I know when God has something important for me to write because the spiritual battle heightens - my thoughts get fuzzy, my line of thinking less clear...even now I am struggling to get this down right.
This morning I am listening to Matt Chandler continue to preach from Colossians 1. Oh, is it good. So good. But he does talk fast and there is so much in there that I know I will need to listen to it again...and take notes this time. Toward the end he talks about the point where the Gospel veers away from religion.
Religion says, "Forgive your brother, feed the poor, be a better person and you and God can talk." The Gospel says, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." If your ultimate goal is to fix your marriage or stop your addiction or be a better person you are in big trouble. Because what will likely happen, and I can personally attest to this, is you will attempt to walk the straight and narrow, you will knuckle down, you will strive for behavior modification...until you reach a point of stress, anger, weakness, where you fall back into your former pattern all over again and repeat the endless cycle.
Only when Jesus is your ultimate goal do you have any hope of lasting change. When we make Jesus our main pursuit, our main purpose...when we walk deeply with Him, when we understand his character more greatly, when we follow him more intimately...than we begin to see things the way He does. We begin to have a changed perspective, as well as a changed heart, when it comes to our marriage, our time, our money, our desires. It's the "new appetite" language that Piper talked about. Truly walking with God brings about NEW desires. That's how change comes about. We can't will it. Not for long anyway. If Christ isn't our ultimate goal, the best we can hope to do is exchange our current chains for different ones.
I love this line from the sermon..."God is not in love with some future version of you." God says, "Come to me NOW." Do you feel how freeing that is? It goes back to my occasional belief that I am not "good enough" to come to God for forgiveness and reconciliation after I have sinned. God isn't waiting on me to get my act together so we can hang out and finally get tight with one another. God is not in love with some future version of me. He loves me right here, right now. He loves me with all my issues and baggage and shortcomings and failures.
Religion says that isn't how it works. The Gospel vehemently disagrees.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sleepy
A very solid day on two hours of sleep...even though it was my fault this time. Thank you Lord for energy and an alert mind.
Got back to even in my stock account for the year. Been a rocky road over the past 5 weeks but feels good to have fought back. That's really what trading is...constantly fighting back. Not recommended for those who are easily discouraged.
I was told last night that I come across as being pious. Not sure what to do with that. I really don't try and come off that way. I try to share my weaknesses more than anything else and my humor is very self deprecating. Maybe it was a compliment on some level but it made me think of the Pharisees and that is not an image I want to portray. I just want to be known as someone who cares deeply about the hearts of people.
Evan Bayh - thanks for saying what America is thinking. What does it say about an institution that spits out the best it has to offer and keeps the worst?
I officially became too fat this weekend. P90X...here I come.
I really do enjoy beer though.
Why must everything be a battle???
Got back to even in my stock account for the year. Been a rocky road over the past 5 weeks but feels good to have fought back. That's really what trading is...constantly fighting back. Not recommended for those who are easily discouraged.
I was told last night that I come across as being pious. Not sure what to do with that. I really don't try and come off that way. I try to share my weaknesses more than anything else and my humor is very self deprecating. Maybe it was a compliment on some level but it made me think of the Pharisees and that is not an image I want to portray. I just want to be known as someone who cares deeply about the hearts of people.
Evan Bayh - thanks for saying what America is thinking. What does it say about an institution that spits out the best it has to offer and keeps the worst?
I officially became too fat this weekend. P90X...here I come.
I really do enjoy beer though.
Why must everything be a battle???
Sunday, February 14, 2010
I have the best parents in the world...
They have set a precedent by presenting some of our presents (ya like that?) with a song in recent years. Here are the latest examples from our January celebration in St. Louis.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
From Ray Ortlund's Blog...
My dad used to say to me, when I was a kid, “Listen, son. Half-hearted Christians are the most miserable people of all. They know enough to feel guilty, but they haven’t gone far enough with Christ to be happy. Be wholehearted for him!”
I used to roll my eyes when you said that. I don’t any more.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/rayortlund/
I used to roll my eyes when you said that. I don’t any more.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/rayortlund/
Saturday, February 6, 2010
PIGS
Maybe the most fitting acronym I have ever come across in my business. It stands for Portugal, Italy (though could also include Ireland), Greece and Spain. What do these countries have in common?
It's very interesting to note that all of these countries have socialist governments. Those governments can't get their acts together because they promised the people a lifestyle that required no sacrifice or independent thought while the government provided all of the opportunities. The unions aren't budging, farmers aren't budging, businesses have no say and it's a complete mess. The them versus us movement has ushered in new governments around the world but what happens when you can't soak them anymore.
What hubris our government has to be able to see all of this and yet follow the same path. We are very spoiled in that the dollar is still the best of the worst. When things get scary in the world, like they have the last couple of weeks, the dollar goes up because it is still viewed as relatively safe and stable. That will not always be the case, particularly if we continue to enact the kind of policies that are coming from Obama, which aren't all that dissimilar from the ones that came from Bush Jr.
Just as a sidenote, Obama has seemed even more detached from reality lately. The State of the Union address contained just ridiculous inconsistencies. He talked about fiscal responsibility and a spending freeze yet introduced a $3.3 trillion budget that was only about 50% covered by expected revenue. The debt ceiling was raised by $1.9 trillion to $14.3 trillion thanks to a 217-212 House vote. Now, Obama didn't vote on that but you know he backed it since his budget would have violated law if it didn't pass. Every Republican in the House voted against raising it but would they have voted the same if a Republican was in the White House? I doubt it.
Obama talked about increased transparency after breaking his promise to televise the health care negotiations. He talked about working together in a bipartisan manner before chiding Republicans for stalling legislation. He ridiculed the Supreme Court for a recent decision as they sat there in front of him! People gave Joe Wilson a hard time for an ill-timed outburst but Obama should have been held in contempt for that move. This guy ain't the Messiah but the Messianic complex is in full throttle. When someone can constantly say one thing while actively doing the exact opposite, it means they are either delusional or they just think their audience is too dumb to notice. I'm not real thrilled with either of those options...nor I am thrilled with Barack.
It's very interesting to note that all of these countries have socialist governments. Those governments can't get their acts together because they promised the people a lifestyle that required no sacrifice or independent thought while the government provided all of the opportunities. The unions aren't budging, farmers aren't budging, businesses have no say and it's a complete mess. The them versus us movement has ushered in new governments around the world but what happens when you can't soak them anymore.
What hubris our government has to be able to see all of this and yet follow the same path. We are very spoiled in that the dollar is still the best of the worst. When things get scary in the world, like they have the last couple of weeks, the dollar goes up because it is still viewed as relatively safe and stable. That will not always be the case, particularly if we continue to enact the kind of policies that are coming from Obama, which aren't all that dissimilar from the ones that came from Bush Jr.
Just as a sidenote, Obama has seemed even more detached from reality lately. The State of the Union address contained just ridiculous inconsistencies. He talked about fiscal responsibility and a spending freeze yet introduced a $3.3 trillion budget that was only about 50% covered by expected revenue. The debt ceiling was raised by $1.9 trillion to $14.3 trillion thanks to a 217-212 House vote. Now, Obama didn't vote on that but you know he backed it since his budget would have violated law if it didn't pass. Every Republican in the House voted against raising it but would they have voted the same if a Republican was in the White House? I doubt it.
Obama talked about increased transparency after breaking his promise to televise the health care negotiations. He talked about working together in a bipartisan manner before chiding Republicans for stalling legislation. He ridiculed the Supreme Court for a recent decision as they sat there in front of him! People gave Joe Wilson a hard time for an ill-timed outburst but Obama should have been held in contempt for that move. This guy ain't the Messiah but the Messianic complex is in full throttle. When someone can constantly say one thing while actively doing the exact opposite, it means they are either delusional or they just think their audience is too dumb to notice. I'm not real thrilled with either of those options...nor I am thrilled with Barack.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Pat Robertson
Why?
I don't understand his incessant need to make predictions which he deems "prophecies" as he almost always claims they come from God. His latest notion that the Haitian earthquake was divine punishment for their making a deal with the devil to get out from under French oppression is a head scratcher.
Here's the problem I have. Pat no longer has credibility in the prophecy department nor should he. Here is a list of a few that have never come to pass:
•In 1980, Robertson predicted the start of World War III, telling his audience that God said the year would be full of "sorrow and bloodshed that will have no end soon, for the world is being torn apart, and my kingdom shall rise from the ruins of it." He also prophecied in the same year that the Soviet Union would invade the Middle East to seize its oil reserves.
•In 1988, Robertson claimed that God told him to run for president. He did not win the Republican primary.
•In his 1991 book The New World Order, Robertson forecast that U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller would be elected president in 1996.
•In 1998, Robertson threatened that, as punishment for flying rainbow flags during Disney World's annual Gay Days event, the city of Orlando would be struck by "earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor".
•In 2004, Robertson predicted that George W. Bush would win reelection in "a blowout". Although Bush was reelected, it was by 50.7% to 48.3% - the closest ever margin for a sitting president.
•In January 2006, Robertson forecast that the U.S. midterm elections would leave the Republican party in control of Congress. He also predicted that the Iraq war would "come to a successful conclusion" that year and U.S. troops would begin withdrawing.
•Robertson also predicted in 2006 that devastating storms and hurricanes would lash the U.S. coast. He must have thought this a particularly safe guess, but in fact no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. in that year.
Now, in the Old Testament, if you were a "prophet" and one of your "prophecies" was incorrect, you were stoned. That means dead. That's because you weren't speaking on God's behalf. Either you were trying to make yourself great by using God's name for your benefit or you were serving Satan. Two choices. Neither one is pretty.
Pat and the 700 Club do a lot of good things. His prayers seem genuine and earnest and they very well may be. I don't know his heart. What I do know is that claiming to hear directly from God and then making subsequent predictions that don't come true, does not glorify God and is a stumbling block to the ministry and to many who are desperately searching for the truth.
I don't know why Pat insists on this annual tradition...but I think it has a lot more to do with him than it does with God.
http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/20/backpedaling-and-public-christianity/
I don't understand his incessant need to make predictions which he deems "prophecies" as he almost always claims they come from God. His latest notion that the Haitian earthquake was divine punishment for their making a deal with the devil to get out from under French oppression is a head scratcher.
Here's the problem I have. Pat no longer has credibility in the prophecy department nor should he. Here is a list of a few that have never come to pass:
•In 1980, Robertson predicted the start of World War III, telling his audience that God said the year would be full of "sorrow and bloodshed that will have no end soon, for the world is being torn apart, and my kingdom shall rise from the ruins of it." He also prophecied in the same year that the Soviet Union would invade the Middle East to seize its oil reserves.
•In 1988, Robertson claimed that God told him to run for president. He did not win the Republican primary.
•In his 1991 book The New World Order, Robertson forecast that U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller would be elected president in 1996.
•In 1998, Robertson threatened that, as punishment for flying rainbow flags during Disney World's annual Gay Days event, the city of Orlando would be struck by "earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor".
•In 2004, Robertson predicted that George W. Bush would win reelection in "a blowout". Although Bush was reelected, it was by 50.7% to 48.3% - the closest ever margin for a sitting president.
•In January 2006, Robertson forecast that the U.S. midterm elections would leave the Republican party in control of Congress. He also predicted that the Iraq war would "come to a successful conclusion" that year and U.S. troops would begin withdrawing.
•Robertson also predicted in 2006 that devastating storms and hurricanes would lash the U.S. coast. He must have thought this a particularly safe guess, but in fact no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. in that year.
Now, in the Old Testament, if you were a "prophet" and one of your "prophecies" was incorrect, you were stoned. That means dead. That's because you weren't speaking on God's behalf. Either you were trying to make yourself great by using God's name for your benefit or you were serving Satan. Two choices. Neither one is pretty.
Pat and the 700 Club do a lot of good things. His prayers seem genuine and earnest and they very well may be. I don't know his heart. What I do know is that claiming to hear directly from God and then making subsequent predictions that don't come true, does not glorify God and is a stumbling block to the ministry and to many who are desperately searching for the truth.
I don't know why Pat insists on this annual tradition...but I think it has a lot more to do with him than it does with God.
http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/20/backpedaling-and-public-christianity/
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