Random Thoughts

• Been a while since I've blogged. It always annoys me when I think about how long it's been since I've blogged.
• I'm going to Chicago for The Gospel Coalition Conference in roughly 2 weeks. I absolutely cannot wait. It's going to be amazing. How could it not be? Some of the featured speakers are John Piper, D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, and Mark Driscoll... I know. Amazing. I can already imagine the feeling of inadequacy that I will feel being in the same room with those guys. Trey and I are pumped. I'm really glad Trey is going with me. It'll be good to spend some time with him. I always appreciate talking about spiritual things with him. He's very wise and I just generally enjoy hanging out with him.
• Also, I'm very excited to get to spend some time with Johnny Grimes (Lead Pastor of Branch Life Church in Birmingham) at the conference. We're on the same flight and I think we may be staying in the same hotel. I anticipate some great conversations...
• The youth group at Journey has really gotten a hold of my heart. I see so much potential in these kids. They have such a drive to grow in their relationships with the Lord and I see a genuine hunger for the Lord. I pray that I can continue to be a part of their lives. It is such a blessing to my life.
• I just finished Mark Driscoll's Death By Love. It was a fine book. It really helped you see the application of Jesus' death on the cross in real-life situations. I definitely recommend it. I'm so glad I read it before Easter. It is no doubt shaping the way I think about the death of Jesus.
• Good Friday is this Friday. I am greatly looking forward to spending it at my home church with my family. I am spending a significant time this week focusing on the depth of my sin and the punishment that I deserve for it. Friday will be a day of indescribable gratitude and deep appreciation for God sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to take on the sin and shame of all believers to reconcile them to Himself. I pray this Good Friday will be a milestone in my life. I want to truly grasp Jesus' death and all that it accomplished more than I ever have.
• Sunday is Easter. Much like Good Friday, I am praying that Sunday will be a day of celebration. I hope I will grasp all that is Easter on a deeper level than I ever have. I cannot wait to celebrate the death of death. I cannot wait to lead the Believers at Journey Church in Auburn as we proclaim Jesus' victory over sin and shame. It's going to be amazing.
• I have been spending a lot of time studying John 1 over the past week or so and it has been INCREDIBLE! I have never 'gotten' it like I have been over the past week. It's a very beautiful and poetic passage. You should definitely check it out.
• I will try to blog as often as I can over the next week or so. Keep checking in. Sorry I've been so inconsistent lately. I'm trying to get back into a routine.

Grace and peace to my brothers and sisters!

World Hunger: What's That?

I can't imagine hunger. I really can't. My concept of hunger is nothing more than a few hours without food. In many places all across the globe, hunger is a HUGE problem. I want to become more and more burdened for these people and places. When I see things like this video below, my heart is broken for them. But the reality is I eat a cheeseburger within 4 hours of my heart 'breaking'. I think I am going to fast in the next couple of days to pray for these people. Perhaps you would like to join me.

Something cool about this video is that this substance they have created called 'Plumpynut' could be a huge answer to prayer concerning world hunger. It's cheap and effective. Sounds a lot like something the church could use to share God's mercy with countless individuals dying of starvation... I pray that more American Christians will begin to be burdened by these people. I know that it is so easy to forget them in America because it's the land of milk and honey, but I also know that it doesn't mean we aren't held responsible for not being the loving, merciful arm of Christ that is extended to them in their need. Remember these people. Micah 6:8.

Grace and peace.

A Year In God's Word

So I'm embarking on a journey that I have never completed (or come close to completing...). I am going to read through the entire Bible this year. In the past I have attempted valiantly and succeeded up to somewhere around Genesis 22 before dropping out.

However, I have now adopted a reading schedule that should expose me to all of God's Word this year. It's pretty cool. In the mornings I read a couple of chapters from the Old Testament. Around midday, I pause and reflect on a couple of the Psalms. Finally, at night before I got to bed, I read a couple of chapters in the New Testament.

I really like the way it works. In the morning, I wake up and am encouraged by the story of God's faithfulness to His people. Around lunch, the Psalms hit me right between the eyes, because they relate so well to how I feel so often around that time of day. Finally, before I go to sleep, I get to read the Gospel and reflect on it until I fall asleep. There is no greater blessing to 'count' at night than the Gospel.

I also appreciate this schedule because it keeps me disciplined and it saturates my mind with the things of God, rather than the things of this world. I have no doubt that the Scriptures will change, mold, and chisel me into a more disciplined saint and a more successful soul winner. I anticipate great things through this process. Please keep me in your prayers.

If you're interested in reading along with this schedule, click here.

Grace and peace.

(Sermon Reflection) Peter: The Apostle Of Hope

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Hunter Street Baptist Church

Buddy Gray

Hope Series

Here are some things that I heard, that struck me.

• Peter had some positive things going for him when we first encounter him in Scripture. --- Faith (Mark 1:17-18), Spiritual Insight (Matt 16:15-16)
  

Most of the rest of the message touched on his failures to highlight specifically how Jesus gives hope to and restores a messed up man. These failures in particular help me to realize how Jesus is able to use a 'wretch like me' to do incredible things for His kingdom's purposes.

• We see Peter's overconfidence, pride, and arrogance at the last supper. (Luke 22:33-34)
• At Gethsemane, when Jesus asks Peter to stay awake and pray, he fails to do so and falls asleep after a single hour. He doesn't grasp the importance of prayer or being spiritually vigilant. (Mark 14:37)
• When they come to arrest Jesus, Peter gets impulsive and cuts off the ear of the servant, which Jesus then heals. Jesus is always cleaning up his messes it seems.
• Pride --> Prayerlessness --> Impulsiveness
• For the last bit of Jesus' life, Peter followed him at a distance. Peter wanted to be comfortable with the world and blend in, rather than suffer with Jesus. (Mark 14:54)
• When Peter has denied Jesus three times, Jesus turns to him and looks and a rooster crows. (Luke 22:60-62)
• To Peter, the rooster crowing to Peter was something that triggered memories of his failures and sin. It was something that haunted him. (Luke 22:60-62)
• After Jesus' resurrection, Jesus specifically mentions Peter's name (apart from the group of disciples) which implies his restoration in Jesus' sight. (Mark 16:6-7)
• After Jesus appears to the disciples while they were fishing, Peter is sitting around the fire with Jesus. It was only a few days ago that Peter was sitting around a fire in a courtyard when he was denying knowing Jesus. Such a contrast of how he has been restored so quickly. One of the most distant moments from Jesus and one of the most intimate moments with Jesus were both spent around a fire within a matter of days.
• After Peter has been restored (John 21:17-18, 19a), he becomes incredibly affective for the kingdom of God. For example, at Pentecost he preaches and thousands come to know salvation. (Acts 1:15, 2:14, 4:8, 10:44)
• God uses our worst moments to prepare us for our divinely appointed purposes. 

The main takeaway points from this sermon:

• There is hope after failure.
• God uses broken people to accomplish great things.

Christmas Thoughts

Here's some stuff that I've been pondering over the course of the Christmas season:

• The shepherds are the first to hear about the Savior's birth. For some reason, God chooses the shepherds (ranked low in societal status) to reveal Himself to and then uses them to spread the Good News. God has always had a heart for the humble and He uses them in mighty ways.
• Something I've never thought about...this was breaking news for everyone in the world at the time of His birth. For countless years people have been waiting on this King they've heard prophecies about and He was finally there! Oh, what a feeling it must have been. On Christmas Eve, no one knew it was Christmas Eve! It was just a another seemingly ordinary night. It's cool to think about what they must have felt like to hear this news. We need to tap into the joy that they had when they realized the gravity of Jesus' birth.
• It's so easy to get so caught up in stuff around Christmas. There's so much to do...most of which is unnecessary and self-imposed. It's so easy to get caught up in self and to forget about our calling to love others as Christ has loved us. It's easy to worship stuff - not necessarily physically bowing down to an ipod, a hunting rifle, or new clothes, but figuratively spending more time, resources, thoughts, and energy on them instead of God-honoring things.
• I read a quote the other day that struck me. It was about us feeling good about how much we give. The quote was, "God not only looks at how much we give, but how much we keep." I thought it was pretty simple, yet profound. Changed my perspective on giving.
• The sense of tradition can callous one to some really beautiful things. For instance, many of the traditional Christmas songs are incredible. I've never really focused on what some of them say. I sang them often, yet my singing was merely a mindless repetition of a tradition and not a song of praise to my Savior. Some of my personal favorites are "Silent Night","O Come, O Come Emmanuel", and "Joy To The World.

I've been thinking about more, and I'll address them in later posts probably. This is just some big stuff I've been thinking about. I pray that you all are having a merry Christmas. May you take a moment and in solitude contemplate what the Savior's birth actually means for the world and especially to you as a Believer. I am so thankful to be finding myself wanting to grasp the gravity of Christmas and what the coming of Jesus means. I pray it will be the same for you.
Grace and Peace. λύτρον

My Philippians 4:8 Girl

I miss this girl. I can't even guess how many of my thoughts go to this girl. She's an amazing and beautiful woman of God. She is the most giving person I have ever met. She will do everything in her power to help anyone she can. She truly pours her life out as an offering to her Lord. I am so thankful for her and the relationship that we have. I'm not quite sure why she's still with me, but I'm not complaining. :-) Anyway, I really appreciate her for all that she does for me and the ways that she blesses me. In the way she lives, she models many things I need more of in my life. She is quick to show compassion for and have mercy on those I am quick to dismiss. She is quick to bless when I am quick to curse. She is quick to compliment and see the good when I am quick to condemn and see the bad. She just gives grace in everything she does and I really admire her for that. I pray I can continue to grow into the man I am called to be. I really want to bless her. A piece of advice for guys: Get yourself a Godly girl. They're amazing, worth every second of waiting, and they truly are a gift from God. I promise.
Grace and Peace. λύτρον

To Write Love On Her Arms

Today is the second annual 'To Write Love On Her Arms Day'. To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit organization that advocates for those struggling with addiction, depression, self-mutilation, and attempted suicide. The whole idea behind the movement is to support those struggling with these issues by showing love and support for them. This is a great cause and there are a lot of people involved. While I do support it, I want to clarify and make sure that it is clear that the only true 'rescue' and 'remedy' for the hopeless comes not in the form of human-to-human care and concern, but in the form of love in which Jesus Christ demonstrated on the cross where he purchased many sinners. This love is referred to as Agape (pictured above in Greek). This is the only kind of love that offers true hope for the hurting, victory for the defeated, and life for the dead. Thanks be to God for His incredible love. Oh, how He loves us so!
Grace and Peace. λύτρον

An Unexpected Reflection

Last night, I was skimming the channels and I stumbled upon a talk show where a young girl was telling the host that she was going to sell her virginity to the highest bidder. When I heard this, I was immediately outraged. I thought to myself, "How can this beautiful girl, created in the image of a holy God, find herself so cheap that she is willing to sell something as valuable as her purity?" This righteous anger and hatred toward this sin continued to build up within me and my heart broke for this young girl. As I prayed for this girl, my thoughts shifted to myself. The more I thought about the situation, the more I saw myself as this girl. How often is it that I don't recognize my true identity - a Child of God? How often do I 'sell myself' to the Enemy in exchange for the promise of temporal pleasures instead of pursuing my purity as invaluable? It makes me think of the song "Wedding Dress" by Derek Webb, where he describes himself as a whore who puts on the bridal gown and flees from her Perfect Groom, Jesus. It is my earnest desire to learn to hate my sin as much as the Lord does. The more I hate my sin, the more I pursue holiness. The more I pursue holiness, the further I get from my flesh. The further I get from my flesh, the closer I get to Jesus. The closer I get to Jesus, the more I treasure Him. The more I treasure Him, the more my life displays Him. The more my life displays Him, the greater impact my life has for Him. The greater impact my life has for Him, the greater my heavenly reward. The greater my heavenly reward, the more crowns I get to lay down at His feet in total worship. Oh, what joy lies ahead!
Grace and Peace. λύτρον

How I Long To See Nature Redeemed!

Having spent last night at one of the most naturally beautiful places I have ever been, I am finding it hard to comprehend what the future holds for creation. Scripture says that the true beauty of all creation was tainted and distorted in the fall. This is a hard thing for me to grasp because I find nature so incredibly beautiful as it is - in it's fallen state. If I think that nature is this beautiful and incredible in it's fallen state, I can't begin to fathom how awestruck and delighted I will be when I first glimpse at the indescribable beauty of the New Earth and all of nature in it's redeemed state. It is one of my heart's greatest longings and I look forward to the day I will take in it's beauty and turn to it's Creator in praise and adoration.
Grace and Peace. λύτρον

My Portion

'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul,
'Therefore, I will hope in him.'
Lamentations 3 : 24

He is all I need. He is all I want. I can place all of my faith in Him and not worry about a thing on this earth. He works all things to my good, because I love Him. Sometimes I don't understand how things are for my good, but I trust Him because He's always been faithful.
Grace and Peace. λύτρον