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| Yeehaw! It’s a Roundup! |
It’s the end of another month! That means we need a roundup of all that was good in March & keep tabs on the best content this blog currently hosts.
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Month: March 2012
On My Penitent Face
There is Only You
The Smalltown Poets have touched me greatly because of their, well, poetic lyrics. They simply have a way of wording things that pull the right strings in my emotional fabric. I have been convicted over & over again by the song There is Only You.
How many times have I placed this or that ahead of my God? Too many times. The first commandment forbids us to have anything before Him. Yet I slip & can only echo the refrain in sheepishness: There is only You, Lord. There is only You.
And when we return there is grace. God’s grace is greater than the wrath of petty gods & worthless idols.
Growing more uneasy with every question asked.
It seems You’re jealous of my interests
And the graven things I’ve cast.
Waking resolutions of twenty years or more
That I would disallow golden cows my favor any more.
Your wishes set in stone, I broke the first of ten,
I’ve cleared this temple out, come take Your place again.
There is only You.
Tiptoe from an awkward scene,
not fooling anyone.
Am I dumb enough to kneel with my accusers
Or brave enough to run?
Petty daggers bounce weakly off my back.
I’m leaving breathless gods and secrets in my tracks.
Your wishes set in stone, I broke the first of ten,
I’ve cleared this temple out, come take Your place again.
There is only You.
To a thousand generations
Of the faithful man
You will show Your favor Lord.
There is only You (Love earth can’t replace)
There is only You, believe me (Heaven can’t erase)
There is only You (Find me on my penitent face)
There is only You
Sssome #BTSermon NotessS
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| Everyone Loves #BTSermon Time! |
The Premise
We had a fantastic feast last Sunday. We reveled in many international delights & enjoyed fellowship with the brethren. However, since we had such a grand day & afternoon, the evening meeting was cancelled. The only #BTSermon notes I was able to gather was from Wednesday night. Bruce Simpson spoke on Wednesday night, he is a missionary in Columbia.
The Quotes
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| The Message of Deuteronomy |
Deuteronomy comes up yet again! Remember there is blessing in store for the one who does as God commands. Note that the goal of obedience is submission to God’s will, not the desire for prosperity.
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| Ye Plethora of Points |
Some random points that Br. Simpson made:
- God’s word is: Supreme (over everything & should be esteemed as such), Sufficient (there is nothing more that is necessary in the Christian’s life) & Supernatural (it is not man-made, it is divinely inspired).
- A point made under the Supremacy of God’s word was that it is the basis of faith, which is a condition for the believer. Therefore, the word of God must also be preeminent in the Christian’s life.
- Faith necessarily motivates the believer to obedience. Obedience often leads to action in the form of good works. However, the works are always done accurately.
More Reading
Travelin’ Man
Somewhere North
Derek Webb of Caedmon’s Call uses the illustration of driving frequently in his writing. It reminds us that we are traveling through this world. By traveling through, we have a destination. That destination is definitely further north than where we currently reside. We, as Christians, live with a higher calling & a valuable citizenship. The benefits of our residency help us to take those “muggy nights” of this world in stride.
Still, we struggle with letting go. The author can only give a candid photograph as a token of his devotion–it is raw & vulnerable, but it is still only a picture. Scripture says we see things darkly, as through a mirror. But one day, we will see this life for what is really is & laugh at how hard it was to let go. One day we will see ourselves as we really are, our God as He really is & then we will enjoy unity in perfection. Until then, we long for something greater.
It’s a muggy night in Houston
And all the intersections are like full service stations.
I’m on my way to a familiar place.
It’s cold in Kansas City,
And you can no more hear me than I can see your face.
How I wish it was just you and me.
We wouldn’t have to talk above the crowd,
We wouldn’t have to talk so loud.
I give you my life and all I am,
But what have I to give
So I hand you a candid photograph of this little boy
‘Cause I have nothing to m name,
But I can give you that.
I don’t miss the driving. Seems like forever
And I’m always driving in my mind.
And wearing out the road that gets me there.
And I’m driving ’till my eyes just can’t see straight,
But I suppose that it’s getting late.
I may never find the sleep,
I’ve lost all feeling in my hands and
Feet may touch the ground but
My mind’s somewhere north of here.
Athletes With Shuffling Feet
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| Moses & the Red Sea |
The Bible
Read this section of scripture.
The Analysis
I recently heard the following statement as an analysis of this passage.
This story shows all the great, amazing things that God can do when we are willing to trust Him. Look at how the Israelites were able to get an incredible, decisive victory over the mighty Egyptian army. Amazing.
Is there anything wrong with that statement? Not particularly. Except for the fact that the people of Israel were not exactly “willing to trust” anybody. Heck, they were mutinous. They pointed fingers. They assigned blame rather than ascribe confidence. This is technically not an example of willingness to surrender anything to God.
Did Moses trust God? Sure he did. He had no other choice, really. What else could he do? If he admitted defeat, they’re all dead. If they tried to run, they’re all dead. Hide? Don’t make me laugh. The only option was to keep doing what he had been doing, place his faith in God.
But I think the fact that God did not have total surrender is an important & encouraging one. Do we always give God 100% of our trust all the time? I’m afraid the answer is no. How could we expect victory then? We can only expect victory because He does things for His glory. He takes the broken things & creates a work of art. He takes the shuffling feet & makes an athlete.
If you feel like an unsuccessful fraud, good. God can use you for His glory. He can take you out of your mess & create lovely portrait. He doesn’t even need full surrender–just know that the more you surrender, the more He will do.
More Reading
His Works & His Words
The Premise
This week I only got the chance to listen to Glenn Craig on Wednesday night. Therefore, those are the only quotes/notes that I have to offer. However, I’m certain that they will be both entertaining & edifying. We talked about Psalm 19, & having a desire for God’s Word.
The Quotes
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| Natural Revelation |
Glenn started by talking about natural revelation. Basically, God’s creation is so immense that it presents a case for a deity that is beyond the natural realm. This should activate the desire to know who He is. We have no excuses for unbelief.
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| Desiii-iii-ire |
Due to the 140-character word count, I had to chop this quote up. In case you don’t understand my shorthand, Glenn said, “As you read God’s Word, you will find how powerful it is. Your desires will be different. Your values will be different. And you will change.” God wants to mold you into someone who is very different than who you are; the process is called sanctification. He will give you the desires of your heart, & those desires will be pure. That comes through the reading of God’s Word.
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| The Value of Fiat Money |
What is Fiat money worth? Whatever the government says it is worth. Why? Because they say so. (God forbid they should change their minds!) Relativism is much like that, they state that there are no absolutes (which sounds like an absolute statement to me). This is contrary to scripture, which has the authority of God backing it. And by the way, He changes not. God’s Word is His specific revelation to us.
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| Who? Me? |
We have discussed the greatness of God’s works. We have discussed the greatness of God’s words. But amid all the greatness & splendor we sometimes forget who God’s audience is–who is He thinking of? He is thinking of me. His works are for me. His words are for me. Why would I not take hold of them? Why should I not desire them more & more.
Your Turn
You probably noticed that this week’s tweets took a different form. We engaged in a conversation on twitter! Feel free to hit the reply button, whether or not you were at the meeting, & we can discuss the impact any quote/note has on your life. Also notice that some of my tweeps are using other hashtags in addition to #btsermon, that’s cool too! Just get in on the conversation.
More Reading
- An Earnest Reading
- Romans Read Through < Glenn referenced Romans extensively throughout the message.
- A Resounding Yes
An earnest reading
Watch “Reading Psalm 19.7-11” on YouTube
Reading psalm 19. Prepping for tonight. Enjoy!
Reading psalm 19. Prepping for tonight. Enjoy!
Dressy, Casual, Laced or Slip-on
Tired Shoes – Eli
Tired Shoes
Verse 1
Welcome to the salvage store,
last chance for damaged goods;
last chance for damaged goods;
By now you know the hype was all a lie.
You see, I’ve been here for a while,
stacking souls in different piles,
stacking souls in different piles,
You can call me caretaker if you like.
Chorus 1
Stilettos on the left side, wingtips on my right.
The rest of them fall somewhere in between.
Well we all wear out with use,
and our souls take such abuse,
and our souls take such abuse,
Tired shoes, can’t remember what they’ve seen.
The metaphor is set in the first verse & our predicament in the chorus. Consider life as a grand salvage store where everything has been broken down. We have been ruined by the Fall of Man back in Genesis 3. Now we are all just wasting away, hoping in vain for someone to love us in the state we are in.
Verse 2
Every size and color, designer brand or plain,
Now they share each others company;
You see, I try the best I can,
to bring healing with these hands,
to bring healing with these hands,
A second chance before they rest in peace.
We are all in the same predicament. There is none righteous, no not one. (Check out Romans) The murderer & the petty thief may not consider themselves equals, but they are, in fact, equally disturbed by sin. But there is hope, there is a caretaker of this salvage store. He is trying to give the worn out, worthless shoes another shot at usefulness.
As I watched the old caretaker,
wearing sandals made from scraps;
wearing sandals made from scraps;
It was clear to me I
was unworthy to undo their straps
was unworthy to undo their straps
Who else said they were unworthy to undo another man’s straps? John the Baptist. Whose straps was he referring to? None other but the Lord Jesus Christ’s. He is the one who restores our souls (soles). He is the only one who can save. In fact, there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
Chorus 2
Stilettos on the left side, wingtips on my right
The rest of them fall somewhere in between,
Well we all wear out with use,
and our tongues give such abuse
and our tongues give such abuse
Tired shoes, give your souls to Him
This final chorus always gets me. Our tongues really do give a lot of abuse. The metaphor notwithstanding, our words carry more weight than we know & intend. This hints at James’ admonition to tame the tongue. But when my tongue wreaks havoc, I know that the Caretaker will take me back & bring healing.
You Can Start Today
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| Take the Plunge Today |
The Premise
This week, we heard messages from Dr. David Humphries on 2 Timothy 4 & Craig Fritchey on the importance of Bible memory. Check out the content below!
The Quotes
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| Dying to Leave |
It is a comfort to know that we can be ready for death. When one says, Prepare to meet your maker, it is not a hypothetical question, or a warning before a beat-down, it is something that can actually be done. We can be ready because of our confidence in what God is doing. His Presence is with us, His Protection is eternal & His Plans will always pan out.
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| Lonely Hearts Club Band |
Paul was alone. He had, in his own estimation, no friends to cheer him up. In that sense, he was like Charlie Brown, surrounded by people but no confidants. It is important to know that there is a feeling of loneliness in the ministry, & not to harbor bitterness as a result.
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| Turn Around, Bright Eyes |
Perhaps you do not feel comfortable with how your life is right now. That’s OK, right now can be the beginning of a new life in Christ. Move forward, & life with intent. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you.
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| Don’t Spit Into the Wind |
The things we talk about are the things that are most important to us. That’s what Jesus meant when he talked about the abundance of our heart flowing from our mouths. Do you consider God’s Word to be a hobby? Maybe you should try it out. Notice that there is another reference here to Jesus defeating Satan with Deuteronomy.
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| Seventh Heaven |
Not only should the Bible as a whole be enjoyable, there are other reasons to commit it to memory & know it inside & out. Some of these reasons are
- We are explicitly told to by God
- It helps us to defeat sin
- It helps us to evangelize
- It encourages us when we need it most
- It helps us as we seek God’s will through prayer
- We can meditate on God’s Word anywhere
- We can be our own Chain-Reference Bible in a Bible Study
Your Turn
You probably already noticed that we have a third tweeter, Mr. @skylarkk. I am glad to see the conversation grow. Take this as your open-ended invitation! Join the discussion!
More Reading
Hope to Carry On
“Farsighted” by Five Iron Frenzy
Introduction
I have been driven to think about many deep issues throughout the course of my life by music. Sometimes the right song can cause me to rethink how I perceive a situation, or how I respond to an impulse. I have been driven to my knees by song, I have also be fortified to face issues by lyric (or just an awesome guitar riff). I guess what I am saying is that I hope this series encourages whoever reads/listens to it. I plan to try & release a new one every Tuesday labeled #2sdayriff. If you’re feeling crazy, maybe you will nominate a #2sdayriff through twitter. I’ll be sure to check it!
Oh, another thing. You may/may not have heard some of these songs before. My tastes can be of the acquired variety & I tend to like the unpopular songs a lot. Onward!
Farsighted
Verse 1
To all the farsighted
the sky’s never been so clear
hello to the hopeful
goodbye to the full of fear
Glorious
Luminous
When Abraham was called out of his comfortable home & looked for that city built by God, he was farsighted. He was not so bogged down with the issues in his own life that he forgot the goal. Always remember that whatever we go through today, we have a better tomorrow in store for us.
Verse 2
Hello you daydreamers
hello to the in-between
Behold all you’ve wished for
promising things unseen
Glorious
Luminous
How can we get more if we do not seek more? C. S. Lewis argued that the Christian aspires to perfection, & therefore achieves an improved quality of life. I am currently training for a 5K. When I started, I probably could not have run the entire 5K, much less in a specified time limit. However, since I set a goal, I can now work toward that goal. By being farsighted, we can hope for better things. Our hope should serve as motivation for life.
Verse 3
Hello to the burnouts
the left out and left behind
for farsighted drifters
matchless
one-of-a kind
Glorious
Luminous
Just because we are farsighted, does it mean our paths are paved & smooth? Apparently not. Even Abraham had his momentary struggles. Jesus never said we would not feel pain, He just said we would be able to get through it. We can see beyond today into a promised land which is steady & sure to come.
Chorus
The rockets are burning,
the dreamers are at full swing
The heavens have painted
have brushed you with angel wings
and you know in your heart
that the farsighted see better things
Each Christian has experienced God’s personal touch in their life. Was it like a rocket bursting in the night sky? Was it like a beautiful sunrise in your heart, illuminating the darkness? Whatever that experience was, know that the truth of scripture can work with it, providing hope. He gives you hope, you can carry on.
We Talk of Holy Things 