Proverbs, Anyone?

Like Proverbs? Been a while since you've read? On my other blog here I will, starting September 1, be commenting on the corresponding chapter from Proverbs daily. Read with us, and leave your insights as comments!

Preach the Gospel to Yourself!

“Preaching the gospel to myself each day mounts a powerful assault against my pride and serves to establish humility in its place. Nothing suffocates my pride more than daily reminders regarding the glory of my God, the gravity of my sins, and the crucifixion of God’s own Son in my place. Also, the gracious love of God, lavished on me because of Christ’s death, is always humbling to remember, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the Hell I deserve.”

- Milton Vincent

Ever Doze While Praying?

Q. "What do you do when you realize you have been dozing?" (during prayer}

A. "If you doze off, don't give it a second thought. A child in the arms
of a parent drops off to sleep occasionally, but the parent isn't
disturbed by that as long as the child is happily resting there and
opens its eyes once in a while.

Thomas Keating

No Undinged Knights

There will be no "knights in shining armor" in God's kingdom; our armor
will have many dings and dents. No, no perfect Hollywood heroes will
ride to save the day; just wearied saints to look to God and, in
weakness, find Christ's strength. This, indeed, is the essence of God's
kingdom: divine greatness manifest in common people.

Francis Frangipane

Forgiveness

Each time I use the following quote in a message; at least one person asks me for a copy. Forgiveness is commanded by the Lord in straight-up terms...forgive, or we won't be forgiven.

But there is a pragmatic benefit of forgiveness also, and Neal Anderson describes it:

"You don't forgive someone merely for their sake. You do it for your sake so you can be free.

"Your need to forgive is not an issue between you and the offender, it's between you and God.

"Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another person's sin. Forgiveness is costly. We pay the price of the evil we forgive. Yet you are going to live with those consequences whether you want to or not - your only choice is whether you will do so in the bitterness of unforgiveness or the freedom of forgiveness.

"Forgiveness deals with your pain, not another's behavior."

When Is the Last Time You Thought of God's Love?

There I was, reading my chapters for the day, when I got sideswiped by Psalm 48.9, which reads, in the English Standard Version,
"We have thought on Your steadfast love, O God..."
Have I? And when was the last time? What about you? What do you think of when you think of God's steadfast love?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I am Proud!

Jane and Janelle


Jane and Jacob

I marvel at how blessed I am to have the wife and children I've been loaned..."every good and perfect gift comes from God"...
Alas, no recent fotos of Josiah (24) and Joel (21)

Incredible Honesty from Sam Storms

Dr. Sam Storms is one of my favorites. You can learn more of him at www.enjoyinggodministries.com.

Without editorial comment, here is his latest writing, received while I was finishing up my last week of camp, and obviously timely with the car accident related death of our 17-year-old nephew last Saturday.

Yes, it is long, but I urge you to thoughtfully read it.

An Open Hand or a Clenched Fist?

The Frightening Reality of a Fair Weather Faith

I don't know how else to say it, so I'll come straight to the point. Last Sunday, August 17, 2008, I came face to face with the fragility and weakness of my faith in God. It may have been the most frightening moment in my Christian life. Let me explain.

On Wednesday, August 13th, just five days earlier, I was in Oklahoma City meeting with the staff of Bridgeway Church. During lunch, as I was about to respond to another question, my cell phone rang. It's every parent's worst nightmare.

My younger daughter, Joey (23), was hysterical and virtually incoherent. It took at least ten minutes for me to get her calm enough that I could understand what she was saying amidst the tears and shock. She had been on her way back to Kansas City from Branson, Missouri, when her car grazed the side of a large truck that had moved into her blind spot. She was instantly airborne, her car virtually flying through the air at 65 mph.

The car flipped upside down, but not as you might expect. It didn't roll over, side to side, but rather back to front. The nose of the car dipped as the rear end rose, eventually landing on its roof. Joey immediately unhooked her seat belt, pushed away the airbag, and fell to the roof of the car which was now the floor.

Her immediate instinct was to call me. But I was helpless to do anything, being nearly four hours away. I called Ann in Kansas City and she quickly made her way to the hospital in Bolivar, Missouri, where the police took Joey for an examination.

Miraculously and mercifully, she had only an abrasion on her neck from the seat belt and a slight chemical burn on her forearm. No broken bones. No internal injuries. No bleeding. She was sore for several days (and still is, as of Wednesday, August 20th), but was graciously preserved from any serious injury. Everyone at the scene said they'd never seen an accident like that in which the driver walked away unscathed. The car was thoroughly crushed and destroyed. We have pictures to prove it. "I have no explanation for why your daughter isn't dead," said the police officer to me on the phone.

You may wonder, then, why Sunday would have been a difficult day for me. I was filled with such indescribable gratitude for what God had done. My heart was flooded with joy and delight as I reflected on how close she had come to death and how wonderful it was that she emerged without serious harm.

The tears of thanksgiving and profound appreciation and worship flowed freely and unashamedly. My hands were lifted high in adoration and praise as we sang that now familiar and somewhat dated chorus, "He is exalted, the King is exalted on high, I will praise Him!" We then sang what has quickly become one of my favorites, "Beautiful," by Phil Wickham, one verse of which is as follows:

"I see your power in the moonlit night

Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright

We are amazed in the light of the stars

It's all proclaiming who You are,

You're beautiful!"

Suddenly, my hands began to tremble ever so slightly. The tears dried up. Without warning, giving me no chance to prepare my heart, this horrifying thought raced through my mind: "Would I be lifting my hands in love and adoration of the Lord if Joey had died last Wednesday? Or would my raised and open hand be a clenched and defiant fist? If she, like so many who had similar wrecks, had died, would I have praised God for being ‘Beautiful'"?

I was spiritually paralyzed. A shiver of raw fear ran down my spine. No words can adequately explain the emotional terror that gripped my soul. Was I the sort of person who would only worship and honor and love God so long as he saved my daughter's life? Was I the sort who would happily and profusely speak of the mercy of divine providence only if it shined on me favorably?

If Joey had not survived the wreck, or if she had been severely injured or paralyzed, would I have declared God to be beautiful, or would I have seen him as ugly and uncaring and indifferent? Was my faith the sort that flourished only in fair weather, or would it withstand the storm of tragedy and loss of the worst imaginable kind?

I couldn't answer my own questions. I froze in fear. Would I have cursed God instead of extolling him had my precious little girl died? How have other people coped when their child was lost? What did they think of God? Was he still worthy of their praise? Was he still deserving of their devotion and affection and love? Was he still "exalted" as "King on high"? Was he still beautiful in their eyes?

I wish I could tell you that I reassured myself by saying, "Hey, Sam, don't worry. Of course you'd still love God. The pain would be unbearable, but your faith would withstand the test. You're strong. After all, you're a Calvinist. Your whole life and ministry are built on the stability and strength of divine sovereignty."

I wish I could tell you that's what passed through my mind. But it didn't. Maybe I would still have praised him. I certainly hope so. Oh, God, please let it be so! But I felt vulnerable in that moment in a way I never have before. I felt weak and frail and terrified that my faith was only as good as were the circumstances of my life.

I have many times glibly and proudly quoted the words of Job: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). It's always been easy, because the Lord has not as yet "taken away" anything of great value to me. He came close, but he gave her back. If he hadn't, could I have honestly and sincerely said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? I don't know. That's what scares me.

I want to believe that I would still love and honor God following the sort of loss Job suffered. I desperately want to believe it. I labor in my study of God's Word and in prayer and in so many other ways to cultivate a heart that is quick to submit to his sovereign ways. But I would be less than honest if I didn't say that I was shaken the other day.

There's no great struggle in affirming God's sovereignty when he has given rather than taken away. I felt no strain last Sunday in saying, "Blessed be the name of the Lord," because Joey was standing next to me. Had it been otherwise, would I follow the advice of Job's wife and "curse God and die" (Job 2:9)? I don't know. I pray not. God help me.

Sam

Korean Kamp Staff

So...my nineteenth consecutive year of preaching at Pioneers for Christ camp near Quakertown, Pa is history. Here's a photo of the staff...the director, Donny, was a sophomore or junior in high school the first year I went...the vast majority of the pictured staff were campers with me back-in-the-day...Pray that decisions made last week are being fleshed out in "real life 101."

Two and a half more days here in Ulysses, Pa for Corning Area Bible club camp. Janelle and Jacob are with me, as Jane flew out early this Tuesday morning for California to be with her sister and family as they prepare for the burial of their 17 year old son who died in a car accident very early Saturday morning.

God is good...all the time...All the time...God is good.

Save a place for me - Matthew West (turn off my music on left first)

Here's another song from "Something to Say" by Matthew West...Heard it for the first time last week; means a bit more now as our 17 year old nephew was killed in a car accident in California very early Saturday morning