Decade

Where do you hope to be in ten years?

Your mind probably jumped to an answer similar to the ones you wrote in your school papers. I hope to have graduated college, have a good job, live with my spouse in my house with a white picket fence and 2.5 children.

Let me challenge those thoughts.

This morning as I mulled over this question I couldn't shake the this thought - the things I most hope to be doing ten years from now is to be more fervently living and speaking the gospel. I hope to be doing that ten minutes from now and ten days from now.

Just shy of 20 years ago, God changed my life with the words of the gospel. Having grown up going to church I had heard that the wrong things I did (sin) broke my relationship with God. I knew that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died in my place, for my sin creating the way for me to be in a right relationship with God. God reminded me that I was created to be in a right relationship with Him but that I was only ultimately living to please myself. In God's grace, I repented of that and was welcomed in to the family.*

As I look back over the last ten years I see that God has worked in me through the gospel... as a believer. It has been the gospel that has gotten me up some mornings, the gospel that has grown me and grown those I've discipled, the gospel that has saved my family members, friends, and neighbors. The truth that God can't love me any more or any less, nothing can separate me from His love, is so freeing. I am honored to love Him in return and see Him honored and point others to Him.

Don't get me wrong. It is a great thing to have goals in life! It's good to work toward graduating from college or enlist in the military or learn a trade. It will be in those (and other) settings that you are able to live out and speak the gospel.

I am really excited right now as I think of so many people whose lives God will change as His gospel is spoken in truth and in love by those who are compelled to speak it. I pray that you and I will speak.

*I would love to talk with you more about this. You can send me an email to alifewellphotographed@gmail.com

Baptism Celebration this weekend!

Baptism Weekend! from The Summit Church on Vimeo.

This weekend, at each of our campuses, after each service, we'll be celebrating baptism. If you've never been baptized by immersion since committing your life to Christ, this weekend is your time!

Click here for more information.

Ownership

God continues to bring me back to 2 Corinthians again and again to pray for my neighbors and for my believing friends who are in relationship with them. I was just reminded by a friend that we read different genres in different ways. 2 Corinthians is a letter. So I started at the greeting this morning.

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Cor 1:21-22

Take a few minutes to see what God has and is doing for you, if you belong to Him. Be encouraged!

City Uprising 2010 Informational Mtg Invite

Check out this post on Jason Gaston's blog. I wanted to copy and paste but I don't have the capability.

Really, check it out!

Holy?

I think it's safe to say that people in the culture I live in would equate keeping the Ten Commandments (the essence of them if not the actual Ten Commandments themselves) with holiness. Okay, maybe just with being a good person. They would recognize that they don't keep them all but that they keep most of them and that is what makes them a good person. If they think there is some sort of life after death they will think that being a good person is what earns them a better life after death.

For Christians we certainly, like the Galatians, fall into this same trap. Paul calls them foolish and says to them in Galatians 3:1-3, "who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

But typically, we Christians think we don't even break any of the Ten Commandments. Okay, we remember that we used to lie but we are too old for that now, right? Or sometimes I forget to rest during the week but that project for work really needed to be done.

So wherever you find yourself, here's some expansion of (not "addition to", mind you) the Ten Commandments.


(This is from our www.SummitWestClub.com campus blog, posted by our Campus Pastor, Brad O'Brien.)
This past Sunday, Pastor J.D. continued his current series ‘Presence‘. In his sermon, he challenged us to be honest with ourselves in regards to how well we measure up to the 10 Commandments. Here is the list of commandments and how he adapted them to our everyday life. He has adapted this list from Will Metzger, Tell the Truth, Appendix A.IV.

DO YOU KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?

1. You shall have no other Gods before Me: I have never put anything before God in my life. I have never loved or trusted or obeyed anything more than God. God and God alone has always been pre-eminent in my thoughts, affections, and actions.

2. You shall make no graven images of Me: I have never had any wrong conceptions about God nor worshipped Him in a way not directly proscribed by Him. I have always rejected wrong images of God and refused to redefine Him according to my liking.

3. You shall not take My name in vain: I have always held the name of God, which signifies His character, in highest respect, invoking it only with thoughtfulness and reverence. I have never used His name as a swear word. I have never been lethargic or apathetic during worship. I have never desecrated God’s name by calling myself His follower but not representing Him well. The way I talk, act, spend money, and drive give honor to the God whose name I attach to my life and whose bumper sticker I display on my car.

4. 6 days you shall do all your work… and remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy: I have always worked diligently and willingly at whatever task is set before me, seeing it as my God-given service each day, and making the most out of the time God has given me. In the 6 days of the workweek, I work hard, am not lazy, and don’t procrastinate. And I consistently remember to set apart one day weekly to worship God with others.

5. Honor your parents: I have never disobeyed nor dishonored my parents or any others in authority over me. I have always respected the authorities in my life, and given them honor and willing obedience, whether they were watching or not. This includes my parents, my teachers, traffic cops, the IRS, and my president.

6. You shall not kill: I have never murdered anyone… nor had hateful thoughts nor have taken the slightest pleasure in seeing harm done to another human being. I have never fantasized about the premature death of my spouse nor wished harm on my boss. I have always held the highest regard for any human life, and cared as much about the pain of others as I have my own.

7. You shall not commit adultery: I have never practiced sexual impurity, neither physically having sex with someone outside the bonds of marriage nor having impure thoughts about someone I’m not married to. If married, I have never flirted with or fantasized about someone who is not my spouse.

8. You shall not steal: I have never taken anything that doesn’t belong to me. This includes taking credit that didn’t belong to me, downloading illegal music, or cheating in school or on my taxes. I have never taken extra Chic-Fil-A sauce to stock my shelves at home. I do not waste my company’s time internet surfing, twittering or facebooking. I have always respected the belongings, rights and creations of others and been completely truthful and fair. I have always been willing to take only what I’ve earned.

9. You shall not lie: I have never lied nor slandered another person. I have always told the truth in every situation regarding every person I have ever known. I have never exaggerated the truth and I have kept all my covenants and agreements, whether verbal and written.

10. You shall not covet: I have never been greedy for something that wasn’t mine, nor jealous of the abilities, looks, position or possessions of others. I have rejoiced with others in what they have, glad that they have it even when I don’t. I have never complained about what God has provided for me (your car; you job; your pay), always been thankful and fully content with what I have and where I am in life, willing to share what I have with others who have less than me.

Neighbors

Do you pray for your neighbors? Regularly? Do you see your neighborhood as one of your primary places of influence and mission? If so, do you love your neighbors or just view them as a project?

These are all questions that have been on my heart for several months. Some that have been posed to me by others, some that the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind. There is a passage in Acts 17 that has been a comfort and a catalyst for me as I think about these questions.

Acts 17:22-28
²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. ²⁴"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. ²⁵And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

There are so many things about this passage that stand out to me but the part I want to hit on here is verse 26, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." I am made in the image of God who has placed me in this home at this time. Amazing!

That is a comfort to me when I think that I will never be around my neighbors because our work schedules are so different, or that the barriers are too high to really be able to build relationships with them, or that my words have fallen on deaf ears. God has put me here, now... and I am His.

It is a catalyst for me because I know that God put me here, now. I want to take full advantage of the many opportunities He gives me with my neighbors. God knows how long I will be here, but I don't. So why should I tarry?

Pray for your neighbors. Know them by name. Get to know them personally. Live life with them. Be friends with them. And share the gospel with them in words as well as action.

Mini Silent-Prayer Retreat

Mini Silent-Prayer Retreat

Meditate on God's Presence - 30 minutes
walk, sit, swing, rock
(Mt 1:23; Jn 1:14; Ps 16:11; Ps 139:7-10; Lk 10:28-42; 2 Cor 4:13-14)

Adore God - 60 minutes
create* (alpha-pages)
(Ps 29:1-2)

Confess sin to God - 30 minutes
write out specific sins
(Ex 20; 2 Tim 3:2-5; Ps 51; Ps 19:12-14; Rom 7:24-8:4)

Thank God - 60 minutes
create*, walk
(Ps 107)

Pray for Self - 30 minutes
find 2 scripture to memorize and pray for specific situations
(Ps 77:1; Jas 4:2)

Pray for Others - 45 minutes
write 2 notes to people letting them know how you've prayed for them
(Rom 8:26; Col 1:3; Lk 6:27)

Pray aloud with others at the retreat - unlimited


*Create: paint, draw, color, cut/paste, write (list, journal, poetry).

This is only a suggested guide. You can do anything during this time. The only "rule" is no talking... and try not to nap on purpose.


If you have more time, I would suggest providing more scripture, and some challenging reading on each topic as well. While I wouldn't recommend this as the best way to do a silent retreat or a prayer retreat, it was a good introduction for someone new to either concept.

Command

"The call to the cloister demanded of Luther the complete surrender of his life. But God shattered all his hopes. He showed him through the Scriptures that the following of Christ is not the achievement or merit of a select few, but the divine command to all Christians without distinction."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Costly

"Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

"In the depth of his misery, Luther had grasped by faith the free and unconditional forgiveness of all his sins. That experience taught him that this grace had cost him his very life, and must continue to cost him the same price day by day."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Cheap

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

"Cheap grace is the grace that we bestow upon ourselves."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Gypped?

Luke 1:5-7 "In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years."

Wow.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were what we would call "good people," right? And they were older and didn't have kids? No way!

Well, maybe they didn't want children? No? But I thought they were good and honored God. Why, since they want children, don't they have children? Don't they deserve to have children? I mean, really.

You see, we forget that God doesn't work off of the same rewards system that we sometimes do.

He loves us. (If I were to say that outloud it would have sounded better. "He loves us. Period.")

He knows us and he loves us.

He knows us and extends grace to us.

He knows how to best glorify Himself through us.

Do you love God? Do you do your best to honor Him? Do you feel gypped in some way? Remember that God loves you and wants to be honored in your life as well. Continue to honor Him and know that He is good and does good (Ps 119:64).

Complete

I just came across a poem from one of my good friends, Sharon. She wrote it back in 2000. And after reading it again recently has declared that it is awful. Awful or not, I think it speaks volumes to our friendships! There are 7 of us that have been the greatest of friends since college. It's pretty amazing how God put us together especially considering that on our own we probably wouldn't have all chosen one another. I am honored and humbled that each of them calls me their friend. I love you girls!

Complete

I have traveled down many roads
But I have never walked alone.
I have sprinkled the seeds of Life about
But 6 have with me sown.
And no matte where my path may lead
I will feel them next to me
And through the hills and valleys I'll go
and still a friend they will be
For in them I have found myself or
who I'd like to become.
A nurse, a teacher, and a youth leader,
giving of themselves
One gentle, one strong, and one that is a
coach.
Dear 6, precious 6, God has his Hand on
you...

Much love,
Sharon

Elmo's Diner is yummy!

Elmo's Diner is yummy! I am going for brunch soon and wanted to check out their current specials. Well was I ever in for a treat. Check it out at http://elmosdiner.com/ and click on "specials" to see the deals they have going on. And for you pumpkin lovers, the pumpkin pancakes are being served!

Take a friend or two or three and find your way to Elmo's Diner on 9th St in Durham. You won't be sorry!

Friends

Here is something that stood out to me from this week's sermon and our discussion in my small group.

Just as we are (supposed to be) intentional about loving and sharing the gospel with our non-believing friends, we are supposed to be intentional about loving and sharing the gospel with our believing friends. The gospel isn't just for salvation but for life.

I pray that we would be on purpose in celebrating and mourning and encouraging toward Christ-likeness with our family in Christ. I pray that we would be friends enough to our friends to want them to be more like Christ and in that way to bring glory to Him. Oh that we would be God-fearers and non Man-fearers.

Room

I just wrote a blog here...
http://www.summitwestclub.com/?p=825
Check it out!

Still?

I think it's appropriate that the last post "Still" has been up for so long. Appropriate for obvious reasons. For instance, we are STILL in the Still Standing series at church. I STILL want to point you to the daily devotionals and Proverb reading.

I have another post coming this week but I hope that you will STILL visit www.SummitRDU.com and read along in Proverbs with us.

Still

We just started a new series at The Summit Church called Still Standing. We are going through Proverbs together. Won't you join us?

You can click here to read the devotionals that we as a staff are putting together for you.

You can click here to read a little more about it and sign up for email reminders.

I'm looking forward to a great end of summer time of learning about wisdom! Let me know what you're learning too.

Faithful

I've been reminded through 7 or 8 specific instances in my life over the past 2 1/2 weeks that have reminded me that God is faithful and trustworthy even when I may think otherwise.

Be reminded that God's word is true. Always.

Get in it a little more this summer!

Disturbed

I've been reading The Mortification of Sin (Owen) with the college student I disciple. For that reason, we have drawn it out - reading only a few chapters a week. With school breaks, and trips, and work, we have 2 chapters left. I picked it up today to finish. Finally.

As you've seen, this book is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for quick, light reading. So it is with the quote I'm leaving for you today.

Owen is talking about being careful not to speak peace to yourself regarding your dealing with sin in your life...

"If men are wounded by sin, disturbed and perplexed, and realize that there is no remedy for them except in the mercy of God and through the blood of Christ; and if such look to Him and His covenant promises, and upon this basis quiet their hearts, believing that it will indeed be well with them, and that God will be gracious to them - and yet do not detest with utter hatred the sin in question - this is to heal themselves and not to be healed by God." p.103

In case you didn't catch it, you can't heal yourself. Be disturbed by your sin, be brought to utter hatred over your sin. Receive God's grace for your sin. Friend, He is holy & righteous and He desires to extend grace and righteousness to you. O, that you would glorify Him!

Summer

I need to let you know that although summertime is a slower-pace for most people. For me, and the rest of the studentLIFE staff, it is our busiest season. Students are out of school, after all.

I am telling you that so that you will hopefully extend grace in my infrequent posts. I will still post as I have will surely be learning a lot and will want to share some of it with you.

Enjoy your summer! Make sure that you keep up with the blog.

Ten - Day 25

How are you doing with your ten minutes of prayer? What? Or challenge is over? Well, I had another tip for you.

One way you can spend your time praying is by praying for the things you will be doing on that day... before the day begins. You certainly come in contact with people (either in person, on the phone, or via internet) that you can be praying for.

Here's an example from my life*:
Staff meeting - pray for the staff, families, and ministries they oversee
Lunch with student/leader - pray for that student/leader (may lead me to pray for other students/ leaders as it did this morning)
Planning meeting - pray for event logistics, attitudes, people coming, GOSPEL to be clear and responded to
Walk with roommate - pray for roommates, people living in the neighborhood we're walking in, for us to find a house in that neighborhood, for the church (it's in that neighborhood)
Coffee with a potential leader - pray for her, pray for others to come along side studentLIFE in leadership roles, for others in our body of believers to serve the church, for direction and discernment
Errands - pray for the other customers, for a chance to encourage someone, for the employees at the store (I try to go to the same person at each store so that I can build a relationship with them - Ana is at South Square Target. I'd love it if you would pray for her), for your attitude and motive behind your buying (yikes!)

So those are just some example of how you can be praying.



*I realize that some of you are moms that have the honor of staying home with your little one(s) and may feel like you don't have anything going on during the day outside of your little one(s). I could write a whole different post on that. But, I want to encourage you to be purposeful in two ways.

First, be purposeful in praying for others WITH your little one(s) - even if they aren't "old enough to understand." It will help you to be in the practice of praying in front of and with your children so that when they are "old enough" they will be learning how to pray. Oh, what an honor you have!

The second is this, be purposeful to reach out to your neighbors. I have seen that staying home all day can be draining. I recognize that raising children isn't simply a walk in the park. Bake some cookies with your little one(s), let them "write" a note, and walk next door. Yes, you will have to plan it... be purposeful. Again, whether they are "old enough" or not get in the practice of reaching out. Then (for those of you who think you may not have anyone to pray for) you will have at least one person to be praying for outside of your family and close friends.

Ten - Day 16

Have you ever prayed salvation for someone for so long that you began to wonder if God really did exist or if God really did want that person to know Him?

I have.

I can think of 3 people right now.

One was when I was in middle school. She was a very dear friend to me. My first friend in my new town. I shared Jesus with her but she didn't want to hear it. So I stopped talking about HIM specifically. I still talked about church a little - because that was what I did... I went to church. I prayed for her through middle and high school. Then one day while I was checking my email at college I was asked to pray for her again. She had begun working with one of my friends at a hotel. It wasn't long after that that she accepted Christ. We spent some time together when I was home from school. She met the man of her dreams and I was honored to be her Maid of Honor. What a fun full-circle. She has since had 2 adorable boys whom she and her husband are raising in view of the gospel. How amazing is the Lord?

I'll share another soon.

5:18 on 5/18 update

How did your Ten go at 5:18 tonight?

I was in my car without my prayer list but I was able to get Ten in in remembering how I usually pray for the church and in remembering some of the prayers on the list.

I'd love to hear how you prayed and how you've been praying.

I'm going to pray for each of you after I hit "publish post."

5:18 on 5/18

Today the members of The Summit Church have been asked to join in prayer for 10 minutes at 5:18 pm (on 5/18... easy to remember, right?).

Click here for the things to pray for.

Don't go to The Summit? Pray for your church. You can use the same requests as a guide for you church.

I'm looking forward to praying with you at 5:18!

Ten - Day 8

Eight days in... how's it going? Still praying?

Yesterday, we were reminded/challenged to spend time praising God as a part of our ten minutes of prayer.

This morning I spent some time in Psalm 147. Here's a taste:
"Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!"

The rest of the psalm gives praise to God that will help you to praise Him as well.

How can I pray for you?

Advance '09

Go.

Ten - Day 3

So, how's it going? Praying ten minutes a day?

It may help to brainstorm for a few minutes about who you want to pray for and how you want to pray for them. You can't go wrong praying scripture (Hebrews 4:11-16).

Here's a start for you:

Who-
Family
Close friends
Co-workers
Neighbors
People you frequently see/interact with

How*-
That they would be reading their Bible (Psalm 1)
That they would have good relationships with their friends (John 13:34-35)
That they would be getting along with their families (1 Peter 3:8-13)
That they would do well as they finish school (Colossians 3:23-24)
That they would honor God (Psalm 19... esp. 12-14)

Who are you praying for? How are you praying for them?

*this list came from my 2.42 girls last week when we were praying for the girls that weren't able to make it that night

Ten

We just started a new sermon series this week about prayer. Our pastor challenged us to pray for 10 minutes every day for the remainder of the series... 21 days.

I want to extend that challenge to you as well. For some of you, 10 minutes will not be enough. For some of you it may seem to drag on for eternity - probably though at the end of 21 days 10 minutes won't be enough time for you either.

Can we pray for one another? I would love to be praying for you! You can leave a comment (I preview all comments and will not post if you ask me not to) so that other readers can pray for you as well.

Among other things, I will be praying:
* for salvation for my friends' sister
* for godly men and women to be raised up for serving the body of believers locally and internationally
* for 3 bedroom, 2 bath home to rent in the W-H neighborhood

I am excited to see how God answers, according to His will, the requests His children bring to Him.

Psalm 115:1
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness."

Goodness

A familiar psalm revisited...

"Psalm 23." When I hear that I immediately think of a green field (I think only farmers and psalmists really call those fields "pastures") with little white lambs resting in the grass or drinking out of the babbling brook that runs through the field. It's a nice warm-fuzzy feeling.

Last week I read Psalm 23 to a friend who was hurting. I read it slowly to let the Word of God sink into my friend's heart and mind. And as I did, it sunk into mine.

Read it again, as if for the first time. Take your time. Read it out loud. Let the Word of the Lord work in you.

__________

Psalm 23

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

³ he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

________

Ah, surely goodness and love with follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Thank you God!

*Jon Foreman has recorded this psalm beautifully.

Commendations

I live with two amazing women. They are women of integrity and honor whose first desire is to glorify God in all they say and do.

One of them just posted a blog that I wanted to pass on to you. Below is an excerpt.

"You know it’s not very often that a man will commend a woman for her modesty. In fact, it is not often that women hear spiritual praises of any sort from the men in their lives. Instead, women will hear about the importance of being pretty and having a good body or a good sense of humor or not being high maintenance. Even in the company of men who have an active relationship with the Lord, women will still find themselves hearing about how hot or cool the other girls are, often feeling completely overlooked.

Commendations about our own modesty, passion for the Lord, or prayer life–those come few and far between.

I’m kickin it back old school today with an excerpt from the writings of Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory is a Church Father who lived in the 4th century, and he wrote the below words in memory of his sister, Gorgonia, a valiant woman of the Lord. She managed to navigate the potential distractions of the world, and submit every aspect of her life to Christ in an exemplary way."

You can read the whole thing here.

Always Assume

Always assume the best of others.

That phrase echoes in my head on almost a daily basis. About a year ago our pastor said it to us in a staff meeting. If you would have asked me a week before that if I assumed the best of people I would have told you, "Yes, of course." But as soon as those words came out of my pastor's mouth my heart sank as negative assumptions of other people came to mind one by one.

What do you think when someone is late?
... when someone hasn't called you?
... when someone hasn't returned an email?
... when a job isn't finished?
... when a seemingly unkind word is spoken?
... when someone doesn't speak to you?
... when someone speeds around you or cuts you off on the road?

When these circumstances come up I sometimes find it hard to assume the best about the other person. Instead, I may assume the worst.

We make tons of assumptions about other people. The question is, are they positive or negative assumptions?

Cheap

Holiness by JC Ryle

“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice-which costs nothing, and is worth nothing.”*

*a friend sent this one to me because he knows this is how I feel about a lot of "our Christianity"

Heard

One of the girls asked a question that led us to talk about general revelation and special revelation. It was an amazing discussion and teaching time for them. I got pretty teary at one point as I thought of all of the people who have NEVER heard the gospel and explained to the girls that without hearing the truth of the gospel they cannot confess Christ as Lord. It is my prayer that some of the girls who were a part of our group this week will be burdened with that and will go to a people group who have never heard and speak the words of truth to them.

Here's what we read.

Water

I was a part of a conversation in which this phrase came up: "Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." It's a phrase I've heard before (which is apparently attributed to D.T. Niles). We talked about how that statement could lead others to think that getting bread is a one time thing. That the gospel is only for salvation. Instead, we know that the gospel is for life, your whole life long. Praise Him for the gospel of your salvation that is the same gospel you return to for daily living!

This quote from John Piper goes so well with that,

"God pictures himself as a mountain spring of clean, cool, life-giving water. The way to glorify a fountain like this is to enjoy the water, and praise the water, and keep coming back to the water, and point other people to the water, and get strength for love from the water, and never, never, never prefer any drink in the world over this water. That makes the spring look valuable. That is how we glorify God, the fountain of living water." pp. 33-34, When I Don't Desire God

Firebrands

<sup>Proverbs is pretty straight and to the point, eh?

18</sup> Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows

¹⁹ is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, "I was only joking!"

Universal

Quotes from The Mortification of Sin, John Owen

Owen provides an excellent summary of Chapter 8 as his last paragraph in that chapter:
"He who truly and thoroughly seeks to mortify any disquieting lust, must be equally diligent in all parts of obedience. We must see that every lust and every omission of duty is a burden to God. If we do not seek to obey in every area of our lives, our soul becomes weak. If we seek only to have victory over the sin that troubles us, and do not consider the filth and guilt of it, we are selfish and offer a constant provocation to God. There will not be any positive outcome to the spiritual duties we undertake, and we will not gain the victory over this great lust, if we do not seek universal obedience." p53

Root

Quotes from chapter 7 in The Mortification of Sin, John Owen

"... we must always remember to speak in such a way as to lead them to the discovery of their state and condition. Otherwise we may lead men to formality and hypocrisy and not accomplish the true end of preaching the gospel. It will not avail to beat a man off from his drunkenness into a sober formality. We must lay the axe at the root." p47

"Can sin be truly killed without an interest in the death of Christ, and the work of the Spirit? If such directions should prevail to change men's lives, as seldom they do, they never will reach to the change of their hearts! They just make men self-justified or hypocrites, and not Christians." p47

Periphery

The Cross and Christian Ministry, D. A. Carson

“I fear that the cross without ever being disowned, is constantly being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.”

Runner-ups

I keep a little notebook with me all the time. I jot ideas down and some of them make it in this blog. Here are some of the runner-ups. I may post more about them at a future date but don't hold your breath.

Servants
I was at the church and saw the following acts of servant-hood: A local TV reporter running the camera for one of our services and business owners seating guests. Humility in the flesh.

Terminal
I have a few friends who have started a club of sorts called "Don't Waste Your Terminal llness." To my knowledge none of them have a terminal illness right now but if they ever do, you'll see them boarding a plane to the most hostile unreached people groups. They want to die sharing the gospel.

New
The phrase "making all things new" or some variant has managed to make it's way into so many different songs and sermons and books that I've come across lately. It intrigues me.

Subway
Sin is kind of like Subway. You walk in thinking, "This is the most delectable smell I believe my olfactory senses have ever encountered." You walk out thinking, "I smell like throw up."

Mortification

Quotes from chapters 4, 5, and 6 of John Owen's The Mortification of Sin.

"The unmortified soul cannot say uprightly and truly that God is its portion, having something else that it loves. The soul and its affections, that should be full of God, cannot be full of Him, since it is entagled in worldly pursuits."

"Mortification is not just the changing of some outward aspects of a sin. There may be an apparent change of life. God however knows the heart. Someone may change an obvious sin for a hidden one. Mortification is not just the substitution of one sin for another. He may simply have changed from one road to hell a safer path than he was on before. He may have a different heart than he had, one which is more cunning; not a new heart, which is more holy!"

What mortification is:
1. A habitual weakening of the lust.
2. A consistent fight and contention against sin.
3. A degree of success in the battle.
(This last one is more of an outline of chapter 6)

Notes

Never underestimate the power of a note.

I have a stickie on my computer monitor that reads, "1 note a day." I don't actually write 1 note a day but I try. It's a great discipline in being thankful and thoughtful about OTHERS and God's work in and through them.

We had over 50 volunteers ranging from meal providers to greeters to host homes to leaders participate in the Nexus Project 09. That's a lot of thank you notes. That's a lot of time and our hand and brain muscles may have cramped up a few times. We wouldn't have it any other way though.

I got this email today:

Hey Shannon,

You so did not have to send me a thank you note.....but you made my day!

Thank you for being so thoughtful.

Ruth C

I didn't write her a long, super specific letter. I jotted her a note of sincere gratitude for her heart-felt service for our students - she was one of our "on call" medics.

I think her email said it all. Go write a note.

Meditate

What do you think of when you hear the word "meditate"? When I was younger that word was used in reference to, what was in my elementary-aged mind, creepy people who didn't know God much less love Him. So of course when I got to college and heard my d-group leader tell us to mediate on God's word daily I thought she was crazy. In fact, all I heard was "meditate blah, blah, blah." I quickly saw in scripture* that we as believers are to meditate on God's word (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2). A friend of mine recently wrote on the subject here.
I have been honored to have friends that also love the Word, delight themselves in it, and help me to commit it to memory. Emily, Katie, Kim, and April I am thankful for your partnership in the gospel in my life! Thank you for letting me do the same with you!


*I did move on from my always taking other people's word for it.

Accusation

I had a really good conversation with a friend of mine in which we talked about the past rearing it's ugly head in a condemning way. I sent a note of encouragement to my friend with a passage from Romans. A few days later the song Embracing Accusation by Shane & Shane came up on my playlist. A few days ago my friend posted the following video on her blog. I just watched it this morning - the video uses a passage in Galatians. I was struck by a few things: #1 There are so many passages of scripture that remind us that we don't make ourselves right before God - Christ did that - and because Christ, through His blood, made us right before the Lord, we are righteous and there is no condemnation for us. #2 The irony of Satan being right... but only to the point to send us to the foot of the cross! Satan sharing the gospel. Too much!

(In case you are even a little like me, wait for it, Piper is toward the end)

Catechism

"Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever."
The Shorter Catechism, Presbyterian Church of America

Words

Words are powerful things. Words bring life, literally and figuratively. Words hurt and heal. Words grant hope as well as dash.

I just went through some of my books and selected some quotes that have in some way spoken to me. Some will make you laugh, some will step on your toes, some will reveal your heart, some will comfort you but I hope they all will provoke you to thought. I'll post them periodically along with other quotes from books I will surely read.

My favorite... "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12-13

Cookies

I just got back from the best visit with the couple across the street. Yesterday was a snow day so Hannah and I took cookies to our neighbors. Well, despite what the news may have led on, not everyone was home yesterday. So some of the cookies had to be delivered tonight. I had every intention of just saying "hi" and handing off the treats. Well that 20 second interaction turned into an hour long conversation. And an encouraging one at that!
I won't bore you with the details but I was encouraged and spurred on by the words that spoke of the richness of lyrics that really spoke to them, conversation about loving God by loving others, and so on. It made me so thankful for the church that I am able to serve alongside and minister with. It reminded me to be praying for continued humility among our staff & congregation and that we would continue to live gospel-centered lives!
For some reason I am frequently surprised when God sends encouragement to me. Do I forget that He loves to love me and wants my best? Yes. Friends, be reminded that God loves you. He's not out to get you. He knows the plan He has for you - it is for your good! (Oh, and my favorite part of it being for our good is that it is for His glory!)

Thoughts

Today's snow day has me snuggled up under my favorite blanket with John Owen's The Mortification of Sin. There is something striking about this concept. "Putting to death the misdeeds of the body," as Paul says in Romans 8:13, is always to be the work of the saved.

I've just read the following:
"It fills the thoughts with contrivances about it. Thoughts are the great purveyors of the soul to bring in the provision to satisfy its affections; and if sin remain unmortified in the heart, they must ever and anon be making provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. They must glaze, adorn, and dress the objects of the flesh, and bring them home to give satisfaction; and this they are able to do, in the service of a defiled imagination, beyond all expression." p.52

Well, my heart provides my body with a lot of thoughts. I would like to dismiss them as just thoughts but God's Words says otherwise.

2 Corinthians 10:5, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Matthew 5:28, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Sin is not only an on-display action but also in the heart and thoughts.

1 Chronicles 28:9, "acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts." and similarly Hebrews 4:12-13, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Psalm 10:4, " In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."

But oh what joy to read in Ephesians 2:3-5, "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved" and in that, 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 says, "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."

My prayer for myself and for you is Psalm 19:14, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." That we would be putting to death the misdeeds of the body, to the point of making our thoughts obedient to Christ. That we would do that in the freedom of the cross on which the Prince of glory made the way to our God and Father.

Community

A few months ago a group of us met to go to a concert together. Several of us were going to different places after the concert and one girl was going to drive herself as to not be a burden.

Here's our conversation:

"Come ride with us. I can take bring you back home."

"I'll just drive. I don't want you to go out of your way."

"It's no problem."

"I'll just drive."

"You are a part of our community. Let me drive you."

"Okay, I receive that."


It was such a little and simple thing but what a great picture of how hard it is for us to live in community here. (And by "here" I mean the U.S.) Go ahead, try it out. Let me know how it goes.


Acts 2:42ff
" ⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Mediator

What mediates between you and God?

That question was posed to a group of around 1,200 college students at this year's 20/20 conference at SEBTS. It was the last of three questions under the heading of "We are most often enslaved by that which we love." The other two questions were also poignant but this question hit me. You see I was raised in a home with both parents who loved the Lord. They took me to church and I loved it. I was very active in church activities and even invited my friends to church and told them about Jesus on my own.

One of my friends that I shared Jesus with was Catholic. She was one of my first friends in my new town as a 6th grader. I can't recall if they were active in their church or not but I can recall one conversation that we had at my house. We were talking about God and stuff. I couldn't understand why she would have to go to a priest to talk with God. I mean, as best as I understood, we could just talk with God. He is everywhere. He forgives our sin. He is our friend. I didn't need someone else to talk with my friends for me so why did I need someone else to talk with God for me?

But did I really believe that I could talk with God on my own?

When I was little I told my teacher that my dad ran the church. He didn't, he was just there all the time. But I thought he ran the church. Because my dad "ran the church" I trusted him with everything. I mean, what he said was truth and I never doubted it. Now, it's not a bad thing to believe your father's words but I took it one step further. I never searched the scripture for myself. I would read along with the pastor as he would read his Sunday passage and preach. But I never investigated further the depths of God's Word. I did my Bible study and sat in my discipleship groups and participated in discussion in Sunday School but I did it all through the lens of my parents' or pastor's or Bible study leaders' word. So in much the same way I was putting them in place as my mediator.

1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time."

Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Romans 8:26 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

Confession

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about ways in which God transformed my prayer life. I left out one very large part of that because I wanted to spend a little more time on it.

So often we read through passages in the Bible and immediately think of someone else, someone with "more sin than me," or we simply breeze over passages that aren't meant to be breezed over. But as I was slowly walked through 2 Timothy 3:2-5 some years ago I was struck by my sin in every area of my life. Let those of us who have been saved swiftly turn to Romans 8 which begins with, "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." But don't stop there. Paul continues in verse 13 with, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." I like the KJV word here "mortify." John Owen has written a fabulous book on that subject that I won't rewrite for you here.

Take some time to slowly read through this passage...

2 Timothy 3:2-5

"People will be lovers of themselves,

lovers of money,

boastful,

proud,

abusive,

disobedient to their parents,

ungrateful,

unholy,

without love,

unforgiving,

slanderous,

without self-control,

brutal,

not lovers of the good,

treacherous,

rash,

conceited,

lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—

having a form of godliness but denying its power."


Then be reminded of the promises of God in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" and in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"

Friday - Psalm 104:31-34

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.

Psalm 104:31-34
31May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works,
32who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

Thursday - Psalm 143:8,10

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.

Psalm 143:8,10
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

Wednesday - 1 John 4:10-12

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.

1 John 4:10-12
10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

1,000 hours of prayer - my hour

Our church is in the middle of our 1,000 hours of prayer of which this morning was my hour.

We were provided with a prayer guide in which there was a specific time for adoration, confession, thanksgiving - each of these will have their own posts - and then... supplication.

I wrote out a list of friends that I was praying for and then a list of things to be praying for them. The commonalities were a bit overwhelming: for marriages to remain a living testimony of Christ and the church, for parents to raise their children in a God-honoring way, for wisdom in taking jobs (and trust in God when a job is lost), for strength in ministry to their families, friends, neighbors, and churches....

I couldn't help but pray for the other 5 people who were praying at the same time as I. That they would be encouraged as I was this morning, that their hearts would be drawn more to God, that their ministry in the area would be expanded by the Spirit's work in and through them....

Then we were asked to pray for ourselves, "that God would use your current circumstance
for the advance of the Gospel" (Phil. 1:12) Wow. In conversation with a friend the other day, we talked about how the gospel is not just for salvation, not just for those who don't yet know God. The gospel is for life! When I am struggling with a particular sin, I am pointed to the cross. When I am rejoicing in God's faithfulness, I am led to the cross.

Oh, that our lives would show the gospel in action and our lips speak the gospel with words.

Tuesday - Psalm 16:5-8

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.
(Yes, Sunday and Tuesday are the same... I'm okay with that.)

Psalm 16:5-8
5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

Monday - Psalm 103:11-14

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.

Psalm 103:11-14
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
14For he knows our frame,
he remembers that we are dust.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

This just in...

I want to send you over to my church campus' blog... www.summitwestclub.com to see a little something I'm super excited to be a part of. Check out this post specifically. Thanks, Brad, for leading us at West Club. We are thankful for you and God's work in your life!

Sunday - Psalm 16:5-8

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.


Psalm 16:5-8
5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

Saturday - Psalm 121

*A friend of mine gave me a great gift for Valentine's day a few years ago. A photo clip stand with 7 cards, 1 for each day of the week, each with scripture on it. These rotate above our kitchen sink and I want to share them with you.

Psalm 121:2, 3, 5, 8
2My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
5The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
8The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about you? How will you respond?

Carboard

Who ever thought leftover cardboard would be used to share God's faithfulness? Well, someone did. Not us. But we used their idea.

Below is the link for the video we showed this past Sunday. Many of these people are friends of mine and I am so excited to see God's faithfulness in their lives! "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

The Summit - Cardboard Testimony from Chris Baker on Vimeo.

The Land of Thieves

I had a quite hilarious interaction with a co-worker in which someone pointed out a hole in his sweater. His immediate comment was "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy." We all laughed at his comment because it was not at all what we expected to hear. What we expected was what he later said, "This sweater is from college... or maybe high school."

When I think about the passage he quoted from in Matthew 6 I usually think about just the part he quoted, the moth and rust. Rarely do I think about the thieves. Moths and rust I know but thieves? Nada.

The closets in my grandparents' house had a distinct smell. I remember one visit opening the closet in my mom's childhood room to find a painting. Instead I was greeted rather boldly with a fragrance I had never smelled before nor would I ever forget. I asked my mom about it later and she told me about the moth balls. You see there were some "precious" items of clothing in that closet that my grandparents didn't want to be eaten by moths. Nothing was destroyed but there was something they didn't want destroyed. I didn't understand it but now I know about it.

Rust was the stuff that would prevent me from leaving my bike outside over night or let me weasel out of cleaning the bathroom. I guess I liked my bike and a working bathroom.

It wasn't until my car got broken into that I began to truly understand the imagery of this verse. A would-be thief smashed one of my windows and did some damage to the inside of my car. My first reaction was, "I'm pretty sure they stole my stereo," quickly followed by, "I probably should call my dad."

Turns out, nothing was stolen. I had a heart check though. For me, honestly, it wasn't as much about if anything was stolen but that my stuff was broken into, it was destroyed. I am so thankful for the friends who carried me around to church and work and the car shop until it was all taken care of. It was such a beautiful and tangible picture of the body of Christ!

What do you treasure most? Where do you put your money? What about your energy?

Matthew 6:19-21
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Transformation

When I was in high school I was introduced to the "concert of prayer." It was the most amazing thing I had experienced in corporate prayer. We prayed in different groups and for different things. At the very end we all got in a big circle and prayed out-loud at the same time. Amazing.

Each Friday morning while I was in college we had prayer with other college students. It was a little earlier than I'd like sometimes but always totally worth it. One of my favorite times was when we did Alphabet Adoration in small groups. We would take turns going through the alphabet saying names or attributes of God.

One weekend in 2000 I went on my first Silent Retreat. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by the thought of an entire weekend without communication with those I was going to be with. We ate in silence, walked the grounds in silence, and sat in sessions in silence. Not just any silence though. We purposefully thought on God and talked with Him and listened to Him. It transformed my prayer life and community life.

Starting February 15, 2009 I will be participating in 1,000 hours of prayer. I believe that it will find itself in the list of transforming times in my prayer life. If you call The Summit Church home, go ahead and sign up for your time to pray alongside of the rest of the church. This might just be a life-changing moment for you. I pray that it is!

Waiting

I really enjoy looking back through my life with Christ seeing how He has purposed people and events in my life that at the time didn't necessarily make sense. One of those people was a former boss of mine. God did use him (and his wife) greatly in my life while we served at the same church. God has moved him on from where we served together to do new things for His glory. His blog has been an encouragement to me recently.
The post below (linked here) was a particular encouragement as I have been praying for so many friends who are waiting right now. Waiting for health issues to be resolved, waiting for family members to be saved, waiting for a "yes" or a "no" or any direction, waiting for a child, waiting for a job, waiting on God's hand to work on specific heart issues.
So wherever you are, take hope, God has His best for you. It may just look a little (or a lot) different from what you are expecting. His love for you is perfect!

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, ”Let us go to Judea again.”

John 11:5-7 ESV

The really remarkable thing is verse six. Now I don’t like to go around saying that translations are wrong, but sometimes translations are wrong. And in this case, just about all the translations are wrong. We read, verse 5, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” But you know, the original is very strong. It [the word translated "so"] means “therefore.” Therefore when He heard Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. That’s what the original says. You can’t get away from it. Now, listen to the logic again: Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, therefore, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed away two more days. In other words, the text is claiming that He shows His love by delay.

~ D. A. Carson in “A Day With Dr. Don: Session 3″

(Thanks JimmyD for being available to God's work through you, specifically in my life. Love to your family!)

Seek and Find

We had an amazing time of worship as a congregation at the West Club campus this past Sunday. I'm not sure that I can ever put it into words. So many things set it apart from other Sunday mornings.

The worship through music. The choice of songs/lyrics was amazing. We sang the gospel so many times. I got lost in the moment several times as if it were just me and Jesus. A few times I let myself enjoy the corporate voice of the whole congregation. I was sitting in front of a friend of mine who has an amazing voice. I have never heard him sing so loudly as he did this Sunday morning. I can't be sure of why he sang with such passion but I speculate it was his rest and freedom in his Savior.

The company. I got to sit with one of my roommates and one of my students whom I trust will one day bow with me as we worship our Lord together in eternity. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20) There were also people near me who have not yet trusted Christ as Lord and Savior. My heart was broken as we sang and heard words of truth that their eyes are still blinded to. Lord, please open their eyes to You.

The sermon. You can listen to it here (I highly recommend it!). Two things really stood out to me from the sermon.

The first was our lineage as a church. J.D. started with Acts 1:8 and walked us through until present day. You can see the time line on his blog here. I started getting excited when he mentioned the first church plant in NC. And again when he mentioned Sandy Creek - I knew about that one from my time at SEBTS, we had a Sandy Creek Revival week every year. Then as he got closer to the time that I started attending and serving at The Summit Church I could barely contain myself. God has me HERE, NOW! It is absolutely amazing. And when I think of my own journey getting here... God is so good, and what He does is good (Psalm 119:68).

The second was a passage he read in Acts 17. I can't remember what part he read specifically but I have been meditating on 22-28a over the past few days. I can't get it out of my head. It is so appropriate for the circumstances I currently find myself in. To know that I am where I am because God has purposed it... in order that others may seek Him and reach out to Him and find Him... to know that is such a comfort for me. And as I have friends who are currently overseas or preparing to go, I am ecstatic as some of them will get to speak as Paul spoke declaring for the first time who the unknown God is. Oh, God would you make ripe the fields for harvest and bring many into Your kingdom for Your glory.

Acts 17:22-28a

22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.'

God, You are the maker and sustainer of heaven and earth. Make Yourself known to those who do not yet know You. Speak Your Truth through Your children and to Your children. I love you. May my life bring glory to Your name. Amen.

Coming to Belief

John 4:42 has long been one of my favorite verses. It's the little talked about follow up from the account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

There is so much to this story but for my purpose here I won't go into it.

Read John 4:1-38 first.

John 4:39-42
"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.'"

It is my prayer that people come to Christ because of my testimony - God's work in my life and then in theirs. I have a student who uses the word "testimony" much more broadly than just her salvation testimony. I love it! She uses the word to describe any witness in her life of God's faithfulness and work. Oh that my life would ooze Christ! That in the hard times my trust would be in God, that my strength would be His strength, and that my concern would be His glory. That in the easy times I wouldn't neglect the reading of the Word and committing it to memory, that I would, by the Holy Spirit, comfort those who need comforting, and that my every thought, word and deed would be glorifying to the Lord.

But more than all of those things, I desire for people to follow the Christ as their Lord and Savior because they have found the Lord faithful in their lives. That they would know His marvelous grace and live in it for themselves.

May your family, friends, and people you come in contact with be loved by you because of the perfect love of God our Father who sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in your place because of your sin that separated you from Him. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinner, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8