inspiration on the oldies station

There was no post this week. There were final exams instead.

But, after some thinking, I thought that instead of posting nothing at all I could post the title of the post I was planning to write, which I think sufficiently explains where I was going.

It was,

"Santa, Baby" and Thoughts on Prayer

times and seasons

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-19

I remember reading this a few years ago and realizing for the first time just how significant times and seasons are to human existence. God created them and explained them and set it all up before there even were people.

Astrology has given the heavenly bodies a bad rap in Christian circles. It is good for us to think about the sun and moon and stars as the special gifts God made them, and glorify Him for that.

It is also important to realize that He has wired us to recognize and relate to times and seasons.

As we approach New Year's day and the dawn of 2007, we can look at it as a God-given reminder to take stock of where He has brought us this season and where He is leading us the next.

Let's start praying now for the new year.

And please pray for the prayer meeting we'll be having on New Year's Eve, that those who are planning it would have discernment and that Christ would be glorified through our time together, our prayers, and in His answers.

supplication for the saints

Here's a great idea for a resolution to make for the new year (or before . . .):

Praying for your Pastor

the engrafted word

Lately we've been talking about the Word of God and all that it is. Last night Nate challenged us to be people who tremble at God's Word.

How can we get there?

Here's one suggestion:

Four Steps to Transform Your Life (a longer version here).

If you're not ready to try it with a long book, try it with a short one (maybe 1, 2, or 3 John, or James or Philippians).

And as you read, remember this promise we read on Sunday morning, from Isaiah 55:

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
- Isaiah 55:10-11

relativism antidote

This is for everyone who is out there having discussions in college classrooms, cafeterias, or coffee shops. Here's something you may be hungry to hear (I know that I am, after school today):

There is objective truth.

It can be known.

It is exclusive.

I will say that again:

Truth is exclusive.

Truth is exclusive.

Truth is exclusive.

This means that there are things that are right, and, necessarily, things that are wrong. If we don't have a truth that can withstand attack and be the ONLY when everyone else's "truth" is one of the many, then we don't have anything worth sharing.

Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. We also know that His Word is truth. And we also know that He has sent the Holy Spirit to remind us of the things He said and to accomplish His work in the hearts of those who listen.

Because of the help of the Spirit, we are not alone when we study or share the Word of God. And we can be assured that the truth we find there is the real thing, not one of a million equally viable options for what we can choose to accept as our own personal "truth."

This is hard to live out in a classroom where you may be the only person who [knowingly] acknowledges the existence of objective truth in the first place.

Let's pray for each other that we would be bold to share God's truth with the people in the house or desk or cubicle next to ours.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

-Ephesians 6:10-20

See you tomorrow night!

giving thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Please be praying for the Thanksgiving dinner at church tomorrow, that God would be glorified in all that happens and that people would be drawn closer to Him. And everybody who'll be there, know you're being prayed for!

This week, in between wrapping up school and fighting with turkeys on the frozen food aisle, I've been thinking about the importance of giving thanks. It makes me think about the story of Jesus and the ten lepers in Luke 17:

11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

It seems like a lot of times I mean to say "thank you" to God or to give Him the glory for something He's done, but not so often that I actually do it. Even when I do these things in private prayer, how often do I verbally give God the glory in front of other people?

In the past couple of months I've been very encouraged by hearing Christian brothers and sisters at church directly giving glory to God for things that He's accomplished in their lives. When we step out in obedience and give Him the glory, we really don't know what He plans to work out through that. Many times I think He works it out for the encouragement of others in ways we would never understand.

Let's not be like the nine lepers who never came back to Jesus, so that He will not look at us and ask, "were there not any found who returned to give glory to God?"

variations on a theme

Hey all, check this out this week if you get a chance:

Thank God for an Inspired Bible

It is a sermon by John Piper on the inspiration of Scripture (just exactly what we were talking about Thursday night!).

God is good!

on being drunk

Last Thursday night we studied 1 Thessalonians 5, which includes this passage:

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Those who were there on Thursday will remember the story Nate shared about the conversation he'd had with the proprietor of a Middle Eastern restaurant. When Nate explained his job teaching young people about God, the man replied by describing how "drunk" people in the US seem when it comes to God and religion.

The Random House dictionary has a good definition of drunk: "being in a temporary state in which one's physical and mental faculties are impaired by an excess of alcoholic drink." But how does having one's "physical and mental faculties" impaired relate to the American perspective on God?

In the abstract, there are a couple of applications. People are made "drunk" by consumerism and a lifestyle of plenty. And made drunk by the constant drive for entertainment and things that occupy our minds without exercising them. And made drunk by a culture that insists that there are no consequences, that what John Lennon imagined is a good thing.

But I saw some concrete applications of this on Saturday when our FAITH team was doing some door-to-door visiting. We went from house to house passing out MCBC brochures and asking people if we could pray for them. Several people declined our offer with variations of "everything's good, thanks." One man told us that his family had a bad year last year, but that they didn't need prayer this year because things were much better. Another lady said that her family didn't need prayer because everyone was in good health. A couple people waved off Jim's or Nate's mention of Jesus with "I really don't want to get into that right now."

Part of me wants to assume that the people who waved us off were secretly hiding their true feelings of spiritual depravity and struggling desperately to silence the voice of the yawning God-shaped void that infuses all their waking and sleeping hours.

But I think that, truthfully, most were probably just drunk. They say "things are good" because they believe "things are good."

How can we get people to stop being drunk? How can we get them to see that there is a heaven, a hell, and a just God who vehemently hates their sin? How can we help them to know that there is a love, joy, and peace in living for Christ's glory that is greater and deeper and sweeter than anything the world has to offer?

I don't know.

But I know one thing that would help:

not being drunk ourselves.

In the psalms, David used very vivid imagery to depict his hunger and thirst for God:

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.

I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

In our post-agrarian culture it is hard to understand the picture of a "thirsty land," just as it is hard to understand what true hunger and thirst are. We are fed abundantly. Our needs -- and, beyond that, our wants -- rarely go unsatiated.

So, here's an idea. Maybe we should try practicing hunger once in a while. Yep, practicing hunger. In other words, fasting.

The most common type of fast is a fast from food for a pre-determined number of meals or days. Plan to spend a fast day in prayer, and let the growling stomach or the caffeine-deprivation headache remind you to be back on your knees before God.

There are other types of fasts, too. These kinds of fasts can help us realize how attached we are to things in our lives that may be dulling our hunger for God. Other types of fasts could be

• fasts from TV
• fasts from the Internet
• fasts from video games
• fasts from movies or going to the movies
• fasts from instant messaging or text messaging

If anything on this list makes you think, "fasting from that would be impossible!" think twice about whether that may be the fast for you.

Let's be hungry, thirsty people.

new [!] and improved [?]

Just to add some semblance of regularity to this blog, I'm going to experiment with some regular postage (so maybe it should be "posting").

The schedule is . . .

• long post on Wednesday
• Thursday night Bible study follow-up on Friday
• announcements whenever

Eventually we may expand to Sunday School and sermon follow-up . . .

Until then, check back on Wednesdays and Fridays for new content.

thanks to Elsa . . .

for the reminder that this Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

Here are some readings on persecution and the Christian life:

Hebrews 13:3
Matthew 5:10-12
Proverbs 24:11
2 Timothy 3

mirrored here, may our lives tell Your story

Yesterday in my journeys around the internet I ended up in a little neighborhood of atheist/secularist/infidel web sites, and eventually at the web site for the book An Infidel Manifesto: Why Sincere Believers Lose Faith.

I thought I was beyond being discouraged or muddled by this stuff.

I was wrong.

Something about questions like "why does a good God allow children to suffer?" is perennially disturbing. I know (head knowledge) answers to these kinds of questions, but it's easy to start thinking "you know, I think the cynic has a point there . . ."

Reading through the cynic stuff, though, I was struck by the cynic's implied assumption (impressive Greek word for this: enthymeme) -- God exists to make US happy. Operating off this assumption, if there is sadness, pain, or unfairness in the world, then God isn't doing His job.

A lot of Christians tend to operate off this same assumption. And we measure happiness the same way the world does: nice stuff, success, the absence of suffering.

But Jesus gave us a different assumption and a different measure. God, in seeking His own ultimate joy and happiness, subjected His only Son not only to excruciating physical agony, but to the more intense agony of complete separation from Himself. Why did He do this? One reason is so that we could be with Him at His right hand, knowing "pleasures forevermore."

The ultimate reason is to bring glory to HIMSELF.

Does God care about joy? Yes. Does joy exclude suffering? No. Could joy -- true, deep joy -- even exist without suffering?

Are there times that human suffering brings God more glory than plain vanilla happiness ever could? You bet.

Something about this idea grates on our human nature, and I think it's probably one of those lessons that takes a lifetime (and then some) to learn.

---------------------------------
P.S. -- Here's a good article I found this week about the relationship between pain, joy, and God's ultimate glory:

Unexpected Callings
by Suzanne Hadley

to chew on

Here's a link to the set of biographies that Nate was talking about tonight.

Dig in!

And if you listen/read one that you think would be good for others in the group to see/hear, go ahead and post a comment about it.

SO not Hollywood

As young adults, we're in a season of decision-making.

Whether it's jobs, location, or relationships, we're making ties now that will impact our lives, the lives of our families, and the lives of our children (and grandchildren and great-grandchildren).

In all of those choices, the world is screaming at us to do what feels good. Find the job that feels good. Find the place that feels good. Find the relationship that feels good.

What God asks us to do couldn't be more different. He asks for submission. Complete obedience. But the best part is that He does this for our (and His) ultimate joy. How many jobs, places, or relationships that feel good at first end up being totally wrong later?

But submission is hard. And it helps to have examples of people who have been there already and made the right decisions.

One of the most challenging things I've read on this topic is the letter that an aspiring missionary, Adoniram Judson, then in his early twenties, wrote to the father of the girl he wanted to pursue in marriage.

Is this the kind of vision we have for the choices that we're making right now?

I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteous, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?

(P.S. -- Her father let her decide, she said yes, and -- because of the same dangers Adoniram foresaw -- she died on the mission field 13 years later. Both husband and wife are in heaven today, along with the children they buried and the Burmese people they led to Christ.)

time, entertainment, and Jonathan Edwards

Here's a challenging post from Motte Brown at Boundless about entertainment and the way we spend our time.

I wince every time I think of Jonathan Edwards's Resolutions, but that probably just means I should pay more attention to them.

Thoughts?

grace like rain

Hey everybody,

Thanks to all who've been praying for the FAITH teams on Monday nights. Tonight our (Nate and Emily's) team visited two families who came to church yesterday, and the dad at the second house prayed to accept Christ!

It was an awesome experience. It seemed like the man was waiting for someone to come and share the message with him; he sat us all down and asked, "do you have something to share with me?" He had been laboring under the burden of thinking that his good works would get him into heaven. Please pray that he would come to know more fully who Christ is and to embrace what the call of Christ means for his life.

Please also continue to pray for all of the FAITH teams, and that the Lord would bring Himself glory through their work.

AND . . . last but not least . . . ask God for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with people in your life. He may have plans for you to be on a FAITH team next semester!

When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:

"For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever."

2 Chronicles 7:3

Prayer Meeting

We have a date for the next prayer meeting. Please feel free to invite anyone (from school, work, family, etc.) who would be willing to join us in a time of prayer and supplication.

Please also begin to pray for the prayer meeting, that we would be obedient to God's leading and willing to follow Him where He tells us to go.

What: an evening of prayer
Where: MCBC sanctuary
When: Friday, October 27, 7:00 p.m. (come when you can)
Who: anyone willing to join us for an evening of prayer
Questions? e-mail Nate

chili, cheese, pumpkins, and birthdays

Coming this Sunday . . .

What: autumn birthday celebration, team friendly pumpkin carving (sorry, no make-a-balloon-pumpkin contest), chili cheese fries
When: Sunday, October 15 after evening worship
Who: college & career & friends
Questions? e-mail Emily

Do you have a holy ambition?

(Now I know how to post video. Yippee . . .)

for your listening edification...

Here's the link to the conference audio for the Desiring God conference Nate went to.

And here's the specific link to the session by Voddie Baucham. This one is especially relevant to college-age people who are constantly running into professors, students, and friends who deny absolute truth and seem to be comfortable entertaining incompatible ideas (for example, that there is a God, but that He isn't in control of our lives).

Baucham says that all people everywhere and in every time have asked four questions:
1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. What's wrong in the world?
4. How can what's wrong be made right?

The answer the world gives, he says, is "you're here to consume and enjoy." Sound familiar?

FAITH Teams

First off, thank you to Nikki for the encouragement about this blog. Ideally, this will be a forum for our group to keep everyone (including our C&C missionaries in Chula Vista and Louisville) posted on what's happening and to have a place to share links or ideas.

Anyone who has suggestions for things to post or ways to improve, feel free to shout them out.

Second, I'm not sure whether everyone's aware of the C&C representatives that are on this semester's FAITH teams at church: Nate, Brendon, and Emily. It would be really encouraging if everyone in the group would pray for our FAITH team members and that the Lord would bring Himself glory through their work.

The goal of the FAITH teams is to go meet the needs of people -- both church members and others in our community. Of course, the first need is for people to know and surrender their lives to Jesus, so there's a strong emphasis on evangelism. But we also make visits to pray with and encourage people and to let them know what's going on and how to get involved in our church.

All that to say that our FAITH teams would appreciate your prayer AND that if you know anyone who would be benefited by a team visit on a Monday night, please let Don know.

resting and wrestling

Here is a link to a great sermon from John Piper on personal relationships in the church. Listen to it if you get a chance this week. Christian relationships, Piper says, should be about "resting and wrestling" for the cause of Christ.

With God's help, our group can be that kind of group.

He is GOOD, and His love endures

The prayer meeting last night was awesome and humbling.

Pray that we don't forget the things God showed us last night.

Last night we learned a new song, "Lord, Let Your Glory Fall." If anyone is interested to know the background for that song, it's the story of the dedication of the temple during Solomon's reign (2 Chronicles 7). It's the context for 2 Chronicles 7:14 ("If My people, who are called by My name . . .").

But there is so much more in that chapter. God brought everyone face-down to the ground with His glory that day. Then just 14 verses into it He's giving directions for what to do when they fall away. He knew.

So, if you haven't read that chapter lately, go read it and see what God did, as the song says, "on that ancient day."

He is good!!!

joy comes in the morning

Here's a nifty post from the Boundless blog about morning quiet times.

Morning worship is, interestingly, something that comes up in Psalms a lot.

Here are some examples:

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
--Psalm 5:1-3

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
--Psalm 55:17

But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.
--Psalm 59:16-17

Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
--Psalm 88:12-13

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
--Psalm 92:1-3

I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help; I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
--Psalm 119:147-148

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
--Psalm 143:8

Makes you think God knows we can't even do so much as start our days without coming to terms with our insufficiency and His all-sufficiency.

prayer meeting Friday

Next Friday night we'll be having a prayer meeting.

Please pray for the prayer meeting, that it would be a time of seeking God's face and hearing His voice. As Don challenged us last night, it would be great if everyone would commit to carve out several prayer times in your daily routine, like David describes in Psalm 55:16-17,

As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.

This is a really exciting time for our group, as we ask the Lord to glorify Himself through our lives.

Here's the important info:

What: prayer meeting
When: Friday night, Sept. 15
Time: 7:00 p.m. - ? (come whenever you can)
Where: church sanctuary
Who: anybody who wants to pray for God's glory to be shown through our lives, our families, and our church (feel free to bring friends!)
Questions? post a comment or email Nate

See you there!

readings on prayer

Since this Thursday night's topic is prayer, I thought I'd post some Boundless articles that have helped me to understand how prayer fits into our daily lives.

An Eye-Opening Rendezvous
John Thomas
The experience of one college student who found himself at a prayer meeting at 6:00 a.m.

Pray Boldly
Candice Z. Watters
Yes, the article is about praying for a husband. But it's a universal principle, applicable even to people not asking for husbands.

BA: Discovering Your Purpose
This is one that seems to come up a lot for us. Where does prayer fit in to discovering your purpose in life?

Please post thoughts or comments on these articles, or links or ideas for things that have shaped your understanding of prayer, or just post a comment to say hello.

Sunday Prayer Walk

This Sunday, September 3, we will be having a prayer walk on the campus of Golden West College.

We will be walking around campus and praying for the activites that take place in the different areas, for the students who study, and for the professors who profess.

We will be asking God to work in their lives and to use the Christians on the campus to bring His truth to those they study with.

If you attend GWC, we'd love for you to participate and pray along with us. We look forward to watching God do wondrous things in our lives and on our campuses this semester.

So, here's the run-down for Sunday . . .

What: GWC Campus Prayer Walk
Who: Anyone willing to pray for the students, faculty, and activities of GWC
When: Sunday, Sept. 3 @ 12:00 noon -- meet at the church for pizza lunch, orientation, and carpooling
Questions? Email Nate

See you there!