Fanny Crosby was a blind woman who wrote many hymns.  One of her most famous was “Blessed Assurance” which she wrote in 1873.  I think often about the assurance we have of our salvation and eternal life through Jesus’ payment for us.  A few of Jesus’ last remaining words on the cross was, “It is finished!”  I am so thankful that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins and that I can be assured that if I were to die today, I would immediately go into His presence.

John writes to us, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).  Paul writes, “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6).

Will you join me in thanking the Lord that we are not stuck hoping or wishing that we have eternal life?  Neither do we have to work to earn it.  Jesus has paid it all already.  YES… assurance is truly blessed.

1.      Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

o    Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

2.      Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3.      Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

It is common during this time of the year to hear sermons or other teachings on the insensitivity of the innkeeper in Bethlehem who refused to allow Mary and Joseph a place to stay during her final days of pregnancy.  How could he have been so heartless to force a woman almost in labor to go and deliver her child in a stable with the animals?  The typical pastoral response is that Jesus was to be born in humble means and that this was part of God's plan, but the innkeeper is still responsible for his calloused actions.  Then comes the application point.... "Where are you in your life right now during this Christmas? The innkeeper didn't make room for Jesus,  but will you make room for Him this year?"  What is wrong with this picture?

I can empathize with this presentation of the Christmas story as it is something that I myself have preached.  However, upon further study and digging into the background of the text, I have come to understand that this "traditional" presentation is off the mark.  What the Biblical and cultural evidence shows is that there is no heartless innkeeper because there is no "inn" in the first place!  Interestingly,  we might ask which Biblical verse actually gives proof that there is a innkeeper in the Christmas story..... NONE.  

The real story is that Joseph and Mary show up in Bethlehem and find lodging with relatives.  Granted, the Bible doesn't say relatives, but they did find a house where they were staying (Matt 2:11).  Culturally, it was required to offer lodging to family.  We can imagine Joseph showing up and saying, "I am Joseph of the family of David."  The people in Bethlehem (the city of David) would have welcomed them with the open arms of Middle Eastern hospitality.

After a period of time of being in Bethlehem she gave birth to Jesus (Luke 2:6) and laid him in the manger (feeding trough) because there was no place for them in the "upper room" (Luke 2:7).  The word here in the Greek for "inn" is actually the same word for "upper room" used in Luke 22:11 and Mark 14:14-15 concerning the place of the last supper.  We know from these passages that it was an upstairs room that is typically furnished for use by the household and for guests.  Peasant village houses are known then and today to be "vaulted" one room houses that have sleeping quarters on the upper levels.  In the middle of the house there was a lower portion where they would house the animals overnight.  Built into the floor or walls of these stone houses was a "manger" or feeding trough.

Thus... when time came for Mary to give birth she had to do it downstairs because there was no room for her in the "guest room" or "upper room".  This is why she laid Jesus in the feeding trough.  No need to assume the animals were there with her or that she was in a stable.

To get the full technical details, see this article.

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/11/08/The-Manger-and-the-Inn.aspx#Article

It's great that we can finally give the non-existent innkeeper a break and let him off the hook.  :)

I read an article this week from USA today on the waves of criticism that is erupting against Tim Tebow.  You can find it here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2011-12-02/tim-tebow-faith-media/51582844/1

A quote from the article stuck out to me as to the root of the anti Tebow bias.  It reads:

"Their dislike for Tim Tebow is not, as they would have us believe, about his throwing motion or his completion percentage; it's all about his open professions of faith and his goody-two shoes image. When it comes right down to it, we don't want heroes who are truly good. We want them to fail the occasional drug test or start a bar fight from time to time. It makes us feel better about ourselves. Tebow, however, "

This hits the nail on the head in exposing the bias for what it is really is.... a modern day hatred of Jesus.  We shouldn't be surprised by this.  Jesus reminded us that if they hated Him, then those in the world will hate His followers (John 15:18).  Very few can personally vouch for Tim Tebow's faith.  I don't know him, but it seems that he is living a life of faith vocally that rubs the world wrong.  Let's not forget that our warfare is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12).

Tim Tebow is not Jesus, but he is a vocal reminder of the person of Jesus and His claims.  Have you ever wondered what the world would do if Jesus showed up today?  The world doesn't want good heroes, but sinful ones so that we can feel better about our sinful lifestyles says the article.  I think they are right.  The world would crucify Jesus again if it had the chance.

Nevertheless, we are reminded that Jesus prayed for those who hated Him... spit on Him... and He died for His enemies (Rom 5:10).  May God grant us the grace to continue to show and preach this love to all who will hear.

~Mondo

I have heard this phrase already in the last couple days and I am putting in an official protest.  Satan has a subtle way of distracting our culture from the real reasons for the seasons.  Whether it is Happy Turkey Day for Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Xmas for Merry Christmas, we shoud acknowledge all that the Lord has done for us even in our casual conversation.  He certainly is worthy.  :)

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

(1Chronicles 16:8-12 NIV)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The Bible tells us in Job 26:7, "God stretches the northern sky over empty

space and hangs the earth on nothing." (NLT)

Take a look this and get a small insight of how God might see the earth.

http://vimeo.com/32001208

We serve an amazing God!  Have you thanked Him for His many blessings today?

The evidence is clearly demonstrating that humans are not related to monkeys...

 http://www.icr.org/aaf/

Some great articles here showing foolishness of evolutionary thinking (Psalm 14:1).

Also... Institute for Creation Research (ICR) has a new video out highlighting some differences.

http://vimeopro.com/icr/thats-a-fact

“God Files Defamation of Character Lawsuit Against Church”

Ok… this really didn’t happen, but I think there is plenty of evidence today

for God to do such a thing.  What do I mean by this?  Defamation has the idea

 of misrepresenting or slandering someone’s character or words through

publication or some other form of communication.  Also, when I speak

of the church, I speak of the church in general throughout all of America.

      How has the church defamed God’s Character?  In answering this question

 it is absolutely essential to understand accurately what the character of God is. 

God has revealed to us in the Bible exactly what His character or attributes are

and when the church, which bears the full responsibility for proclaiming this to the world,

begins to depart from what He has revealed, we defame Him.

      The Bible tells us that in the last days, the church “will not endure sound

doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching

 ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their

 ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). 

I think we are seeing this fulfilled in our present time.  We live in a time when the

“church” in general has departed from the authoritative teaching of God’s Word

and instead turned aside to a style of preaching that is not meant to proclaim sound

 doctrine.  In fact, “doctrine” has become a dirty word in many churches

and the Bible tells us that people will not endure sound doctrine, but

will turn away from the truth.  John MacArthur comments on this

 trend when he says, “There are plenty of gifted communicators in the

 modern evangelical movement, but today’s sermons tend to be short,

shallow, topical homilies that massage people’s egos and focus on

fairly insipid subjects like human relationships, "successful" living,

emotional issues, and other practical but worldly—and not definitively

 biblical—themes. These messages are lightweight and without

substance, cheap and synthetic, leaving little more than an ephemeral

 impression on the minds of the hearers.” 

      We find God’s response and instruction to this in 2 Timothy 4:2, where

we are commanded to preach the Word and nothing else.  Well… how

does this work for those who aren’t pastors?  Let me encourage you to

 be bold in sharing the truth of the Gospel personally. I don’t believe

 this verse applies only to pastors, because the word “preach” means

to proclaim.  How are you doing in your proclamation of the gospel

to those around you?  Let me give you a concrete example.  I was

listening to a Christian radio station the other day and they were

proclaiming the “gospel”.  Yet what I heard was a misrepresentation or

distortion of who God is.  They spoke rightly of the love of God and also that

God has a plan for our lives, but the person stopped there.  That is not the full

explanation of the gospel.  I felt cheated.  There was no proclamation of God’s

holiness,  our sinfulness, and God’s wrath to come.  No call for repentance on

 the part of the sinner to avoid God’s punishment.  The church is

misrepresenting God and the gospel when we take away those things

that are deemed offensive.  The gospel is offensive (Matt 10:34; Gal 5:11)

 and we need to share about who God is.  Have you noticed that people

 spend more time talking about God’s love than His holiness or justice?

      The Bible never proclaims that God is “loving, loving, loving”,

but instead “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Rev 4:8).  Is God loving? 

Of course He is (1 John 4:8), but Jesus spoke more of repentance and

fear of God (Matt 4:17; 10:27-28) than of the love of God.  Let’s get

 back to the Biblical example and model.  When Jesus presented the

gospel to people, He did not speak directly very often about the love

of God, but instead on the person’s sin and need for repentance. 

The fact that they get a chance to repent is evidence of God’s love.

      Examine the book of Acts when Peter or Paul present the gospel and

 you will not find a reference to God’s love, but instead a command

to repent (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; 26:20).  This is a biblical call to

 the church, both leaders and lay people (myself included), to make

sure we don’t defame God, by proclaiming all of who He is, the good

and the severe (Romans 11:22).  Have a blessed week!

Most of us are probably familiar with the name of Harold Camping who

predicted that judgment day would arrive on May 21, 2011.  When this

didn’t happen, he back peddled and now asserts that the whole world

will be annihilated on October 21, 2011, except for the Christians who

were saved prior to May 21.  As a Christian who fully believes the Bible’s

prediction that Jesus will return someday, I can’t help but note my sadness

at seeing how much publicity this particular prognosticator received. 

What is unfortunate is that the media seemed to be have a field day with

the dozens of people associated with his ministry (Family Radio Network)

 who traveled around the country in RVs or other vehicles advertising their

particular brand of apocalyptic time frames.

Harold Camping is an engineer by training and so he has had quite a history

 of playing allegorical games with the various numbers as found in the Bible

 in order to predict the date of Jesus’ return.  After I first became a Christian

 in 1993, I soon came across a book entitled, “1994?”, by Harold Camping. 

In this book, he predicted that the God’s judgment had begun in 1988 and

that Jesus would be returning in 1994.  I did check Amazon and you can

 presently get the book for the low price of 29 cents.  Even more intriguing

 is to go there and see how many 5 star reviews it is still receiving! 

Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:11 and 24:24 that false prophets would

come and deceive many.  We should not be surprised that this happening

and in fact we should expect it to happen more and more.  I do believe

 that the Scripture affirms that we can have a general understanding of the

 “season” of the Lord’s return (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5), but according to Jesus

“no knows the day or the hour” (Mark 13:32).  I watched the glee of many

 reporters interviewing the followers of Camping travel around the country

 who promoted the May 21 date.  Their commentary afterward was eager

 to see this date come and go and to see more of these “Christians” look

 foolish.  Unfortunately, for those of us who truly believe the Lord is

returning sooner rather than later, we end up getting lumped into these

other groups through guilt by association.

When asked what they would do when they woke up on May 22, none

 of them would even dare to entertain the possibility of their leader being

 wrong.  When pressed to answer, they said that if they did wake up on

May 22, it meant that the Bible was wrong or they were not truly saved. 

How sad for these people.  The Bible has never been wrong, but it is true

that man’s interpretation of the Bible has been proven false.  I believe it

can be shown quite clearly that we are seeing the undeniable signs of

Jesus’ soon return.  Yet we would all be wise to avoid date setting and

 instead focus on whether we are prepared to meet Him when He does

 return in judgment.  He warned us, “unless you repent, you will all

likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).  God is gracious and loving enough to

give us one more moment to do this and be prepared to meet Him.

~Mondo

This Sunday morning I will be preaching from a difficult text in John 9.

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:1-3 ESV)

Jesus refuses to cling to a human cause but offers instead a redemptive purpose in disability. This redemptive purpose offers hope in great discouragement and confusion and pain. This redemptive purpose through Jesus is the lens by which we need to look at disability. Whether we are disabled ourselves or the parent of a disabled child, the hope of God’s redemptive work brings an assurance that God’s grace is sufficient in all things. Like the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7-9), God’s strength and power is made perfect in our weakness.

But is this easy? Is it easy to look at disability and say confidently that the purpose of this disability is “that the works of God might be displayed?” Is it easy to be a parent and come to this conclusion concerning your disabled child? Is it easy or even reasonable to be a disabled person and come to this conclusion yourself? Where does this kind of faith come from? How do we as a church respond to persons who battle with the daily struggles of disability? How do we think about the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God and the kindness of God in disability?

In my study and preparation for this message I came across the testimony of a man who had a child born blind - just like the man in John 9. Not only was his child born without eyes but he is also autistic and has a growth hormone deficiency. Now, at the age of 16, this child is only 50 pounds and is barely able to communicate. To top it off his child has developed painful seizure like symptoms that have yet to be diagnosed. Meanwhile, his wife was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.

As I listened to this man I was struck by his honest and raw emotions and as he dealt with the sovereignty of God and the purpose of God in disability. His testimony is a journey through anger, resentment, rejection and disappointment. But the works of God were being displayed as God gripped his heart and transformed his heart into one of faith and hope and assurance and grace.

This interview of John Knight, Director of Development at Desiring God and writer of the blog http://theworksofgod.com/, is a man who is tender towards the works of God in all things. My soul was greatly encouraged by this man as he testifies to the goodness and kindness and love and redemptive purpose of God in all things…including disability.

I would encourage all of you to watch this three part interview. You will be richly blessed you see and hear the works of God in this man’s family.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/interviews/john-piper-interviews-john-knight

“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Click here for the sermon audio

Personal Testimony:
This morning, I would like to take a break from John. As I went to the Lord in prayer about it the Lord kept pressing on my heart to bring this to you and share some of the joy and freedom I have found through these truths.

A few weeks ago I spent some prayer time away at Royal Ridges Retreat. I try to get away once each quarter for a whole day of prayer and fasting and confession and spiritual refreshment. I just take my Bible and my notepad and my journal and spend the day in the Word and in prayer and in meditation. I spend time reflecting about my role as a Pastor, as a Husband and as a Father.

I would encourage all of you to craft a time and place where you can have some dedicated time of spiritual refreshment. Jesus was our example and he would escape to the hills to pray. You will find that it will take a couple of hours just to detox from all the things spinning in your brain and really relax and really listen to the Lord in quietness. But I would challenge each of you to set aside a regular block of time for spiritual refreshment.

At one point in the afternoon I was outside sitting on the ground with my back against a big rock and I was journaling. My journaling, however, was more of complaining on paper. I was bemoaning my failings as a dad or as a Pastor or as a husband. I was writing about how I had journaled in the past about how I wanted to improve and set goals and grow but that I hadn’t been meeting my goals (I tend to be my own worst critic). As I was journaling this bug landed on my leg. It wasn’t a lady bug but it looked similar. I flicked him off my leg and watched him tumble into the grass. He was on his back struggling to get up when he turned himself over, climbed up the tallest blade of grass, opened his wings and flew off. It was really cool to watch the creative beauty of God in the smallest of creatures! I then began to look around at God’s creation all around me there at Royal Ridges with the rolling hills and trees and horses and said out loud “Thank you Lord for this beautiful country!”

And then God reveled something to me that was the most powerful revelation from God I had received in a long time. This revelation was so powerful and obvious it was just short of splitting the sky open and hearing a booming voice. God graciously and powerfully spoke into my life and clearly revealed “Nathan, you need to become a thankful and grateful person”.

I was floored and immediately convicted. I was also immediately covered in grace and immediately covered in joy and immediately covered in a sense of freedom. Sometimes you don’t even realize you are bound by something until you have been set free. I didn’t realize that my soul had been bound by discontentment and by a spirit of complaining. I was grumbling in my soul about all sorts of things. I don’t usually express my complaining. I have a few close friends who I dump on but for the most part I am quiet about my grumblings. But I was grumbling in my heart.

When God revealed this to me I began to journal like crazy. Scriptures were popping to mind and some thoughts about the power of a grateful heart became crystal clear and more and more joy kept flooding my heart as I grasped these truths.


The Command of Gratitude
I did a word study on thanks or thankfulness. In both the Old and New Testament the expression of giving thanks is mostly reserved for thankfulness to God. It is an expression or confession of thanks to God. The Scriptures make reference to giving thanks 161 times. In the Old Testament the word gives the picture of a confession of thanks; an outward, open, giving, even throwing of thanks. In the New Testament the Greek word for giving thanks is where we get the English word Eucharist. The Eucharist is a term that is used in the more traditional forms of worship which is simply another word for communion. Our church uses the word communion most often, other churches use the term the Lord’s Supper and some of the more traditional and mainline churches use term the Eucharist. It simply means to give thanks. It came to be used in the context of communion because Jesus took the bread and after giving thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Jesus gave thanks and so we give thanks for Jesus in remembering him. So, some use the word Eucharist to refer to communion.

I called this message “Thankfulness – the Seedbed for Joy” because I firmly believe that true joy comes out of and grows out of confessing and freely giving thanks to God in all things through Christ Jesus. I get this from the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the saints in Colossians 1:11-12

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Colossians 1:11-12 ESV)

Paul prays that the people would be strengthened with all power. For what? For the saints to have all endurance and patience. But not just the grit your teeth and bear it type endurance but endurance and patience with joy! How? Giving thanks to the Father. Why give thanks? Because he has qualified you (you didn’t qualify yourself) to share in the inheritance of the saints in light in and through Jesus.

You need strength. You need power. You need joy. And this strength and this power come from His glorious might and it gives joy-filled endurance and patience. How? By what means? By giving thanks to the Father. Listen carefully; there is no faster joy killer than an ungrateful heart. There is no faster joy-sucking, endurance-killing, patience-draining parasite than a complaining spirit.

The Lord has commanded us to be a thankful people. And this command is for our good, and this command is for our joy! Listen to these commands:

“giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Ephesians 5:20). Are you doing that; always and for everything? I wasn’t.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17) Everything, every word or deed? I wasn’t doing that either.

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) How many times have you asked, “God what is your will for my life?” Well, here’s your answer, give thanks in all circumstances - all circumstances. This is my will for you. It is my will for you to give thanks to me for every circumstance that comes your way.

Now I am going to be real with you; that’s hard! I mean, let’s get down into the dirt where real people live real lives who experience real painful circumstances; how do you give thanks in a sudden, unexpected death? How do you give thanks in extremely painful and even agering circumstances? It’s easy to give thanks when the going’s easy right? It’s easy to say, “you should give thanks”, when the issues are petty annoyances but when the pain is deep and the pain is real how do you give thanks?

Thankfulness is not a denial of the pain. It is not a stubborn refusal to see things for as they really are. I am not talking about playing Pollyanna’s “glad game” here. I am not talking about tip-toeing through the tulips in a drug induced ignorance.

If you turn over a page or two, I think the answer lies in Colossians 2:6-7 - “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Jesus said you will know them by their fruits. Jesus said you will know the disciples of Jesus Christ by the fruit they bear in their lives, in all circumstances. Why? Because they are rooted and built up and established in Christ Jesus. Their life sap is the life blood of Jesus Christ who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and despised the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the father.

When you are rooted in Christ Jesus you will abound in thanksgiving. When you are rooted in Christ Jesus your visible life, you words, your actions, and your reactions will bear the fruit of Christ Jesus and you will abound in thanksgiving.

How are you thankful in the middle of deep pain? How are you thankful when life seems to beat you down again and again and the storm is blowing against you so hard that you’re ready to throw in the towel? When you are rooted in Christ Jesus you can and by his glorious might you will be strengthened with all power for all joy-filled endurance and patience as you are joyously giving thanks to the Father!

Why? Why are you giving thanks? Why are you giving thanks in the middle of pain? Because, even in this fallen, sin-filled, pain-filled world that is groaning for redemption (Rom 8:18-23) he has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints of light and because I am rooted and established in his grace I am persuaded that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV)!!! That is how I can give thanks in pain!!



Breaking a Complaining Spirit
Thankfulness is the seedbed for joy in all circumstances. Thankfulness is a powerful spiritual weapon in the battle for joy because in our freely and openly giving thanks to the Father through Jesus Christ, a complaining spirit is broken. There are three things that I have learned that foster and fuel a complaining spirit which are broken by a thankful heart.

In Thankfulness Discontentment is Broken – The root of all discontentment is the sin of covetousness. Discontement is a seedbed for a complaining spirit. Discontentment is a slow and subtle poison that kills joy. The Lord God gave the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 and the last commandment is to not covet. Do not covet your neighbors…anything. Don’t be discontent. Or, to spin it positively, be content with what the Lord your God has given you. It is especially shameful for us in the richest nation in the world to be as discontent and complaining as we are. We whine and snivel about the smallest things that don’t go our way. I wish it was like that. Why isn’t it this way? Why isn’t it that way?

That day at Royal Ridges by the gracious revelation of God I realized that my joy was drowning in discontentment and I had to confess that as sin. Are you a discontent person? Do you find yourself complaining? Do you find yourself disgruntled about things that are not going the way you want them to? Are there circumstances that are really not that bad, and, in fact, there are wonderful things are happening around you but you can’t see it because you have been blinded by discontentment?

Check your roots. Are your roots deep in the person and work of Christ Jesus abounding in thanksgiving? Or are your roots deep in discontentment abounding in complaining? Maybe this morning you need to confess your sin of a discontent, complaining spirit and begin openly and freely giving thanks to the Father for his blessings and his provision and his grace and his faithfulness to do his good pleasure in and around and through you for your good. A grateful heart, a thankful heart breaks the power of discontentment and by his glorious might enables you to have a joy-filled endurance and patience in all circumstances.

In Thankfulness a Victim Mentality is Broken – The path to addiction, even an addiction to complaining, is paved with a victim mentality. Someone with a victim mentality looks at the past with resentment, looks at the present with anger and looks at the future with fear. The catch phrase of one trapped in a victim mentality says “it’s not fair”. A victim mentality is a common seedbed for a complaining spirit. Instead of thankfulness resulting in healing a victim mentality rehearses and nurses past pains resulting in resentment, anger, fear and a complaining spirit. A victim only sees themselves in a wounded, broken and offended identity that is bound by pain and unforgiveness and a complaining spirit about their abuse or neglect.

However, the one who is in Christ Jesus is a new creation! Behold the old is gone and the new has come. Thankfulness breaks a victim mentality because thankfulness turns your attention off of your own broken identity and onto your identity in Christ Jesus being rooted and built up in him. Thankfulness turns your focus and attention onto the recreating, renewing, redeeming restoring power and love and Jesus Christ and sets you fee to bear fruit as the new creation in Christ Jesus that you are!

Do you need to be set free from a victim mentality this morning? Thankfulness for God’s overpowering purpose in your life, thankfulness for God’s overwhelming love in your life, thankfulness for God’s redeeming grace in your life; thankfulness for God’s unfailing faithfulness in all circumstances breaks the victim mentality and sets you free from a complaining spirit to bear the fruit of a new creation in Christ Jesus.

In Thankfulness Insecurity is Broken– Because in thankfulness you are continuously reaffirming your identity in Christ and his sovereign goodness and faithfulness in your life. When you are insecure there is an underlying lack of confidence in the sovereign care and love of God. Underneath your personal insecurity is a core unbelief that God has designed you and your life just as he has purposed. Underneath insecurity is a dislike of how you have been crafted and designed by a good and loving and purposeful Father. This unbelief and this dislike of who God has crafted you to be is the seedbed for a complaining spirit. You complain about your circumstances, you complain about your lack of abilities, you complain about other people in your life; you complain about all kinds of things whether or not they are related to you personally when underneath all that complaining is an insecure soul uncertain of their identity in Jesus.

Thankfulness rehearses the power and plan of God whereas a complaining spirit rehearses the insecurities and fears. Thankfulness rehearses the truth about the character and nature of God whereas an insecure and complaining spirit rehearses deceptive and subtle unbelief about the character and nature of God. Thankfulness gives life and joy and peace in confident assurance of the faultless purposes and plans of God whereas an insecure and complaining spirit subtly kills life and steals joy and makes peace an ever evasive missing element in your life.

Thankfulness is the seedbed for contentment. Thankfulness is the seedbed for victory from a victim mentality. Thankfulness is the seedbed where insecurities are transformed into a confident assurance of God’s perfect purposes and design in your life. Thankfulness is the seedbed of joy.

Where is your joy this morning? Where is your freedom? Where is your confidence? For the one who is rooted and built up in the person and work of Jesus Christ this is seen in the fruit of thankfulness. For the one who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, joy and freedom and confidence in the power and plan of God in your life begins at the cross of Jesus and goes out each day abounding in thankfulness that he has redeemed us and has called us his own.

Check your roots. Are your roots deep in the person and work of Christ Jesus abounding in thankfulness to God for all circumstances and all people and all things? Or are your roots deep in discontentment, a victim mentality and insecurity abounding in a complaining spirit for all circumstances, all people and all things. When the Lord revealed to me my need for thankfulness I was set free from a captor I never knew I had. I pray by God’s grace you too will be set free to freely give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s good will for your joy.

Proverbs 1:8-9 - Mother's Day 2011

Click here for the sermon audio

A Mother’s Teaching
The teaching of a mom never stops. Mothers are constantly giving instruction. Mothers are constantly reminding of instruction given a thousand times before! Proverbs 1:8-9 paints a vivid word picture of the value of a mother’s teaching.

The Command of a Mother’s Teaching
Hear - The first command related to a parent’s instruction and specifically related to the father’s instruction is to hear. The Hebrew word for hear is Shema. It means not only to listen but to listen with the intention to obey. It’s an active listening and an active obedience.

Do not forsake – The second command related to a parents instruction, specifically related to a mothers teaching, is not to forsake her teaching. Don’t leave the teaching behind. Don’t let it go in one ear and out the other. Don’t let it go. Don’t blow it off.

The Value of a Mother’s Teaching
Why should we listen? Why should we not forsake our mother’s teaching? Because the Scripture promises blessings in our obedience. Remember, the command to honor your father and mother is the only command that has a promise attached to it. In Ephesians 6:1-3, it is interesting that Paul talks directly to the children who hear the reading of the letter. Paul gave instructions for his letters to be read aloud in the weekly public worship time. And in this letter he speaks specifically and directly to the children who were listening. And what does he say?
•    “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:1-3 ESV)

The blessing and value of a mother’s teaching is so that it may go well with you. Proverbs 1:8-9 paint a visual picture of what that looks like.

First, it says that the teaching of a mother is like a garland or wreath or crown for your head and a pendant or an ornament around your neck. This visual is a picture of honor and prize and privilege. We see this image in ancient athletics when the winner received a wreath. Or we see this in the Olympics when the athlete is prized with the Gold, Silver or Bronze medallion. We also see this image in the dress and decorations for kings and rulers. This is an image of honor and prize and privilege and blessing.

The Scriptures give a few of examples of this. One is found in the Joseph narrative in Genesis 41
•    “Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.” (Genesis 41:42 ESV)

Another is found in the descriptions of how God lavished his love on Israel in Ezekiel 16. This is a description of the great honor and blessing and the special privilege God showed to the people of Israel as God’s chosen people.
•    “I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.” (Ezekiel 16:10-12 ESV)

The value of a Mother’s teachings is that as you hear, as you shama, and as you continue in them, not forsaking them, they will decorate your life with wisdom and honor and privilege and blessing.

Another element to this value is the descriptive word graceful. They are a graceful garland for your head. This is the description of something that is favorable, pleasant and beneficial even when undeserved.

Prov 6:20-23 also describes the value of not forsaking your mothers teaching.
•    When you walk they will lead you – they will lead you in a good direction, you will be guided through life by keeping and not forsaking your mother’s teaching
•    When you lie down they will watch over you – your life and well being will be given safety and security in your mother’s teachings
•    When you wake they will talk with you – when you wake and go about your day your mother’s teaching will be your council. They will be your reminders, your council, your encouragement.

The Focus of a Mother’s Teaching
While there are multitudes of life issues a mother is teaching her children from brushing teeth to how to clean under the bed (because everything was stuffed under there when mom wasn’t looking), what does the Scripture say is to be the primary focus of a mother’s teaching? The focus is Jesus.

Looking back to Ephesians 6 there is a specific instruction of the focus of the teaching. While the specific context is aimed at the fathers the point is that the focus of all instruction in the home is to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In the KJV it says in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The teaching and training of the family is to be in the Lord, in a means that is consistent with the character and teachings of Jesus. The family is to be raised up, to be nurtured and cared for in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Galatians 4:19. Notice the particular reference to motherhood in this verse.
•    “my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (Galatians 4:19 ESV)

Paul is in anguish for his children, for his spiritual children and he compares his anguish to childbirth. His focus, his anguish, his teaching and training and discipline and nurture and admonition is so that Christ is formed in the lives of his children. This ought to be the true focus of a mother’s teaching. The formation of the character and nature of Christ Jesus into the lives of our kids!

Chip Ingram in Effective Parenting in a Defective World speaks about the focus of raising children. He said to visualize a target to think about what our focus is to be in raising children. For many families, that target has the label “happiness”. Their greatest aim in life is for their kids to be happy. They give them everything, they take them anywhere and they allow every request because the worst thing in the world is if the kids are unhappy. But unfortunately this target of happiness is temporary at best and deadly at worst. The target is Jesus. The target is their holiness and sanctification. The target, the anguish of childbirth, the focus of a Mother’s anguish in not only childbirth but in all the years of child raising, 18, 19, 20 years of anguish, the focus is Jesus that Christ be formed in them.

So my challenge question to the moms here today is this; is Jesus the focus of all your teaching? I know you have a thousand things like trying to teach them to put their socks on right side out and stuff that seems meaningless, but is the overall target, the overall focus of your instruction and your efforts as you anguish as a mom, is that focus the formation of Jesus Christ into the lives of your children? I would challenge you to take a moment for an honest spiritual inventory of your schedules, plans, dreams, goals and ask if the target is Jesus. What would change if your target changed?

The Circumstances of a Mother’s Teaching
Now, I want to address a reality that some of you may be thinking about right now. Some of you may be thinking that your mother’s teaching was anything but focused on Jesus. You may have experienced anything but anguish for Jesus from your mother. You may have just experienced anguish by the hands of your mother. I want to touch on this because for some Mother’s day can be very painful. For some, the holiday of Mother’s Day or Father’s Day brings more pain than joy.

What do I do when my mother’s teaching is anything but focused on Jesus? How do I honor my mother? How do I not forsake her teaching if her teaching was anything but “focused on Jesus”? I want to look back to Ephesians 6:1 and three simple words – in the Lord.

Unfortunately, there are some mothers who may not know Jesus as their Lord or who claim to know him but are teaching their children in ways that are entirely against the teachings of Jesus. What do I do? You listen and not forsake, in the Lord. In what is in agreement with the revealed will of God through His Word. And, if at any time the teaching is against the Word of God, you respond, whether inwardly or, if respectfully appropriate, outwardly by saying what Peter and the apostles said in Acts chapter 5; “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29)

The Example of a Mother’s Teaching
But not only that, believe it or not, the Scripture provides a beautiful example what a young woman in particular can do when they find themselves in a situation like that.

Ruth and Naomi – Naomi and her husband moved to Moab. Ruth was a Moabite woman who married Naomi’s son and sadly he dies. Naomi, an Israelite, a widow herself, is planning to return home to the land of Judea. Now, we don’t know a lot about Ruth’s mother but there are a few things we can infer from the text.
1.    We can reasonably assume that because Ruth was a Moabite, her family participated in the pagan rituals of human sacrifice to Chemosh. So, it’s reasonable to say that the teaching of Ruth’s mother was not focused on Jesus or anywhere near the One True God of Israel.
2.    Nowhere is Ruth’s mother mentioned. The only thing said is when Naomi told the two widowed daughter-in-laws to go home she said to “return to your mother’s home”. But Ruth wanted to stay with Naomi. Now, I don’t want to read too much into this but was her home relationship not very good? What was behind her almost desperate plea to stay with Naomi? Read Ruth 1:8, 14-17.

Here is what I enjoy about this picture. Ruth, for reasons unknown to us, embraced and attached herself to the life and teaching of Naomi. She said your people will be my people, your God will be my God, your life will be my life and she placed herself under the nurture and care and teaching of Naomi; and she didn’t forsake it. Ruth listened to it and it became as a wreath of grace upon her head and an ornament of honor around her neck.

But not only did Ruth pursue the godly teaching of Naomi, not only did Ruth seek out a Godly woman to teach and nurture her in the ways of the Lord, Naomi took her in.

I think this is what Paul is getting at in Titus chapter 2. Paul is telling a young pastor Titus about proper relationships in the church and how it connects with sound doctrine and says in verse 3
•    “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2:3-5 ESV)

Naomi was Ruth’s “Titus 2” older woman. You can read the rest of the story later of how Naomi counseled Ruth in the customs of gleaning and even in her relationship with Boaz. Naomi took Ruth in and mentored her and her teachings were a garland of grace and honor in Ruth’s life.

Personal Application Review
So for application I want to review 4 things.
1.    First of all, my son, my children, listen to and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are grace-filled wreaths of honor and blessing on your head. They are awards and pendants around your neck to bless, guide, protect and council you. Listen well and obey. Shema your Mother’s teaching.
2.    Secondly, and this is particularly for the younger ladies or young moms. Be as Ruth. Whether your relationship with your mother is wonderful or strained, be as Ruth. Pray about who can be a Naomi in your life and then pursue that person. Ask them to be your Naomi. Ask them to be your Titus 2 Mentor in your life. Who is that older godly woman who you can learn from her godly life and teaching and be blessed as she points you towards Christ? Pursue her. Ask for her mentorship. Treasure her teaching. Her teaching and godly life is very valuable and will be a wreath of grace upon your head.
3.    Thirdly, and this is particularly for the older ladies among us (and older is always relative). Be as Naomi. Maybe your children have grown and gone. Maybe for one reason or another you have never been able to have children. Be that Titus 2 woman who teaches the younger women to love their husbands well, to love their children well, to be homeward in their orientation in life. Your teaching is valuable and your life teaching in the Lord give grace-filled honor and blessing to others.
4.    And lastly, let it all be focused on Jesus. He is the target. He is your aim. Let all your teaching and instruction and nurture be in an anguish that desires to see Christ formed in the lives of your children and in the lives of the young men and women of our church and our community. Jesus Christ is your child’s only hope and only life. Let all your focus be on the cross of Jesus Christ for there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved. It’s all about Jesus

All of these are good things given by God from heaven but they are not true food. They are not living bread. What are you consuming? Take a careful look at your spiritual eating habits, your spiritual diet. Are you consuming the whole truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Jesus is the living bread. Jesus is true eternal food. Jesus is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

We are looking forward to Easter Sunday and the baptism service to celebrate our risen Lord! The baptism service is a special time to see and hear how God has been working in the lives of people as they respond to the transforming truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We hope this post will help answer some questions about what baptism is and what it is not.

Baptism does NOT mean you have perfected your faith

Baptism is not a rite of passage. Baptism is not the next step after you have ironed out all your questions about faith and have successfully passed the “faith quiz”. No, baptism is a profession of faith – not a mark of perfection of faith. Our faith is continuously growing in Christ Jesus as we walk in relationship with him. Paul gives thanks for the believers in Thessalonica because their faith is continuing to grow.  “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV). Becoming baptized is a visible, tangible profession of faith in Jesus Christ by being obedient to his call to believe, be baptized and to follow Him in faith.

Baptism does NOT mean you don’t have any sin issues in your life

Baptism is not a sign of perfection. Baptism is not for when you have conquered every last sin issue in your life – if it was not one person would be baptized! Scripture is clear that for as long as we are alive, we will battle with indwelling sin. Through our faith in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been set free from the curse of sin and from our just penalty for sin which is death. We have been set free from sin but the Scripture teaches that we are to continually be putting to death the sin in our life (Rom 6:11; 8:13). Baptism is not a mark of perfection. Baptism is publicly identifying myself with Jesus Christ who has set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom 6:1-6)

Baptism does NOT mean you are saved by your baptism

Baptism is not a means of saving grace. Baptism does not cleanse you from sin. Scripture teaches that you are cleansed from sin by faith alone in the blood of Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1-9). Being baptized does not save. Being baptized is a public confession that you have put your trust in Jesus Christ who alone saves your from your sin by His finished work on the cross.

Baptism is NOT just for infants or children

The pattern we see in Scripture is that a saving faith and belief in Jesus Christ comes before baptism. This is why we do not baptize infants or young children. Instead the parents present the child before the church and dedicate them to the Lord. At this time a special prayer is offered on behalf of the child and the parents and the church covenants with the family to pray for and encourage them as they raise the child in the ways of the Lord. Each family must decide when an appropriate age is for their children to be baptized upon profession of faith in Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that baptism is only for children! Anytime, at any age, a man or woman places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ they should become baptized (Acts 2:41). Even if you came to faith in Christ many years ago, there is not a “window of opportunity” for you to be baptized! Come, in profession of your faith and obedience to your Lord, and become baptized in His name!

Baptism is NOT a once for all event which can never be repeated.

Some have felt that if they were baptized in a church that does baptize infants or if they were baptized as a child they cannot be baptized again. There is nothing in Scripture preventing someone from being baptized again. Baptism is a sign and expression of faith in your life. If you did not understand your baptism because you were too young or if you have walked away from your faith and want to rededicate your life to Him through the outward sign of baptism, it is perfectly acceptable to do so.

We are looking forward to our Easter Baptism Service. If you would like to be baptized Easter Sunday please let us know and we will get in touch with you.

September 27, 2009 - John 1:10-18
The reason I chose to work through the book of John, and my prayer for us as we study this together, is that we see and savor Jesus Christ. Many people know about Jesus but they do not see him. It is what Jesus said in Matt 13:13 “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Mt 13:13).  They may see with their head but not with their heart. They may see portraits of Jesus or hear stories of Jesus but they do not see truth, beauty and the infinite value of Jesus. I also hope that we grow to savor Jesus. Savor means to treasure, cherish, admire, prize and pursue. So to help in that two fold aim, during the course of our study I will be providing you with some resources for your own growth and study. I firmly believe that if you are not reading you are not growing and if you are not growing…you are dead. So here are a few of the books that I am working through for our study:
•    Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ - John Piper
•    Vintage Jesus - Mark Driscoll
•    What Jesus Demands from the World - John Piper
•    Jesus Messiah - Donald Guthrie
•    Christ: The Theme of the Bible - Norman Giseler

In John 1:10-18 there are 6 things that Jesus gives, grants, and reveals through his incarnation. 

1)    Adoption (v12-13)
2)    The Shekinah Glory (v14)
3)    The Fullness of God (v16)
4)    Grace upon Grace (v 16)
5)    Grace and Truth (v14, 17)
6)    Reveals the Father  (v18)

But we still need to address verse 10 and 11. And this is where we hear a shocking indictment. The world didn’t know Him and didn’t receive Him. The translation “The Message” puts it well… “He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him.” (Joh 1:10-11). Here comes the creator of the universe, the fullness of God, revealing grace upon grace, demonstrating grace and truth, revealing the Father, willing to grant adoption and regeneration but the world didn’t want him!!
•    They wanted their religion - not Jesus
•    They wanted their traditions - not Jesus
•    They wanted their precious idols - not Jesus

In Mark Driscoll’s book “Vintage Jesus” he gives a list of questions to ask ourselves if we are worshiping Jesus or our idols; if we are knowing and receiving Jesus or our idols. Here is where it gets real practical.
•    Who or what do I make sacrifices for?
•    Who or what is most important to me?
•    If I could have ant thing or experience I wanted, what would that be?
•    Who or what makes me most happy?
•    What is the one person or thing I could not live without?
•    What do I spend my money on?
•    Who or what do I dedicate my spare time to?

Don’t let the indictment of verses 10 and 11 be true of you! Know Jesus intimately, Receive Jesus fully. Know and experience him. See and Savor Him, his adopting you and regenerating you. See and Savor his Shekinah glory, his grace upon grace, his grace and truth…

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!!


Family/Group Discussion Questions:
1.    Discuss adoption (verse 12-13). What does adoption include? What would it feel like to be adopted? What is required on the part of the adopter?
2.    Why is it the tendency of humanity to minimize the fullness of Jesus? Do we tend of overemphasize the humanity of Jesus or the Divinity of Jesus? What is the danger of overemphasizing either one?
3.    What impact does Jesus being the fullness of God and receiving from His fullness have on your life?
4.    Review the questions to help uncover possible idols. What is your first reaction to these questions? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the idols in your life and the grace to repent and see and savor Jesus alone.
 

People sometimes wonder if the judgment of God is still active today. It is easy to read passages from the Old Testament about the immediate judgment of God on acts of sin and rebellion and say “well, that was the Old Testimate. We live in the age of grace!” But there are also passages in the New Testimate that cause us to pause such as:

• “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…” (Romans 1:18)
  
• “…and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” (Romans 1:27b)
  
• “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. (2Cor 5:11)
  
• “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)
  
• And others…

The temptation is to think that just because we don’t experience an immediate earthquake splitting open the ground and devouring the unrighteous, the judgment of God is dormant. This attitude, if left unchecked, is what diminishes the fear of the Lord in our lives. A lack of the fear of the Lord is the fertile soil for an unrepentant heart to grow hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Scriptures make it clear that the fear of the Lord is to hate all sin of every category. Whether it’s considered a culturally big sin or a culturally small sin; the fear of the Lord is to hate all evil. (Prov 8:13).

What is your attitude towards sin? Are you tolerating sin? Have you bought into the idea that the judgment of God is dormant and inactive?

Read this article from John Piper about the recent tornado in Minneapolis, MN. Pause and ask yourself if you are tolerating sin, of any category, in your life. Turn from the approval of sin and glory in the transforming grace of the cross of Christ!!

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1965_the_tornado_the_lutherans_and_homosexuality/

Pastor Nathan

Many of us have had those mornings! Sunday morning comes and we are not really up to going to church -- physically or spiritually.

What can we do to prepare our hearts, our minds and even our bodies for the service Sunday morning? How can we prepare ourselves to enter into the presence of God and be filled with His Spirit?

John Piper gives several ideas that are well worth reading. Take some time to read his article "Take Heed How You Hear!" by clicking on the link.

Taking some time to prepare your hearts will your time at the service to be more filled with the Spirit than filled with distractions.

~Blessings!

Pastor Nathan

Many of you have been affected in one way or another by this recession. Some close to us have been affected rather sevearly while others have been managing to stay afloat. Where ever you find yourselves, this recession has reached you.

So what is the purpose behind all this? God is sovereign over all things in this world. What is God's sovereign purpose in this recession?

John Piper recently addressed his congregation with this question in mind. This was a very encouraging and even motivating message regarding the purposes of our Lord in these times.

Please take about 45 minutes of your time to either watch, listen to or read this sermon. You can find it by clicking on this link.

May God grant us Macedonian grace in these times (2 Cor 8:1-2)

~Pastor Nathan

Jesus said “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;” (John 8:31). He also said several times to abide (which means to linger and remain) in Him and His word in John chapters 14-16. What does it mean to abide in the Word of God? It means that Jesus' words come in and take root in us -- they find a home in us -- and bear the fruit of faith and holiness in our life.

At the beginning of 2009, I encourage you to abide in the Word of God! Do you have a regular practice of reading the Word, memorizing the Word -- abiding in the Word? If not I would like to suggest a daily reading plan to help you begin to abide in the life giving Word of God. Purpose to read through the Word of God in 2009.

But before I go on, let me defuse any source of guilt. All too often I hear of someone who purposed to read through the Bible and gave up because they missed too many days and were burdened with guilt. This is a tactic of the enemy to keep you from the Word of God. This is not meant to be a legalistic means of gaining God's approval! Remember, you already have God's approval because of the work of Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection!!

There are several plans that you can follow to help guide you in your quest to abide in the Word. The plan that I am following this year is to read through the Bible chronologically. This places all the events of biblical history and the Psalms and the prophets in chronological order. I am looking forward this year to tying all the events together throughout Scripture!

You can look at and print several different reading plans by visiting this website. Click here to view the reading plans. I would encourage you to pick a plan, print the one of your choice (click print on the right side of the web site), place the reading plan in your bible and begin to check off the days your have read. If you miss a day or two or a week, either pick up were you left off or just start again on the new date

Rather then burden yourself with a guilt laden task, let yourself become immersed in the life giving Word of God and let it bear the fruit of faith and holiness in your life as you abide in His Word

~Pastor Nathan

It is hard during the school year to be reading anything but textbooks! I can remember carrying the bags of books to WSU and wondering how I will ever have time to read anything else! Well, now summer is here!! The text books are gone!! BUT…don’t let that be an excuse to let your brain get mushy over the summer with endless hours of video games! Libraries and other groups have developed summer reading programs to encourage us to continue learning but too often these books smell of humanistic agendas or just like plain ol’ school. So, I would like to encourage you to do some reading this summer on matters of your faith. Use this time to take advantage of the break from textbooks and get your nose into some books that will build up your faith and encourage you in your daily walk with Christ your Savior. Here is a summer reading list of books that I would recommend you take along on your vacations or leave near the hammock this summer:

Don’t Waste Your Life - John Piper. This little book is a tremendous encouragement to not let your life slip by without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things. This book will help you live out Philippians 1:21 - “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

The Pursuit of Holiness - Jerry Bridges What does holiness look like? Well, it doesn't look anything like perfection! Bridges takes holiness out of the realm of the impossible and brings it into the real world of your daily life and decisions and will challenge you to obey God's command of holiness in your life.

The Practice of Godliness - Jerry Bridges What makes a Christian godly? In this encouraging book, Bridges examines what it means to grow in Christian character and opens our eyes to see how character formation truly affects the way we relate to God, to ourselves, and to others.

The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan This is the allegorical tale of Christian the pilgrim on his journey to the Celestial City. Along the way, Christian encounters both worthy companions and dreadful adversaries. This stirring spiritual narrative still bears the power to challenge and encourage readers on their own spiritual journeys. A must read for all believers!

This Present Darkness - Frank Peretti This is my fiction recommendation for the summer. Although a fast paced fiction, this books gives a keen insight into spiritual warfare and the necessity of prayer! This book and its companion volume Piercing the Darkness will awaken you to the reality of spiritual warfare and encourage your prayer life! By the way…I don’t recommend the other Peretti books…it seems he moved from the reality of spiritual warfare to “Christian horror” which I don’t appreciate.

The Atonement Child - Francine Rivers This is Jamie’s fiction recommendation for young ladies to read. This novel boldly addresses the issue of abortion and brings to light the significance of God’s sovereignty and grace. It’s a decision that can push faith to its limits and a decision that will change more lives than we could ever imagine!