Recovering the Biblical Gospel...

On the blog he shares with Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, and Albert Mohler, Ligon Duncan posted a few comments from J.I. Packer on "the recovery of the gospel" that I thought were a worthwhile read...

"... Without realizing it, we have during the past century bartered that (the old) gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similarly enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing... It fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is not primarily what it is trying to do. One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be “helpful” to man— to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction— and too little concerned to glorify God..."

Check out the full post below...

http://blog.togetherforthegospel.org/2006/02/packer_on_the_r.html

Spirographs...

A coworker of mine just used the word "spirograph" in a conversation, and I just had a moment of nostalgia that I thought I'd share... I LOVED these growing up. :)

For some reason, this wasn't something I actually owned myself in my mountain of toys, but I have great memories from playing with these at friends' houses. I always loved anything with arts & crafts growing up, but the different colored designs and patterns that this thing could create were fascinating to me. I could play with this forever, or at least until the paper ran out! :)

I'm sure I could go on and on with many more of my loves from childhood -Lite Brites, Fashion Plates, Sit & Spins, etc... But I thought I'd open the opportunity to you guys to share as well... Any favorites?

Introducing Stan Da Man

Our very own Stan Kwan has started a new blog. It is still "under construction," but I'm sure great things await us. As an example, here is a picture I snagged off his site from his first "attempt" at adding a picture to his profile. No, I can't explain the odd statue pose; I'll let you go directly to the source on that one, but let it be known that he resorted to me for tech support in this area... Yes, that's right. Doesn't he work on computers for a living??? And did I mention that this is his second blog... Let the fun begin!! :)

Anyway, check out his new site... http://standotkwan.blogspot.com/

Glad to be alive in the 21st Century...

So, I just received this in an email forward about Life in the 1500's... Honestly this gives me a whole new perspective on the wedding season....

"Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married."

Hmmm... and might I add, gross.

Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose!!

So, the client that I am working for right now is located in a complex made up of a few different buildings. Given a short supply in parking, many mornings when the parking garage attached to the building I work in is filled, I have to park in a garage at another building in the complex.

Along the walk back to my building, there is a nicely planned wooded area with jogging trails and a small pond setting where the aforementioned "ducks and geese" dwell (ah ha! I get the title now). Well, on the topic of these ducks and geese, I was a little surprised to find out a while back that they are actually little more than rented performers. Apparently the tenants of the buildings consider them to be a valuable investment in adding to the ambiance of the complex.

And while I find the concept of renting ducks and geese rather strange, I do have to admit, I like having them around. They are full of character and usually make me smile or laugh on my way into the office. Although, I have found myself one too many times in a tango with a duck refusing to let me pass on the sidewalk. I move to my left; he moves to his right. I move to my right; he moves to his left... Aaarrrggghhh - get out of my way! I'm wearing heels, and I'm NOT walking in the grass, Duck!!

All in all, my favorite part is when they cross the road six or seven at a time, all in a row, backing up 3-4 cars worth of traffic, all on their way to get to work or to get home (the people in the cars, not the ducks or geese, or maybe they are too... yikes grammar police!). This just happened again today as I was walking back to my car this afternoon, and all you can do is look at the drivers in the cars, shake your head and laugh, and remind yourself that maybe you should take a break and slow down for a few moments too. For this (or these ducks and geese) too shall pass... :)

All things that pertain to life and godliness....

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence," 2 Peter 1:3

I've been chewing on this verse for several months now as it has been coming up in conversations and various books and articles I'm reading all over the place. I can't get over the implications... Christ is sufficient to meet ALL of our needs, in ALL things, at ALL times... Scripture is sufficient to counsel us on ALL the issues of life and ALL the issues of godliness...

You might be thinking, of course... AND??? The AND is the part I can't get over... Do we really live like this is true, that the Bible is really enough? Do we seek answers to life's problems in scripture first, or do we seek the latest book recommendation from a friend? When someone comes to us for counsel, do we speak from our experiences, or do we bring them to the Word? I've been challenged in this area over the past year...

Most recently, I read a transcript of a message from John MacArthur on "The Sufficiency of Scripture" that articulates my heart on this subject remarkably well...

Here is a related excerpt:

"And then Peter added this in his second epistle, 2 Peter 1:3, one of the great statements on this subject in all of Scripture, he says, "According as God's divine power has given unto us...listen to this...all things that pertain unto life and godliness." What a statement! God's divine power has given us, not some things, but all things that pertain to life and godliness.

Then he says, "Through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue." When we come to know Him and He is revealed through His Word, we are cashing in on the resources that allow us to be able to face anything. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness. Beloved, all we need for life, all we need for godliness, all we need in all of our Christian living is bound up in the Word of God.

And you ask yourself, why do you always teach the Bible? Why do we always study the Word of God? Because where else do we go for spiritual sufficiency? Everything else is superfluous. For the matter at hand through the knowledge of Him, through the knowledge of Him who called us and He reveals Himself in His Word, comes all we need for life and godliness. And I tell you, it grieves me no end when people come up with this idea that the Bible is not enough and we've got to study all this other stuff and gain all these other techniques in order to tap necessary resources. The Word of God energized by the Spirit of God is sufficient for life and godliness. "

Do we really believe that scripture is sufficient? In another message, MacArthur describes the Christ "Plus" mentality that many in the church fall into...

"We often think today that Christ is part of our lives. He's maybe an important part but not all. We need Christ plus philosophy...we need Christ plus psychology...we need Christ plus ritual...we need Christ plus ceremony...... But the Bible says it's all in Christ and it's all in knowing Christ."

As Gregg is leading us through Colossians, we know the warning that is still true today...

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority." (Col 2:8-10)

I am overwhelmed with passion and a sense of urgent concern for the church on this topic right now... My prayer is for discernment that we might individually come to a point of biblical conviction of the authoritative role of Christ's Word in our lives, and that we as a church might be on guard against the enemy and wordly influences in our midst.

Let us be bold in His name for His glory and encourage one another to test our hearts in this matter! Christ is Sufficient!!

The Shady Lady Has Entered The Blogosphere...

For those of you who've been hoping and waiting.... Counting down the days, the hours, the minutes... Asking yourselves, when WILL the day come?!?!

Well my friends, it is here... My roommate has started her own blog. I'll leave it to you guys for further encouragement (harrassment). :)

http://katietheshadylady.blogspot.com/

Dancing Mouse

You guys have to check this out... It cracks me up everytime I see it... :)

http://www.hahahumor.com/funny-movies/mouse.htm

"God All-Sufficient"

O LORD OF GRACE,

The world is before me this day,
and I am weak and fearful,
but I look to thee for strength;
If I venture forth alone I stumble and fall,
but on the Beloved's arms I am firm
as the eternal hills;
If left to the treachery of my heart
I shall shame thy Name,
but if enlightened, guided, upheld by thy Spirit,
I shall bring thee glory.
Be thou my arm to support,
my strength to stand,
my light to see,
my feet to run,
my shield to protect,
my sword to repel,
my sun to warm,
To enrich me will not diminish thy fullness;
All thy lovingkindness is in thy Son,
I bring him to thee in the arms of faith,
I urge his saving Name as the One who died for me.
I plead his blood to pay my debts of wrong.
Accept his worthiness for my unworthiness,
his sinlessness for my transgressions,
his purity for my uncleanness,
his sincerity for my guile,
his truth for my deceits,
his meekness for my pride,
his constancy for my backslideings,
his love for my enmity,
his fullness for my emptiness,
his faithfulness for my treachery,
his obedience for my lawlessness,
his glory for my shame,
his devotedness for my waywardness,
his holy life for my unchaste ways,
his righteousness for my dead works,
his death for my life.

The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Must...Stay...Awake...

I can definitely relate to this... :)

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=15613

Connecting the Dots...

I love it when the Lord gives us spiritual eyes to see how He is "connecting the dots" in our lives, even if just for a brief moment...

I've been thinking a lot about this lately as there have been a few specific areas in my life that the Lord has had me in a period of trusting and waiting in faith on His timing, His plan, His will. Recently, He has begun to highlight "dots" in my life that I didn't even realize were a part of the picture He had sketched out for me. They've been the perfect combination of experiences that He has allowed into my life in His perfect sovereignty and goodness - some painful, some sweet, some forgotten, some etched forever, but all purposed for my good and sanctification.

Beth Moore taught on the verse below this week and posed a thought to the women - "Perhaps the reason we feel like we are in darkness, or sometimes can't see what is right before us, is because God's hand is covering us until He passes by."

"And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." - Exodus 33:21-23

We may not always see where He is going, but there is no mistaking where He has been. He has reminded me lately of several crossroads He has brought me through and how at each one He was there showing me the way to the next "dot".

I obviously don't have the full picture that the Lord has sketched out for me or any idea of the "dots" to come, but I am learning to expect the unexpected, and praise be to the Lord of all Creation! There is no better Designer to lay out the pattern perfectly suited for me that I might serve Him and glorify Him above all else!!