Re: Whereyat?

I am where I have been. I have not left. I am still here but I don't think you want to see or hear me.

I did hope and pray that you would do the "right" thing. And continue to do so because you still haven't. Your body may be in the "right" place but your heart is not. I am not the guy who said your "daughters would be promiscuous if [you] divorced their mom" but there is some truth to what he said (Ex20:5-6; 34:6-8). I have not "prayed misery on" you but know that believers cannot find satisfaction apart from a right relationship with the Father through the Son (James 4). When we look everywhere for something, except the place where it is, and cannot find it, it's miserably frustrating. I never told you I was "too disappointed in [you] to talk to" you. I confess; that thought did cross my mind a few times, but I banished it. I wanted to be there when you were willing.

I hope that nothing I did seemed like a patronizing pat on the back. And you're right, you don't deserve those pats. You do deserve the mean things that were said, the dirty looks that were given, the whisperings behind your back. In all honesty, those are incomparable to the punishment you deserve; the punishments I deserve for the sins that I have committed. I am just as guilty of falling "short of the glory of God" as you are. The wages for my sin is the same. But, the same gift of grace is available to both of us as well (Romans 3:23-24, 6:23).

You were right in expecting support but you didn't accept it where it was offered. You question those who were negative and then seemed to abandon you. You are confused by their absence but you will not stop to look and appreciate the support you do have. You are not willing to accept the lifetime of love and support and devotion that agonize in waiting and praying for you to truly come home.

You, by your actions and attitude, seem willing to cast off a wife who has shown great loyalty to you, daughters who adore you, parents who gave all they could for you, brothers who have consistently made themselves available to you, and friends who trusted you. What are you willing to give all that up for, an emotional or physical attraction that temporarily alleviates your God-given desires? It's not love that would lead you there! Love is not so destructive (1Corinthians 13). No matter what you convince yourself of (Jeremiah 17:5-10) you can never justify what you have done or what you are contemplating doing. You can only find grace and peace at the cross and empty tomb.

You may not want to hear from me because, to you, I'm just one of "those guys". But not really.

I am the guy who looked to you as a friend. I wanted your advice because I thought I could trust you. I wanted your friendship because I thought you cared about me.

I will continue to be where we have been. I will not leave. I will be here when you are ready.

Selfishness, the source of sin

James 1:13-15
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Sin begins with selfishness. It results from asking "what do I want?" regardless of any one or any thing else. This attitude is the polar opposite of the mind of Christ (Phil 2:1-8) which was made obvious through His life and death. Emmanuel, "who for the joy set before Him, [a relationship with me] endured the cross" (Heb 12:2) to die and redeem me "from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for" me (Gal 3:13).

Jude 1:25
To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

More on True Worship

I watched a video of a John MacArthur sermon titled "The Critical Elements of True Worship" while I was exercising this afternoon. I've found that preaching is an important part of my exercise routine for a number of reasons. For one, it seems a good idea to exercise the heart and stretch the mind while doing the same to my muscles.

From the text of Romans 12:1-2 he presents 3 key ideas surrounding the concept of Biblical worship.

1. The motivation for true worship
2. The mandate of true worship
   
3. The manner of true worship

You can watch the video here.
Or read the transcripts here.

UPS is thinking outside the box

I recently read a post entitled "'Right' turns only" on Dan Miller's 48daysblog. He is the author of 48 Days To The Work You Love and No More Mondays. In it he explains that UPS expects 90% of the turns their drivers make to be right turns. "By turning right whenever possible they saved over 28 million miles of driving and three million gallons of fuel."

He goes on to ask "What if you could find the “right” turns in your own life, avoiding the ones that wasted time, money and energy?" Is that possible? Is there any chance of me avoiding the left/wrong turns? If only I could be convinced that planning ahead and making decisions with a definite purpose would lead to greater success, spiritually and occupationally.

Colossians 1:9-12
[I do] not cease to pray . . . and to ask that [I] may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that [I] will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified [me] to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

The foundation for thankfulness

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Horatio Spafford

Happy Thanksgiving!

An inconvenient quote

I was flipping through An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck and read this quote.

"When you don't perform, you get nothing. The phrase is 'To the victor go the spoils' not 'spoil those who aren't the victor'."

How descriptive or our culture in this day. We praise the failures while punishing the successful. We take from those who work to give to those who don't. It won't be long before the pendulum swings back and we have to start worrying about the self-esteem of the winners.

And then the dam broke.

We sang "Lord, Bless Our Home" in the morning service. Everything was going fine until I tried to sing along. At that moment discouraged faces began to fill my mind and I felt a little bit of the hurt of those who are living at ground zero. And then the dam broke.

Families all around us are crumbling every day.
Yielding to the enemy and throwing life away.
Bind our lives together, guard us with your truth;
When the struggle seems too great, Lord, keep our eyes on You.

Chorus:
Lord, bless our home, protect our home:
Let it be a refuge in this world of sin.
Lord, reign within, keep us strong and true:
And when we need You most,
Lord, draw us close, committed to each other.
Lord, bless our home: we give our home to You.

Thank You for Your goodness; our love was in Your plan.
Help us face the future always trusting in Your hand.
Keep us warm and tender; Keep us clean and pure.
Drive us to each other's arms, and make our love endure.

words and music by Ron Hamilton

The most wonderful time of the year!

Emma is excited that Duke's basketball season has begun . . .


. . . but wants to know why you're not excited, too.

Ransom

I enjoyed listening to a song today that used "Ransom from Heaven" as a name for Christ and it provoked a number of thoughts in my head.

It is quite common for us to think of a ransom as a payment made by a parent to buy back their stolen child. But that's not quite how our salvation was won. God the Father used His Son as the ransom payment to buy back me, one of the "children of wrath" who was "dead in trespasses and sins". He used His only Son, Jesus, to buy me, who was not His son, to make me His son and joint heir with Jesus (Rom 8:14-17). Jesus Christ is truly my Ransom from Heaven

Here's a personalized version of Ephesians 2 that teaches this truth. This passage has already been shaping my thinking over the last couple of weeks and I was excited to see the Lord bring these two thoughts together as an encouragement to my heart when I needed it.

And [I was] dead in [my] trespasses and sins, in which [I] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them [I] formerly lived in the lusts of [my] flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and [was] by nature [a child] of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved [me], even when [I was] dead in [my] transgressions, made [me] alive together with Christ (by grace [I] have been saved), and raised [me] up with Him, and seated [me] with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward [me] in Christ Jesus.

"Autobiography in Five Short Chapters"

This poem, by Portia Nelson, was given to me at a men's prayer fellowship. I needed the blatant reminder of what my life often looks like.

I.
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost . . . I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find my way out.

II.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place
but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in . . . it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V.
I walk down another street.

Would you like a voluntary tax system?

That's really what the FairTax is, voluntary. Here are a few easy to understand details to think about. If you want more information and proof that it can work and is possible to enact, click on the picture or on the links at the bottom of the post.

• It is a federal retail sales tax of 23% (Sounds awful, I know, but keep reading!). It is designed to replace every single business and personal tax the federal government imposes. It includes the dreaded income tax which means that the stupid phrase "take home pay" will become obsolete because we'll keep it all!
  
• The price you and I pay for an item at the retail level already has the tax burden of every business involved in that product's existence included in it. They legitimately pass their tax burden onto us.
• The price we will pay after the FairTax is enacted will be the prices we pay now.
  
• The difference is . . . we "take home" every bit of our paycheck!!!

How will it help and how will it be successful, you ask?

• The federal government will have an equal if not greater amount of revenue.
• More money will come home, more money will be spent.
• Those who do not work, but consume our goods and services will help bear the burden.
• The welfare recipients will help when they buy non-welfare items (which they couldn't afford if they paid for their own food).
• Illegal aliens will share the burden, too.
• Legal foreign visitors will help when they buy their souvenirs and necessities while enjoying our beautiful country.
  
• In other words, every one pays their fair share!
• Also, included in the plan is a "prebate". Each month, every household will be pre-reimbursed for the taxes they would typically pay on the basic necessities.
• Business owners will move their companies back to America to enjoy the lessened tax burden, meaning more jobs here in the States.
  

Here's a "Thumbnail Sketch of the FairTax"
A detailed plan of how the prebate would work
A list of FAQs that answers more questions than I can think of

No More Tears

I've tried to cry but can't. There is anger and frustration and disappointment; but no tears. It's happened too often. Too many have fallen while so many more are crumbling.

I could be next.

There may not be tears but there is resolve. Every single day I must resolve to submit myself to my Savior and obediently apply the truths of His Word to the decisions laid out before me. Every moment I must resolve to protect myself regardless of what others may be comfortable with; regardless of what I myself may be comfortable with.

By the exceeding abundant grace of my God I have stood and only by that grace will I continue to do so.

No longer drudgery!

My lovely wife has recently been "encouraging" me to start an exercise program. I used to dread the thought but slowly am realizing the value. Thanks, Dear! Tonight as I was mopping up the sweat, I was thinking about exercise and was a reminded of a fewthought-provoking quotes about exercise that I have read recently.

If it weren't for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all.
Joey Adams

I actually read this in a daily sales record-keeping book at Nordstrom a couple of months ago. I laughed at first, then it dawned on me that it accurately described me. That was who I had become. Not such and accurate description anymore. Of course, I'm the type to start something and quit, but this time I have some one checking up on me, "bugging" me to keep it up. I need, and for once, appreciate that very much. (Thanks again, Dear!) My goal is to lose 13% of my current body weight by Christmas. A big goal. But one worth striving for.

Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body.
Cher

If only it were that easy. Like my brother Phil and I were discussing earlier, if good looks and a polite smile could get us what we wanted, he'd be driving a Ferrari.

It seems that in this life most things worth having take work to earn. Fortunately, not much worth having is free. I say "most things" because the ultimate is a gift. Salvation is a free gift of grace. Even the faith to receive salvation is a gift (Eph 2:8-9). But after that, the Christian life takes work. A holy and sanctified life demands great effort. Here are a few divine quotations from the Apostle Paul that refer to forms of exercise.

In Philippians 3 he speaks of our number one priority, knowing Christ, and compares that goal to a runner pushing himself to fullest to gain the prize.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:10, 13-14

Here he illustrates the keys of discipline and self-control.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
1Corinthians 9:24-27

Can you picture yourself, knowing that you are nearing the end of your life, being able to say this honestly, with a pure conscience?

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

2Timothy 4:7-8

When the race is uphill, taking your breath, and pushing you to the point of exhaustion think on this passage. There's a "Duh! Moment" in here. Take off the weights (lawful things that are not expedient) and the your pet sins that consistently trip you. Confess and repent before the Throne of Grace. Then consider the faithful that have gone before you. Hebrews 11 is a short biography of many included in that "great . . . cloud of witnesses" who have gone before us and lived successfully. Encouraging to me is that these faithful had very little if any of God's written Word and "all these died in faith, without receiving the promises" (Heb 11:13); none of them lived to see the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. Notice also the commitment of Christ. The King of Glory endured the cross with me in mind. Can I not endure my cross (Mark 8:34-35) with Him in mind?

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3

So while physical exercise if beneficial, let it remind us of the much needed spiritual exercise. I like the way this thought is translated in the ESV.

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1Timothy 4:8

Philippians 2:5-7

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as aman, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death on a cross.

Christ existing as 100% God and 100% man is difficult concept for my created mind to grasp. But compounding the issue is the statement that Christ did not consider His equality with God the Father as a thing to be clutched or held onto, but willingly set these privileges to the side, emptying Himself, in order to live in my shoes (or sandals) and face my temptations (Luke 4:1-13, Heb 4:15), so that He could legitimately die my death to pay my penalty for my sin. (Gal 3:13, Titus 2:14)

That is ultimate humility. And, I'm expected to have that mindset?!? Only by the grace of Him through whom all things are possible (Luke 18:27, John, 15:4, Phil 4:13)!

Who Is The Audience?

Here's a quote from the book True Worship: Traditional. Contemporary. Biblical., that our Sunday school class has been studying.

"If our goal is to make worship more appealing and welcoming, then before addressing how it can be accomplished, we must determine to whom worship should appeal. And it is at this point that we can become guilty of what might be called carte ante horsum. For if true worship is based on a right relationship with God, as the Bible illustrates, then those who are not right with God cannot worship Him and should not pretend to. Adapting our worship so that it appeals to the unconverted, threfore, is a case of carte ante horsum, of putting the cart before the horse! As we study the Bible, we find that worship is not meant to be a practice by which a person becomes right with God; rather, worship is the outward expression of a heart that is right with God."

Future President?

Check out this blog at www.defineconservatism.com. The kid also wrote a book called Define Conservatism.

How can a 13 year old boy get it, when it seems that the majority of Americans are cluelessly infatuated with the destructive policies of socialism and Marxism promoted by the left?

Empty Me

Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, Chris Sligh's "Empty Me"

I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To know how it gets in the blood.
And I've had just enough of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you. So, I surrender all!

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord, empty me of me so I can be
Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with you.


And here is a video of Chris performing an acoustical version in a wedding.

Inner Zombies

According to an article in Discover Magazine from October 2008 (which can be read here) you just might have an inner zombie. It claims that "our self-aware part is not always in charge" and "that we are deeply influenced by perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and desires about which we have no awareness." After explaining a number of studies which help support the concept and a few that seem to create doubts, the author states, "it may be that our conscious and unconscious minds are parallel systems, each specialized for handling different kinds of tasks." This is the conclusion I came to with the facts presented.

So, what about this "inner zombie"thing? Consider Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." We are what we think. Christ teaches this principle in His sermon on the mount when He addressed murder and adultery. The thoughts of the heart work to the surface and reveal themselves in our actions. So "watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs [or actions] of life" (Prov 4:23). Christ confirms this truth in Luke 6:45 teaching, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

There is truth to the author's statement "that our self-aware part is not always in charge." We don't always think before we act or speak. Therefore we must be on guard as to what we allow into our hearts, to shape our thinking, and to form our natural responses. We must consistently plan ahead spiritually by training our minds with the Word that completes us and equips us for every good work (2Tim 3:16-17).

Hey! It's Free

I just threw on another link over there on the right. The site is called Hey! It's Free. And as you might have guessed, it's all about free stuff. Most of it useless but some handy, some helpful, and some, you can't live without (not really or it wouldn't be free). Have fun getting free stuff sent to you, but let me throw out a warning. You might consider setting up a junk email account to use to register for this stuff otherwise you might get slammed pretty hard.

Government at it's best

I'm a texter. I would rather swap a few quick text messages than sit on the phone for 3 or 4 minutes nine times out of ten. But rarely will I will pull out the phone to talk or text when I'm driving. It's just not safe. Gov. Schwarzenegger agrees. Why, he even thought it necessary to sign a law that forbids such a thing. Isn't this just a blessing? Our government is protecting us by saying when we can and cannot use our mobile phones. They care so deeply about you, that they are taking control of other peoples texting habits. Don't you love living in a free country?

If they can do this, why not enact a law that people can't use them in front of paid professionals performing a service. You know, like cashiers, bank tellers, customer service desks, wait staff. Or for that matter, what about their spouses and children. Let's fine the guys who talk on the phone while their family is ignored at the restaurant. Oh, and the women who are too busy yammering to pay close attention to their children in the malls. That kind of neglect leads to broken families, depression, and rebellion which can lead to car wrecks and road rage, too. Another opportunity for the government to keep us safe!

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-arnold25-2008sep25,1,3722911.story

Stuck in my head

This song has been stuck in my head all morning. My Dad would sing this while playing his guitar, and this morning I kept singing it to Emma. I'm excited that she loves music. Hopefully she will be much more talented than I both vocally and instrumentally.

He's Still Working On Me

Chorus: He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

1. There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,
Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

2. In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
But He loves me as I am and He helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1Cor 15:10) and apart from His faithful love I would be destitute, void of all hope.

Work

Right now I'm working to live. I look forward to the day that I live to work. I've been there but did not fully grasp the blessing that it was until it was gone.

I know, the title sounds goofy, but . . .

. . . get over it! I don't remember exactly how I came across it but remember it catching my attention as a good title for the blog I was thinking about starting one day. It's German and means something to the effect of thinking out loud, and that's basically what I intend to do here. Some of the things I think about and will write about here are my God, His Word, politics, books, music, stupid things humans do, what I want to be when I grow up, current events, the next generation, and mucho mas. (And that's only a brief synopsis of a typical minute and a half without caffeine.)

As you can see, my mind races constantly and needs an outlet to aid in the prevention of further mental illnesses. So, even if nobody reads my rambling, there is still some relief for my full head. If anybody out there ever does read this, I'm sorry! But please feel free to comment whether you agree or disagree; whether you want to encourage my ranting or mock it. As one man said "Feedback is the breakfast of champions". Feed me, please!