The heading in my Bible over this set of verses reads “Marks of a true Christian”…………..

Rom 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Rom 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rom 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Rom 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Rom 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Rom 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Rom 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Rom 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Rom 12:20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I honestly know very few people that fit this criteria……….

One of the primary reasons Tyler and I chose to buy a town home – instead of a single family home – is because of the close proximity residents have with each other. We want community. We want community in a Christ-like way, to love our neighbors.

Matthew 22:39 reads, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Even as I copy and paste this verse from esv.org, I read the verse states “as yourself” and realize I am sure I have already missed the mark – even with my best intentions and efforts. And so it must be that Christ’s truth and grace reigns instead of any lofty humanitarian attempts to “do good” to my neighbors.

One of the ways we decided to show our surrounding neighbors that we love them and desire to build community with them is to bake pumpkin bread.

Let me share with you the recipe that I used -

Pumpkin Bread Recipe, BHG.COM

Makes: Makes 2 loaves (32 servings)

Ingredients

Rom 7:1Or do you not know, brothers–for I am speaking to those who know the law–that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? Rom 7:2For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Rom 7:3Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Rom 7:4Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. Rom 7:5For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. Rom 7:6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. Rom 7:7What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” Rom 7:8But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. Rom 7:9I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. Rom 7:10The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. Rom 7:11For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. Rom 7:12So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Rom 7:13Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. Rom 7:14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. Rom 7:15For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Rom 7:16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. Rom 7:17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Rom 7:18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. Rom 7:19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Rom 7:20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Rom 7:21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. Rom 7:22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, Rom 7:23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Rom 7:24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Rom 7:25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Through the years I have tried various Bible reading plans. For the most part I didn’t care for any of them because they lacked flexibility. I like to do a variety of things during my quiet time and most plans are just too rigid for me. A few years ago I found a Bible reading plan that Ransom Fellowship publishes that works well for me. It is the Read through the Bible Program for Shirkers and Slackers. I don’t even use it the way it’s set up; I use it as a check sheet as I read through an entire book of the Bible.

My desire is that my time in the Word is spent in rich communion with my Heavenly Father, so I ask the Spirit to use His Word to speak to and teach me. Today I was looking at some things written by Tim Keller and found these five questions he suggests you ask as you read the Bible daily:

1. How can I praise him?
2. How can I confess my sins on the basis of this text?
3. If this is really true, what wrong behaviour, what harmful emotions or false attitudes result in me when I forget this? Every problem is because you have forgotten something. What problems are you facing?
4. What should I be aspiring to on the basis of this text?
5. Why are you telling me this today?

I plan to write these in my journal and make a card that I can keep in my Bible. I have found that asking myself questions is such an important part of my growth.

Recently I purchased an ESV Study Bible. I find the articles and notes to be helpful and they add rich background to the text. Most of the time I enjoy doing my reading in the NLT and even The Message.

Some may find this funny, but another thing I have done is read through The Jesus Storybook Bible in my quiet time. This book, and my pastor’s book, What God Has Always Wanted, are my all-time favorite children’s book. In fact, The Jesus Storybook Bible is now available in an audio version. This book is so good that Jana’s Bible teacher reads it to them in class quite often…and they are high school students! Here is a taste from the first story–

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne–everything–to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

Joelle enjoys this book so much that she asked her teachers if she could use it for her required reading. Jana wants a copy in Spanish. We recommend and use it at my church all the time…need I say more?

One of the core values at my church is understanding God’s Word. I want to seek to understand God’s Word by allowing the Scriptures to shape my thinking and living (Psalm 119:9-16 and Luke 24:25-49)…I want to know and enjoy God more…and I want to experience more of the presence and power of God in my life…I want to trust God’s Word versus leaning on my own understanding.

I don’t often get a lot of King James propaganda pointed in my direction.  My church is a combination of traditional and contemporary that sees the benefit of multiple translations.  In short, nobody really cares what version the other person uses.

But every now and then one comes along…

Yes, you know what I’m talking about…the King James ONLY person.

I’m a guy that runs like a flowchart.  Because of this I am also an intensely boring individual.  So much so that you would probably rather shave your tongue than spend five minutes talking to me about anything emotional.  I swear I can be worse than Spock sometimes.

The King James only folk are the antithesis of all that.  Logic be damned…THIS is the AUTHORIZED Word of God!!

Yet I must ask…“Authorized by who?  Moses?  Paul?  JESUS?” You wish.

Nope, it’s none other than King James.  So what makes this guy so freaking special?  How is that different from a “Queen Elizabeth” or  “Prince Charles Bible”?  Or better yet…Zondervan, Tyndale Publishers, etc?

And what about the first Japanese version?  Or Dutch?  Do they need royal accent from a dictatorial monarch in order to be Authorized?  You see how the logic is falling apart here pretty quick.

I find it highly improbable that the translators finished the KJV only to suddenly proclaim “Hear unto us…this is the Bible in English, and lo unto thee, there shall never be another made…EVER!”.  Even the Scottish would have laughed at them.  If that were true, then why is it that almost NOBODY uses the 1611 version?  Like it or not, the KJV commonly used is a revision of the original.

The amazing irony is that the intended mission was to translate the Bible into the language of the ENGLISH SPEAKING people.  For a time the KJV performed this task with unparalleled mastery.   What is a sad outcome is that many are forcing those who cannot understand it to spend time learning a dead dialect…effectively doing what the nasty Catholics did by hoarding the Bible in a Latin translation.

If I want to communicate the Bible, I generally use translations that flow well with modern english.  Right now I’m enjoying the ESV, but have gained much while using the NIV, NASB, Good News, New Living, etc, etc.  Funny thing about English…it’s not a one size fits all language!

Now, I’m not dumping on the KJV. I’m dumping on the King James ONLY people.  The KJV has served a mighty purpose in history.  I use it from time to time myself, and am a big fan of the NKJV.  It has a wonderful prose to it that is nice to read from time to time.  But it is also obvious that the English language ( and scholarship ) has come a long…long way since the 1600’s.  I would ask the KJO-types to try and think in terms of postmodern evangelism, and less in terms of the stereotypical Baptist “suit and tie” outreach.

Bottom line, if you want to read the truly inspired Word of God, learn Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  But to argue that you must learn late 1600’s ENGLISH because it alone is inspired is the very definition of preposterous.

(1)  * Hebrew translation: “I don’t speak english”

]]> http://e4unity.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/what-a-way-to-start-the-new-year/ Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:54:56 +0000 e4unity http://e4unity.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/what-a-way-to-start-the-new-year/

Gleening truth fom the Jewish faith

My wife and I were having a wonderful time of noting the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah and reviewing the heritage of the Old Covenant in the Christian Bible. This was the day after we had the joy of studying in our Bible classes on Sunday, Psalm 105 and 106      which close Book IV of the Hebrew Psalter.

106:1 Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!

The Ram's Horn announces the New Year

4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, [1]
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,
and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked,
but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses
and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
20 They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
scattering them among the lands.

28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.

32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33 for they made his spirit bitter, [2]
and he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,
and played the whore in their deeds.

40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!                          -  The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

I have gleened so much through the years, and now more than ever, by listening to those who live and practice the Jewish Faith today. It has taught me the richness of my Hebrew heritage which I have ” been grafted into” (using the words of the Apostle Paul) in Christ Jesus of the Christian Faith. In fact this is one of those themes that many of us are re-visiting, the Jewish context of Jesus and his first century followers.

I found a great post on my favorite Jewish blog which I hope you will visit. Shalom. For my Jewish friends, may you have a truly blessed holiday season leading up to and including Yom Kippur.

For those who are not Jewish, would you like to guess the location of “The Third Oldest” Jewish congregation in America? Visit this link.  How about 275 years!

Details on the giveaway here.

I’ve always appreciated Nathan W. Bingham’s work at Cal.vini.st.  He now is microblogging “Reformed theology (with a little bit of technology, culture and humour thrown in for free). He can also be found on Twitter.”

From his bio:

Nathan W. Bingham is a Christian, a husband, a father of three, and a full-time theological student. His other interests include social media, photography, reading and freshly brewed coffee.

Offline, Nathan is completing a Bachelor of Theology (BTh.) through the Presbyterian Theological College and the Reformed Theological College, whilst making a beginning on a Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) at Columbia Evangelical Seminary. His family are members in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Australia.

The drawing for the ESV ends September 22.  Please check out Mr. Bingham’s new site!  (I’ve also made his new microblog my “blog of the week”)

In light of the publishers deciding to do away with the TNIV version(I applaud this move) when they roll out the updated new NIV version of the bible (story here),I wanted to take a poll to see if the NIV was still a popular version still being used today. I know I used it in the past almost exclusively until a friend introduced me to the ESV. So if you would be so kind as to participate in this poll I would appreciate it. Feel free to leave a comment as well. Thanks.

My little buddy Matt proposed a wonderful question in response to what I’ll be preaching this upcoming Sunday.  Let me first say this about Matt.  Matt is someone I love dearly; and at times someone who is a rock in my shoe.  But not in a bad way – seriously.  This is a good rock.  Pastors and preachers shepherds will too often expound rhetoric about the gospel, but won’t ever explain or share the gospel.  As Scott Thomas said yesterday via Twitter: “A sermon where the language is perfectly appropriate and pristine and yet devoid of the gospel is both eloquent & shameful.”

About a month ago, I posted a link to what I think is a great explanation of what the gospel is and who the Gospel is about.  You can read my original blog HERE.  You can read about the Gospel HERE.

That being said – I do want to answer your question rather than sending you all over Cyberspace to find what I perceive the gospel to be.  So, your question once again:

What is the gospel?

Here’s my response:

One of the most clear, detailed, and succinct explanations of the gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.   It reads: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…“ (ESV) emphasis mine.

Like I said, I think this pretty much explains the gospel from a Biblical perspective.  What I love about this explanation is that it begins with Christ – Jesus Christ that is.  It always will be and it always has been about Jesus.  When we read the Scriptures we see a free and even radical God who came-into-the-flesh-lived-the-sinless-life-we-were-created-to-live-died-on-the-cross-for-our-sin-rose-again-from-the-grave-so-that-we-might-now-be-made-right-with-God… this story (the Gospel) is so shocking that nobody could have just “made it up” or “pulled it out of a hat” it’s just that good and true.  I mean, we are the benefactors of life when we deserve death.  That is good news friend!

Then it affirms that the Bible gets it right in regards to Jesus, salvation, life, etc.  Everything that took place, happened in such a way to affirm the way in which God said it would happen (Luke 24:27; John 2:19, 22; Acts 17:2–3; Rom. 1:2–4.  Paul may be thinking especially of Isa. 53:3–12, which describes the substitutionary death and the vindication, after death, of God’s servant, but also of other OT passages.  For the resurrection, see also Hos. 6:2 and Jonah 1:17; 2:1 (Matt. 12:40), and for the OT in general pointing to Christ, see Luke 24:25–27. (thanks ESV Study Bible)!

Now that we have an understanding of what the gospel is, I don’t think that is an oversimplification at all… it’s what the Scriptures say about the gospel. I think we’ve overcomplicated the gospel… or maybe we add to it.  In the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Screwtape says that his aim with Christians is “Christianity and…” The point?  The enemy wants to complicate things for us.  That is his goal.  So, the gospel is actually quite simple to those that believe while it’s foolishness (complicated) to everyone else.  I mean, 1 Corinthians 1:18 says as much: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (ESV).  What I think is being said here is that the gospel is the message of Jesus Christ and what he has done on the cross (gospel) is sheer silliness to those who are hellbent on destruction… but for those who are saved/being saved/will be saved (justification/sanctification/glorification respectfully) it makes perfect sense.

That being said: there are some implications of the gospel we must take into account.  I think this is where you’re getting to.  I think many of us don’t really want to be saved from our sin… we just want to be saved from the penalty of our sin.  We don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it… we’re merely sorry because God is going to punish us.  I think most of us think the the old sinful life is better than the new life Jesus gives us upon confession and repentance.  This is why the gospel is good news!

• Because of the gospel; this great and wonderful fact, this truth, we come to new life – peace with God and thus free from the bondage of sin, from hell, from Satan – for the glory of his name.
• Because of the gospel – I don’t have to worry about momentary things (money, cars, homes, etc.) my focus and perspective changes.  I don’t spend my time thinking about life on earth, I think much more about eternity in heaven.
• Because of the gospel – when confronted with minor trials I rejoice because my God and King Jesus Christ has endured much much more than I ever will.
• Because of the gospel – when/if we have kids I can discipline my children with confidence and then promptly share with them Christ’s redeeming work on the cross who covers all their errors (of which they just committed).
• Because of the gospel – I don’t have to be afraid of what my neighbors think about me; I don’t have to worry about rejection, or feel uncomfortable about talking to them about Jesus.
• Because of the gospel – I no longer stand in opposition to Jesus rather at his feet as his child.

The list goes on and on and on.  One of the best ways to express this to others comes from C.J. Mahaney who shared with me (in a book/not face-to-face) that when someone asks you how you’re doing, your response (because of the gospel) is “I’m doing better than I deserve.“  Why?  Because I deserve death, punishment for sin, hell, etc. for my sin – but despite that – God in his loving, sovereign, grace and choice am saved… so I am doing better than I deserve.

I love the gospel.  I am striving to live the gospel as well.  Living the gospel changes everything – from how we treat others; how we think of others; how we view ourselves; and how grateful we should actually be for what He’s done.  I hope that in the (brief) time you were in our ministry you found us not just talking about the gospel rather loving and living the gospel as well.

enjoy.

What a discipline and skill! Sadly, I must confess, I’ve not been nearly as good at this as I would like. There have been a few key passages I have memorized, but I’m no where near where I would like to be. If you have a desire to memorize Scripture (and if you don’t, you really should!) but have found yourself frustrated by the process, perhaps this link will help you. The ESV Bible plus an iPod? (allegedly, this also works with other mp3 players) Brilliant!

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not yet tried this. I intend to next week once the marathon is over. Also, I can barely turn on my computer by myself. If you run into technical difficulties, I would love to help you but lack the skill set to do so. But give it a whirl anyway. I’ll chime in once I get going on this.

And yes, this is yet another shameless way for me to promote the ESV Bible.

My scripture reading this morning. Once again I am put back in my place……….

From my ESV Study notes-”God provides a comforting promise of hope for the brokenhearted people of God. God is incomparably powerful over all things and promises strength for endurance to all that will wait on him”

Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. Isa 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Isa 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Isa 40:13 Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Isa 40:14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Isa 40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Isa 40:16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. Isa 40:17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. Isa 40:18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? Isa 40:19 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. Isa 40:20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. Isa 40:21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? Isa 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; Isa 40:23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Isa 40:24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. Isa 40:25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. Isa 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Isa 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. Isa 40:29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Isa 40:30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; Isa 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

• When the warm weather comes around, I absolutely despise being inside.  It eats at my skin.  I can not understand how someone could sit inside on a computer when the sun is shining and the birds are singing their sweet songs.
• Blessing of the bikes is 24 days away!  I can’t wait to see how many bikers we have come out to this event at the church on the 26th.  If you ride (or know someone who does) the event will be held @ 1:00 p.m at Highland Community Church (2307 Broadway Highland IL 62249) on April 26th.
• This whole week I have been restless (maybe it’s the warm weather).  I don’t know what God is doing in my life right now.  I feel that He is extremely silent.  There are issues and circumstances that are taking place in my life that I realize are out of my control and I have given those issues over to Him, but I still feel restless.
• I’m currently reading: The Rook By: Steven James, Life of the Beloved By: Henri J.M. Nouwen, and my ESV Bible (it’s a daily thing).
• I got a chance to play chess with my buddy Matt the other day.  He swung over to give me the banner for the Blessing of the Bikes and we sat down to play a game.  It wasn’t just the game that was nice, it was the fact that we took the time out of our day to enjoy each others company and “compete” quietly for awhile.  I need to do that more often.
• We have some college friends coming out to visit this weekend who we haven’t seen for a long time.  People from school don’t make it out our way to often so it will be nice to have some time to show them where we live and rest with our friends for the weekend.
• “The Lord your God……..loves you.” Deuteronomy 23:5b (Thanx Brenda!)

What’s on your mind?

-jordan

This is the best English language Bible available to us today…check it out.

2009 Christian Book of the Year: The ESV Study Bible

From ECPA’s Thursday evening press release:
Thursday, March 19, 2009, Dallas, TX—The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced tonight the winners of the 2009 Christian Book Awards during the 2009 Christian Book Expo (CBE) in Dallas. For the first time in the award’s 30-year history, a study Bible was named Christian Book of the Year, the ESV Study Bible (Crossway).

The ESV Study Bible, which has sold more than 180,000 units within five months of release, also won its category for best Bible, the first time a Bible has won both its category and the overall Christian Book of the Year award.
Read more about the Christian Book Awards and past winners.

Confession: I own an iPod and am happy with it. I can listen to songs, sermons (yes, I like sermons) and podcasts. My son has an iPod Classic and my wife and daughter also have iPods. We have a lot of stuff.

But, since I love God’s Word and have absolutely loved the ESV Study Bible we got last month, I am thrilled with the idea of having the entire ESV Study Bible available right there on an iPod (or iPod Touch). Olive Tree Bible Software offers this for Bible lovers who are also iPod owners. This blows my mind. And the ESV also offers this for those who want to view it through their iPhone, iPod Touch or PDA. Either way you can’t go wrong. From what I’ve read, Olive Tree’s latest software version adds split screen viewing, which is wonderful with the ESV Study Bible when looking at accompanying notes. See the video below, which shows how it works:

Check out this post by David Porter, where he is giving away one free Calfskin Premium Leather ESV Study Bible (retail value of $239).

Once again, I am multi tasking…primarily because I am pressed for time.  Read on to find the latest “News Flash” from The IE Mommy.

1. NEW makeup review - The Moroccan Rose Collection from The Body Shop. Swing by a Mom in Red High Heels and read about the beautiful, conditioning lipstick, Roseflower lips.
    
2. Giveaway #1 – The IE Mommy is sponsoring  an amazing giveaway from More Than A Memory. Enter to win a beautiful keepsake memory plate. 
    
3. Giveaway #2 – We are THAT family is sponsoring a great On-line Poster Printing giveaway. Swing by their site to enter!
    
4. Giveaway #3 – The Funky Monkey is sponsoring a phenomenal giveaway from NEST. These purses are beautiful! 
    
5. What’s On Your Nightstand? 5 Minutes for books is holding a carnival based on what is on your nightstand. For those of you that don’t know …. I LOVE to read! I mean really, really enjoy reading. I have no problem finishing a 400 page book in a day.  When I saw this carnival…I had to join in on the fun. So what am I reading??? 

• My bible  (NLT, NIV, ESV and NASB – I like having a few different translations…it especially helps in studies to get clarity of the verse)
   
• Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring The Fruit of the Spirit bible study by Beth Moore - (AWESOME – at first this study may seem intimidating but what an amazing encounter you’ll experience with the Holy Spirit)  
• For Every Season III by Greg Laurie (It seems that no matter when I pick this book up…the words are perfectly timed and directed to my heart and soul)
   
• Loving Your Husband by Cynthia Heald (A wonderful refresher on how we are to be the helpmate to our husbands.)
    

  These are books that I am actively reading. I have a few more in my night stand drawer that are waiting “their” turn and a couple 100 in my bookshelves that are loved but not forgotten.   I’ll have to be more prepared the next go round of this carnival…this was my first time participating. So….what are you reading??? 

It really appears that I just cannot help myself when it comes to making a case for the ESV Bible.  I’ve been a fan for a while, and the Lake City family is currently using the ESV Daily Reading Bible for the “read through the Bible in a year” challenge. I should probably also let you know that I teach and counsel exclusively from the ESV – large groups, small groups, one on one meetings – if a Bible comes out and I’m the one using it, it will be an ESV.

Using the ESV is somewhat countercultural, as the vast majority of evangelicals use the NIV. Someone forwarded me a link to an article by John Piper as to why he and his church use the ESV, and how it compares with the NIV. I hope this encourages you, and perhaps even inspires you to switch to the ESV.

Matthew Blair is currently selling ESV blank Bibles for $120 if you are interested.  The blank Bible is typically linked to Jonathan Edwards who used one himself.  If you are interested in making one yourself you can check out a series that Tony Reinke finished back in 2006.

ESV Blog Reports:

The new President of Ghana, John Atta Mills, holds a copy of the ESV Bible as he is sworn in as the country’s new president on January 7, 2009.

One of the key factors in the growth of the ESV over the past few years has been Crossway’s partnership with the British & Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) and distribution with numerous other Bible Societies around the world, including Ghana and other countries in Africa.

This was all I ask for, and my wonderful family came through for me!

So this is a bit of a preview of what we’ll be talking about this Sunday (12/28) morning. As we get ready to go into a New Year, it is a great time to establish some spiritual goals – I won’t speak much about that, and instead let Pastor Jim do so on January 4th. However, there are 2 that I will be asking our students to make a commitment to.

Before I share those two, let me make it clear, that I am not asking for students to make resolutions. Sadly, that word means little, and even more sadly, the resolutions that are often made are about as useless as the word itself in our modern environment. I am asking though for students to make commitments, and to be sure that the commitments they make are not directed at themselves, but instead are commitments to God. It would seem that such commitments would carry a little more weight, as who would want to experience the discipline of the Lord for faltering on a commitment to Him?

The first of these is prayer. An informal and brief survey of our students indicates that they just do not pray very much, if at all. I’m trying to ratchet down my thoughts in this forum so as not to craft an elegant 15 minute sermon on this, so suffice it so say that is not good. I’ll be asking students to make a commitment to spend a minimum of 5 minutes a day in prayer and to make it a habit to attend Lake City’s quarterly Concerts of Prayer.

The second of these commitments is to daily read through their Bible, with the goal of reading their Bible through in a year. This is an achievable goal! Another informal and brief survey of our students revealed that they don’t read God’s Word very much either, and few have actually read their Bibles from cover to cover. I do need to be sure I communicate well here about the necessity of this lest I come off as Pharisaical, but the importance of reading God’s Word daily cannot be overstated. Where else can you get a clear picture of the mind, heart and intentions of God than through His Word? Where else can you to experience the gospel day in and day out, and find help in living a gospel centered life than God’s Word?

So, to help our students, we will be offering two resources, both of which are courtesy of the fine folks who have put together the ESV translation of the Bible. The first is the ESV Daily Reading Bible. This is the same Bible the church family is being offered to read through their Bibles in a year. It functions just like a normal Bible does, but includes the reading plan and the dates that go along with each of the passages. So, if your student would do better with an actual reading Bible, there is option #1, and they can be purchased at the church for $18. The second option is just the ESV Daily Reading Bible Plan. This is just a 2 page document that lists out the days of the year and the passages to be read each day. You can download a copy here, or you pick one up on Sunday mornings. We will have these available starting this Sunday for students to use.

And now parents, I’d like to ask you to make a commitment, both to God and to your kids – will you commit to enthusiastically walking with your kids through these 2 commitments? Will you encourage and prod them to greater depths of intimacy with God through these 2 means? Will you model these commitments for them? Will you communicate to them the importance, necessity, and joy of these commitments? You and your kids will both benefit if there is a partnership to work on these together!