Finishing Up

Well, the semester is winding down. I have 1/2 of a book to read and write a review on and a take-home final in German to do. So my academic load is decreasing. I was able to attend an afternoon seminar on John Milton, a great English poet and author of Paradise Lost. What a blessing it was.

While my academic load is decreasing, my work load is holding steady tutoring and we are continuing to work a few odd jobs along the way. This past Saturday we helped a lady move some of her belongings to their new house. It seems we will have opportunity to do this again five or six more times. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of work (and pay). I will work for an elderly man this week pulling weeds, trimming trees, etc. if the weather permits. And we received another call this week with a possible opportunity to do yardwork soon as well.

This week we are getting ready to travel to Alabama and Tennessee. We have family birthdays on Saturday and will get to worship at First Baptist, Savannah on Sunday morning. We will also be taking another load of loose things from the house in Savannah back here to Louisville.

Next week we will be packing to prepare to move. We move on Nov. 30 to our new house. It is a 2400 sq.ft. beautiful home in a great neighborhood. God has provided it for us for six months and the rent is half our 1000 sq.ft. apartment! With the additional mileage and utilities, we will probably break even on our monthly costs but we will have much more room to spread out, kids can have their own rooms, more space for homeschooling, and a yard. We are so grateful to God for this. Also, the owners have mentioned the possibility of staying through the summer so we could rent it for 18 months. We are praying that this might work out as well.

The kids have been involved in the church we are attending and are very sad when we have to miss. (Thank you, Lord, for that as well.) Above is a picture of them in their Awana uniforms.

It's cold here and we had snow flurries on the way to church this morning. I've been missing my dad more than usual lately and I don't know why. I sure am thankful to have had him so long and pray to be as good of a father to my kids as he was to me. Sorry this blog is rambling and more info update and less about God's Great Salvation, a much more worthy topic. I'll try to do better next time. Until then pray with me that "I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24)

Hey friends!

I met with my advisor today and found out more information about which seminars I'll be taking next year. It looks like I'll take a theology seminar on Wednesday mornings, a group seminar on Wednesday afternoons, and a language seminar on Fridays. It is both scary and exciting to think about starting research, reading, and actual classes. Thank you so much for your prayers. God continues to confirm that He has led us here, reassuring us through the kind words of professors and through His provisions. He alone is sufficient.

Our house is . . . still ours. Please pray that God would sell it to the right people at the right time at the right price. We continue to trust Him. Pray wisdom for us to know when to lower the price, whether we should consider renting it, or what else we should do to sell it.

Below is a link to a picture gallery that has photos of our apartment where we are living now. Also, a couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend a hot-air ballon festival. It was our first and a lot of fun. (I think the link will take you to the pictures, but you may have to hit "backspace" or the back button on your browser to get back to this blog.)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=hhk19aa.178r3cjm&x=0&h=1&y=2kthtq&localeid=en_US

God has opened the door for us to rent a house beginning December 1. A neat Christian couple is going to Florida for the winter. They have a 2400 sq. ft., 3 bedroom/2 bath, nice home with a yard in a great neighborhood. This will be more than double the size of our apartment for half the rent! What a blessing! Though the utilities will be more expensive and the drive time/gas more, it should still be financially beneficial as well as a much nicer and more spacious home. We will be there through May. We hope this will give our house time to sell and us time to find a home to buy here in Louisville.

We have attended Ninth & O Baptist Church for the last three weeks. It is a neat church and the children are fitting in well. We are blessed by the preaching, worship, and S.S. classes. We are attending a Discovery Class this Sunday night to learn more about the beliefs and vision of the church. Pray that we will know God's will about a church home.

One final word: Pray for our country and pray for the election. While a great deal is riding on the outcome of this election, it may be less than you think. Below is a link to a good John Piper article I wanted to share with you.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2008/3347_Let_Christians_Vote_As_Though_They_Were_Not_Voting/

God is good . . . all the time. When your house sells and when it doesn't. When you get in the Ph.D. program and when you don't. When you live in a 1000 sq.ft. apartment and when you live in a 2400 sq.ft. house. When you get to go out to eat and when you don't. When life is slow and relaxed and when it's fast and hectic. When God is in control and . . . well, He always is.

The waiting is over, the working continues . . .

After waiting for weeks to hear from my test (the last part of the application process), I heard Sunday that the letters were mailed out on Thursday. We live across the street from the seminary so we should have gotten it Friday or Saturday. But we did not, so we would get it Monday for sure. However, we were reminded by a friend that Monday was Columbus Day, so no mail would be delivered! It seemed God was not through having us wait just yet! (As it turns out, the letter actually left Louisville, went to our Savannah address, then forwarded to us in Louisville!) So, the news came today (Tuesday) in the form of a letter that I was approved to enter the Ph.D. program. Amanda says she never had any doubt. I am not able to say the same thing. I didn’t know for sure I would get in, but I did know that God was good and He would take care of us as long as we obeyed. What a blessing to be given the opportunity to study at Southern Seminary with great, knowledgeable men of God!

My advisor is Dr. William (Bill) Cook and my first impression is that we share the same kind of heart. He’s pastoring a local church that we’ve visited the last couple of weeks and seems to have a passion for both teaching and the local church (like me). I look forward to getting to know him better.

My classes are going well. I just finished a paper and will turn it in tomorrow. I still have one book to read and write a report on between now and the end of November. I continue to take German twice a week. We have weekly vocabulary quizzes and are translating regularly now. That will culminate in a take-home final exam. The class is pass or fail, no grade. I completed an online class dealing with the Cooperative Program last week.

Concerning our housing situation, we still have had no serious bites on our house in Savannah. Please continue to pray for this. However, God has opened up doors for us to rent a house from some “snowbirds.” The couple will go to live in Florida December through May and they’re going to rent their house (fully furnished) to us. It is a great deal. Our rent will be half what it is now and we’ll have over twice the square footage as we do now. It will also give us even more time to get our house sold. We are grateful for this nice, big house with a nice yard in a nice neighborhood for this period of time.

Concerning our finances, God continues to take care of us. He has used gifts from family and friends to bless us and provide for us. In addition, I continue to tutor a lot and got an hourly raise. Plus, we have picked up three other one-time jobs for this week (yard work, helping a lady load/unload in a move, and child care). It is good to show our kids that it is a privilege to work, that we should be thankful for the willingness and ability to work.

On a personal family note: My younger brother, Brian, was ordained as a deacon last week. It has been cool to see how God’s working in his life the last few years. Pray for him and his family.

Quick Prayer List:
1) First Baptist Church, Savannah as they continue to seek God for a new pastor
2) Continued financial provisions
3) Wisdom as we continue to seek a church home here
4) Our house to sell in Savannah, TN
5) Our spiritual lives to grow deeper and more consistent: Now that something is settled, it may be even easier to become self-reliant.

Final Devotional Thought:
I read this morning in my quiet time about Jesus getting ready to ride triumphantly into Jerusalem. The disciples were instructed to go get a donkey. Jesus told them to tell the owner, “The Lord has need of it.” What is it that you have that Jesus wants to use? Remember that when you give it and He uses it, He is the one who gets the glory. I once heard a preacher say that when Jesus rode in and they shouted, “Hosanna!” and cheered and waved branches, the donkey knew they weren’t cheering for him!

Working and Waiting

I continue to be grateful for all the prayers you are sending up for us. God is continuing to bless us and provide for us.

We are working and waiting. God has been faithful to provide work opportunities for all of us. For the last couple of weeks we have delivered Yellow Pages. The kids worked at this as well and did a great job. I continue to have a steady supply of kids to tutor. Some are tutored for just a few weeks to be prepared for the SAT or ACT test. Others come regularly each week. A lady also approached Keller out of the blue the other day and gave him a leaf-raking job for the fall.

The Lord has also been gracious to help me persevere in my classes this term. German is going well. I feel as though I am barely staying above water but the professor says that is how we should feel when we cram a year's worth of German into one semester. I have a paper due in about three weeks and am working on a course about the Cooperative Program online.

As God is providing for us financially and mentally, He's also working on us spiritually. As many of you know, there were wide-spread power outages here in Louisville last week so the seminary was closed all week. I received an email from the doctoral office a few days ago stating that the process of reviewing the field essays and applications had been delayed due to the outage. That puts me hearing about my test and final acceptance one week later than it was going to be. In stead of the wait being half over, it went back to being three weeks away. I now expect to hear something the middle of October. Amanda says this delay is a "trust test". God is continuing to test (and hopefully grow) our faith. Pray with us about this, too.

Prayer Requests:
*Continued financial provisions (increased hours tutoring and/or additional work opportunities for Jason, possible work opportunities for Amanda, or one of a thousand other ways God may choose to provide!)
*Our house to sell
*Regarding homeschooling--Keller to have self-discipline and Amanda to have creativity
*God's will as we seek another local church to worship and serve with
*Wisdom regarding our van; things are starting to stop working and it may be time to sell it and pray for another vehicle
*The Ph.D. committee as they review my application and field essay
*Grace to trust God no matter their decision and no matter whatelse happens around us

Gas Prices? God's Provision!

I completed my test for admission to the Ph.D. program at Southern Seminary yesterday. A special thanks to all who prayed for me. If you want some specific details, email me and I'll be glad to share them.

As I was leaving Louisville yesterday to return to Savannah to see my family and get another load of stuff to move up, rumors were growing about a gas price hike and a gas shortage. Sure enough, gas prices jumped 50 cents per gallon in some places. While trying to trust God to sell our house and give us what we need to live on in Louisville, not to mention pulling a trailer back and forth to Kentucky, this additional gas hike was shaking our faith a little (ok at times a lot!). Amanda and I had a talk this morning about our worries. I came to the office to pack up some books and checked my email. One of the subject lines read "You won!" and was from a name I did not recognize. I almost deleted it, thinking it was a scam. But I checked it just to make sure . . .

Yesterday the Seminary hosted a job fair. I went in and looked around, picked up a couple brochures and started to leave. At the exit there was a feedback survey. Those who returned the survey were entered to win a $50 gas card or an Ipod Shuffle. And since we didn't need an IPod Shuffle . . . that's right! The email was from the organizers of the job fair saying I had won the gas card! While it is a small thing, it is still a God thing. It is just like our God to give us the financial and spiritual provisions we need to do what He calls us to do! Be blessed and trust Him today!

One More Week

It's Friday and my wife and kids are coming to see me in Louisville today! Pray for their safe travel. The seminary is supposed to have a Fall Kick-Off here on campus with party jumpers, fair rides, free food, etc. It is a big deal but it is scheduled to rain all day today. That's a downer.

There is only one more week until my doctoral exam/essay/interview, Friday, Sept. 12. Remember, this is PhD-day! Pray Hard Day! However this day turns out, we are trusting God. He has brought us this far. If He chooses to continue to open doors and allow us to enter the doctoral program . . . great. If not, that's OK, too. All we know is that we are trying to trust Him today, right now, hour by hour.

There are still no prospects to buy our house. Please make this a matter of prayer. This, too, is in God's hands. Pray that we will trust Him to sell it at the right time for the right price to the right people.

The psalm for today said, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to Thee do I pray. In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch."

I believe the angels (and possibly saints in heaven) eagerly watch to see what God does on the earth. I probably should, too.

For His glory,
Jason

In Louisville--sortof

Friends and family,

A quick update on what God is doing in our life. We have an apartment in Louisville, across the street from the seminary campus. It is small going to be good for us, I think. I have started classes at Southern Seminary. Currently, I'm taking a Graduate Research Seminar and Theological German. Graduate Research is mostly over and I learned that I have a lot to learn about researching and writing! I have had two weeks of German and it's great. I only wish I had more time to learn it very well.

Many of you have asked why I have to take German. (I actually am required to have two languages. I'll take Latin or French next term.) There are lots of New Testament sources written in German and I will need to be able to read them when I start my research.

I have German on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Travel: Sunday is my last day at FBC, Savannah and we sure are going to miss our (spiritual) family. I will be going back and forth for a few more weeks as we finish things up in Savannah.
2) Our house to sell: So far we have had very few showings. It only takes one, though. Pray hard.
3) Wisdom for Jason and Amanda's jobs: Jason is interviewing this week with tutoring agencies and that is going very well. Amanda will look to work some once she gets to Louisville more permenantly.
4) September 12!! Mark it down. That is the day I will take a test (field essay and interview) that will determine if I get in the Ph.D. program in the Spring or not. I call it "Ph.D. Day." Our church administrator said that means "Pray Hard Day." Mark it down and pray, especially on that day. I'm studying like crazy between now and then. Pray that I will have the discipline to buckle down, that I will study the right things, and that I will do as well as possible on that day. We are leaving the rest (as well as all this stuff) up to the Lord.
5) Emotions as we leave: We will all have a hard time leaving our dear friends in Savannah. Pray especially for Keller, our 8-year-old boy.

I am convinced that through your prayers, God will do valiantly. Back to studying.

Jason

Open Doors

Deliverance by man is in vain,
Through God we shall do valiantly!
Psalm 60:11-12

It seems as though God is working in our life to move us to Louisville, KY. Through a whirlwind of open doors, we believe this is God's path for us right now. I will start classes, working toward a doctorate in New Testament and Greek. While we will be leaving First Baptist Church, Savannah, TN, I plan to continue this blog as a way for our friends to keep up with what God is doing in our lives. A couple of reflections further:
1) My wife's faith has been much stronger than mine through this. She is trusting God at every turn and I an leaning toward worry at every turn.
2) It seems as though everytime one thing finally gets decided or confirmed, another thing gets undecided or left questionable. One would think that as we move along in the process, decisions are being made and we would have a better understanding of our future. But, instead of moving to a more comfortable, stable set of circumstances in which we know the future, things continue to stay up in the air. The effect of this is we are praying and needing to trust more and more instead of less and less.
3) In hindsight, we are able to see how God has prepared us for this move already. Though we never realized it when it was happening, we can see now how our circumstances have lined up to make us ready and able to start school in August.
4) My life verse since my first seminary days has been Ezra 7:10, "For Ezra has set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel." This degree would allow me to formally "teach His statues" anywhere in the world at any level.
5) I have not yet stopped and chronicled all the ways God has worked in our hearts and circumstances. Pray for me that I will do that soon.

Memory Verse last week:
"and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."
2 Cor. 5:15

Memory Verse this week:
??? Any suggestions?

Praying for a Youth Mission Trip

Lately we've spent time on Sunday Evenings seeking God and praying for some Kingdom concerns. We have a group of youth leaving Saturday morning to serve as "World Changers" in Fort Walton Beach, FL on a short-term mission trip. We prayed for them Sunday night. I wanted to share with you the verse we prayed through for them and how we did it. What a blessing it was for me to lead our church it this. This is an example of praying Scripture (which I'm doing more and more of and am loving it!)

2 Cor. 4:5 says, "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus sake."

1) "We do not preach/proclaim ourselves". We prayed that these young people would be protected against pride, they wouldn't brag to their friends when they returned home, they would guard their tongues from boasting while there, and that they would take compliments and "thank you"s well.

2) "but [we proclaim] Christ Jesus as Lord". We prayed that God would give them opportunities to share why they were there, boldness and courage to say good words for Christ, and open doors to share their testimony. We prayed that others would not look down on their youthfulness but that the would be an example of believers.

3) "and [we proclaim] ourselves as your bond servants". We prayed they would have servant hearts and servant attitudes and strength and health to work and serve. We prayed against a lazy spirit and that they would have a great work ethic, working like slaves for Jesus.

4) "for Jesus sake". Lastly we prayed that the primary motivation for them going would be for Jesus. Not for fun, friends, a good time, or to just take a trip. We prayed that they would go for God not for themselves, not even for those whom they serve. We acknowledged that it is easy to serve others when they are appreciative, grateful, and kind. But if those who are being served are not kind and even mean, we must be doing our service for Jesus and not others in order to persevere with joy.

What do you think? What are some examples of how you've prayed Scripture lately?

Quotes from Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Here are a collection of quotes from R.M. M'Cheyne that are humbling, convicting, and encouraging. I hope they bless ya'.

"If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me."

"Rose early to seek God and found Him whom my soul loveth. Who would not rise early to meet such company?" [Journal: 23 February1834]

"A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more."

"Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley. He changes not! Live nearer to Christ than to any person on this earth; so that when they are taken, you may have Him to love and lean upon."

From a hymn entitled "I Am Debtor"
When this passing world is done, When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory, Looking o'er life's finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -Not till then - how much I owe.

When I hear the wicked call On the rocks and hills to fall,
When I see them start and shrink On the fiery deluge brink,
-Then, Lord, shall I fully know -Not till then - how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne, Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see thee as thou art, Love thee with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -Not till then - how much I owe.

Full Page Ad in Time

The May 12, 2008 issue of Time Magazine has a full page ad sponsored by the Universalist Unitarian Association of churches. Below is the text of that ad.

MY GOD IS BETTER THAN YOUR GOD. Is this any way to talk about religion? Maybe you are seeking an open-minded, spiritual community where people respect each other's beliefs and worship together as one faith. Where no one's idea of God is better than another's. There is a religion that welcomes your search. Welcome to Unitarian Universalism.

The ad continues with their logo, website, and an offer of a free introductory DVD. There are so many things biblically wrong with the content of this ad. If you want a list, let me know. But perhaps instead of listing the theological errors here, I'll close this entry praying for those who see the ad. Lord, I pray that You would limit the influence of this ad. Foil the plans of the evil one to use it to lead men and women astray. I pray for those believers who read this ad will recognize the wiles of the devil and see how their faith in the one and only God is different and unique and grounded in absolute truth. I pray for those who are still lost who see this ad. May they come in contact with the true Gospel and may Your Holy Spirit convict them of sin, truth, righteousness, and judgment. May they see the glories of Christ and come to know so great a salvation!

"Don't waste your pulpit!"

Here's a great video from John Piper challenging (us) preachers to preach the Word! Great stuff.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xiad6nKJCw

Beyond Amazing Grace

I've been watching one of the services of First Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, AL. What a biblical church! The one I've watched had Todd Murray doing a presentation on John Newton and it was great. He's written a book and done a CD on the life and forgotten hymns of John Newton. I encourage all to check it out.

One of the hymns is below. May it bless you (even though you need to work through some of the old English).

Sav’d by blood, I live to tell
What the love of Christ hath done;
He redeem’d my soul from hell,
Of a rebel made a son;
Oh, I tremble still, to think
How secure I liv’d in sin;
Sporting on destruction’s brink,
Yet preserv’d from falling in.

In his own appointed hour,
To my heart the Saviour spoke:
Touch’d me by his Spirits’ pow’r,
And my dang’rous slumber broke.
Then I saw and own’d my guilt:
Soon my gracious Lord reply’d,
“Fear not, I my blood have spilt,
‘Twas for such as thee I dy’d.”

Shame and wonder, joy and love,
All at once possess’d my heart;
Can I hope thy grace to prove
After acting such a part?
“Thou hast greatly sinn’d,” he said,
But I freely all forgive;
I myself thy debt have paid,
Now I bid thee rise and live,”

Come, my fellow-sinner try;
Jesus’ heart is full of love!
Oh, that you, as well as I,
May his wondrous mercy prove!
He has sent me to declare,
All is ready, all is free:
Why should any soul despair,
When he sav’d a wretch like me?

C.S. Lewis on Friendship

"For a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,' can truly say to every group of Christian friends "You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.' The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and the good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing. At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it is he who has chosen the guest. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside. let us not reckon without our Host."

Lewis then goes on to quote Dunbar and says,
"Man, please thy Maker, and be merry,
And give not for this world a cherry."

From The Four Loves. What good insight on God's sovereignty in our relationships and a succinct summary of the Christian life in two lines!

The Boat and the Rock

I was doing some reading this morning in preparation for a prayer service we will have Sunday night. I came across an illustration Augustine used to help us understand prayer. He said, suppose there were a boat floating haplessly in the sea. Those in the boat threw a rope and lassoed a large rock. As they pulled the rope, the boat and the rock came together; from the sailors' perspective it was the rock that was moved toward them. However, we all know that it was the boat that was being pulled to the rock. That is what happens in prayer. Prayer is the rope. It may seem that God's will is being pulled to us but, in reality, that prayer pulls us closer to the Rock of Ages, not the rock closer to us. Interesting illustration, don't you think?

"The God of my _____."

Last night I was reading and praying through Psalm 25. "Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day."

As I was meditating of the great salvation God has given to me, I took that phrase, "For You are the God of my salvation" and started replacing the word "salvation" with some of the aspects of God's salvation. My soul was stirred as I found new phrases with which to worship the Father and I was richly blessed! It went something like this:

For You are the God of my redemption,
the God of my forgiveness,
the God of my deliverance,
the God of my adoption,
the God of my election,
the God of my Spirit-sealing,
the God of my regeneration,
the God of my conversion,
the God of my sanctification,
the God of my cleansing,
the God of my justification,
the God of my glorification,
the God of my calling,
the God of my repentance and faith,
and on and on!

How do you fill-in-the-blank today? He is the God of your what?

The Lighter Side

Today I found some "make-you-think" questions and thought I'd share it with you for a change. If you have any answers, let me know! Have a blessed day!

DEEP THOUGHTS
In winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

Why do women always ask questions that have no right answers?

Why is it that inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the heck happened?

Why is it that men can react to broken bones as 'just a sprain' and deep wounds as 'just a scratch,' but when they get the sniffles they are deathly ill 'with the flu' and have to be bedridden for weeks?

How come we never hear any father-in-law jokes?

Why do men forget everything and women remember everything? Shouldn't all married men forget their mistakes? After all there's no sense in two people remembering the same things right?

Is the real reason women live longer then men because they don't have to live with women?

If at first you don't succeed, shouldn't you try doing it like your wife told you to?

How do you spell "religion"?

The book I'm currently reading is Tell the Truth by Will Metzger, a book on G0d-centered witnessing. In it he quotes an illustration from an article by Lee Strobel on the difference between Christianity and Religion. Here's the quote:

"Religion is spelled D-O---people do good deeds, like praying, being nice to others, or giving money to the poor, in order to try to ear their way to heaven. The problem is, they never know how many good deeds they need to do. Even worse, the Bible says they can never do enough to merit eternal life.
But Christianity is spelled D-O-N-E. Jesus has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. He lived the perfect life and died as our substitute to pay for all of our wrongdoing."

Metzger describes Jesus as our "substitute law-keeper." Jesus, in His life, perfectly kept all God's laws. We have failed to do that but when we turn to Him in repentance and faith His perfect life counts for us. Metzger also describes Jesus as our "substitute sin-bearer." Because we have failed and sinned, we should bear the wrath of God for our sin. However, Jesus, in His death, took God's wrath for our sins and when we trust Christ, that counts for us. Being "in Christ" carries a double benefit . . . and more!


*Tell the Truth by Will Metzger (IVP Books, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2002, p. 74) quoting Lee Strobel, "How Can I Share My Faith with Others?" in This We Believe, ed. John N. Akers, John H Armstorng and John D. Woodbridge (Greand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2000), p. 198.

Now able to comment!

Many of you have said that you couldn't post a comment on my blog due to Google restrictions. I have changed the settings to allow anyone to post a comment, even those who aren't registered. All you need to do is click on the "comments" word at the end of the blog, type your comment and then select "anonymous user". I would still like to know who you are so include your name in the comment section. Sorry to those who tried to post a comment and couldn't. This should help. If not, let me know via email (fbcsavannah@hotmail.com). Look forward to hearing from you.

Houses and the Cross

We are in the process of trying to sell our house and buy another house in the country with a little land. In doing so there are so many questions, decisions, and temptations to doubt God and trust in ourselves. What should we ask for our house? Which other house is best for us now? Which house will be best for us in 8 years? Will we still be in this area in 8 years? What do we offer for that house? How will it resell? All these questions and many more run through our minds and can push a trust and reliance on God totally out of our minds.

Recently, God has been teaching me of the importance of the cross; not just in our salvation but in every area of our life—how it is our strength for daily living, how it is the focal point of our praise to God, how it is our hope in suffering and sickness, and more. While there are great and grand doctrines and truths that have their beginning and end at Calvary, I thought this morning that the cross even applies to buying and selling houses. The Bible says in Romans 8:31-32, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

Now, I know that I cannot expect God to give me any house I want for any price I want. But if my Dad in Heaven did not withhold His own Son for me, will He withhold anything that is for my good? (Compare Matt. 7:7-11). In the midst of house dealings, I can look to the cross. One of the thousand-and-one things the cross tells me is that I can trust the Father to give me all good things, even the right house at the right time for the right price. I’m glorying in the cross today! Will you join me?

Do pastors pray?

In a recent seminar I attended I heard an amazing statistic. The leader said the average Christian prays 3-5 minutes per day. The average minister, however, does much better, as you would expect. He averages 7 minutes per day!

God is growing me in this area lately and I am convicted and challenged by a quote from a famous Puritan, John Owen:

"A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more."

God, draw near to me as I draw near to Thee! Make me more than I am!

Healed!

One of the things that was accomplished through the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross was our healing. The Bible says, "by His stripes, we are healed." I think this primarily means a spiritual healing to be able to respond to the gospel but also includes our physical healing. The healings that Jesus performed while on the earth were often called signs. Signs to/for what? They were signs that pointed to something. They demonstrated that Jesus had the power to heal us spiritually (something we can't see) because He has the power to heal us physically (something we can see).

I'm a Baptist and often we shy away from the miraculous power of God to heal today. However, as I understand it, God does heal His children. He does it in one of three ways (alliterated, of course!):
1. Directly/Divinely--i.e., we are zapped and all our disease is gone, immediately and completely. He still does that today. Pray and ask for it.
2. Doctors--i.e., using modern medicine and the wisdom of the medical profession, God heals us in time. He is still to receive credit for this kind of healing. When our body "heals itself", God should get the glory. He created the body and He "upholds all things by the word of His power."
3. Death--i.e., God brings healing through the door of death. Do not think that because a Christian dies, God failed to heal them. No, He just chose for their healing to be simultaneous with their glorification.

On this last point, I read something last week in which a man's healing was described this way: "Cynthia's husband of 23 years, David, was healed in the presence of Jesus on January 31, 2008." My dad was healed in the presence of Jesus on March 29, 2006. I praise our Great God for His healing power that was accomplished for us because of the sacrifice of His Son. Oh, so great a salvation!

Hast thou no scar?

It's almost time for Wednesday night service so for a quick post I want to share with you one of Amy Carmichael's most convicting poems to me. Let me know what you think.

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has nor wound nor scar?

Corporate Prayer

God has been working in our church in the last year to lead us to a Purpose Statement. Our Vision Team presented the following in January of this year: "First Baptist Church of Savannah (Tennessee) exists to glorify God through the power of the Holy Spirit, making disciples of Christ both here and throughout the world, teaching each one to love and obey Him."

Recently the "through the power of the Holy Spirit" part has been sticking with me and I am becoming more and more convinced that nothing can be genuinely accomplished in any family or church unless God the Holy Spirit does it. Therefore, it is our responsibility to pray. We are to petition the Father to give us the "good gifts," to ask Him to move on us and through us in power. Prayer is the means by which this happens. We're seeking God right now about our Sunday night worship service and how we might use that time to seek God in prayer. Would you pray with us about that?

Along those lines, here's some great "prayer quotes" to encourage us!

"Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan." John Bunyan
"Prayer does not fit us for greater work. Prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers

I am entering the world of blogging! I hope to be able to share some of the things that inspire me that I read and see, things that strengthen and inform my faith, things that cause me to think and reevalute my theology, and things that give me a bigger view of the Great God I serve. What God has done for us in Christ is deep, so deep that we should spend our short lives and all of eterntity delving into its deep treasures, it truly is "so great a salvation."

We'll start with a quote I came across recently from Will Metzger's book, Tell the Truth, a book on God-centered witnessing:

"The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then He owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, then we owe Him." (p. 48)

What a good simple description of imputed righteousness. Praise God that He has worked for my salvation and now I can work out my salvation! Glory to God.