Sunday's Song #10

Shabath #9

Then a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of advice and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. He will gladly bear the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear. He will judge the poor justly. He will make fair decisions for the humble people on earth. He will strike the earth with a rod from his mouth. He will kill the wicked with the breath from his lips. Justice will be the belt around his waist. Faithfulness will be the belt around his hips. Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves, young lions, and year-old lambs will be together, and little children will lead them. Cows and bears will eat together. Their young will lie down together. Lions will eat straw like oxen. Infants will play near cobras' holes. Toddlers will put their hands into vipers' nests. They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain. The world will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD like water covering the sea. At that time the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the people to gather around. The nations will come to him. His resting place will be glorious.
--- Isaiah

Hunger and Thirst Day #9

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
Go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
And His faithfulness continues to each generation.

--- Psalms, 100

Wednesday's Wonder #9

Tuesday with Jesus #9

Reinhold reminds us [with great thanks to Dallas Willard]:

Becoming "Christians" in order to get to heaven without becoming Disciples can be really dangerous - who says that Heaven is a kind of transcendent "nice, air-conditioned luxury hotel with unlimited room service and spectacular amenities for eternity"?

If God is a consuming Fire, Heaven could be hotter than hell; how can anyone survive Heaven, if he / she has not been a disciple here - which means a learner how to live in the Kingdom-among-us-now ?

How happy would some fearful, bitter, lust-ridden or hate-filled "Christians" be if they would be forced to live forever in the unrestrained fullness of the reality of God, not protected by the merciful time-space continuum we live in now?

"There is a widespread notion that just passing through death transforms human character", writes Willard (The Divine Conspiracy, p.331). "Discipleship is not needed. Just believe enough to "just make it".... But what if death only forever fixes us as the kind of person we are at death? What would one do in heaven with a debauched character or a hate-filled heart?"

The fires in Heaven may be hotter than those in the other place.

Wow - and again: that's why we are told to make disciples and not "Christians".

Monday's Madness #9

Am I the only one who finds this plot line madness? From the ABC website for the recaps of the show's episodes:
"interns practicing insert[ing] IVs on each other;"
"craves 'flowing blood.';"
"she spies mysterious scratches on Lexie's arm, Cristina suspects that she's a secret 'cutter,' not realizing that the cuts come from Lexie practicing techniques with the other interns."
"[Sadie] takes off her shirt, and cuts herself on the shoulder;"
"Cristina discovers the underground intern surgery ring and orders them to shut it down. 'Do not practice on yourself,' she says. 'That is insane.'" [DUH!!!!]
"Sadie joins the interns, who've just given Cristina's 'Number Two' intern an epidural. 'I'm impressed. Deth was so wrong about you,' she tells Lexie, adding, 'She thinks your a priss.' Stung by the criticism, Lexie suggests that they take out the sedated intern's appendix. Sadie says they can 'be in and out of an O.R. before anyone notices.' The intern objects to being operated on, so Sadie volunteers.
"Lexie has second thoughts as she's about to make the first incision on Sadie. ... [sooooooo,] Sadie, who's under a local anesthetic, makes the first incision herself."
"This is the one thing in the last few months that wasn't about getting you to notice me."

And the resulting consequences?

1. "everyone here is on probation"
2. "sneeze, and you're done"
3. loss of respect

OK, I'm sorry but I just don't find those compelling consequences at all. What has happened is a bunch of highly educated [they're supposed to be doctors] characters have elevated CUTTING and other forms of self injury to a legitimate means of seeking knowledge. Gee. maybe read 1 Kings 18 and see how effective "cutting for a higher purpose" is.

Cutting is a serious issue in the lives of many young people -- young women especially. It must not be elevated in any way and given any sort of legitimacy. "Cutting for knowledge," as the characters in Grey's Anatomy were doing, is still a sign of serious issues. The 'Sadie' character, who cut herself deeply twice, should become recognized for much deeper wounds that contribute to her cutting. The writers ought to treat this very seriously and take the opportunity to address cutting seriously and appropriately in future episodes.

If they don't, we must still recognize such problems when they raise their problematic heads and raise our voices and pens and wallets against any justification of such things.

Sunday's Song #9

When I wander through the desert
And I'm longing for my home
All my dreams have gone astray
When I'm stranded in the valley
And I'm tired and all alone
It seams like I've lost my way


I go running to your mountain
Where you mercy sets me free


You are my strong tower
A shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I see


In the middle of my darkness
In the midst of all my fear
You're refuge and my hope
When the storm of life is raging
And the thunders all I hear
You speak softly to my soul


Now I'm running to your mountain
Where you mercy sets me free


You are my strong tower
A shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I see
And Your face is all I see
Yeah... Your face is all I see


I go running to your mountain
Where you mercy sets me free

You are my strong tower
A shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting king
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
(Your name is true and holy)
You are my strong tower
A shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting king
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And your face is all I see

Shabath #8

"The death of Jesus of Nazareth as the king of the Jews, the bearer of Israel’s destiny, the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people of old, is either the most stupid, senseless waste and misunderstanding the world has ever seen, or it is the fulcrum around which world history turns. Christianity is based on the belief that it was and is the latter."

-- (N.T. Wright, Simply Christian (San Francisco, CA: Harper San Francisco, 2006), p.111.)

Hunger and Thirst Day #8

Are you one of these?

"The people in my church, for the most part, are perfectly ordinary Americans like you and me. They believe in the simple old-fashioned traditions—Christmas, Easter, the slow and deliberate takeover of more and more county school boards to get the political power necessary to ban evolution from textbooks statewide. That sort of thing.

We oppose gay marriage as an abomination against the laws of God and America, we're against gun control, and we fervently and unwaveringly believe that the Jews, Muslims, and all on earth who are not born-again Pentecostalists are possessed by Satan and should be treated as such.

When it comes down to it, all we want is to see every single member of the human race convert to our religion or else be condemned by a jealous and wrathful God to suffer an eternity of agony and torture in the Lake of Fire!"

You have been warned. Resistance -- ha!!!!! futile!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, that's from The Onion.

Wednesday's Wonder #8 - Anniversary Wonder

[actually, now it's been 11 score and 12 years since 1776 and 7 score and 5 years since these words were first spoken, but they are still appropriate today:]

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

--- Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863, on the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Tuesday with Jesus #8

Michael Spencer asks, "Do you trust the abbreviated Jesus?" And he goes on:

I’m getting the feeling that we’re talking about a kind of “mini-Jesus.” A diluted, declawed, demoted savior who is a symbolic representation for a kind of anemic, watered-down, unBiblical, culturally acceptable Jesus.

I get the feeling that if you move beyond the standard biographical paragraph, you’re going to discover that the Jesus you’re hearing about has considerably less to say than Jesus as we meet him in the Gospels.

You’re going to discover that he has little or nothing to do with most of the Bible, especially the Old Testament and the more demanding parts of the new.

You’re going to discover that there’s a remarkable resemblance between the abbreviated Jesus and the current version of political correctness. (Isn’t it unusual how Jesus takes an interest in whatever happens to be the current rage on CNNMSNBCCBSSUSATODAY?

I’m not sure this abbreviated Jesus believes in hell.He seems considerably more flexible on sexual matters than one would believe reading the Bible.Living together before marriage? The abbreviated Jesus seems to have not issued a statement on that one.

I actually think the abbreviated Jesus doesn’t like to be bothered with issues of morality, character or behavior. He’s mostly interested in larger political and cultural issues, or your experience at your local church, or how you’re doing in your relationships.

...

The abbreviated Jesus can convincingly seem like the real Jesus, until you look and listen closely. Then it appears that he’s lost his laptop, his luggage and his cell phone. So for right now, he’s reading it all off the teleprompter.The abbreviated Jesus doesn’t vary much from the script.

In fact- and this is what really got my attention- the abbreviated Jesus would only get crucified if there were some terrible mix-up.

The abbreviated Jesus is Jesus without the Biblical context, Jesus without church history, Jesus without Jesus theology, Jesus without costly discipleship, Jesus without offensive teaching or mysterious parables. The abbreviated Jesus is so easily explained, so comprehensible and user-friendly that anyone can follow him, even without instructions.

In millions of cases, the abbreviated Jesus is Jesus without the church. He’s Jesus who lets you pick your friends, pick your community and pick your comfortable seat. He’s OK with whatever your plans are for the weekend. He’s not making demands on your time. (He’s a major spokesperson for unplugging the fourth commandment.) He’s not making any demands on your money that don’t follow your emotions.

...

Aside from abortion and gay marriage, the abbreviated Jesus is pretty happy in America. There’s so much for his friends to do and enjoy!

At this point Michael says, "I don't trust the abbreviated Jesus."

And I don't either.

If you say you are following Jesus and it's NOT costing you YOUR life, better take a closer look and who - or WHAT - you are following.

The path that Jesus trod led to death on a cross BEFORE the reusrrection.

Monday's Madness #8

Thanks to The Onion for this cogent assessment of the country's financial situation.


In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Sunday's Song #8

CONTRADICTIONS ABOUND!!!!!!!!!!

Numbers 13 and 12 on the current CMT chart. Could there be two more opposite notions?

#13



#12

Shabath #7

On the Journey Towards Claiming the Sabbath
written by DOUG WIEBE
Like many other overanxious first-time parents, I used to go into my son's room at night to make sure he was still breathing. Now I go in because I know he's resting. I want (and need) to welcome him into my life not only when he's awake and busy but also when he's asleep.

Perhaps the way a child sleeps after a day full of discovery is similar to the way God rested after he finished creating the world. Perhaps the love, gratitude and awe we feel when we watch our sleeping children is similar to the way God wants us to be aware of his presence during our times of quiet.

Imagine that the hours of our Sabbath day of rest are no longer numbers on a clock but pillars supporting a beautiful temple. Sleeping in perfect peace in the centre of this temple is the Creator of the universe. Our Sabbath invitation is to enter into this "temple of time" and to simply rest with God, who on this day has nothing but time.

I don't know the details of how this happens for any one of us. What I do know is that there was a marked contrast between my experience of my son during the work of toilet training and my experience of him when I watched him sleeping in my arms or in his crib. I need both experiences, and so does my son. The same goes for our relationship with God. May God continue to show us how to enter into the Sabbath temple of time to learn more and more how to rest with, and in, God.

Hunger and Thirst Day #7

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." ...
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
--- Exodus

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
--- Deuteronomy

Wednesday's Wonder #7

Tuesday with Jesus #7 -- Veterans' Day 2008

Let them in, Peter
For they are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun
Not war-times bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die

You know God knows how young they were
To have to die

Give them things they like
Let them make some noise
Give dance hall bands not golden harps
To these our boys
Let them love Peter
For they've had no time
They should have bird songs and trees
And hills to climb
The taste of summer
And a ripened pear
And girls as sweet as meadow wind
And flowing hair
And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be all right
With us down here

Let them in, Peter
For they are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun
Not war-times bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die

You know God knows how young they were
To have to die

And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be all right
With us down here

It's gonna be all right
With us down here

Monday's Madness #7

Jared, over at Gospel Driven Church, has this to contribute to help us see the madness and, MAYBE, do something to increase sanity, to wit: [note: Jared's link to Ed Stetzer's observation is critical to his thought]

"I must confess that I think churches talk more than they help. They brand themselves as caring for their communities through catchy slogans, yet they seem to talk more than they act. It kind of reminds me of that Brady Bunch episode in which Peter rescues a little girl from a falling shelf in Driscoll's Toy Store. The newspaper wrote about it and the TV station came out. And, you guessed it, the middle Brady son became obsessed with telling his heroic tale and couldn't stop talking about himself to his friends and family. It's no wonder no one wanted to be around the "hero." Self-congratulation is obnoxious and tiring. Likewise, I believe the world is growing tired of churches that occasionally helped the poor, took up an offering, or went on a mission trip and can't stop talking about those occasional experiences. People today find it odd that the Church founded by a Savior who came healing the sick and caring for the poor is now only marginally involved in His mission."

Also check out Jared's comments on another related madness, "There is Only One Messiah and America Isn't His Kingdom."

Go and do what Jesus did -- it's called following him.

Sunday's Song #7

Things are shaping up to be pretty odd
Little deaths in musical beds
So it seems I'm someone I've never met

You will only hear these elegant crimes
Fall on your ears from criminal dimes
They spill unfound from a pretty mouth

And everybody gets there, everybody gets there
And everybody gets their way
I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her
Now I'm the only one to blame

Things have changed for me, and that's okay
I feel the same, I'm on my way, and I say
Things have changed for me, and that's okay

I want to go where everyone goes
I want to know what everyone knows
I want to go where everyone feels the same

I never said I'd leave the city
I never said I'd leave this town
A falling out we won't tiptoe about

When everybody gets there, everybody gets there
And everybody gets their way
I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her
Now I'm the only one to blame

Things have changed for me, and that's okay
I feel the same, I'm on my way, and I say
Things have changed for me, and that's okay
I feel the same, and I say

Things have changed for me, and that's okay
(Well, things have changed for me
Come on every body, let's dance and sing)
I feel the same, and I say
(I'm singing it all night long
So come on everybody and join the party)
Things have changed for me, and that's okay
(Well, things have changed for me
Come on every body, let's dance and sing)
I feel the same, and I say
(I'm singing it all night long
So come on everybody and join the party)

Things have changed for me, and that's okay
I'm on my way, and I say

Things have changed for me

Shabath #6

You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
-- Deuteronomy

Hunger and Thirst Day #6

He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
--- Luke

So what do we do with this?

The Kingdom of God slips in the back door when you’re not looking. You turn around and it’s not there. It’s always in that place where your eyes don’t go. Always eluding your definition, analysis, and explanation.

The Kingdom of God is that imperceptible something that produces evident and clear fruit. Though it’s tiny, it is the seed of great healing and redemption. From this overlooked seed comes great fruit and great change.

The Kingdom of God does not have a flag, border, capitol, zipcode, or budget. You cannot legislate the Kingdom. You cannot take a census of the Kingdom. You cannot politicize the Kingdom. You can try but I think you’ll find that when you get there you’re not “there” anymore.

The Kingdom of God is like a handful of sand. It may rest on your hand but grasping causes it to slip between your fingers. Seek it and you might get lost. Nail it down and you’ll have a board and nail but no kingdom.

--- Thanks to Joshua Hearne at the Eclectic Christian blog.

Wednesday's Wonder #6

Tuesday with Jesus #6

WWJD?

"After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone." --- Matthew, and see Mark also.

Regardless of your opinion of the outcome of today's election in the United States, going off someplace quiet and private to pray is a good thing to do. It's probably a good thing to do every day.

Monday's Madness #6

This is the last day before the 2008 Elections here in the USA.

So, one more day of madness, [plus, maybe, a few days of law suits?] and there will be no more telephone calls from pollsters trying to predict the outcome. There will be no more adds filling the screens, air waves and internet with mud. There will no campaigning for at least a few months.

There will be endless comments by pundits about the meaning of the outcome but how many will admit that the answers to this little quiz are all TRUE and then live their lives accordingly?

Will you? Will I?

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order – (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, “Jesus Is Lord” will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.

Special thanks to Wyman Richardson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Dawson, Georgia.

Sunday's Song #6

Made to Love --- TobyMac



The dream is fading, now I'm staring at the door
I know its over cause my feet have hit the cold floor
Check my reflection, I ain't feelin what I see
It's no mystery
Whatever happened to a passion I could live for
What became of the flame that made me feel more
And when did I forget that...

I was made to love you
I was made to find you
I was made just for you
Made to adore you
I was made to love
And be loved by you
You were here before me
You were waiting on me
And you said you'd keep me
Never would you leave me I was made to love
and be loved by you

The dream's alive with my eyes opened wide
Back in the ring you've got me swinging for the grand prize
I feel the haters spittin vapors on my dreams
But I still believe
I'm reachin out, reachin up, reachin over
I feel a breeze cover me called Jehovah
And daddy I'm on my way
Cause I was made to love...

I was made to love you
I was made to find you
I was made just for you
Made to adore you
I was made to love
And be loved by you
You were here before me
You were waiting on me
And you said you'd keep me

Never would you leave me I was made to love
and be loved by you

I was made to love you
I was made just for you
Made to adore you
I was made to love
And be loved by you
You were here before me
You were waiting on me
And you said you'd keep me
Never would you leave me I was made to love
and be loved by you

(nah, nah, nah, nah - nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
(nah, nah, nah, nah - nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)

Anything I would give up for you (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
Everything, I'd give it all away (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)

Anything I would give up for you (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
Everything, I'd give it all away (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)

Anything I would give up for you (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
Everything, I'd give it, I'd give it all away, Oh yeah

Cause I was made to love you (I was made to love you)
Yeah I was made to love you (I was made to find you)
Cause I was made to love you (I was made to adore you, made just for you) (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
I was made to love you (I was made to adore you, made just for you)
Cause I was made to love you (I was made to adore you, made just for you) (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
I was made to love you (I was made to adore you)

Yeah I'm loved by you
Yeah I'm loved by you (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
Yeah I' m loved by you (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
(nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)
(nah, nah, nah, nah, nah)

Shabath #5

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." -- St. Paul

A shabath for all saints.