Marching Forth!

Man can become resentful when his expectations are not met.  Even if his expectations are idealistic, unrealistic, or perfectly ridiculous, resentment and bitterness can influence his attitudes, decisions, and interactions with others.  I am eternally grateful God is not like that.  He does not have "expectations" like a man does because He has perfect knowledge of past, present, and the future.  He does not become resentful and withhold good from people because we have disappointed Him.  He does not withhold good things from us because we will never use what He gives us perfectly in the future!  Again, disappointment comes from my desires remaining unfulfilled in the way or timing I prefer.  God is gracious, and He is always good. A couple years ago I received a freezer from a family who was moving house.  It served us very well for a season, and we were recently blessed with a freezer which is bigger and more energy efficient.  Putting in...

Yesterday I rose early and took a two hour drive to Thompsons Creek Dam.  It was a learning experience in more ways than one.  Since the weather has been so hot of late, I was largely unprepared for the blasting, freezing wind that blew continuously all day.  The water was choppy, the fish weren't biting, and I would have paid big money for a beanie!  It felt like my ears were going to fall off and my lips were numb.  As the clouds dissipated overhead, the sun shone bright and clear.  But the wind persisted and we continued to freeze. After a day of fishing we drove back and parted ways, and I could faintly see the sun and wind had affected the faces of my fellow fisherman.  I had come prepared with polarised sunglasses, large hat, windbreakers, and sunscreen.  Unfortunately, my sunscreen remained in the bag I carried around!  I had been so cold from the wind all day that I never even thought to put on the sunscreen.  After removing my...

After hearing Greg Laurie endorse a book by Larry Eskridge titled God's Forever Family:  The Jesus People Movement in America , I was immediately interested.  I "Kindled" the book and I have found it invigorating and thought-provoking.  The book chronicles the "Jesus People Movement" in the United States of which Calvary Chapel was a part.  I first began attending Calvary Chapel in 1980 as a child and a relationship with Jesus has been a massive, transformative part of my life since.  The "counterculture revolution" was a bit before my time, but the Holy Spirit utilised the thirst for enlightenment and truth to direct many hungry, lost souls to the saving knowledge of Christ. Some of the facets that marked the hippie Christian movement throughout the States was using the book of Acts as a script for daily living.  There were people who actually sold their belongings and moved into communes or shared dwellings to have "all things in common."...

This morning I was struck by how God's ways are so unlike the ways of man.  Give a man a little authority and he will fight to maintain it; God has all authority and He chooses to allow men to do as they choose.  He does not force.  He warns, but does not threaten.  He tells us the certain negative consequences of our rebellion and disobedience, and even allows His own children to wander from the right way. This facet of God's gracious character is displayed when the children of Israel demanded that Samuel establish a king over them.  When the people communicated their desire to be as other nations and have a king to lead them into battle, Samuel was angry.  He knew that God was the King of the nation and over all, and this desire to have a king was a grave affront to the grace He had demonstrated.  For the Hebrews to say they wanted an earthly king instead of God, it was like a son disowning his own father.  Instead of smashing this insurrectio...