Beatless

Do you ever get the feeling that your final accountability will place extra emphasis on whatever act you are engaged in moments before you die? Before I became a believer, I often sensed that my final deeds would count most. Today, I believe that less, since my judgment was already settled long ago at the cross. However, my mind still has me imagine scenarios of my last moments. Weird?
Tomorrow, our worship team is up, and I count it a blessing to get to praise on the day of Pentecost. I happened to stumble upon this article tonight, wherein the author posits his theory that the rapture could happen on Pentecost. It brought to mind an image of being raptured right out of the drum throne, instantly in front of HIS throne. Whew! Lord, no matter where and when You might come for us, may you find us serving and worshiping You. Maranatha.

Harvest Event

Click the pic for larger image:

Luke 17:11 - 17 (Thankful)

Wow, what a week and a half it's been! Last Tuesday (4/10), my employer called me in and told me that I was laid off, with no further income or medical benefits beyond that day. Obviously, I wasn't happy with the suddenness of the decision, but honestly felt that God had a plan. My first thoughts were the words of Romans 8:28:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

As a matter of fact, my daily Bible reading the day before had included the passage in Matthew 6:28-34:

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

As I read that passage in my car, I looked up to see some beautiful pink flowers blooming (some already wilting). It really hit me how God's creative love spills over on to flowers, which last such a short time.
My first action was to seek the prayers of everyone I knew, including my church's staff, guys at Bible study, and anyone I knew who believed in prayer (to the God of the Bible).
Three days later (before unemployment insurance could kick in), I had a job offer from a respected agency in the same town I'd been working in. There was no interview - just a flat out offer to come work with them. The renumeration will probably end up looking a tad better than where I'd been.
The only thing that made me hesitate to take the job was another potential position in Canada, where they were willing to fly me up for an interview if my family would seriously consider instant relocation. This was hard to decline, but many things colluded to show me that now is just not the time to drastically alter the family scene. I only mention it because it seems to me that God was telling me something like:

"Tom, not only do I have the power to keep you on your feet with a local job, I can also get you placed anywhere on the planet. My resources and love know no bounds. Keep Me uppermost in your heart, and EVERYTHING else will be taken care of."

I did not hear this voice audibly, but I trust that it was Him, because of the timing of the Matthew passages He'd just had me read.
So here I am, 12 days later, re-employed, and more assured than ever that God is behind everything. One song we often play in worship includes the line (about God): "You give and take away." I'll be playing this with new-found enthusiasm next time we do it.
More than anything, I am thankful to God, and all the people He used to comfort me, and pray for this family. If you're reading this, and you were one of the folks who prayed, I thank you for your faithful prayers. May God help me to share Him even more. Thank you God for the privilege of prayer. May we never forget that prayer is your gift to us, regardless of the outcome.
Of course, for all I know, this new job could result in some kind of earthly disaster. I don't think that, but it's possible. The funny thing is, this experience has not merely taught me to trust that God has my earthly concerns covered, but even more - that His larger will is being done. Lord, thank you for increasing my faith. Please continue to strengthen it through whatever earthly events come my way. Your will be done. Amen

What Is A Christian?

This is a good summary of what it means to be a Christian. Happy First Fruits (Easter)!

The Miracle of Passover

Courtesy of the late Zola Levitt, here is an amazing, two-part teaching on Passover. If you ever wondered if Passover and Christian Communion have similarities, this teaching will settle the issue for you. These online videos require a broadband connection, and realplayer. Seriously, this teaching is excellent. Zola, as usual, exudes warmth, a sense of humour, and God-given wisdom.
Part 1 - http://www.levitt.tv/media/links/ZLV-543.ram
Part 2 - http://www.levitt.tv/media/links/ZLV-544.ram

Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God

My Father (the earthly one) once told me that he appreciated a good fire-and-brimstone sermon, as compared to a watered-down appeal to "be good." Well, in my near 4 years of being saved, I've not heard a more frightening wake up call than Jonathan Edwards' classic: "Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God." Here it is, with updated language (the original was first preached in 1741).
This sermon helps remind me why Hell MUST be eternal. The answer is also why hell must exist at all, and be so horrible. God will be glorified in one of two ways: A) By showing His unfathomable love, or B) By showing His equally devastating, powerful wrath. Would you respect a so-called righteous judge who let known criminals free? Some have wondered why the punishment must be so harsh. My response would be: "Do you believe punishments should fit the crime?" If so, how should one be punished for a lifetime of offending the explicit laws of one's creator? Should that punishment be made more severe if the judge Himself took the offender's punishment, but the offender said "forget you - I'll take the punishment myself?" Should the judge go light on the offender when His offer to transfer the punishment involved brutally killing his Son?
The Bible says that no eye has seen, nor can any man even imagine the wonders God has in store for those who love Him. I recently heard a preacher suggest that God must give us a new body - including better senses - to be able to handle the pleasures of heaven. Without such upgraded pleasure sensors, we would simple explode (or something similar) at God's glory. Conversely, hell will involve the flip side of that - unimaginable horrors. God will make our bodies eternal one way or the other after death. Those in hell will have a body where "the worm dieth not." Thus, those in hell will also have an "upgraded body." That body will be one that has all the capacity for feeling an eternity of excruciating pain, with none of the hope of a moment's reprieve. Either way, we are all destined for an eternity of understanding (in a highly personal way) God's power. The only question is, do you want to understand that power as it manifests in love, or punishment. God's word tells us that he desires that none should suffer His wrath, but He gives us the choice. Have you made your decision yet?

A Tisket a Tasket, an Unimportant Casket

From Way of the Master Radio comes this list:

“They found the casket of Jesus”

45 Pithy Comebacks

1. Explain to me why a poor family from Bethlehem would be buried in a middle class grave in Jerusalem.

2. Mary, Jesus and Joseph were the most popular names in Israel at this time. That is why the Jewish archaeologists who first discovered these caskets in 1980 NEVER claimed these belonged to the family of Jesus. The odds are too preposterous.

3. Israeli archaeologist Joel Rosenberg believes this new film is nonsense.

4. So does Jewish archaeologist Amos Kloner.

5. There is no credible evidence that Jesus was ever married. The only possible reference to Jesus being married is in a 14^th century manuscript (Acts of Phillip) that nobody deems credible.

6. There is no evidence that Jesus had children.

7. They claim they have proof that Jesus had a baby. We can’t even determine the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby. (Jay Leno)

8. As there is no credible evidence that Jesus was married with children, this discovery does not prove that Jesus was married; it proves that these caskets don’t belong to Jesus. If Jesus was not married to Mary, this whole theory collapses.

9. If Jesus had a wife and children, wouldn’t Jesus have told John to only take care of His mother when He was on the cross?

10. Jesus son of Joseph is hardly legible.

11. Professor Stephen Pfann in Jerusalem believes the name “Jesus” should actually be interpreted “Hanun.”

12. For such an esteemed Rabbi, the family sure did a sloppy job of inscribing His name on the casket.

13. Jesus is never referred to as “The son of Joseph” in early Christian witness. That is the inscription on the casket.

14. If you were going to hide a casket, would you put it in Jerusalem and label it “Jesus”?

15. Why did they only test the DNA of the Jesus and Miriamne casket and not the caskets of the others? Because if they discovered that the DNA didn’t match, their story would crumble.

16. The scientist who did the limited DNA testing said, “Don’t be deceived by the media. This type of DNA testing cannot test every relationship.”

17. There is no DNA baseline available to prove this was the burial box of Jesus.

18. Miriamne e Mara is not legible, they are speculating.

19. Miriamne e Mara is almost certainly interpreted wrong. “Mara” is probably a contraction of Martha and is probably a second name.

20. Miriamne is NOT Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is not written on the casket.

21. Is the Yose (Joseph) married to Maria? Who knows?

22. Is Jesus married to Miriamne? Who knows?

23. The name Miriamne is not found in any credible text. Not one. The only time that we can find the name Miriamne is in reference to Herod’s wife, Miriamne.

24. Matya (they claim that is Matthew) is found on one of the caskets. If this is Matthew, why would Jesus’ disciple be buried with him?

25. There is no evidence that Jesus had a brother named Matthew.

26. Defenders claim that if Joseph and Mary had more children than what the Bible lists, “The name Matthew is consistent with the type of name that Mary and Joseph might have named one of their children.” That is not a credible argument.

27. They simply left Matthew out of the picture to make the statistical analysis look better.

28. They are doing their statistics backwards. They start with the presupposition that this is Jesus tomb and then try to determine the odds. You can’t do that.

29. If we found a gravesite today with the names John and David, John’s son (the equivalent to Jesus and Joseph) could we conclude which John this was? How many John’s have had a wife named Mary and a child name David in the last two centuries? Then if you knew that David was unmarried and from Los Angeles, but the tomb was found in New York, would you feel confident you had identified the right David?

30. Joseph’s tomb is missing. Why?

31. Jesus’ half-brother Jude is missing. Why?

32. Jesus’ half brother Simon is missing. Why?

33. Jesus sisters may be missing. Why?

34. If Jesus was buried and didn’t rise from the dead, why did Jesus’ half brother, James, die preaching that Jesus rose from the dead?

35. Ditto for Jude.

36. How could the family have kept this a secret from the early church?

37. Wouldn’t the Romans been able to find this casket and end the dispute?

38. Wouldn’t the Jews happily dug up this casket to put an end to this new Jewish cult named Christianity?

39. Trying to resolve whose caskets these are is like trying to figure who put the first dagger in Julius Caesar.

40. While science and CSI techniques can be helpful, we don’t have a time machine to take us back to the first century.

41. Eisegesis is when you form a conclusion and then go find the evidence for your theory. That is what they have done here.

42. There are a thousand scenarios to explain this. To assign ownership to Jesus is simply not reasonable.

43. We have films and eyewitnesses of the JFK assassination and we still can’t figure out who killed him.

44. If this were a civil case, it would be laughed out of court.

45. Wow! You trust this film more than the Bible? Now that’s faith. The Bible is a more reliable source of information than this circus of evidence.

Sources: Dr. Albert Mohler (www.albertmohler.com) Dr. James White (www.aomin.org ), Dennis Ingolfsland (www.reclinercommentaries.com)

Nathan Busenitz (http://faithandpractice.blogspot.com/)

Shalom, eh!

We don't get a whole lot of Canadian news in the big media down here in North Carolina (despite our NHL team winning the cup last year). The stuff I do find is usually on the net. I keep seeing stories about Canada's current PM being a big supporter of Israel. Way to take a stand, Mr. Harper! Kosher maple syrup anyone?
Harper Supports Israel

What Is Sin?

Since getting an mp3 player for Christmas, I've discovered the wonderful world of podcasts. Other than the Bible -in -a -Year, one of my favorites is by John Piper. Since listening to his daily 15- minute messages for the last month, this one takes the cake. Here's the link where you can read it, listen to it on your computer (it's just an mp3 file), or put it on your portable player.
http://www.desiringgod.org/Radio/PreviousBroadcasts/194/
Without giving it away, Piper masterfully summarizes Romans to help us understand that sin is primarily an offense to God (above and beyond how it impacts our human relations). This is a powerful sermon. Please give it a listen.

Ahmadinejad’s iPod

Iranian President eases tension between “Annihilate Israel” speeches with musical inspiration from his iPod. Top 10 guesses at his favorite playlist:

1. - Borat’s “Throw the Jew Down the Well” extended mix
2. - “If Annihilating Israel is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right”
3. - How To Win Friends and Annihilate Israel (spoken word)
4. - Don’t Know Much About History (Shoah Remix)
5. - "Make It Naughty, Bring the Mahdi”
6. - "My Mom the Imam”
7. - "To Russia With Love” movie soundtrack
8. - 7 Habits of Highly Effective Megalomaniacs (books on cd)
9. - Any jazz FUSION
10. - Def Leppard’s “Armageddon It"

1960's revisited

My 12-year-old son came home with a fascinating (to me) homework assignment last week. He was to create a PowerPoint presentation on 1960's music, tying the music of that decade in with the important events of that time. Having been born in 1967, and having experimented in many of the substances, philosophies, and music of that era, I jumped on the opportunity to be "homework helpin' Dad."
I'd never really looked back at what I knew about the sixties since coming to Christ. How interesting to revisit that era with Christian lenses. Now I'm not gonna say the sixties were evil, as I believe many good thoughts and social awareness came out of that time. However, the biggest thing that struck me was the false belief that mankind could bring utopia through his own efforts. Turn inward, find your inner truth, heal the planet, have everyone love each other and just "get along" (while "doing your own thing," of course). Sex, drugs, and rock and roll mixed with new age/Eastern religions must have had many believing they'd see utopia in their own generation.
What great ideals. However, the Bible is clear that there will be no lasting peace for man prior to Jesus' return. I guess the biggest question I came away from this homework assignment with was "How does one balance good works with the knowledge that we'll only get but so far without God's direct intervention?" God, please guide my life to keep the right balance.
The article below addresses this very question in our day (2006). Considering that the coming anti-Christ will woo the masses with promises of peace and global prosperity based on man's wisdom (backed up with miracles and lies), I guess it's no surprise that humanism's pull would only get stronger as the end-times draw nearer. As we present the gospel to those around us, how do we advocate for social causes without missing the focus of Christ crucified for our sins? Check the link below for more thinking, if not solid answers.

RELIGIOUS ENVIRONMENTALISM & THE MORALIZING OF MANKIND

Lonely Bookshelf

Picked up a book by Paul Tillich at my local PTA thrift shop. Thank you God, for that lone bookshelf of Christian gems that has provided me with three years of dirt cheap Christian classics. Thank you God, for allowing me to live in a time and place where I can find copies of your word in the NIV, KJV, NKJV, etc, etc. for rarely more than 50 cents. How ironic is it to see people shell out $20-30 for the latest "achieve comfort in your own lifetime" manual, when for a few pennies, one can find the eternal truth? I somehow doubt Jesus would be surprised, since He Himself was sold for 30 pieces of silver.
I've probably haunted this thrift shop's "religious" bookshelf at least weekly over the last three + years. I'm always curious as to what kind of person I'll find myself browsing with. Alas, I'm usually alone, stunned at how nobody else seems aware of the treasure trove. Among the handful of shoppers who I have stood beside, I recall three:
1) A guy who had already selected a few books to buy, including one by popular author Philip Yancey. I tried to engage him in a little enthusiastic conversation about Christ, but he informed me that he ran a used bookshelf himself, and was really just there to stock up on inventory.
2) A lady with a radiant smile, who didn't like my recommendation of a particular author, since the title clearly indicated traditional Christianity. I did attempt to humor her by agreeing that many religions have elements of truth, but went on to suggest that they can't all be pointing to the same God, since there are irreconcilable differences in their basic tenets. She informed me that the Bible was simply "that era's" reflection of the larger truth. Our conversation didn't get any further. She grabbed her selection from the New Age shelf, and was gone.
3) A Hispanic guy in a jean jacket. His broken English was barely good enough for us to talk. He told me about how much he likes his church. I gave him the call-letters of the BBN radio station where he could listen to sermons. He was thankful for the info. We could barely communicate, but we both knew we were brothers, and I left feeling thankful to God for a new eternal friend. I can imagine that day in heaven: "Hey, I remember you! Remember when we met at that dingy thrift shop back in 2006?" We'll speak each other's language that day. We'll both be wearing white. We won't need any books to understand Christ better.

Back to the bookshelf: I'm fairly impressed by the loose categorization the staff have put the books in. There's Christian fiction, Holy books (Bible, book of Mormon, etc.), Christian living, religion in general, Eschatology, New Age/Occult/Mysticism. My pet peeve is when I find books like Benjamin Creme's Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom (a new age anti-gem) alongside solid doctrine. That's when I take the liberty of doing a little "re-shelving." Lord forgive me for presuming to know better than the staff how to shelve, but it's probably a lesser sin than my desire to just burn them?
Anyhow, I better not get too righteous here. I should probably spend more time reading the one book where the author is present every time you open it. Meantime, thank you Lord, for the black lady at the thrift shop checkout whose radio is always tuned to the black gospel station. I can always count on her smile as she looks at the titles I'm buying. Even though ours is a simple retail transaction, rather than any service on my part, she always makes me think of Hebrews 13:2:

"Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it."

Screen Shot

Well, it looks like yet another celebrity may be headed to rehab. Sometimes, rather than offer commentary, it's best to let a picture do the talking. When I clicked on my excite news portal this morning, this picture was on the top left part of my screen. Obviously, I've personalized this web portal to include a daily scripture passage. Perhaps I need to pay more attention to the coincidental pairings of daily news with Bible verses. Interesting.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur Info

Today's (and every day's) Prayer

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1159193350731&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Must See TV

Amazing Grace Fingerstyle

Good ol' Testimony

Besides some really cool graphics, there's plenty of superior blogging happening at a site called Pyromaniacs. Here's a great testimony from one of their writers.

Blogger Pride

I wonder how many folks have started a blog, and let it die when it didn't get them the fame, fortune, notoriety, etc. that they were hoping for? I've heard about myspace folks who have pleaded for people to visit their online world, and even posted angry words to that same world for being ignored.
This is understandable for a secular site. I believe it was the comedian Steve Martin who said that his job was basically "Dig Me!" Isn't that the not-so-secret motivation of most of the online community? Problem is, most folks who would even read a blog are too busy creating their own.
This tendency for self-glorification remains even once we come to know Jesus. Our pride is, in fact, the main thing that must be killed off (however slowly) as we gradually align our thoughts with those of our creator.
As a blogger for God, I have often asked myself what my real motivation for blogging is. Is it REALLY to glorify God, or is it to "Dig Me!" In all honesty, I believe that both motivations are there. All I can do is continually offer prayers of thanks that Jesus has already forgiven my "bloggers pride," and request that God would glorify Himself through this vehicle DESPITE my impurities.
One of the temptations for the blogger is to obsessively track the number of readers, and/or comments. I've deliberately removed my "hit-counter" to minimize this temptation. After all, can God only use a blog that attracts thousands of readers? Could God get his message across with a poorly written testimony? This brings to mind Paul's warning to keep your message simple:

2 Corinthians 11:3

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

What then, should be the goal of any God blog? Simply, to spread the message of Christ crucified, and the redemption available to man. Any time the focus shifts from the message to the messenger, the goal is lost.
However, does this mean that one should not use their talents to glorify God? Hardly. In a perverse way, I believe that Satan even uses a person's humility to curb their efforts for the Kingdom. Natural, healthy humility can be over-emphasized to prevent a person from even using their gifts for Kingdom work. Similarly, a worker's perceived lack of results can make it feel pointless to continue. This frustration at not seeing big results looms largest when we compare ourselves to others. If a new blogger expects to have an impact like that of Charles Spurgeon, throwing in the towel will be tempting.
Today's Bible reading in the Hope Life journal included the first 2 chapters of Haggai. Those who have been called to rebuild the temple of God are dragging their heals for the same reasons I've discussed above:

• I've got my own issues to take care of first
• Our paltry efforts pale in comparison to the splendorous temple that Solomon built
• etc

I wonder if any of the workers also dwelled on things like:

• I'm not good at construction - who am I to build?
  
• If you can't do a job well, it's not worth doing. I don't have the proper time, energy, etc. for this project, so it's better left undone

Of course, the good news is that God encouraged these builders, and reminded them that they could expect His resources (of energy, talent, etc) once they got working. He told them to get going, and leave the outcome to Him. For some awesome commentary on this, I direct you to one of my favorite expositors, John Piper (the kind of writer/speaker that I should NEVER compare myself to, lest I become discouraged).
Hey, speaking of the blogging world, I'm so happy to see that two folks in my life have decided to contribute. One is Mike Remedios, who hosts the men's Bible study I like to attend. Second is his wife Alice, who is seriously gifted in the culinary arts department. Both are blogging their reflections on the Hope Journal daily Bible reading plan (scroll down under the heading "Daily Devotionals).
So, for all God's bloggers, I pray that He use us and our efforts for His glory alone. May our efforts direct our readers to the Bible, the Word, the Christ. Praise be to the most high God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Be Not Drunk With Wine

This bunch of creative Christians is launching a campaign in the UK to get people talking about Jesus. The site even links to a myspace site where folks can converse. What a great way to get folks thinking.
No doubt, the campaign will garner plenty of criticism from non-believers, and believers alike (who will frown upon a beer glass being paired with Jesus).
If you believe that using elements of popular culture to help spread the gospel is O.K., keep reading. If not, you'll probably not like the ideas I present next, and I would redirect you here (please understand this is my crude attempt at humour).
Still reading? O.K.. Well, why stop at using a beer glass to provoke thoughts on God? There are plenty of other vices (false idols) we can choose from...
How about drugs? The thing is with chemical highs, you never get enough. With little more than very casual use, tolerence kicks in, and now the user gets locked in to a pattern of seeking the drug for comfort. Like every addiction, enough uses creates a need that did not exist before. God made us with deep-seated needs for something beyond everyday existence, but a relationship with Him is the only thing that will ultimately satisfy that need. If that were not the case, addicts might report highly fulfilling lives, and not continue to suffer feelings of pointlessnes. I've met plenty of folks who report that they have enjoyed temporary highs, but no one has ever told me that their drug of choice is a satisfying answer to the "why are we here" question.