First of all - found this in the school newsletter!!!!!
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"What phrases do you use in consolation? Imagine that you have some bad news to tell:
My credit cards have been stolen, they’ve cleared out my bank account… How do you finish that sentence?
…still, worse things happen at sea
… serves me right for being so careless
… I suppose I’m just cursed
… oh well, mustn’t grumble
… I guess I should count my blessings
… but people in Africa are starving
… at least I have my health
… such is life
Whatever we tack onto the end of our stories of suffering gives a little window onto our theology of suffering. Yet none of the lines above are a Christian response to suffering.
Recently, though, I heard a wonderful line. It came from a woman suffering from terminal cancer. How would you finish a sentence that begins “I have 6 months to live”? She said, “…Still, nothing a resurrection won’t fix.” Now that’s Christian consolation ... "
(The King's English)
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The weekly installment of 20 grace tweets from Scotty Smith:
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’re aware of the racist that lives in you, not just in the Bubbas & rednecks near you.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You waste less food & time, and your committed giving is becoming cheerful giving.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You think about fixing people less and loving them more.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your family and friends can relax around you more than they did last year.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’ve given up trying to be the 4th member of the Trinity.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You will do everything you can NOT to do unnecessary damage to a person’s reputation.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Prayer walks are yielding as much satisfaction as shopping sprees, maybe more.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You enjoy, but you don’t flaunt Christian liberty. Act like you been there before.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t violate confidences. You can be trusted with the brokenness of others.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Lent is not a season for navel-gazing introspection but cross-surveying celebration.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t do penance to impress Jesus; you do repentant faith which unites you to Jesus.
A sign you’re growing in grace: What you are behind the steering wheel is a demonstration of the power of the gospel.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your identity is MORE tied to who you are in Christ than to your Myers-Briggs profile.
A sign you’re growing in grace: People are rarely offended by how tied you are to your cell phone or laptop.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your use of caller ID reflects your commitment to love well, not simply avoid people.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You take way less time getting dressed each morn & the main thing you put on is Christ.
A sign you’re growing in grace: The time lapse between the Spirit’s convicting and your repenting is much shorter.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t have to form an opinion about everything, nor a need to always share yours.
A sign you’re growing in grace: The word “godliness” makes you think about what Jesus has done for you, not vice versa.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’re learning to repay good for evil without being self-righteous or pious about it.
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Not for me, not for me
In darkened sky, in stormy day
the clouds like night did pass my way
and rolling waves like armies strong
my small ship, it towed along.
It threat’ned to drag me beneath
and plunge my soul in bitt’rest grief
till to the Lord I cried in tears,
“Didst Thou unshackle my worst of fears:
to no longer close Thy Spirit know,
to feel my God had let me go?”
Holding my heart in pieces broke
and shattered prayers for peace and hope,
I cried to God amid the storm,
“Will Thou now judge this wicked worm?
For I know my own sin all too well
I know that I am fit for hell.”
And then a voice in the crashing thunder
declared, to rip the earth asunder
“O foolish child, did you not know?
Did you not see, were you not told?
This storm for you is not my wrath
and yet you crossed into its path
for on Calvary, in My True Son -
in My Servant, Christ, My will was done.
He took the burden of your sin
your every debt was charged to Him.
And I have given you this sign:
the tree of wood - the Cross I designed
to help you know in every trial
that though you bear a little while
this light, momentary, passing grief,
in the storm you may find relief.
Because Jesus bore My wrath in full
this angry storm is not for you,
who in His name are counted just
if in Christ you did fully trust.
Why then doubt My love for you
though stormy weather life takes you through
remember this, that since Christ bore
all wrath for sin, there is no more.
So suffer now and soon then, see
the eternal weight of heav’n’s glory -
a perfect clime, a gentler place
a home divine in every grace.
In earth made new where fears are stilled
and Death itself will there be killed.
Rest in the vessel I did provide,
rest in the wind and rain of mine
rest in the fellowship upon thy boat
rest in the words that I have spoke.”
And then with rain upon my face
I raised my voice and praised His grace
and in the howling storm I sang,
and singing loud, I sang again:
“Not for me, not for me -
Hallelujah!
God’s holy wrath is not for me!”
~More than watchman wait for the morning
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hehehe ... :) My thoughts exactly!………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(GirlTalk)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Though I've sent it to some of you before ... God smiling @ me while I stressed over the english exam. Can you see the smiley face??
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“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.” ~ Tim Keller
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“The Old Testament is a foreign book, they do things differently there. Burning bushes and staffs that turn into snakes, arks and animals and a menagerie afloat. Dead animals and bullocks, rams and thickets, slavery in Egypt, bronze serpents, man and mourning. Pillars of fire, columns of smoke, a convoluted history of conquests and kings, intrigue, adultery, murder, incest, and frankly, a preoccupation with bodily fluids. Bears who eat boys, boys who kill giants, prophets who taunt idolaters, prophets who throw fits, prophets who sit by gates and weep. Poetry that reads like praise, and poetry that reads like existentialist philosophy, Persian writing on walls, foreign kings who roam like beasts and a prostitute who hides spies. Spies who lose heart, women who summon courage, donkeys that talk, and a strong man who commits suicide. Stuttering leaders, naked patriarchs and majestic praise. Predictive prophecy, lamentation, law, statute, and ordinance, in all of its glory. And all of it revealing Christ, every bit of it. They do things differently there and that’s the point isn’t it? All these things anticipate Christ. All these things point to Christ. All rightly making us yearn for Christ. They should all make us recognize the Christ. “These are they that testify of Me.”
Albert Mohler at The Gospel Coalition 2011, on the foreignness of the Old Testament, “they do things differently there”. (Sermon: Studying the Scriptures and Finding Jesus)
Lol. But true. Imagine if ... well any of the stories happened today. What would the world's reaction be? Better yet, what would our reaction be? Life would be amazing, but also very quickly overwhelming if we followed a pillar of smoke and fire ... it's an interesting thought.
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Since the Fall
I don’t want to see any more broken hearts. Hearts were meant for loving.
I don’t want to see any more natural disasters that rob lives. The earth was meant for flourishing and fruit-bearing for human blessing.
I don’t want to see any more unfulfilled dreams and crushed hopes. Dreams and hopes were meant to point us to God.
I don’t want to see any more lonely people in this very crowded world. People were meant for community and love.
I don’t want to see any more people spiritually dead to the Word. Revelation and salvation were meant for glory.
I don’t want to see any more crying. Eyes were meant for seeing.
I don’t want to see any more disappointed lives, locked in cycles of endless wondering, “what if”. Life was meant for worship.
I don’t want to see any more degenerative diseases in bodies. The body was meant for a dwelling.
I don’t want to see any more sick young people. Youth was meant for delight.
I don’t want to see any more conflict in families. Families were meant for blessing.
I don’t want to see second guessing, doubts, exhausting questions and unfulfilled expectations, or the aborted hopes and aspirations abandoned simply out of fear. Love was meant as a gift.
I don’t want to see any more fear. Fear was meant for reverence.
I don’t want to see any more people tired and burdened with work, with chores. Work was meant for stewardship.
I don’t want to see unresponsive love. Love was meant for reciprocity.
I don’t want to see men struggling with lust and with purity. Sex was meant for marriage.
I don’t want to see any more struggles for meaning. Meaning was meant for truth.
I don’t want to see any more people with the ‘chip’ on the shoulder, the insecure, something-to-prove angst that lurks beneath angry, bitter people.
I don’t want to to see any more of the curse.
...
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:3-4 ESV)
~ more than watchmen wait for the morning
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Between arrival and anticipation - I can relate to this.
Will I know it has arrived
When it does?
Was I dead to it
Until it came
Which would explain why I started thinking about it
But not before I knew it had come.
If it’s not arrived
Will I still bother when I thought it came?
Or has it not come yet -
Which just means I’m not bothering
If it isn’t here yet.
So perhaps it was better
When I was unbothered and dead to it
Since it has not yet come
Or came.
~ more than watchmen wait for the morning
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The Misunderstood Pascal's Wager ~ Hmm ... interesting. I'm familiar with Pascal's wager but unfamiliar with any other interpretation. Thoughts anyone??
(from Unconfusing by denise)
At New Word Alive, we were fortunate enough to attend a few seminars by Carl Trueman from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. One of the seminars was about Blaise Pascal and his writings about God; in particular, how he wrote about the tendency of people to distract themselves from the deeper questions of life and death with trivial entertainment.
He also talked about Pascal's wager, and how it is commonly misunderstood as an argument for faith in God because the consequences of not believing in God, in the event of God's existence, are too great.
However, to interpret Pascal's writings in such a way, Trueman argued, would firstly assert that Pascal was rather unfamiliar with Paul's writings in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ was not raised from the dead, we are to be pitied above all men. Secondly, it was simply inconsistent with the rest of Pascal's writings. Rather, Trueman suggests that Pascal was revealing the moral underpinnings of mankind's disbelief in God.
Pascal notes that human beings normally make decisions rationally, playing the percentage game in life, making decisions according to which choice is most likely to yield the best result. Yet, in the area of religion, people often choose not to believe in God—despite the consequences in the event that God exists and that God chooses to punish unbelief with eternal death. Pascal thus suggests that the reason for unbelief is not a rational one but a moral one.
Pascal's wager is not a call to 'play it safe' by believing in God and using him as fire insurance. It is an apologetic that demonstrates mankind's opposition to God as moral and not purely rational.
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You Are Our Hope ~I like the lyrics ... be more powerful with the melody though I think...
Sovereign Grace
Comfort for weary sinners
Strength for the struggling saint
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave
Peace when the waves are pounding
When voices of hope sound faint
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave
How can grief remain when our Savior reigns?
You are our hope You are our joy
You are our overcoming King
So we sing “Hallelujah, Jesus is alive!”
Risen from death ascended on high
Glorious by the Father’s side
So we sing “Hallelujah, Jesus is alive!”
Power to fight temptation
The world and the devil’s lies
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave
Purpose in all our suffering
And joy that will never die
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave
How can grief remain when our Savior reigns
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A disturbing event
from Of First Importance
“There is an element in the Gospel narratives that stresses that the coming of Jesus is a disturbing event of the deepest proportions. It had to be thus, for He did not come merely to add something extra to life, but to deal with our spiritual insolvency and the debt of our sin. He was not conceived in the womb of Mary for those who have done their best, but for those who know that their best is ‘like filthy rags’ (Isa. 64:6) — far from good enough — and that in their flesh there dwells no good thing (Rom. 7:18). He was not sent to be the source of good experiences, but to suffer the pangs of hell in order to be our Savior.”
— Sinclair B. Ferguson
In Christ Alone
(Orlando, Fl.: Reformation Trust, 2007), 17
Different Perspective ... but though it may be 'disturbing' I know that my need for the cross would make me incredibly uncomfortable in phrasing it this way.
Somehow depicting one of the most important events in our human history as a 'disturbing' event as doesn't sit comfortable with me.
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“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”2 Corinthians 12:10
http://theresurgence.com/2011/04/11/finding-strength-in-your-weakness
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(unconfusing)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11 Ways to Find Your Idols
from The Resurgence by Mike Anderson
Find your idols
Idols are sneaky. They tip toe past our brains, set up shop in a corner of our heart, and begin to grow. Most of the time we don’t even notice because we’ve fallen in love with the idol—it’s become part of what drives us and makes us (momentarily) happy.
Recently Jared Wilson blogged about 11 diagnostic questions that David Powlison asks to find people’s idols. I just sent everyone in my community group this list of questions because I want to help build a culture of asking deep heart level questions, applying the Gospel to life, and seeking Christ together.
Here are the questions:
1. What do I worry about most?
2. What, if I failed or lost it, would cause me to feel that I did not even want to live?
3. What do I use to comfort myself when things go bad or get difficult?
4. What do I do to cope? What are my release valves? What do I do to feel better?
5. What preoccupies me? What do I daydream about?
6. What makes me feel the most self-worth? Of what am I the proudest? For what do I want to be known?
7. What do I lead with in conversations?
8. Early on what do I want to make sure that people know about me?
9. What prayer, unanswered, would make me seriously think about turning away from God?
10. What do I really want and expect out of life? What would really make me happy?
11. What is my hope for the future?
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“The lessons of the cross are ones we never outgrow, for the further we go the deeper we get.”
— Rebecca Pippert
Hope Has Its Reasons
(New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1989), 159
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“God redeemed us in his Son so that he might love us and delight in us even as he loves and delights in his eternal Son. Adoption is God’s act of making room within his triune love for prodigals who are without hope, and providing them with homes in this world and the world to come.”
— Dan Cruver
Reclaiming Adoption
(Adelphi, Md.: Cruciform Press, 2011), 14
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“What I say I believe and know about Jesus is only meaningful when I put it into action through service.”
— Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp
Change and Your Relationships: A Mess Worth Making
(Greensboro, NC.: New Growth Press, 2009), 95
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“The fight is not the oppressive struggle to earn God’s final rest, but the satisfying struggle to rest in the peace that Jesus freely gives.…Don’t think of striving to get his favor. Think of striving with the favor of his help.”
— John Piper
What Jesus Demands of the World
(Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2006), 184-185
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“Preaching the gospel to ourselves every day addresses both the self-righteous Pharisee and the guilt-laden sinner that dwell in our hearts. Since the gospel is only for sinners, preaching it to ourselves every day reminds us that we are indeed sinners in need of God’s grace. It causes us to say to God, in the words of an old hymn, ‘Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.’”
— Jerry Bridges
The Disciple of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness
(Colorado Springs, Co.: NavPress, 1994), 26
:D
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“True Christians shall never perish. Kings of the earth and mighty men shall depart and be no more seen; thrones and dominions and principalities, rich men and honorable men shall be swept into the tomb—but the humblest Christian cottager shall never see death everlasting, and when the heavens shall pass away as a scroll, and earth shall be burned up, that man shall be found to have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
That man may be poor in this world and lightly esteemed—but I see in him one who shall be a glorious saint, when those who perchance had more of this life’s good things shall be in torment; I am confident that nothing shall ever separate him from the love of Christ. He may have his doubts—but I know he is provided for, he shall never be lost.”
— J.C. Ryle
"The Privileges of the True Christian"
What do we have to do to become a 'true christian'? I suppose try to find the 'true Christ' ... :)
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When people get letters in the post they're often addressed by their proper title: Mr. or Mrs., or even Dr. or Prof and sometimes Reverend. And that's how most people identify themselves today. In Bible times however, people identified themselves by occupation: Jesus the carpenter, Nehemiah the cupbearer, Zaccheus the tax-collector, Bob the Builder, etc.
Who was Psalm 18 written by? "David, the servant of the Lord." David, who had been anointed as king, still referred to himself firstly as a servant of the Lord! Just like another king who would come hundreds of years later, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
What a challenge for us who follow Christ. I'm not firstly a student, but a servant. That's the title I'm honoured with everyday ...
By Unconfusing
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Men [and women] of Prayer Needed
from Unconfusing by denise
Study universal holiness of life. Your whole usefulness depends on this, for your sermons last but an hour or two; your life preaches all the week. If Satan can only make a covetous minister a lover of praise, of pleasure, of good eating, he has ruined your ministry. Give yourself to prayer, and get your texts, your thoughts, your words from God. Luther spent his best three hours in prayer.
Robert Murray M'Cheyne
There's a challenge, to spend three hours a day in prayer. For me to do more than half-an-hour at the end of the day is hard enough, let alone three!
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Luther and Feminism
from Unconfusing by denise
So there's a lot of debate in the literature as to whether Luther was a feminist, or as is more fashionable to say now, quite the anti-feminist.
My tutor, who is a prof and an expert on the Reformation, summed it all up very neatly:
"Luther wasn't anti-women, he was anti-human!"
I thought that was quite true, haha. Luther is anti-human, because he knows our only hope is Christ.
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Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" ~ Ruth 2:10
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA&feature=player_embedded
Inspiring. How simple can reversing something be ...
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Beautiful people ...
The sum of the whole therefore is this.—That our beauty does not consist in our own virtues, nor even in the gifts which we have received from God, by which we put forth virtues and do all those things which pertain unto the life of the law. But in this:—our apprehending Christ and believing in him. Then it is that we are truly beautiful: and it is this beauty alone that Christ looks upon, and upon no other.
Among men, indeed, and in the courts of great men, such things are beautiful; but in the courts of God, we must be arrayed in another beauty! There, the one and only beauty is, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ! He it is that blots out all our blemishes and wrinkles, and makes us acceptable unto God. This faith is a thing omnipotent, a beauty the most fair; besides which, there is no beauty. For out of, and without Christ, we are damned and lost, together with all that we have and all that we are!
Luther
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Unconfusing's comment on feminism (and she's a gal too :)
'So I don't agree with [Daphne Hampson's (not a Christian] diagnosis and prescribed treatment for the above-mentioned problems, [lack of a sense of self-worth, leading to depression, anorexia, or suicidal tendencies] but I think she's got it right that the two methods (the gospel vs. feminism) are diametrically opposed. This world keeps telling us to claim our rights. Christ tells us to give up our rights, for we had none to begin with, only gifts from God for our stewardship. Christianity that focuses on empowering the self—cannot be Christianity at all—at least not the Christianity that Jesus described."
(emphasis added - I think)
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369216/Japan-nuclear-crisis-Fukushima-Fifty-pictures-inside-nuclear-power-plant.html
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Um ... I'm not really sure what to say beyond these guys are amazing. I think i'll just end it here. Keep them in your prayers you guys. I know I will.
It's kind of sad, but I need to admit that I had completely forgotten about Japan. It's only been a few months, I remember exactly where I was when I found out, but since then I suppose the memories quickly fade into the background. I suppose all that I really can do is pray now.
† for God so loved the world that he would have enough patience to use me. :)
