"Just Do Something"

When you think of discerning God’s will, what initially comes to your mind? Probably if you are like me, that is growing up in the Christian culture you will think of things like “ open or closed doors” , a peace or mind, fleece, known or unknown, or difficult or easy. Well I would have to be honest and say that four years ago I was really struggling in the area of knowing or discerning God’s will for my life. At that time God used some of my Bible classes at New Tribes to open my mind to some new ways of looking at God’s will. The reality is that at the time I was really struggling thinking about a future career and marriage. ( of course the two big ones) Well it has been a journey and one that has gone up and down. The best part of it is looking back over the last few years I can rejoice to see how God has been growing me in my understanding and application of His Word and Will. To quote a good friend and mentor of mine “ I wish I could write a book but I am not smart enough…. I enjoy reading books written by guys who are way smarter than me but who agree with my theology of God.” I mention this because over this last year I have been thinking a lot about Christians and their decisions in dating, courting, marriage, career, singleness…. Naturally I find myself here, for I am in my late twenties and single. With all of this thinking and reading on the topic I have found the important need to develop a theology of relationships. ( for lake of better terminology, the pursuit of marriage) What does the Bible have to say about this?
Well these thoughts above come to me right now for I just finished reading the book by Deyoung. It is so refreshing to read a book on the topic of decision making and to find it stick so closely to the fundamental truth of scripture. It is also nice to read an author who agrees with me  . ( see above) The truth is that DeYoung did a great job of taking common practices and beliefs and putting them up against the filter of scripture. He then responds with a biblical centric view of decision making and the will of God. He lays out what he calls in the book the “way of wisdom.” This is to say that God has given us already everything that we need to make wise decisions, God’s word, prayer, and fellow believers. This book of course deals with decision making in general but I would like to look at it in relation to marriage. “ There is nothing wrong with being single. It can be a gift from the Lord and a gift to the church. But when there is an overabundance of Christian singles who want to be married, this is a problem. And it’s a problem I put squarely at the feet of the young men whose immaturity , passivity, and indecision are pushing their hormones to the limits of self-control, delaying the growing process and forcing countless numbers of young women to spend lots of time and money pursuing a career ( which is not necessarily wrong) when they would rather be getting married and having children. Men, if you want to be married, find a godly gal, treat her right, talk to her parents, pop the question, tie the knot, and start making babies.” P. 108
This is where I stand on this, I believe that far to many Christian men( myself included)are sinning in the area of not being responsible in their pursuit of marriage. I believe that God has created us to be married and so if you are single man, other than for the sake of ministry, I believe to not be pursuing marriage is to sin. That seems harsh I am sure and it is convicting to me, but when I look at it we have made life so much more complicated. We as men pursue our careers, hobbies, and our entertainment more than we pursue being married. I think that pride, unbelief, selfishness, and lazyness are of a few of the fundamental factors in this problem. We need men who are going to stand up and go against the flow of our culture including that of our Christian subculture. Men who will instead of asking the question of is this the right woman for me, will ask the question am I the godly man I should be. Men we need to step up and be the spiritually leaders, that means in relationships too. I believe that if we were to understand what God’s will for our lives is then it would help in all areas of decision making. Quite focusing on all of the temporal decisions and instead focus on seeking the kingdom of God. For the will of God is your sanctification. ( I Thess. 4:3) If we are truly focusing on this then all of the rest of the decisions in life will naturally fall into place. So men will you join me in taking the head knowledge and putting it into action.” Let us be active in the present, grateful for the past, and hopeful for the future.” P.120
“ Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God” p. 62
Thoughts and quotes come from

“ Just Do Something” by Kevin DeYoung – This was an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

Mexico Report Service

For all of you who faithfully followed and prayed for the team, I invite you out to South Church next Sunday night at 6pm to hear about the trip. We will be sharing in the evening service with music, pictures, and personal testimonies as to how God was at work both through the team in the the lives of the team members.

Thank you so much for your prayerful support during the week. There is no doubt in my mind, the trip was great and successful and that was because of your prayers. Continue to pray for the team members as they process through this past week. Many are working through how and where God would have them to serve Him.

Don't forget for those interested in the trip the plan at this point is to go again in 2010.

Save the date November 20 - 27, 2010

Mexico Team Returns to Michigan

Well we had an uneventful journey home. Some caught up on sleep, others colored their coloring books while still others had conversations.
Overall another incredible year, God was so good in faithfully providing and working in and through the team.

If you would like to hear more of the specifics then come next Sunday evening when the team will be sharing about the trip.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers and I hope that you will be touched by the experiences of the team this year.

Praise God for his faithfulness.

- Erik Hultquist

Almost home

Well, we're sitting in the airport, almost ready to return to Michigan. Everyone on the team is excited to go home, but we're all tired too. The trip was amazing! We all learned so much and never want to forget our experiences. Being back in the States, we can see the stark contrast between materialistic America and relationship-oriented Mexico. One of the hardest things about leaving is just seeing how much we have that we take for granted while the people in Mexico have so little but seem so content and grateful. I seriously hope that we can learn to be content with what we have, and that we will be intentional with our lives. God really worked this week and showed His power. I will never forget what He taught me.
God bless!

-Courtney Myers

Jesus, Thank You

Jesus, Thank You

The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
The agonies of Calvary.
You, the Perfect Holy One, crushed your Son,
Drank the bitter cup reserved for me.

Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father's wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.

By Your perfect sacrifice I've been brought near,
Your enemy made your friend.
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace,
Your mercy and Your kindness know no end.

Lover of my soul, I want to live for you

Your blood has washed away my sin,
Jesus, thank You.
The Father's wrath completely satisfied,
Jesus, thank You.
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table,
Jesus, thank You.

This has been one of the many great songs that we have had the opportunity to sign and to ponder afresh. Oh the love that was shown us, oh the joy that is ours.

How shall we respond?

Loving the Least of These

Today we had the opportunity to tangibly love on God's children. A group of about 20 of us went to an orphanage in Tijuana that provides a home to both boys and girls under age 12. Though our Spanglish abilities vary, we were all able to communicate love to these children. We came with a hot dog lunch and toys for them which they were so excited about; but they gave us so much more back with their smiles and joy. Some wanted to play and spent the afternoon on our shoulders, playing futbol (soccer), or coloring with us. Others just wanted to be held. Cliff Beckett spent most of the day just holding and loving on a young boy named Alex who has downs syndrome. It was clear that one of the reasons God brought Cliff on this trip was to wrap his arms around Alex for the afternoon. The highlight of my experience was holding the little babies at the orphanage. One little boy was on my lap during lunch time and I fed him a hot dog bun and cookie bite by bite. He fussed like little ones do when I wiped his hands and face when he was done. I also held onto little Analu and covered her with kisses while we were there. She's the tiniest little thing, with the longest eyelashes you've ever seen. It broke my heart to leave there knowing tomorrow there may be no one to wipe their face or provide the kisses. My prayer is that God would provide families to love all these little babies. But more than that, my prayer is that these babies would learn of God's unconditional love for them as their heavenly Father.

It definitely made me thankful for all the ways God has blessed me with family, but I'm most thankful to be called a child of His.

Happy Thanksgiving!
~Diane Durow

Tues Build Day

Pepto-Bismol pink isn’t not what you would think of a typical house color, but it’s pretty common in Mexico. This is my first time coming on this trip and it’s so amazing to me how much of a difference we can make in someone’s life just by sacrificing five or six hours to build them a house and spend time with them. Today we worked at a site by the bottom of a mountain, building a house for a woman named Kenya and her family. There was an adorable little boy there whose name was Nathaniel. I loved seeing how much joy we brought him just by talking to him and giving him attention. Not only has the building been rewarding for the families, but it really brings us together as a group. I have made so many new friends and I’ve had so much fun. I am so excited to see what God is going to do during the rest of the trip and when we go back home.
- Angela Krause

Climbing Cerro

Every year it is one of my favorite parts of the trip is to climb up Cerro. ( a hill or mountain, depending on where you come from) We got up at 5:15am and left the dorms by 5:30. 28 of us started up the hill, immediately several paces were established as we start the arduous task of walking up Cerro. The incline would very but at its steepest point would be around a 50 degree incline. The best part was that it did not matter whether you were a turtle or a hare all 28 crested the top. Around 6:30 we were greeted by the sunrise and then the wind picked up. This wind always seems to cut our time shorter but we were able to get a great view of TJ. For many this is there first expansive view of the the city.

As we neared the bottom on our way down we came across a man by the name of Saul. Saul is a Mexican guy who was born in TJ and then moved to LA, CA. Two years ago he was deported back and because of drug and alcohol addictions he was put in to a rehab center, Oh and we know this because he spoke english fluently. Saul had been waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain ever since he saw our group going up. He started talking to us and asking us what we were doing down here in TJ. After sharing with him about the house building at Caravan he asked us if we would like to come to his church. He told us we could rest our feet as we could sit on their benches and then he asked if we would come to pray with him. His church was called "living water". On down Cerro we continued until we arrived at their church. There we found a one room church we were able to go in and pray with Saul for ten min. It was so neat to be able to hear Saul pray for his church and how thankful he was for God's faithfulness in his life, and how excited and encouraged he was by our willingness to pray with him.
We then headed back to the dorms and were greeted by a wonderful breakfast that Cliff and Ruth and prepared. A breakfast of burritos with potatoes eggs cheese and chorizo is a hearty breakfast for some hungry climbers.
A new word was invented today was several asked what our plan for the day was. Culturing - this is the process of experiencing and learning of another culture.
-Erik Hultquist

Travel Day and First Day in Mexico

11.22.09
Hola from Tijuana, Mexico! It’s great to be back down here and we had a great time getting here. Not only did we get to sleep in the night before our flight (5:00 am!), but we got to share multiple times with people we met on our way down why we were traveling to Mexico. The main reason we were able to do that was because we were all wearing our bright green shirts, with the word “worship” written in Hebrew on them. I met some people from Holland (the country, not Michigan) and found out they had a daughter who used to live in Mexico, and now is a Spanish/English translator in the USA, and a son who graduated from a seminary in Grand Rapids. We also were greeted with “Shalom” a couple of times because we had some people think that we were Jewish. It’s cool how people feel more comfortable talking to you knowing you are with a large group.
After we had spent some time at the ocean in San Diego on Saturday, we left for Tijuana. It is surprising to me the stark contrast between the U.S. and Mexico when you cross the border. The land is different, the houses are different, and the culture is very different. Last year at this time I didn’t know what to think of the Mexican culture, but coming from the perspective of having been here before, I know that God doesn’t see a different culture. He sees eternal souls with eternal destinations, and he wants us to know him. I guess for me it sometimes takes getting out of my comfort zone to fully remember this.
I’m glad that you are thinking of us and praying for us. I would also ask that you pray for God to work in our lives and change us from the inside out. Also pray that I can avoid the really large potholes while driving (they’re everywhere!). We’ll see you all soon, and thanks again for your prayers.
Also to my wife Kristin; I love you sweetie!
- Jeremy Foco


11.22.09
So I’m kind of a pro at this trip now….. haha. This is my fourth year, but the amazing thing is how much it changes each year. I always think that I’m going to know exactly what to expect and any curveballs the trip might throw at me, but God always has other plans. This trip is just starting but, I can tell that God has something special planned for me and everyone on this trip. New relationships are beginning already and I am excited to see how God is going to unify this group. It is definitely cool to be able to keep everyone back home involved like this. We appreciate your prayers and we miss you! I will probably have something more interesting to say after we do some building, but until then take care everyone!

Jordan Mears

South Church 2009 Mexico Trip

We are 35 hours away from a prayer meeting which will officially start this years Mexico Trip.
South Church has had church members going to Mexico since 2000. It was in 2003 that I first want to Tijuana to build houses. Jim and Martha Bowden were at the time leading the teams that would go down. Jim helped to mentor me in the trip and allowed me to co lead with him in 2005. It was in 2006 that I took over the trips. Knowing the incredible impact that these trips had on my life I have longed to pass that same experience on to as many people as I can. When we go to Mexico we partner with a ministry that operates in TJ ( Tijuana, Mexico) called Mexico Caravan Ministries ( aka MCM). They have a great balance of physically helping the Mexican people with houses, but primarily their focus is to teach and mobilize people with regards to missions.

We traditionally go over the week of Thanksgiving. During that time we will be building houses, working with an orphanage, and working with a portable bath house ministry ( spectrum ministries) .

This will be my eight team to be involved with going to TJ. South Church has seen over 150 people go to Mexico over the years. I know that there are many lives that have been touch and changed forever because of the trip and specifically how God was at work in their life. There are always more stories than can ever be told and you can never really understand what it is like with out going, but I do hope this year through sharing on this blog we might better communicate some of the thoughts and reflections of the team.

Be praying for the team as we go November 20th - 28th.

South's 2009 Mexico Team

Beckett, Chad

Beckett, Clifford

Cruz, Priscilla

Denyes, Kendra Deshaw, Taylor

Durow, Diane

Durow, Jeffrey

Everett, Jamie

Foco, Jeremy

Feuss, Daniel

Hansen, Alyson

Hultquist, Bethany

Hultquist, Erik

Hultquist, Ruth

Krause, Angela

Lauterbach, Luke

Mears, Jordan

Mears, Katie

Mears, Kelly

Mills, Calvin

Mills, Emily

Myers, Paul

Myers, Courtney

Neuenschwander, Joshua

Peterson, Curtis

Risch, Callie

Scarantino, Nicholas

Shaw, Aubrey

Shaw, Shawna

Wieland, Autumn

What is the Bible???

How do you answer that?
Is it God's Word?
Does it have authority?
Is it sufficient for all of life?

" Everything that God wants to tell all his people for all time about that kind of issue or situation will be found on the pages of the Bible."

" Just as our physical lives are maintained by daily nourishment with physical food, so our spiritual lives are maintained by daily nourishment with the Word of God. To neglect regular reading of the Bible is detrimental to the health or our souls."

-Christian Beliefs - Grudem ( quotes from ch.1)

Moody visit

Today I visited Moody for the first time. I drove down to Chicago, leaving my house at 5 am. I had to leave that early because I had to make an appointment at 8:45. So I met with the admissions department and received a tour of the campus.I am really excited to be moving on to this next phase of life. It certainly will be different though, living in a dorm, being a fulltime student. living in Chicago... you get the point.
I am really excited to be getting into a dorm life, however this may also be one of the most difficult parts of transition. I saw the dorm size and not that I need much but having been to Michigan State University many times and been in the dorms these dorms for two are about half the size. So we will see, it will be interesting to see who my roommate will be and how we get along. You may be wondering then what part of dorm life are you excited about. Well it is the opportunity that I have to grow in community and the opportunity that I have to build into the younger guys on my floor. There are two different guys dorms... one is a three floor building that is farther removed from campus and these are triple occupancy rooms. Then there is a building which is centrally locateed. This dorm is 16 or so floors high and is only a double occupancy. I will be trying to request to live in the the highrise and be in the highest floor possible and this will give me only one roomate.
As for the rest of campus it was lovely. I was able to see the swimming pool which is another thing that I am really excited about being able to get back into swimming. When I was in Japan I was able to swim for about a month and a half last year and I loved it.
So my prayer is that I would be prepared and grow in the necessary grace to live at Moody.
Also that God would provide a great match in a roommate.

Missions the need is great

my friend sent this to me its a blog entry from her friend who is a missionary in zambia,

September 12th, 2009
In the last 48 hrs, our newest visitor to Zambia is our intern Abbie’s fiancé, Paul. In this short amount of time he has fixed our water pump, installed an antenna and ran a line for our Zamtel modem and phone (while the Zamtel workers watched in awe), worked on our Land Cruiser, fixed some misc. computer issues, dug up and fixed water connections to get water to all the places in the house we need it and various other things. I am writing this to let you know the value of problem solving Mac Geiver types here on the mission field. Too many times I have heard people down play the gifts that the good Lord has given them. I know of some pretty amazing people who don’t see how amazing the gifts of fixing and building can be to those of us who live in places like Zambia, Africa. We have already been blessed by a good friend, Brian, who built us a kitchen from scratch as well as other things. His biggest impact was when he gave his Bible to a guy named Azzie (Ozzy) who carries it everywhere.
Being a “missionary” or “humanitarian worker” is not dependant on your ability to be a doctor or a preacher or even a good speaker. The people we need most here in Zambia are guys like Paul. I can’t tell you how many missionaries and aid workers here would be so blessed to have someone come and just fix things and build things. Having Paul here is like having a breath of fresh air as you see these things get fixed that you have been needing done and having someone say, “I can do that,” when you mention you have a need. I am so thankful for a guy that is willing to help and has the experience and knowledge to do it right!
Are you a mechanic and all around fix it person? Your gifting is gold to us here on the mission field, why don’t you look at seeing what God can do with it to change lives. It may be time for you to become “A Paul ing!”

What is the Kingdom of God?

" For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but or righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Rom 14:17

Stoned for Jesus

How often are you like me and we hear or read over a passage of scripture as if it is the newspaper and I am skimming to find a headline or a phrase that catches my eye. I think about how many times I have heard and read the story of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14. We looked at this text yesterday in church and it struck me while we were reading it. Paul was stoned and left for dead. I think that he was beaten up and bruised by the stoning, but God performs a miracle and Paul lives. He being Paul gets up and returns to the city. Furthermore he then leaves and backtracks through the cities that he has just come from strengthening and encouraging the believers along the way. He also shares with them that tribulations, trials, persecutions will come and are part of the way of Jesus.

This all struck me because I defintely have never been stoned maybe verbally abused sometimes. This makes me think of my friends in the Navy who are stationed in Japan. They are verbally abused when they take a stand for Christ. We need to look at the example that Paul gave us and get up and be about the business of building into the body of Christ.

Mexico Trip Update

So it is that time of year again where I start running full steam with the Mexico Trip. South Church has been going to Mexico specifically Tijuana for seven years. This is going to be my tenth trip down and my 4th time leading the trip. God has taught me so much over the years that I have been going.

Today we had womens conference at church and I had been asked to do a coffee shop slash latte bar. So we did and we made over 250 lattes Saturday morning and we received 830.00 dollars in donations. That is so amazing because that is more than one house. That money will go towards building one of the homes that will be built while we are down in TJ. Praise God for His faithfulness in providing money and people for the trip.

Depersonalizing God's wrath

One of my pastors had this on his blog. It is scary to think of how close it is to the truth. How important having our foundational truth solidly grounded in Biblical truth. For truths such as this directly affect how I view who God is and who man is.

D.A. Carson:

"In recent years it has become popular to sketch the Bible‘s storyline something like this: Ever since the fall, God has been active to reverse the effects of sin. He takes action to limit sin's damage; he calls out a new nation, the Israelites, to mediate his teaching and his grace to others; he promises that one day he will send the promised Davidic king to overthrow sin and death and all their wretched effects. This is what Jesus does: he conquers death, inaugurates the kingdom of righteousness, and calls his followers to live out that righteousness now in prospect of the consummation still to come.

"Much of this description of the Bible's storyline, of course, is true. Yet it is so painfully reductionistic that it introduces a major distortion. It collapses human rebellion, God's wrath, and assorted disasters into one construct, namely, the degradation of human life, while depersonalizing the wrath of God. It thus fails to wrestle with the fact that from the beginning, sin is an offense against God."

Read more here at Justin Taylor's blog.

Video on Missions

I heard about this.... I have watched this and I pass it on.
I am now held responsible because of the knowledge that I have been given regarding the state of the world. Will you join me in doing something?

You can view the video here.....

"The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time." -- Carl F.H. Henry

"Go, send, or disobey." -- John Piper



HT: Justin Taylor

Is it really August

I am ashamed that when I looked at the last time I posted.
Well I am back...


Here is whats new:

I am accepted and enrolled to start at Moody in January of 2010

I was given a minivan to replace my old one ( praise God for his faithfulness)

I have been accepted to our local community college and plan to take a few classes this fall

I have reconnected with a friend who I knew when I lived in Florida ( 87-95)

God has brought encouragement through several people this summer

More regular posts to come in the future

Updates on 30 day fast

It has now been more than 30 days and I feel like it has been a great discipline. I dont feel like I have missed anything. That is not to say that there havent been several times where I had wanted to watch a movie but it has never been a strong pull. We will see how long I decide to keep going, I dont feel obligated at this point since my origanal decision was to go to the first of July. I highly recommend trying a discipline of fasting.

Lay it all down

So today I was putting my books away and trying to clean up my room from the four suitcases that I unloaded in it after returning from Japan. While putting books away I came across one of the past journals that I have used. I use the word journal in the loosest term possible. Even as I read back through it it was funny how much time occurred between the different entries. I say all this just to get to the point that my last entry I found again challenging and worth posting.

" Lord send me anywhere, only go with me. Sever any ties but the ties that bind me to your service and your heart." David Livingston ( missionary to Africa)

He also prayed this prayer when he buried his wife in Africa:

" My Jesus, my King, my Lord, my life, my all, I again consecrate my life to You. I shall place no value in anything I possess, except as it relates to Your Kingdom and to you service."
Both quotes came from the book " Walking from East to West" Ravi Zacahrias

This was great how these quotes came at a time where I have been thinking alot about my schooling and direction of ministry. In this time of waiting to hear from Moody and at the same time trying to discern what or where to go. I know and am reminded that God is faithfully at work in my life.

Psalm 37:5-7 I will paraprase by saying :
Commit you ways to the Lord, Trust in the Lord and in His faithfulness, Be still and wait patiently for Him.

I see the great joy that comes from reading back over past thoughts or challenges. I resolve again to work on disciplining myself to journal.

My Baywatch Experience

Last night I went to Carolina beach down in North Carolina. While we had just gotten onto the beach and I began to walk along with my mom and sis, my aunt and uncle and a friend Pam. We had to immediately cross under a boardwalk. As I was walking under it I noticed on the other side that there were several people staring out into the water. By the way at this point it is shortly after nine o'clock at night and is dark. As I come to the people I hear one gal crying and in hysterics. I listen to what is being shouted and there is a name being yelled , Romeo. Well there is some lady yelling at this young gal who is in hysterics about how she should of not let her dog go and should of keep him on a leash. Well at this point this gal did not need to be yelled at. So I approach this young gal and ask her what kind of dog is it, and she tells me it is an English bulldog. ( Actually it is found out later that the dog is actually an American bulldog)

I knew that I had seen something out in the water when we had first come out from under the boardwalk but when I looked out when I was talking to this gal I could not see anything. So we begin to walk away and getting about 30yrds away and with a different angle from the light of the boardwalk I see the head of the dog out in the water. So I said to my family that I was going in and with that I dropped my shorts and took off my shirt and off I went running into the water. Of course it is at this point that I see myself as David Hassolhoff as I go running into the surf. I run out until I am in almost to my mid thigh and then I start to swim. Keeping my eye on the dog I swim probably 20 meters. When I get closer to the dog I see that the dog is swimming in circles and is very confused based on the fact that people from the pier and the shore have been yelling his name and he has become disoriented. So I yell the dogs name and he looks and me but continues to swim in a circle so I swim right up to him coming up to him from the side and I reach out and grab his collar. I then turn and head back towards the shore. While swimming side stroke I held the dog by the collar, this way I was able to direct the dog and keep his head up above the water. When I made it in far enough to where I could stand up I took the dog and held him up tight to my chest. He then stopped kicking and started to licked my my face and was very happy to no longer be in the water. I made it to shore and found an extremely happy owner. Then after giving my info to the cop, I assume for his report, and two thank you hugs from gal who was the owner we returned to our evening walk on the beach.


Pic 1: Coming out of the surf with the dog
Pic 2: Back on land
Pic 3: Returning the dog to his owner
Pic 4: Cop wanting my info ( I assume for his report)
Pic 5: Shortly after my hugs of gratitude

Crazy Ideas

" We need to be living lives that demand an explanation!"
quote taken from Jeff Vanderstelt

When we read the Bible , what is the natural conclusion of the life that Christ wants you to live?

Based on God's word and His Spirit at work in us filling us with power ( Acts 1:8) , leading us into understanding of the Word ( Jn 16:13) , and Sealing us in Christ ( 2 Cor5:5, Eph 1:13) .....

What is the natural course my life should take in response to God.

Being content is something that has been a common theme this last week. This idea of contentment that we find in 1 Timothy 6: 6-10. I have just been pondering what it looks like to live out these verses. I don't think that Paul could state it any clearer for Timothy. Now Timothy was being charged to preach and teach this. Paul was living it, you know I find those leaders that call us to action that when they are really demonstrating it in their own lives I find I have a greater desire to get behind them. Paul in Phil 4:13, the verse we all love to quote out of context, is clearly laying out the most natural and logical response to the foundational truths of his salvation. Jesus Christ is more than enough for me in any circumstance. For we see that for Paul no matter what happened in life he found contentment in Christ. Were there days of struggle and days of forgetting the truth? I would have to say yes because we are human and so was Paul. I think that Paul though was living his life out in such a way as to be walking according to the Spirit and serving his Savior and Creator God.

Lord fill me with understanding of your Word and Father I am weak is so many ways. I need your Spirit to be my strength in standing in this world. That I might learn to apply your Word to my life and live out a life which demands an explanation which can be none other than Jesus.

30 day fast from movies

So after pondering and reflecting on a post that Doug Philips posted from John Piper. I have decided that I would fast from movies for the next 30 days. In this time I will use the times I would normally want to watch a movie to meditate and reflect on God's word. I was specifically convicted with the thought that if I were to die today what would I want to be caught doing? My prayer is that I would be able to say " exactly what I had planned to do" . I look forward to seeing how God will challenge and grow me in this area of media and entertainment.

Spectacular Sins

So I just read this short book this morning. This was a challenging read as far as the depth of theology that is tackled in its short 110 pages. In it though were some incredible gems which Piper skillfully unpacked. The actual complete title is "Spectacular Sins and their global purpose in the glory of Christ". In this book he covers 8 topics deallying with God's sovereignty and man's sin. The accounts of Adam, The Tower of Babel, Joseph, and David as well as others are covered in this book.
Here are some of the questions which sparked the writing of this book which actually came out of a teaching series.

" How is Christ glorified in a world of sin?"
" Why does God want us to know His sovereignty over sin?"
"Why does God not restrain sin more often?"
" Can we have faith and Joy during the severity of the Last Days?"



To use Piper's words he summed up his book as follows:
" My aim is that you would conquer unbelief and despair in the face of spectacular sin and misery."

" Recently I went back almost three decades and listened to my candidating sermon at the church I still serve. It was Jan. 27, 1980. I told that old and graying downtown church that I had one supreme passion and one simple goal. I learned it from my father, and I learned it from the apostle Paul. I exist to magnify Jesus Christ. That is, I am on this planet for one ultimate reason: to do whatever I can to make Jesus Christ known and treasured - a knowing and treasuring that accords with his infinite beauty and immeasurable worth...
We are Christian Hedonist at Bethlehem. That means we believe and pursue the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. But we know that in this life, joy in God is never unmixed with sorrow. Never. Love wont allow that. Our banner bears the seal of 2 Cor 6:10 'sorrowful yet always rejoicing'. We are pushing our way through a blood spattered life that makes us feel connected to the world and disconnected at the same time."


This will be a book that I know I will read through again. It is short, concise and filled with scripture. I thank God for the many men who faithfully handle God's Word and proclaim the gospel message.

Trust in the Lord

As I have been having several conversations with people lately; I have found that the topic of trust has come up consistently. What does it really look like to daily trust God? How would my actions or even my thought life be different?

Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths."

I have also been thinking a lot this last year about the phrase "wait on the Lord". I have found that this idea requires actions not stagnation or passivity. Yet there is certainly a balance in life we find this tension played out in James 4:13-17. I don't know what the future will hold but I will trust in the Lord and wait on the Lord in His timing and in His way. Lord move within my heart to trust you more and within my mind to be more confident in your ways. Give me the confidence in you Lord to live according to your Word. Grow me into the Godly man that you would have me to be. May I always remain grounded in my identity in you. The future seems unknown and difficult but neither should keep me back. You Lord will provide the light for my path only as much as is needed for the next step. May my stride be strong and my steps sure straining as if it were a race and only one receives the prize. My all my life be for your glory alone.

The Lord knows the plans that He has for me.

Please pray with me for the next three months. I found out today that I am on the waiting list for Moody. This then is definitely a hopeful place to be but a difficult one as well. I need to live this summer in such a way as to plan on attending Moody. This means I need to work for the seven or so weeks that I will have in Lansing. I am praying that God would open the door for work.

Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who do rejoice and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

Have you ever thought about which one of these you do better?
Do you find it easier to rejoice with people when things have gone well with them?
OR
Do you find it easier to weep with those who are hurting?

Maybe you have never even thought about it. I have pondered this verse several times with my life in view of it. I have to say that for me I do both but not consistently. That is that I find myself weeping with those who are hurting but not always. Then there are the times that I can rejoice with someone and again I find that I am not consistent. I was evaluating my life to see if there was a common factor between the two responses and I believe there is. I have found that if I have not been in the Word and have my mind focused on Christ and seeing the world through His lenses then I tend to not be able to empathy or celebration. I see that both of these then can be rooted in Pride. Yes that word and topic yet once again appears on my blog because it is so foundationally opposed to the way of Jesus.

I want to praise God for the work that He has been doing in my life. One of the areas that I was struggling in last year was in the area of jealousy. Specifically in regards to relationships. It can be hard to be around people all the time when they are the ones who are married or getting married or in a relationship headed towards marriage. I have realized that the times that I would be focused on that and allowing it to consume me were the very times that I was not focusing on Jesus and the work that He was trying to bring about in my life. I honestly can say that I can today rejoice with Brian and Emma as I heard the great news of their engagement. Praise God for His work in their lives and the picture of redemption that is displayed in marriage.

On the flip side, weeping with those who weep. I have found that in the past I would be more prone to being what some would call heartless. Granted I believe that the context must be a guide and truly only God and myself know what my heart was thinking. But I find the same to be true about showing empathy towards someone. Even when I can not relate personally to the trial or pain; if I am living life see people the way Jesus sees them then I will be able to honestly comfort and care for them this includes weeping and hurting with them. I believe that this is the heart of God.

Father fill my heart with compassion for the lost and hurting, transform my mind by your word to understand the reality of this life, and give me eyes to see people the way you see them. May your love flow from my heart and my actions. May my words be edifying and uplifting and drenched in the gospel truths. For it is only in through and by Jesus that I am alive.

A humble slave to righteousness

A divided heart renders us usless for Him

This was a poem that I found while reading the journal entries of Jim Elliot.
I believe it came from an old hymnal.
The meditation that has come from reflecting on these thoughts is convicting and inspiring.


Have I an object, Lord, below
Which would divide my heart with Thee?
Which would divert its even flow
In answer to Thy constancy?
O teach me quickly to return
And cause my heart afresh to burn.

Have I a hope, however dear,
Which would defer Thy coming, Lord
Which would detain my spirit here
Where naught can lasting joy afford?
From it, my Savior, set me free
To look and long and wait for Thee.

Be Thou the object bright and fair
To fill and satisfy the heart,
My hope to meet Thee in the air,
And nevermore from Thee to part;
That I may undistracted be
To follow, serve, and wait for Thee.

G.W. Frazer

Am I living for the end?

Phil2:20
"For I have no one like him who is genuinely concerned for your welfare."

Philippians 3

Am I glorying in, am I boasting in, am I proud of things in this world that I should be ashamed of?

Are all the things I think about the things of this earth or are they the things of heaven?

How do I stay focused on eternity?

It is so easy to wake up every day and feel like I am at home here. Rather than being a stranger...that is the reality.

Will I look like an idiot and be a fool for Jesus?

Two questions to ask ourselves

1 What have I done this last week that matters in light of eternity?


2 What have I done this last week that will not matter in eternity?

" How sweet and awsome is the place"

How sweet and awesome is the place with Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays the choicest of her stories.

While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast,
Each of us cries, with thankful tongue, " Lord, why was I a guest?"

Why was I made to hear your voice, and enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice, and rather starve than come?

Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.

Pity the nations, O our God, constrain the earth to come;
Send your victorious Word abroad, and bring the strangers home.

We long to see your churches full, that all the chosen race may,
With one voice and heart and soul, sing your redeeming grace.

Hymn by Isaac Watts " How sweet and awesome is the place"

Nehemiah's Prayer

We are studying the book of Nehemiah on Wednesday nights. Last week and this week have been in working through chapters 1 and 2. Well in looking at the life of nehemiah I have been humbled by the prayer which he prays. You will find it in Nehemiah 1:4-11.
It starts off by saying that immediately after he had heard the report about Jerusalem he wept and mourned and fasted and prayed to the God of Heaven.

I think about that... and I ask myself is there a time that I would respond with those emmotions and actions. What would it be?


Then just looking at the rest of the prayer there are so many things which could be talked about. To summarize God lays on his heart a vision for the rebuilding of the walls. Nehemiah responds with an obedient heart and physical actions by first crying out to God then seeking to obey the proper channels of authority. We also find that he was persistent with his prayer. Finally he prays again in Chapter 2 when the king asks him whats wrong. Then he answers the king, the king responds favorable and Nehemiah responds in v 2:8 with a recognition that it was all because God's hand was upon him.

Looking at the life of nehemiah I am challenged to look at my life and see am I responding to the present world the way GOd would?

Will I respond to the call for Godly leaders?

Nehemiah was more concerned about the people of God and the city of God then he was about his job or even his life. Of this I am convinced.

The desert road

It is a liberating freedom and joy which I have found in Christ which compels me to tell of His great love which has been demonstrated and given to us. I have over the last few years been struggling with an understanding of the truth. Or maybe a better way to say it is to say that I have been struggling to see the application of the truth lived out in my life. This has been a long arduous task which God has patiently been bearing with me and pulling me through. When I think about it I can best explain it as a road running through a desert. Wandering in the desert, perpetually parched, off the road and lost in the dunes and the oasis. This oasis which I sought would continually turn up as a mirage. The incredible joy is that I have found the road or maybe it would be more accurately to say that it has been revealed to me. So what is the road and this desert which I have spoken of?

Well to explain that it may be better to first talk about from where is the road from and to where is it headed. This road is the one we enter onto when we are justified in Christ. That is it is the path of life, the one which leads from the lost deadness which we had out of Christ and separated from God. The road leaves from a city which we all find ourselves in at birth. (Rom 1:21-25,Rom 5:12-21, Eph 2:1-3, Rom 8:7-8) This is a place of false realities and superficial happiness, yet it seems so real and so good. This is reality as we know it. It is the place we are born into at birth and the place in which we stay until Christ delivers us out.

So we are placed on a road but to where does this road lead? This is the road of life in Christ, the one we live until by death or by His return we enter into His presence. This is the Christian life lived out know in theological terms as sanctification or the process of being conformed into the image of Christ. The race and walk which Paul so often talks about. ( ICor 9:24, Heb 12:1-2, Gal 5:7,16,25) We find ourselves placed on this road and we begin to run for this is exciting. Soon just like in any race we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. Those could be tiredness, dehydration, or hunger. The situation is still the same, what we find is that we have started to walk. This ultimately either leads to stopping in the race or turning towards whatever we see which we hope can offer a relief from our present distress. The reality is that we cannot stop in this race this is a race in which we must continue to move forward in. There are of course oases in our desert.

These seem to be offer an enticing means of satisfying and meeting our current distress. These oasis stops are not given by God. Instead He has provided means of nourishment and encouragement to come while running; not while stopping. God provides us with His Word, with His Spirit and with the Body of Christ which serve as the means of our nourishment and strength which is supplied in Christ. ( Jn 6:35,7:37,8:31,16:12,Eph 4:1-16) The Body of Christ or the church are our fellow racers who are journeying down the same desert road. God has designed the church to be a source of encouragement, support, and tool to spur us on. ( Heb 10:24-25)

These are situations which we find ourselves in continually, and without having our direction being that of the road we find ourselves heading from one mirage to the next. For it is only the hallucinations which seem to offer the relief but really no relief is found and only a sense of utter lostness and despair sets in.

This of course is something that God being all knowing, made a way for us to get back on the road. It is the Gospel message. The Gospel is what put us on the road to begin with and it is what drives us back to the direction of the desert road. I say the Gospel because it is Christ who is the direction of the road and the means by which we travel the road. (Heb. 12:2 Rom 5:11, Heb 10:19-23)

This wandering in the desert pursuing oases and finding only a mirage; results only in the sense of despair. But praise God for his patient pursuit of me. For it is no longer a sense of despair in which I find myself. (Rom 8:1, Rom 5:1-2)Instead it is back on the road with my eyes fixed on Christ in which I find myself. Drawing from His strength and the means in which He provided for my strength and nourishment along the way. Knowing that the destination at the end of the road will be reached and that nothing I can do can keep me from reaching it. Even my wanderings and resting in the oases of life only serve to detour me and to waylay me from the road but do not ultimately keep me from my destination.

All of the desert wanderings have come from focusing on the things of this world. And pursuing them rather than pursuing Christ. These would be areas of sin in my life which produced guilt and shame and a sense of continual defeat in my life. There of course is the father of lies who would seek to remind continually of the accusations. Praise God that the accusations are false and have been conquered in Christ already. It is also the pride of my own life which would serve to drive me in the wrong directions and keep me from admitting that I was desperately lost. This of course was my reality before I was put on the road to begin with and it is the reminder of that which drives me back to Christ.

My aim and my pursuit in life is Christ. Through repentance and remembering the gospel truths I find freedom and joy in Christ. No matter the cost, no matter the suffering, there is joy in Him always.

Songs of encouragement and truth.

· You make everything glorious ( David Crowder)

· It is all because of Jesus I am alive ( Casting Crowns)

· The Stand ( Hillsong United)