come Lord Jesus, with a hope that does not put us to shame.

"Come Lord Jesus," the Advent mantra, means that all of Christian history has to live out a kind of deliberate emptiness, a kind of chosen non-fulfillment. Perfect fullness is always to come, and we do not need to demand it now.  This keeps the field of life wide open and especially open to grace and to a future created by God rather than ourselves. . .  When we demand satisfaction of one another, when we demand any completion to history on our terms, when we demand that any dissatisfaction be taken away, we're saying as it were, "Why weren't you this for me? Why didn't life do that for me?"  We are refusing to say, "Come, Lord Jesus." We are refusing to hold out for the full picture that is always given to us by God.

"Come, Lord Jesus" is a leap into the kind of freedom and surrender that is rightly called the virtue of hope.  The theological virtue of hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our Satisfaction is now at another level. . .  We are able to trust that Jesus will come again just as he has come in our past, into our private dilemmas and into our suffering world.  Our Christian past then becomes our Christian prologue, and "Come, Lord Jesus" is not a cry of desperation but an assured shout of cosmic hope.
 -richard rohr, Dec. 6th  huffington post

we boast in the hope of the glory of God. not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

if the world's exploding with love, what about my 'dreadful thoughts'?

there are two ways to look at this universe we’re stuck in. one is to see it as vastly sinister, mocking our desires. the other is to see it as exploding with love, inviting our trust. if the first is true, we should rage at everything, especially the (apparently) positive things. if the second is true, we can never despair, no matter what happens.
 -ray ortlund

whenever the devil pesters you with (dreadful) thoughts, at once seek out the company of men, drink more, joke and jest, or engage in some other form of merriment. . .  when the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: "I admit that I deserve death and hell.  what of it?  does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? by no means.  for I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf.  His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  where He is, there I shall be also."
 -martin luther

proportions

"Child, you have to learn to see things in the right proportions. Learn to see great things great and small things small."

 -corrie ten boom

 

I like this. it feels a lot like another one of my favorite things to hear/ say:  Keep the main thing the main thing.

 

set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. set your minds on things above, not on earthly things

so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal

'space for all'

one of the many things I love about the gospel is how it creates a for-you relational tone that didn’t exist before. . .  Space for all, within biblical parameters, is the new relational environment only the gospel can create, to the praise of Jesus Christ, who is rejoicing over us all.  -ray ortlund

we are asking for ways to make the hospitality of God known and felt all over the world, from the lonely church member right here, to the Gola farmers in Tahn, Liberia.  don’t ever underestimate the power of your living room as a launching pad for new life and hope and ministry and mission!  -john piper

the message we are carrying to the nations is  Jesus is for you and for me. there's 'space for all': maybe a seat in the living room. i like this. the living room is our proverbial launching pad.

my house is your house.

"there is something so nourishing about sharing your living space with people where they see your junk mail pile and pee wee football schedule on the fridge and pile of shoes by the front door. opening your home says 'you are welcome into my real life.' this square footage is where we laugh and hold family meetings and make homemade corn dogs and work through meltdowns."

-jen hatmaker, 7: an experimental mutiny against excess

let love be genuine. abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. love one another with brotherly affection. outdo one another in showing honor. do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

parenting is a privilege.

help them with their math, help them build a fort, teach them what it means to be made in God's image!

what sermon are you preaching?

"Everywhere i have gone today, God has carried me, helping my physical infirmity, which is my sermon on this earth."
-abortion survivor Gianna Jessen

Ron Burgundy workout vs. 'Christ's school'

Trying to impress co-anchor Veronica Corningstone who may or may not have noticed the amount of weight reps he did, Ron Burgundy says, "Ohh, it's the deep burn. Oh, it's so deep. Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many. I don't know if you heard me counting. I did over a thousand."

I can relate. Maybe most of us can. We go around with our 'deep burn' comments, reminding people directly or indirectly of our accomplishments, rallying for ourselves and vying for position. This isn't the way of the cross. It isn't what we were made for. We image God, we represent His glory. We follow in the humble steps of Christ: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

May we become diligent students in "Christ’s school. . .  where He makes me fit for greater service by teaching me the great lesson of humility." 
 -Valley of Vision, "Need of Grace"

i believe the children are the future, and i believe they thrive on joy!

"Let your child look into your face and see someone delighting in their presence."

give me a noble mission.

a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. i would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

in the kingdom of God, service is not a stepping stone to nobility – it IS nobility.
 -t.w. mason

'strike him, and he'll curse You'

"does Job fear God for nothing?" satan replied. "have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. but now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

follow Christ for His own sake, if you follow Him at all.
 – J.C. Ryle

'it's gonna take everything'

my current top movie is we bought a zoo. after his wife (Katherine Mee) dies, Benjamin Mee purchases a defunct zoo and sets out to restore it with a handful of people still on staff when he bought it. they work together to repair some enclosures and get the property up to code. a few months in, his funds are running out and the inspection is days away. he stumbles on a letter Katherine left for him, pointing him to an account with $84k in it. she knew how much he loved adventure, and that whether or not he had money, he would seek it out. she called the stash 'circus money.' after talking about Katherine's money with his accountant/ brother, he heads back to a cafe where his staff is gathered. one employee is blasting Benjamin behind his back, telling the rest of them to jump ship since he's been broke but pretending nothing's wrong. despite his brother's disapproval, and still with just enough to get the zoo operating again, Benjamin interrupts the naysayer and makes a speech:

Well, I wanna say, it has been an amazing experience here. Each of you, I've come to know in some small way. But the financial climate being what it is... I think none of us thought, well... I don't know how to say this. . .  I've been an adventure addict my whole life, um... with no big regard for cost. Well, with no regard for cost. Basically I was just an observer and a writer, but this is my first real adventure. And I just wanna say that it's been the best one of all, because it's personal. And thanks to my Katherine. . .  The money came through. So, I don't know what you've heard, but I am able to say, though I don't have a lot, I do have enough to get us by and if you stick with me, I will give this everything. But I will need everything from you and we're going to reopen this zoo. This is the best job in the world, and it's gonna take everything to make it work. So don't... don't give up on our adventure. . .  Our adventure's just beginning.

i love this movie and it's not because i love the zoo, although i do love the zoo.  it's because of the parallels between Mee's story and the christian life.  knowing Jesus, and serving him and his church, similarly cost us everything, but what an adventure! it's difficult, exciting, heart-wrenching, fulfilling and worthwhile.

then Jesus said to his disciples, "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

and it's only beginning!

for our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.

and there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads. and there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

as it is written: "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

my story of fullness in barrenness

A few years ago, I discovered the kids on loan program.  I was in a small group that met in my neighborhood with several single people and a few families with small children.  We had communal living down.  We saw each other for meals throughout the week, we met at pubs, we knew each other's families and childhood friends and co-workers and neighbors, we went on trips together.  It was a fulfilling time.  One day I was talking with one of the mothers in the group, and she suggested to me that the couples with children would love some babysitters to emerge from within the group.

"I think a date night once in a while would be great," she said.  It was obvious.  But I had missed it.  I felt like I'd been really thoughtless and selfish.  These exhausted young parents had repeatedly opened their homes, listened to many of us go on and on about all our problems, fed us meals, and invested so deeply in our knowledge of Christ.  I was taking taking taking, with no thought about how I could serve or bless them.  In the evenings after work here and there, I started saying "Get out of here, I'm hanging out with the kids."

At that point in my life, I didn't have a huge desire to spend time around children.  I was in my late 20s and not thinking about having children of my own anytime soon.  I just wanted my friends to have date nights.  And in some small way, I was hoping to repay them for their incredible and seemingly endless generosity.  The irony as you probably guessed was that I ended up being blessed even more, grew to love their children and be loved by them, discovered a yearning for kids of my own, and my friends had time for a little outside of the home romance kindling.  (It was a win-win that I'm officially hooked on to this day. :)

Fast forward to the last year or so.  I stumbled into children's ministry, partly to meet a need and mostly because Father led me there.  I was convicted and gained a passion for it because of a couple key talks I heard on ministering to the next generation.  At a conference for church planters, one SC pastor declared  "Everything we're doing should have the next generation in mind."  I really resonated with that but wasn't sure what to do about it.

Several weeks later at my home church, a wonderfully convicting sermon on Psalm 127 turned another light-bulb on in my head, in the style of the "please babysit our kids" conversation from circa 2007.  The building metaphor somehow really snapped things into clearer focus.  Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  This was the first time I had truly *heard* this verse, like heard it in a way that it really made *sense* (and suddenly seemed so relevant), and it's still ringing in my ears.  My pastor took the opportunity afforded by this psalm to remind parents of the calling on their lives to disciple their children.  And he asked the rest of us, What are we doing to help each other in that huge and glorious responsibility?  How are we equipping our parents to disciple their children?  I got more involved from that point in our church's children's ministry; I was passionate about learning how we can better train our parents to train their kids.  I wanted to help in the process of our kids regularly hearing about Jesus, whenever our doors open, to reinforce what the parents are teaching and modeling to them at home.

I still yearn for children, and I talk to Father about it often.  The longing pangs aren't typically intensified by time around kids, or by hearing my friends talk about their kids; in fact, I've been filled and healed and cheered and given opportunities to nurture that in some ways have sustained me in the longing.  When I began working more frequently with our children, I remember having fears that at some point I would be pierced on Sunday mornings and that the only eventuality was bitterness and despair.  So I committed this to the Lord and asked several friends to do the same.  I have a dream of adopting a child one day, but in the meantime, I don't describe myself as childless.  We have 45 children who bring great comfort and joy every time I'm around them.  This is something I want to be careful to praise Him for.  It reminds me of the barren woman referenced in the psalms; He settles her in a family, and makes her the "happy mother of children."

Thank you Father! In barrenness You've filled my heart with 'greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.'

'. . .i'm glad we did'

are you on a team you're glad to be on? are you modern day adventurers? are you on a mission together?

"we were unprepared, in the dark, disavowed. . .  and the only thing that functioned properly on that mission was this team.  i don't know how we ended up together, but i'm glad we did."
 -ethan hunt, mission impossible iv

but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. . .  all this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

soul rest

i recently learned (thanks to mary willson) that the jewish leaders who criticized Jesus for breaking the sabbath had added 39 prohibited activities to the original, God-given sabbath legislation. and while i don't observe these additional regulations, i have my own areas of 'gospel deficit.' this calls for some examination (and possibly a future post). in the meantime, read this:

. . .there is an entire psychological substructure that, due to the Fall, is a near-constant emission of relational leveraging, fear-stuffing, nervousness, score-keeping, neurotic controlling, anxiety-festering silliness that is not something I say or even think so much as something I breathe. . . And I'm seeing more and more, bit by bit, that if you trace this fountain of scurrying haste, in all its various manifestations, down to the root. . . you find gospel deficit. All the worry and dysfunction and resentment is the natural fruit of living in a mental universe of Law. The gospel really is what brings rest, wholeness, flourishing, shalom-- that existential calm which for brief, gospel-sane moments settles over you and lets you see for a moment that in Christ you truly are invincible. The verdict really is in; nothing can touch you.

I am believing tonight the unbelievable: The radiant sun of divine favor is shining down on me and while the clouds of my sin and failure may darken my feelings of that favor, the favor cannot be lessened any more than a tiny, wispy cloud can threaten the existence of the sun. The sun is shining. It cannot stop. Clouds, no clouds-- sin, no sin-- the sun is shining on me. Because of Another.

The Lord looks on his children with utterly unflappable affection.

. . . How strange the gospel is. In one sense I am not restored. How painfully obvious. Sin clings, weaknesses and failings abound. Anxiety, anger, idolatry. But in another sense, a deeper sense, I am restored. Perfectly, already. . . And the sweep of New Testament teaching is that it is the latter that now defines me. That is the fundamental reality defining my existence. . . And I suppose the whole Christian life is simply the process of bringing my sense of self, my Identity with a capital 'I', the ego, my swirling internal world of fretful panicky-ness arising out of that gospel deficit, into alignment with the more fundamental truth.
-dane ortlund

as mary willson put it, "a remedy for the restless" was needed, and provided, in the finished work of the cross. a remedy from attempting works that lead to self-salvation (and self-sufficiency and self-glory and self-absorption) was needed. so there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. for the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

'great things'

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.

what a loving God we serve, and what great things has he spoken concerning us.
-charles spurgeon

do i defend truth because i delight in God?

i dream of great defenders of true doctrine who are mainly known for the delight they have in God and the joy in God that they bring to the people of God— who enter controversy when necessary, not because they love ideas and arguments, but because they love Christ and the church. . .
-john piper

a wedding observation

i saw a bride once who knew something

so essential

knew in the moment

the white dress, slid down her frame,

was fastened in place

knew she was going to be beautiful

to the man waiting at the end of the aisle

for her.

deep breath, glassy eyes, wondering smile

she knew.

for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

memorial name

"you shall say to the sons of israel, 'the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.'  this is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations." exodus 3:15

schaeffer's concentric circles of the christian life

"as i see it, the christian life must be comprised of three concentric circles, each of which must be kept in its proper place. in the outer circle must be the correct theological position, true biblical orthodoxy and the purity of the visible church. this is the first, but if that is all there is, it is just one more seedbed for spiritual pride. in the second circle must be good intellectual training and comprehension of our own generation. but having only this leads to intellectualism and again provides a seedbed for pride. in the inner circle must be the humble heart- the love of God, the devotional attitude toward God. there must be the daily practice of the reality of the God whom we know is there. these three circles must be properly established, emphasized and related to each other. at the center must be kept a living relationship to the God we know exists. . . then, at the end of my life, when i look back over my work since i have been a christian, i will see that i have not wasted my life. the Lord's work will be done in the Lord's way."

-francis schaeffer, no little people

conviction and influence

the influence of a woman with a "rock-solid conviction that Jesus is who he says he is and the Bible is his book" is immeasurable.

happiness

kids get the gospel.

invitation to the jump house

i'm reposting this from my brother Richard's blog. his 6-year-old daughter Ana has Down syndrome. this is one way she's made a difference in his life & impacted people who come across their path.

We celebrated my daughter’s birthday this weekend.  We wanted so badly to invite friends of Ana’s from her special needs class.  We were intentional in inviting all her peers from class because we know firsthand the isolation and loneliness that disability can bring.  It's not always a purposeful isolation.  People exclude you but they don’t mean to; it's not malicious, they just do.  So we wanted to make sure all of Ana’s special needs classmates felt welcome.  We rented a jump house just for that occasion, where I would work hard to make sure all children in wheelchairs or a little wobbly on their feet were assisted to have a great time in the jump house.  The first boy from Ana’s class came up and I asked his mother if he could come in.  She said, "He’s never done it before because they're always too full and people aren’t looking out for him."  He came in and I held him and we jumped together.  The smile on his face said it all.  It gave me great joy that I was the first one to take him into a jump house.  He had been excluded up until that point, not because people are mean and don’t want to include him, but because the world is not built for him.  I don’t accept that, and so we were so glad that this 7-year-old boy could know and experience that he is included and maybe that might show him and his mother the acceptance that a good God has given them in Jesus.

hope or a dirty engine

i hadn't thought much about hope as a catalyst for motion and progress and motivation in life until this past weekend on riverside's ladies retreat. thank you Father for our speaker monica taffinder, who helped me see that "unwillingness to hope is like dirt in your engine."

"hope is the golden stuff that draws us along on this journey. it keeps us alive so we can actually taste and experience the wonder of belonging to God."
-paula rinehart

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
-emily dickinson
 
and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given us
 
no one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame

why not?

a faithful man of God openly, even gladly, admits his weaknesses, because the power of Christ is resting upon him. his deep needs and the Lord’s great supply combine to make him an honest, mighty man.
-ray ortlund

why not be vulnerable? believer, you are mighty when weak.

we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves

most gladly, therefore, i will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. therefore i am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

wednesdays

i get wisdom from the people i see every wednesday night and do life with. they help me remember it's okay to say i sometimes don't know what to do. and i need their character to shape mine.

“the next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”
-c.s. lewis

and we have a good time. to quote jack miller (heart of a servant leader), "it's fun being a Christian". . . especially with these people around.

freedom's opportunities

“being free means ‘being free for the other,’ because i am bound to the other. only in relationship with the other am i free.”
-dietrich bonhoeffer

for you were called to freedom, brothers. but do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.

be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God.

why self-worship (or self-loathing) doesn't make sense

"to think 'i don’t have what it takes' is precisely what it takes. . .
for you to be un-okayed, Jesus would have to be un-okayed. His verdict is in, and therefore yours is in. God’s grace is sufficient for you. get over yourself. you are weak. you are inadequate. you always will be. and the story of the Bible is God’s delight in taking weak, inadequate men and doing the unthinkable."
-dane ortlund

we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

i am sure of this- that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

why hero worship doesn't make sense

one of my heroes "fell" a few years ago. . . or at least, his fall became public knowledge. it was really jarring for me. right when i found out, i called my dad. probably because i knew he would have biblical comfort. i knew he would help me stay grounded. his first words, when all i did was sob into the phone, were "this is why we don't 'put our trust in princes' ". . .

francis schaeffer gives an ear-full on this point in his sermon "the weakness of God's servants." with his litany of flawed men & women of the Bible & their stories mingled with faith & failure, he ultimately concludes we live better out of this recognition that we're all flawed. . . he calls it biblical realism.

"among religious writings, the Bible is unique in its attitude to its great men. even many christian biographies puff up the men they describe. but the Bible exhibits the whole man, so much so that it's almost embarrassing at times. if we taught our children to read the Bible truly, it would be a good vaccination against cynical realism because the Bible portrays its characters as honestly as any debunker or modern cynic ever would.

we usually think about the strong points of the biblical men, and that's all right. normally we should look at the victory of biblical characters, the wonder of their closeness to God, and the exciting ways God used them according to the faith and faithfulness they displayed. but let us not be embarrassed by the other side- the Bible's candor (even about its greatest leaders), its portrayal of their weaknesses quite without embarrassment and without false show.

paul wrote to the romans, 'for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'- a simple statement, though stronger in the greek. . . 'all sinned (past) and are coming short (present) of the glory of God.' paul was not merely saying all men sinned before justification, but that all christians continue to come short of God's glory. this is the biblical picture even of its own heroes.

we should not be caught between idolozing and despising. if we revere a person too much and then find weakness, our first tendency will be to deny any value at all in the man. we are not to minimize sin, but we can expect perfection from no one but God. . . we must remember that all christians are men or women, sinners having many victories, yet sinners until Jesus comes again. there is no man or woman who does not need prayer. . . the realism of the Bible is that God does not excuse sin, but neither is He finished with us when He finds sin in us."

truth & a time-tested recipe

"by believing that God means what He says, and by acting upon it (faith always requires action), we make it our own. we can't make it our own by mere reason. . . He is our great reality, more real than the realest of earthly conditions, an unchanging reality. it's His providence that put us where we are. it's where we belong. it is for us to receive it- all of it- humbly and thankfully."
-betty elliott

it's been too long since i passed along a recipe. here's one for the ages. it's an office favorite that my co-worker denise makes for all our holiday meals. it's been in her family for years and the work family doesn't let her contribute anything else.

denise's aunt clara's sweet potato casserole (not the season for sweet potato casserole but i recommend grabbing it for later)

8 sweet potatoes
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. sour cream (this makes it!)
1 T. vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1/2 stick butter

topping-
1 stick butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
dash of cinnamon/ nutmeg
1 c. pecans

bake 45 minutes on 350. the family will thank you.

heavy, ever-increasing grace

"i hope that from our youth we have known the necessity of dependence upon God, but i am certain that dependence is a growing feeling. growing Christians think themselves nothing; full-grown Christians think themselves less than nothing. good men are like ships; the fuller they are, the lower they sink in the stream. the more grace a man has, the more he complains of his want of grace. grace is not a kind of food which creates a sense of fullness. . . the more you receive the more you long for."
-charles spurgeon, "the old man's sermon"

"finding God only deepens and heightens the pursuit of God. one taste of obedience and we want more. by feasting on God we hunger for Him all the more."
-richard foster

where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

believer, the smiling face of God is upon you.

God's "smiling favor" and His goodness toward us don't hinge on circumstance, performance or feeling. it's dependent on the finished work of the cross. in rare moments of clarity, i recognize this & my heart is full.

"my circumstances are no indication whether the smiling favor of God is upon me. fear causes me to look around at my circumstances instead of up at the smiling face of God."
-a.w. tozer, the crucified life

there are many who say, “who will show us any good?” Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

it is good for me to draw near to God; i have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works.

the cross and openness

“the more exposed i see that i am by the cross, the more i find myself opening up to others about ongoing issues of sin in my life. (why would anyone be shocked to hear of my struggles with past and present sin when the cross already told them i am a desperately sinful person?) and the more open i am in confessing my sins to fellow Christians, the more i enjoy the healing of the Lord in response to their grace-filled counsel and prayers.”
-milton vincent, a gospel primer

hiding our failings from God or other people isn't healthy or needed. the refuge provided for believers in the cross frees us to learn and grow together, be open, and cultivate healthy ways of relating to Him and each other.

for you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.

i was once a trainwreck.

"Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. . . it is the greatest wonder that i ever heard of that God should ever justify me. i feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin apart from his almighty love. i know and am fully assured that i am justified by faith which is in Christ Jesus, and i am treated as if i had been perfectly just. . . who can help being astonished at this? gratitude for such favor stands dressed in robes of wonder."
-charles spurgeon

even though i was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, i was shown mercy because i acted in ignorance and unbelief. the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom i am the worst. but for that very reason i was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life

more cowbell

"we want to hear happy, cheerful inspirational thoughts that make us feel good. this is why to get a crowd today, we need a cowbell, a musical saw or a talking horse to have some fun and a little bit of entertainment for those are are bored with the simple, plain word of God. nobody wants to hear about discipline or pain."
-a.w. tozer, the crucified life

three precious words

saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. he went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to jerusalem. as he neared damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. he fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "saul, saul, why do you persecute me?"
"who are you, Lord?" saul asked.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

i waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.

anchored and whole

"without hope, people are only half alive. with hope, they dream and think and work."
-charles sawyer

with hope, we recognize we will one day be complete and are now being made complete.


we have this hope as an anchor for the soul.
my whole being waits for the Lord, and in his word i put my hope.

the light of His countenance

psalm 4- an evening prayer of trust in God
for the choir director; on stringed instruments. a psalm of david
answer me when i call, o God of my righteousness! you have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
o sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? how long will you love delusions and aim at deception? selah
but know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.
tremble, and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. selah
offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the LORD.
many are saying, “who will show us any good?” lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!
You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine abound.
in peace i will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

"david has a habit of pleading past mercies as a basis for present favor... even the regenerate groan at times for (material) prosperity. and when delusions fail, we despair and declare there's no good in heaven or on earth. but, the light of God's countenance is enough- this is the believer's riches, honor, health, ambition and ease... He will never stop helping until we cease to need."
-charles spurgeon, treasury of the psalms

'worth' revisited

i consider my life worth nothing to me, if only i may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace -acts 20:24

the apostles left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name -acts 5:41

and they sang in a mighty chorus: "worthy is the Lamb who was slain- to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing"
-revelation 5:12

how God would be well-known

He spreads His fame, in part, through mothers. through their influence on potential co-laborers in His work!

"mother... you may think long and earnestly of your high calling. ponder the undreamed honour of the thing; learn how God, through you, would plan to be well known to every man. and through your arms would gather fast the whole world to his heart at last." -fay inchfawn

may Your deeds be shown to your servants,
Your splendor to their children.
may the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands