Day of Praise

Fri, 07/01/16, "Day of Praise"

Revelation 7:11-12 - "And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'"

An oft run tv ad asks, "What's in your wallet?" The better question for us today is "What's on your list?"

We have lists for a lot of things. Daily "things to do" lists. A running "grocery list." Amanda and I have a "packing list" for the Special Camp for intellectually disabled adults that we're serving soon. I have a very short "bucket list" of things I want to do before I die. I have a "things I want my kids to know about God" list. We have a prayer list. We have a "thanks be to God" list. There are lists, it seems, for everything that is truly important to us. 

But God, in the Bible verses today, asks us if we really have the most important lists. Yes, I do have God on the names of some of my lists, but God's asking if I have any lists of things that help me myself and therefore you yourself to know and remember God. After all, if Jesus teaches us, in John 17:3, that abundant, full, and eternal life is tied to knowing God and his Son, Jesus Christ, whom he sent, then I better stop and think if I can make any lists about any particular things about God, ya know, like names for God in the Bible, attributes of God in the Bible, and today's Bible verses list of things that should be ascribed to God. Some guy, named Meredith, made a huge book of "Bible lists" that even helps us to know the many Bible lists about God and Jesus that help us to have eternal life by knowing God more intimately.

Today's verses from Revelation 7:11-12 have the angels standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, falling on their faces before the throne and worshiping God with a list, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." If you're counting, that's a list of seven things that belong to God, which we're to acknowledge as belonging to God. We're either supposed to publicly give these to God from our heart (blessing, glory, thanksgiving, and honor), or we're supposed to acknowledge them as coming from God alone if we have them (wisdom, power, and might).

So, if you're a list-maker, and we all are, whether we write them down or not, then the next time you make a list, may that list be a reminder for us that God wants us to have the most important lists. God wants us to have lists of things we know about God, for it is knowing God and Jesus more intimately each day that we have the abundant, eternal life that God eagerly desires for the list of all of us, who are his children.

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

Day of Praise

Thur, 06/30/16, "Day of Praise"

Mark 10:13-14 - "And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'"

I've always believed that one of the things that bothered the disciples about children being brought to Jesus was that the children introduced an air that was less serious than the disciples had come to share with Jesus. On the one hand, the disciples were listening to Jesus and taking him seriously when he talked about loving your enemy, sacrificing money and sleep, watching vigilantly, and praying without ceasing. And into the midst of these serious teachings comes these innocent, dependent, playful, giggly kids which obviously bothered the disciples. But Jesus said, "Bring 'em on! To such belongs the kingdom of heaven!"

So wouldn't it stand to reason that Jesus was open to a good clean joke from time to time. I think Jesus might get a kick out of this one: "Did ya hear about the guy who lost the whole left side of his body? It's okay; he's alright now." Or what about this one? "If life's dealing you melons, then you probably have dyslexia." Or how about this one? "What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho cheese."

When I was in college, my campus pastor, Missouri Synod Lutheran Pastor Bill Couch, who was as serious as any human being that ever lived, always used to say to me, "DeGreen, you take yourself way too seriously." And then he'd encourage me and all of us to lighten up, to laugh at ourselves and recognize how God graciously provides for our limitations and foibles. Additionally, my very first secretary at my church was Connie Cunningham. Connie went to her grave with breast cancer, poking fun at herself and anyone else who would lighten up, saying that laughter is the best weapon for battling cancer and all that ails you.

To be sure, the great Dale Carnegie said that the safest humor is poking fun at yourself, in essence, "throwing yourself under the bus," as the phrase goes nowadays. But as a couple of my older sisters in Christ are eager to remind me by regularly poking fun at me, if you can't take a little ribbing from others then you probably need to lighten up.

Bottom line is that God's Word and giggles are good for everybody. That's why I believe that when Jesus was dishing up God's Word, he was thrilled when parents started dishing up their children, with their short attention spans, total dependence, playfulness, giggles, and all.

So consider doing as my children and other significant adults in my life and I do each day. Make a commitment to laughing and having some giggles together in the Lord. There's a good chance such laughter will help us to celebrate the invitation of Jesus to come as we are and to revel in his grace.

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Thur, 06/30/16, "Day of Praise"

Mark 10:13-14 - "And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'"

I've always believed that one of the things that bothered the disciples about children being brought to Jesus was that the children introduced an air that was less serious than the disciples had come to share with Jesus. On the one hand, the disciples were listening to Jesus and taking him seriously when he talked about loving your enemy, sacrificing money and sleep, watching vigilantly, and praying without ceasing. And into the midst of these serious teachings comes these innocent, dependent, playful, giggly kids which obviously bothered the disciples. But Jesus said, "Bring 'em on! To such belongs the kingdom of heaven!"

So wouldn't it stand to reason that Jesus was open to a good clean joke from time to time. I think Jesus might get a kick out of this one: "Did ya hear about the guy who lost the whole left side of his body? It's okay; he's alright now." Or what about this one? "If life's dealing you melons, then you probably have dyslexia." Or how about this one? "What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho cheese."

When I was in college, my campus pastor, Missouri Synod Lutheran Pastor Bill Couch, who was as serious as any human being that ever lived, always used to say to me, "DeGreen, you take yourself way too seriously." And then he'd encourage me and all of us to lighten up, to laugh at ourselves and recognize how God graciously provides for our limitations and foibles. Additionally, my very first secretary at my church was Connie Cunningham. Connie went to her grave with breast cancer, poking fun at herself and anyone else who would lighten up, saying that laughter is the best weapon for battling cancer and all that ails you.

To be sure, the great Dale Carnegie said that the safest humor is poking fun at yourself, in essence, "throwing yourself under the bus," as the phrase goes nowadays. But as a couple of my older sisters in Christ are eager to remind me by regularly poking fun at me, if you can't take a little ribbing from others then you probably need to lighten up.

Bottom line is that God's Word and giggles are good for everybody. That's why I believe that when Jesus was dishing up God's Word, he was thrilled when parents started dishing up their children, with their short attention spans, total dependence, playfulness, giggles, and all.

So consider doing as my children and other significant adults in my life and I do each day. Make a commitment to laughing and having some giggles together in the Lord. There's a good chance such laughter will help us to celebrate the invitation of Jesus to come as we are and to revel in his grace.

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

Day of Praise

Wed, 06/29/16, "Day of Praise!"

Job 5:16 - "So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth."

Did you know the Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones (who was also the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars") movie, "Field of Dreams" is based on the book titled, "Shoeless Joe"? The movie was originally named "Shoeless Joe" also until the audiences that previewed it said that "Shoeless Joe" made the movie sound like it was a story about a homeless guy that no one would want to see. So in order to draw more people, they changed the movie title to the much more hopeful "Field of Dreams." 

This shows us again that, no matter how bad things get for people, in our heart of hearts, we all long for a word of hope. We're all looking for someone or something to fill that hole in our soul with something that actually satisfies it. And today's Bible verse reminds us that the God of hope, who showed us himself in Jesus and dwells in us by the Holy Spirit, and the hope that God alone gives are the only one and the only thing that can rightly fill the hole in the soul of every person.

We don't usually think about the book of Job (pronounced with a long "o" as in "hope") as the place to run to in the Bible when we're looking for hope. But actually, in addition to today's hopeful verse from Job 5:16, "So the poor have hope," there are some other actually quite famous verses of hope in Job. In Job 1:21, we hear, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." And in Job 19:25, "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth."

The point is that the Bible is a book of hope from the true God of hope that ministers to every human being's need for a word of hope. So let's not only read and thank God for the Bible and the hope that he alone gives us, which is fulfilled and perfected in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but today let's also be who the God of hope made us in his image to be, namely, the people of hope who not only are more eager to hear about a "Field of Dreams" moreso than "Shoeless Joe," but who also have a word of hope that makes dreams come true for Shoeless Joe and all the people we know and will meet. 

I hope you have a great day, and I know that, when your heart's set on Jesus, the fulfillment of all true hope, you will!!! And remember to pass hope on!!!

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Wed, 06/29/16, "Day of Praise!"

Job 5:16 - "So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth."

Did you know the Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones (who was also the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars") movie, "Field of Dreams" is based on the book titled, "Shoeless Joe"? The movie was originally named "Shoeless Joe" also until the audiences that previewed it said that "Shoeless Joe" made the movie sound like it was a story about a homeless guy that no one would want to see. So in order to draw more people, they changed the movie title to the much more hopeful "Field of Dreams." 

This shows us again that, no matter how bad things get for people, in our heart of hearts, we all long for a word of hope. We're all looking for someone or something to fill that hole in our soul with something that actually satisfies it. And today's Bible verse reminds us that the God of hope, who showed us himself in Jesus and dwells in us by the Holy Spirit, and the hope that God alone gives are the only one and the only thing that can rightly fill the hole in the soul of every person.

We don't usually think about the book of Job (pronounced with a long "o" as in "hope") as the place to run to in the Bible when we're looking for hope. But actually, in addition to today's hopeful verse from Job 5:16, "So the poor have hope," there are some other actually quite famous verses of hope in Job. In Job 1:21, we hear, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." And in Job 19:25, "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth."

The point is that the Bible is a book of hope from the true God of hope that ministers to every human being's need for a word of hope. So let's not only read and thank God for the Bible and the hope that he alone gives us, which is fulfilled and perfected in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but today let's also be who the God of hope made us in his image to be, namely, the people of hope who not only are more eager to hear about a "Field of Dreams" moreso than "Shoeless Joe," but who also have a word of hope that makes dreams come true for Shoeless Joe and all the people we know and will meet. 

I hope you have a great day, and I know that, when your heart's set on Jesus, the fulfillment of all true hope, you will!!! And remember to pass hope on!!!

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

Day of Praise

Tues, 06/28/16, "Day of Praise"

I was reminded of one of my favorite devotionals from the past, so here it is. 

Ephesians 5:22 - "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."

As much as you probably think it is, based on today's Bible verse, today's devotion is not about marriage, wives, or submission. It's about the little phrase "your own" in today's verse, which means it's about quirks and idiosyncrasies. Please let me explain. 

Have you ever watched someone eat chips and salsa at a restaurant? It can really be quite hilarious. One time, on my way to and from the restroom, I observed this one person who already had their mouth wide open as they dipped their chip into the salsa. Then, having used the chip more like a scoop, they moved the chip up and down three times with the same rhythm that they moved their head and wide open mouth, which didn't seem to help much, since they got some salsa in their mouth but most of it down their shirt. They repeated the exact sequence as I returned from the restroom. Fortunately, they laughed at their own self even as I tried respectfully not to. After all, I have my own quirks and idiosyncrasies. 

An idiosyncrasy (id·i·o·syn·cra·sy) is a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual. It can also be called a quirk, which is a peculiar behavioral habit.

Here's a couple of mine. First, when I'm working a puzzle, I find it necessary to tap twice on any piece that I fit into its place. Somehow it seems that I'm telling the piece to stay in place, or I'm saying, "Ha! I got ya, ya little puzzle piece!" Or another quirk and idiosyncrasy of mine is when I close a lady's car door, I always tap the car window twice as if I'm telling my Amanda or Calley or Cassidy or mother, "Now, you stay in there!," as if they're a little puzzle piece that I finally got into its place! It's just my quirk, my idiosyncrasy, my peculiar behavioral habit.

In today's Bible verse from Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord," the phrase "your own" is from the Greek word "idios," which is the root of our word "idiosyncrasy" and (chuckle! chuckle!) "idiot."

See God is not telling every woman who is a wife to submit to every man who is a husband. God is telling every wife to submit to their own husband, their own private husband, their own personal husband, the unique and quirky husband belonging to them with all his peculiar idiosyncrasies.

More broadly speaking, God is telling us that, as we get to know someone, we'll get to know their quirky ways of doing things. Maybe they need their clothes folded a particular way or hung on particular hangers. Or maybe they drive with a foot on the dashboard. Or maybe they chew their gum in a way that irritates the stew out of you. They're not Biblically moral matters; they're quirks and idiosyncrasies. They're things that make people unique and therefore fun in getting to know and love them...quirks and all!

So let's declare today "Love 'your own' friends and family day!" In essence, it's "Identify, celebrate, smile at, laugh at, and love the people in your life for all their quirks and idiosyncrasies day!" It could be lots of fun!!!

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Tues, 06/28/16, "Day of Praise"

I was reminded of one of my favorite devotionals from the past, so here it is. 

Ephesians 5:22 - "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."

As much as you probably think it is, based on today's Bible verse, today's devotion is not about marriage, wives, or submission. It's about the little phrase "your own" in today's verse, which means it's about quirks and idiosyncrasies. Please let me explain. 

Have you ever watched someone eat chips and salsa at a restaurant? It can really be quite hilarious. One time, on my way to and from the restroom, I observed this one person who already had their mouth wide open as they dipped their chip into the salsa. Then, having used the chip more like a scoop, they moved the chip up and down three times with the same rhythm that they moved their head and wide open mouth, which didn't seem to help much, since they got some salsa in their mouth but most of it down their shirt. They repeated the exact sequence as I returned from the restroom. Fortunately, they laughed at their own self even as I tried respectfully not to. After all, I have my own quirks and idiosyncrasies. 

An idiosyncrasy (id·i·o·syn·cra·sy) is a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual. It can also be called a quirk, which is a peculiar behavioral habit.

Here's a couple of mine. First, when I'm working a puzzle, I find it necessary to tap twice on any piece that I fit into its place. Somehow it seems that I'm telling the piece to stay in place, or I'm saying, "Ha! I got ya, ya little puzzle piece!" Or another quirk and idiosyncrasy of mine is when I close a lady's car door, I always tap the car window twice as if I'm telling my Amanda or Calley or Cassidy or mother, "Now, you stay in there!," as if they're a little puzzle piece that I finally got into its place! It's just my quirk, my idiosyncrasy, my peculiar behavioral habit.

In today's Bible verse from Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord," the phrase "your own" is from the Greek word "idios," which is the root of our word "idiosyncrasy" and (chuckle! chuckle!) "idiot."

See God is not telling every woman who is a wife to submit to every man who is a husband. God is telling every wife to submit to their own husband, their own private husband, their own personal husband, the unique and quirky husband belonging to them with all his peculiar idiosyncrasies.

More broadly speaking, God is telling us that, as we get to know someone, we'll get to know their quirky ways of doing things. Maybe they need their clothes folded a particular way or hung on particular hangers. Or maybe they drive with a foot on the dashboard. Or maybe they chew their gum in a way that irritates the stew out of you. They're not Biblically moral matters; they're quirks and idiosyncrasies. They're things that make people unique and therefore fun in getting to know and love them...quirks and all!

So let's declare today "Love 'your own' friends and family day!" In essence, it's "Identify, celebrate, smile at, laugh at, and love the people in your life for all their quirks and idiosyncrasies day!" It could be lots of fun!!!

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

Day of Praise

Mon, 06/27/16, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 98:6 - "With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!"

Iiiiiiiit's wonderful how the smallest thing can lead to a joyful celebration. 

Like the time when I was taking my daughter to the doctor in downtown, Birmingham. 

We were just sitting at a traffic light, when, all of a sudden, the tiniest, little, dot-sized spider runs up the face of my steering wheel. I felt really bad about it, but he startled me to such a degree that, when I reached down to try and pet him, I not only made him nice and flat, like peanut butter, but I also celebrated him by accidentally honking the car horn. The next thing we know there are all these other cars celebrating with us. Like in today's Bible verse from Psalm 98:6, all the cars were using the "sound of the horn [to] make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!" In fact, there were so many cars making "a joyful noise before the King, the Lord" that I thought for sure that we were in church!

And to think that all that joy and celebration started because of a sweet little spider.  

So, today, let's do some celebrating! Like the little spider, we can celebrate the smallest things. Did ya wake up this morning? Celebrate! Do ya have someone to say "Hi!" to this morning instead of being all alone? Celebrate! Do ya have clothes to choose from in a closet in a secure dwelling? Celebrate! Do ya have an orange or any other delectable fruit in your fridge to eat for breakfast? Celebrate! Do ya have transportation and a place to go and do a meaningful job as a volunteer or for pay? Celebrate! Do ya know the love of Jesus? Celebrate! Is there some person in your life where, if you would swing by their work station or their home or their hospital and just be friends together, then they'd be grateful? Celebrate!

Friends, life is short! Just ask my little spider friend! So let's seize every opportunity, no matter how small, to "make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!" And remember there's always the possibility, that, even if you're just sitting at a traffic light and with a honk of your horn you celebrate the light turning green, there's a good chance that others will join in the celebration too! Yaaaaaay!!!

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Mon, 06/27/16, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 98:6 - "With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!"

Iiiiiiiit's wonderful how the smallest thing can lead to a joyful celebration. 

Like the time when I was taking my daughter to the doctor in downtown, Birmingham. 

We were just sitting at a traffic light, when, all of a sudden, the tiniest, little, dot-sized spider runs up the face of my steering wheel. I felt really bad about it, but he startled me to such a degree that, when I reached down to try and pet him, I not only made him nice and flat, like peanut butter, but I also celebrated him by accidentally honking the car horn. The next thing we know there are all these other cars celebrating with us. Like in today's Bible verse from Psalm 98:6, all the cars were using the "sound of the horn [to] make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!" In fact, there were so many cars making "a joyful noise before the King, the Lord" that I thought for sure that we were in church!

And to think that all that joy and celebration started because of a sweet little spider.  

So, today, let's do some celebrating! Like the little spider, we can celebrate the smallest things. Did ya wake up this morning? Celebrate! Do ya have someone to say "Hi!" to this morning instead of being all alone? Celebrate! Do ya have clothes to choose from in a closet in a secure dwelling? Celebrate! Do ya have an orange or any other delectable fruit in your fridge to eat for breakfast? Celebrate! Do ya have transportation and a place to go and do a meaningful job as a volunteer or for pay? Celebrate! Do ya know the love of Jesus? Celebrate! Is there some person in your life where, if you would swing by their work station or their home or their hospital and just be friends together, then they'd be grateful? Celebrate!

Friends, life is short! Just ask my little spider friend! So let's seize every opportunity, no matter how small, to "make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!" And remember there's always the possibility, that, even if you're just sitting at a traffic light and with a honk of your horn you celebrate the light turning green, there's a good chance that others will join in the celebration too! Yaaaaaay!!!

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

Day of Praise

Sa, 06/25/16, "Day of Praise"

Romans 15:13 - "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

May God grant such joy and peace to us all today and always!

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Sa, 06/25/16, "Day of Praise"

Romans 15:13 - "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

May God grant such joy and peace to us all today and always!

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

Day of Praise

Fri, 06/24/16, "Day of Praise"

Isaiah 25:6 - "On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines."

In the not too distant future, my wife, Amanda, and I are going to drive from Alabama to Tennessee where we'll scoop up my mom and then head on up the road to my mom's family in Pennsylvania. The anticipation reminds me of my childhood, specifically when my siblings and I were at our grandparents' homes in north-central Pennsylvania during strawberry season. Gram Yost had, what she called, a truck patch, which was filled with the most delicious strawberries you ever ate in your life. And Gram would just let us go sit in the truck patch and eat "strawbabies" until our little hearts were content. It was heaven!

Well, at least it was a picture of heaven. 

In today's verse from Isaiah 25:6, God is telling us, as he does consistently in scripture, that heaven will be a feast of abundance. The "Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines." And in order that we might enjoy the feast, God goes on to say that he'll remove death, tears, and disgrace.

Wow! Sign me up! I wanna be there!!!

But there's a catch, the same catch as always with God and his word. You must believe! You must believe that God is preparing this for you and for all people. In the face of whatever poverty, lack, difficulty, or hardship that you currently have going on, God calls you to believe that better times are on the horizon. And when you believe that a feast is just ahead, you actually begin to taste it in your heart right now. 

That's the power of well-placed faith. When you put your faith in any person or power or comfort of this world, just count on being disappointed down the road. But when you put your faith in God coming through down the road, when you truly believe that God's going to come through on his promises, then you immediately start to taste the fruit in the present.

Like a truck patch full of strawberries from your Gram.

Like a heaven full of "rich food for all peoples."

God is bigger in providing than your problems are in taking away.

"Taste and see, the Lord is good; blessed is the one who trusts him." (Psalm 34:8)

The feast is ready right now for those who believe! Please come!

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Fri, 06/24/16, "Day of Praise"

Isaiah 25:6 - "On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines."

In the not too distant future, my wife, Amanda, and I are going to drive from Alabama to Tennessee where we'll scoop up my mom and then head on up the road to my mom's family in Pennsylvania. The anticipation reminds me of my childhood, specifically when my siblings and I were at our grandparents' homes in north-central Pennsylvania during strawberry season. Gram Yost had, what she called, a truck patch, which was filled with the most delicious strawberries you ever ate in your life. And Gram would just let us go sit in the truck patch and eat "strawbabies" until our little hearts were content. It was heaven!

Well, at least it was a picture of heaven. 

In today's verse from Isaiah 25:6, God is telling us, as he does consistently in scripture, that heaven will be a feast of abundance. The "Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines." And in order that we might enjoy the feast, God goes on to say that he'll remove death, tears, and disgrace.

Wow! Sign me up! I wanna be there!!!

But there's a catch, the same catch as always with God and his word. You must believe! You must believe that God is preparing this for you and for all people. In the face of whatever poverty, lack, difficulty, or hardship that you currently have going on, God calls you to believe that better times are on the horizon. And when you believe that a feast is just ahead, you actually begin to taste it in your heart right now. 

That's the power of well-placed faith. When you put your faith in any person or power or comfort of this world, just count on being disappointed down the road. But when you put your faith in God coming through down the road, when you truly believe that God's going to come through on his promises, then you immediately start to taste the fruit in the present.

Like a truck patch full of strawberries from your Gram.

Like a heaven full of "rich food for all peoples."

God is bigger in providing than your problems are in taking away.

"Taste and see, the Lord is good; blessed is the one who trusts him." (Psalm 34:8)

The feast is ready right now for those who believe! Please come!

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

Day of Praise

Thur, 06/23/16, "Day of Praise" 

2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" 

It's baseball season, so each day I might look online to see how the Atlanta Braves did in their game the night before. The easiest place for me to check is ajc.com, which is the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper website. The thing is that their website's lead story is always a tragic death. It's an opportunity to pray for someone, but it's always quite depressing, too. It's a reminder that the world, by its very nature, in its fallenness and brokenness and sinfulness will always lean toward putting stuff on us that saps our life and strength. 

But thank you, Jesus, that there's another place to go online or however you can get there that pours life and strength back into us. Yes, any way that you can access Holy Scripture is a great way to renew your life and strength. As God says in today's verse in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable." Indeed, all scripture adds to our life, in contrast to so much in the world that subtracts. 

So, as your day unfolds and you feel your strength and energy needing a boost, try opening a Bible or going to scripture online. And then read the Bible. As one deep radio voice says each day on the air, "Read the Bible; it's good for the soul." 

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

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Day of Praise

Thur, 06/23/16, "Day of Praise" 

2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" 

It's baseball season, so each day I might look online to see how the Atlanta Braves did in their game the night before. The easiest place for me to check is ajc.com, which is the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper website. The thing is that their website's lead story is always a tragic death. It's an opportunity to pray for someone, but it's always quite depressing, too. It's a reminder that the world, by its very nature, in its fallenness and brokenness and sinfulness will always lean toward putting stuff on us that saps our life and strength. 

But thank you, Jesus, that there's another place to go online or however you can get there that pours life and strength back into us. Yes, any way that you can access Holy Scripture is a great way to renew your life and strength. As God says in today's verse in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable." Indeed, all scripture adds to our life, in contrast to so much in the world that subtracts. 

So, as your day unfolds and you feel your strength and energy needing a boost, try opening a Bible or going to scripture online. And then read the Bible. As one deep radio voice says each day on the air, "Read the Bible; it's good for the soul." 

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

Day of Praise

Wed, 06/22/16, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 8:1 - "Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up."

Though my parents and all the preceding generations of their family grew up with very humble means, they all valued my sisters, my brother, and me acquiring as much education as possible. Summer reading clubs, good grades, and going to college were non-negotiable expectations for us kids, even though, to the best of my knowledge, only my late father went to college from our preceding generations. And my father always used to tell us how very fortunate he was to win a scholarship, or he himself would've never gone to college either. 

But as much as I thank God for the educational pursuits that my parents both provided and also supported me in pursuing, I am constantly reminded of God's word in 1 Corinthians 8:1, where we hear that "'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up." I'll speak for myself in saying that it's very easy for us all to forget, especially when I'm sitting in my office surrounded by walls of floor to ceiling books, that as important as knowledge and book-learning are, there is nothing more important than the simple gospel message of Jesus.

The "gospel," which means the "good news," ultimately is best offered and explained in child-like language and simplicity. Simple Bible verses like "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son" from John 3:16, simple songs like "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so," and simple encouragements to others like "this must be hard, but God promises to love you and be with you" are all irreplaceable. No one can possibly understand why God loves them and how God loves them if they don't first understand that God loves them through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So many Christians never experience the unmatched joy of seeing someone else come to a life-changing trust in God's love because they're afraid they don't have enough knowledge of the Bible to say the right thing to someone.

But, Friends, I've yet to find a person, who was drowning in fear, anxiety, loneliness, isolation, grief, debt, or uncertainty, who was just dying to hear how much I know and how smart I am or you are. But, with rare exception, everyone I've ever called, hugged, listened to, spoken to on the street, worked with, visited in the place they were confined to, played ball with, talked to as they scanned my groceries, or simply passed for a moment as we walked somewhere in public, refused to smile when they heard me say, "Have a good day! Jesus loves you!" in those or other simple words.

To be sure, it's important that we want to know God more personally each day, and the way to learn of him is listening to and studying his word. But ultimately, any fear that you might have about not knowing enough to tell others about Jesus is overcome by God's simple reminder in today's Bible verse, namely, that God's way to truly build up somebody is not by impressing them with knowledge but by lovingly telling them that God loves them and that we know this in Jesus Christ!

Change the world today! Tell each person, starting in your home, that they're loved by God with an everlasting love!

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

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Day of Praise

Wed, 06/22/16, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 8:1 - "Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up."

Though my parents and all the preceding generations of their family grew up with very humble means, they all valued my sisters, my brother, and me acquiring as much education as possible. Summer reading clubs, good grades, and going to college were non-negotiable expectations for us kids, even though, to the best of my knowledge, only my late father went to college from our preceding generations. And my father always used to tell us how very fortunate he was to win a scholarship, or he himself would've never gone to college either. 

But as much as I thank God for the educational pursuits that my parents both provided and also supported me in pursuing, I am constantly reminded of God's word in 1 Corinthians 8:1, where we hear that "'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up." I'll speak for myself in saying that it's very easy for us all to forget, especially when I'm sitting in my office surrounded by walls of floor to ceiling books, that as important as knowledge and book-learning are, there is nothing more important than the simple gospel message of Jesus.

The "gospel," which means the "good news," ultimately is best offered and explained in child-like language and simplicity. Simple Bible verses like "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son" from John 3:16, simple songs like "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so," and simple encouragements to others like "this must be hard, but God promises to love you and be with you" are all irreplaceable. No one can possibly understand why God loves them and how God loves them if they don't first understand that God loves them through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So many Christians never experience the unmatched joy of seeing someone else come to a life-changing trust in God's love because they're afraid they don't have enough knowledge of the Bible to say the right thing to someone.

But, Friends, I've yet to find a person, who was drowning in fear, anxiety, loneliness, isolation, grief, debt, or uncertainty, who was just dying to hear how much I know and how smart I am or you are. But, with rare exception, everyone I've ever called, hugged, listened to, spoken to on the street, worked with, visited in the place they were confined to, played ball with, talked to as they scanned my groceries, or simply passed for a moment as we walked somewhere in public, refused to smile when they heard me say, "Have a good day! Jesus loves you!" in those or other simple words.

To be sure, it's important that we want to know God more personally each day, and the way to learn of him is listening to and studying his word. But ultimately, any fear that you might have about not knowing enough to tell others about Jesus is overcome by God's simple reminder in today's Bible verse, namely, that God's way to truly build up somebody is not by impressing them with knowledge but by lovingly telling them that God loves them and that we know this in Jesus Christ!

Change the world today! Tell each person, starting in your home, that they're loved by God with an everlasting love!

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

Day of Praise

Tues, 06/21/16, "Day of Praise"

Exodus 8:1 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'"

I think God is serious about our worshiping him. In Exodus, chapters 8-10 alone, God speaks seven times through Moses to tell Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me." In essence, God is emphasizing to us that all of his work is ultimately for two things: 1) to shape us in the original, perfect creation where we loved to worship God and 2) to set people free both from Pharaoh long ago and also from all the other distractions today so we love to worship God.

When God sent Jesus to die for us and set us free from the power of sin (which is guilt) and the power of death (which is fear), he might as well have said to guilt and fear, as in today's Bible verse, "Let my people go, so that they may worship me." (Exodus 8:1)

What is keeping you from worshiping God at least once a week? I know we like humor with this "Day of Praise" devotion, but a strong, successful businessman came up to me in tears this Sunday and confessed that God had shown him how ultimately worthless was the "everybody-does-it" distraction that was keeping him from worshiping God at least weekly.

And here's another worship testimony from another person recently: 
"I didn't realize just how much I missed Wednesday night. The meeting, the fellowship, the study, the worship and message, the training, and then more fellowship -- God was with us and he is alive and showing his glory at [our church]. We just have to be there to experience what he is doing. I know God is with us in our everyday life, however, when we are at home, ball field, lake, movies, etc, our focus is not on Him, we get distracted from His glory. When we are with like-minded people, worshiping and studying his word, he blesses us abundantly, changing our mindset. The words tonight were from God and just what we needed to hear."

Friends, we were made to love to praise and worship the Lord, and God has blessings waiting for us when we do. So whether you worship together in a hotel room, or you visit a church where you're vacationing, or you go to your home church, please remember that you are free to do as you please because God set you free in Christ. But I pray that you'll follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and you'll use your freedom as God calls us to, namely, to worship and praise God, and in so doing, to receive immeasurable blessings from God!

Exodus 8:1 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'"

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Tues, 06/21/16, "Day of Praise"

Exodus 8:1 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'"

I think God is serious about our worshiping him. In Exodus, chapters 8-10 alone, God speaks seven times through Moses to tell Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me." In essence, God is emphasizing to us that all of his work is ultimately for two things: 1) to shape us in the original, perfect creation where we loved to worship God and 2) to set people free both from Pharaoh long ago and also from all the other distractions today so we love to worship God.

When God sent Jesus to die for us and set us free from the power of sin (which is guilt) and the power of death (which is fear), he might as well have said to guilt and fear, as in today's Bible verse, "Let my people go, so that they may worship me." (Exodus 8:1)

What is keeping you from worshiping God at least once a week? I know we like humor with this "Day of Praise" devotion, but a strong, successful businessman came up to me in tears this Sunday and confessed that God had shown him how ultimately worthless was the "everybody-does-it" distraction that was keeping him from worshiping God at least weekly.

And here's another worship testimony from another person recently: 
"I didn't realize just how much I missed Wednesday night. The meeting, the fellowship, the study, the worship and message, the training, and then more fellowship -- God was with us and he is alive and showing his glory at [our church]. We just have to be there to experience what he is doing. I know God is with us in our everyday life, however, when we are at home, ball field, lake, movies, etc, our focus is not on Him, we get distracted from His glory. When we are with like-minded people, worshiping and studying his word, he blesses us abundantly, changing our mindset. The words tonight were from God and just what we needed to hear."

Friends, we were made to love to praise and worship the Lord, and God has blessings waiting for us when we do. So whether you worship together in a hotel room, or you visit a church where you're vacationing, or you go to your home church, please remember that you are free to do as you please because God set you free in Christ. But I pray that you'll follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and you'll use your freedom as God calls us to, namely, to worship and praise God, and in so doing, to receive immeasurable blessings from God!

Exodus 8:1 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'"

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

Day of Praise

Mon, 06/20/16, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 13:12 - "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

Some, hey, maybe all of you may know that seeing "in a mirror dimly" refers to the quality of mirrors that they had in Bible days. My training on the matter was that mirrors in Bible days were like pieces of glass that people often use decoratively today where you can see both a little reflection of yourself and also a foggy view of things on the other side. I think they call it bubble glass nowadays. Bottom line is that your own reflection in that kind of mirror is dim, at best, and you actually can also see through it, but dimly also at best. In sum, as the verse goes on to say, the mirror glass of Bible days only let you "know in part" both your present (your reflection in the glass) and your future (your seeing through the glass). 

Such dimness and knowing in part is also, like the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, about love -- God's love. 

God's love reminds us that we often don't see ourselves too clearly. We often kick ourselves over things that God (and others) have long ago forgiven and/or forgotten. We often see ourselves as far less beautiful and handsome than the child of God that our Heavenly Father adores. And we often see ourselves as far less worthy than the worth that God obviously attaches to us by deeming that we're worth it to him to send His Only Son to die for us and our sin! We have a dim view of ourselves, but God sees us clearly as His own, so he calls us to listen to his voice about us instead of our own. God loves us!

Similarly, God's love reminds us that we don't see our future too clearly either. The future looks unclear to us, but it's perfectly clear to God. We look through the bubble and our future looks most uncertain, but God certainly knows what's ahead, namely, He Himself. In other words, God doesn't want us to see clearly all the details of our future. Instead, God wants us to see Him! God wants us to focus on the fact that, though the "what's" of our future are unclear, the "who" of our future is very clear, well, when we look in faith, because nothing about our future is clear apart from faith. But, in faith, we clearly see who is in our future, yay, the Sovereign Loving God. And since God is already there, our future will clearly be blessed.

So right now take a look in the mirror or better, before you hop in your car today, look in your car window, which is kind of like the dim mirrors of old. And, as you see a dim reflection of yourself and a little bit through the glass, remember the love of God that sees you and your future clearly. He loves you right now and will be present in all that's ahead to clearly guide your ways.

Trust Him, and you'll see!

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Mon, 06/20/16, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 13:12 - "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

Some, hey, maybe all of you may know that seeing "in a mirror dimly" refers to the quality of mirrors that they had in Bible days. My training on the matter was that mirrors in Bible days were like pieces of glass that people often use decoratively today where you can see both a little reflection of yourself and also a foggy view of things on the other side. I think they call it bubble glass nowadays. Bottom line is that your own reflection in that kind of mirror is dim, at best, and you actually can also see through it, but dimly also at best. In sum, as the verse goes on to say, the mirror glass of Bible days only let you "know in part" both your present (your reflection in the glass) and your future (your seeing through the glass). 

Such dimness and knowing in part is also, like the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, about love -- God's love. 

God's love reminds us that we often don't see ourselves too clearly. We often kick ourselves over things that God (and others) have long ago forgiven and/or forgotten. We often see ourselves as far less beautiful and handsome than the child of God that our Heavenly Father adores. And we often see ourselves as far less worthy than the worth that God obviously attaches to us by deeming that we're worth it to him to send His Only Son to die for us and our sin! We have a dim view of ourselves, but God sees us clearly as His own, so he calls us to listen to his voice about us instead of our own. God loves us!

Similarly, God's love reminds us that we don't see our future too clearly either. The future looks unclear to us, but it's perfectly clear to God. We look through the bubble and our future looks most uncertain, but God certainly knows what's ahead, namely, He Himself. In other words, God doesn't want us to see clearly all the details of our future. Instead, God wants us to see Him! God wants us to focus on the fact that, though the "what's" of our future are unclear, the "who" of our future is very clear, well, when we look in faith, because nothing about our future is clear apart from faith. But, in faith, we clearly see who is in our future, yay, the Sovereign Loving God. And since God is already there, our future will clearly be blessed.

So right now take a look in the mirror or better, before you hop in your car today, look in your car window, which is kind of like the dim mirrors of old. And, as you see a dim reflection of yourself and a little bit through the glass, remember the love of God that sees you and your future clearly. He loves you right now and will be present in all that's ahead to clearly guide your ways.

Trust Him, and you'll see!

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

Day of Praise

Sat, 06/18/16, "Day of Praise"

Romans 1:8 - "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world."

It's the spirit of faith that St. Paul was writing about in today's Bible verse when he says that "your faith is proclaimed in all the world." (Romans 1:8) In other words, when we're kind and gracious to one another, instead of dwelling on each other's shortcomings and errors, word gets around, maybe to all the world, and people are drawn to Christ because that's what people are, namely, people are drawn to a graciousness and kindness born out of faith in Jesus Christ.

And that's how I think of and, therefore, thank, you all! You are dear and encouraging friends. I am sincerely grateful to God for all of you! Have a great day, and know that you're making a difference in my life, as I'm sure you are with many, as you are kind and gracious to them too!

Romans 1:8 - "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world."

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

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA