is Sabbath.

Exhortation-Sabbath Rest

Today is the Lord’s Day, Resurrection Day, the day of the Christian Sabbath. What does Sabbath mean to us? Sabbath was one of the central confrontational issues in the New Testament. Jesus was always causing problems on the Sabbath. Or, I should more accurately say that Jesus was pointing out problems on the Sabbath and problems about the Sabbath. Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Jesus fed His disciples on the Sabbath. Jesus walked through the fields and picked grain on the Sabbath. The establishment did not like this.

We need to learn how to rest. We need to learn Sabbath. Now, part of what I mean by this is abstaining from your busy desires on the Lord’s Day. You need to put aside your work, your busy emails, your striving and driving to get ahead in the world. Getting ahead on this day means putting your trust in the Lord. Do you do that?

But even if we don’t work to make money, or do our normal jobs, say of being a student and studying on the Lord’s Day, Sundays still require work. We have to get up and get ready for church. We often have guests over for food and we all know that good food and a fine table is a lot of work. We have all of these kids to take care of and that is work, too. So, where is our Sabbath, among all this hustle and hurry?

Well, that is the point, isn’t it? Stop a minute. Slow down. Take a breath. We should ask, not only, “How do I practice Sabbath, but Who is my Sabbath?” Jesus is Sabbath. Jesus is rest. You need to learn to rest in Jesus all the time. We should have entered a continuing Sabbath but that takes practice.

The Lord’s Day is a good day to practice Sabbath. Stop doing so much. That’s good. But also learn that in any doing that is left, and some of it is necessary, that the rest continues in Jesus.

Sabbath is about peace with God. Sabbath is about thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Sabbath is about forgiveness. Sabbath is about hope. Sabbath is about resurrection. It takes some planning and slowing down to see all of this but you can see this even in the work you do on the Lord’s Day. So, rest in Jesus today. Rest from your labors. Rest from your striving. Rest in God’s promises. Rest in Christ.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible

Luke 23:40-42 40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Of course, we have all read and remembered, to some degree, of the faith of the thief on the cross. We have expressly related this story to those who have little hope for their loved ones as they grow old or near death in sickness. We remind them that even at the last hour a vile sinner can repent and be saved. That's all true and amen.

But have you ever noticed the FAITH of the thief on the cross?! Think about it. Even after the resurrection and Jesus's appearance to some, the disciples on the road to Emmaus have a hard time believing. They say, 'but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." You see, they thought it WAS he. They HAD faith but the faith was gone. Becuase Jesus died, they no longer believed that Jesus would redeem Israel. Their faith died with Jesus on the cross.

How much more glorious the faith of the thief? He was dying on the cross with Jesus dying on the cross. What does he say? Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom!

For most (all?) of the other disciples, Jesus was loosing every opportunity at coming into His kingdom by dying on the cross. But for thief dying on the cross, Jesus was coming into His kingdom. He embraced Christ and thus, while dying, was made to live. What FAITH!

SABBATH Rest-The Rest of God

Just finished reading, The Rest of God-Restoring Your Soul by Restoring SABBATH, by Mark Buchanan. I am what you would call a Sabbatarian. That is, I believe the Lord's Day, Sunday, is the Christian Sabbath. Mark Buchanan believes this as well. However, this book is not a theological apologetic for the Lord's Day as Sabbath. It is much more practical and thus, theological, than that. The book is about resting in God, resting in the rest of God. He has a very balanced view. The book itself is restful and enjoyable. It is an invitation to slow down, to breathe, to notice the world that God has made and.....to rest.

These are good words for our time.

MRI

Ever tried reading an MRI? Have no idea what I am looking at, even after looking at instructional pics on the internet. I'll find out next week but looks like meniscus and maybe ACL tears. I'll need surgery as I cannot straighten my leg. Something is stuck in the joint. If you are over 40 and thinking of doing some big jumps, don't!

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible-Mark 5

Mark 5:5-9
5And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Who is worshipping?

I suppose I had always read this that the Gadarene was worshipping Jesus. He was, in fact, worshipping Jesus. It was his body. However, when Jesus speaks to him, the Gadarene is nowhere to be found. He is lost somewhere among a legion of demons. He is so lost that he is not even able to speak to Jesus. The demons who are in control of his body and his speech speak to Jesus.

Here's the part I never noticed. It is weird. The Gadarene was not worshipping Jesus. The demons were. This was a worship of obeisance but not of love. They were afraid of Jesus and so they gave Him homage. But these were not His willing subjects. They did not love the Lord.

Not sure what theological ramifications this has but it must have some. I'll have to think more about that. But suffice to say, demons can worship the Lord.

Just a Blog

Since my squirrel scribble I guess I'm in the mood to blog. I don't do straight blogging much and I fear it is somewhat of a disease that needs eradicating. But here goes.

I saw something else today that I am almost embarrassed to relate to you but it effected me so that I want to pass it on. Someone may need to examine my ID, because it is that sort of thing.

Have you heard of Susan Boyle? Try watching this and tell me if you get all choked up. You might think I am joking at first but keep watching. It really is amazing.

I nearly wept. Can't really say why, but there it is. Anybody else?

I'm 44 now and have the boldness to say I cried watching Britain's Got Talent. Who says I'm not sensitive, vulnerable and transparent? There you have it.

Davidbird and Goliath

The world is a strange place. It is more than strange, it is magical beyond our wildest imaginations. In fact, our imaginations are never so wild as reality is. Reality mocks our imaginations as too plain, too simple, too unimaginative. Take the giraffe, for instance.

Now, back to Goliath.

Never before had I thought of a grey squirrel as Goliath but today I did. It was only fleeting, barely noticed and if I hadn't been daydreaming, I might never have noticed, at all. But I saw a blackbird chasing a squirrel today and it struck me as quite preposterous. Little black David chased him down the trunk and out onto a limb, down to the ground and out into the road. I am sure the bird was hoping a truck would zoom by and throw one of five smooth stones at the squirrels head. It probably happened but my light turned green and I hurried away.

Easter Exhortation

There is hardly room for sadness on this day. We can hardly find in ourselves the need to repent for so great is our joy. Jesus is risen and sins are forgiven. But we can confess our unbelief. We can confess that we, like the disciples, cannot comprehend that the God of the universe, in the person, in the man, of Jesus, must suffer, die and rise again. But He has done so.

Let us take joy and in everything that we know, let us learn Christ, suffering, dying, rising, reigning. Let us learn the glories of Resurrection so that we take hope in each of our sufferings and deaths. The Christian life is about life but it is about life through death to life.

We confess that we are prone to death and dying, at times unable to see the glory of the dying bloom because we do not comprehend the seed of life that must spring from that death. But our Lord Jesus died with suffering, shame , sadness and despair. But this day, this day above all days, our hope is rekindled and death, despair, even suffering and sorrow, are mocked for all their supposed strength. For nothing is more powerful than Christ risen.

Book Recommend-What He Must Be

Just finished reading What He Must Be...if he wants to marry my daughter, by Voddie Braucham, Jr.

This is an excellent book. Braucham challenges much of the prevailing evangelical culture surrounding families and especially fathers. In our own circles, we are familiar with these arguments for male headship and for the father participating in his daughter's courtship. So, we are not much surprised by what we find here. However, it is refreshing to hear someone outside of our immediate CRECish circles saying the same things that we are saying.

Furthermore, Braucham is a Reformed Baptist and sounds very covenantal in his thinking. This, too, is refreshing. He has many quotes from Luther and Calvin. Can't go wrong there.

I highly recommend this book to fathers thinking about what to do with daughters, sons and suitors, as your children approach marriagable age. Actually, you need to read this book, even if your children are very small. You need to think very long term in the way you raise your children so that when they grow into teens your way of leading and teachng them towards courtship is the way it has always been. If you wait until they are teenagers and then try to go down this path, you will have a rebellion on your hands.

I would love to see a Douglas Wilson/Voddie Braucham, Jr. courtship and marriage conference.

Easter Poem

Not the dead Jesus but the living, we hold!
The Lord of glory this mystery told.
That those who believe would see greater things.
Jesus the victor, King of all Kings.

Death could not hold Jesus’s breath.
He died, He rose.
And dealt a death blow to death.

Jesus is risen! Hallelujah, Amen.
Jesus is risen, Sing praise unto Him.
Jesus is risen and sin is unseated.
Jesus is risen and death is defeated.

The Supper of the Lamb

I just finished Robert Capon's, The Supper of the Lamb, A Culinary Reflection. I gave it four stars of four, only because it would seem dishonest to give it four and one half or five of four. That doesn't quite make sense, does it?

This book is really superb. I think it is a necessary antidote to incessant wrigglings and wigglings about stuff. American Christianity needs a good dose, no a great wallop upside the head, about the goodness of things. Capon does that well.

Why do we have such guilty consciences about participating in all that God calls good? Food to the full, wine by the glassfuls and joy overflowing in the heart of man. If anything is from the devil, it is the insistance that our stuff is not really good after all. And then, we find that we like stuff so much, beautiful things and ugly things alike, that we have to trip over ourselves to make that which we think is not good, somehow good. We analyze, philosphize and symbolize until the good stuff is anything but itself, or good.

But God made it all and called it good. So ought we. Capon says it much better than I do, so I suggest that you go out and buy this book, and after that, some pots and pans, a bottle of wine, a probably a gallon of Sherry (does it come in gallons?), a good batch of cigars, and start to relish in this world that God has made. Until we learn that God's Earth is good, we will never learn what or where Heaven is.

Communion Meditation- Jesus Gives

Of course, the counter to stealing is giving. Thieves break in and steal but the Lord breaks the bread of His body and gives it to us. The Lord could have come to the earth and like other Kings taken us for Himself and used us up to advance His own glory. Instead, He gave Himself for us and gave us His glory in His Holy Spirit.

The nature of thievery is taking. The nature of godliness is giving. The Lord gave Himself for our sins. The Lord gave His Holy Spirit to us. The Lord gave us, who are the meek, the earth to inherit. The Lord gave us the waters of baptism, the bread of His body, the wine of His blood, the Holy Spirit to make it all alive with the fire of God. He gave us the promise of His covenant with us, to be our God and to claim us for His people. He gave us the Church. He gave us each other because it is not good for us to dwell alone. He gave us blessing upon blessing and promises of greater things to come, of eternal life, of perfect bodies, of victory over sin and death.

The Lord gives to us and we should learn to give to Him and to one another. That is what we do here as we break and eat the bread and wine, given for you.

Exhortation-Eighth Commandment

Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

There are many ways to steal things. My hope is that you Christians would not outright steal from anybody. You won’t steal money, or anything from a store, or some possession from your employer because you think you are underappreciated or under paid. You children will not take things that don’t belong to you, candy or toys. That is stealing. You should be extremely honest about other people’s property.

But we Christians sometimes steal in other ways that can lead to the destruction of our character and make a thief out of us in the long run. I am thinking of two specific areas where we steal time and money.

The first is the Lord’s Day. God requires that we spend one day in seven at His house in worship and attending to our own rest from our work and seeking after our own desires. We should set aside this day specifically for worship and for gathering with the saints and not pursuing things that keep us away from or distract us from these blessed and restful duties.

Another area where we steal is in tithing. The Lord’s portion is one tenth of our increase. If you do not give one tenth of your increase to the Lord then you are stealing from Him.

Since the Lord is the dispenser of all good gifts, it should not surprise you that if you steal from the Lord on the Lord’s Day in time or money, the tithe or your duty of rest and worship, it should not surprise you, if you are short of time and money.

Furthermore, I warn you that if you take light your duty to the Lord in these areas that you will bear the fruit of your behavior as other sins latch on to these two in your own life or in the lives of your family members.

Judas was a petty thief, pilfering from the money, box but in the end he was the monster that betrayed our Lord.

Communion Meditation- Fidelity

You shall be ever faithful. You shall give all fidelity to Christ and to His Church. As we come before the Lord each Lord’s Day, we affirm our commitment to Christ and renew our vows to Him. This is something akin to a married couple renewing their wedding vows. Or perhaps, on their yearly anniversary, remembering where they have come from and where they are going, together. Or even as they make a regular monthly or weekly date, affirming that they would date no other, seeking love nowhere else. And though I hesitate to say such things at church, this is like those sweet and tender things that lovers say to each other at the most intimate times.

It is in all of these places that love is remembered and rekindled, that prior commitments to one another are embraced and renewed, that the safety of the relationship is established, that jealousies and fears are abolished.

This meal is the meal of the faithful. God is faithful to us in Christ and through His Holy Spirit. We are faithful to Him, coming to Him by no other name except that great name of Jesus Christ, in whom all of our prior sins and prior infidelities are washed away. So, God receives us as faithful and makes us ever more faithful by washing us in the blood of Christ and the renewing and sanctifying work of His Holy Spirit.

Exhortation-Seventh Commandment

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

All through Scripture, spiritual unfaithfulness is called adultery and idolatry. The two are closely related. It is no wonder that when the hinges have come off of the church regarding basic Christian understandings of Scripture, proper worship and obedience to Christ in the fundamentals of the faith, that the doors of spiritual and physical protection also fall off. We seem to be in such times. The Church does not know the Word of God nor heed that which she knows. When the Church loses her first love, she goes after the second. That is idolatry. That is adultery. And when we speak of such so-called spiritual sins, we must understand that our spirituality always manifests itself in the flesh.

So, we must repent. We must turn to the Word of God. We must seek to walk in the power of the Spirit. We must worship God as if our lives and our marriages depended on it.

If your love grows cold; if your thoughts wander; if your first love waxes old, then you must examine your heart. Are you faithful to Christ? Do you love the Lord by doing what He says? Is your worship robust and sincere? Are you feeding on Christ in the Supper and growing in strength?

If we do this, then we can expect our love for our spouses to be consistent with our love for the Bridegroom of the Church. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her. Wives, reverence Your husband, and respect them, even as the Church is to submit to the Lord Jesus.

Do this and you will be faithful in thought, in word and in deed.

Communion Meditation- Brotherly Love

Thou shalt not kill. Anger with your brother has been the problem from the beginning. It started when Cain killed Abel. There was enmity between Isaac and Ishmael, between Jacob and Esau, between Joseph and his brothers, between Moses and Aaron and their sister, too. David had trouble with his brothers and Absolam murdered his own brother. Jesus, Himself, had envious brothers and the Apostles, brothers in the Lord, envied one another and were seeking the places of honor. Judas betrayed his brothers and by his betrayal killed his spiritual elder brother, the Lord of glory.

But we are here at the Lord’s table, gathered as the children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, friends of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus. There is no place for envy here. We do not seek to put ourselves above our brother Jesus, nor above His friends to our left and to our right. We esteem others higher than ourselves, seeking rather to wash their feet than to rise up above them. The old way of enmity between brothers has been killed and therefore, we shall not kill with word or deed, with tongue or thought. But we shall love and serve, for love covers a multitude of sins.

The old ways are gone and behold all things are new in Christ Jesus. We are set free to be one with our brothers and sisters. This is what we declare here in this meal.

Exhortation-Sixth Commandment

Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

We often tend to think that others commit egregious sins and our sins are small and therefore worthy of grace. But we do not earn grace by being the least of sinners. We receive unmerited grace because we are sinners in great need of that grace. No Christian should be a murderer. We know that murderers do not inherit the kingdom of God. And Jesus reminds us that the murdering mindset is in the heart of all that envy their brothers and harbor hatred in their hearts.

Mathew 5:21-24 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, RacaRaca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

We trust that none of you would be so angry and bitter as to actually kill another person. But remember that the anger and hatred that rages in the heart of the murderer began as a flickering flame in the bosom of an ordinary sinner. Do not feed that flame. Do not give yourself reason to stay angry. Do not hold grudges. Do not refuse forgiveness. Do not envy your brothers and sisters in Christ, comparing yourselves one to another. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.

But rather, bless those who curse you. Bless and curse not. Turn the other cheek. Just as you have been forgiven, so also forgive. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gifts to God.

Money Wisdom From Proverbs

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

I have titled these entries, Money Wisdom From Proverbs, but like all wisdom it is multi-faceted and applies in many areas of our lives. This one certainly does.

The sluggard wants and is never fulfilled. Part of this wanting is a desire for people and things to serve him. Because he is a sluggard, he thinks that the world exists to give him pleasure, to make him happy, to build his self-esteem, to cater to his every want. We live in a world that is intent on developing more sluggards. Because we have so much excess, even after the recent market declines, we are prone to getting anything we want, and also of giving anything they want to our children. This is a great mistake and will only produce people who are never satisfied.

However, there is another kind of man, the diligent man. He is one who works hard because he does not feel that he is owed a living. He makes a living and more. He works hard to provide for himself and those around him. Such a man is a good husband, a giving father, a neighbor indeed. This diligent man gives of himself and finds that the more he gives, the more he has to give. The sluggard, on the other hand, finds that the more he takes, the less he has to give.

To him who has shall more be given. To him who has not, even what he does have shall be taken from him.

And what of these men’s souls? The giver is fat, the taker is lean. And while it is good for our bodies to be lean, we really ought to have fat souls.

Communion Meditation-Trust in the Lord

We put our trust in the Lord. This is what we do when we come to Him in this meal. We are declaring our allegiance to Him and to His people. He welcomes us, having judged that we are worthy partakers of this meal. We are worthy through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Having said that we are worthy through Jesus, we should be reminded that we are indeed worthy. We do not come to this table as unworthy, vile sinners. We come to this table as cleansed, worthy, righteous saints.

This ought not to make us haughty, as if we deserved His favor. It should make us humble because we know that we have received the unmerited favor of God. But there it is, we are in the favor of God, through Christ and His Spirit. We are here, blessed and favored of God. He takes us for His own and we take Him for our own. He owns us and we own Him. He has not failed us. We are not disappointed but both pleased and blessed because we put our trust in the Lord.

Exhortation-Fifth Commandment

Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

This commandment has far reaching implications. I believe that sinning against God in this way is the fountainhead of a multitude of other sins. The sins of the entire second table of the law flow from the failure to honor father and mother.

If we honor our father and mother, then we will not kill, commit adultery, steal, perjure, or covet. Children, and you are all children, you need to do what your parents would have you do. Of course, that is not universal or absolute. Some of your parents might teach you to covet wealth or power or worldliness. But that is the exception in Christian homes, rather than the rule. Every godly Christian parent wants his children to be moral, godly and industrious. So, children, heed God and heed your parents. Or, shall I say, obey God by obeying your parents.

If you submit yourselves to your parents, and desire to please them with honor, you will also be honoring God and your neighbor. If you refuse to honor your parents, it will be impossible for you to honor God and therefore impossible for you to honor your neighbor. And I think it fits to simply replace love for the word honor here. You cannot love God without loving your parents. You cannot love your neighbor without loving God. You cannot love your neighbor without loving your parents.

For you adult children, this may look a little different. Giving honor may not mean strictly obeying them. You have now established your own households. It is okay that you go to a different church and believe some different doctrines and practices. But those doctrines and practices should be fully consistent with honoring your parents. So, do not use your different views as a means to dishonor them. If you think you have a deeper faith and better practices, then that faith and practice should produce more honor, not less. If you are unable to honor your parents, then your understanding of your faith and practice is dramatically misplaced. Confession and repentance are in order.

Communion Meditation-Sabbath Rest

We are told by the Lord to remember the Sabbath Day. It is not merely the day that the Lord wants us to remember. He wants us to remember Him in the day. He wants us to come to Him, stay a while, meditate on His goodness, remember what He has done for us, thank Him, seek His face, honor Him with gifts, receive the Word of God from Him, be absolved of our sins, rejoice in His grace and mercy, see His people, love them as we love Him, gather before Him honestly, humbly and boldly, partake of Christ to the fullest, eat the bread, drink the wine, be filled with His Holy Spirit, overflow with thanksgiving, resting in our Savior, Jesus.

This sets the stage for everything else that we do as God’s people. By serving Him in this way, we see that God is really serving us. This produces more humility, more joy, more love for God and His people. When we remember the Sabbath, God blesses us far beyond our expectations. Who would neglect so great a salvation? Who would neglect so great a blessing? Our God is good, let us remember Him and give Him thanks.

Exhortation-Fourth Commandment

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

It interesting that in the Ten Commandments there are only two strictly positive commands of things that we should do. Granted, all of the commands are about how we should love God and love our neighbor. But as they are given, only two are things we should do. The rest are things that we should not do.

It is also interesting to me that in the New Covenant era when we ought to be enabled to more fully do what God requires us to do and be able to more fully resist what God tells us not to do, the two most neglected commands are the ones that were positive commands in the Old Covenant, the fourth and fifth commandments.

We are told to Remember the Sabbath and to Honor our father and mother.

Today we are dealing with Remembering the Sabbath. Why do New Testament Christians readily sign up for 9 of the 10 commandments? What is this resistance to honoring the Lord’s Day as the Christian Sabbath?

In the New Covenant, we should desire to serve God more, not less. We should give Him all of our days because all of our days are His. So it should be no problem to set aside one whole day as a Sabbath of rest in the Lord Jesus. It is not just going to church, although that is a most important element. We should cease from our regular labors of making money and striving in the world. We should focus our minds heavenward so that the rest of our week can have the right focus, too. We should prepare ourselves to rest, which is work, and we should learn the glory of what rest in Christ is.

Until we learn to Remember the Lord’s Day as our Christian Sabbath, we should not expect to get along very far in our walk with Christ. This is not the end all of our faith in Christ but it is a basic principle in which all the rest of our growth in grace is strictly dependent.

Money Wisdom From Proverbs

Money Wisdom From Proverbs

Proverbs 12:11 11He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

This sentiment is uttered many times in the Proverbs, namely, that a diligent man will eat of his diligence. But there is more than that here. A man who sees that tilling and work and patience is God’s way of acquiring wealth, is the sort of man who will enjoy all of it. There is another kind of man that is prone to follow vanity. These men are not few nor far between. They are numerous and the crafty can always catch them. Multi-level organizations recruit thousands of people void of understanding that believe the lie that if they work 10 hours a week for a few years, they will never have to work hard again. Of course, vain persons are recruiting them and the recruitees become vain persons as the promised dollar signs begin to cloud their eyes.

Here is the funny catch. The man who tills his land, and works hard, getting a small and stable return for his efforts is the one who is satisfied with food. It is the fool, constantly seeking the ease of wealth easily, that is without understanding and without bread.

Why is it that those who are always trying to recruit you to do Amway (by any other name) are driving a beat up old K-Car, and the farmer (by any other name tilling and toiling away steadily year after year is driving a new Ford-150?

Those who seek to secure wealth quickly rarely do. And those who seek to secure their bread in the Fall by working hard in the Spring often find an enormous harvest, 30, 60 and 100 fold.

Not 18 Anymore

Okay, went skiing and was dramatically reminded that I am not 18 years old. The jumps were tempting me. So, I made a run, nice and slow, got a bit of air, like three feet dude! Then another run on the jumps and catching some real air. Went for a nice big spread eagle and hit it fine. Then, a little dipsy doodle, don't konw what it is called, drop the skis down a bit and back up and hit the landing. Then, I was feeling plucky and a bit crazed. Perhaps it was the sun, or the 65 degree temperatures. Oh, I know, it was all those young bucks going over the same jumps and only catching half the air. I was older but able to outdo them. I know, I know.

So, the next run I try a half daffy, one ski up, one ski back, lots of air and hit it solid. Now I'm flying over the jump, really, not sure how far or high but plenty of time to do simple tricks. Getting enough air to do a back flip but I was always afraid to do that. So, the next time down, and it really was my LAST time down for the day. Well, I had even planned it to be my last time down, even if it hadn't turned out the way it did.

So, on my last run on the last jump, I figured I'd get the most air and do a fairly easy trick. Swing the skis off to one side, the right, and back again for a landing, ski down to the lift, call it day and head down to the golf course for a few holes before heading home.

So, lots of speed, up the jump, and, whoosh, way higher than I expected, and zipped out of balance, skis to the right and "Woohoo!!", I whooped as I was very surprised and thinking things were not right.Down I came with skis still right, not perpendicular, that would have been worse, but about a 45 degree angle, which was bad enough. I had just made fun of a snowboarder attempting a 180, that only did a 90. 90's don't work to well. Guess what? 45's don't either.

Down I came with skis at 45 degrees, left knee buckled and I heard? felt? a lot of yucky sounding crunching noises. I yelled in pain for about 30 seconds and lay in the snow like an old dog too tired to rise to say hello. I figured it was pretty bad. My first thought was that my leg snapped, broken. Then, when the pain subsided a bit, I was thinking torn ligaments. My daughter skiied down to the lift, called the ski patrol and they carted me off the mountain. Oh, and did I mention that the jump was right below the ski lift? Humiliation! Pride goeth before a fall.

I was thinking, very expensive ski trip. As it turns out, may not be too bad. Went to the doc, x-rays, nothing broken. He stress tets the knee, thinks ligaments are intact. Bad sprain, knee imobilizer, pain pills, and ice. Oh, and slightly separated left shoulder. Right knee tweaked, right shoulder tweaked and left elbow bruised. Wondering what other ailments I'll feel today.