heroes

My sister is fighting for her marriage. Her husband told her that he wants a divorce. What do you tell those women who choose to fight for a marriage even when they are being mistreated. Do you tell them, "God will make things better? Just have faith, things will be great." Or do you tell them, "I don't know what will happen, things may not be great, but God promises that He is with you, and even in the suffering He will be faithful, and in this you are so dear to Him. Press into Him."

There are stories of women, who have faithfully endured hard marriages for decades and continued to honor their husbands according to 1 Peter 3. There are not only wives in hard marriages, but many men and women in different situations who have chosen to suffer for the gospel's sake. Who are your heroes? I put these men and women, who did not pursue a better life, but instead one of a lifetime of suffering and faithfulness because they trusted God at His word, on my list of heroes.

1 Peter 2:18 says, "Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if , when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you and example so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Likewise, wives . . ."

I don't know what will happen to my sister or how strong she will be (I don't know if I would be strong enough, myself) and I definitely press into prayer that God will bless her and restore her; but more importantly I pray that God will uphold her to stand on His word. And I pray that instead of running away from the pain, that God will allow me to help her carry it however long it takes.

The war begins . . .

Quote from my pastor

"Some believe that when you become a Christian that sin ends. But that is when the war on sin begins. War on sin is a sign that you are a Christian."

adventure

As I grow older I have learned adventure is not always found where adventure is; I have found that adventure is found in faithfulness, and that more then I could have dreamed.

piano

Thunder

I love the sound of thunder. Thunder, especially the really loud, deep, house shaking, heart shaking THUNDER, fills me with so much peace. For me it’s a faint echo of hearing the voice of God. It reminds me of Psalm 18 and God’s protection over me. “I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; . . . . And I cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And even my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundation of the hills also quaked and were shaken, . . . . The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, . . . . He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.” I think C.S. Lewis described this feeling well when he describes Aslan’s roar. It’s a strength that both shakes you and gives you unshakable peace at the very core of who you are. When I hear thunder, I feel like a child being held in the arms of my Father.

western philosophy

Written Saturday April 16, 2005

The original church had to deal with Plato's philosophy infiltrating and corrupting church doctrine, now we are dealing with Western culture and philosophy corrupting the church.

Written Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Sexual immorality was used to defeat Israel through Balaam, sexual immorality has crippled the men of the church, today.

I want my life to be spent in this one thing. The cry, "Behold, the Lamb of God"

Beauty

Many years ago I watched this movie and one of the scenes stuck with me. The man had drawn a portrait of the woman he loved. When he drew the portrait, he didn’t hide who she was. The portrait was an accurate drawing of what she looked like faults and all. He showed it to her and explained that he knew her, he could see her faults, he didn’t have some fairy tale vision of who she was, but he loved her for who she was and that love was real. This is more than a fairy tale love. Its deeper and more real. And yes, I do want to love my wife this way, Lord willing, but, honestly, I do not know if God will give me a wife, but I do know that I can give this love to others. And I want them to know that Love.