Marching Forth!

I was riding along with a co-worker to a jobsite listening to the radio the other morning.  A couple of songs were played in a row which had surprisingly similar lyrics.  First there was " You Belong With Me " by Taylor Swift, a song about a girl who likes a boy who does not share her feelings of desire.  " Been here all along, so why can't you see?  You belong with me ."  Immediately following that song Boyz II Men's " End of the Road " played, a song similar in many ways:  " Although we've come to the end of the road still I can't let go, it's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you ."  After hearing these songs in succession, my mind drifted to a song I actually used to own on vinyl by the Police, " Every Breath You Take ."  This creepy-stalker-song is a twisted view of romance:  " Every step you take, I'll be watching you - every single day and every word you say, every game you play, every night yo...

Here is an untitles poem found on page 109 in Ralph Turnbull's book "A Minister's Obstacles."  It sums up the duty and desire of every Christ-follower very well. " He held the lamp that Sabbath day So low that none could miss the way, And yet so high, to bring to sight That picture fair of Christ the Light, That, gazing up, the lamp between The hand that held it was not seen. He held the pitcher, stooping low, To lips of little ones below; Then raised it to the weary saint, And bade him drink when sick and faint. They drank, the pitcher them between, The hand that held it was not see. He blew the trumpet soft and clear, That trembling sinners need not fear; And then with louder note and bold, To storm the walls of Satan's hold; The trumpet coming thus between, The hand that held it was not seen. And when our Captain says, 'Well done, Thou good and faithful servant; come, Lay down the pitcher and the lamp; Lay down the trumpet,...

I recently read a new biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer called " Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy " by Eric Metaxas (Thomas Nelson, 20 April 2010).  Bonhoeffer was a theologian and pastor who was involved in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler during WWII, was imprisoned for years, and was executed shortly before the end of the war.  This is not meant to be a detailed critique of Metaxas's  work or a character study of Bonhoeffer:  the book does a stellar job of the history and theology of Bonhoeffer, and I highly recommend it.  It is objective, passionate, and gives a keen view into a great mind and genuine Christian life that marked Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I'm looking forward to reading Bonhoefffer's " Cost of Discipleship ," seeing as my dad picked up a copy today. The book drives home the horrors of the holocaust.  Today I worked at UCSD and the jobsite sits directly across from dorms.  When I drove in at 5:55am there was a group of stud...

I read an interesting verse this morning during my devotions and I thought I would share it and my response.  It goes so well with the quote of the week that I couldn't keep it to myself!  I also can't help thinking it will minister to someone else rather than me, for we all have difficult times and seasons. Leviticus 14:34 reads, " When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I put the leprous plague in a house in the land of your possession... " Notice who places the plague in the house:  God does!  This is a shocking revelation to people who think the devil is to blame for all the "bad" we experience and God is to thank for all good.  God is able to take something which appears bad and use it for good.  God tested His people in the wilderness with traveling and hardship, to see if they would walk in His ways or not.  God allowed Satan to take Job's wealth and health.  Job said to his wife who tempted hi...

When I look upon how far God has brought me it energizes my faith to believe how far He will take me.  Willpower falls woefully short of the fulfillment of God's will.  It is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit which not only goads us but enables us to do anything.  At the top of a grand peak the climber might shout "I did it!" in exhilaration, yet a Christian after conquering the weakest of temptation or the greatest of struggles humbly says, "You did it, God.  Amazing considering the weak vessels you choose to use!"  When we have done all our duty we are still unprofitable servants, and all profit comes from the gracious hand of God. If we neglect to consider where we have been, it's likely we'll lose our way wherever we're going.  Many biblical prayers include a history lesson which is not always the most flattering.  Take the prayer of praise in Nehemiah 9:5-37.  There is much confession of sin, rebellion, idolatry, and stubbornness of previo...

" And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, [13] till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; [14] that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, [15] but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- [16] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love ." Ephesians 4:11-16 Every cell of a healthy human being interacts harmoniously with the rest of the body.  These cells...

Few things are misunderstood more than holiness.  It is a quality entirely foreign to this world.  In his fallen state man cannot conceptualize holiness, much less understand it.  A sinner trying to figure out holiness would be like a snail trying to comprehend the speed of a F-22 Raptor.  God does not act holy:  He is holy.  He stands alone in the universe as the only pure, righteous, and flawless being, holy in Himself.  Humans have no context for holiness of character or thoughts.  If we were to do a word association with "holy," perhaps common responses would include:  religious, serious, uptight, a saint or priest.  From a non-christian perspective, trying to think about holiness is like a person trying to fly by waving their arms. The other night after dinner, we read something which shatters our misconceptions of what holiness is.  Neh. 8:8-12 :  " So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gav...

When I woke up this morning, the LORD said:  " Grow in grace ."  Sometimes we think of grace as something to be received or given.  The fact remains it reaches even deeper:  grace is something to be grown in.  This statement placed upon my heart today is found in one scripture: 2 Peter 3:18.  The context is Peter warning believers that many would twist and contort the scriptures and invite their own destruction.  2 Peter 3:17-18 says, " Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. [18] But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen ." [ KJV ]  The contrast is clear:  we can be lead away by the error of the wicked or grow in grace. Grace is undeserved favor, goodness we have no right to be offered or much less receive.  This grace is offered to the re...

At any given time I seem to be reading a couple books at a time.  I recently raided my dad's bookshelf to re-read a classic, Charles Spurgeon's " John Ploughman's Pictures and More of His Talk ."  I do not know the exact date of publication, but it was likely written in the late 1800's.  There is hardly a man who ever lived who had the wit, wisdom, and common sense of this beloved preacher.  I enjoy reading his works because the LORD uses him not only to hold forth the wisdom of God in a masterful way, but in so doing humbles me concerning my weak words.  If you ever find an author who exposes your best attempts as feeble and joyfully goads you to do better, procure and read as many of those books as you can! Here is a delightful paragraph I read the other night on page 84 of the aforementioned book which contains witty proverbial sayings to go along with pictures: " The worst sort of clever men are those who know better than the Bible and are so learn...

As I think back about the four-plus years I spent on staff at Calvary Chapel El Cajon, there were many building projects and repairs I performed.  Our fellowship is in the process of vacating portions of the building because we have sold it to a school.  This school plans to spend the summer doing major renovations and remodeling of the structure.  I think about the hours spend scraping and replacing floors, fixing hardware, patching and painting walls, organizing and sorting paint and supplies which will be completely rubbed out.  Walls I have patched will be torn down; cables I have run will be cut; pipes I have fixed will be removed and re-routed.  It's depressing in a way, to think of all that hard work being undone. I have come to realize it is not the work itself which matters.  The labor of a custodian whose efforts are erased in the moment he leaves the restroom he has cleaned or masons who built cathedrals which have stood for centuries can stand...

Nehemiah is one of my Bible heroes.  Talk about a guy who was completely devoted to God, unshakable in faith, was fearless in obedience and speech, a prayer warrior, kept others accountable to God, and a hard-core straight-shooter.  He was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and God moved Nehemiah to lead the Jews in rebuilding the wall surrounding Jerusalem.  If I had to pick a guy I admire most in the O.T., it would likely be Nehemiah.  Thankfully I don't have to pick one! When Nehemiah began the building the walls of Jerusalem, not everyone was pleased about this development.  Though he had the approval and financial backing of King Artaxerxes and God moved upon many Jews to put their backs to the work, Sanballat and Tobiah among others despised that any would seek the welfare of the Jews.  Throughout the book of Nehemiah we see them scheming and trying every possible way to distract, threaten, or place fear in the hearts of the Jews.  When they laughe...

A great difficulty within mankind is we so often miss the point.  For instance, I have heard messages preached and seen books written upon the Jewish dietary law outlined in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  A common point made is God's wisdom of the law deemimg certain animals unclean, such as shellfish, anything in the sea without fins and scales, or mammals with a split hoof which do not chew the cud.  "God protected His people," some would point out, "by eliminating potentially hazardous foods such as pork, crustaceans, buzzards, and bats which are known to carry diseases and parasites."  This statement alone may be true:  however, I disagree with the premise.  I believe that by obedience to God's law His people were blessed and protected, not because of evidence pointing to certain animals being clean and others unclean.  God doesn't need science to validate His miraculous protection, but science certainly needs God! Cows are clean under the law, yet ...

Have you ever had a revelation of truth from God's Word, a revelation seemingly simple but so profound it could not be anything but the finger of God?  The raw power of God's truth is greater than the most dynamic force found in nature.  The words of scripture are more explosive than a volcano or hurricane.  Rather than bringing death upon His listeners, God's holy Word bursts with life.  I had an epiphany of sorts this morning when I was reading Leviticus 4 , a chapter devoted to the "sin offering of ignorance."  If a priest, the whole congregation, a ruler, or a member of the children of Israel sinned in ignorance against God, they were required to bring a prescribed animal before the altar.  They would place their hand on the animal's head and kill it as a sin offering before the priests.  This would be a public ceremony for all to see. The LORD prompted my thoughts in rapid succession.  The bull, lamb, or goat would be killed before all, jus...

People at church come up to me often and say things like, "So when are you going to Australia?  I thought you were already there!"  No, I'm not currently in Australia - but I will be in God's time.  In April Laura and I interviewed for the pastoral vacancy at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  I recently heard from the fellowship and it will likely be a couple of months before the process is complete.  In the meantime we will keep praying for God to prepare our hearts, for unity and steadfastness in Sydney, and spiritual discernment to know God's perfect will. I read this passage after dinner tonight and it is really wonderful.  Ezra 8:21-23 reads, " Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. [22] For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had...