But What if God Doesn't Have any Fun Toys?

Last night as I was putting my youngest son, Brett, to bed we sang "Take me out to the ballgame" (one of his favorites) and then I sang to him "Jesus Loves Me".  After finishing, I looked in his eyes and said, "Brett, you know that Jesus died on the cross for your sin so that you can live with Him forever in Heaven."  His eyes were glued to mine, which is unusual, because he never looks anyone in the eye.  In that moment I thought he completely misunderstood what I was saying, but then IT happened!  He burst out crying uncontrollably and said, "But what if God doesn't have any fun toys??"  After several minutes of talking to him about how good God is and loving he is he finally calmed down, but not before naming things he would miss like his tractor and bike.

As we were talking I was thinking, my three year old doesn't want God or Heaven for the very same reasons most people don't want Him.  That is, they believe that if they have God they can't have all the other "fun" stuff in their life, and if they don't have the other stuff that they will be miserable and they will miss out on life.  Actually the very opposite is true.  If we have all the other stuff, but don't have God, we are  miserable and we miss out on life.


John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Mark 8:35-36  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.  36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Ruth: A Faithful Woman Before a Faithful wife

The story of Ruth has truly captured my heart.
One pleasure I have as a pastor is to officiate weddings.  This week we will have one at Oak Forest.  Weddings are special for many reasons, but one is that they are designed by God to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and his Church.  Weddings bring me so much pleasure because they remind me when I got married for the first time... well only time!  It is now 2:00 April 13th...it has been 7years 11 months and 1 day exactly since I was married to my enamoring wife Jaime.  Seeing two people young and in love tends to stir our hearts with emotion I know it does mine.  I think back to all of the feelings that were caught up in such an exceptional day.  At times those feeling seem so distant, but quickly I remind myself of all the time, effort, energy, and resources, I put in that caused those feelings to flourish.

The story of Ruth is wonderful to consider at this point because it is an enamoring reminder that a faithful woman comes before a faithful wife.  Verses 16 and 17 of chapter one seem to come straight out of a wedding ceremony.  
"For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die"
As I read these verses last week I thought of a wedding, however a wedding is not the context of these verses.  These words were spoken by Ruth before her marriage to Boaz.  Furthermore, they were not said about marriage.  The words were a simple expression of one woman's commitment... not to a husband, but to God.
At this point you might be thinking, "Hold on, those words were not spoken to God but to Naomi her mother-in-law", and you would be right.  But her faithfulness did not end with Naomi, her faithfulness was ultimately to God.  Notice that Ruth said, "where you die I will die."  Even after the death of Naomi, Ruth was going to be faithful.  "To who", you might ask.  Ruth's faithfulness was to God.  In chapter 2 we see that Ruth asks Boaz why he is being so kind to her a foreigner.  His response is wonderful.  he says in verse 11 and 12 that the kindness is actually from the Lord because she has taken shelter under His wing.


The love story of Ruth and Boaz is captivating.  Ruth seems the living example of the Proverbs 31 woman.  My hear is not captivated by Ruth, however, simply by her faithful devotion to her God and her husband.   The more I read the book of Ruth the more my heart is captivated by my wife.  How is it that she remains so submissive and respectful to such an unloving man at times I will never know.  But apart from the redeeming work of Jesus Christ there would be no parable to tell with our lives in marriage.


I read a book this week by a pastor I shall leave unnamed.  In it he said one of the most important things to look for in a wife is her physical beauty (beauty was not the most important, but among them).  I was shocked.  In our day and culture far more emphasis is put on physical beauty then it's worth.  For the one who is looking for a worthy woman to marry, find a faithful woman...she'll be a faithful wife


Proverbs 31:30
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."


My praises go out now to a woman who, although flawed, fears the Lord.  She has captivated my heart!  Charm, yes... beauty, yes, but more than that she is committed to raising two godly men who fear the Lord and love his glory more than their own.  Jaime no books may ever be written of you, but the value of your work is known the Father and he promises to reward all of our faithful work.  Stay faithful to Him, and thank you for being faithful to me.  

Go Make a Parable for Jesus' Sake

In my study for an upcoming series on marriage I ran across a poem by John Piper that I thought was worth exalting.

I wish I were so capable of writing
With apparent ease.
After long lengths of fighting
I find it hard to please
The ear
And compose a verse, that my beautiful wife will hold dear
Never the less, I love you Jaime without eloquence,
but simply and enduring from this time hence.
(That's the best I have for now.  The following words are from the pen of Piper.  However, the affections and emotions I share as well.)

In spite of all
My sin, God said, "Now go, enthrall
Yourself with her, and call her your
Delight, and keep your love as pure
As mine for you.  She is a gift
From me.  And if you ever lift
Your hand or voice against your wife,
Remember that I hold your life
Here in my hand.  Instead, go make
A parable for Jesus' sake,
And show the world the kind of grace
That put Jaime* in your embrace."

I fear I have not written well
This parable, and truth will tell
How marred the tender tablets are,
And time will show how deep the scar
That I have left with my poor script.
Too seldom was my stylus dipped
In oil before I wrote in this
Soft clay.  Some things a tender kiss,
Cannot undo, and worse is none
Than this:  The good that was not done-
The happy praises left unsung,
The bell of thankfulness unrung,
The exultation left unsaid,
And tears of sympathy unshed.

I wish that I could start again.
But that is not to be.  So then,
I will make good on this our day
Of anniversary, and say,
My wife is to be praised!  Let this
Be sung today.  Nor will I miss
This chance to ring the happy bell
Of hope and thankfulness, and tell
The world in words, I can't conceal
And inasmuch as it lies in
My power to let tears begin.

God has been good to me. Far more
Than I deserve he put in store,
And made me drink of this cup of bliss
From your kind hands, and taste the kiss
Of mercy all these solid years,
In spite of all my sin.  No fears
Destroy my hope that we will last,
Because God's mercy is steadfast,
And he delights to cross the broad
Expanse of all my sin, my flawed
Creation of this parable
Of love, and by his nearness, full
Of truth, make marriage here a place
To write the story of his grace.

*John's faithful wife is Noel

Sunday Worship... Who's the Audience?

This past Sunday I had the privileged of teaching a Sunday School class.  This month we are studying the "Epic Adventure"  of life.  We all have big plans and dreams for our lives, but there are times when life seems mundane and boring, at the very least not the epic adventure that we were hoping for.  The question that we're asking is, what's holding us back?  Why are we not achieving everything that God wants us to achieve.  one obvious answer is that our dreams are not His dreams.  But what about when are dreams are from God, and still we are not being all that He intended us to be?

We discusses three areas that hinder our "epic adventure" from Mark 11:12-25:

1. fruitlessness

2. Distractions

3. and Misplaced Faith

I wanted to give credit to Steve Gaines and Soren Kierkegard, with regard to the illustration that I brought up in class.  In  his book "When God Comes to Church", Steve Gaines uses an example by Soren Kierkegard, about the audience of our worship.

In short it goes like this:

There are three players in our Sunday service:

1. Coach

2. Performers

3. Audience

Usually the perspective is that God is the coach, prompting the pastor/music leader/etc.  He's the behind the scene guy whispering cues for the performers.  The performers are the ones on stage (pastor, music leader, musicians, etc.) trying to please the audience.  The audience is everyone else who are there to enjoy what is going on.

With this perspective we tend to leave church asking questions like:

Did you enjoy church today?

What did you think of the... message, music, temperature, volume, attendance, etc.

The problem is, that is not the right perspective of a Worship service.  Just like the Jews in Mark 11:15-19 we are often distracted from what our Worship service is, namely a service where worship is being given to/for God.

God is the audience not the coach.

The performers are all those in attendance, not the ones on stage.

The ones on stage are simply the coach directing the performers as present their worship be fore the crowd of one-GOD.

When that perspective is taken we no longer as questions like, "did you enjoy the service?".  We start asking...

Do you think God was pleased with that?

Did God approve of the music, the message, etc.

When you go to church Sunday know which part you play.  You are either the coach or the performer, but never the audience.

Blogging is Tough

This blogging stuff is tough.  I have a new found respect for those who write good books... and good blogs for that matter.  It's amazing that what is a good, clear thought in my head ends up being sloppy, confusion on my blog.  I have tried writing several, however, they just don't seem right.  I'll post a good one soon sorry for the delay.

Bible Arching

I can remember signing up for hermeneutics at Toccoa Falls College.  It was a fairly large class (incomparison to other Toccoa classes) and I can remember thinking that much of my future, as far as I could see, would depend on how well I learned what was being taught in hermeneutics.  Hermeneutics is a term used to describe the process of understanding and applying the Bible.  We were taught how to examine and critique a biblical text.  It has proved to be very helpful.  However, I wish there was another class offered in addition to the very valuable hermeneutics.  I wish we had a class on Bible Arching.  Bible Arching seems to be most helpful in exegeting a passsage of God's word, because is causes you to look at each proposition or statement made by the author, and understand how it relates to the whole without allowing you to pass over particular phrases or statements.  It also helps to keep you from reading your own interpritation into a particular verse.  You are forced to wrestle with each statement as it relates to the rest of the passage.  Bible arching is certianly not easy to do, like anything new it takes time and practice to do it well.  However, it seems to be one of those things that when done over the course of a lifetime can provide great dividends.  To get more information and training go to the Bible Arching web page.  There they  provide all the training necessary to begin understanding God's word in a deeper more meaningful way.

The Faithfulness of Ittai

"As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be" (2 Smuel 15:21).

The faithfulness of Ittai is put on display as an example for every follower of the King.

Absalom, in furry over the king's lack of concern for his sister's (the king's daughter) rape, undermined the authority of his father, the king, and stole the hearts of the people of Israel.  After getting word of the revolt that was about to take place David fled from Jerusalem.

Upon leaving Jerusalem, Ittai, who had not long before left his native city of Gath to join the ranks of the king, pledged his faithfulness to the king.  In spite of  David's wishes that Ittai return to Jerusalem, for the king did not know where or for how long he would be gone, Ittai pledges his faithfulness with these words,

"As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be."

Ittai was not trying to be a hero.  Even though he had been promoted quickly, Ittai was still fairly new in the kings army.  He was simply being faithful and loyal to the true king, David.

That is all we know about Ittai: he was faithful.  It appears that the battle that was fought between David and Absalom took Ittai's life along with more than 40,000 others, including Absalom's. 

May it be that each of us, as followers of THE King, be as faithful as Ittai.  If there is only one thing to be said of us upon our death, may it be that we were faithful.

72 hours

It takes on average 72 hours to read through the Bible.  That's a lot of reading, but very doable.  Just think, Reader's Digest reported last month that the average American spends 4and1/2 hours watching TV every day.  That's almost 70 whole days of TV a year!!!  If only 1/2 of that time was spent watching TV and the other have (2 hours and 15 min) given to reading the Bible we could read the entire Bible in 32 days.  In 10 years we could read throught the Bible almost 120 times.  In 40 years we could read the Bible almost 500 times!!!!

Most of us, however, won't read the Bible for 2.25 hours a day.  But did you realize that reading the Bible every year is easier than you might think.  The Bible can be read 6 days a week 15 minutes a day and be completed in a year for the average reader, or if you would like to get through it more quickly you can read the Bible in 90 days at 12 pages per day.
Some helpful hints to Bible reading. 
1. Don't start January 1st.  For some reason were not good at completeing our new year's resolutions. 
2.Start tomorrow. 
3. You might try reading the Bible in chronological order rather than Gen-Rev.  A good help there is the One Year Bible.
4. In some of the difficult passages listen to it being read.  How many times have we read to Numbers and stopped because of the geneolgies with names that are hard to pronounce.  This method is also good for those who read very slow.  I would also reccomend having your Bible open following along.
5. Read with a partner.  Either out loud or silently, and discuss what you have read.
6. If you miss a day don't beat yourself up, read a little extra the next two days.
7. Finally, PRAY everytime before you read that God would show wonderful things from His Word!

Imitation Christians

Imitation is a peculiar English word.  Imitaion was first used in the Latin language in 1502, derived from the word image.  However, when the word "imitation" is used in English it has a couple of different meanings. 

For example:
1. Imitation is used in a negative sense, in that, it is not authentic or real.  It's a fake.
2. Imitaion can also be used in the sense that it is a copy or duplicate of someone or something else.

When the followers of Jesus were called "Christians" in Antioch they were being called imitation Christs.  "Christian" means little Christ.  It was a slanderous remark that was being made.

When we read Hebrews 6:12 we are told to be "imitators"
 "...so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."(emphasis mine)

Also in Hebrews 13:7 it says, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God.  Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." (emphasis mine)

We are to be imitators, imitating the faith and patience (along with all other godly charateristics) of those who have already lived their life well. 

We are to be imitation Christians.  Not fake, or unauthentic, rather Christains that imitate those who have lived well already.  I think that the list of those who we should look to would be those who we know personally and have taught us God's word (Heb 13:7), and those who have gone on before us who we can only know by reading about their faith (Heb 11- 12:1).  Ultimately considering Jesus, (who we should know personally and by reading His autobiography) most of all, since he is the "founder and perfecter of our faith" (Heb 12:2).  Our faith begins with Jesus (Eph. 1:4) and is perfected by Him (Phil 2:12-13), but is aided by observing and learning also from those who have lived well in faith and patience.

Be an imitation Christian.  Find a good biography, and be filled with a joyful zeal to finish well.
I recomend a series of biographys by Dr. John Piper called The Swans are Not Silent.

God Knows Me

In Psalm 1 it says that the wicked and the sinner will not be able to stand on the day of judgement, but the righteous will. The question is why? and it is answered in v.6. "For" or because "the Lord knows the way of the righteous,"

Now in what sense does God know the way of the righteous, and in contrast not know the way of the wicked? Surely this is not a text that is trying to teach that God has limited knowledge (1 John 3:20). The knowing is a knowledge of a person not facts. God is unlimited is His knowledge of facts, but only a few (all believers) are known by Him.

Galatians 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Matt 7:23 gives us another glimpse at God's knowing.
"And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "

God does not "know" the unrighteous in the sense that the unrighteous are not united to God in a personal loving relationship.

Therefore, the reason that the righteous will stand in the day of judgement and the unrighteous will not is the righteous are known by God because they have been connected to Him in a loving relationship, because of faith in the work of Christ on the cross.

God knows me!!! To God be the glory FOREVER!

Collision

Can't wait to see this movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_l32YIVsnk

The appeal of evil

We all have seasons where we don't feel useful for God's Kingdom, but do not be deceived by the counsel of the wicked, the way of the sinner, or the seat of the scoffer. Find your delight on the meditation of the Word, and everything you do will prosper. Psalm 1

If it weren't for His kingdom, the counsel of the wicked, the way of the sinner, and the seat of the scoffer would be a good place to be.

The counsel of the wicked is really appealing. It draws us from a human perspective to see things only in regards to this world, and would probably be good advice if it weren't for the Kingdom of God. The way of the sinner would be the better way IF our hope was in this life only (1 cor 15:12-20). The seat of the scoffer would be a good seat to be in because they way Christians should be acting is ludicrous if there is no Heaven.

The antidote to succumbing to the counsel, way, and seat of the wicked is meditation on the Word of God and believing His promise that "in all that he does he prospers. The wicked are not so..."

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 says (paraphrased) Blessed is the man who delights in the Law of the Lord, and meditates on it day and night. "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season (emphasis mine).

In serving the local church I find myself wanting to yield all fruit in all seasons. With hundreds of "famous" pastors I find my self striving for ministries like theirs. One big problem... I'm not them and this is not the same church as theirs!

I am who God made me to be. I have a unique fruit. God didn't design me to produce "their" fruit He designed me to be me for a reason.

Not only do I have a unique fruit, but I have a fruit bearing season. The problem is my self-centered desire is to bear that fruit all the time. However, no fruit tree (at least that I know of) bears fruit year round. Most of the year it does not bear any fruit at all. It just sits there looking dead or at least fruitless. But no one cuts down a good fruit bearing tree just because it is not in season. The off season is good for the tree to be nourished so that at the prime time to produce fruit it has all the nourishment it needs to bear good, tasty, satisfying, filling, enjoyable fruit.

So it is with me. God has not designed me to bear all kinds of fruit, just one, a unique one. And that fruit won't be flourishing all year long. There will be a season where God will cause the fruit to flourish, but that can only happen if there is a good "off season" where I am finding my delight in the Law of the Lord, and on His Word meditating day and night. If there is no spiritual nutrition then there won't be good fruit to bear in season.

God's Will

Can anything thwart the will of God? Is there any created being that can successfully oppose the king of the universe? Can anything, anything at all prevent the will of God, or is God supremely sovereign over all of creation?

I remember singing as a little boy about the sovereignty of God it went like this...
My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do.
My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do.
The mountains are His the rivers are His the stars are His handiwork too.
My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do.

There is nothing in all of creation that can thwart the will of God especially not the will of man.
Job 42:1-2
Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

Proverbs 19:21
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

God I give you praise that you would choose me. There is nothing in me that warrants saving, but for your name sake you chose me, called me, and are sanctifying me. Praise be to God who sits upon His throne. May I never boast except in the cross of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

The Husband Planned the Wedding

Many hours go into the planning of a wedding. Everything from colors to cakes, dresses to decor, gown to grooms men, recital to reception, brides maids to beautiful music. Endless decisions about preferences: rice, bird seed, or bubbles; inside or outside; large wedding or small; real flowers or fake; bi-fold or tri-fold program; sleeves or no sleeves for the bride's maids; black, white, gray, blue, or burgundy tuxedos (ok I have never really seen a blue or burgundy tux except in my parents 1960's wedding pic). As I pondered weddings I wondered why it fell on the bride to make all of these decisions. Now I understand that every bride wants the fiance's opinion, and by opinion she means she genuinely wants the fiance to agree with what she wants. Nevertheless the bride makes the final decision, because ultimately it is her day.

But what if it were different. What if the groom was the wedding planner. What if it were up to him to choose all of the things that would be a part of the wedding day? Would the ceremony be in blue jeans and t-shirts and just the essentials- no music, no prolonging everything- just get to the "I do's" or would the wedding be the first of thousands of loving choices made by the husband to love his wife by considering her preferences above his own. Would he choose her favorite flowers for her to carry? Would he pick the color that not only matched the season, but desire of the bride? Would he labor over the details of the invitation that would please his wife? Would he plan the music and pick the dress that made her feel beautiful?

Would he love himself by loving his wife?
Ephesians 5:28
"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."

What if the wife planned the honeymoon and the husband planned the wedding?

Near Death in Nicaragua

This is the giant scorpion (well... maybe not giant) that stung me in nicaragua in June. We were building a pastor's house and it was in a cement block that I picked up.... it didn't like me messing with his house, even if we were building another one. And I guess I wasn't near death.. But that little scorpion sure did have a giant sting.

First Blog

To anyone listening...

First time blogger here!!! I can't wait to get started I hope this proves to be a good thing.
Not sure how anyone would find this page, but I guess it happens. Talk at you soon

Matt