Praying for Katrina's Victims

Adding my prayers to millions of others on behalf of those individuals suffering in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina.

God has said in Isaiah 43:2:

"When you pass
through the waters,
I will be with you..."


Trusting His promise for the thousands who cannot yet pray...

Sermon: Pearls of Greatest Price

The Pearl of Greatest Price is not what you think. This sermon on the familiar parable corrects our misunderstandings and points us more fully to God's love for us. Preached August 28, at the Faith Reformed Church in Midland Park, NJ.


MP3 File

Sunday Spurgeon

"We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right mayhap our children and our children's children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to His Word."

Sadly he has his father's rhythm...

I'm experimenting with a new service at Audioblog.com that allows you not only to upload audio files for podcasting, but now includes video as well.

This is a short clip of our two and 1/2 year old dancing to Shania Twain. Cute, eh?

No real animals were harmed in the making of this game...I think

Continuing in my penguin state of mind, I was tipped off to this great time-waster: "Penguin Batting." My longest HR so far is just over 450 feet.

Yetis slamming penguins...is there nothing this internet cannot do???

ENJOY!

Update: Longest now 488.3! Beat That...
Update 2: 491.4! Woohoo...
Update 3: 574!!!
Thanks, Neopuritan for the hint...

Jesus the One Possible Way?

Today’s issue of The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing includes this disturbing commentary:

“For centuries, one of the doctrines at the heart of Christianity has been based on Jesus' words in John 14:6, where he states: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." But now, a new Newsweek/Beliefnet poll shows a shocking number of people who call themselves evangelical and born-again have come to reject those words.

The question in the poll read: "Can a good person who isn't of your religious faith go to heaven or attain salvation, or not?"

Of the 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older surveyed, 68 percent of evangelical Christians believe good people of other faiths can also go to heaven. Nationally, 79 percent of all those surveyed said the same thing, with an "astounding" 91 percent agreement among Catholics, notes Beliefnet.

Steven Waldman of Beliefnet believes the best explanation for these results is that Americans have become so focused on a very personal style of worship — that is, forging a direct relationship with God — that spiritual experience has supplanted dogma, or teaching based on the authority of the Bible.”

I think that Waldman is right about this. We have over-emphasized the relational aspect of the Christian faith to the detriment of the corporate and the covenantal. We are in danger of repeating the sin of Israel in the days of the Judges when each one does what is right in their own eyes.

Mark Noll in a recent Wall Street Journal piece draws similar conclusions from reviewing the new book “Dinner With A Perfect Stranger" by David Gregory. After noting the stress placed by the author upon a "personal relationship with Jesus", Noll wonders where such a belief arises. He concludes it grows out of the culture in which we find ourselves today one marked by a "the increasing demands of work, strain between the generations, political acrimony, international uncertainty and peripatetic lifestyles."

"Into such a culture a Christian message stressing the possibility of an enduring--and often less demanding--personal relationship with the loving Creator of the universe sounds very appealing. But does such an adaptation retain enough of historic Christianity's other dimension? Or does dinner with a perfect stranger fit a little too conveniently into our lives?"

Such a mindset mirrored in the Newweek/Beliefnet poll and "Dinner" is destructive to the Christian faith and the witness of the faithful.

As Noll helpfully notes, in early days, such an excess was hedged in by other equally important concerns, such as the stress upon the communal and covenantal aspects of the Church as the Body and Bride of Christ. We can only pray that such correctives will return to the forefront in our day.

Forgive Us Our Debts: An Audio Sermon

Sermon on the necessity and practice of forgiveness from our recent series on the Lord's Prayer.


MP3 File

Just A Thought...

"Christianity is the only religion
of forgiveness
that exists."
- John White

Pulling the Plug on Pat...

Pat Robertson has gone to far...again.

Any good that he has done over the years has been overshadowed by the loose cannon pronouncements of the last few years culminating in the August 22nd call for the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

While I might agree that Chavez is a dangerous leader to have to our South; it is not the place of any Christian, much less a prominent one to advocate such an extreme action. Is it any wonder that many looking at the church today have little problem equating us with Muslim extremists?

With a forum that reaches millions daily, what a service Robertson could render the Kingdom by preaching Christ, rather than bombastic rhetoric.

Robertson is just one of a growing number of Christians who are making the mistake of believing that they can bring about Heaven on earth through not merely the ballot box, but by co-opting the Church as just another political entity.

If we don't repent and return to our first love, we will lose any credibility to speak to the culture of the age. We will have sold our birthright for a mess of pottage.

For the sake of Christ, shut up Pat!

Too Funny For Words...

"Bay" Bans Battleship

The Drudge Report references a story at Breitbart.com on the recent decision by the San Francisco city council to ban the battleship U.S.S. Iowa from its proposed mooring in the bay because of their opposition to the War in Iraq.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a former San Francisco mayor, helped secure $3 million to tow the Iowa from Rhode Island to the Bay Area in 2001 in hopes of making touristy Fisherman's Wharf its new home.

But city supervisors voted 8-3 last month to oppose taking in the ship, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things.

"If I was going to commit any kind of money in recognition of war, then it should be toward peace, given what our war is in Iraq right now," Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said.

For now it appears the U.S.S. Iowa is headed up to Stockton. But that hasn't stopped the reactions.

Feinstein called it a "very petty decision." and said, "This isn't the San Francisco that I've known and loved and grew up in and was born in."

San Francisco's rejection of such a storied battleship is a slap in the nation's face, said Douglass Wilhoit, head of Stockton's Chamber of Commerce.

"We're lucky our men and women have sacrificed their lives ... to protect our freedom," Wilhoit said. "Wherever you stand on the war in Iraq ... you shouldn't make a decision based on philosophy."

Just one more reason to stay away from San Francisco...

Sunday Spurgeon

"The bridge of grace will bear your weight, brother. Thousands of big sinners have gone across that bridge, yea, tens of thousands have gone over it. I can hear their trampings now as they traverse the great arches of the bridge of salvation. They come by the thousands, by their myriads, err since that day when Christ first entered His glory. They come and yet never a stone has sprung in that mighty bridge. Some have been the chief of sinners and some have come at the very last of their days but the arch has never yielded beneath their weight. I will go with them…trusting to the same support. It will bear me over as it has for them."

In the Footsteps of Jesus #27

Scripture: 1 Thessaloninas 4:13-18

¹³Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. ¹⁴We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage each other with these words.

"WHEN HE COMES"

Thousands of curious stone boxes litter the slope of the Mount of Olives. What are they? Grave markers. Since the time of the patriarchs, the Mount of Olives has served as a massive cemetery. And not just for Jews either. There are sections for Muslims, as well as Christians. All three major religions agree that when the Messiah comes or comes again He will stand upon that hillside and call the dead from their tombs.

As we walked among the thousands of stone markers, I tried to imagine what that day will be like. The archangel’s shout, the trumpet blast and Jesus coming on the clouds of the air. A day of great joy and great terror. Overwhelming joy for the saints of God as they greet their returning Savior. Mind-numbing fear as the wicked come face to face with their Judge. Worship and wailing blending in a chorus of praise to the King of Kings.

Friends, let me share a truth with you. You will be there. Everyone who has ever lived will be gathered on that day. The question is not whether or not the dead are raised. All will rise on that “great gettin’ up morning.” No, the only question to be answered is where you are headed. And that question will be decided one way or another before you die. Now is the time to settle your eternal destination.

Question: Are you ready for that day?

Prayer: Come quickly Lord Jesus! Amen.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Faith and Politics

Tom Ascol, director of the Founders Ministries has been writing some very perceptive articles on the current "crisis" in the evangelical community in regard to the role of the church in politics. Some of his insights can be found on his blog and I encourage you to read them.

I just wanted to point out something he found from Martyn-Lloyd Jones on the subject that really says what I feel should be the guiding light not just for evangelicals, but for Christians of both sides of the spectrum. (Its funny that Christians on the left are not squeamish about using politics to further their ends, but decry the right when they do so.) Both both sides arre wrong here and should heed the words of Lloyd Jones and consider where should our focus be?

Martyn Lloyd-Jones in an interview with Carl Henry in 1980 said, "It amazes me that evangelicals have suddenly taken such an interest in politics." He went on to call such interest "sheer folly.... You can't reform the world. That's why I disagree entirely with the 'social and cultural mandate' teaching and its appeal to Genesis 1:28. It seems to me to forget completely the Fall. You can't Christianize the world. The end time is going to be like the time of the Flood. The condition of the modern world proves that what we must preach more than ever is 'Escape from the wrath to come!' The situation is critical. I believe the Christian people--but not the church--should get involved in politics and social affairs. The kingdom task of the church is to save men from the wrath to come by bringing them to Christ. This is what I believe and emphasize. The main function of politics, culture, and all these things is to restrain evil. They can never do an ultimately positive work. Surely the history of the world demonstrates that. You can never Christianize the world" (Christianity Today, February 8, 1980, pp. 33-34).

Sound advice from a wise man of God that we should heed to our benefit and the greater glory of God and His kingdom.

Founder of Taize Community Slain

Brother Roger, the 90 year old founder of the Taize Community in France, was stabbed Tuesday night during the community prayer meeting by a woman from the crowd in attendance. More on the story can be found at the Taize website and World Magazine online.

Our prayers go out to the Taize community in the loss of this man of peace and reconciliation.

In the Footsteps of Jesus #26

Scripture: Acts 2:1-12

¹When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

⁵Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians--we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." ¹²And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

"PENTECOST!"

With a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire the Church comes into being. That is the reality of Pentecost. Almost 2000 years ago, the Holy Spirit fell upon 120 men and women huddled in an Upper Room in Jerusalem and turned the world upside down. We are the spiritual descendants of those first believers. We are the Church. Unique among all other institutions on earth. A group whose charter was written by God in eternity; whose founder, Jesus Christ, died and rose again that they might have new life, and whose fellowship is selected by the Spirit from the rank and file of sinful humanity.

Let us celebrate. We are the Church. Mindful that: “The Church is not a building. The Church is not a steeple. The Church is not a resting place. The Church is the people!” People foreordained by God to be his chosen possession. People cleansed by Jesus’ blood. People renewed and recreated by the Holy Spirit. People called by divine appointment to fulfill the Great Commission that all the world may know. A people on the journey to eternity. United with all who have gone before and all who will follow. A people in time and space, yet looking for that time when we will transcend both. This and much more is what it means to be the Church. Celebrate that Good News!

Question: What does the Church mean to you?

Prayer: Father, help us to celebrate the Church. Amen.

The New "Microsoft" Ipod?

The UK's Independent Online reports this juicy bit of business news...

"Apple Computer may be forced to pay royalties to Microsoft for every iPod it sells after it emerged that Bill Gates's software giant beat Steve Jobs' firm in the race to file a crucial patent on technology used in the popular portable music players. The total bill could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Although Apple introduced the iPod in November 2001, it did not file a provisional patent application until July 2002, and a full application was filed only in October that year.

In the meantime, Microsoft submitted an application in May 2002 to patent some key elements of music players, including song menu software...

The dispute, which emerged this week on the closely watched website, Appleinsider.com, could lead to Apple having to pay a licence fee for the technology of up to $10 a machine."

"I Love Mock and Roll!"

There is a mindset in today's world that "dirty is funny." The raunchier the song or the joke the bigger the laughs. Well that's not true. And this latest CD from Paul Aldrich proves it.

A Christian "Weird Al" or for you country fans, "Cledus T. Judd," Paul Aldrich ranks with one of the best in song parody. From one side-splitting track to another this CD will turn your frown upside down!

Just consider this list of tracks:

Stairway to 7 Eleven
I Can’t Get No Liposuction
The Mouse from Disneyland
TV Themes In My Head
Gilligan’s P.C. Island
Green Acres/Purple Haze
New Age California
If I Had Cable
Oops...I Thought I Could Sing
Therapy
L.A. Darlin'
A Dyslexic Love Song
Dating Fairy Tales
Denomination Dating Blues
It Seemed Like a Good Idea
Transformation
Alter Me
Kum Ba Yah 3

The titles alone made me smile. The songs made me laugh out loud.

But this is not just frivolous laughter, Paul reveals his soul on the next to the last cut, "Alter Me," this heart-felt song reminds us that only those who are yielded to God's touch can truly laugh and sing.

This CD will be getting heavy rotation in my player. Pick up a copy and be prepared to laugh and rejoice.

Disclaimer: I received this CD free in my capacity as an exclusive reviewer for Mind and Media. This has no bearing on my positive review of this CD. If you are interested in reviewing CD's like this or other fine Christian books, please contact Stacy Harp at Mind and Media.

A "Rare Jewel" Appraised

In this time of cultural decline and approaching crisis, Christians need as many solid resources as possible. One of the best I have found is a magazine called "Rare Jewel" which presents itself as "The Christian Patriot's Guide to Restoring Our Culture."

Well written and very informative, each issue focuses on a specific concern facing Christians in this country. Past issues have touched on the hot topics of gay marriage, the sanctity of life, Christophobia and the recent issue on the Creation/Evolution debates.


The articles and interviews encompass some of the clearest minds in the church today such as Dr. D. James Kennedy, cartoonist Johnny Hart, Ken Ham, Dr. James Dobson, and a host of others. Each issue provides you with tools to defend your faith in the public square. The goal of Rare jewel is to "inform accurately, equip fully, expand influence and engage the culture with confidence."

If you are a serious minded Christian concerned about the direction of this nation and are seeking answers on how to stand up this magazine is a must read.

Disclaimer: I received a free subscription to "Rare Jewel" in my role as an exclusive reviewer for Mind and Media, however that has not influenced my recommendation of this magazine. If you would like to be considered as a reviewer of such material as "Rare Jewel" and other Christian books contact Stacy Harp at Mind and Media.

In the Footsteps of Jesus #25

^{Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16
1}I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸Therefore it says,

"When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men."

⁹(In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,^{] 12}to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,^] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

"LEAVING A MARK"

“See the footprint of Jesus!” That’s what the lady said who sat inside the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. In a small square outlined by bricks, some say the actual footprint made by Jesus as He went up into heaven can be seen. Truthfully I didn’t see anything, but it did make me think about the Ascension of Our Lord and what that means to us.

Whether or not Jesus left his mark upon that piece of stone is not as important as the mark He has left upon this world and upon those who serve him. And one of the greatest marks left by Christ is His Church. Paul reminds us that when Jesus left this world He did not leave without a witness. We are living testimonies to His continuing impact. Although seated at the right hand of the Father, Jesus still carries out his ministry through us.

In order that we might do His work in our world, Jesus from His ascended position pours out spiritual gifts upon His people. Each of us has received some gift from Him in order that we might leave our mark for him upon the lives of those we meet. Let us continue to use our gifts until “we grow up in every way, into Christ who is the head,” of the Body.

Question: What gifts do I have? How can I better use them?

Prayer: Ascended Lord, use me to make a mark. Amen.

Sunday Spurgeon

Brother, if any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be. If he charges you falsely on some point, yet be satisfied, for if he knew you better he might change the accusation, and you would be no gainer by the correction. If you have your moral portrait painted, and it is ugly, be satisfied; for it only needs a few blacker touches, and it would be still nearer the truth.

On Heaven's Home Team: Mickey Mantle

Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of Yankee great Mickey Mantle's passing into eternity. Known for his hard play on the field and off, the last years of Mantle's life were marked by health problems and as he once told Bob Costas, ''a void in his heart and an emptiness inside'' after the 1985 death of his friend and former Yankee great Roger Maris.

But few know about the change that transformed this former alcoholic into a follower of Jesus Christ.

WorldNetDaily features the story of how Pat Summerall and Bobby Richardson refused to give up on their friend and saw him come to Christ late in his life.

WorldNet Daily reports: "Richardson vividly remembers visiting Mantle a few weeks before his death Aug. 13, 1995. One of the first things that Mantle wanted to tell his former teammate was that he ''now trusted in Christ as his Lord and Savior.'' Mantle assured him by quoting to Richardson and his wife one of the more famous verses from the Bible, John 3:16: ''For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.''

Mantle's name has been written in the records of baseball history, but the most important place his name was found is in the Lamb's Book of Life. While those on earth mark the day of his death, let us who believe as he did mark 10 years and counting in the realms of glory!

In the Footsteps of Jesus #24

Scripture: John 21:15-19

¹⁵When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said
to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." ¹⁶He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." ¹⁷He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. ¹⁸Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."

"DO YOU LOVE ME?"

On the shore of the Sea of Galilee is the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy. Outside stands a large statue of Christ reaching out to a kneeling Simon Peter and putting a shepherd’s staff into his hands. As I consider the picture of that statue again I find a special comfort. How often like Peter I have turned away and denied my Lord. How often I have neglected to do what He wanted me to do. Like Peter I know the shame of failure. Yet I also know what it is to find forgiveness in the loving eyes of my Risen Savior. When I fall, He is always there to lift me up and recall me to His service.

Friends, all of us are less than we ought to be. We each have a bit of Peter lurking in our lives. We stumble along the narrow way. Denying and defying. In our hearts the rooster still sadly crows. But there is Good News. Our failures are not final. Jesus still has a word for us. “Do you love Me?”

If you truly love Him, know that He has a ministry for you as well. We all have sheep we can feed. It may be our spouses, our children, our friends or our neighbors. Let them know God loves them and so do you.

Question: Who are the sheep you can feed?

Prayer: Lord, you know that I love You. Help me to love Your sheep. Amen.

In the Footsteps of Jesus #23

^{Scripture: Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29}

¹⁷Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?" ¹⁸He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" ¹⁹And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover...

²⁶Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." ²⁷And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸for this is my blood of the^[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

"FORETASTE"

"I am standing at the center of the Christian faith." That was what I thought as I turned to offer a brief message before the communion service. Our group was seated in the middle of the garden that housed the empty tomb. Just a few hundred feet away I could glimpse the top of Calvary. I could look over my shoulder and stare into the site of Christ’s resurrection. The most important places in salvation history and we were there sharing the Lord’s Supper.

This was the most meaningful communion I had ever shared in. Our group was a mixed one. It included different races, denominations, genders and ages. As we shared the bread and the wine, all the barriers that could have separated us were transcended by the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. It was a glimpse of what heaven will be like when we gather for the Lamb’s Wedding Supper. At that moment we will truly know what Paul means: “There is one body and one Spirit...one hope...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

How tragic that such unity is rarely experienced on this side of eternity. Friends, let us work to break down the walls that separate true believers and share together a foretaste of what is to come!

Question: How can we promote Christian unity?

Prayer: Father, break down the walls and bind us together. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A True Slice Of My Life As Pastor

Humbling, but true...

In the Footsteps of Jesus #22

^{Scripture: Matthew 28:1-15}

¹Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." ⁸So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

¹¹While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. ¹²And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers ¹³and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' ¹⁴And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

EMPTY!

There is only a simple wooden sign with the words: “He is not here! For He is risen!” to mark the site of Christ’s resurrection. The tomb is tucked away within an enclosed garden in the heart of the city of Jerusalem. Yet within those walls the noise of the traffic seems to disappear. We had returned to the tomb for Sunday morning worship. The crowd that gathered was so small; a few dozen people at best. Afterwards I remarked to the man who had lead the service of my surprise at finding so few worshippers here.

What he said was so simple, yet so profound. “What did you expect? Its only an empty hole in a hillside.” I pondered that thought for awhile and today I find great wisdom in his words. Its true. What makes the tomb so important is that it is empty. Jesus is not there. He is alive and let loose in His world.

That was the lesson of the angel at the tomb. Yes, come see the place where he was. But then go quickly and tell the Good News. And the Good News is that Jesus is gone ahead into the Galilees of our lives waiting for us to catch up with him. There is no need to dwell on the emptiness, when the fullness of the resurrected Christ is available to us!

Question: What does the empty tomb mean to you?

Prayer: Lord, fill us with resurrection power! Through Christ. Amen.

In the Footsteps of Jesus #21

^{Mark 15:20-32}

²⁰And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. ²¹A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. ²²They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ²³Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

²⁵It was the third hour when they crucified him. ²⁶The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁷They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. ²⁹Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰come down from the cross and save yourself!"

³¹In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! ³²Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

"CALVARY AT THE CROSSROADS"

Nearly two thousand years have done little to lessen the impact Calvary had upon our group as we saw it for the first time. The caves in the hill give it the eerie appearance of a grinning skull. In Jesus day, the road past Calvary was one of the busiest in all of Israel. It was chosen as a place of execution for maximum visibility and effect. So adding insult to injury, as Jesus hung between those two thieves, the crowds passed by hurling words that cut as deep as any thorn.

Today Calvary is still at the crossroads of Jerusalem. At the very foot of Calvary is one of the main bus terminals for the city. Daily thousands load and unload in the shadow of the cross. Yet sadly the crowds don’t even stop to insult, they just ignore. Here where our salvation was wrought, people pass by without a second thought!

Yet in spite of the world’s ignorance, the cross still stands, as the old hymn puts it, “over the wrecks of time.” Oh, how so many lives could be changed if they would only take the time to stop and ponder what took place on that desolate hill. Friends, Calvary stands at the crossroads of time, and at the crossroads of your life and mine, don’t pass it by without pausing to pray even a simple word of thanks.

Question: What does Calvary mean to you?

Prayer: Jesus, keep us near the cross. Amen.

Vanity Your Name is...

HT to The Guabancex Blog for the latest time waster and ego stroker...

Go to Googlism and type in your name, then find out who Googgle thinks you are.

Here are my five favorites:

1. scott nichols is currently working on this error

2. scott nichols is a real good example of a fellow that we met casually and got to listening to

3. scott nichols is the fishing expert in the crowd

4. scott nichols is playing a major role in the change of the mascot

5. scott nichols is dead sexy

Go ahead, plug in your name today...You know you want to.

God Will Make Obstacles Serve His Purpose

One of the great classic devotionals is one by L.B. Cowman called "Streams in the Desert." I don't read it everyday, but on the days I do pick it up, it usually has a relevant word for a situation I am facing. The following struck me powerfully this past week and I share it with you.

"I will make all my mountains a way" (Isa.49:11).

God will make obstacles serve His purpose. We all have mountains in our lives. There are people and things that threaten to bar our progress in the Divine life. Those heavy claims, that uncongenial occupation, that thorn in the flesh, that daily cross--we think that if only these were removed we might live purer, tenderer, holier lives; and often we pray for their removal. "

Oh, fools, and slow of heart!" These are the very conditions of achievement; they have been put into our lives as the means to the very graces and virtues for which we have been praying so long. Thou hast prayed for patience through long years, but there is something that tries thee beyond endurance; thou hast fled from it, evaded it, accounted it an unsurmountable obstacle to the desired attainment, and supposed that its removal would secure thy immediate deliverance and victory.

Not so! Thou wouldest gain only the cessation of temptations to impatience. But this would not be patience. Patience can be acquired only through just such trials as now seem unbearable. Go back; submit thyself. Claim to be a partaker in the patience of Jesus. Meet thy trials in Him. There is nothing in life which harasses and annoys that may not become subservient to the highest ends. They are His mountains. He puts them there. We know that God will not fail to keep His promise. "God understandeth the way thereof and knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven"; and when we come to the foot of the mountains, we shall find the way.

"Streams in the Desert" can be found online at Back to the Bible.

Sunday Spurgeon

I have many an old book in my library in which there have been book-worms, and I have sometimes amused myself with tracing a worm. I do not know how he gets to the volume originally, but being there he eats his way into it. He bores a hole in a direct line, and sometimes I find that he dies before he gets half-way through the tome. Now and then a worm has eaten his way right through from one wooden cover to another; yes, and through the cover also. This was a most successful bookworm. Few of us can eat our way quite so far. I am one of the book-worms that have not got half-way into my Bible yet; but I am eating my way as fast as I can.

Hymns for a Post-Modern Age

Now available! REVISED GOSPEL HYMNS for today's generation of modern churchgoers. The old favorites can now be sung without guilt, conviction, or discomfort. Hundreds of your old favorites made comfortable. Some of the titles include:

~ "Amazing Grace, How Interesting the Sound"
~ "Lord, Keep Us Loosely Connected to Your Word"
~ "Praise God from whom All Affirmations Flow"
~ "Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me"
~ "When Peace, Like a Trickle"
~ "We Give Thee but Still Think We Own"
~ "What an Acquaintance We Have in Jesus"
~ "We Are Milling Around in the Light of God"
~ "Blest Be the Tie that Doesn't Cramp My Style"
~ "I Surrender Some"
~ "Standing on the Premises"
~ "Sweet Minute of Prayer"
~ "Blessed Insurance"
~ "Come We That Like the Lord"
~ "Onward, Social Workers"
~ "Avoid the Good Fight"
~ "The Gold-Plated Cross"
~ "Some for Jesus"
~ "I Have My Own Way"

HT to John Mark Ministries for this great list!

In the Footsteps of Jesus #20

^{Isaiah 53:1-12}

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

³ He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes ^[c] his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

¹¹ After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

"VIA DOLOROSA"

Some visitors carry wooden crosses down the narrow winding streets. Others flog themselves with leather whips. Some content themselves with making the journey upon their knees. All of them are trying in some small way to enter into the suffering of Jesus as He traveled the Via Dolorosa. The Way of Sorrows, the traditional pathway Jesus followed from Pilate’s Hall to Calvary. Commemorated by 14 stations or stops this trail leads through the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem.

As we walked its narrow corridors we found ourselves walking through the meat market, where even today the blood of sheep and goats run in the cracks. The stench was horrible. Yet greater was Jesus’ horror as he followed his cross to the place of his execution. The crowds filling the streets with taunts. The push of the soldier’s spear in his already torn back. The heat and the exhaustion taking its toll as the weight of our sins begin to fall upon his head.

As I think back upon that long walk in the footsteps of Jesus, as I ponder what he endured for me the words of the hymn come to mind: “Jesus to Calvary did go, His love for mankind to show; What He did there, brought hope from despair: O how He loves you, O how He loves me, O how He loves you and me.”

Question: How much does Jesus love me?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for walking the Via Dolorosa for us. Amen.

In the Footsteps of Jesus #19

^{Scripture: Mark 15:12-20}

¹²"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.

¹³"Crucify him!" they shouted.

¹⁴"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

¹⁵Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" ¹⁹Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

"THE KING’S GAME"

It was all a game! That’s what we found as our group entered the remains of the Roman garrison at the Antonia Fortress. The mocking, the scourging, the purple robe and the crown of thorns were all part of a game that the Romans soldiers played with Jesus. Carved into the floor of the fortress was the crude design that symbolized the “King’s Game.” It was often played with condemned prisoners to add to the humiliation of their last hours.

How ironic that this simple game that created false royalty for the pleasure of cruel soldiers, would be played with the true King of Kings! It added greatly to my understanding of Jesus’ words “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Do you play games with Christ? Do you pretend at your faith? Putting on a false face and playing by His rules only when it suits you? Be warned that someday, maybe soon, we will all stand before the Great King and it will be no game. Our eternal destinies will not rely upon the roll of the dice, but upon how we accepted Christ for who he really is. If we stand by Christ Crucified, we shall reign with Christ Glorified.

Question: What are some games people play with God?

Prayer: Father, I don’t want to play games with you. Help me honor the King of Kings today and always. In Jesus name. Amen.

In the Footsteps of Jesus #18

^{Scripture: Matthew 16:36-46}

³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." ³⁷And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch^[a] with me." ³⁹And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." ⁴⁰And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? ⁴¹Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." ⁴²Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." ⁴³And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. ⁴⁵Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on.^[b] See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

"WAR OF THE WILLS"

Within the confines of the Garden of Gethsamene there are eight olives trees which some botanists claim are over 3,000 years old! If this is true it means that there is a piece of living history that survives from Christ’s day down to our own. It is possible that these very trees were eyewitnesses to the greatest battle ever waged in prayer. Oh that these trees could speak of the agony of that hour. What a tale of grace and glory they could relate.

The night Jesus was betrayed He took His disciples and retreated to Gethsamene and wrestled with His Father in prayer. Jesus like any man did not wish to die. He knew the torments that awaited upon the cross. But He submitted Himself to the Father’s plan. Our salvation was guaranteed in the seven simple words Jesus spoke: “Not my will, but thine be done.”

How hard it is for us sometimes to submit to the will of our Heavenly Father. We think we know a better way and easier way. How we must learn that God’s way is the best way. Are you wrestling with God today over some important matter? Think of Jesus beneath those three thousand years old olives trees and pray the prayer He prayed. “Thy will be done.”

Question: What things do I find hard to turn over to God?

Prayer: Father, help me turn from my willful ways and accept your plans for my life. In Jesus name. Amen.

Exactly What We Need...

In the Footsteps of Jesus #17

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

¹⁴ “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

"FILLING IN THE CRACKS "

Yesterday I pointed out that the Wailing Wall is the most sacred of Jewish sites. It is here that the devout come to offer up prayers to God. There is a constant stream of the faithful coming and going around the clock. All seeking a place to be near to God.

As we stood looking at the Wall, we noticed pieces of paper stuck into many of the cracks between the massive brickwork. When we asked what these were, we were told that they were prayers. Prayers written in hopes that God would answer them. There were literally thousands upon thousands of these paper prayers filling the cracks in the Wall. In fact, later I was told that you could e-mail in prayers to be placed in one of the cracks if you could not be there yourself.
(Here is one website that will do this.)

There is a lesson to be learned from this. Jesus mentions it in today’s text. We need a place where we can go to pray. A place where we feel the presence of God. For many the Wailing Wall is such a place. But we don’t need to go to Jerusalem. Any place will do if we can enter into the throneroom of God. We all need a place where we can fill in the cracks in our lives with the mortar of prayer.

Question: What cracks can I fill with prayer today?

Prayer: Jesus, I have places in my life that only you can fill. Touch me. Amen.