Celebration of God's handiwork

In case the news hasn't spread to you yet, Brooke and I are expecting a baby! As of tomorrow, she will be 12 weeks pregnant already. We had the sweet joy of sharing our news with our church family this past Wednesday night as well as various family and friends in the weeks prior. We are both excited and speechless at the same time. It's hard to imagine what my life will be like when jellybean is born (we've named the baby "jellybean" because we don't know the gender yet). I invite you to pray with me before this baby arrives to this world. The first thoughts that may come to your mind are: health, safety, beauty, etc. However, I want you to know that my greatest concern is the salvation of my baby.

Ever since I found out about jellybean, I have not ceased to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17), for his/her salvation. I place my full focus on God's redeeming work in His saving grace. When I observe people that place their stakes on their own work or view of salvation, I see cracks in the foundation. In case you don't know this...please allow me to share with you that you need God. I need God. Brooke needs God. My prayer is for my baby to grow up with the understanding that he/she needs God. If anyone believes they don't need God...or even they don't want God, chances are, they don't know God. After reading Ephesians 1 recently, I've placed my full attention on God's predestined adoption of my baby.

For more info on the above paragraph, read the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in John 3...good stuff!

I have pondered many thoughts this week. Will my baby be a preacher of the Gospel? Will my baby be a global missionary? Will my baby long to be a spiritual leader? Will my baby desire God above all the evil pleasures of this fallen world? Will my baby grow as beautiful as her mom? Will my baby love to sit down with me in the evenings and worship our great King in His marvelous Scriptures? I have so many questions...But again, my greatest desire is for my gracious Father in Heaven to save my child by His amazing grace.

Please pray. Please join me in rejoicing. Please realize that apart from the grace of the cross, you and I would be under His judgment. Praise be to the Father, who crushed His Son instead of us...and giving us the gift of adoption! Through Jesus Christ, we have the sweet beauty of being born again in His wonderful, eternal family.

I'M A DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Do you long for God?

As the deer pants for the water brooks,So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night,While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?And why have you become disturbed within me?Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me;Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;And His song will be with me in the night,A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul?And why have you become disturbed within me?Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 42

In this rich Psalm, we see from the writer the great need to long for God. I wonder if people in churches today truly long for God? Do you long for God? Lets take a look at just one word in the 11 verses here.

Psalm 42:1 is beautifully stated, "As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God." I'm using the Holman Christian Standard version with this verse because I agree with their wording. The word `arag (aw-rag'), meaning to long for -- cry, pant, is used. This animal is obviously on a tired journey that is in desperate need for refreshment. His desire for satisfaction is found in the fact that his cry is heard, his panting is refreshed, his longing is found. It's not a once a week idea. I believe this is a daily longing for survival. We even see in verse 2 that the writer so boldly states, "I thirst for God, the Living God." What do you thirst for? What do you long for?

I see much complacency today in the life of believers. It seems that we have sold a Gospel that gives heaven but not God. We offer the riches of heaven rather than the riches of God alone. This deer wasn't looking for a place that contains water... this deer was looking for water. I see such a beautiful connection to what we are faced with today. I'm about to say something that may shock you...but please read it a few times and allow it to process. Are you ready? Here it goes. If you don't want God, if you don't long for God, if you don't cry out and pant for God; than you will not experience the riches of heaven. Does the deer want the location or the substance? Does the deer want the location or the need?

My challenge for you today is to live each step with a need and longing for God. Treasure Him and praise Him for the riches of His grace found through Christ (read Ephesians...all of it). Cry out to Him for mercy and steadfast love if depression is near (look at Psalm 42:6). Praise Him for the love that He sends (look at Psalm 42:8). As you need water to satisfy your thirst, you need living water to satisfy your eternal longing.

I pray today you will plunge into Emmanuel's blood, taste His living water, and enjoy the gift of His Father...forever. May your longing be satisfied today.

From one whose longing has arrived by the grace of God

Singing the Gospel

I just finished an excellent book entitled, Living the Cross Centered Life, by C.J. Mahoney. In the book, Mahoney beautifully writes about the importance of living for the sake of the Gospel. The Cross centered life takes away our natural tendency to look at ourselves in our view, but rather rejoice in the view of Grace from our Father. Instead of looking at us as guilty and condemned in His sight, through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, we are viewed as innocent children. It's a beautiful book that I highly recommend you to get. It won't take but a few hours to read all of it. Enjoy it, and make sure you have tissues near.

One point in that book that really hit home to me was found in the last chapter. Mahoney challenges the reader to "sing the Gospel." Since then, I've gone back to my itunes account and set up a playlist entitled, "songs about the Gospel." I have the music play nonstop while I'm working. Such beautiful songs have led me to:

Rejoice in the wonders of God, amazed by Jesus the Nazarene
The joy of knowing I will one day rise when He calls my name!
Knowing that nothing can save my, nothing but the blood of my Savior
Each day, I need to cling to the cross more
Celebrating the fact that Jesus came to my rescue
I can sit in silence in the joy of my Wonderful King
The Beautiful blood leads me to experience the wonderful flow of God's mercy
and so on....

This verse in particular helps me understand the joy of singing the Gospel. Paul writes, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

That's my hope for you today. Sing the Gospel. Sing the good news that the Savior of the world has come to rescue you from the wrath of the Holy God that you and I have offended. Praise His Name that He has taken the wrath upon Himself and giving you the joy of His perfect righteousness (right standing) to God! The tomb is empty! Death no longer has mastery over us! Death is only our gain as we get to be with God! (Phil 1:21).

Sing the Gospel. I promise you that songs of the Gospel will be more powerful than any other song you will ever hear. May we not sing to ourselves or to each other...may we sing and boast in the only One that is mighty to save.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Stars of Glory

I just returned home after a long, but wonderful Sunday with my church family. I love coming home with such joy after spending the day studying the Scriptures and rejoicing in the grace of our Lord, with my family. There is just something that stirs within my soul that words cannot articulate when it comes to sweet fellowship with the bride. I sincerely hope that you are involved in a local church body. I hope you don't waste your days here for your own selfishness rather than growing in likeness of Christ, the Living Stone; who reveals Himself so beautifully within the living stones...(Just read 1 Peter 2). When the bride is the bride from the Bible, than true worship occurs. When the bride offends the Gospel and makes a mockery of the holiness of God... than true heresy occurs. Which one do you prefer?



Anyways, random; I know. I apologize. Now onto what I really wanted to share...



Tonight at the Answers Academy class, we discussed the beauty and glory of God found in astronomy. Ever look up at the sky at night and ponder thoughts of God's beauty found in stars that you cannot fully see? Here are some passages that deal with His glory found in stars:



1. Genesis 1:16...God made the two great lights - the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night-as well as the stars.

2. Psalm 8:3...When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place,

3. Matthew 2:2...For we saw His star in the east...and have home to worship Him.

4. Philippians 2:15...(we are called, my adding for the context), children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.

5. And of course one of my favorites.. the reference to Christ in Revelation 22:16, The root and the offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star

So, it begs the question; why are stars mentioned in these contexts? I look in these passages and see a beautiful parallel, perhaps. God spoke all into existence, through His Word. We see His creation shining His beauty, His glory, which eventually led to the first recorded worshippers of Jesus (other than His earthly family). We see that we are labeled as stars that shine in a dark and perverted world that needs His marvelous light (see also 1 Peter 2:9). We see Christ labeled as the BRIGHT MORNING STAR, which gives the gift of a new day, the gift of life and light, the joy of a promise fulfilled by the grace of our Wonderful Maker. Stars shine the glory of God for in them, we are reminded of how small we are, but yet privileged to be called His adopted sons (see John 1:12). WHAT GRACE AND GLORY! Our Father has given us the gift of His pardon, the passing of His judgment onto His Son, and gives us His glory...the gift of Himself! We are now looked at (as originally created in our earthly parents; Adam and Eve), as VERY GOOD... why? Because the Bright and Morning Star; King Jesus, shines in us! Our sin for His righteousness. Our darkness for His light. Our brokenness for His beauty.

I like the words of this song:

you should see the stars tonight how they shimmer shine so bright against the black they look so white comin down from such a height to reach me now, reach me now

you should see the moon in the flight cuttin cross the misty night softly dancin in sunshine reflections of this light reach me now, you reach me now

and how could such a thing shine its light on me and make everything beautiful again

and you should feel the sun in the spring comin out after a rain suddenly all is green sunshine on everything i can feel it now, i feel you now

and how could such a thing shine its light on me and make everything beautiful and you should hear the angels sing all gathered round their king more beautiful than you could dream i've been quietly listening you can hear 'em now, i hear em now

and how could such a king shine His light on me and make everything beautiful and i wanna shine i wanna be light i wanna tell you it'll be alright and i wanna shine and i wanna fly just to tell you now it'll be alright, it'll be alright it'll be alright.

cus i got nothing of my own to give to you but this light that shines on me shines on you and makes everything beautiful, again.it'll be alright, it'll be alright.
Stars by David Crowder

May His gracious Spirit draw you today to shine His beautiful light to those that are perishing in the dark. May you shine brilliantly as one of His countless stars (see Genesis 22:17).

Soli Deo Gloria!

His Help and His Rescue

I waited patiently for the LORD;And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,And Your thoughts toward us;There is none to compare with You.If I would declare and speak of them,They would be too numerous to count. Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;My ears You have opened;Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I come;In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God;Your Law is within my heart.” I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;Behold, I will not restrain my lips,O LORD, You know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation. You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me;Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. For evils beyond number have surrounded me;My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,And my heart has failed me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;Make haste, O LORD, to help me. Let those be ashamed and humiliated together Who seek my life to destroy it;Let those be turned back and dishonored Who delight in my hurt. Let those be appalled because of their shame Who say to me, “Aha, aha!” Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;Let those who love Your salvation say continually,“The LORD be magnified!” Since I am afflicted and needy,Let the Lord be mindful of me.You are my help and my deliverer;Do not delay, O my God.
-Psalm 40

This beautiful Psalm is easily one of my favorites in the entire collection. I love the division it contains, focusing on 2 major sections: thanksgiving for the Lord’s history of His provision, and a refreshing reliance on His current mercy. In other words, the writer boasts in how through patience and resting in God’s presence, he has found comfort in His sweet rescue. The writer then continues on with the idea that he will continue to trust and give His allegiance to the majesty of YHVH.
Think with me for a moment about a time in your life in which you’ve discovered the gracious hand of the Lord rescuing you from trial or tribulation. Think with me of the pain you endured but then the victory you discovered in the end. We often times look at suffering in a sense of a momentary discomfort and a blinded awareness of His control. However, when we look at the beauty He gives us in waiting patiently for Him and seeking His pleasure, we in turn receive the greatest news of all; His mercy and grace!
Lately, I’ve been reading Job. It’s amazing to me that we read this book with the lens of the outcome. We know that in the end, Job will be blessed richly for His patience and waiting in the Lord’s presence. Even with lousy advice from friends and a hurt spouse, Job perseveres. However, one thing that has challenged me is the understanding that Job doesn’t know the outcome at the present time. His patience in suffering and joy in the Lord sustains him during difficult days. What faith! What trust and satisfaction he presents as a testimony to us!
Do you wait patiently today? Do you cling to His rescue? Do you rejoice in the new song He puts in your mouth daily (Psalm 40:3)? Do you make Him your trust (Psalm 40:4), your subject to proclaim (Psalm 40:5), your delight in worship (Psalm 40:16)? I want to encourage you to read all 17 verses today of Psalm 40 and rejoice in the Lord, your help and your deliverer.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Blessing of His Word

James 1:25, "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does"

I have a question for you on this rare Summer cool evening; how important is the Word to you? This afternoon, I had the sweet privilege of glancing through the law (the first 5 books of the OT) with my dear friend Canyon. After our time together, I was walking out to my car when my friend Tina stopped me with this statement, "you've challenged me study and memorize more Scripture." I got into my car and drove home. Her statement is still on my mind. Why do we need to study the Word? Why would anyone want to memorize it? A book that has tough passages to understand and too many little books to choose from (66 total)...what would prompt anyone to study it? I believe the answer is found in the blessing that it offers. My friend has a passion for His Word and uses that passion to teach children. She is a hero of the faith for many.

Jesus spoke these words many years ago, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17). I believe what He was saying then draws us to study now. His half brother wrote these words that I began this post with. Lets take a glance at them together... shall we?

"one who looks intently on the law" - this statement is derived from the word, parakupto par-ak-oop'-to, which translates: to bend beside, i.e. lean over (so as to peer within) -- look (into), stoop down, etc. I look at this with an understanding of humility. We empty ourselves, our time, our own desire to dictate time when we study His Word diligently. I believe our passion is what drives our use of time. Anyone who loves baseball will naturally take time to study all the stats of each player and travel to as many stadiums as possible. There isn't anything wrong in that in of itself, but if that weighs more value in one's soul over His good Word, then where does the heart rest? Or if a mom or dad will travel the country for their child's team, missing church on many Sundays, and spending countless hours for the sport over the study of His good Word, where is the priority? I believe those that desire more of His goodness daily will take upon themselves an attitude of bending beside, leaning over, into, stooping down to taste of His greatness (Psalm 34:8). Where does your soul rest? Begin with Genesis. Enjoy the journey. Be captivated by His glory. Praise Him for His grace. Live as His adopted.

"abides by it" - parameno par-am-en'-o the idea is: to stay near, i.e. remain (literally, tarry; or figuratively, be permanent, persevere) -- abide, continue, etc. Just studying and memorizing the Word doesn't sanctify; one must abide in it. This idea goes well with John 15. We must understand the purpose behind the Word. We were given it to understand the true nature of God Almighty and to be drawn daily in His likeness. Since I believe all scripture was given to us by Him (2 tim 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21), then the privilege we have to abide in it shows us more of His amazing grace! What power and beauty found in the riches of His Word. Read Psalm 119. All 176 verses remind us to abide in His Word, to enjoy His truth, and to proclaim His true character. What do you abide in? What do you continue to study or pursue? If it is outside His good word, I encourage you to repent and rest in His promises. Check out Psalm 42.

The forgetful hearer and effectual doer...that makes sense to me. I hope it does to you. You don't just stare at a teacher while he gives a lesson and then try on your own to do what he teaches...unless you are open to learning the subject, you will fail in your own attempt to conjure its meaning.

Finally, we have this part, "this man will be blessed in what he does." I like this part. We see the word, makarios mak-ar'-ee-os, meaning: supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off -- blessed, happy(-ier). Who wouldn't want this?!! If we are given the promise of His fortune, His happiness, His supreme blessing...then our prompting to study is as easy as trying to convince a middle school boy to drink a monster drink. The blessing we receive is the gift of Himself. When we enjoy Him in His Word, then He pours upon us....Him. James 4:8. Check that passage out. Apart from His good word, the pleasures of this world only add more decay inside our white washed bodies.

So my friend, my encouragement to you today is to intently look at His Word and allow His truth to abide sweetly in you. I close with what Gutenberg (the inventor of the printing press) said about the Word:

"Yes, it is a press, certainly, but a press from which shall flow in inexhaustible streams, the most abundant and most marvelous liquor that has ever flowed to relieve the thirst of men! Through it , God will spread His Word. A spring of truth shall flow from it: like a new star it shall scatter the darkness of ignorance, and cause a light heretofore unknown to shine amongst men."

Good News

I think if I were to poll 10 random people, 10 out of 10 would say that they would enjoy hearing good news. All of us are prone to what good in our lives, in one way or another. As I wrote a few days ago about the bad news all of us have inherited thanks to our parents (Adam and Eve), naturally, we want to hear about the good news. If you are like me, I want the bad news first...but want to end on the good news. So, on this beautiful Saturday in Acworth, I'd like to submit to you the good news...

We get the definition of the Gospel from the idea of, "good news." euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on) which can translate: a good message, i.e. the gospel -- gospel. Mark 1:1 begins with this beautiful word in the original language. Jesus is good news. His life, His obedience to the Father, His willingness to absorb the Father's wrath off of us...and His resurrection from the grave is all the Gospel. The good news that I submit to you today is that through Jesus, we are given the gift of a legal right, a reception of His grace and forgiveness, the beauty of His adoption, and the joy of His presence for all eternity.

Simeon waited to see Jesus for he knew of the Gospel. Read Luke 2:30. John the Baptist declared the Gospel when he saw Christ, read John 1:29. John outran Peter to the empty tomb because of the Gospel, read John 20. The sweet joy of Christ is the good news of His atonement for us. Want to hear good news today? Repent (turn away from) your sins (to break God's perfect law), and turn to His goodness thru His Son.

The gospel gives us a new heart (2 Corinthians 5:17). The gospel gives us a new birth (John 3). The Gospel gives us transformation (Romans 12:2). The gospel gives us the proper way to live (1 Peter 1:15). The gospel gives us something to talk about (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47). The gospel is good news for in it, we are given life (John 10:10), and everlasting joy (John 3:16).

Do you have this good news? Do you realize that according to His Holy Word, rejection of His Son results in the reception of His wrath? (see John 3:36). Repent and believe in the Gospel today (Acts 3:19, 8:22). Enjoy Him forever. The tomb is empty! That's good news.

His Provision handles our enemies

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind,With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery,With the angel of the LORD pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me;Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him unawares,And let the net which he hid catch himself;Into that very destruction let him fall. And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;It shall exult in His salvation. All my bones will say, “LORD, who is like You,Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him,And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?” Malicious witnesses rise up;They ask me of things that I do not know. They repay me evil for good,To the bereavement of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;I humbled my soul with fasting,And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. I went about as though it were my friend or brother;I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother. But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;The smiters whom I did not know gathered together against me,They slandered me without ceasing. Like godless jesters at a feast,They gnashed at me with their teeth. Lord, how long will You look on?Rescue my soul from their ravages,My only life from the lions. I will give You thanks in the great congregation;I will praise You among a mighty throng. Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;Nor let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously. For they do not speak peace,But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. They opened their mouth wide against me;They said, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!” You have seen it, O LORD, do not keep silent;O Lord, do not be far from me. Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord. Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness,And do not let them rejoice over me. Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!”Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me. 2Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication;And let them say continually, “The LORD be magnified,Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.” And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness And Your praise all day long. Psalm 35

I love the faithfulness of God when it comes to His provision over His redeemed. In the 28 verses of this powerful Psalm, we can learn that in His care, we can seek Him during times of persecution and harm from our enemies. I’m sure if we were to examine our lives, we can see that there are some people that just don’t like us. I’ve been at Summit now for close to 4 years. In that short time, I’ve observed some that just don’t like me. It happens. Ministry and faithfulness to the Lord doesn’t always bring fantasy happiness. Often times, when we are faithful to His Word and enjoying His presence, there will be some that oppose. I invite you to take time to read what Jesus spoke of this matter in the greatest sermon ever preached (Matthew 5-7).

So..what can we gather from this rich text today? I believe what we can gather is the privilege of faithful prayers. When we know of others in our lives that oppose us, dislike us, and make efforts to discredit us, our response should be immersed in prayer. Our flesh can be an ugly monster. Our natural tendency (given to us from earthly parents…Romans 5:12), is to lash out and protect our claimed territory. However, I see in this text the importance to surrender our rights of defense to the Holy One that can mightily defend. The Psalmist begins in the first verse with a cry for the Lord to fight the battle…not the writer. What joy and assurance to know that we don’t have to put the weight of opposition on our shoulders! We can trust in His provision and care in leading us to be wise in any given situation. Anyone opposing you or attacking you today? Have you given the right to respond over to the Lord?

The last part of this rich Psalm is how I want to close this morning. “Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, GREAT is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of His servant! Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long” (Psalm 35:27-28). What glory and riches! It ties in so well with what our Savior told us in Matthew 5:16…about letting our light shine for the glory of the Father. I believe in our passion to find satisfaction in God above all the evil pleasures of this world, the result can naturally be a righteousness in us that leads to praises all day long for His great name. I’d marry Matthew 5 with James 3. Take time to see how even the words of your mouth can be a testimony today to the expanding of corporate worship here in this world. May all that comes out of our mouths today not be in defense to accusations or attack, but may they tell of the righteousness of our great Lord.

Bad News....

I will begin today a short, 2 part blog about the ugliness of sin (bad news) and the grace of salvation through the atoning death of Christ (good news). If you come to church this Sunday, you will hear these 2 blogs preached together in the sermon.

Has anyone ever approached you and informed you of this, "I have good news and bad news...which one do you want to hear first"? If you are like me, I want to hear the bad news first, so that the good news will be more tolerable. If I were to approach you with this statement, and only told you of the good news, then how could you truly appreciate if if you don't know the bad news? OR, if I told you the bad news...then would you have any reason to rejoice without hearing the good news? I heard this joke one time in my life that has stuck with me for a short while (you can give a grace laugh, I don't mind).

A guy walks into the doctor's office and is given the results of his recent exam. The doctor says, "I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that you will not be alive next month...the good news is that you will have a disease named after you!"

That probably isn't good news at all. My friend, I have good news for you...but first I must tell you of the bad news. Before I give you some Scripture, I must tell you of a conversation I had today with a lady who called the church office. Through her tears, she explained to me the situation (the pastor and other ministers were gone...she was stuck with me). She recently committed adultery, lied about it, and woke up today as a guilty sinner in need of forgiveness from God and her husband. For 25 minutes, I spoke to her about the depravity of man and the need for grace. We dove into passages such as 2 Samuel 11-13, Psalm 51, John 4, Ephesians 2, and others. Please pray for her as she now tries to seek the Spirit's power in bringing her broken family back together.

Why would this be such a big deal? Why wouldn't she be able to wake up and decide on her own that she needed another lover? The reason why countless stories such as this come up in lens of hurt, pain, and evil...is the nature of sin! We have this nature in us. Take a moment with me and look at the history of sin:

"but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." - Genesis 2:17

"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." - Genesis 3:6

The result..... the bad news...

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings." - Genesis 3:7

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not" - Romans 7:18

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" - Romans 5:12

"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." - Isaiah 64:6

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." - John 3:36

Please come Sunday to hear more about the bad news. We are all guilty sinners (James 2:10). Anytime we want to do our word and not follow His perfect Word, we sin. our parents (Adam and Eve) wanted to find good in their own willful decision to find pleasure in something contrary to God's law, His Word. The result is what spreads daily. The result is why I get phone calls like I got today. The result is why I'm embarrassed to look at some of my student's facebook pages. The result is why dads in my church don't lead, moms don't nurture, and their children rebel. The result of sin can range from poor teaching in the class rooms to secret, habitual sins that will one day split the entire family. The result is self righteousness and philosophies that are centered around the self.

We have bad news. We have offended the Holy God, the great I AM, that gave us the gift of our heart beating in our chest. We need a remedy... we need good news.

May we be faithful to the Scriptures and tell others first about the bad news, for without it, how will they rejoice in the good news?

A New Song Daily

It's been a long time since I've sat down and blogged. I miss communicating to you the riches of God's grace and the joy of my journey in finding my satisfaction in Him alone daily. In case you are new to my blog and don't know this about me, I am a youth minister at a church north of Atlanta. Summers are the busiest times for many youth ministers. We get our students for almost 2 months before their busy schedules pick up with school. During this time, many of us decide to be crazy and plan camps, mission trips, and other various elements of ministry to keep their attention. I just got back from a wonderful mission trip to Bainbridge, GA. 19 students and a few adults made up the crew that came with me (along with several families that gave us a total of around 45ish??). Our job was simple in training and hard in application. We were trained to hang Sheetrock and then we applied that wonderful training for close to 5 days of hard work. I'm so encouraged by the work ethics my students and adults put in. I'm refreshed by their teamwork. This was my 3rd year of going on trips like this in which we get to help build churches. What a joy. It's good to be home.

In all my traveling (from Virginia to California, to Kentucky, Ohio, and back to Georgia), I've been so swept away by the daily grace of God Almighty. This verse in particular has spoken deeply to my soul, "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD." (Psalm 40:3). Please permit me to break down to you why this verse truly paints a perfect picture to how gracious our Lord truly is.

Each morning, the Lord has blessed me with the delicious aroma of His presence. I believe His Word is sweet, as honey dripping off of the comb. When I read His Word, journal praises to His name, and meditate on His truths I've gained, I walk away with a new song in my mouth. I can't really say its something that is special or rewarding...I find it to be more of a necessity to live. Sleeping on air mattresses for 4-5 hours a night, with noisy teenage boys who would rather chat like little girls than sleep...and waking up to hang 5/8 sheet rocks on the ceiling can drain me if I'm not careful. Camp, in its full speed can drain me. Preaching for 3 straight days in a state that is away from home can tire my body. So much can be said here right now in the complaint department... for your sake, I'll quit. Whats the point? I need Him daily to wake me up, give strength to my bones to do the work that He's called me to do.

This verse has refreshed my soul and has given me a new song, a new spring of life daily; to proclaim unspeakable praises to His name. Each morning, I'm awakened to His mighty presence. I'm starting to move away from the term, "quiet time" to "His time." My life is dependant on His grace, His presence, His time. The result always is... a new song in my mouth. I get to read such powerful books such as Esther, and I get to pause and praise Him with a song of joy as I see His promise to deliver His people from harm. I'm currently reading a book called, "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer. In 4 chapters, I'm drawn to the conclusion that God is worth the daily pursuit of knowing...and I will never write as good as Packer. I meet so many people that find little to no reasons to praising God. It seems that many of us are prone to wait for seasons to praise, or sorrowful moments to pray prayers of petition. Please allow me to give you this challenge; begin each day with, "His time." Read Psalm 40 and understand what the Psalmist was communicating. The infinite result of Him putting a new song in us is the incorruptible praises of countless voices that fear and trust in Him.

Have "His time." May He graciously put in you a new song daily.

Soli Deo Gloria.