Sa, 08/31/13, "Day of Praise"
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." - Genesis 2:1-3
May God grant endurance to those who must work today. And may God grant rest and renewal to us all.
Happy Saturday!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Day of Praise
Fr, 08/30/13, "Day of Praise"
"And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 23:22
Sometimes you don't laugh because something's funny. Sometimes you laugh because, well, there's nothing else to do.
Continuing the journey home from Tennessee that I referenced yesterday, I stopped at a gas station that wasn't in the woods. Those who know the Pilot station at the Rising Fawn exit on I-59 know it's as open as the big sky in Montana. But apparently stealing needs no cloak.
I'd gone in the store to grab some caffeine and prepay with cash for my gas. As I'm walking out to my car, I got to thinking how funny it would be if I forgot to pump my prepaid gas and just got in my car and drove away. As I continued to flesh it out, I was laughing how I'd get ten miles down the road and look at my fuel gauge and go, "Aaaaaah, I don't believe it. I forgot my gas." So I'd drive a few miles to the next exit, then turn around, go back to the Pilot, pull up to the same pump, and get my gas.
Then, after the fifteen seconds that it took for all that to go through my mind, I start laughing at how funny it would be if it was somebody else who forgot to pump their prepaid gas and before they got back that it was I myself who had just pulled into the gas station and up to that pump and saw the screen flashing, "$40 prepaid," "$40 prepaid," "$40 prepaid." I'd be thinking, "Wow! Thanks, God!"
So, I was imagining all this in the thirty seconds it took me to get from the cash register to my car. Now, it's back to reality. I open my tank, take off the pump #14 hose, look up for a moment, and see a van full of clearly-poor-guys on the opposite pump hose #13. They're smiling and waving at me. Through their windows, it looks like they're saying, "Hey, Preacher! How ya' doin'?" I say, "Hello!" to their friend who is pumping the gas. He's got a big metal cross hanging on a chain around his neck. He's got a bigger smile on his face.
I'm thinking, "Those guys sure are happy." And I start trying to pump my prepaid gas. Nothing happens. The hose handle is stuck. I try again. Nothing. One more time. Nothing. So I think the cashier forgot to turn on my pump. No problem, sometimes I forget where my keys are, and they're right there in my hand. So I walk back into the Pilot under the big sky of Rising Fawn and wave to the cashier to turn on my pump. She looks at me, then through me, and yells, "Stop them!"
So I turn around and see my poor but happy van friends as they start to drive away.
Ya see, somehow in the time it took me to daydream about forgetting gas, finding gas, and wondering what was going on with my gas, my poor but happy van friends were stealing my gas and not saying, "Hey, Preacher! How ya' doin'?" but "Hey, Preacher! Thanks for the gas!"
And all I could do was laugh, because what else are you gonna' do? I don't know. Maybe think about Leviticus 23:22, "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God."
Hey, gleanings from a harvest? $40 of gas? We can deal with it.
After all, God's left a whole lot more behind for you and me!
Think about it!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Day of Praise
Hey!
Does anybody out there wanna pre-read tomorrow's Day of Praise and see if it makes sense to you? I'll send it to the first ten who respond.
:-)
Pastor Chris
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Does anybody out there wanna pre-read tomorrow's Day of Praise and see if it makes sense to you? I'll send it to the first ten who respond.
:-)
Pastor Chris
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Day of Praise
Th, 08/29/13, "Day of Praise"
"[Jesus said,] 'For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'" - Luke 19:10
I'm gonna' tell ya' a story here in a minute, but first we need to ask a question: What do "the lost" look like?
First, let's look at God's answer in the first part of Ezekiel 34:16 where the Lord says, "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak." So, God says that the lost look strayed, injured, and weak.
Ok, so I'm driving back to Birmingham from a less-than-24-hour whirlwind drive to Tennessee for my Dad's "Praise the Lord" successful heart surgery. I was sleepy so I kept stopping at almost every exit that had a gas station, even the ones in the middle of nowhere that are almost overtaken by the woods.
So I pull into one of these "in the middle of nowhere that are almost overtaken by the woods" gas stations. And there's but one other car at the pumps which I pull behind.
I've barely gotten one foot out of the car when this elderly lady with bottle thick glasses asks if I can help her pump her gas, and I think to myself, "this is what 'the lost' look like."
Now take my word that, though it's hard to mess up pumping gas, this little lady had made a mess, and I think to myself, "this is what 'the lost' look like," not to mention that I'm wondering how she got this far from Ohio, based on the license plate.
Then, the dear lady starts talking to the gas pump, telling it, as if it were a human being, that she wanted a receipt, so I told her that would be at the end, and I'm really thinking, "this is what 'the lost' look like," especially since, with every ad for a hot dog or soda that pops on the screen, she gets on her tiptoes and squints and says to the gas pump, "yes, I want a receipt."
Well, finally, her tank's full and we get her receipt, so then she turns and starts talking to the other person in the car as I turn to go in to use the restroom. When I finally come out, she's still talking to the other person in the car, so I decided I'd ask their names before I left. I held out my hand and met Charlotte, and I asked to meet her friend, to which Charlotte responds, "oh, it's only me." So, I smile, wish her God's blessings, and take the long way around her car. And sure enough, there's nobody else in that car. And I think to myself, "this is what 'the lost' look like."
And I think to myself, "I sure hope when the day comes that I'm lost and look strayed, injured, and weak, I sure hope that people are nice to me."
And Jesus spoke to my heart and said, "I already was, and I promise that I will be."
"[Jesus said,] 'For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'" - Luke 19:10
Think about it.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Day of Praise
We, 08/27/13, "Day of Praise"
"The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds." - Psalm 33:13-15
So, yesterday, I'm standing in line at the world's best giant burger place, Tony's Hot Dog Shop in Pelham, Alabama.
This guy walks past me. He carries himself like a humble, but very fit, laborer. He also carries a tray with a Giant Tony Burger on it. No Fries.
So he sits at this two-seater table with another guy who also has a giant burger, but this other guy also has a mound of fries on his plate. Immediately, burger-fries guy excuses himself and heads to the restroom. Burger-no-fries guy never hesitates and bows his head and prays.
And it was a long prayer. Like a longer than "Pastor-Chris-this-is-the-prayer-time-in-worship-not-another-sermon" prayer. I mean, the burger-no-fries guy's prayer is so long that I started to wonder if maybe he'd fallen asleep. But I'm definitely not wondering if this guy believes in prayer and knows and loves the Lord. Burger-no-fries guy definitely loves Jesus.
Then he opens his eyes.
But then all in one motion he lifts up his head and turns around like he's looking to see if his burger-plus-fries friend is returning from the restroom. And not spotting fries-friend, he swings his head and eyes and hand around and he grabs a bunch of his friend's fries and crams 'em in his mouth. And he's looking around the room looking like Cookie Monster's cousin, Fries Monster, with a mouth full of fries. And he's clearly looking to see if anybody else spotted him steal the fries right on the heals of his Billy Graham Crusade length prayer to the Living God.
I guess I was unaware that I was wearing Harry Potter's invisibility cloak because I'm not standing twelve feet away from the guy (and I'm in my pastor clothes, no less) and he never once looks at me to see if I saw him steal the fries even though I've been staring him down and watching all this for the last five minutes.
Well, he may not have seen me staring at him, but surely such a religious guy knows that "The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man...and observes all their deeds" (Psalm 33:13-15).
But ya' know, on second thought, what am I even talking about? I do stupid stuff like that all the time. One moment, I'm the holiest man alive, and the next moment, I'm calling some poor soul a hick or redneck. Of course, I only say it in my heart, so who's gonna' know? Oh yeah, "The Lord [who] looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man...and observes all their deeds" (Psalm 33:13-15).
He's gonna' know.
I don't know about you. But I sure am glad that the God (the only God) who observes all my deeds uses those same eyes to gaze on me and have compassion (Matthew 15:32) and uses those eyes to look down from his cross and ask God, the Father (Luke 23:34) to forgive my sin because I don't know what I'm doin'.
No, I don't know what I'm doin' any more or any less than Big-prayin'-French-Fry-stealing burger man.
May God have mercy on us all!
And thank God that, in Jesus Christ, he has!!!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Day of Praise
Tu, 08/27/13, "Day of Praise"
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful" - 2 Timothy 3:16
Can you believe it?!?!?
Yesterday, somebody gave me a whack on the side of the head.
Really! They did!
And I love it.
"A Whack on the Side of the Head" is a 1983 book by Roger von Oech, Ph.D. It teaches creative and innovative thinking.
With humor, the book teaches about having or losing creative thinking with quotes like "we start school at a young age with question marks, and we end it years later with periods."
Or it shakes us out of our REAL (Realistic, Exact, Adult, Logical) "Hard" way of thinking with quotes like "there are two kinds of people in this world: those who divide everything into two groups, and those who don't."
"Hard" thinking is REAL (Realistic, Exact, Adult, Logical). "Soft" thinking is more playful, humorous, childlike and hunch-filled.
According to today's Bible verse, God uses both Hard and also Soft thinking: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful" (2 Timothy 3:16).
According to the proverbial surveys, most people prefer Soft thinking. That leads to people saying things like, "A good sermon always has stories in it. Jesus was a story-teller." Well, yes, Jesus told good Soft stories, but he also did some Hard talking. In fact, have you ever read the Gospel of John? Yes, there are stories in John, but Jesus isn't telling them. There are no Soft, story-telling parables in John.
One guy once told me that I didn't preach real sermons because I didn't tell a joke in every sermon. I joked in response, saying, "Have you asked my kids about my jokes?" Just like my kids, the guy didn't laugh.
I also have to chuckle at all of you who are the group of readers of this devotion. When I tell Soft, humorous, childlike stories, I get a landslide of "reply" feedback. When I share a Hard, logical, adult teaching, well, let's just say in a Soft way that it's easier for me to hear the crickets.
In sum, the encouragement is for all of us to stop and think about what we listen to. Most of us, including yours truly, not only are listening for what we want to hear. But even if it's what we want to hear, if it's not shared in a fun, Soft way, then we're very likely to dismiss it, no matter how wise or important it may be. If that's true, then we're missing out on some mighty important stuff that God wants to tell us through the Gospel of John and other Hard and logical scriptures.
No, neither my kids nor any of you have to listen to anything I have to say let alone everything, no matter how funny I might be.
But God's Word? Let's all tune in. And let's all tune in to all of it because "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful" (2 Timothy 3:16).
After all, it's not a laughing matter.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Monday, August 26, 2013
Day of Praise
Mo, 08/26/13, "Day of Praise"
"[Jesus said,] Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." - John 6:27
Happy Monday!
It's time for us to get back at it. Back to the salt mines. Or the grindstone. Or makin' some dough. Or however you describe it.
But let's not forget what we're really doing here.
Money, like happiness, is never our goal with our work or our studies in school. The goal of our work or our studies, Jesus says, is "the food that endures to eternal life". And in John 17:3, Jesus tells us that eternal life is knowing the One True God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
In other words, no matter what anybody else says, our work and our studies have the ultimate goal of relationships: with God, with self, with family, with friends. This is what's meant in Proverbs 22:1 where we hear, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." The paycheck or being happy at our job or our school is a byproduct of working and studying for the right reasons.
It's a faith proposition. It means we go to work and school trusting and having faith that if Jesus says that our focus and goal needs to be relationships and teamwork and the glory of God, well, then we'll trust him and have faith in him so that we'll make relationships and teamwork and God's glory our focus and goal. And we'll trust that Jesus will take care of the money and the happiness parts. That's why Jesus says "which the Son of Man will give to you" in today's verse. He gives us both our true goal, and then he gives us the grades and money and happiness as a byproduct of keeping the main thing as the main thing!
Nowhere is this better illustrated than in Acts 3:6 where Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"
Peter knew that the real power and the real ability to provide for our loved ones and make a living was not in money, gold, or silver, but instead the real power for daily provision lies in the name of Jesus Christ through whom we know the promises and ultimate provision of the Living God!
So, let's remind the kids as we get them to school, and may God remind us big folks too. The reason we're about to get after it is to glorify God who provides.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Day of Praise
Sa, 08/24/13, "Day of Praise"
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6
So how did your week go? No matter how you rate this past week, God has a simple encouragement for us today: Don't get down or give up because God is not through with us yet.
Amongst all the great things that God does for us that we cannot do for ourselves, God is ever faithful in sending us His Holy Spirit in order to shape and mold us in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
From the beginning, God's plan was that we would be the image, the mirror, the reflection of the presence, power, and promises of God. God's intent was that other people would be able to look at us and know that there is an Almighty God and that God is with us and for us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And God promises in today's verse that if he started the work, then he'll complete it.
So enjoy your weekend. Take time to look back on your week, and remember how God came through for you. Take time to look ahead, and anticipate where you'll need some divine guidance and strength.
And then tell some others, especially some kids and young adults, for whom the future can seem overwhelming. Tell them that you are "sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6
So how did your week go? No matter how you rate this past week, God has a simple encouragement for us today: Don't get down or give up because God is not through with us yet.
Amongst all the great things that God does for us that we cannot do for ourselves, God is ever faithful in sending us His Holy Spirit in order to shape and mold us in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
From the beginning, God's plan was that we would be the image, the mirror, the reflection of the presence, power, and promises of God. God's intent was that other people would be able to look at us and know that there is an Almighty God and that God is with us and for us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And God promises in today's verse that if he started the work, then he'll complete it.
So enjoy your weekend. Take time to look back on your week, and remember how God came through for you. Take time to look ahead, and anticipate where you'll need some divine guidance and strength.
And then tell some others, especially some kids and young adults, for whom the future can seem overwhelming. Tell them that you are "sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Friday, August 23, 2013
Day of Praise
Fr, 08/23/13, "Day of Praise"
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." - Ephesians 6:11
God's Word and counsel is clear in today's verse. Knowing that the Evil One will try to undermine your faith and your life today, God calls us to put on the whole armor of God.
There is one thing, though, that we should all remember. When you put on the armor of God, make sure it's your own armor! This too is not my word and counsel; it's God's.
Very simply, in 1 Samuel 17:38-47 (which is included below), we hear about Saul "helping" David as David got ready to fight the devil, er, I mean Goliath. Saul thinks he's helping David as Saul "clothed David with his [Saul's own] armor".
But if you read the story below, you'll see that David "tried in vain to go, for he had not tested [Saul's armor]. Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.'" In sum, David couldn't move in Saul's armor because it was too big. In other words, Saul's armor didn't fit David for the very fact that it was Saul's armor and not David's armor.
David would have to go battle the devil, er, again I mean Goliath, with David's own armor and nobody else's. And if you read all of Ephesians 6 and 1 Samuel 17, what you'll see is that God's telling us all that we must go into the day with our own faith and nobody else's faith.
Yes, it helps when someone prays for you. But someone praying for you is nowhere near the defense against the offensive assaults of the Evil One and the World and Your Own Sinful Flesh that will come at you today compared to someone praying for you and, most importantly, your own deep faith and conviction that God reigns over all life, including yours!
The battle before you today is the battle for hearts. It's a battle of faith. And no one can believe for you. Just like no one can live for you, and, when it's time for you to breathe your last, then no one can die for you.
Our once great nation is losing the battle of faith. We're losing to the Philistines, and we're losing to the Evil One. And our nation is losing this battle for one simple reason: there's way too many people expecting someone else to fight this battle, er, I mean believe in God for them.
Absolutely, God alone can defeat the Evil One. And in Jesus Christ, God already has! But you, dear friend, are the one who must paradoxically surrender to the Holy Spirit of The Sovereign God in order to be victorious over the Evil One.
As nice as old Saul's gesture was to young David, David took off Saul's armor because David knew he had to go into the battle and into the day with his own [David's own] personal and living faith in God.
And you, my friend, must do the same.
And when you believe, God's armor and God's victory, will be yours!
(And P.S., it will help our nation today if each of us tells at least one more person the same!)
Praise God!
1 Samuel 17:38-47 - 38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Day of Praise
Th, 08/22/13, "Day of Praise"
"...We may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." - Ephesians 4:14
My son likes cantaloupe. He doesn't like getting up in the morning. Put those two together, and you get my son eating a nice, plastic bowl-full of cantaloupe in the car on the way to school. And when the cantaloupe is gone, the empty bowl gets tossed onto the middle bucket seat right next to the big, heavy, pillar candles, which are in the middle bucket seat because I have a wedding in the evening at someone's home.
So I'm just leaving Caden's school, and I go around the first sharp curve, and the candles do what round, pillar candles do when they're laying on their side and inertia kicks in. They roll. And if it's in the way, those pillar candles will happily roll right into the nice, now-empty plastic bowl and "toss it to and fro" right to and fro onto the floor, along with all that sticky cantaloupe juice and the fork that Caden used.
So I pull up to the next red light, and I, in all my brilliance, reach behind the passenger seat, grab the now "more-empty" bowl, and proceed to put it right back on the same seat and right next to the same ready-to-roll, pillar candles.
Well, of course, the next curve makes it happen; the candles start to roll "to and fro" and usually I don't recommend this, but I did it anyway. I threw my Big Ol' Bible at the empty bowl, and, lo and behold, it landed right on that bowl right before that bowl went over the edge a second time.
And ya' know what? I thought to myself, "I need to start throwin' Bibles at some people I know because they're gettin' 'tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes,' (which is today's verse from Ephesians 4:14). And what they need is a Big Ol' Bible to land right on top of 'em before they go over the edge another time."
I know y'all think I'm crazy, but I'm tellin' ya, we got this Bible class on Wednesday night, and it's chock full, jam-packed with people whose lives were cantaloupe-bowl empty and gettin' knocked to and fro and over the edge by every big and little thing that came along in life until a Big Ol' Bible came straight from Kansas, along with Dorothy and Toto, and landed right smack on their head.
Ya see, that's what God's word does. God's word grounds us. God's word is like an anchor. God's word is like a paper-weight. In the '50's, they probably would've called God's Word "heavy". And no matter what you call it, God's Word gives roots and a sure foundation to our lives. And I don't mean just knowing that it exists; I mean studying it and learning it and living it, just like Jesus talks about in Matthew 7 with the wise life-builders.
So, I know we've gotten long today. But c'mon people; stop exposing your life to the "elements", getting "tossed to and fro by the 'waves' and carried about by every 'wind' of doctrine" because you're glad to make time for everything under the sun except the Word of the Living God. Read your Bible, sit under God's Word, and see how God "gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11) with the expressed purpose of "equipping believers for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." (Ephesians 4:12-14).
God wants you to be grounded in Him and His Word so that you don't get knocked over the edge.
So make time for God's Word.
Or look up, and watch out for falling Bibles.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Day of Praise
We, 08/21/13, "Day of Praise"
Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:9
I worry about us people. Even though Jesus says doors are important for us to understand, we have all sorts of trouble with doors.
We go in "Exit" doors, just like people did last night at Walmart.
We go out "Entrance" doors, just like people did last night at Walmart.
We push doors that say "Pull", just like people did last night at the gas station.
We pull doors that say "Push", just like people did last night at the gas station.
We totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door. I'll never forget when I was starting college. My mom was helping me move in. And because all the carts were in use by other students who were moving in, my mom and I were both carrying armloads of clothes and linens from the parking lot, through the courtyard, and toward the dorm. When we got to the Clement Hall outside doors, not only did nobody open a for us, but as I myself opened one of the ten or so doors with the tips of my fingers and the edge of my foot and then held it open for my poor loaded-down-with-linens mom, a group of 12 or so college girls with absolutely nothing in hand acted as if my mother and I didn't exist and the door was propped open just for them. They not only went out of their way to ignore the other nine closed doors so they could go through the one I'd struggled to open, but not a one of them said "hello" or even "excuse us", not to mention they of course did not say "thank you". My mom and I looked at each other in disbelief, but looking back on it, I'm not sure why we were surprised. People totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door.
And "push" or "pull" or "Exit" or "Enter" on a door means nothing to most human beings.
Maybe this is why Jesus, in Luke 13:24, says, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Maybe he knows that instructions and doors are a hard concept for us people to follow.
But make no mistake, Friends, our Lord Jesus has opened a door to the best life, to abundant life, to eternal life with both the tips of his fingers and the edge of his feet nailed to a cross and his arms loaded-down-not-with-linens-but-with-sin, even as groups of 12 or so of us with absolutely nothing in hand act as if he doesn't exist and we saunter through the door with nary a "hello" or even "excuse us" not to mention there's rarely a "thank you" as Jesus makes plain in Luke 17. I bet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit look at each other in disbelief, but rarely are they surprised because God certainly knows that we people totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door.
And again we're reminded how badly we need God's unfathomable mercy and grace.
May each door that we pass through today be a reminder of Jesus's loving promise, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9)
And maybe we can pass along his wondrous love by holding the door for someone and instead of waiting for a "thank you", we could heap on some grace with a "God bless you, and have a nice day!"
Just like God has heaped grace on us.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Day of Praise
Tu, 08/20/13, "Day of Praise"
"Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all people who were on the face of the earth." - Numbers 12:3
So yesterday morning I hear these shrill voices, and I'm wondering what's happening in my backyard this time. What I knew for sure was that it wasn't the giant hot air balloon from a few weeks ago, but it sounded every bit as freakish though in a much higher pitch.
So I get to my back window and open the blind and there, to my amazement, are the four smallest, out-of-the-nest birds that I've ever seen.
And they're fighting.
Right there on the corner of the deck, these four tiny birds are fighting. Either that or they're playing football and celebrating a score by chest-bumping each other repeatedly while shrilling the team fight song feverishly.
Bottom line is that, in my crazy preacher's mind, those four, tiny, chest-bumping, shrill-screaming birds made me think of Moses and today's Bible verse. In other words, there didn't seem to be an ounce of humility in a single one of those birds which annoyed me so much after about five minutes of their carrying on that I wondered if there was enough meat between 'em so I could turn 'em into a nice chicken-wing dinner.
But then I would've failed the Moses test too.
Ya see, Moses was commended by God for not only being "humble", which is setting aside your own desires (unlike the birds), but if you look into it, today's verse is also translated that Moses was the most "meek" man that ever lived.
Meek and humble are not the same.
Humble is thinking less of yourself and setting aside your will. Meek is living out of God's strength instead of your own.
Even when things are annoying.
Especially when things are annoying.
So today, when you have some little shrill birds, er, I mean troubles that start to get on your nerves and annoy the daylights out of you, then just remember Moses and how God celebrates when we set our own egos aside and ask God to be our strength.
God will!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Monday, August 19, 2013
Day of Praise
Mo, 08/19/13, "Day of Praise"
Well, today is something of a special Monday for many of you and certainly for me. My daughters are off to college; Cassidy for the first time. And my son is starting high school.
Even if you're retired and have no kids in school, you at least notice the increased traffic from all the young folks getting back to their studies.
Time moves on.
But so does God and his promises. Like time, God and his promises move along in life with us, which is why we can savor memories and celebrate new beginnings and anticipate the future all at once.
One of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible is Isaiah 25. It's full of celebration that God is faithful. He has blessed us in the past. His promises for the future are true. And for the present, for special Mondays like today, he's our strength, our shelter, or whatever we may need.
Enjoy.
Isaiah 25:1-9 -- (1) O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
(2) For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
(3) Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
(4) For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
(5) like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down.
(6) On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
(7) And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
(8) He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
(9) It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Day of Praise
Sa, 08/17/13, "Day of Praise"
"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." - Proverbs 11:25
Hmm. Now there's an interesting way to understand how one gets refreshed.
Bring a blessing, and you'll receive a blessing.
Refresh another, and you'll be refreshed.
Just think if the whole world believed and lived that way. We'd have, well, we'd have Paradise.
It's Saturday! May blessings and refreshment come our way as we ourselves spread a little Paradise by sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." - Proverbs 11:25
Hmm. Now there's an interesting way to understand how one gets refreshed.
Bring a blessing, and you'll receive a blessing.
Refresh another, and you'll be refreshed.
Just think if the whole world believed and lived that way. We'd have, well, we'd have Paradise.
It's Saturday! May blessings and refreshment come our way as we ourselves spread a little Paradise by sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Friday, August 16, 2013
Day of Praise
Fr, 08/16/13, "Day of Praise"
"Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled." - 1 Samuel 17:51
In today's Bible verses, "the Philistines saw that their champion was dead." A champion is one who fights on behalf of the whole army. When fighting against each other, kings would often agree to spare the lives of many by having each king just send out one representative, i.e. their champion.
So instead of armies fighting and many dieing, the champion from each side would meet to fight, and only one person would die. It was still army against army, but being champion against champion, it was one against one.
But when one champion defeated the other champion, the winning champion's whole team won, even though only the team champion actually fought.
Jesus is our champion. Jesus defeated the devil. We did not defeat the devil. We did not even fight the devil. Only Jesus, our champion, fought and defeated the devil. But since, through faith in Jesus, we're on Jesus's team and Jesus is our champion, we share in and therefore can claim Jesus's victory over the devil as if it were our own victory.
And through faith in Jesus, it is! Through faith in Jesus, Jesus's victory over the devil and over all God's enemies is our own!
Such is the testimony and claim for us to share in the victory of our champion, Jesus, in verse two of Martin Luther's famous 16th Century hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Here's the second verse:
No strength of ours can match his [the devil's] might!
We would be lost, rejected.
But now a champion comes to fight, Whom God himself elected.
You ask who this may be?
The Lord of hosts is he!
Christ Jesus, mighty Lord.
God's only Son, adored.
He holds the field victorious.
So, when the devil or any enemy of God comes to pick on you today, you can face it and literally tell it, "Jesus is my champion."
And then you can act as if the victory is already won over that enemy.
Because it is.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Day of Praise
Th, 08/15/13, "Day of Praise"
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21
Fourth grade. White pants. Playground mud hole. Tug-a-war. Competitive boy.
Not a good combo.
Result. Huge mud splotch on white pants. Let's just say they were now brown pants with a white section.
Not much changes with grown-ups, as Paul McCartney used to sing (http://m.metrolyrics.com/tug-of-war-lyrics-paul-mccartney.html).
Adults have their own ways of trying to "outdo" and "outscore" each other. Let's be honest. We all know the driving force. We preached about it yesterday in worship. Luke 12:13-34 - all sorts of adult tug-of-wars because people want power and, in the world, power usually equals money.
The result is lots of mud splotches on white pants.
Nowadays, we call it slinging mud.
I'm not trying to be poetic today at all. Poetry is beautiful. Even when the topic is not.
There's nothing beautiful about adult tug-a-wars in a sinful, fallen, broken world.
That's why God says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)
One of the people who reads this devotion everyday says God's way works. Submitting instead of tugging-of-warring works. They say they can now just smile at the person or the situation after letting go and putting the tug-a-war rope in God's hands.
They say God always wins.
Always.
Maybe it doesn't look that way at first. Like when Jesus was crucified. But God always works it out. Like when Jesus is raised from the mud hole, er, I mean, the dead.
And everyone who trusts in Jesus gets to share in the victory. (That's called champion-to-champion fighting, which we'll save for another day.)
So for today, may God help us to believe again that God's Way and God's ways work. So, let's "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)
And everyone's pants will stay white.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21
Fourth grade. White pants. Playground mud hole. Tug-a-war. Competitive boy.
Not a good combo.
Result. Huge mud splotch on white pants. Let's just say they were now brown pants with a white section.
Not much changes with grown-ups, as Paul McCartney used to sing (http://m.metrolyrics.com/tug-of-war-lyrics-paul-mccartney.html).
Adults have their own ways of trying to "outdo" and "outscore" each other. Let's be honest. We all know the driving force. We preached about it yesterday in worship. Luke 12:13-34 - all sorts of adult tug-of-wars because people want power and, in the world, power usually equals money.
The result is lots of mud splotches on white pants.
Nowadays, we call it slinging mud.
I'm not trying to be poetic today at all. Poetry is beautiful. Even when the topic is not.
There's nothing beautiful about adult tug-a-wars in a sinful, fallen, broken world.
That's why God says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)
One of the people who reads this devotion everyday says God's way works. Submitting instead of tugging-of-warring works. They say they can now just smile at the person or the situation after letting go and putting the tug-a-war rope in God's hands.
They say God always wins.
Always.
Maybe it doesn't look that way at first. Like when Jesus was crucified. But God always works it out. Like when Jesus is raised from the mud hole, er, I mean, the dead.
And everyone who trusts in Jesus gets to share in the victory. (That's called champion-to-champion fighting, which we'll save for another day.)
So for today, may God help us to believe again that God's Way and God's ways work. So, let's "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)
And everyone's pants will stay white.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Day of Praise
We, 08/14/13, "Day of Praise"
"be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" - Ephesians 5:18b-20
You do not need to be the famous Dietrich Bonhoeffer or the other famous person whose name I heard in a sermon recently but I've already forgotten.
You only need to be you.
You only need to be you to "be filled with the Spirit" and address one another in the ways God speaks of in today's verses.
It is not minimizing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19) to say that speaking to one another in "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" means speaking to one another 1) from the bottom of your heart (psalms), 2) thoughtfully (hymns), 3) about the matters that are weighing on your heart (spiritual songs), trusting that this call is in the Bible because this is how God works in our relationships to build up everyone.
Everyday, as a pastor, I experience one consistent thread in every pastoral care and counseling conversation, namely, people either don't feel connected to others or they do feel connected because their conversations are 1) from the bottom of your heart (psalms), 2) thoughtfully (hymns), 3) about the matters that are weighing on your heart (spiritual songs).
It's not about being touchy-feely. It's about honesty.
People come to mind, males and females. They're hiding. They're not being honest with others. And they're not being honest with themselves. They say they need to talk, and then they deflect the talk away from themselves and criticize other people.
And it's not healthy.
Whether you receive this devotion in the U.S.A. or overseas, you know these people. Sometimes they're in the mirror.
So let's pray for one another. For the person in front of you. Consciously thinking, "how can I make room for this person to be real with me?"
Lord, please help us to start by being real with them, trusting you, and "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18b-20)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Day of Praise
Tu, 08/13/13, "Day of Praise"
"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" - Psalm 84:2a and 4
"College football starts in seventeen days."
At least that's what the guy on the local radio station said yesterday. (Remember that I live in Alabama.)
I didn't hear him say it. But I know that he said it because I used to listen to his radio station a lot. Every year, when one college football season ends, the very next day is when that radio station starts the countdown to the next college football season. Of course, the reason that radio station does that is because there's a cultural longing for college football around here. That longing has been fed by four straight national championships between the two big football schools in this state.
It's fun.
At least it's supposed to be fun.
Until there's a stretch of losing.
Like I've gotten used to with my favorite college team, which does not reside in Alabama.
Everything in the world is fun.
Until it hits hard times. Like losing football seasons.
That's why God wants us to take our longing for college football or whatever we long for in the world. And God wants us to hold it up next to His word.
And God says, "If you'll long for my word as much as you long for that other thing, you'll find that my word is not only much more satisfying, but it will endure and feed your soul, even when the other thing hits hard times, like losing football seasons."
So, hey, enjoy your college football. I will.
But let's remember to take time for God's word each day too because that's how the most satisfying and never-failing desire comes about and grows.
"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" - Psalm 84:2a and 4
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" - Psalm 84:2a and 4
"College football starts in seventeen days."
At least that's what the guy on the local radio station said yesterday. (Remember that I live in Alabama.)
I didn't hear him say it. But I know that he said it because I used to listen to his radio station a lot. Every year, when one college football season ends, the very next day is when that radio station starts the countdown to the next college football season. Of course, the reason that radio station does that is because there's a cultural longing for college football around here. That longing has been fed by four straight national championships between the two big football schools in this state.
It's fun.
At least it's supposed to be fun.
Until there's a stretch of losing.
Like I've gotten used to with my favorite college team, which does not reside in Alabama.
Everything in the world is fun.
Until it hits hard times. Like losing football seasons.
That's why God wants us to take our longing for college football or whatever we long for in the world. And God wants us to hold it up next to His word.
And God says, "If you'll long for my word as much as you long for that other thing, you'll find that my word is not only much more satisfying, but it will endure and feed your soul, even when the other thing hits hard times, like losing football seasons."
So, hey, enjoy your college football. I will.
But let's remember to take time for God's word each day too because that's how the most satisfying and never-failing desire comes about and grows.
"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" - Psalm 84:2a and 4
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Monday, August 12, 2013
Day of Praise
Mo, 08/12/13, "Day of Praise"
"But even the hairs of your head are all numbered." - Matthew 10:30
Seriously?
So, God knows every hair on my head?
Even the two-inch-long Frankenstein hair on my right eyebrow that apparently decided to pop out sometime during morning worship yesterday?
Man alive, everybody who received Holy Communion from me during worship and everybody who greeted me after worship must've been thinking, "Man, Pastor Chris, don't you ever look in the mirror? Dude, you need to trim your eyebrows. You look like Frankenstein."
But nobody said that.
And apparently God knew about the monster hair because God promises that "even the hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30) And even knowing how stupid I looked, he still loves me.
And God still loves you, even though a wild hair or something crazy is going to make you look stupid today.
I mean it's Monday. And y'all are always telling me how much you love Mondays because something annoying always seems to happen. To you. Or with a family member. Or with a coworker. Or at the store.
Just remember that God already knows about it. And he loves you. And he loves them. So instead of getting bent out of shape, we can do what a young couple and I talked about yesterday afternoon -- we can just smile and laugh about it and not let it steal our joy.
So, have a great Monday!
And remember, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"But even the hairs of your head are all numbered." - Matthew 10:30
Seriously?
So, God knows every hair on my head?
Even the two-inch-long Frankenstein hair on my right eyebrow that apparently decided to pop out sometime during morning worship yesterday?
Man alive, everybody who received Holy Communion from me during worship and everybody who greeted me after worship must've been thinking, "Man, Pastor Chris, don't you ever look in the mirror? Dude, you need to trim your eyebrows. You look like Frankenstein."
But nobody said that.
And apparently God knew about the monster hair because God promises that "even the hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30) And even knowing how stupid I looked, he still loves me.
And God still loves you, even though a wild hair or something crazy is going to make you look stupid today.
I mean it's Monday. And y'all are always telling me how much you love Mondays because something annoying always seems to happen. To you. Or with a family member. Or with a coworker. Or at the store.
Just remember that God already knows about it. And he loves you. And he loves them. So instead of getting bent out of shape, we can do what a young couple and I talked about yesterday afternoon -- we can just smile and laugh about it and not let it steal our joy.
So, have a great Monday!
And remember, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Day of Praise
Sa, 08/10/13, "Day of Praise"
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10
I love working in my yard. Love it. It doesn't even seem right to say that it's "working" in the yard. It feels more like playing.
It's renewing to me. While I "work", I think. And I sing. And I pray. And I look. At the flowers. The birds. The polish on the yard. The possibilities for the yard.
It's a "work" in progress.
Just like you. Just like me. Just like the family we're all a part of. God's family.
We're all a work in progress. Like a garden. God is pruning us. God is enjoying us. Nurturing us so that we can bear fruit, sweet fruit, even as God envisions the possibilities.
Yes, we are a work in progress.
But make no mistake.
We are the focal point of God's Garden Paradise.
It hardly seems like "work" to God.
It's love.
God loves working in His yard.
So do I.
I hope you do too.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10
I love working in my yard. Love it. It doesn't even seem right to say that it's "working" in the yard. It feels more like playing.
It's renewing to me. While I "work", I think. And I sing. And I pray. And I look. At the flowers. The birds. The polish on the yard. The possibilities for the yard.
It's a "work" in progress.
Just like you. Just like me. Just like the family we're all a part of. God's family.
We're all a work in progress. Like a garden. God is pruning us. God is enjoying us. Nurturing us so that we can bear fruit, sweet fruit, even as God envisions the possibilities.
Yes, we are a work in progress.
But make no mistake.
We are the focal point of God's Garden Paradise.
It hardly seems like "work" to God.
It's love.
God loves working in His yard.
So do I.
I hope you do too.
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Friday, August 9, 2013
Day of Praise
Fr, 08/09/13, "Day of Praise"
"[O, God,] because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you" - Psalm 63:3
Who and what do you aspire to be?
If you're not sure, you can easily access all sorts of people who are willing to make suggestions. Just go to http://www.google.com/search?client=ms-rim&hl=en&q=for%20what%20do%20you%20aspire&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&channel=browser.
As for myself, today's Bible verse inspires me to aspire to be a beautiful person who has a good grasp on life.
I can explain very simply. At http://mobile.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/lips.html, I found two quotes that sum up my aspiration to be a beautiful person who has a good grasp on life.
The famous, British actress Audrey Hepburn said, "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."
I aspire to have beautiful eyes that look for the good in God and others. I aspire to have beautiful lips that speak praise to God and kindness to others. And I aspire to have poise, walking with the knowledge that God is always with me.
And Hugh Sidey, the famous Time-Life magazine journalist who covered the American President for almost half a century, said, "Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life."
I aspire to have such a grasp on life where joy and laughter spill prevalently from my life each day.
In sum, I aspire to be a beautiful person who has a good grasp on life.
What about you?
"[O, God,] because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you" - Psalm 63:3
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"[O, God,] because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you" - Psalm 63:3
Who and what do you aspire to be?
If you're not sure, you can easily access all sorts of people who are willing to make suggestions. Just go to http://www.google.com/search?client=ms-rim&hl=en&q=for%20what%20do%20you%20aspire&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&channel=browser.
As for myself, today's Bible verse inspires me to aspire to be a beautiful person who has a good grasp on life.
I can explain very simply. At http://mobile.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/lips.html, I found two quotes that sum up my aspiration to be a beautiful person who has a good grasp on life.
The famous, British actress Audrey Hepburn said, "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."
I aspire to have beautiful eyes that look for the good in God and others. I aspire to have beautiful lips that speak praise to God and kindness to others. And I aspire to have poise, walking with the knowledge that God is always with me.
And Hugh Sidey, the famous Time-Life magazine journalist who covered the American President for almost half a century, said, "Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life."
I aspire to have such a grasp on life where joy and laughter spill prevalently from my life each day.
In sum, I aspire to be a beautiful person who has a good grasp on life.
What about you?
"[O, God,] because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you" - Psalm 63:3
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Day of Praise
Th, 08/08/13, "Day of Praise"
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." - Ephesians 5:1
So, are there any other little brothers out there? My big brother was awesome and is awesome. But every once in a while, being a little brother was not very fun.
In my case, my big brother, Ben, was faster than me, quicker than me, braver than me, more handsome than me, cooler than me. In sum, he was better than me. And fortunately, he was nice about all that and most things.
But there was one thing my big brother couldn't stand, namely, he didn't want me going to school and wearing the same style shirt as he had on. He did not want me imitating him or being a copycat where clothes were concerned. So he'd send me back to my room to change before we went to catch our bus.
Those are great memories for my brother and me because now we're totally on the same page. We both love imitating our ultimate big brother, Jesus Christ. We both want to wear exactly what Jesus is wearing, namely the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. And through faith in Jesus, that's exactly what Jesus gives us to wear as God says in Isaiah 61:10,
"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness".
And why does God do this? Why does God clothe us exactly like Jesus? Well, God does it so we'll never forget and the world will know that God loves us to look like him, as if we're God's children, for whom God provides and cares and to whom God listens and gives.
Indeed, that is exactly what we are!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." - Ephesians 5:1
So, are there any other little brothers out there? My big brother was awesome and is awesome. But every once in a while, being a little brother was not very fun.
In my case, my big brother, Ben, was faster than me, quicker than me, braver than me, more handsome than me, cooler than me. In sum, he was better than me. And fortunately, he was nice about all that and most things.
But there was one thing my big brother couldn't stand, namely, he didn't want me going to school and wearing the same style shirt as he had on. He did not want me imitating him or being a copycat where clothes were concerned. So he'd send me back to my room to change before we went to catch our bus.
Those are great memories for my brother and me because now we're totally on the same page. We both love imitating our ultimate big brother, Jesus Christ. We both want to wear exactly what Jesus is wearing, namely the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. And through faith in Jesus, that's exactly what Jesus gives us to wear as God says in Isaiah 61:10,
"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness".
And why does God do this? Why does God clothe us exactly like Jesus? Well, God does it so we'll never forget and the world will know that God loves us to look like him, as if we're God's children, for whom God provides and cares and to whom God listens and gives.
Indeed, that is exactly what we are!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Day of Praise
We, 08/07/13, "Day of Praise"
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24
Round two for this verse.
So, I'm driving down the road. And I see a car full of clothes. No, really! It was full of clothes. And I could be wrong, but I didn't get the impression that this vehicle was headed to the Salvation Army to make a donation. To the contrary, the little, middle-aged lady, whose head laid on the steering wheel and under the clothes, seemed, well, blessed that the Salvation Army exists.
And I thought to myself, "What must it take to live like that?" And then I thought through the list of people who I've met who live in their cars. For each one, there's some mental or physical challenge that has stressed their finances so that their car or truck has become their home. Closer examination of the car reveals more than clothes. There's trash. And a smell.
It's easy to look down on these people. Very easy.
But it's harder to look down on them when you hear their voice. And learn their name. And shake their hand. Thinking you need to wash your hand as soon as possible.
And then, I'll speak for myself, then God cuts my heart and speaks to my heart, saying, "Be careful, Chris. Your car may not have as much stuff in it. But your life has just as much need. For a Savior. Who has compassion. And mercy. And kindness. Who will reach out his hands. With a blessing. With a greeting. On a cross. To help. To forgive. To encourage."
Everyone needs Jesus Christ.
And that's the only judgement that any of us need to be making.
He extended his hand to me. To help me. That I might be the way that he reaches through me to someone else.
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24
Round two for this verse.
So, I'm driving down the road. And I see a car full of clothes. No, really! It was full of clothes. And I could be wrong, but I didn't get the impression that this vehicle was headed to the Salvation Army to make a donation. To the contrary, the little, middle-aged lady, whose head laid on the steering wheel and under the clothes, seemed, well, blessed that the Salvation Army exists.
And I thought to myself, "What must it take to live like that?" And then I thought through the list of people who I've met who live in their cars. For each one, there's some mental or physical challenge that has stressed their finances so that their car or truck has become their home. Closer examination of the car reveals more than clothes. There's trash. And a smell.
It's easy to look down on these people. Very easy.
But it's harder to look down on them when you hear their voice. And learn their name. And shake their hand. Thinking you need to wash your hand as soon as possible.
And then, I'll speak for myself, then God cuts my heart and speaks to my heart, saying, "Be careful, Chris. Your car may not have as much stuff in it. But your life has just as much need. For a Savior. Who has compassion. And mercy. And kindness. Who will reach out his hands. With a blessing. With a greeting. On a cross. To help. To forgive. To encourage."
Everyone needs Jesus Christ.
And that's the only judgement that any of us need to be making.
He extended his hand to me. To help me. That I might be the way that he reaches through me to someone else.
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Day of Praise
Tu, 08/06/13, "Day of Praise"
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24
Dufus!
That's what my friend confessed they called someone in the mall food court who, from a distance, they saw was wearing a doo-rag. As the verbal judgement-by-appearance came out of their mouth, they also saw the dufus and his friend sit down in the mall food court, bow their heads, and pray to God in thanks for their food.
My friend felt busted.
So she dug into her purse and found a couple of the literally tens of thousands of wooden pocket crosses that our church in Alabama has bought from a guy who has a small business making these little inspiring, pocket crosses in New England.
My friend got up and went to these guys' table and told them sincerely how blessed she and her husband were to see them pray in public. She gave them the crosses. And, returning to her table, she noticed, as many of our folks have testified, the little crosses being examined and discussed all during the young men's meal.
And THEN they came over to her table and thanked her, saying how God brought their lives together and lovingly patting the pocket in which they placed their new little treasure of a 25 cent cross with a Bible verse printed on it - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart - Proverbs 3:5-6".
And once again God graciously teaches us all, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24)
(PS - If you, like many of our members, would like to order some very nice wooden pocket crosses for yourself, your family, your business, your church or whatever, simply email Dick and Brenda at ctkoffice@bellsouth.net and they'll be glad to give you the contact info.)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24
Dufus!
That's what my friend confessed they called someone in the mall food court who, from a distance, they saw was wearing a doo-rag. As the verbal judgement-by-appearance came out of their mouth, they also saw the dufus and his friend sit down in the mall food court, bow their heads, and pray to God in thanks for their food.
My friend felt busted.
So she dug into her purse and found a couple of the literally tens of thousands of wooden pocket crosses that our church in Alabama has bought from a guy who has a small business making these little inspiring, pocket crosses in New England.
My friend got up and went to these guys' table and told them sincerely how blessed she and her husband were to see them pray in public. She gave them the crosses. And, returning to her table, she noticed, as many of our folks have testified, the little crosses being examined and discussed all during the young men's meal.
And THEN they came over to her table and thanked her, saying how God brought their lives together and lovingly patting the pocket in which they placed their new little treasure of a 25 cent cross with a Bible verse printed on it - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart - Proverbs 3:5-6".
And once again God graciously teaches us all, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24)
(PS - If you, like many of our members, would like to order some very nice wooden pocket crosses for yourself, your family, your business, your church or whatever, simply email Dick and Brenda at ctkoffice@bellsouth.net and they'll be glad to give you the contact info.)
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Monday, August 5, 2013
Day of Praise
Mo, 08/05/13, "Day of Praise"
'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." - Luke 12:19-21
When The Carpenters released "Rainy Days and Mondays" on April 23, 1971, I'm sure that song raced to #1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list because Karen Carpenter had one of the five smoothest voices of all time in my humble opinion.
However, I'm also sure that any song with the line "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" would have to climb pretty high because we live in a society that still hasn't figured out the place and value of work; and the biggest target for work complaints is "Monday." Our fallen world thinks dreariness and work go hand in hand, so of course "Rainy days and Mondays always get us down."
But before we join the chorus of Monday complaints today, it behooves us to recognize that, in today's Bible verses, Jesus makes a clear connection between our strength of soul and our attitude toward work. And though it's true that works never save us (read Galatians in the Bible), God ordained from the beginning that a healthy work ethic is a part of our enjoying paradise. Before sin entered the world, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." (Genesis 2:15)
Indeed, God ordained that though work never saves us in relation to God, works are a way for us to thank and glorify God for giving us life and saving us, which is exactly what we see in the New Testament in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12: "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
In fact, that would be a perfect prayer for us to pray for each other on every work day, but especially today, since it's our "favorite" workday: Monday! May God give us strength of soul and a positive attitude toward work. To God be the glory!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Day of Praise
Sa, 08/03/13, "Day of Praise"
Two sisters in Christ, Judy and Geri from Illinois, sent me the following Max Lucado devotion and weblink yesterday. I thought about it all day long, so I'm passing it on to all of you. Praise God!
Max Lucado wrote:
God called David a "man after His own heart!" One might read his story and wonder what God saw in him. He fell as often as he stood. He stared down Goliath, yet ogled at Bathsheba. He could lead armies but couldn't manage a family. Raging David. Weeping David. Bloodthirsty. God-hungry. Eight wives. One God. A man after God's own heart?
That God saw him as such gives hope to us all. David's life has little to offer the unstained saint. Straight-A souls find David's story disappointing. But we need David's story…most of us do. Giants lurk in our neighborhoods. Giants of rejection, failure, and revenge. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone.
Focus on God. The times David did, giants fell. The days he did not, David fell. Lift your eyes, giant-slayer! The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you!
From "Facing Your Giants"
http://maxlucado.com/audio/daily-audio/giant-slayer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=giant-slayer&utm_source=MaxLucado.com+Weekday+Emails&utm_campaign=e5b0f52531-RSS_DAILY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9b9306e0eb-e5b0f52531-223366597&mc_cid=e5b0f52531&mc_eid=c7af258f71
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Two sisters in Christ, Judy and Geri from Illinois, sent me the following Max Lucado devotion and weblink yesterday. I thought about it all day long, so I'm passing it on to all of you. Praise God!
Max Lucado wrote:
God called David a "man after His own heart!" One might read his story and wonder what God saw in him. He fell as often as he stood. He stared down Goliath, yet ogled at Bathsheba. He could lead armies but couldn't manage a family. Raging David. Weeping David. Bloodthirsty. God-hungry. Eight wives. One God. A man after God's own heart?
That God saw him as such gives hope to us all. David's life has little to offer the unstained saint. Straight-A souls find David's story disappointing. But we need David's story…most of us do. Giants lurk in our neighborhoods. Giants of rejection, failure, and revenge. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone.
Focus on God. The times David did, giants fell. The days he did not, David fell. Lift your eyes, giant-slayer! The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you!
From "Facing Your Giants"
http://maxlucado.com/audio/daily-audio/giant-slayer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=giant-slayer&utm_source=MaxLucado.com+Weekday+Emails&utm_campaign=e5b0f52531-RSS_DAILY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9b9306e0eb-e5b0f52531-223366597&mc_cid=e5b0f52531&mc_eid=c7af258f71
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Friday, August 2, 2013
Day of Praise
Fr, 08/02/13, "Day of Praise"
"So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" - Ephesians 2:19
I am not a world traveler. So when I was in seminary and went to the Philippines with some professors and students, I felt very much out of my comfort zone.
And there was no time I felt more out of my comfort zone than when we had a layover in Seoul, Korea and when we first arrived in Manila, which is the capital city and the second largest city of the Philippines.
All we saw of Seoul was the inside of the International Airport terminal. Wee hours of the night, their time. Dark outside. Light inside. The terminal had no people. Not a seoul, er, I mean, soul. And our souls had no energy. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all white, hard, and sterile. Between exhaustion and environment, I felt totally like a "stranger and sojourner" (Ephesians 2:19). If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was in the train station scene of "Matrix Revolutions" (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NYpkrQc9PeA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DNYpkrQc9PeA).
And then a few hours later, with maybe a few minutes of sleep, we arrived in Manila. And I thought I felt like a "stranger and sojourner" in Seoul. Seoul was easy compared to Manila. It was now the wee hours of the morning. Still very dark. We got off the plane and onto a "bus". I was looking out the bus window into this dark strange world. It felt like a scene from "Apocalypse Now" (http://www.fastenupyourseatbelts.com/apocalyseNow/apocalypseNowAnalysis.html). It forced me to wonder, "Should we trust the guy who's driving the bus? I don't even have a clue who even actually is driving the bus. Man-ila, er, Man, I don't have a clue even where I am!"
Have you ever felt that way in life? The world seems dark. Rest comes hard. And ya wonder, "Should I trust the guy who's driving the bus? I don't even have a clue who even actually is driving the bus." Ya feel like a stranger and sojourner in your own "world" and even at times to your own life.
(At this point, I might kindly ask you not to send me psychoanalytical responses, telling me I'm depressed. If your world is full of light and logic and inner calm and your life just totally makes sense, then today's Bible verse isn't even meant for you. But God inspired the words that are in the Bible because they meet real people where they often find themselves as we walk in faith in a fallen world. And God says, through Paul, that we often feel like strangers and sojourners.)
So, for all of you who have ever felt as strange and unsettled as God's Word says many of us sometimes do, then here's the Good News: God has an invitation for you. God has a promise for you to claim.
You have a place with God. A place in God's heart. And God wants to have a place in your heart. You have your own room in God to settle in. And God wants to settle into the room that is your heart.
No more sojourning. You're home in the Lord. Even while we're still sojourning in the world. In other words, even as our place in the world is temporary, our place with God is permanent. Our place with God is home. A place to rest. And be fed. And hear the voice of One who loves us.
Our place with God through faith in Jesus Christ is a place to be renewed.
For the rest of this temporary journey.
So that now, in Christ, as we walk sometimes wearily in and through this world, we have a promise to claim from One who's always faithful to His Word. And His promise to you is this: "So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19).
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Day of Praise
Th, 08/01/13, "Day of Praise"
"And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." - Psalm 39:7
Here are a few of the many big things that happened in 1964:
January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the 15th century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I meet in Jerusalem.
January 7 – A British firm, the Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba.
January 8 – In his first State of the Union Address, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson declares a "War on Poverty".
January 10 – Introducing...the Beatles is released by Chicago's Vee-Jay Records to get the jump on Capitol Records' release of Meet the Beatles!, scheduled for January 20.
January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Leonidas Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government).
January 12 - Routine U.S. naval patrols of the South China Sea begin.
January 16 - Hello, Dolly! opens in New York City's St. James Theatre.
January 18 – Plans to build the New York World Trade Center are announced.
January 23 - Arthur Miller's After the Fall opens on Broadway. A semi-autobiographical work, it arouses controversy over his portrayal of late ex-wife Marilyn Monroe.
September 12 - I was born. (Just kidding! :-) Well, I was born then, but it wasn't one of the many big things that happened in 1964...except to my family.
Ya know, a lot of people in this world spend a lot of time waiting for the next big thing to happen. In today's verse, God tells us that the biggest and best thing we could ever wait for is already here. "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." (Psalm 39:7)
Don't wait! Get in now on the biggest and best thing ever! Put your heart and hope in the Lord!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
"And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." - Psalm 39:7
Here are a few of the many big things that happened in 1964:
January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the 15th century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I meet in Jerusalem.
January 7 – A British firm, the Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba.
January 8 – In his first State of the Union Address, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson declares a "War on Poverty".
January 10 – Introducing...the Beatles is released by Chicago's Vee-Jay Records to get the jump on Capitol Records' release of Meet the Beatles!, scheduled for January 20.
January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Leonidas Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government).
January 12 - Routine U.S. naval patrols of the South China Sea begin.
January 16 - Hello, Dolly! opens in New York City's St. James Theatre.
January 18 – Plans to build the New York World Trade Center are announced.
January 23 - Arthur Miller's After the Fall opens on Broadway. A semi-autobiographical work, it arouses controversy over his portrayal of late ex-wife Marilyn Monroe.
September 12 - I was born. (Just kidding! :-) Well, I was born then, but it wasn't one of the many big things that happened in 1964...except to my family.
Ya know, a lot of people in this world spend a lot of time waiting for the next big thing to happen. In today's verse, God tells us that the biggest and best thing we could ever wait for is already here. "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." (Psalm 39:7)
Don't wait! Get in now on the biggest and best thing ever! Put your heart and hope in the Lord!
Praise God!
(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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