This coming week I will be taking off to go to the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference in Minnesota. I have been in a pastor’s internship with Sam Storms for the past 5 months. There are 8 of us guys that get together each Thursday night and discuss the various assigned books we are reading that week. Mainly, Grudem’s Systematic Theology and some Piper books as well as books/articles on church life. It has been such an encouraging season, of course I have read more in the past 5 months than I did in all of my university experience (that is really not saying much). The reading has been very life giving, I find that when God calls you to something, He often gives His Mercy to succeed at it. When this internship came about, I really didn’t want to do it, although something deep in me really did want to – the war between flesh a spirit came alive. God then gave me a verse in I Peter 1:13
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
God said to me “now is the time to prepare your mind, gain knowledge in Me, let that knowledge flow down to your heart and transform you, sanctify you, then I will do more through you” Whenever God speaks, it brings in a rush of life and then a response of obedience, in a since, obedience becomes second nature because I believe Him and love to respond to His voice, all of this is second nature in the redeemed heart in me. Anyway, the reading has been full of His mercy, to grasp it, and respond in worship to how great a God He truly is. How His ways are so different than mine, and that isn’t just a phrase to use when I don’t understand Him, but even when I do. He says that we WILL suffer for the Gospel, but I haven’t been full on suffering for the Gospel, so have I been full on speaking the Gospel? I won’t go all into this but the suffering for the Gospel is something that is rocking my inner world! I mean, we are called and suppose to live this way, it is almost like a litmus text – no suffering=no advancement of the Kingdom. Here I am throwing this out without any good substance to back it, I have it, it is there but I may not be able to fully communicate it right now. For a quick idea on this read 2 Timothy, see what Paul says about suffering, then read the NT, lots of it in there as well. I am sure there will be more on this later as God is constantly teaching me this truth. For a secondary read on this, pick up ‘Desiring God’ by Piper, read the intro and then the last chapter which is on Suffering, it will rock your inner world too.
Ok, ok, back to the post. I am leaving tomorrow and going with this group of guys, at least most of them. I am excited about this. Sam Storms, our pastor at Bridgeway, is one of the speakers, so that is an honor to be there with him too. Anyway, I hope to post over the next few days, the ways that God speaks to me while there. I am not a big conference guy, I tend to get bored & tired and sometimes overwhelmed with all the info thrown out. But for this one, I am going to take it slowly, resting in His presence and asking Him to speak, change and cause me again to obey Him.
(The entire time I have been writing this post, my son has been sitting beside me offering me imaginary bacon and pancakes he made, that explains why the post is not real concise, oh well, but Graham did just tell me that a bowl in the kitchen is “breakable” – nice word for a 2 year old).
Came across this quote the other day, I wholeheartedly agree with it and truly wish abortion encounters were like this. Any “doctor”, and I use that term loosely in this case, who performs an abortion is less than a man, and merely a savage beast. It doesn’t take much to kill someone when you know 100% of the time no danger will come to you. I pray for protection of the thousands of babies whose mothers are contemplating abortion today – Lord, Jesus, save them and their mothers, and at the same time, bring conviction to more doctors to stand up and to not commit murder to these innocent lives. Amen.
“Suppose, in the encounter between doctor and child [in an abortion], the child won half of the time, and killed the doctor in self-defense—something he would have every right to do. Very few doctors would perform abortions. They perform them now only because of their absolute power over a small, fragile, helpless victim.”
—Stephen D. Schwarz, The Moral Question of Abortion (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1990), 143.
I couldn’t resist, I had to buy Graham a guitar for Christmas. Yes, I know he is just 2 and half but the boy loves music and I want to do all I can to encourage it. The guitar is a little big but I have high hopes that he will grow into it and then grow out of it and we will need to buy a really nice big boy guitar. He is also a lover of the drums, every Sunday after church he must spend a few minutes practicing. If this continues, this will be the next item on the list to purchase. We will need to create a full on music room in the house too – I like all of this.
With the new year approaching and lots of people listing their top books of the year, or of the decade, it is inspiring me to be intentional about what I will read this coming year.
I am finding that I am back into reading, partly because I am doing an internship that requires it but partly because I am desiring the growth that comes from it. I love truth, and how it transforms my being into being more like Jesus. I love humble yet creative stories and authors who write in first person. Even though I have not read too many, I want to peruse through a few solid biographies this year as well.
For my own sake and for accountability sake I am going to list some books that I am intentionally planning to read this year. I was first approaching this as a number of books I would read this year but I don’t operate like that, that doesn’t inspire me. What does inspire me are great proven books, ones that I can have high expectations for and watch how they meet those or exceed those expectations. Those kind of books, are the ones I will work to read.
On with the 10 for 2010. BTW – these are books I have either wanted to read for a long time or ones that at some point in my life I have been interested in.
I pulled up the SousChef on the Mac and went to work. These are pretty decent cookies, more like a brownie type cookie. It calls for an instant espresso, not sure where to find this so I did some research and discovered that I could use NesCafe instead, took me back to my Istanbul days where I didn’t really care for it and was reminded that I still don’t care for it. If you attempt these cookies, I would leave out the instant coffee(espresso) part, unless you just must have that coffee flavor included. Also, I would probably add a tad bit more salt or maybe use salted butter instead, ok, other than that – they are some good cookies. They strike a solid punch of straight chocolate all over your taste buds. You like chocolate = you like these.
Taking ‘em to a house church gathering tomorrow night.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and place over a pot of simmering water and melt completely. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar. Add eggs, then vanilla and espresso, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. On low speed beat in the melted chocolate mixture until just combined. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in the chips and pecans.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, putting 8 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 10 to11 minutes. The surface will be dry but the inside will still be soft. It will take no longer than 10 to 11 minutes so set the timer. Cool on a baking sheet. Best eaten the day they are made. Wrap leftovers well in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.
Description:
Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay”
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Truly our ultimate pleasures & joy are found in Him alone – and He has created us to do nothing but experience those pleasures and glorify him in response whereas we will find more pleasures – is God not an amazing giver of all good?
“The pleasures of loving and obeying, loving and adoring, blessing and praising the Infinite Being, the Best of Beings, the Eternal Jehovah; the pleasures of trusting in Jesus Christ, in contemplating his beauties, excellencies, and glories; in contemplating his love to mankind and to us, in contemplating his infinite goodness and astonishing loving-kindness; the pleasures of [the] communion of the Holy Ghost in conversing with God, the maker and governor of the world; the pleasure that results from the doing of our duty, in acting worthily and excellently; . . . these are the pleasures that are worthy of so noble a creature as a man is” (“Christian Happiness” in Sermons and Discourses 1720-1723, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 10. Edited by Wilson H. Kimnach [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992], pp. 305-06).
My mother in law read this yesterday, it is the proclamation from President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, as she read, it struck me that we are so far removed from times when a President would speak like this, in regards to sin, the Almighty, His Plans, etc. Then this morning I read this about our current president, this is not a political statement but just one showing how far our government leaders have subtly moved away from fearing the God revealed in scriptures and Jesus and moved closer to fearing man, and what he thinks. Ok, you decide, I don’t want to write all my thoughts on this:
Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good evening, everyone. On behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House. Aapka Swagat Hai. (Applause.)
Many of you were here when I was honored to become the first President to help celebrate Diwali — the Festival of Lights. (Applause.) Some of you were here for the first White House celebration of the birth of the founder of Sikhism — Guru Nanak. (Applause.) Tonight, we gather again, for the first state dinner of my presidency — with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, as we celebrate the great and growing partnership between the United States and India.
In Hinduism, Diwali marks the return of Lord Raama to his kingdom Ayodhya after defeating Ravana (the Demon King, and also the demons KING) – the ruler of Lanka in the epic story of Ramayana. It also celebrates the slaying of the demon king Narakasura by Lord Krishna. Both signify the victory of good over evil. In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of moksa by Mahavira in 527 BC. In Sikhism, Diwali commemorates the return of Guru Har Gobind Ji to Amritsar after freeing 52 other Hindu kings imprisoned in Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir. He was welcomed by the people who lit candles and divas to celebrate his return, which is why Sikhs also refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas meaning “the day of release of detainees”.
Not an attack on Obama or a praise for Lincoln, just raising the flag of awareness and reminding us on how we can be praying for our nation’s leaders, it’s so important that we do.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,” 1 Timothy 2:1
Jami and baby Emory are doing great – they had a photo shoot from Beth Jansen a few days ago, and this is the first of many we will see once she is finished editing them all. Check out her blog for more info – Beth Jansen
In continuing the discussion on today being a gift from God, that He made this day and calls for us to rejoice and be glad in it. I read this post on another blog and it again encouraged me to honor the days the Lord has given. To make the most of them – Ephesians 5:15“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,” Colossians 4:5“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” This calls for me to plan accordingly and walk out those plans each day.
I remember seeing a commercial when I was a kid, one that you probably saw too, that showed a middle aged man waking before the sunrise, getting dressed then heading into work, all while saying “time to make the donuts.” Each and every day, he rose, dressed and went into the donut shop because it was time to make the donuts.
Yesterday I was driving around our neighborhood, running some errands and the verse “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” Psalm 118:24 came into my mind. Typically when verses that are set to melodies jump into my head all I can do is sing the song I sang when I was a kid while missing the actual truth of that verse. This time that didn’t happen, I started thinking through this verse and what the Lord was saying about it and what He was saying to me about it. Those are great moments.
I have been studying the providence of God, the on-going relationship God has with His creation and His sovereignty. It can get pretty weighty and confusing at times, mainly because God is such a mysterious God and what He has chosen to reveal of Himself is nothing but a huge blessing and gift to us, anything beyond that is too much for our finite minds to comprehend, and I’m ok with that. Within His on-going relationship with creation He continues to reveal his intimacy with it, and I think it is so important for those who are called by His name to remember this relationship. Not knowingly, I have lived in my faith with the idea that God is actively involved with creation and our lives but really, he has set alot of things in motion and he is more like the wind that keeps blowing on those things, or maybe even the gas that keeps it going, does that make sense? But when I really look at what scripture says, I see that I was missing experiencing so much more of God every moment of my life. Grudem states it like this (from Grudem’s Systematic Theology, highly recommend this to everyone)
God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes.
Hebrews 1:3 says “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
The word ‘uphold’ literally means ‘carry,bear’. So Jesus is continually carrying along all things in the universe by His powerful word. This is amazing. And causes me to lift up my eyes, look around me and see that everything going on in nature, the sun rising and setting, the clouds rolling in, the wind, the seasons, the rain, thunder and lightening, and all that He has created, everything from atoms to marriages, to relationships to the breakfast I had this morning, all has been created and is carried along by His powerful word. I know there are lots of questions that enter at this point, I have been thinking and asking them, but I can’t get away from the fact that God is so active in every moment of our lives, and how often I have missed it, but not just because I wasn’t looking but also because I haven’t fully believed he is always active, my faith did not fully include this truth. Science is a beautiful thing but God created science. Yes, I know we can explain how a thunderstorm happens but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the next time a storm rolls in I am awed by it. Maybe that awe is the fact that God, by his word, is making it happen. In fact, He is, look at Job 37:6, 10-13:
6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.
10 By the breath of God ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen fast.
11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
12 They turn around and around by his guidance,
to accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of the habitable world.
13 Whether for correction or for his land
or for love, he causes it to happen.
So, back to the verse God brought to my mind while driving “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” He has made today, not just ordained it, or foreknew it, but made it. I know, the sun rises and sets in the same way everyday but God is making that each and every day, showing His faithfulness to us, showing His consistency to us, showing that He never changes and that in making this day for us, He loves us. By bringing that verse to mind, he was speaking His love to me. “Ryan, I have made this day, Nov 6th, so rejoice in it and be glad, it is a gift from me, I caused the sun to rise this morning, I was doing it while you were sleeping so that when you awoke you would have light and warmth. Etc. etc.” So this morning I woke up with more joy in my heart that God is giving us this day he made. Yes, the days can be evil, we live in a fallen world but from His hand are good gifts coming down from the Father of Lights. And today is one of them, so is tomorrow and the next and next until the final gifted day that we stand in complete joy with Him.
I hope this encourages your heart as it has mine. We have a God that is not far away at any time, even if we feel he might be but truth speaks louder and says that He is near, intimate, active in every moment of our lives and all creation, and He does this in His love for us and for His glory.
My Niece has arrived. I’m sure we will flood the net-waves with lots of pictures of her over the coming days, weeks, months, years, etc. but for now, and until I get some rest, I am linking up our site with The King’s blog (managed by Justin, Jami’s husband). Enjoy The King Family.
