Marching Forth!

" Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard . "   Psalm 22:23-24 Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ have an everlasting, sure hope.  The world loves to glorify the strong and mighty, those who have great fame and wealth.  Nothing makes the people in the world as disillusioned as when they see their idols tumble down to earth from the pedestals men have created.  People shake their heads in disgust when those rich with worldly things choose death over life to escape their pain.  Give me the wealth of the sports hero, give me the fame of the most popular singer, grant me the power of the most influential political figure, says a dreaming man, and I shall better use it.  What he does not understand is how money, fame, and p...

Years ago, my wife and I often went to San Diego Padres baseball games.  I remember heading to Taco Bell before the game with our friend Josh Jordan and heading to our seats to watch Ken Caminiti, Tony Gwyn, Greg Vaughn, and Trevor Hoffman play ball.  If the Padres were winning in the ninth inning and the game was close, Trevor Hoffman would make his way slowly to the mound as AC/DC's song "Hell's Bells" blared at full volume, the crowd erupting at the first bell toll.  When the "Q" was full, the stadium was rocking!  As exciting as it was to have Trevor close out a game, I found the lyrics everyone sang with happy faces disconcerting:  "... You're only young but you're gonna die.  I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives, nobody's putting up a fight.  I got my bell. I'm gonna take you to hell. I'm gonna get ya, satan get ya!  Hells Bells !"  Speaking for myself, I don't want to go to hell, no matter how cool...

How important it is to seek God's direction concerning our decisions!  This morning I read a portion in Leviticus that spoke of a man in a fight who was heard blaspheming the name of God with a curse.  Unsure of the appropriate response, the witnesses brought the man to Moses.  Leviticus 24:12 said, " Then they put him in custody, that the mind of the LORD might be shown to them ."  As an aside, this may be one the only examples of incarceration in the Old Testament under the Law, and for a reason foreign to us!  The Law was all about restitution, not incarceration.  I love the fact the man was put in a ward not for punishment or in the hope of rehabilitation:  he was placed in custody so Moses and the leaders of Israel might seek the mind of God concerning this circumstance.  Because Moses was not entirely sure of how to proceed in this matter, he sought the mind of God through prayer.  How different would the justice systems look if this wa...

Today is "ANZAC Day" in Australia, one of the most important national observances.  "ANZAC" stands for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps."  This day is a commemoration of the service of Australian and New Zealand "diggers" who fought in World War 1 in Gallipoli.  It ended up being a stalemate that came at the high cost of 8,000 ANZACs.  Throughout the nation and beyond our borders this sober, proud day has been set aside to remember and honour the memory of the brave fallen and those who have valiantly served their country in times of war.  In Gallipoli the ANZACs did not achieve a victory, but through their courage and toughness in the face of adversity defined themselves with strength and bravery all can appreciate. One of the amazing facts is that the diggers who fought in Gallipoli did not often have the training, supplies, or equipment that was available to others.  In the face of insurmountable odds, they kept going.  According to sk...

Once our eyes are opened by the Holy Spirit, we cannot read the Bible without marveling at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  The articles and vestments of the Temple, the Law and prophets, the Old Testament appearances of the "Angel of the Lord, and even miracles reveal the power and person of Jesus.  Even as a quality film director uses foreshadowing, God has set the standard with all the foreshadowing of Christ and details of His life in the Old Testament.  God brought one of these instances to mind this morning during a time of prayer. The Bible speaks of a time when prophet Elisha went to Gilgal to meet with the sons of the prophets.  At that time there was a famine in the land.  Elisha commanded his servant to set a pot to boil stew for the men who gathered together.  They rustled up whatever they could.  One man found a vine with gourds on it that were chopped up and put into the stew to boil.  What they did not know, however, is the gourds...

A veneer is a decorative coating to cover something inferior from sight.  My two front teeth, for instance, are covered with veneer crowns.  Due to a skateboard mishap in my youth, my teeth were badly chipped.  Not only was it a bad look, but the sensitive roots were exposed and very painful!  After my temporary caps became yellowed with age, my folks and I pooled the necessary funds to replace them with veneers.  Another common use of veneer is wood veneer which gives glued particle board the appearance of quality hardwood.  A discerning eye can usually pick out wood veneer in seconds, but it is a cheaper alternative to solid wood. Our furniture or teeth is not the extent of our use of veneer, of course.  People do not need to be on stage to wear masks or costumes which hide true feelings.  There can be cultures developed in school, the workplace, families, or even in church that make us feel pressure to keep up the appearance of perpetually be...

Our family returned from a busy and profitable week at Camp Kedron last night.  It was an amazing week as God did incredible things among the leaders and the campers.  Laura and I were "camp parents" and Laura also tackled the role of being camp nurse - a huge job and responsibility.  She was phenomenal and I am very proud of her servant's heart and flexibility.  There were a few times she had to wake up in the middle of the night to tend to sick campers and she did it with a joyful attitude.  After the camp Laura was migraine free too, so that is a wonderful added blessing! My role was expanded to teaching and leading workshops with the leadership team, and all of them stepped up in a huge way in their discussion groups.  Many of the kids were completely transformed by the end of camp, having repented and trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour and LORD.  I believe we were all challenged, encouraged, and changed by God's grace.  This camp was a tangibl...