Anyone who knows me well, knows that I own more books than I have read but I am attempting to read more.
Currently reading:
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry (recommended by Grace, Michael and Katie in that order). From the Garden to the City by John Dyer, The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology is the subtitle(I had the good fortune of sitting under John's teaching and visiting with him and his dear wife, Amber this past week at Gordon-Conwell) Dan and I just finished The Meaning of Marriage by Tim & Kathy Keller. The Kellers give a sobering and biblical look at marriage for the long haul. A great source of encouragement. Yesterday we started Living Into Focus by Arthur Boers. Dr. Arthur Boers was another one of the speaker at the Conference that I attended. It is about prioritizing in the sea of distractions. Last but not least, The Holy Bible with its multiple human authors and the One Divine Author; it is the Word of God.
Books on deck is Forever by Paul David Tripp. Eternity anyone...we will all face it. Within the Walls by Stephanie Bennett is a futuristic novel.
Showing posts with label the Word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Word. Show all posts
Monday, June 10, 2013
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Faithful
My God is FAITHFUL. He is true. If my Christian walk dependent on my faithfulness, then I would be toast. Are there 100% never faltering Christians out there walking the Pilgrim Highway? If there are then I think that they are probably lying to themselves and to us, but God knows the heart. I am SO grateful for His tender mercies that are new every morning. Your GOD is FAITHFUL and true. Each breath we take is dependent upon HIS FAITHFULNESS. Buddy, if you are not breathing, you are not walking and if you are walking in faithfulness today it IS because GOD is gracious and kind pouring out the power that is needed and it is His Righteousness that He has given you to walk in. When (NOT if but WHEN) we stumble and fall HE is there to pick us up and get us back on track. Our GOD is FAITHFUL and true. GOD is FAITHFUL to HIS WORD and ALL of His promises find there YES in JESUS.
Today I will count on HIS FAITHFULNESS!
Lamentations 3:22-23
Today I will count on HIS FAITHFULNESS!
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Biblica
This looks like a fantastic way to get a fresh look at the Bible. My friends, Sharon & Keith are reading through these books. It is fun to get my hands on them and be inspired by looking at the Word as an entire narrative. The Word of God is alive and active.
Before the Last Resort
A book about saving one's marriage and the LORD knows that marriages these days are in need of being saved. One reviewer said that anyone who is married can benefit from this book. The subtitle is 3 simple questions to rescue your marriage.
You are not a sinful wretch
My daughter, Grace sent this blog post to me. What an encouragement. The past couple of years, I have been struggling with my identity in Christ. As a Christian, I am to find my identity in the One who has called me his own. In Colossians it says, "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:21-22 ESV) Yes, we still sin but we have been made new by the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we choose the label Sinner over Saved One, then we are identifying with our former condition instead of our current standing in Christ.
So often, I find myself in conversation and getting practical help for living life in the Truth and then I forget, I don't write it down or make a mental note and I fail to take action. I don't want to be that person. There is plenty of trouble in this life but there is also plenty of help. We need each other. Everyday has enough trouble of its own. So often it take a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy for people to realize that we need each other. It is not something to be ashamed of but rather an opportunity to embrace our humanity every day. We were not created to walk through life alone. When our Creator made everything, he saw that "it was good" after creating all the major elements that make up life but then God said, It is not good that man should be alone.
Remember one another, love one another, be there for others and let others be there for you.
This looks like a fantastic way to get a fresh look at the Bible. My friends, Sharon & Keith are reading through these books. It is fun to get my hands on them and be inspired by looking at the Word as an entire narrative. The Word of God is alive and active.
Before the Last Resort
A book about saving one's marriage and the LORD knows that marriages these days are in need of being saved. One reviewer said that anyone who is married can benefit from this book. The subtitle is 3 simple questions to rescue your marriage.
You are not a sinful wretch
My daughter, Grace sent this blog post to me. What an encouragement. The past couple of years, I have been struggling with my identity in Christ. As a Christian, I am to find my identity in the One who has called me his own. In Colossians it says, "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:21-22 ESV) Yes, we still sin but we have been made new by the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we choose the label Sinner over Saved One, then we are identifying with our former condition instead of our current standing in Christ.
So often, I find myself in conversation and getting practical help for living life in the Truth and then I forget, I don't write it down or make a mental note and I fail to take action. I don't want to be that person. There is plenty of trouble in this life but there is also plenty of help. We need each other. Everyday has enough trouble of its own. So often it take a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy for people to realize that we need each other. It is not something to be ashamed of but rather an opportunity to embrace our humanity every day. We were not created to walk through life alone. When our Creator made everything, he saw that "it was good" after creating all the major elements that make up life but then God said, It is not good that man should be alone.
Remember one another, love one another, be there for others and let others be there for you.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Body of Christ, a living organism
Worshipping in Spirit and Truth
Did you read that book by Josh Harris, Stop Dating the Church? It's a good read. I believe that if more Christians were committed to a local body of believers that the body of Christ as a whole could have a greater impact on the world we live in. If we want to stick with the "body" word picture of Christ, you have Christ as the Head (I would say He would need to be the heart as well), we have the skeleton which could be your local churches, then you have missionaries who do travel but usually stay in one place for a period of time, and hopefully those put muscles on the bones, then their are people like us, you might say that we are like the blood circulating through the body and since we don't reach every part I am sure there are others out there traveling about and spending brief periods of time within other parts of the body.
I hope we bring the needed oxygen and help flush out the wastes to the parts of the body of Christ that we visit for a time and of course, that would be a result of the Holy Spirit working through us. So, our commitment is to the Body of Christ as a whole and for now we do not belong to a local church but are grateful to those local bodies who welcome us in and love us as if we are going to stay.
We have been to home churches, loud ones, traditional ones (and yes, I take my mother to Roman Catholic mass when she visits). One of the things that we have found a little disturbing about a number of Modern-American Christian Churches is that the purpose of Sunday morning worship is not primarily for the worship of our Lord but instead used for the purpose of evangelism. (Now before you try to stick me in a box: wait a minute, people don't belong in boxes anyway. Boxes are for things. I know this will be my 12th time packing to move in 4 years.) As Christian we are to evangelize: some like to call it the Great Commission and there are times when local churches as well as big ministries hold crusades, tent meetings and revivals, this is where evangelism ought to be taking place regularly along with one on one relationship evangelism. However, we are coming to believe through the Word of God that the main purpose of the Church is to come together to be edified, challenged, lifted up and of course, worshipping the Lord together in spirit and in truth.
Encouragement (edification) and Challenge (spur one another)
Hebrews 10
22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Prayer (lifting up)
James 5
Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Worship
Hebrews 12
You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."[e] 27The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire."[f]
It seems abundantly clear that it is not our job to bring the unbeliever to church: God is the one building His Church (the body of Christ, the kingdom of God, His Family) but our job is to bring them to the foot of the Cross, point them to Jesus, not programs and steeples. When I became a believer the last place I wanted to go was to a church. I was afraid this new relationship with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit would not be permitted because it was not acquired through the rites of "the church" but by the power of God. He invaded my life without my permission and I have never been the same.
Well folks, I really don't have anything figured out nor do I expect to in this life looking through the glass dimly as it may seem. However, I will continue to pursue the Truth for as long as I live by God's grace.
Pax,
CM
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