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