Allow Me to Introduce Christ

I happen to like a good gut punch every so often, and this inspired woman hits hard - hard!

*gulp*

I am a huge supporter of our troops and their families, as well as our missions in the Mideast, when I saw this video.....well..*gulp*

"He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."

Isa 40:29 -31

divine appointment

I was just reading this verse and had a few imediate thoughts I wanted to toss up here:

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)

Wow.....

Can you imagine even attempting to live by such a standard in todays world?
Yet that's exactly what we are called to do, though some might say "thats a bit much" or "certainly we can still be humble without having to give up to that other person this perfect parking spot that God most assuredly must have just blessed me with"

Then, did God surely say?

"Let this mind be in you" - what mind? this one: "which was also in Christ Jesus" It's pretty plain, methinks.

Just how humble was Christ?

Even though he was "equal with God" he "made Himself of no reputation" . . and then took "the form of a servant" (hey, I can do that!) and made himself into "the likeness of men". -but he didn't stop there: -->GOSPEL ALERT--> he allowed himself to be abased and humiliated all the way to death on a cross - which in those days was considered lower than the lowest form of scumliness.

So next time we get all indignant about MY rights, and MY this or MY any-of-that, we need to take a look again at Christ and His death on the cross and all that that really means. . And not even a hard serious look, even so much as a glimpse into this Truth ought to send us to our face in humility and utter repentance before HIm, we need this daily, a daily check of ourself, I know I do.

On a similar note, I'm one of those people who totaly lack patience (in many areas) - but especially when things don't go as planned, mainly the little things, for example:

There was a 30 minute break during the Desiring God Conference on Sat and I really wanted a cup of coffee....there was this little coffee/espresso kiosk in the middle of the main foyer just outside of the auditorium doors where a line of fellow coffee-desperates (a word?) was quickly forming, I imagined we all the same hot steaming cup-o-joe thought-bubble in mind as we all poured out of the auditorium. So I stepped into a line behind about 30 people figuring "ah yes, this shouldn't take longer than 25 or 30 minutes so I should be ok, good people watching too", within 5 minutes I heard someone say "they won't allow you in the auditorium with your coffee". . "oookaayy...." I thought, "I'll just stand by the door with my cup and listen to Dr. MacArthur from the doorway then". Fine.

Every last second of thirty minutes later....I finally am standing at the counter and ready to order: "I'll take one of those blueberry muffins and just a regular cup of coffee please" - "Sorry, we're out of coffee" she says...." "well then I'll just have double americano then please" - that being just 2 shots of espresso into which steamed water is poured to fill the cup, easy enough. She gives me the muffin, (which by the way was warm and delicious!) and points me toward an area where I can "pick up my coffee order" . . "oookaayyy....I had not yet noticed my fellow coffee line comrades-in-waiting in this pick-up area...so I go stand over there and eat my muffin, and wait, and wait, and, wait . . . . (que: crickets).

I stand there maybe another 15 minutes and my new-found-in-Christ patience is wearing thinner and thinner by the minute in this flesh-o-mine. Finally the gal says out loud "double americano /double latte" - I reach out over/between a few other heads only to have some guy come up and grab (what I thought was MY americano..wha-huh?? Croiky's! (a word stolen from my aged and wonderful Auntie Marge :)

So I keep waiting, Dr. MacArthur has now been speaking for about 17 minutes, and I notice that the people who I'd been standing in line with not only in front of me but behind me have long since disappeared, I am sure with coffee's, double/triple espresso/mocha/carmel/hazelnut/breve/skimmed whatever-da-hecks in hand.
Lovely, I've been passed over.

Patience?
Well, if you "knew me when" - I most certainly would have complained to someone -*she says with feigned indignancy*, but these days, thank Goodness I have been liberated from such trivial irrations.

Christ has indeed replaced this heart of stone in me with one of flesh - that is the first and foremost focus, that it is Christ who does this work in us, the Spirit being in us as the "hierarchy" if you will - - by which all other reasoning takes place in my life.
On the lower hierarchival plane (if that makes sense): being over 40 does help *smile*.

Here is something else that well factors in all of this for me, something I've thought more and more of the past few years:
The men and women who right now, today, even this moment are over in Iraq and Afghanistan (as well as other parts of the world) doing what they are doing for me - for us, for this country, for our children and grandchildren... and all the many dis-comforts (thats putting it MILDLY) that that means for them, well,, my goodness....I have no more words to say about it.

So, I've been standing in line all this time and yes, of course I'm perturbed, but instead of getting madder and madder like I would have in the past, I kept thinking to myself: "ok Lord, so what da got for me here? - just more lessons in patience? - ok, I'll take that!", but then it also occurred to me that some sort of encounter that I wouldn't otherwise have had was imminent, and that's always an intriguing thought.

So I take my dbl americano and whisk off to stand in the doorway (I'm sure I was the umpteenth person to ask that sweet doorman permission to enter, coffee-in-hand and stand at the door to listen and sip) - so I'm standing there, trying to "get into" what John MacArthur was saying while sipping on this impossibly HOT coffee (and I DO like it hot, but mann!) - when all of a sudden guess who walks by me? Someone I admire, alot..and would have never thought I would meet, that would be none other than Mr. Phil Johnson, as well, a bonus to this was meeting the Woman behind him - his wife Darlene!

(a quick note): I realize there is alot more to Phil than just the Pyromaniacs blog, that just happens to be first place I'd heard
of him. Also, I realize that he and Darlene were manning the Grace To You booth all weekend, but God knew that that fact would have gone right over my head and I never would have noticed, because: a) - I had no clue they would be there and b) - I spent all available extra time perusing the "2 acres" of books - (actually it was about 10-15,000 sf, thats still alot! so we'll let that one go ;p )

So that's my Desiring God Conference story, I know I know, there was SO much more to that whole weekend this little story, indeed it was RICH beyond all my expectations. I suggest anyone who wants to know more (much better than I could ever convey) go to the Desiring God website and see/hear for yourselves the incredible messages of the weekend! And by the way, how absolutely awesome of them to make all of this material available to anyone, online, for free!

God is so awesome!!

"...for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him."

(2Ch 30:9)

goin all in

"Baptism is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace"

Those were just a string of words that have floated in and out of my head since my childhood days at church..I'd never bothered to process them outside the context of an infant baptism, to me it looked more like the parents of the infant being baptised were the ones exhibiting the outward sign of their inward and spiritual grace .. but the question should always be, are souls saved?

baptism is not a requirement of salvation, in fact there is not a thing we can do ourselves to be saved because Jesus already did it for us:

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." - Jhn 19:30

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" - 1Pe 3:18

all we need do is believe these things.....
"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:15

baptism is symbolic, it symbolizes death/burial of the old "self" in that you are "buried" in the water, and then rise up out of it as a new person "in Christ".

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." - Rom 6:4

baptism serves to make public a proclaimation of ones' true conversion by renouncing the "things of the world" and claiming the things of Christ. For the Christ follower, the world is not "home" anymore. It is said that we become like aliens, or strangers in a strange land, a land where the inhabitants can't and usually don't want to understand the things of God, because the light of Gods word is painful to eyes used to the dark, to the lies they've been infused with all their lives. Christ can change that.

"How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land? - Psa 137:4

that's where faith enters.. I am not saying anything here that can not be accounted for right there in scripture, the bible is the only place from which we must always snap the first plumbline.

anyway, when I finally decided to give up my self to God through Jesus Christ, taking part in this "outward sign" was simply the natural thing to do.





















7/29/07..I did it, I finally crossed the line and I'm never looking back.

..and so did my son, daughter-in-law, and my husband :))

~

everywhere a sign

and furthermore:
"They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good."

A Blessed Palm Sunday to all,
and God Bless our troops, our leaders, and our country.

strive

I often cringe when I see what I wrote in my blog, oh well.

here's a little something from a very wise soul:

"The Lord is slow to anger," because He is GREAT IN POWER. He is truly great in power who hath power over himself. When God's power doth restrain Himself, then it is power indeed: the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action. The weak mind is irritated at a little: the strong mind bears it like a rock which moveth not, though a thousand breakers dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit."
Charles Spurgeon
~
another wise man, Pastor John C. Blackford..about 20 years ago, I remember our beloved Pastor standing in the pulpit one Sunday, proclaiming with a shaking finger pointed outward toward his flock and said: [sic]
"if the Methodist church allows a homosexual in the pulpit then I will lead this church out of the Methodist denomination"
-and the people (almost) all said: Amen.

Pastor Blackford also wrote something in the bible of every kid upon their confirmation, words that took me 30 years to get:

"This book will keep you from sin,
sin will keep you from this book"
how true
~
"...then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear.
Deu 6: 12&13

rock on ~

"esprit de l'escalier"

"witty remark or snappy retort that comes to mind after the opportunity has passed to use it "

hah!- that's my word!

I'm either driving, showering or performing some domestic chore when the lightbulbs start flaring up in my face about things I shoulda said in a comment..(er not said)
I wonder if there is an english version of this word.

in an english version, I would have to tack this on to the meaning: "rapidly formed astute observations of substantial pertinance through informed thought" along side "witty remark" and "snappy retort".
I did ask santa for pithiness this year but apparently that's been on back-order for quite sometime.

I so wish I had rapid command while trying to formulate my thoughts, you know, just get them typed out and be happy with the result, be done! - and on to other things. I would save an embarrasing amount of time I take to jot down even the simplist cogitations. I have tons of passion but seem to short-circuit when it comes to getting my thoughts from my head to the screen without deleting and re-typing umpteen million times, never mind all the fine-tuning when I'm about to hit "post". Type A you say? uhhhhh....huh.
I read other peoples's words/thoughts and then I really feel my inadequacies, there are some people out there who are really adept at writing.
~
Over at one my favorite blog-reads, I went on and on in a comment about a video by a Pastor Francis Chan. I was in a hurry, supposed to be getting ready to leave for several days, yet I spent hours trying to convey my thoughts on this video, why?? . . pff, who knows, I'm an empassioned soul looking for outlets, yet lacking a smooth ride. And to top it off I left my rough-ride of a comment under a less-than-suitable post, yeek.
I don't know what prompted me to put the effort into posting my thoughts on this video. My goodness, there have been so many other posts over there that have been truly a real blessing to me and I would have done much better to say so. Much easier than to try and (basically) preach to the real preachers. (!)

I'm certain I created less than a tiny blip amongst all the hub-bub that formed surrounding the video. Yet as I see it, I might have stepped where I shouldn't have so I felt the need to clean-up the bottom of my shoes a bit more, better to do it in my blog, (that I barely use as it is).
(the permalinks for there don't go directly to the comments?)
~
These days, I've been especially interested in what God says about . . well, about everything, so I've prayed, and even wondered aloud to Him what He'd like me to do with all this passion to learn, to write, and to reveal my thoughts -- on the www?

I've come to conclude what I've suspected all along: that some of this passion first stem from a humanistic source and not from the Christ-centered one.
Certainly, if it is "no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me"

well then, I dasn't waste all this time fretting on things to serve myself when I should be out serving Him who serves us so well, so graciously, so sufficiently.

So, I think He wants me to just stay quiet for awhile longer and keep reading His word.



edit Jan 19th/
*sigh*

Just tidying up the place - gone for the weekend -
back on Monday.

Blessings to all ~