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Dec 24thChristmas Thoughts
It’s still surprising to me that something that happened 12 years ago can still evoke the same sense of wonder now that it did then. It was right before Christmas, December 17th to be exact, that God suddenly showed up in my life again after a long absence. To this day, I can’t listen to the familiar hymns of Christmas without reliving those first weeks of hearing the words for what seemed like the first time and realizing bit by bit that this was no fairy story as I had long believed, but it had really happened.
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
The new-born King? King? I’ve been treating him like dirt my entire life . . .
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
I remember attending a performance of The Marriage of Figgaro in about 1985. The music was wonderful, but the opera part wasn’t doing a whole lot for me, mostly because it was in another language. Somewhere toward the end, though, everything changed as the music alone just reached right into my soul and pierced all the way through to something I didn’t even know existed. Suddenly my eyes were full of tears and I just wanted . . . . There were no words for what I wanted, but that haunting sense of longing for something I couldn’t even name never really left. What I wanted then, and wandered lost for another dozen years trying to find was what this song talks about – reconcilliation with God.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
I have to admit, I was pretty content with the idea of being worm food after I “passed on.” No need to get all worried about hell or anything nasty like that. All of the sudden, though, the idea of eternity started to make its way into my consciousness.
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
There’s that King thing again. What have I been doing all my life?
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
and wonders of His love,
How can righteousness and love go together in the same sentence?
Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
A thrill of hope . . . Is that what’s stirring around in my soul? Hope? Why would that be so thrilling about hope to an optimist like me? But it was.
Fall on your knees
Fall on my knees? Is that what I need to do?
What child is this, who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Haste! Haste! All my life I’ve been running as far and as fast away from this Babe as I can. Lots of ground to cover back in the other direction. Haste! Haste!
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him,
Born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O Come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Come and behold him . . . O come, let us adore him. This is what gets me. The instant the Christian radio station came on in my car that December day, I knew it was Him that did it, and I knew that what I really deserved was to be squashed like a bug for the many and various ways I had, often deliberately, rebelled against my maker. And yet . . . I knew that this was also someone who loved me enough to bring my headlong rush to destruction to a screeching halt. I have to adore someone like that. I MUST find out who he is and what’s next.
Begotten, not created;
This is God I’m dealing with — no longer a figment. Figments don’t make things happen in the “real” world.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing
I still relish those words – “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.” When we did the John study, I thought for sure since I was getting a 3-month head start that I would have the questions all done before we started. Little did I know that I would spend the next three months exploring that one Word that John confronts us with right at the beginning of his Gospel. What a marvellous thing God has done to appear in flesh for us. What amazed and astounded me and still thrills my soul is that except for the flesh part, Jesus is the same Word of God that we see all through the Scriptures. I didnd’t know that then. I just knew it was an incredible thing that I hadn’t even begun to get my mind around. Like dipping my little toe into an infinite ocean and sensing the raw power of the thing even though I’ve only touched the edge of it. Twelve years later, I still get that feeling that I’ve only touched the edge of that great ocean.
While I still suspect that we might be off a month or two on the actual date (check out when Zachariah was actually serving in the temple and do a little math . . . .), and I’m positive that most of the trappings of the season are purely pagan in origin, I love the songs, and I love that God stepped into my life just when these songs were being played on the radio, in the stores, and everywhere – all the time. No wonder atheists get irritated this time of year.
Jun 11thStill More Memorable Quotes
Sometimes the best preaching is the kind where all I jot down is quotes straight from scripture because there's not much "filler". That was the kind of message Paul Sr. preached Sunday morning. I've got about two whole pages of scripture and no fluffy stuff and nothing I don't know where to find in the Bible. But since the title of this post is quotes . . . .
Sunday night my brother from Brazil, Robson (pronounced Hobson) preached on Galatians 6:17.
"The marks — Scars always tell a story."
"What do you think about a person who would suffer so much for you?"
"The marks and scars we have will one day disappear. The only one left who will have marks on his body in eternity is Jesus."
"Jesus has the marks of love. It's a love that is eternal."
More from Jonathan:
"The Word became flesh . . . The world needs the word inside us to become flesh. They need to see the word lived out in our lives."
"We need to expand our vision and see this world as God sees it."
I think it was Rand who quoted this:
Some men die in battle;
Some die in flames;
But most die little by little
Playing silly games.
Phillip Pritchard had this to say:
"Some people think that missions began with the Great Commission, but it began with the fall of man."
"We must realize that, just as with Abraham, God blesses us so that we can be a blessing."
Jun 2ndPatrick
This was the first high school we went to. We spent an afternoon and a morning there, and it was truly a blessing. Besides the Bible distribution in the classes, we gave out dozens of tracts as the students were moving around from class to class.
In the morning, I got left behind with the boxes while the rest of the team took them to the classes. It wasn't long before I was surrounded by about 30 kids all curious about the white lady and the boxes. As soon as I told them the boxes were full of Bibles, they all wanted one. It about killed me that I couldn't just crack open a box and start passing them out right there. The hunger in some of their eyes was obvious. I had a good time laughing and cutting up with the kids. One guy told me he was Elvis Presley. Eventually, they all ended up with tracts and began to break up into groups of four or five and sit down to read them.
One boy in particular seemed especially interested in having a Bible. He was in 12th grade and told me his name was Patrick. I quickly asked God to get that kid a Bible somehow along with the group of girls who had sat down right next to the boxes. Later, I did see that Patrick had gotten a Bible and was grateful for that. A bit later he came back and gave me the tract that had just been given to him not too long before with his name and address on the back and a check mark in the box indicating that he had received Christ.
Patrick is one of about 40 or so kids who returned their tracts to one of us while we were still there. Pray that these kids will grow in their faith and pray that they will follow Jesus all the way into eternity.
Update: Someone (not me) actually got a picture of Patrick. That’s him on the end of the bench reading a tract.
May 10thQuote of the Day
The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an
appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable. John Piper
How many people do I know right now, today, whose idolatry is hardly recognized and nearly incurable? Too many. Hence, my subtitle: Pity the person who has never gotten around to living for eternity. I truly do pity those around me who really have no idea what they’re missing, and won’t until they find themselves willing to lose all that they might gain Christ. I found these riches early on, and I STILL find my appetite for God dulled by a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, or a computer. But there’s a picture in my head that God placed there the first time I entered a church again after 18 years of atheism of a hound dog chasing a rabbit with all the single-minded zeal and abandon that only a hound dog hot on the scent can exhibit. It’s that kind of energy with which I desire to follow after God.
But what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ.Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and do count them but dung,
that I may win Christ,And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God by faith:That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;If by any means I might attain
unto the resurrection of the dead.Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after,
if that I may apprehend that for which also
I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Jan 7thFather We Adore Thee
One of many songs I just love to hear and sing along with and wish were part of the repertoire at my church.
Gracious God, we worship Thee,
for salvation full and free.
Jesus Christ, our only plea,
Father, we adore Thee.
For Thy love so vast and wide,
shown to us by Him who died.
Holy justice satisfied,
Father, we adore Thee.
Now we bow before Thy face,
let Thy presence fill this place.
Oh the wonders of Your grace,
Father, we adore Thee.
Now again our song we raise,
sound of deep adoring praise.
Soon we’ll sing through endless days,
Father, we adore Thee.
Jesus Christ, our only plea,
Father, we adore Thee.
I have no hope, except that I believe that Christ died for my sins,
according to the Scriptures.
I expect to swing out into eternity on that.
(F. F. Brown)