MAY THIS BE AN ADVENT LIKE NO OTHER WHAT LOOSENS THE GRIP OF THE ICY FINGERS OF OUR IDOLS? COMING INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD EXPERIENCING HIS HOLINESS AND TRULY WORSHIPING This Advent I will lead you through passages in Isaiah and the gospels that will help you behold His holiness, His beauty, and may we all pray that we will experience Him — as Isaiah did, as Mary did, as the shepherds did, as the wisemen did. For when you encounter God in His holiness, you are humbled, and if you start worshiping Him, you will stop worshiping your idol. We saw it happen to our own dear Elizabeth last week — a breach with a … [Read More]
GRATITUDE BRINGS JOY TO OUR GOD AND MAKES US WHOLE
THERE’S A SIMPLICITY IN THANKSGIVING LOVED ONES GATHERING TO SHARE THE BLESSINGS OF THE HARVEST AND TO GIVE THANKS In our home, we would always go around the table with the same question: “What are you thankful for this year that you could not have been thankful for last year?” The answers could be simple, or deeper, delving into spiritual growth or insights. But it was always a rich sweet time, and as children grew into adults, it could last hours. Some of you will be in situations where giving thanks is not the custom. This Norman Rockwell painting always makes me smile. Norman Rockwell Giving Thanks But whether or not you are blessed to have a rich time … [Read More]
STONECUTTER REVIEW (INCLUDING THE TREE OF LIFE)
WE HAVE BEGUN A JOURNEY WE WILL BE ON FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES BUT OH! STONES ARE BEING CHISELED HEARTS OF FLESH RELEASED TO LOVE, TO FEEL, AND TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF GOD This week, before the beauty of concentrating on Thanksgiving and Advent, we will review where we’ve been, and as part of that review, discuss a movie that portrays some of the themes we’ve discussed. The Tree of Life grapples with what Romans 6, 7, 8 calls the old nature (simply called nature in the film) and the new nature (called grace in the film) and with the difficult question of suffering, drawing upon the close of Job. The story of this Texas family … [Read More]
BEHOLD WHAT MANNER OF LOVE!
IT’S LOVE THAT CAUSES A PARENT TO GET UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IT’S LOVE THAT LISTENS, TEACHES, DISCIPLINES IN ANGST LONGING TO TEACH THE CHILD TO TURN FROM THE DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT IT’S LOVE THAT READS “GOODNIGHT MOON” A THOUSAND TIMES TUCKS HIM IN AND PRAYS GOD WILL KEEP HIM SAFE IT’S LOVE THAT KEEPS ON, ALL THROUGH THE YEARS IT’S LOVE THAT DOES NOT TURN AWAY WHEN TAKEN FOR GRANTED OR TREATED WITH DISRESPECT BUT INSTEAD PRAYS FOR HIS SOUL AND WAITS LONGINGLY FOR HIS RETURN For the most part, children have no idea of the sacrificial love that their parents have bestowed upon them. When I was about ten, and my dad wouldn’t let … [Read More]
THE FATHER OF LIES
WHEN HE LIES HE SPEAKS HIS NATIVE LANGUAGE FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES JOHN GIVES US REPEATED WARNINGS ABOUT OUR ENEMY ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTI-CHRIST. WE MUST BE ALERT TO HIS LIES, AND THEN, AS REBECCA SAID “SMACK HIM OVER THE HEAD WITH THE TRUTH!” We often fail to be alert, to realize that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with powers, with principalities, with the prince of darkness. How clearly I remember a night when our boys were little and we had invited our new neighbors in Seattle over for dinner. J. R. was looking at our guests and piped up, as only a child would: “Do you guys … [Read More]
CONFIDENT AND UNASHAMED AT HIS COMING
THERE ARE RICH PARALLELS BETWEEN WEDDINGS IN BIBLICAL DAYS AND THAT GREAT DAY WHEN CHRIST COMES FOR US THE FATHERS WOULD BARGAIN OVER THE BRIDE PRICE THEN A BETROTHAL TOOK PLACE, A PERMANENT COMMITMENT BEFORE THE SON WOULD GO AWAY TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR HIS BRIDE ADDING A ROOM TO HIS FATHER’S HOUSE WHEN THE FATHER SAID ALL WAS READY THE SON WOULD COME IN A GLAD PROCESSIONAL AND A SHOFAR HORN WOULD BLOW AND HIS BRIDE WOULD KNOW MY BRIDEGROOM IS RETURNING FOR ME EVERY BRIDE WANTS TO BE BEAUTIFUL FOR HER BRIDEGROOM TO DELIGHT HIM TO BE CONFIDENT AND UNASHAMED ON THAT GREAT DAY Dee’s … [Read More]
HOW IS A HEART OF STONE TURNED INTO A HEART OF FLESH?
A HEART OF FLESH IS AS GENTLE AS A SPRING RAIN AS FRAGRANT AND TENDER AS A ROSE AS PURE AS COMPASSIONATE AS OTHER-CENTERED AS CHRIST HIMSELF HOW DOES IT HAPPEN? IS IT OF US? OR IS IT OF GOD? I am privileged to be able to go into prisons, to see firsthand hearts of stone transformed into hearts of flesh. So many women I meet in the faith dorms are women transformed. Many have committed horrendous crimes and came in with hearts as hard as flint, with souls as dark as caverns. If we met them when they came in, we would hold out little hope for transformation. It certainly wouldn’t do any good to preach to … [Read More]
INTIMACY WITH GOD: A TWO WEEK STUDY
WHEN ANN VOSKAMP SAID SHE FLEW TO PARIS AND MADE LOVE TO GOD THE BLOGGERS AND THE CRITICS CRIED OUT TOO MUCH! I THOUGHT AGAIN WHY CAN WE NOT EMBRACE THIS METAPHOR? IS IT OUR WORLD? IS IT SPIRITUAL WARFARE? OR IS IT OUR HARD HEARTS? (THIS STUDY IS TWO WEEKS — SO DON’T BE OVERWHELMED WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LENGTH. FOR I DO WANT YOU TO GO SLOWLY AND I HAVE DIVIDED IT INTO TWO WEEKS. I ALSO NEED TO DO THIS FOR MY SCHEDULE AS I’M TRAVELING AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHECK IN SOME DAYS — PLEASE STAND IN THE GAP FOR ONE ANOTHER.) I WILL POST AGAIN ON OCTOBER 16TH. THIS IS AN … [Read More]
EXPERIENCING THE LIVING GOD
HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE TRULY KNOW HIM? HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE ARE TRULY EXPERIENCING THE LIVING GOD OR JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF RELIGION? IT’S VITAL TO KNOW FOR IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEATH AND LIFE In our study on The Stonecutter, we’ve seen God’s promise from Ezekiel to exchange our dead hearts of stone for living hearts of flesh. We’ve repeatedly talked about letting The Stonecutter remove the stone idols from our hearts — the things we often think we have to have to be beautiful, significant, or satisfied. But those idols lie — they have no life giving power at all, Instead, if we cling to them, we will go into a … [Read More]
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT PRACTICING HOMOSEXUALITY
DO YOU REMEMBER THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT PAUL DESCRIBES IN ROMANS 1? IT BEGINS BY SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD THOUGH HIS GLORY IS CLEARLY SEEN EVERYWHERE SO THAT MEN ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE WHY DO WE SUPPRESS THE TRUTH? WHY DO WE EXCHANGE THE TRUTH FOR A LIE? SO WE CAN RUN AFTER OUR IDOLS SO WE CAN WORSHIP THE CREATED THING INSTEAD OF THE CREATOR, WHO ALONE IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP THE ILLUSTRATION GIVEN IN ROMANS 1 IS THE PRACTICE OF HOMOSEXUALITY FOR SO LONG I ONLY APPLIED THIS PASSAGE TO THAT SIN BUT I HAD A LOG IN MY EYE EVERY TIME I EXCHANGE THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE TO CHASE MY … [Read More]
