Marching Forth!

Everything which seems so solid, secure, and predictable in this earth can suddenly change forever.  Powerful nations which ruled others have been subdued and forgotten.  Well-built houses, and established trees suddenly plunged into a sinkhole or were wiped from the earth in a devastating tornado.  People who are healthy and strong can perish in an instant.  Jesus taught in the Temple, but He also used the massive stones of the Temple to illustrate how the things which seem immovable can be quickly cast down and ruined forever.  Some say the future is uncertain, and in a sense it is.  No one knows precisely how the future will play out.  From a biblical perspective, however, the future of the world is absolutely certain:  it is all going to perish. Matthew 24:1-2 tells the story:  " Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you no...

Every morning I hear the same thing:  beeping, rustling of covers, the click of the snooze button, and precisely eight minutes later repeat.  It's not just one person who has fallen for the infernal snooze button, but both of my sons.  After this charade in stereo persisted for over half an hour, I walked to the hallway which connected both rooms.  I welcomed those young men into the day with a question:  "What is the purpose of your alarm clock?"  "To wake us up," one of the youths mumbled.  "If it wakes you up, why don't you get up?  Why not set the alarm for half an hour later and enjoy more unbroken sleep?  Do me and yourselves a favour.  Good morning!"  The complimentary and happy dad-dispensary of wisdom was open for business. Now if you are one of those who love your snooze button almost as much as life itself, please do not take offense.  I have lived with people who had the bizarre obsession to press that button for...

Reading Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards during our discipleship course at Calvary Chapel Sydney has yielded some amazing discussions.  What impresses me greatly about David is how he responded when word came his son Absalom proclaimed himself king in Hebron.  The conspiracy was strong, and King David - the anointed of God - chose to voluntarily flee his fortified position in Jerusalem to prevent bloodshed.  He knew Absalom's ruthless nature, and he would not hesitate to kill even those of the king's house to accomplish his end. Consider how David did not act like any other king before or since.  What king has ever fled the citadel barefoot and weeping when he had every right to stay, strengthen his defenses, and command his loyal subjects to fight for him?  When the high priest brought the Ark of the Covenant out of the Tabernacle after David, he commanded it be returned to the most holy place.  King Saul was glad to carry the Ark with him so on a w...

God is able to reveal spiritual truth to us even when we aren't looking for it.  Yesterday provided a perfect example.  After being away in Israel, in my front and back yards there was a fair amount of yard work to do.  So instead of changing out of my baseball uniform after my game on Saturday, I cut grass, trimmed shrubs, and cleaned the guttering.  I also tasked my sons to do some mowing, trimming, and raking.  One of the rose bushes provided me an illustration I didn't know I needed! Before we moved into the house, a previous tenant planted four rose bushes.  One of these bushes yields pink flowers, but a couple of big suckers had sprouted from below the graft, yielding red flowers I did not recognise.  They did not have the beauty or fragrance of roses.  I am not an avid gardener by any means, but I have been told roses are often grafted into a hearty rootstock.  This enables the plant to better survive harsh conditions.  The suc...