And Again

Our daycare provider, Becki, just called back. Her uncle, who was in a car accident earlier tonight, passed away just now. Please pray for the Andrews family. Just last month, Becki and her mother Wilma lost their sister / daughter Teresa. And this makes about the fifth or sixth death in their family this year.

Perspective

Your perspective changes when a love one undergoes a medical procedure. My wife Sonja will be undergoing a cardiac catheterization on Friday. Please be in prayer for her, her doctor, the nurses and others involved. We have to be there around 6:15 am EDT.

Stop! Don't Touch That Bag of Doritos

You are looking at (the blog of) the poster child for You Can't Eat Just one. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (autoimmune disorder for wheat gluten) back on March 5, 2009 (after being suspected of having it in 1999 but told not to worry about changing my diet). Since then, I been eating a lot of gluten-free (GF) food, whatever I can get my hands on. The kickers have been Butterfingers and most any variety of Doritos (except the original - check the ingredients). So, now I need to lose some weight.

Monday, I am going to Physicians Weight Loss Center to see if I can get some help. There is a Christian dietitian (I think - dietitian, not Christian) there who from what I hear from others and over the phone is eager to help. The fee doesn't hurt either but I don't care. I need to be healthier for my family. I'm looking forward to being so.

Who is Jesus?

Changing blogging site

http://thunderson.wordpress.com/

There's an "i" in Unity but don't let that go to your head.

I'm sure you've heard that saying "there's no "i" in team", right? Well, there is one in unity but let's try and get past that.

Psalm 133:1 reads: "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" The exclamation point is included in the translation so when brothers (and sisters) in Christ live together in unity, it must be good and pleasant. Is it good and pleasant in your church?

Nelson's Bible Dictionary states that unity is oneness, harmony, or agreement and that "unity was apparent on the day of Pentecost when the believers 'were all with one accord in one place' Acts 2:1." Is unity apparent on the Lord's Day at your church?

In his admonition to the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:1-14, the Apostle Paul urges them to "live a life worthy of the calling" (Ephesians 4:1) that they had received from Christ when they "were included" in Him when they "heard the word of truth, the gospel" of their "salvation" (Ephesians 1:13). He urges them to be "completely humble and gentle" and "patient, bearing with one another in love" Ephesians 4:2. Next, comes his first mention of unity in Ephesians 4:3 "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." These words equally apply to our churches today.

Are you making every effort? We must be on guard every second of each day against threats to unity in our churches.... ESPECIALLY THREATS THAT COME FROM OURSELVES.

In Ephesians 4:4 - 6, Paul continues his theme of unity: "one body and one Spirit"..."one hope" to which all believers are called...."one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all". As believers in Christ, we should be united around these gospel points.

God does not, however, program us like robots. Instead, Christ graciously apportions to each of His believers unique spiritual gifts to serve as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, as well as in other capacities, (Ephesians 4:7-11) (See also 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 and Romans 12:3-8 for other lists of spiritual gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues (Nelson's Bible Dictionary, Spiritual Gifts, a topic for a plethora of other posts)).

Why unique spiritual gifts? "To prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" according to Ephesians 4:12. How long will this time of preparation and building continue? "(U)ntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:13. What is the end result of this preparation and building? "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." Ephesians 4:14.

This post is about unity and we can therefore recap with regards to verses 4:3 and 4:13 which I will repeat here: "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit" "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ". Will we reach this unity, this level of maturity, in our lifetime? Not wholly, until Christ returns, but if we only allow the Spirit of God and the power of His Word to guide our lives, "we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ" Ephesians 4:15

As you wonder how you will do this, consider a few additional scripture passages from the Apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" and 2 Timothy 2:15, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." Follow these admonitions, live together in unity, all with one accord in one place, and keep on making every effort. You'll be glad you did!

NOTE: All scripture is from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.

Restore My Soul, O Lord

Psalm 23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

This Psalm and this picture remind me that one day we will lie at the feet of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Additionally, they remind me that we can lie at His feet now, if we come as little children, trusting Him as a little child trusts his father. Here are some benefits of trusting and following God:

1. You can allow your wants to fade away and let every need be met.
2. You can enjoy the peace that goes beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7).
3. You can walk with Jesus daily, following His example in your thoughts, words, and deeds (Matthew 28:18-20).
4. Even when there is every reason to be afraid, you will have no need to fear the enemy, for the Lord as our Shepherd will be right there with you, comforting you with His encouragement and protection.
5. He wants to lead you to righteous victory over the enemy.
   
6. The word anoint refers to a "sacred use of oil" used "for consecrating things or persons to God". "The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit..." (Fausset's Bible Dictionary). God will set you apart from the world "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power" (Ephesians 2:20) through which he desires to work within you.
7. His goodness and His mercy will follow you for the rest of your life.
8. And best of all..... You will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Are you part of His flock? Here's how you can be.

Blogs to the left of me, blogs to the right, Here I am! Stuck in the middle with you.

Do you see a theme goin' here?

Blog this, blog that, blog 'til you're blue in the face. Well..... maybe. I'll see how long I can keep on bloggin', blogger's style. Now let me see if I can make my point.

The beginning of the title

"Blogs to the left of me...": As I've noted before, there are many, many blogs out there. To the left. To the right. Front. Back. Up. Down. Top. Bottom. Behind. Between. Beside. Wherever you look there are blogs. Information Overload. Danger, Will Robinson!

The end of the title (I'll cover the middle last)

"Stuck in the middle with you": Let's face it. You are not alone. Did you ever really think you were. How many people are on this planet? 6, 602, 224, 175 according to Google (July 2007 estimate). You are definitely not alone. You might feel alone, but you're not. I and 6,602, 224, 173 other people are right there with you.

The middle of the title

"Here I am": Listen. You might actually feel stuck in the middle, surrounded by clowns and jokers. I feel that way sometimes, too. Sometimes I feel like the clown and/or the joker.

Now let's break it down....

1. Before there were blogs, there was the Word of God, the only reliable source of information on who we are and why we are here. Any blog that does not respect that is not worth the HTML code it's written in. Check out biblegateway.com. The psalmist wrote "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Ps 119:105. Apart from God's Word we "can do nothing" (see Jesus' words in John 15:5).


2. Do you feel "stuck in the middle". Surrounded by clowns and jokers. Let me tell you, then, about a Man who actually was stuck in the middle. "When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals - one on His right, the other on His left." Luke 23:33 (NIV). "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water." John 19:34 (NIV)


3. "Here I am." Up to this point, perhaps these words are only familiar to you because of the song "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Joe Egan and Gerry Raferty originally released in 1972 by their band Stealers Wheel (see Wikipedia article) or from one of the many television shows or movies it has been a part of. Well, I'm here to share with you a much more important use of this statement by God's true Son, Jesus Christ. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20 (NIV)


4. The final word: Reading and writing blogs are fine, but let the word of God be the source of wisdom you live by. Don't let your feelings dictate how you live (like you're "stuck in the middle"). Let your mind take hold of this truth: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to live on this earth so that He could be crucified between two thieves and have his side pierced to pay the price for sinners such as you and me. Our sins are anything in our life that separates us from God such as a lie or hating our neighbors. Take note that He comes to you now ("Here I am"), knocking at the door of your heart, pleading for you to open it for him to come into your life and lead your life in a way that pleases God.


5. How will you respond? Open the door. Speak to God a prayer like this one: Dear God. I admit to you I am a sinner. I need Jesus' death on a cross to pay for my sin. I believe He died for my sins as well as the sins of the whole world. I accept his payment as my own. Come into my heart, Jesus, and lead my life to honor Your Father. Amen.


6. Now what? Seek out a local church, a body of believers like you who teach that the Bible is the error-free word of God, that accepting Jesus' death as payment for your sin leads to life spent forever in God's presence and with His Son, that calls on you to profess your faith in Jesus to others, and that leads you to follow Jesus in public baptism (see Matthew 3:13-16). Let me know if you spoke these words to God. I know He answered you!
   

Who is Jesus?