Buffaloes are Wild

The Mind’s Love for God

2010-02-04T08:29:00.001-06:00

He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37 [HCSB]

What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:15 [HCSB]

That the mind must love, that the intellectual nature also has its affections which it must give to God; this, perhaps, seems to us… strange; certainly it is less familiar.…
The glory of this part of His commandment… seems to me to be in this assurance which it gives us that God, the Father of men, is not satisfied if His children give Him simply gratitude for His mercies or the most loyal obedience to His will; but that He wants also, as the fulfillment of their love to Him, the enthusiastic use of their intellects, intent to know everything that it is possible for men to know about their Father and His ways. That is what… is meant by loving God with the mind.… “Understand me! understand me!” He seems to cry; “I am not wholly loved by you unless your understanding is reaching out after my truth.”…
They always have loved God best, they are loving God best today, who gaze upon Him with wide-open eyes; who, conscious of their ignorance and weakness, more conscious of it the more they try to know, yet do try with all the powers He has given them, to understand all that they possibly can of Him and His ways. - Phillips Brooks, Sermons Preached in English Churches

Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Reaching to Others

2010-02-03T08:13:00.000-06:00

You must regard the foreigner who lives with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34 (HCSB)

The young girl, with her family, moved from church to church with some regularity. It was always with pain that she moved into a new Sunday School. Feeling like an outsider was embarrassing. She didn’t know the ropes, and it made her feel rejected before anybody even had the chance to reject her.
It’s not just pre-adolescent self-consciousness that makes us feel that way. Every day in our churches, at our jobs, at the PTA, in our neighborhood, there are people feeling like outsiders. Further, the brokenness of our society causes even those of us who seem “connected” to feel alienated from one another.
Our Lord commands us to be His representatives to integrate those who feel ostracized into the protecting greenhouse of His love and care. It’s our arms that reach out for Him. It’s our words that draw them in.
Are you reaching? To whom?

Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Becoming the "Filth of the World"

2010-02-03T08:02:00.001-06:00

We have been made as the filth of the world...
1 Corinthians 4:13

These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or "filth of the world." "Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ..." (Colossians 1:24) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration - being "separated to the gospel of God..." (Romans 1:1).

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you..." (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, "I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend." And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the "skin of your teeth" if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is "separated to the gospel..." Or you can say, "I don’t care if I am treated like ’the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed." A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but "to reveal His Son in me..." (Galatians 1:16). - Oswald Chamber, My Utmost For His Highest

Peace

2010-01-16T09:30:00.002-06:00

Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction; nothing makes them stumble. Psalm 119:165 [Holman Christian Standard Bible]

Peace—it is the ever-elusive, all-consuming desire of every person. It always seems just beyond our reach and an impossible goal in a world gone mad. But this Scripture gives a promise for peace that can easily be realized by anyone. It says that if we love God’s Word, we will have peace.
The word for “peace” used here is the well-known Hebrew word shalom. We tend to think of shalom merely as a simple greeting. It does, of course, mean peace, safety, and tranquility. Yet inherent in the meaning of the word is completeness, wholeness, health, prosperity, fullness, rest, and harmony. Thus peace is much more than the absence of war and conflict; it is the wholeness that the entire human race seeks.
Where do we need the wholeness of God’s peace in our lives? As we fall in love with His Word, peace will naturally be the by-product.
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

God's Direction

2010-01-11T08:16:00.000-06:00

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 [HCSB]

I love the personality suggested by the pronoun in the text: He will guide you on the right paths. Behind the “He” of the ancient preacher is the God of the Bible. Because that is so, the “He” trembles with the tenderness of the Father’s love. No evil can baffle if He directs the path.… No opposition can overcome if He direct.…
He has many ways of directing. He directs by obstacles placed across the way which I cannot overcome, and which drive me into a new way. He directs by clearing the obstacles away, which I thought could not be moved. He directs by delay, keeping me waiting long after I have heard His call to service. He directs by immediateness, flinging me out into a new position, wherein I must seek His guidance.… I state these contradictory things in order to throw you back upon this profound conviction; not from me nor from any man, must you take your rule of His direction. You must discover the rule for yourself in immediate relationship with Him. - G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

The Object of a New Year

2009-12-30T14:07:00.002-06:00

The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes.
Unless a particular man made new year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards.
Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. - G.K. Chesterton

New Year's Countdown 3

2009-12-30T13:54:00.000-06:00

Receive with meekness the implanted word. James 1:21

God’s Word is the source of wisdom for living, the standard of holiness for character, and the strength of the human spirit as truth. This Book, breathed by the Holy Spirit, is the foundation for our building, the fortress for our defense, and the food for our sustenance. Too much cannot be said about God’s Word.
But too little can be done.
Only as I feed daily, and only as I receive in humility what the Word says about me, does this divine masterpiece take effect. The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were experts in knowing the Word but failures in receiving it. So, on the brink of a New Year, lay plans for reading through the Word. But also plan to let it read through you too. Its saving power, which saves us from confusion, error, and failure just as surely as its truth saves our eternal souls, depends on such reception.
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

New Year's Countdown 2

2009-12-29T10:15:00.001-06:00

But we all… are being transformed. 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Bible gives a context to the liberated life: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty!” But it quickly describes exactly how the Holy Spirit works to create and sustain the freedom of His Kingdom. Study this amplification of our text.
“But we all (everyone of us deciding for ourselves), with unveiled face (not hiding behind pretense or cowering from God’s dealings with us), beholding as in a mirror (which is the Word of God) the glory of the Lord (which is the Son of God), are being transformed (that is, progressing from stage to stage as a creature undergoes metamorphosis—a caterpillar to a cocoon to a butterfly) into the same image (of Jesus, our Master, Model, and Savior) from glory to glow (or from one stage of His grace and character to ever-expanding dimensions of the same) just as by the Spirit of the Lord (for it is only by His presence, power, and perfecting work that such a change can happen!).”
Anyone willing to be freed and changed that way is destined to a great new year!
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

New Year's Countdown 1

2009-12-28T19:24:00.000-06:00

Love… hopes all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 [NKJV]

Today, begin a “countdown” to the beginning of the New Year. Let each point—each day—become a milestone as you “depart another way,” leaving the past behind and welcoming the Holy Spirit’s ministry to bring a glorious newness to your soul. These days, let us look at the themes of love, power, transformation, the Word, and faith: milestone markers.
Open this day and these days with a full-hearted, special welcome to the Holy Spirit to flush, to fill and to flow through your heart with love. He can and will send a surge of love, according to God’s Word (Rom. 5:5). It will come in gushing, rushing rivers (John 7:37–39) and remove every obstruction to our being perfected in a love for Christ, a love for God’s Word, a love for the lost, a love for the unlovely, and a love for those who have wounded us. He changes our attitude and outlook—hope for tomorrow becomes more than a wish. Love begets a hope that is confident.
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Christmas Visitation 1

2009-12-21T11:06:00.000-06:00

The Dayspring from on high has visited us. Luke 1:78 [NKJV]

Has it occurred to you that God foresaw the eventual worldwide celebration His Son’s birth would bring about? He did! Contrary to the debunker’s refusal to enjoy a holy spirit of celebration, God seems to delight in creating festive times for His people. An entire “string of lights,” so to speak, was assembled by Him in the Old Testament where He ordered feast-times on an average of every two or three months!
Of course, carnal and commercial celebrations miss the point of Christmas—we all know and acknowledge that. But do not let the Scrooge spirit overthrow the Holy Spirit’s desire to awaken fresh expectancy and joy in your heart at this precious season.
God has visited us! That “the Word became flesh” brought about a new day. “Dayspring” means “dawn,” and as we approach Christmas this year, do so by welcoming the Holy Spirit’s rise with fresh joy, hope, and love.
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Back to Bethlehem

2009-12-21T11:02:00.000-06:00

But you, Bethlehem… out of you shall come a Ruler. Matthew 2:6 [NKJV]

Even its pronunciation is musical—“Bethlehem.” The name itself sets the imagination aflame again, as we all experience the symphony of thoughts about this tiny, yet mightily historic site. Bethlehem was destined for significance by the Almighty God Himself. He whispered His intent to His prophets, and in our text we hear Micah quoted more than seven hundred years after he predicted Bethlehem would be the Messiah’s birthplace.
It is a good thing to go there—at least in our imagination; and especially at Christmastime. The fact that God would interest Himself in so tiny a village, and ordain its place and high purpose in His plan of redemption, tells us something about God and His ways.
He delights to take the ordinary and do the extraordinary there. He loves to take people like us and do wonderful things for them, to them, and through them. It is His mind and His pleasure to do great things at simple places, with plain people! Just as we sing, so let us act: “Come to Bethlehem and see!”
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Christmas Kings

2009-12-21T10:57:00.001-06:00

Of His kingdom there will be no end. Luke 1:33 [NKJV]

From the time of Jesus’ conception a stream of promise begins to flow: a new government is coming to the souls of men! The issue was not political, but spiritual. The King Himself verifies this: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).
But He is King, a king like no other. Look at the descriptions of His kingly role in God’s Word:

• “The King eternal” (1 Tim. 1:17)—as such, the endlessness, the unchanging durability of His rule is declared.
• “A king will reign in righteousness” (Is. 32:1)—as such, His completely just, even-handed, considerate and life-releasing method is forecast.
• “King of peace” (Heb. 7:2)—as typified in Melchizedek and fulfilled through His rising to His first throne, the cross, where He secured out peace (Eph. 2:14–18).
• “King of the saints” and “King of kings” (Rev. 15:3; 19:16)—forever praised as our saving King, and all history’s ultimate Ruler!
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Encouragement

2009-11-04T22:58:00.001-06:00

I read this passage in my Quiet Time this morning and was really encouraged. I hope it encourages you, too.

Remember my affliction and my homelessness, the wormwood and the poison. ²⁰ I continually remember [them] and have become depressed. ²¹ Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: ²² [Because of] the LORD's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! ²⁴ I say: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the LORD. Lamentations 3:19-26

Great and Mighty Things

2009-10-24T13:41:00.001-05:00

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty (inaccessible, isolated) things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3 [NKJV]

What an absolutely incredible promise! If Jeremiah prays, God promises that He will not only answer him, but reveal “great and mighty things.” These are things that could not possibly be known any other way. The idea of the word “mighty” in Hebrew would be better rendered “isolated” or “inaccessible.” God is offering revelational insight based upon a pursuit of Him in prayer.

All successful, spiritual enterprise is based upon clear understanding of the forces which oppose us and direction for dealing with these influences. The carnal mind is unfit for spiritual warfare. Our natural human perception can at best only lead us to the doorway of understanding and never through it. Even former spiritual victories and the experience of walking with Christ for years cannot substitute for fresh spiritual insight that comes from our daily walk with Him in prayer.

How is your prayer life today? Turn to the Lord now and He will provide all that we need: guidance, insight, strength… and “great and mighty things.” (Jack Hayford)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Peace Beyond Understanding

2009-10-09T10:51:00.003-05:00

Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 [HCSB]

There is a peace with the understanding, and there is a peace that goes beyond the understanding and finds its warrant in personal trust and love. The peace within the understanding is the result of a clearly perceived proportion between need and supply, between danger and precaution. "I have seen what peril is likely to occur, and I have guarded against it; I have found out all the weak points in my house where the fire or the hurricane might smite it, and I have strengthened and secured them; therefore I may dismiss my anxieties and sit down at rest."

The peace which goes beyond the understanding says: "I have done all this as well as I knew how, but there are regions of danger which I cannot explore, there are perilous forces which I cannot measure. The universe is large, and out of any distant corner of it there may come a sudden blow striking right out of my life. Beyond what I can provide for, then, I find out Him who is in all the universe, and, loving Him, I trust myself upon His love. It is not knowledge, now, of what will come or how it will be met; it is only the sympathetic apprehension of His love and care who is all-strong, all-wise. This is what I rest upon. This is the confidence in which I sleep by night and work by day."

Follow Christ... and He will lead you certainly to God and to "the peace of God which passeth all understanding." (Phillip Brooks, The Law of Growth and Other Sermons)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Kelli Kidd Jones, My Sis-in-Law

2009-09-06T15:53:00.004-05:00

I'm very excited and honored to share that a blog post that my sis-in-law, Kelli Kidd Jones, wrote recently has been selected to be featured on Destiny in Bloom... a blog collaboration of 10 amazing Christian women.

With being selected as a guest writer the only thing they asked of her was to help drive traffic to the site on Monday (tomorrow, Labor Day) the day Kelli's post is published. The website does not make any money by people visiting it is just one of the measurable ways to see how her post is received by readers.

So I am asking all of my friends and family to please show your support for my sis-in-law, Kelli, tomorrow (MONDAY, LABOR DAY) by going to the Destiny in Bloom website www.destinyinbloom.com and reading her post. It would be even more helpful if you would leave a comment on the post (and try not to be too obvious that I begged you to do so :)). Again, this is how they measure if the post/writer was successful and could be the basis as to whether Kelli gets asked to write for them again! :)

On a personal note, I know I'm biased, but Kelli really is an excellent, gifted writer. Please check it out... remember www.DestinyInBloom.com - Kelli Kidd Jones...Thanks!

PS Check out Kelli's blog at http://KelliJonesBlog.com

Songs in the Night

2009-08-23T05:51:00.003-05:00

But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who gives songs in the night,
Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,
And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’ Job 35:10-11

Night is the season of terror and alarm to most men. Yet even night hath its songs. Have you never stood by the seaside at night, and heard the pebbles sing, and the waves chant God’s glories?… We need not much poetry in our spirit, to catch the song of night, and hear the spheres as they chant praises which are loud to the heart, tho they be silent to the ear—the praises of the mighty God, who bears up the unpillared arch of heaven, and moves the stars in their courses.…

When thou thyself art low, it is well to sing of the fountain-head of mercy; of that blest decree wherein thou wast ordained to eternal life, and of that glorious man who undertook thy redemption.… What!… canst thou not sing of that raptuous moment when he snapt thy fetters… and said: “I am the Breaker; I came to break thy chains, and set thee free”?… Go back, man; sing of that moment, and then thou wilt have a song in the night.…

Beloved, there is another thing of which we can sing more sweetly; and that is, we can sing of the day that is to come.… Christian! if thou art in a night, think of the morrow; cheer up thy heart with the thought of thy Lord. (C. H. Spurgeon, World's Greatest Sermons)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

God’s Whisper and Thunder

2009-08-17T21:11:00.004-05:00

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?
Job 26:14 [NKJV]

Job in thought passes through the universe [Job 26:7–13].... He passes to the confines of light and darkness, rides on the wings of the wind, discourses of the clouds, skims the mighty surface of the sea. All this, however, he deems as the outskirts of God’s ways. It is but a whisper compared to the mighty thunder of his glory and power. If this is a whisper, what must the thunder be!

Perhaps we know something more of the thunder of his power than Job could, because we have stood beneath Calvary and seen Jesus die, and He is the wisdom and power of God; yea, we have witnessed the exceeding greatness of his power, according to the working of the strength of his might, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.

Who of us can fathom or understand the power of God? But what a comfort to know that it is an attribute of his heart. God is not power, but He is love, and his love throbs through and commands his power. Be reverent when you kneel before the great and mighty God; but believe that all his power is engaged on the side of the weakest, neediest child. And more: cease not to wait upon God until He endue you with his mighty power, for service and for daily living. (F. B. Meyer, Our Daily Homily)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Kingdom Joy

2009-08-15T13:24:00.002-05:00

...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 [NKJV]

No human system can generate the dimensions of fullness and fulfillment God’s kingdom life bring us. The present passion so many of us feel, to drink of “all the fullness of God,” is a quest for the way the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus as King in our daily life and living. There are no religious substitutes for the reality of this order of life.

As Paul wrote here, he was laboring with a problem, for everywhere he turned he found opponents to the message of Christ’s kingdom joys. His most ardent enemies weren’t Roman soldiers or Roman government, but a strange breed of religious diehards. They knew the true God but hated the refreshing liberty of Holy Spirit-filled living Paul was preaching. They kept imposing ritual requirements related to the Mosaic code—issues concerning certain “eating and drinking” stipulations. Paul wasn’t arguing for undisciplined living but simply for unsaddled souls! In effect, he says, “God’s kingdom isn’t in the trappings of tradition, but His rule brings His right ways (righteousness), His mighty ways (peace) and His bright ways (joy).” Let’s all open full to such fullness—and to His kingdom’s expansion in our souls.
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Purpose - Part 2

2009-08-15T13:19:00.001-05:00

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you. Jeremiah 1:5 [NKJV]

God knew us before we were born. He has prenatal perspective on the life He created to serve Him and to bless the world. The Father set us apart with the intent that we would fulfill a distinct purpose in His great plan. Later in this same chapter, the Lord says, “I have put My words in your mouth… I am ready to perform My word” (vv. 9, 12). God does not just call us to serve Him; He also fills us with His Spirit so that the outcome is guaranteed before we even start!

God has created us for Himself, and His plan transcends our lifetime. Revelation 20:6 promises that after Christ’s return, we “shall reign with Him a thousand years.” We are a precious treasure uniquely created to be an instrument of blessing in the Father’s service.

As we go through the day, rest in the knowledge that from before our conception, God’s love for us is assured, our purpose has been established, and the power to attain the goal is promised.
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Purpose - Part 1

2009-08-14T09:51:00.001-05:00

I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Philippians 3:12 [NKJV]

We have not chosen Him but He has chosen us (John 15:16). The Lord has personally selected you. Wrapped up in the very word for church is the idea of our being called out. He has called us out of our own plans for our lives, and out of the confusion of our past. Then once He calls us out, He calls us in, into the excellency of His Kingdom, into communion with Him, and into His plan for our lives.

It may sometimes seem that the plan lies just around the next bend in the road of our spiritual walk with Christ, just beyond our reach or not very well defined. But we “press on” so that we may grasp God’s plan for us—the plan that God had in mind when He “grasped” us!

Keep moving on! His plan is there for you! And it is in His plan that you will find your firmest purpose, deepest fulfillment, and highest joy.
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

A Glorious Contrast

2009-08-05T08:44:00.003-05:00

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 [NKJV]

In the first part of the text we have three terms: wages, sin, death. In the second part we have three terms: a gift, God, eternal life. They stand over against each other in each case. Wages—a gift; sin—God; death—eternal life.

What are wages? Wages are earnings. A man has a right to wages. Wages are the equivalent to work.… What is a gift?… Something that cannot be earned. That which no man can claim as a right.

Sin is considered here as an individual act. It is the act of a free agent. It is not merely missing the mark, it is willful missing of the mark.… If wages be the payment for work, sin is the work that earns the payment. God puts Himself over against sin.… The man who is in the thought of God is a man who is incapable of reformation and whose religious observances would in themselves be sinful. Therefore, God put Himself over against sin. Sin—God.

What is death?… Death is that which every man chooses in the moment when he yields himself to sin. By that yielding, he chooses death, disintegration, corruption, ruin.… Over against death, our text places eternal life. Paul climbed to a great height one day and he … wrote of “The generation of the age of the ages.” In the light of that suggestion we see them coming, age after age, out of the fathomless being of God, profound in mystery, glorious in strength, new ages of which we can but dream in the highest moments of our spiritual illumination. That is the gift which God gives a man without asking him for a certificate or any pledge for tomorrow. (G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Christ Is Our Redeemer

2009-08-01T06:21:00.003-05:00

...being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,... Romans 3:24 (NKJV)

The figure of redemption is very simple, and has been very frequently used in Scripture. When a prisoner has been taken captive, and has been made a slave by some barbarous power, it has been usual, before he could be set free, that a ransom price should be paid down. Now, we being, by the fall of Adam, prone to guiltiness, and indeed, virtually guilty, we were by the irreproachable judgment of God given up to the vengeance of the law; we were given to the hands of justice; justice claimed us to be his bond-slaves for ever, unless we could pay a ransom, whereby our souls could be redeemed. We were, indeed, poor as owlets, we had not wherewith to bless ourselves. We were as our hymn hath worded it, “bankrupt debtors”; an execution was put into our house; all we had was sold; we were left naked, and poor, and miserable, and we could by no means find a ransom; it was just then that Christ stepped in, stood sponsor for us, and, in the room and stead of all believers, did pay the ransom price, that we might in that hour be delivered from the curse of the law and the vengeance of God...

When Christ redeemed his people, he did it thoroughly; he did not leave a single debt unpaid, nor yet one farthing for them to settle afterwards. God demanded of Christ the payment for the sins of all his people; Christ stood forward, and to the utmost farthing paid whatever [sic] his people owed. (Sermons Of C. H. Spurgeon)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Don’t Go Down

2009-07-27T08:52:00.003-05:00

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3 (NKJV)

It was a sublime answer. Below was the Plain of Ono, where Nehemiah’s foes awaited him. Let him once descend into it and he would become their easy prey; but he withstood their fourfold solicitations by considering the greatness of the work he was doing and the responsible position he was called to fill. Other-worldiness is the best cure for worldiness.

Oh, children of the Great King, let us pray that we may know the grandeur of our position before Him; the high calling with which we have been called; the vast responsibilities with which we are entrusted; the great work of co-operating with God in erecting the city of God. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ! Called to sit with Christ in the Heavenlies!... How can we go down—down to the world that rejected Him; down to the level of the first Adam, from which at so great cost, we have been raised... No, it cannot be; and as we make our choice, let us look to the living and ascended Christ to make it good. Put your will on his side, and expect that the energy of the power that raised Him from the dead will raise and maintain you in union with Him. For “your life is hid with Christ in God.” (F. B. Meyer, Our Daily Homily)
Spirit Filled Life Daily Devotional Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1993.

Unity

2009-02-21T06:56:00.003-06:00

I was talking to a friend on Facebook last night, and we were talking about one of the enemy's main devices: to isolate us and make us feel as if we're the only one going through a particular set of circumstances in our life. If satan can isolate us and make us feel like we're the only one struggling with conflict, alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography, etc., then we will have lost our witness and be made ineffective in our relationship with Christ.

Several of you don't make community with Believers a priority in your lives. Not that I'm any better; I've been there, done that. I speak from experience when I say the enemy can easily "cull" you from the herd and harrass you unbelievably. Let me encourage you to make yourself vulnerable to a person or small group of persons you can trust. Then live in community with them so you might be encouragers to one another. (Hebrews 10:25) Check this out:

Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3

Loneliness is one of the primary sorrows of our fragmented and disjointed society today. We all feel it at some time. We may even be overwhelmed and immobilized by its destructive effects.
Our Lord, who designed us, never intended us to be alone. We were intended to live in community with one another. And He provided a lifestyle which, if embraced, eliminates the power of loneliness.

Yet our fear of loneliness causes us to move with herd mentality—following the masses, flowing with the tide of societal and cultural dictates. The fear of loneliness often generates personal compromise of our spiritual, ethical, and moral dreams and aspirations. We want to follow Jesus with all our strength, but we fear isolation and alone-ness as we move against the tide.

To attend us on our “against-the-tide” way, our Lord calls us to caring, loving unity with His children. If we will walk in the unity of the Spirit as our Lord enjoins, our obedience will remove the sting of isolation from our lives.
Hayford, Jack; and Middlebrook, Sam, Living the Spirit Filled Life, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1992.

Soup to Nutz - Singing Chipmunks

2009-01-28T14:39:00.002-06:00

My Life So Far

2009-01-07T22:13:00.001-06:00

Since I am re-connecting with so many old (and not-so-old) friends, I thought I would blog about my life so far and fill in the blanks.

After graduating from Longview High (Texas) in `78, I attended Baylor University and majored in Music Education, but was more interested in partying (I know that's hard for some of my high school friends to believe) than studying. After a great experience in BUGWB, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and SpiritWind, I left school after the Spring semester of `81 and went to work, planning on returning a year later.

That summer of `81, I met the love of my life, Kris(ti Kirk), a native of Austin, and we married in January of `82 at First Baptist Church, Hewitt, a bedroom community of Waco. We ended up settling in Austin, and in November of `82, our only child was born: Joshua David. After working in the Soft Drink industry, we left Austin for the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with the intention of my going back to school, and surrendering to the call that God had put on my life.

In `88 I started serving Chisholm Baptist Church in Chisholm, Texas (between Terrell and Rockwall), and the next year I went back to school at Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas. I finished my Bachelor's Degree in Music in `92, and enrolled the following semester at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas to earn a Master's Degree in Music. I graduated in `95 and really enjoyed my time as Associate Minister of Music at Southcliff Baptist Church in Ft. Worth.

Kris and I always felt like we would be moving out of state, not that it was an easy decision, because we miss Texas. But God has been gracious. We have served four churches full time since `95, one in Georgia and three in Illinois, as Minister of Music and Worship Pastor. Our son, Josh, married the former Kim Bright of Flora, Illinois, in May of `05. Josh and Kim both graduated from McKendree University in Lebanon, IL, with their Bachelor's Degrees and Kim earned her Master's Degree as well. Josh is currently working on his Master's Degree, and he and Kim will be planting a church with three other friends in October in downtown St. Louis.

As a side note for all my football lovin' Texas friends, Josh was an All-State Football player at Anna-Jonesboro High School in Anna, IL (OL/DL). He actually was chosen for four All-State teams, including the Coaches All-Academic Team. He also played football for McKendree University, an NAIA school.

We currently live in Carlinville, IL, and Kris is a Teller at U. S. Bank in Carlinville. Josh and Kim live about 25 minutes away in Litchfield, IL, where Josh is Worship Pastor at First Baptist Church in Litchfield, and Kim is working for a CPA as an Administrative Assistant in two office locations. They don't have any children yet, but we do have a Grand Dog named Sophie. Kris and I are the proud owners of 2 pugs, Dolly and Suzie Q.

We're enjoying life and waiting for the next page to turn and see what God has in store. Thanks for reading, and I would love to hear from you and what you've been doing these past years.

Rules For Singing

2009-01-06T21:38:00.000-06:00

I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterward learn as many as you please.

II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can..


John Wesley

III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

IV. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before or stay behind it. but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in Every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually, so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here. and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

John Wesley's Rules For Singing in Worship

Taking Down Christmas

2009-01-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

This article really spoke to me. I hope it touches you, too. - Dale

Taking down Christmas
by John Fischer

This is always a difficult part of the holiday ritual: taking everything down and packing Christmas away for another year. It seems like every year, the house never looked better, or the tree was never so perfect, and it all becomes so empty when it's gone. Like the guy on a "car-talk" radio program I heard recently who explained the hole in his dashboard left by someone who "borrowed his car stereo without asking" as "nothing but torn wires and sadness." I thought it was such an apt description that I jotted it down, and now I'm feeling a little like my house is all about torn wires and sadness.

There is a depression that sets in after major events in our lives. We struggle with getting back to normal. What can help us move on?

First, we can remember that we take the risen Christ of Christmas with us into the New Year. On Christmas, we focus so much on a baby in a manger that we sometimes forget the baby grew into a man who conquered death once and for all and now sits at the right hand of God the Father where He intercedes for us constantly. That means you and I have continuous representation at the highest level. All these decorations celebrated His birth, but walking into whatever our lives hold for us on January 6, 2009 is a celebration of resurrection and of power. We will never walk alone.

Second, I suggest you do like we do: leave something up -- some little reminder of the season. Maybe an ornament on a mantle, or the wreath on the door. In areas of New England and especially Pennsylvania, many homeowners leave a single light in their windows throughout the winter. I always wondered why they did that, and now I may have come up with at least my own reason.

The light Christ has brought into our lives has forever dispelled the darkness. Nothing will ever be the same. Maybe it would be good to leave a little light on around the house that wasn't there before, just to remember what remains from Christmas. The whole point of His birth into our torn world was to show the lengths He would go to in order to get to us. And now He is here. That is the point.

We might take down Christmas, but Christ remains in our lives, and no one can ever take Him away!

For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made His light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T13:51:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I will be posting a new blog soon about our family events of 2008. May your 2009 be a far sight better than 2008.

Election Results

2008-11-07T11:05:00.000-06:00

By Chuck Colson

11/7/2008

Opportunity Unlimited

Over the last few days, I have been besieged with calls from Christian friends in deep despair over the election. I understand the feeling. The President-elect, along with his newly strengthened allies in Congress, opposes almost every pro-life and pro-family position conservative Evangelicals and conservative Catholics have fought for so hard.

The election was tough in another way, as well. We lost some good friends in Congress. I think particularly of Robin Hayes, an outstanding Christian Congressman from North Carolina. And Marilyn Musgrove from Colorado, who courageously led the initiative for the marriage amendment and was targeted by gay activists, who spent $14 million dollars to defeat her.

But as I told the hand-wringers who called me, we must never despair. It is a sin to deny the sovereignty of God. We just have to learn how to live differently. But I’ll talk more about that in the future.

First, this is the new President’s hour. And we should be praying for him. Major decisions which affect the welfare of us all are in his hands.

Second, we ought to take pleasure in the joy expressed by African Americans over Obama’s election. They have fought hard for civil rights, and now one of their own is President. I was moved to tears myself election night watching Jesse Jackson standing in the crowd, alone, tears flowing down his face. This can be a good thing for the United States of America.

We should also be pleased at the jubilation around the world at the election of America’s first black president, which has smashed the stereotype of America as an oppressive white superpower throwing its weight around. This could build unprecedented good will for us among many other nations—nations with whom we must cooperate on many important issues.

Third, this may be a teachable moment for all of us. Ever since the 1960s, liberal political leaders have built their power bases by telling minorities that they are the exploited victims of racism.

Tragically, many African-Americans feel, rightly or wrongly, that there is nothing they can do to help themselves except to elect politicians who promise to pour money into their communities. All these politicians have done is feed the grievance mentality and stay in power; the poor remain as poor as ever.

Obama’s election shatters that delusion. How could any young African-American any longer believe that he is destined to a life of crime and poverty simply because he was born black? Obama’s election demonstrates that America truly is the land of opportunity for every citizen regardless of the color of his skin, the circumstances of his birth, or the community from which he comes. If this new attitude takes hold, I could see us rebuilding the pits of despair and depression that many inner cities neighborhoods have become.

Having said that—I have my differences with the incoming President and the majorities in Congress—and I, for one, will continue for one to fight hard for the unborn and for traditional marriage, among other issues.

So don’t give up, or retreat into your sanctuaries, as some are suggesting. Stay tuned to BreakPoint. I’ll be back in due course with some strong ideas for us on how the church ought to now live.

Today's BreakPoint Offer

Turn the world right side up. Learn about the 2009 Centurions Program and apply to study Christian worldview with Chuck Colson!

For Further Reading and Information

“The Day After: Pray for Our President and Our Nation,” BreakPoint Commentary, 5 November 2008.

“The Solzhenitsyn Challenge: Restoring Public Courage,” BreakPoint Commentary, 4 November 2008.

The Day After

2008-11-05T09:50:00.000-06:00

BreakPoint Commentaries

The Day After

By Chuck Colson
11/5/2008

Pray for Our President and Our Nation

Whether you voted for Barack Obama or John McCain, whether you’re recovering from your all-night celebration or drying the tears from your pillow, today’s a good day to remember the words of the apostle Paul: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

And the new President will surely need our prayers because he and his administration face huge, serious challenges to the health of our nation and to peace in the world—challenges that, in my opinion, neither he nor any government on earth will have the power to overcome without divine aid.

How has America come to this point? Why is our economy on the brink of disaster? Why is our culture so utterly depraved?

I can only think of what Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said about the catastrophic consequences of the Russian revolution. “I recall,” he said, “hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.”

Solzhenitsyn was right. Indeed, I can’t find any better explanation for why we Americans find ourselves in the state we are in. We have forgotten God.

We have also forgotten that American democracy—indeed Western Civilization itself—is the product of the Judeo-Christian understanding of God and humanity. Without that revelation that man is created in the image of God, our founders never would have recognized the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, as I and others like Rodney Stark have argued, modern science and education, liberal democracy, capitalism flourished in Western civilization precisely because of the Judeo-Christian worldview.

The attacks on Christianity these days are only going to intensify in the months ahead. But we must press on all the more to make a winsome witness. Those who would banish Christianity from American life are risking the very survival of American society.

Friends have asked me whether this economic crisis is God’s judgment upon us. I don’t know.

As I’ve re-read the Old Testament prophets recently, I couldn’t help but notice the recurring theme: The people of God turned away from Him and worshipped false idols. The result was always disaster.

Is God responsible for credit markets collapsing around the world? No. We’re responsible. Because instead of worshiping God, we’ve worshipped false idols of the marketplace, credit card companies and cheap mortgages. We’ve put our own appetites over our duties to God and neighbor.

So this is no time for Christians to go into the bunkers. No time to wail or moan over our retirement plans. This is a time to repent, to pray more, to give more. It’s a time for Christians to lead, encourage, and minister to a faltering country in a faltering economy.

This is a time for the Church to get serious about Christian discipleship. Enough cheap grace.

So pray for the new President and his administration. But most of all, my brothers and sisters, this is a time to love our neighbors and to hunger for God and His righteousness.

Debunking Alaska's Trooper-Gate

2008-10-24T14:44:00.000-05:00

During my forty year New York City Police Department career, I held nearly every rank and was detached to run large and troubled investigative divisions of two major City and State agencies. Since retiring from the Department, I have taught college courses in criminal justice and consulted or testified about police matters for such clients as Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, New York City, Newark, Chicago, the U.S. Justice and State Departments, and victims of police misconduct.

The controversy over Governor Palin's treatment of her former brother-in-law Michael Wooten and her dismissal of former Commissioner of Public Safety Walter Monegan has led me to look at the record as if I had been retained by a client to do so. I have therefore examined the full public record of the Wooten and Monegan cases, including the Wooten investigative files and the recently issued Alaska Legislative Council report that charged Governor Palin with an ethics violation for her role in the dismissal of Monegan.

My conclusion is that that the Wooten and Monegan matters do indeed reveal an Alaska scandal, but one very different from what has been reported by the national press. The scandal – and it is a serious one -- involves the conduct of the managers of Alaska's police agencies and the political officials who have sought to defend them and attack Governor Palin.

The story begins with Wooten's probationary term as an Alaska State Trooper, when he was found guilty of using official agency reports for personal reasons - a serious charge that in a well run police agency would have led to an extended probation at the very least. It didn't, and Wooten was given civil service status after his first year.

During his next three years, Wooten committed an astonishing six additional acts of misconduct unrelated to Palin family complaints - for which he received written admonitions and no meaningful punishment. The matter can be simply stated: Any department that treats seven findings of misconduct during the first few years of a police officer's career by doing little more than creating a papered and ignored personnel file can be categorically defined as recklessly managed.

Then came the Palin family allegations. They included Wooten's use of a police Taser on a minor, death threats made against his father-in-law (Governor Palin's father), a criminal hunting violation, public consumption of alcohol while operating a marked police vehicle, repeated acts of violence and alcohol abuse, and unlawful steroid use. Given the seven prior findings against Wooten, any well managed agency would have treated each allegation as a presumptive basis for dismissal and would have treated some as bases for dismissal even for officers with impeccable records.

Yet after the department opened its investigation of the Palin charges, no action was taken for more than six months. Only after Governor Palin's father complained in writing was the investigator's report issued - and it revealed an investigation that:

o Violated basic police investigative procedures by advising Wooten that he was under investigation before the complainant or her suggested witnesses were interviewed.

o Dismissed the drug charge on the basis of Wooten's self-provided lab report that his testosterone levels were normal - and made no apparent effort to find the "blue pill" supplier Wooten was alleged to patronize nor ordered any independent lab tests even for the steroid use allegation which Wooten's report did not negate.

o Disbelieved credible witnesses who alleged that Wooten drove his marked police vehicle into their driveway, took a beer from their refrigerator, finished it, took another, and drove away while drinking it.

o Ignored allegations of Wooten's alcohol and anger management problems, for which abundant evidence existed.

o Accepted Wooten's excuse that he did not know it was a crime to use another's hunting license.

Faced with charges of an investigative whitewash, the Director of the Alaska State Troopers conducted her own investigation and, after yet another five months, issued her findings. Her report failed to take any note of the death threat charge that the investigator had sustained or the allegations of Wooten's drinking and violence. Amazingly, it accepted without comment the investigator's dismissal of the drug use charges. Nonetheless, the Director found that:

o Wooten's seven prior misconduct charges needed to be taken into account in assessing his overall fitness, and found that Wooten's entire record demonstrated "a serious and concentrated pattern of unacceptable and at times illegal conduct occurring over a lengthy period."

o Wooten's Taser use on a minor "demonstrated extremely poor judgment and a conscience [sic] choice … very serious in nature …to violate the department's standards of conduct" – all the more because he was a departmental Taser instructor "well trained in the … risks associated with use of the weapon on a child.".

o Wooten had consumed alcoholic beverages while operating his police vehicle, which "not only exposed the Department to liability, but further demonstrates your lack of judgment … lack of good character … disregard for law … and a profound disrespect for [your] responsibilities." o

o Wooten committed the crime of unlicensed hunting, which was "exponentially exacerbate[d]" by the fact that he was a wildlife crimes investigator when he did so. She found "no question" of Wooten's knowing commission of a crime, and reported that Wooten "finally did admit that [his] conduct was illegal." She concluded with a remarkable finding that damned her department far more than it did Wooten himself: "It is nearly certain that a civilian investigated under similar circumstances would have received criminal sanction."

Despite those findings and the Director's statement that Wooten's conduct "will not be tolerated," she merely reassigned him from the Wildlife Investigations Unit, warned him of dismissal if he repeated his behaviors, and imposed an indefensibly inadequate ten-day suspension. Worse still, and in textbook demonstration of the department's managerial dysfunction, the Director responded to union pressure by reducing the suspension to five days.

Given the department's record in the Wooten case, tragic police misconduct cases have predictably occurred. Thus, the State has paid large liability sums in the contemporaneous cases of an officer who was promoted after a jury found him guilty of torturing a suspect with his Taser, another with a prior record of undisciplined violence who remained unpunished even after wrongfully killing a disabled suspect deemed unthreatening by his partner, and yet another who committed five rapes after the department failed to investigate harassment complaints of one of his victims.

Further, the indefensible double standard protection given Wooten for conduct "nearly certain" to trigger criminal prosecutions against members of the public apparently remains the department's norm. Recently asked how he handled Trooper hunting violations like Wooten's, the Director of the Wildlife Troopers Division said: "[M]ore often than not it goes into what we call an administrative inquiry, and that's how the discipline is handled."

Even more revealing and damning has been former Commissioner Monegan's definition of the Palin family complaints as acts of harassment against Wooten, and his stated belief that his primary obligation in handling the case was to protect departmental morale. He said: "My job was to provide passion and support to 900 people – almost 900 people – in the Department of Public Safety, and one of them – who included Trooper Wooten – he was an irritant to her [Governor Palin]." The statement alone justifies Monegan's dismissal – both for its clear indifference to the department's management failings and its even less defensible failure to understand that Alaska's good police officers do not feel "support[ed]" by widespread tolerance to the rogue conduct of officers like Wooten.

The recently issued Alaska Legislative Council report is yet another whitewash by State officials and further evidence of the State's continuing refusal to acknowledge the need for structural reform of its police agencies and the performance of their managers. Remarkably, the report found that Governor Palin's had grounds to fire Commissioner Monegan for reasons other than his refusal to dismiss Wooten, and further found that her action towards Monegan "was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads." Nonetheless, the report made the Catch 22 finding that the Governor had "violat[ed her] … public trust" because her involvement in the Wooten case was an "effort to benefit a personal … interest through official action." The report's finding is thus that Governor Palin should not have taken admittedly proper action against a police administrator who failed to reform a department that, among other things, excused officers for conduct that caused "certain" criminal prosecutions to be brought when committed by civilians. Its further finding is that Governor had no right to exercise her critical constitutional responsibility to manage the State's law enforcement agencies because her knowledge of the need for reform was as least partially based on failings involving an officer who, among other things, had threatened her father's life.

Wooten's conduct clearly merited his dismissal, and his case is among the most poorly handled disciplinary matters I have ever encountered. Contrary to the Legislative Council report, Wooten and Monegan hardly merit immunity because their inexcusable conduct partially related to Governor Palin's family. In fact, the Governor's opposition to Alaska's police misconduct and her efforts to deal with the State's "good old boy" police culture greatly served its citizens -- and its honorable police officers.

Edward Mamet is a retired New York City Police Captain and a police practices consultant.

Waiting In The Hospital

2008-10-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

Over the past 17-18 years, my wife has had over half a dozen surgeries or surgical procedures. Speaking from personal experience, these can be harrowing times. Today she's having her Gall Bladder removed. Many of you may be thinking, "Well, that's a routine surgery; what's the big deal?" With Kris, my wife, surgery has never been anything but routine.

When we were in Seminary, Kris contracted Viral Meningitis. They had to do a Spinal Tap procedure on her in the emergency room to verify the diagnosis, then sent her home. The E. R. staff neglected to tell us that she needed to lie flat on her back to let the wound heal. This led to her having to have another Spinal Tap and then a procedure called a Blood Patch to let the wound heal properly.

Kris had been sick for about 6 weeks with the Gall Bladder and now we finally received a diagnosis. As of right now, she's in the hospital, out of surgery (minus the G. B.) and sleeping in her room. They were able to do the surgery laparoscopically so that was a huge answer to prayer!

The thing that I'm learning through experiences like this is that many times the answers don't come easily or quickly. I guess the Lord is teaching us the virtue of patience. I just wish there were easier ways!

Isaiah 40:28-31 says,
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.

30 Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,

31 but those who trust in the LORD
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint

Here's learning to trust in the Lord; I'm still learning.

The Right Kind of Fanaticism?

2008-09-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

The Right Kind of Fanaticism?

By Chuck Colson
9/29/2008

Global Warming and Double Standards

Imagine the media reaction if a prominent American Christian leader condoned vandalism at abortion clinics. Now imagine the reaction if he went beyond condoning vandalism and agreed to appear as a witness for the defense at the trial of those vandals.

Then imagine what would happen if he decided to export his religiously motivated crusade to another country.

Well, that’s exactly what just happened, except the religion wasn’t Christianity—it was environmentalism.

Last October, a group of Greenpeace members climbed a chimney at a power plant in Kent, England, and started to paint the words “Gordon Bin It.” The “Gordon” referred to was Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the “it” was a plan to build new coal-fired power plants at the site.

The group argued that they had a “lawful excuse” for their actions: They were trying to prevent even greater damage like “flooding from rising sea levels and damage to species” from man-made global warming.

They were charged with vandalism, and at the trial the star witness for the defense was James Hansen of NASA. That’s right, NASA, an agency of the United States government.

Twenty years ago, Hansen first sounded the alarm over man-made global warming. And as time has passed, his rhetoric has escalated. In June, he called for the CEOs of fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for “crimes against humanity and nature.”

These so-called crimes included spreading doubt about man-made global warming. In other words, disagreeing with Hansen.

At the trial, Hansen said that “somebody needs to stand up and take a leadership role” in the fight against global warming.

Avoiding “disintegration of the ice sheets [and minimizing] species extinction” requires “immediate action” he said—action that included getting rid of coal-firing plants like the one vandalized.

Hansen’s words apparently did the trick because the jury acquitted all six defendants.

Now, reasonable people can differ over the reality of man-made global warming, but it is difficult to see how what happened in Kent met the requirements of a “lawful excuse.” That standard, as the judge told the jurors, requires an “immediate need to protect property belonging to another.” Even the most enthusiastic proponents of man-made global warming acknowledge that their most dire scenarios are decades, if not centuries, away.

What happened in England is further proof of what author Michael Crichton meant when he called modern environmentalism “one of the most powerful religions in the Western World”—a religion that divides the world between “sinner” or “saved,” the “side of salvation” or the “side of doom.”

As if to confirm Crichton’s point, on the same day the Greenpeace members were acquitted, an English city council voted to impose “hefty fines” on people for using the wrong recycling bins.

So what we have here is an appeal to a “higher law”—made by a U.S. government official no less—calling for an inquisition of sorts, and zealous punishment of even the tiniest infraction.

And the media dares to call Christians “fanatics”?

Reasonable people can disagree about global warming or the role of religion in public life. But there’s no excuse—lawful or otherwise—for double standards. Especially with the newest of all religions, environmentalism.

Today's BreakPoint Offer

Turn the world right side up. Learn about the 2009 Centurions Program and apply to study Christian worldview with Chuck Colson!

For Further Reading and Information

“Cleared: Jury Decides That Threat of Global Warming Justifies Breaking the Law,” Independent (UK), 11 September 2008.

“Activists Deny Damaging Chimney,” BBC News, 1 September 2008.

Michael Crichton, “Environmentalism as Religion,” 15 September 2003.

Regis Nicoll, “Averting Global Meltdown: Are Kyoto-Like Controls the Answer?,” BreakPoint Online, 4 July 2008.

Regis Nicoll, “Some Inconvenient Truths: Global Warming and Al Gore's Film,” 16 March 2007.

“Gone with the Wind Farm: Saving the Environment - Somewhere Else,” BreakPoint Commentary, 5 September 2007.

“Just Do It: Good Stewardship and Global Warming,” BreakPoint Commentary, 2 November 2007.

The Bill Comes Due

2008-09-24T11:24:00.000-05:00

BreakPoint Commentaries

The Bill Comes Due

By Chuck Colson
9/24/2008

Consumption and Crisis

If you are like me, you are shocked by the cost of the proposed bailout of the financial sector—at least $700 billion. You probably wonder why we should pay so dearly for other people’s mistakes.

But when it comes to one aspect of this financial crisis, many of us have only ourselves to blame.

As I told you yesterday, much of the mess can be laid at the feet of what Tom Wolfe ironically called the “Masters of the Universe” and their enablers in Washington. Much but not all. Our anything-goes, “you can have what you want when you want it” attitude also played an important part in creating this mess.

As you know, the financial crisis was precipitated by the meltdown of the “sub-prime” mortgage market. Millions of Americans took out mortgages they couldn’t afford to buy houses that in some cases they really didn’t need.

Maybe inspired by television shows like Flip That House, they gambled that home prices would keep rising indefinitely and they could sell or re-finance the home before the bill literally came due. They were wrong, and currently, 9 percent of all Americans with mortgages are either behind on their payments or in foreclosure. The number can only grow.

But it’s not just the sub-prime mess. The personal debt of Americans is at record levels. A well-known credit-card commercial has a man shopping for a new television set and using his cell phone to check his credit limit. Not his checking or savings account balance, but his limit! And in case you don’t get the message, the music in the background blares, “I want it all and I want it now!”

It’s not only consumer goods. Everything from the war in Iraq to Katrina recovery is funded by borrowing. Both political parties are quick to promise specific “goodies,” like new entitlements or tax cuts or new roads, but they never say how they are going to pay for them.

The answer of course is that they haven’t a clue, other than to borrow from foreigners and then stick our children and grandchildren with the bill for some future day.

A few years ago, a very intelligent man—a good friend of mine—and I had a conversation I won’t forget. He told me that he was getting out of the financial business because, in part, he was concerned about how much debt Americans were taking on. He knew that eventually our folly would catch up with us and feared a possible collapse.

Well, I don’t know if this is the collapse; I hope it’s just a warning shot across our bow. But in either case, one thing is clear: Business-as-usual can’t continue. Let’s recognize we can’t have it all—whether at the shopping mall or from government.

So first, we put our own houses in order. Next, we demand that our political leaders stop behaving like Santa Claus, or shop-a-holics in an outlet mall. In fact, I’m tempted to say we ought to be voting for the candidates who promise us the least goodies and tell us the hard truth: that is, that we have to start acting responsibly.

Tomorrow on “BreakPoint,” I will share with you a promising plan from one mature political leader who isn’t afraid to say it’s time we all sobered up.

In the meantime, contemplate the words of the Apostle Paul: “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.”

Today's BreakPoint Offer

Turn the world right side up. Learn about the 2009 Centurions Program and apply to study Christian worldview with Chuck Colson!

For Further Reading and Information

“Accounting for Disaster: Wall Street, Congress, and You,” BreakPoint Commentary, 23 September 2008.

“Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street,” BreakPoint Commentary, 17 Septemeber 2008.

Jim Landers, “Our Kids Will Pick Up the Check for Our Financial Mess,” Dallas Morning News, 23 September 2008.

“Wall Street Bailout Faces Lawmakers, Lobbyists,” BusinessWeek, 21 September 2008.

“Policymakers: Congress Must Move Quickly to Avert Damage,” Washington Post, 23 September 2008.

The Real Enemy

2008-09-24T08:37:00.000-05:00

The Real Enemy

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but... against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

The target is clearly defined; our enemy is spiritual. Keeping a clear focus on the true nature of our demonic assailants is essential. So much of a believer’s time is wasted, energy expended, and injury incurred because we spend ourselves battling people (flesh and blood) instead of the spiritual forces at work in a situation. In the process of attempting to wrestle believers into defeat in their personal lives, the devil attempts to divert the force of our “spiritual” warfare toward others—in our families, our churches, our work place and community.

The devil knows full well these two things: (1) if we start fighting other people, they will certainly oblige us and fight back, and (2) that if we start fighting each other, we will never get around to defeating him.

So, whatever (or whoever) you face today, make up your mind about the conflict. Our enemy is the devil. As we make war in prayer and make peace with those around us, the devil stands no chance of succeeding in our lives.

Chicago Cubs 2008 N.L. Central Division Champs

2008-09-20T19:31:00.000-05:00

Many moons ago back in the summer of 1969, I caught a fever. The symptoms were red, white, and blue and it was called Cub fever. The Chicago Cubs were in first place in their division and doing well until the Miracle Mets overtook them and the Cubs produced one of their patented slides from 1st to worst. Now it's been 100 years since the Cubs have won a World Series and the faithful are hopeful. But at the same time, we're not holding our breath because we've been close so many times and been disappointed. I believe, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. If the Red Sox can do it, so can we! Go CUBS!!!

Baylor Bears

2008-09-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

Baylor lost a heartbreaker to UConn on ESPN2 tonight, 31-28. I know UConn's not considered a football powerhouse, but they have a home winning streak of 10-11 games and tied for their conference championship last year. Baylor is 2-2 now and will probably struggle for the rest of the year. But with Coach Briles in place and Robert Griffin at quarterback, I think Baylor will be scoring some upsets this year.

Buffaloes Are Wild

2008-09-19T21:20:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. This is a brand new venture for me. I am attempting to record my random thoughts and regular ramblings. This is kinda scary for me because I tend to hold my innermost thoughts close to my vest. I'm not the deepest thinker or the holiest of believers but if leadership is influence, like John Maxwell says, I have to believe that I'm influencing those around me, for good or for bad. More later...