Head-dibs

Reading through the life of Christ, I returned to the biblical account of what happened that day in the Garden of Eden  and was caused to reflect on the events of that day as it relates to the necessity of Jesus (Jesus makes sense when His life is viewed as His-tory). Let’s set the stage: God caused “to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food” (Gen 2:9a). Man was to receive his sustenance from the ground by means of nurturing and delicious trees found within the garden. Now let’s follow Adam and Eve’s attention as they are directed to notice two specific trees found among all the trees of the garden. We find “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:9b). Two questions: 1) What command does God give concerning the tree of life? 2) What command does God give concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Genesis 2:16 says “from any tree of the garden you may eat freely.” G...

English author and statesman Sir Philip Sidney (1554 - 1586) penned the following farewell poem, “Splendidis Longum Valedico Nugis“: "LEAVE me, O Love, which reachest but to dust, And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things! Grow rich in that which never taketh rust: Whatever fades, but fading pleasure brings. Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be; Which breaks the clouds and opens forth the light That doth both shine and give us sight to see. O take fast hold! let that light be thy guide In this small course which birth draws out to death, And think how evil becometh him to slide Who seeketh Heaven, and comes of heavenly breath. Then farewell, world! thy uttermost I see: Eternal Love, maintain thy life in me!" These farewell words are those of the son of the Lord Deputy of Ireland. He served as a royal attendant to Queen Elizabeth I, as an ambassador to the German Emperor and as a soldier who though living primarily in the pr...

"A church that is alive, a church that is one proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ is going to become an issue in the community. Jesus said, 'Woe unto you when all men speak well of you.' The church in the world must always be at opposite poles because light and darkness have no fellowship . . . A church that is a real living vital church is a church that is in the business of taking dead people and communicating to them the gospel that alone can make them alive. That's the mission of the church. There is no way biblically under the sun that the church can ever court the world. The church must be the conscience of the world. The church must be so well defined that it becomes the antagonist of the world. For those outside of Jesus Christ, this church I trust, I pray, this church will be the most uncomfortable seat in the world because we present a gospel that divides." Read the full message, " How To Play Church ."

Having a small child around the house again has brought some long-forgotten lessons back to me. For example, have you ever noticed how easily a child is quited and amused with trinkets, toys, etc--as long as he or she is not hungry? Once those pangs hit, we quickly learn that NOTHING will satisfy but what it craves--food. So it is with man and the matters of the soul. Music, flowers, incense, candles, banners, processions, clothes, acccessories, ceremonies, etc. may all do well under certain conditions, but once he or she feels the need of the soul, there is no contentment in anything save Him alone who completely satisfies.

"The invasion of the Church by the world is a menace to the extension of Christs Kingdom. In all ages conformity to the world by Christians has resulted in lack of spiritual life and a consequent lack of spiritual vision and enterprise. A secularized or self-centered Church can never evangelize the world." John R. Mott (1865 - 1955)

"I regard myself as an optimist. An optimist is a person who knows exactly how sad a place the world can be. A pessimist is one who is forever finding out." (Peter Ustinov, 1921 - 2004)

Isaiah 6:3 ; Revelation 1:8 ; Isaiah 43:25 ; 1 John 3:18-22 ; James 4:13-16 ; Micah 4:2 The Lord our God is enthroned on High, and we live in His world unstunned by His glory. The angels in God’s presence don’t dare to look or be uncovered in His sight; yet they dare not look at anything but Him nor do anything that is not pleasing to Him. They dare not say anything beyond calling out who He is. They are not merely overcome with astonishment, but are mobilized by the fear of who He is. Men live, move and have their being without guilt or shame, uncovered with high-handed sin in His sight. There is no fear of God before our eyes. If we did fear Him, He would receive much higher praise, louder and longer praise by all we say and do. “ Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had every imag...

“Londoners” by Oswald Chambers (written April 4, 1894 at age: 20) Busy, driving, rushing Londoners, Driven, palefaced, wiry blunderers, Striving ever, Praying never, Busy, driving, rushing Londoners. Thoughtless, flippant, godless Londoners, Tricky, gasping, cruel plunderers, “Doing” ever, “Done by” never, Thoughtless, flippant, godless Londoners. Tired out, weary, haggard Londoners, Beer-sopped, feeble, worn-out conjurers, Struggling ever, Resting never, Tired out, weary, haggard Londoners. Silent, lifeless, buried Londoners, Death and Time have proved true sunderers, Gone for ever, Remembered never, Silent, lifeless, buried Londoners.

Yep, it happened tonight folks. I watched the Superbowl. I don't watch sports but my kids had a big "to do" at church tonight, so I hung out and watched the big game with them. I tried to watch the Superbowl once, but it turned out to be quite a fiasco. My family gathered around as we prepared to join the game already in progress (we had just gotten home from church). I think they were more curious to watch me watch the game. So we came in, found a place, I grabbed the remote, turned it on and right there before my eyes was instant wardrobe malfunction. ***click*** and off it went. That was the last time I tried to watch. This time I was at church and there found that good Baptists, the people of the book, are easily transformed into the people of the play-book. I watched millions of dollars vaporize in 15 to 30 second mini-blockbusters and a few re-runs of old commercial classics. I thought I would be safe from any debauchery I had experienced last time--and was for the ...