Above is a pic of my youngest daughter and me.
My Husband, My brother in Christ
It's the narrowness that offends the sinner
Can you be truly saved if you are not truly aware that you are lost?
Who defines good?
Irresistible Grace
My pastors sermon on Irresistible Grace... click that link and go take a listen. It's excellent!
The Offensiveness of Claiming Christ as The Only Way
Jon and I will be leading our neighborhood community group this Sunday evening on "Is Jesus the Only Way?" Jon will be leading the men, and I will be leading the women. Our group has been going through "The Case For Faith" by Lee Strobel as requested by a sweet gal in our group. The person that Strobel interviews on the offensiveness of claiming Christ as the only way, or Christian exclusivism, is Indian-born evangelist Ravi Zacharias. He wrote a book called Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message.
Wake-up all you who claim to know the Lord... open your eyes, your hearts
I have listened to this song, but this is the first time I viewed the video. It brought tears to my eyes, a knowing painful convicting glance of having been there... both the lonely searching place and the forgetful heart of not keeping my heart and eyes open to the hurting people around me.
...in spite of me, myself and I
I have been a bit weepy at church lately (and it ain't hormones). My poor husband and pastor probably do not know what to do with me. :-/
His sermon last week was on Unconditional Election and this week it was on Particular Redemption.
Yes, he is currently preaching through the Doctrines of Grace.
He also just recently went through the 5 solas.
He took a break from the series in Matthew to address what our historical baptist church is about. We have several new families and a seemingly consistent flow of visitors. Some stay... some flee. I think we had 3 visiting families this past Sunday when he presented Particular Redemption. This is a very tough truth to swallow; especially if you grew up in a church that always preached unlimited free will and it is up to YOU to choose God. I could see that Pastor Chris obviously wrestled over this one... NOT an easy sermon to preach and he expected some to get up and leave.
So... why the tears? Hm. Sometimes the truth of what is spoken hits me for others dear to me, sometimes it hits me because I know it is nothing I have done for God to extend His grace to me through His Son. I find myself drinking deeply from the well of truth... and I know that it is the Lord giving me a heart of longing for Him and His truth. Sometimes my selfish tendencies squelch that. Aargh. But in this season of deep longing for Him, I am so utterly thankful for His abundant mercies that are new every morning... in spite of me, myself and I.
God’s favorite instruments are nobodies...
...so that NO MAN can boast... He chooses weak instruments so no one will attribute the power to the instruments but rather to the God who wields the instruments. Those who pursue their own glory will sadly find God’s strategy unacceptable—and they’ll miss out on true glory and true joy... With the notable exception of Judas, the apostles were not like that. They certainly struggled with pride and arrogance like every fallen human being. But the driving passion of their lives became the glory of Christ. And it was that passion, subjected to the influence of the Holy Spirit—not any innate skill or human talent—that explains why they left such an indelible impact on the world. (Go HERE to read the rest)
“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Cor. 1:27-29)
Hey... I'm a nobody that came from nothing. At one time a completely hopeless case that wallowed in self pity, was angry at the world because I felt I deserved better... unworthy and unqualified, but then transformed by the grace of God alone! Slow to believe, slow to understand, with a horrendous memory! That's me. I am a living testimony that God is obviously long-suffering. Transforming me into a vessel of honor was definitely a Divine work. Couldn't muster that up on my own and I thank God daily that I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ, because apart from Him I am one big stench!
God chooses the humble, the lowly, the meek, and the weak so that there’s never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world. It’s not the man; it’s the truth of God and the power of God in the man. Next time you’re reading through the gospels or the book of Acts, take a few minutes to consider the work of God in the apostles. They were slow to believe, slow to understand, and had horrendous memories! Sound familiar?--Super-Sized Saints?
Now, my life is not changing the world. No. But the Lord has allowed me, by His grace alone, to impact a few... and to HIM ALONE be all the glory! If it were up to me, I'd mess them all up more. Yes, God has given me a powerful testimony. And boy it was painful. But it points to Him. It is ALL about Him. His abundant mercy, His indelible grace! And I am truly amazed when I think back on my life. God has accomplished much... and yet, there is much more to be done. (Long-suffering and faithful, He is.)
