The Truth about Christ...

"Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ - the Son of the Father - will continue to be with us who live IN TRUTH and LOVE" (2 John 3). 

As I stated in yesterday's blog post, God's love is manifested IN Jesus Christ, who IS "the truth" that John mentions 11 times in the epistles of 2 and 3 John. Whatever you read and come across today, remember "the truth about Christ" (2 John 10).

God is love...as seen in Jesus Christ

As I get caught up this morning on our readings in 1-3 John I was struck again by the often quoted passage in 1 John 4:8, "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (NLT, emphasis mine). If we heard it once, we have probably heard it a thousand times...God is love. And in our world today, we NEED to hear this a thousand times.

But I was also struck by a passage in the chapter before, 1 John 3:23-24 says, "And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us" (NLT, emphasis mine).

In our culture today, we so often hear "God is love" and often this phrase is said with a New Age, Pluralistic, "all roads lead to God" sort of tone and meaning. God, the amorphous how-ever-we-want-to-define-him-sort-of-God is the God often referenced when it is said "God is love."

Along with that phrase "God is love" we so often hear "let's just all get along and love each other." Again, it is a nebulous sort of statement that ranks up there with "peace, love, recycle." It's become a buzz phrase and rightly so as, again, it's a phrase we need to be reminded of a thousand times in our broken and fallen world.

But what I found interesting about this passage in 1 John 3:23 is that it is grounded in the fact, and belief, that this "God" came in a flesh and blood form in Jesus Christ!  "And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us." We are to believe, and confess our belief, in Jesus Christ who "is the visible image of the invisible God" as Colossians 1:15 states.

The statement "God is love" is rooted in this visible, skin and bone representation of Jesus Christ who demonstrated, through his death on the cross, what it truly means "to love one another."

This Advent Season as we celebrate and look forward to the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, God with skin and bones, may we remember that the buzz phrases of "God is love" and "love one another" are grounded and based on this Emmanuel who was born to a Virgin in the backwater town of Bethlehem.

God's grace and peace to you!

Encouragement from a friend

The proverbial joke is that Pastor's only work one day of the week...ha, ha, ha! I assure you that is a total lie.

Like many jobs that many people have, being a pastor is the type of position that you never get away from because there are always things going on. You are always thinking about: situations at church, conversations that were had, meetings that are up and coming and a genuine concern for those in your congregation. This past week has been challenging to say the least and my emotions have been all over the place. Because I am NOT seeking a pity party, NOR am I seeking pats-on-the-back, but rather to give thanks, I will leave it at that.

So this morning as part of my Sabbath I'm catching up on my Daily Walk Bible reading and was reading through 2 Thessalonians. The following verses were a huge blessing and encouragement to me:

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, ¹⁷ comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say (2 Thess. 2:16-17, NLT)

and also 

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all (2 Thess. 3:16), NLT).

About 10 minutes later, after praying about these verses and how they related to current church happenings, the UPS truck drives up and drops off an odd-shaped styrofoam package on our front steps. Because it is 68 degrees right now (woo hoo!!) I had the storm door open and the screen door still on and so I went out and found a package from Omaha Steaks. On the address label was this kind note...

"Thank you for your friendship. You feed me so now I can feed you! A blessed Christmas to you" and the note was signed by a friend who is a member at our church. 

As I was writing a thank you note to this person my eyes welled up with tears because this person's thoughtful gift was that needed "comfort, strength, and peace" that I read about earlier in 2 Thessalonians.

No matter what your vocational calling is we all have our challenges to deal with and we all need to know we are appreciated for the job that we are trying to do. Who can you thank today at your workplace, or church, or at home for the job they are trying to do? Who in your life needs to be encouraged? Who in your life needs a note of appreciation for how they have blessed your life? I know I am EXTREMELY grateful for what I received today and will be sure to pass that along to this friend. How about you?

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all" (2 Thess. 3:18).

I'm a Wicked Person (and I don't mean in the Bostonian sort of way)

 

When we lived north of Boston for 6 years we constantly heard people use the word "wicked" and often times it was followed with "good" ... the Boston Red Sox are "wicked good," that Lobstah is "wicked good," Dunkin Donuts coffee is "wicked good," etc, etc. You get the picture. For whatever reason the adjective "wicked" was used in a good way and not in the usual way that we think of like, for example, "the Wicked Witch of the West" from The Wizard of Oz.

 

But for my post today I'm talking about wicked in the sense that we normally think of... bad, evil, sinful, wicked. And as much as some people want to avoid this topic, the Doctrine of Sin is real and we see in scripture that we are wicked people.

The classic verse comes from Paul in Romans, who is quoting various Psalms, when he says "no one is righteous-not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one" (3:10-12, NLT). In short, we are wicked!

This came to mind today as I was doing our Daily Walk Bible reading in Romans, specifically in chapters 6-11. We know that because we have been united with Christ in his death on the cross "we are no longer slaves to sin" (Rom. 6:6). Yet the reality for me, and most normal Christians, is that we continue to fight sin in our lives. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in a recent sermon that I heard on Ref Net, compared our fight with sin with the battles that were happening in Canada between France and England in the 17th century. He talked about how the war was eventually declared over but small skirmishes were still happening because they hadn't yet heard the news that the war was over.

Isn't this true in our lives? Christ has won the war over sin yet we haven't fully grasped this news and so the battle wages on in our hearts, lives and world. As a matter of fact, Paul goes on to describe this battle in Romans 7:15 and following. He says, "I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." He goes on to say in vs. 18 and following, "I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway" (NLT). 

How true this is for me!! For example, I'm wicked when it comes to having conversations to myself about a person that has angered me, offended me, etc. I think up all kinds of things I would like to say to them but never do (thankfully). Ultimately, "I want to do what is right" (which is not be angry and love my neighbor) but the reality is "I do what I hate" (thinking up heinous, one-liner comments that would thrash that person into a million pieces).

Paul says, "but there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am!" (Romans. 7:23-24) Thankfully, we know the war has been one because Jesus Christ dealt a death blow to sin on the cross! Thus, we can say with Paul, "who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 7:25, NLT).

But the reality is we still live in a broken, fallen and wicked world and so we still need to fight the sin in our world and the sin in our hearts and with that in mind I recommend this little 6 minute clip from John Piper about making war on our sin.  

In the end, we celebrate Christ's victory and we remember that "there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1, NLT).

Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Post-test Lego Therapy

This is the "before" picture as we begin our new project, The Winter Village Cottage. With my wife's school schedule, and her test's this week, we decided to start our Christmas Lego project early.

Isn't it Ironic?

 

As I was doing our Daily Walk Bible reading today in John 18-21 I was reminded of the amazingly-catchy, though atrociously-annoying, song by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette called "Ironic." In the song Morissette sings about various things in life that are supposedly ironic. For example, the irony of "10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife" or "rain on a wedding day" or "a free ride when you've already paid." The reality is most of the examples in her song are not ironic, nevertheless the song still pops in my head when I hear or read about something that seems "ironic."

For example, John opens chapter 18 by setting the stage for Jesus's arrest and I found it ironic that it happened in "a grove of olive trees" (18:1). As you know, olives and the olive branch are international symbols of peace. So why does this horde of Roman soldiers and Temple guards "with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons" arrive "at the olive grove" to arrest Jesus? After all, Paul says in Romans 5:1 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." To me, it seems Jesus is the shining example of peace and yet how ironic it is that these soldiers and guards would come to arrest him in an olive grove!

This is the man, after all, who told his disciples, "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give" (John 14:27, NLT).

Later, in one of his last teachings, he said to his disciples  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).

And after he was resurrected he said to the disciples two times, "Peace be with you" (John 20:19, 21) and then eight days later to doubting Thomas he made the same comment "Peace be with you" (John 20:26).

My question for us today is this, do we come to Jesus like the Roman soldiers and Temple guards with war and hatred in our hearts? Do we come in the dark, afraid we will be found out and exposed? Do we come with our own agendas and plans, wanting to arrest him to our desires and whims?

Or

Do we come to Him with humble hearts and open minds? Do we come ready to receive, and eagerly desiring, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding" (Phil. 4:7)? Or do we come seeking "the God of peace" (Phil. 4:9) who is only found through his Son Jesus Christ?

Authority and Amazement

I have to say that I have been blessed to take part in the Daily Walk Bible reading this year! These readings have provided new insights into the majesty, glory and character of God.

Recently, while reading the Gospel of Mark, my eyes were opened to the sovereign authority that Jesus displayed over: Creation, sickness and disease, demons, over people and especially in his calling of the disciples, in his teaching and over sin. But I was also moved by how many people were “amazed” with Christ. They were amazed with: his teachings, with his power to heal, and with his power over Creation. Mark 7:37 says, “They were completely amazed and said again and again, ‘everything he does is wonderful’” (NLT). Clearly, Jesus’ authority precedes the people’s amazement.

Continuing this idea, Michael Card calls the Gospel of Luke “the Gospel of Amazement.” Card says in his commentary, “Luke exhausts the language of amazement…there are five Greek words that can be translated “amazed” and only Luke uses every one of them” (Luke: The Gospel of Amazement, p. 22). Card goes on to ask the rhetorical question, “why am I not amazed?” This is a great question for us to ponder!

As I was reading this morning I was shocked to see that this time it wasn’t the people, the disciples or those who were healed that were amazed. But, rather, it was Jesus himself! In Luke 7 a Roman Centurion had heard of Jesus’ amazing authority and how the people had been amazed at this authority and so he realized that Jesus was the only hope for his slave, who was dear to him, to be healed. But instead of asking Jesus to come and pray for him and anoint him with oil or heal him through the laying on of hands he simply says “just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed” (7:7, NLT). Wow! What faith!! “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’” (Luke 7:9)

NT scholar Darrell Bock commented that the combination of the Centurion’s “humility, dependent request, and trusting awareness of God’s power is the essence of faith” (Luke 1:1-9:50, 644). Do I have this type of faith? Do you?

Will Jesus find faith in my life, in my family, or in our church when he returns (Luke 18:8)? I hope so! For if we are building our house on the rock (Lk. 6:46-49) then we will have "concrete faith" like this Centurion (Bock, 630)!

Congratulations! We are starting the NT today!!

If you have been doing the Daily Walk Bible (DWB) reading program with us you know we have spent the last 9 months reading through the Old Testament and that today, October 1st, begins our journey into the New Testament....hooray!

I love the Old Testament, and I need to read and understand the Old Testament to fully grasp the grand meta-narrative of God's redemptive plan and purposes, but I'm also really ready to dive into the New Testament. With that said, yesterday's DWB Quarterly Gathering was a wonderful encouragement and reminder though of just how important reading the OT is to our understanding of God's Word. And then reading Matthew 1-4 today was further confirmation that we have to understand the Old to fully grasp the New!

As you read through Jesus' genealogy think of how those names now come to life because we just read through the OT! Think of how similar John the Baptist's message is to the other Old Testament prophets! Think of how Matthew's 10+ references to the Old Testament (as signaled by the familiar phrase, "this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet" (NLT)) jump off the page because we just read them days or weeks ago! Even Satan got into the act of knowing the OT by quoting Psalm 91 to Jesus. This final example is only further proof of how important it is to know God's Word, and to know it fully!

On a different but related note I was amazed again at how God was at work and how he helped people make critical decisions. It was awesome to see how God spoke to Joseph in a dream or via an angel FOUR different times (Mt. 1:20; 2:13, 19 and 22). And with the Wise Men God used the "star from the east" (2:2, 9-10) and then warned them via a dream to go a different direction home (2:12). Man, I wish God would speak to me through dreams and angels and stars...

and then I remembered...

I have the Holy Spirit who dwells within me (John 14:15-18, 26; 1 Cor. 6:19) to help guide me and lead me! I pray that each and every day I might become more like the disciples who heard Jesus' call and so "they left their nets at once and followed him" (Mt. 4:20, 22, italics mine).

To close, and to help us better know how to follow the Holy Spirit's leading, I wanted to recommend a great little book

If you can't read the small print on the cover it says "Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will OR How to make a Decision without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc."

It is a fantastic little read that is packed with scripture, helpful anecdotes and suggestions for how we can obey the plain commands of scripture rather than trying to figure out the supposed "corn maze" or "magic eight ball" that we think of as God's will.

Today, may we all read the NT in light and with the knowledge of the OT so that we might be obedient followers of Christ who joyfully follow where He calls!

Walking through the Valleys

Some time back I was really struggling in life, probably depressed as I look back now, yet trying to hold on to joy. I had this verse written on a notecard that was taped above the kitchen sink so that I could look at it and pray through it while doing dishes...

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT)

¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights.

Fairly recently a friend's battle with cancer surfaced this verse again and reminded me how even when things look the most desperate and barren and hopeless (as in Habakkuk's day with the coming destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, see Hab. 1:6ff) we can still find our joy and strength in "the God of Israel is our fortress" (Ps. 46:7).

I'll admit I am a day behind in my Daily Walk Bible reading (there, as the leader of the DWB reading program I feel relieved having now confessed :) so when I read this verse this morning it struck another chord...

Dear, dear friends of ours in Massachusetts are right now trying to rejoice in the Lord in the face of hardship. As the wife said, "Romans 12:12 is my mantra..."Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (ESV). Amen. 

My wife and I have been praying for this family a lot and so I have added this verse from Habakkuk to our "quiver" of arrow prayers to pray to our gracious, heavenly Father.

In the midst of these circumstances it's been very timely that I've been waking up to this song called The Valley Song by Jars of Clay and it seems so appropriate for these days in which we find ourselves. 

"I will sing of your mercy that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy ... hallelujah!"

Are we like Jonah?

 

Jonah Praying Before the Walls of Nineveh by Rembrandt

found here.

As we all know, this past week was a tough one for the United States...the remembrance of the horrible attacks on 9/11, the killing of the consulate workers and US Ambassador in Libya, the Teachers strike in Chicago and the continuing violence and protests against the US across the world.

It's easy to stop and think, "what in the world do we do?" For some, it is easy to respond with anger and bitterness and to keep the violence going, even if it is only in our hearts and minds. But we know from Jesus' words in Matthew 5 that this is just as bad as the actual actions themselves,

 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell."

As I was reading and rereading some of our Daily Walk Bible readings from this past week I was challenged by the Old Testament book of Jonah and the prophet's actions and attitude and most of all by God's loving response to the most powerful and evil nation at that time, Assyria. Understandably so, Jonah wanted judgment, he wanted God's wrath and power to be on display on Israel's evil neighbors. God gave Jonah his assignment in 1:2, "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." God knew Nineveh's sin and wicked ways and he wanted to offer a second chance to them through Jonah's preaching.

We all know the ensuing story from our childhood Sunday School classes...Jonah disobeyed God and ran away in the opposite direction. As a result, he found himself in a storm which the Lord caused (1:4) and then in the belly of a great fish which "the Lord had arranged" (1:17). God's plan of redemptive preaching to the Ninevites would not be thwarted! After his seeming repentance (2:1) and "earnest prayer" (2:7) the Lord delivers Jonah out of the fish and he obeyed and heard his duties for a second time (3:1; cue the Mission Impossible music, or at least that is what Jonah would've thought!)

Jonah's message to the citizens of Nineveh was one verse long, 8 words in length ... "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" And what happened? "The people believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow" (3:5). As a result, "when God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened" (3:10, NLT). 

But how did Jonah respond? I suspect our attitude, if in his place, might have been the same ... "this change of plans greatly upset Jonah and he became very angry" (4:1).

In our world today many of us are like Jonah and we have many "Ninevites" that we hate and wish to see God bring his wrath and judgment down upon their heads. And let's not delude ourselves. As I was reminded in my prayer time today, for many people in the world the U.S. IS their "Ninevites" in their mind! So will we, will the world, be angry like Jonah?

Or will we pray, truly pray, that God, who is "merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love" (4:2), will send numerous messengers of His love, grace and forgiveness out into the world? The Lord said to Jonah, "Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" (4:11, NLT).

In our own ways, in our own circumstances, whether it is against a world dictator or against a family member, or church member, or next door neighbor, we ALL need to turn away from our Jonah-like ways and extend forgiveness. "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy-seven times" (Mt. 18:21-22).

Hiding Snakes, sneaky Sin

In case you haven't heard our dog Oakley got bit by a Copperhead snake while hiking on our vacation (you can read about it here, two-thirds of the way through the post) in North Carolina. As I was reliving that day people would say "there's a lot of sermon material in that story." Indeed, there is.

This past weekend I was talking to a good friend, and man of the Word, and he was encouraging me to look for the spiritual meaning behind this snake-bite situation. Understandably so when everything happened I was just worried about Oakley. But now that I have had time to step back and reflect I've taken this dear brother's comments to heart.

In that conversation the Lord immediately brought this passage in Genesis 4:7 to mind, "Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master" (NLT). As we know earlier in Genesis 3 sin is incarnated in the Serpent, the Devil himself. But Adam and Eve, nor Cain in Genesis 4 for that matter, subdued sin; rather, they gave it a foothold and let Satan do his trickery and deceit.

In relation to this passage I was thinking about how I was sitting on this rock above this Copperhead snake who was only 6 inches from my legs. Little did I know the pain and anguish and maybe even death that was only inches and seconds from striking me. Physically, this is a frightening realization. Spiritually speaking, it is even more so! How similar is sin in our lives to this Copperhead!?!?

Like the Copperhead hiding between the rock and the grass, often times sin is hidden in my life and I don't realize the death-filled potential it has. As I talked with this friend on the phone my mind started to think of the various sins in my life that I don't recognize and the many sins that I blatantly ignore and turn a blind eye to. As my former campus ministry coworker use to say, "sin runs deep" and often times we don't recognize the power it has nor give it the respect it deserves. Even more so, we don't deal with it like we should. We need to "subdue it and be its master."

Enter in this morning's Daily Walk Bible reading from Hosea 12-14. Hosea 12:14 says "but the people of Israel have bitterly provoked the Lord, so their Lord will now sentence them to death in payment for their sins." The Apostle Paul said, "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).  The Bible is clear, the consequence for Sin is death.

So what a wonderful joy and gift to read that "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt" (Hos. 12:9) and "I have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt" (Hos. 13:4). The author is reminiscing about the historical event in the life of the Nation of Israel, the Exodus out of Egypt. But we can also clearly make the connection to the spiritual saving that God won for his people out of their slavery to sin; and out of our slavery to sin because while "the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." And that is an amazing gift!

So I want to encourage you today to take your sin seriously! Do battle with sin by praying through these verses in Hosea 14; I did this this morning and was blessed and encouraged by this time of repentance, confession and the assurance of God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

1) "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God for your sins have brought you down" (Hos. 14:1). We must recognize that sin has control in our lives and we need to turn away from it and turn back to God.

2) "Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us..." (Hos. 14:2). Bring those sins, your confessions, to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. We know that He will be gracious in forgiving for His Word has said so, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

3) "Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses...No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy" (Hos. 14:3). Recognize that nothing in this world can save us, it is only in the Lord Jesus Christ that we find mercy.

4) "Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever" (Hos. 14:4). Trust that the Great Physician, out of his gracious and loving heart and character, wants to do major heart surgery in your life and He wants to heal you through and through.

The gift of new life in Christ is that "my people will again live under My shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines" (Hos. 14:7). "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).

As the Holy Spirit leads us we can remember that "I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me" (Hos. 14:8). God alone answers prayer; and God alone, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will forgive us of ALL our sins.

We got the wonderful news yesterday that Oakley has officially been cleared by our Vet and there are no other issues we need to worry about in relation to this Copperhead condition. And what wonderful news that ...

"... now he (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:26-28).

Author Proposes an 'Indie Bookstore Pledge'

Author Proposes an 'Indie Bookstore Pledge'

The above link is for a great quote from an article found here which shares a wonderful idea to put into practice! I hope to do this with Byron Border and his bookstore Hearts and Minds in Dallastown, PA. Though they aren't in VA I can still support this wonderful indie bookstore by ordering through him rather than Amazon or CBD!

Here is a snippet from his website telling more about their store...

"Welcome to a bookstore which attempts to create a new space for serious, reflective readers. Unabashedly Christian, we are often told that we are different than most religious bookstores. Our name, we trust, gives a good first clue to what we are about.

What distinguishes us most is our enthusiasm for the development of a uniquely Christian worldview where Christ’s Lordship is honored and lived out in relevant ways in the midst of our highly secularized, post-modern culture. We offer quality books for the sake of faithful Christian living. We serve business folk, scientists, artists, college students, moms, dads (and kids!), pastors, poets and politicos. We believe Biblical faith leads to "thinking Christianly" about every area of life."

Happy ordering and happy reading and know you are making a difference!

Vacation in North Carolina

Before the Fall kicks in at UVA for my wife, and before things go into full-swing at church, we decided to take the pup and go away for a few days to the Montreat/Asheville area of NC. We had a lovely time despite the ER visit for our doggie. See below!

Our first hike in Montreat: up Lookout Mountain to the East Ridge Trail then to Old Tressel Road.

This is how Oakley usually looks in the back of our car, face towards the window as the air blows back his facial hair and eyebrows. Funny doggie!

After our Lookout Mountain hike we decided to go to Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain. My wife kept Oakley company for a few minutes (above) while I did a tasting (below). The red colored beer was flavored with cherries and raspberries which wasn't my favorite but was a fun change. Their Mexican Lager and Blueberry Wheat were very tasty.

This is the beautiful welcome gate as you drive into Montreat, NC

We walked into the Ten Thousand Villages store where we were met by a Golden Retriever named Wesley. The employees said they were a "dog-friendly" store (as supposedly 98% of Asheville is) and that Oakley was welcome to come inside. What followed is in this hilarious video. They loved each other. And the employees LOVED it as well. Mind you this is all happening INSIDE the store!

As we walked around Asheville we found this beautiful park and fountain, Oak loved it!

We read some literature about this brewery in Sylva, NC nicknamed your "Gnometown Brewery" so we just had to visit. The Brewmaster, from Germany, loved dogs and so Oakley made a new friend; as did we! This is a great craft brewery and I highly recommend the Black Forest Stout, though all the beers were tasty. Ultimately, our time with Dieter made the trip. Check it out!
 

If it works, this is a video of us going up a TON of stairs at Chimney Rock State Park...where The Last of the Mohicans was filmed.

Atop Chimney Rock

Me and Oak atop Chimney Rock

A happy family!

In the Opera Box at Chimney Rock State Park. Can you tell this was my favorite hike/part of our trip!?

Another video of the breathtaking views at this park

My wife at Exclamation Point, the very top of the park.

Little did I know that when I sat down on this cursed rock/clump of grass there was a Copperhead Snake that lay hidden inside.  Oakley, unfortunately, was being his curious self and nosed the grass and then immediately jumped back...as did I. As I peered in I saw a coppery/brown colored snake and realized it was a Copperhead, yikes! Because Oakley didn't yelp and there was no blood we thought he just got spooked. So our merry-little hike continued until much later when we realized something was dreadfully wrong.

A view of Chimney Rock from Exclamation Point

The costume of "Hawkeye" aka Daniel Day Lewis in the film Last of the Mohicans which was filmed on site.

 

Since there were so many stairs, and because Oakley was getting pretty tired, I decided to carry him like a baby for over 200 stairs. 52.3 pounds gets VERY heavy! Little did we know that he was really starting to be impacted by the Copperhead venom.

By the time we got to the bottom we realized he was not right and called our Vet in VA. He told us to look for swelling and sure enough, after we got off the phone, we found all kinds of swelling even despite his long facial hair. The Lord was looking out for us and led us the way and we were so blessed! We got the right number and address of a nearby Animal Hospital that had anti-venom (most Vets don't carry it b/c it is so expensive and has a short shelf life) so we drove there about 40 minutes and were met by a wonderful staff and fabulous Christian Vet. If you are ever in Western North Carolina and need a Vet/Animal Hospital please check them out. They were fantastic!! 

This is poor Oak, with his IV in his leg, in the ICU. I was SOOO scared and totally lost it in the Parking Lot and just cried for two hours. I didn't know how he was going to be. And I realized it could've been me who got bit. Oakley, literally, saved my life. Thanks buddy!!

The next day we received the good news that Oakley was going to be just fine so we celebrated with cupcakes at Hey Hey Cupcake in Black Mountain, NC. So goooood!

Our new great friends from the South told us about Zaxbys so we had to try this fast-food restaurant on our way home. *Notice my wife's t-shirt ... "Airedales Rule." Oakley certainly does!

Despite the crazy extra day with Oakley in the ER we had a WONDERFUL time and would love to go back to the Montreat/Black Mountain/Asheville area.

Visit with my Best Friend from College

A few weekends ago my best friend, and best man in our wedding, made the trip down from Boston to visit us for a weekend and we had a blast! Enjoy the pics!

This is a delicious donut shop in Cville where the donuts are made out of potato flour. They were soooo good, especially the blueberry ones straight out from the fryer. Yum!

 

You can't come to our neck of the woods without a visit to Monticello to see TJ's home. Here my buddy is kickin' it with Mr. Jefferson himself.

We took the opportunity to visit two new wineries and at this first one, Blenheim Vineyards owned by Dave Matthews, Oakley was allowed to have free reign of the tasting room. It was quite fun to have him in there, though a little distracting as he explored till his little heart was content. So fun! He was wonderful and they were VERY welcoming to dogs.

 

This is on the patio of the Trump Winery, owned by Donald Trump, and though Oakley wasn't allowed inside here we still had a great time.

 

Double rainbow after a storm in our neighborhood.

 

Pre-hike

 

On top of Humpback Rocks

 

On Sunday we went to watch a Polo match at King Family Vineyards. The weather was lovely and the Rose wine was soooo good.

 

Cheers!

 

One of my regrets of living on the Northshore of Boston for 6+ years was that I never made it to a Polo match at the Myopia Hunt Club. So we didn't want to make that same mistake here in VA. It was so cool to see the players/horses up close after the game and to walk out onto the pitch/field and replace divots (sp?). 

We had a great visit and look forward to the next one!!

Standing firm as a spokesperson of God

 

Photograph by Fritz von der Schulenburg found here

In our Daily Walk Bible readings we are marching through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and I have been thoroughly challenged and impressed with his obedience to proclaiming God's tough message of repentance or judgment. It got me thinking, could I do this?

Time and again, the Lord comes to Jeremiah with a message for him to declare and he faithfully carries through with the task. Many times his messages are accompanied by an object lesson that further illustrates God's point. We see Jeremiah use: a rotten loincloth (13:1-11), jars of wine (13:12-14), the rain (14:1-9) and maybe the most well known, the clay jars (19:1-13).

While giving these divine-messages Jeremiah is ridiculed and struggles with the rejection he receives. The New Living Translation reads like this in 17:15ff, "People scoff at me and say, 'What is this message from the Lord you talk about? Why don't your predictions come true?'" 

What we read is a willing Prophet who is caught between faithfulness to God and an understandable desire to avoid pain and rejection.  And who can blame him? He cries out, "Lord, I have not abandoned my job as a shepherd for your people...you have heard everything I have said...but don't let me experience shame and dismay." And so he continues to proclaim the Lord's Word: honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy (17:19-27), "turn from your evil ways each of you, and do what is right" (18:11), and "I will bring disaster upon this city and its surrounding towns as I promised, because you have stubbornly refused to listen to me" (19:15).

Even after he was arrested, put in stocks and whipped (20:1-2) Jeremiah continues to pronounce the Word of the Lord. Yet we see his human vulnerability and emotional struggles, "these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke" (20:8). While he hates being mocked and laughed at (20:7), and while he knows rumors are flying (20:10), he stays true to God's call on his life. After all, "if I say I'll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones!" (20:9)

Ultimately, Jeremiah knows and trusts that "the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble" (20:11). No matter what we face, what a refreshing thought that this verse is still true today! What a blessing to remember that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5) and that he is with us always to the very end of the age (Mt. 28:20).

When we have the opportunity to share our faith, may we share it boldly for as Paul said in Rom. 10:15, quoting the prophet Isaiah, "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

And when we face "the devil's schemes" and "rulers, authorities, and the powers of this dark world" may we "stand and stand firm then" and put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:10-19).

And when we find ourselves wanting "the approval of men" may we instead be found to "be a servant of Christ" instead (Gal. 1:10).

Like Jeremiah, may we stand firm in whatever the Lord brings across our path and may we be found to be a faithful spokesman or spokeswoman for the Lord. Amen!

Hail the Day

As a followup to my post earlier this morning... I was driving to church and I had this song playing and was encouraged by the words.

Hallelujah, hallelujah
The King of Love is on His throne
Hallelujah,  hallelujah
His grace will lead us safely home

Though He dwells beyond the stars
His redeemed are on His heart
Even now He intercedes
Jesus cares for all our needs

This is a wonderful adaptation, by Sovereign Grace Music, of the glorious hymn by Charles Wesley called "Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise." You can hear this adaptation here.


p.s. You know this is good, solid music when the liner notes indicate that they had a "Theological Consultant" for this CD!!

There is no other...

We've been reading in the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah for our Daily Walk Bible (DWB) reading and I've been struck at how Isaiah has made it clear to the nation of Israel that they have a clear choice: they can either worship and trust in "the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator and King" (43:15). Or, they can worship and trust in other men/nations/militaries to save them (Isa. 31:1-9). Or, the other option is to worship and trust false idols made by human hands (40:18-20; 41:6). Like all things in life, a decision had to be made.

And for us today, that decision remains! Will we trust in our nation/government/military to save us and lead us? Or will we put our trust in the things of this world...money, power, possessions? Or will we trust in the One whom it is written: "the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding" (40:28).

If you know me, or follow this blog with any regularity, you know the decision I have made: "But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:14-15).

Maybe this is simplistic, but my next decision, to put it very bluntly, is what will I do/should we do when the proverbial s&*% hits the fan?

Again, I turn to God in prayer and to his Word for we know that "the word of our God stands forever" (Isa. 40:8) and that it is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).

During this difficult season in my life and ministry it was, therefore, incredibly encouraging to be reminded of King Hezekiah and his prayerful actions during his hardships (see 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chron. 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39). When King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack his nation Hezekiah "tore his clothes and put on burlap (signs of mourning) and went into the Temple of the Lord" (Isa. 37:1, 14-20); and when Hezekiah became deathly ill "he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord" (38:2-3).

In both instances God heard his prayer, saw his state, heard his plea for mercy and responded with compassion: the Assyrian army was drawn away from Jerusalem and their King was killed in battle (37:9, 36-38) and Hezekiah was given another 15 years to live because "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears" (38:5-6).

But what happens when life doesn't play out like we had hoped and prayed? When we aren't delivered from our enemies? When we aren't delivered from our cancer? When we turn our faces to the wall in prayer, like Hezekiah (38:2), and the prayers seem to bounce right off and go nowhere? What then?

As Jesus reminded us in Luke 11 we continue to ask, seek and knock trusting that God will answer in His time, and His will.

I know, easier said than done. True!

But as a Christ-follower this is what I hold onto; that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ "is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin" thus "he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf" (Hebrews 7:26, 25) on OUR BEHALF.

And so I keep going back to God's Word, and I encourage you to keep going back to God's Word. Contextually speaking, these words were for Israel, then. But they are powerful words for us today because I believe in Jesus Christ who "is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Isa. 40:1).

A prophecy about Jesus - "He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart" (Isa. 40:11) ...

About God - "Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who else knows the weight of the earth..." (Isa. 40:12).

"Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint" (Isa. 40:31).

"For I have chosen you ... don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God...for I will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer" (Isa. 41:9-14).

Again, about Jesus - "Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one...And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison..." (Isa. 42:6-7).

"I have called you be name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you..." (Isa. 43:1-2).

"From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done" (Isa. 43:13).

"You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God-there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the Lord, AND THERE IS NO OTHER SAVIOR" (Isaiah 43:10-11).

It's finished...

Since I have Youth Group tonight and will be working late, and since my wife had to work yesterday and I didn't get to see her at all, I decided to stay home and have an elongated lunch break today. We had a leisure-filled lunch, played with the pup and then finished the 1962 Lego VW Bus. Here it is, in all its glory! :)

All the sweet doors and hatches that open and go upwards!

Need to wash your hands? Sit at the bench? Maybe have a glass of wine at the table? You can do it all in this little plaid-curtained bus!

 

The little sign says "Make Lego Models not War."

Rear license plate.

 

A happy nerd. Thanks babe for a wonderful 32nd birthday gift. I enjoyed putting it together with you the last few months!!