Only You

2 months ago I posted my thoughts on Psalm 73.
Now today I can't describe the full passion I wish to understand the phrase in verse 25. "And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."

Is this true?

Pray God's scripture will wash over me. May there be nothing on earth I desire besides my God, my God.

I desire God

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put and end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

Psalm 73:25-28

What an honor it is to kneel before the feet of Jesus. I can look at today, or even this week, and see how many times I have missed opportunities to relish in thanksgiving and praises to Him who saves.

But all I know is there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you, Father. My flesh and heart continue to fail, but you, Lord, are my strength and portion forever. God, I long to always be near to you. Please let me avoid the temptation to walk another way for, you say, those who are unfaithful will perish. But I know it is good to be near God. Thank you for allowing me to know this truth. I pray, God, you will be my refuge so that I may be passionate about spreading your Gospel.

Lecrae - Go Hard

LECRAE:: GO HARD from Adamson.TV on Vimeo.

This is it

Emotional moment. Sponsor meets child for first time.

Orphan from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Zechariah 9 Explodes

the book of Zechariah starts off with a lot of visions of horseman, horns and crafsmen, man with a measuring line, joshua the high priest, golden lampstand, flying scroll, and the last vision of four chariots. So in essence, I haven't really dug very deep into trying to find the true context and points to these listed visions, but the biggest explosion of insight happens in Chapter 9.

Ninth chapter starts with the place of people before God. What are they doing? V.3 Tyre has built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust, and fine gold like the mud of the streets. Then V.4 explains "The Lord will strip her of her possessions and strike down her powers on the sea, and she shall be devoured by fire." So God further explains his judgement on the people.

Then the next two sections are titled wonderfully from the ESV kids. Verses 9-13 is labeled "The coming King of Zion" and 14-17 is "The Lord will save his people." Usually I don't pay much attention to titles that men have penciled, but these titles grab you after reading 8 chapters of visions and somewhat confusing text. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." In exclamation, rejoice for God of salvation is coming to you.

This is when I imagine people just sitting around a room as the light of God suddenly appears with him entering the room. The whole crowd would jump to their feet in loud praise and thanksgiving. Loud applause gives glory to the Lamb, our Saviour. His entrance is majestic, but what God comes in on a donkey? This shows our God comes with love and peace. Verse 10 says "he shall speak peace to the nations."

People are so self-righteous. They strive after gold and silver like Tyre, but why settle for such material goods? Imagine bringing home gold and silver to your family. Yes, there would be rejoicing for a little while, but soon the treasure would run dry. So think of the entrance of Jesus Christ! This is the inheritance of a lifetime for all eternity. O God, how I love thee.

The rest of Chapter 9 continues to tell of God's great hand over his people. Here are the last two verses of the chapter.

"On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women."

O what a day...have you ever thought we are like jewels of the crown of God?

Our hearts have peace in God

The life of St. Augustine offers strong writing on knowing God and the happiness that ensues from a relationship with him.

Here are some quotes from him that are running through my head tonight...

"O Lord, that I may love you [freely], for I can find nothing more precious."

"If your delight is in souls, love them in God...and draw as many with you to him as you can." "You yourself [O God] are their joy. Happiness is to rejoice in you and for you and because of you. This is true happiness and there is no other."

"The thread of our speech comes alive through the very joy we take in what we are speaking about."

On Evangelism: "I am not alone in this desire [for the blessed state of happiness], nor are there only a few who share it with me: without exception we all long for happiness...All agree that they want to be happy...They may all search for it in different ways, but all try their hardest to reach the same goal, that is, joy." "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you." "He is happy who possesses God."

On things of the world: "If the things of this world delight you, praise God for them but turn your love away from them and give it to their Maker, so that in the things that please you may not displease him."

The blanket quote for knowing Augustine's heart in his conversion:
"How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!...You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place...O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation."

St. Augustine

I'm so thankful for St. Augustine 1600 years ago.

I've just become extremely intrigued to read the biographies of old pastor dudes. St. Augustine was a beast. But wait, let me "slow my roll," he was a true man. I've only just begun to unravel the inspiring words from him, but I can't wait to learn more a man that lived in 300 AD. (I never thought I would have this desire when I was in 6th grade dancing around my bedroom listening to "underdog" by Audio Adrenaline with a few lamps on for soft lighting.)

"How sweet all at once it was for me to rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!...You drove them from me, you who are true, the sovereign joy"-Augustine

Every man needs to read Augustine. I'm only beginning...

His love quiets your soul

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. -Zephaniah 3:17

I've got to be honest, I never thought I'd be so attached to a verse in Zephaniah, but this is the reason why I'm reading through the minor prophets. I need these uncovered verses to jump out at me, but, of course, I believe this is the power of God's word.

I'm so thankful. Today God is with me like he was yesterday and will be tomorrow. He's God whom saves the dreaded sinner such as I, and he will continually rejoice with gladness over us as we seek him. His love quiets us. How will God quiet our worried, anxious, and nervous minds? With his love he will quiet us.

For a long time now, there has been a lot on my mind, but during this time I'm trying to stay focused on Christ. His grace, mercy, goodness, and love are immeasurable and great. I wish to sit in the shadows of the Cross all the days that I live in hopes to gain a better view from the front row of his majesty. How can I love thee more? How can I be closer to thee?

Yesterday I realized I might be perfectly content being able to read scripture all day long, but a closed room wouldn't be good enough so I'd need to be reading from the top of the tallest building just so I can be closer to God in Heaven. My God has brought me through so much in my life, much less the last few months, and I wish I could at least kneel beside him to give him the glory and praises he requires. The Almighty God, King of my soul, is the love that quiets my soul.

I recently had to tell a friend our contact should be minimal because I thought our close communication was distracting them from knowing God to the fullest. The conversation saddened my heart to know I'd have to eliminate our personal communication, but, no matter what the cost, Christ must always be magnified and sought first in our lives. This makes me think of Paul when he said, "For me to live is Christ and die is gain." Our lives must soak up Christ. But death does not frighten my main goals because death is only a celebration to be closer to Christ. While I know Christ is being exalted in our dedication to follow after him, I'm just praying for the time when I can rejoice with my friend again. When we talk again I know it will be full of joy and peace because it will be all God. Not just God's will, but our minds will be seeking His name. What is better? I choose to sacrifice today so we can rejoice in the future with Christ further magnified than he was before. O How he love us.

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Cross 1st

Daily seeking the Gospel is essential to living a Cross centered life.
How do you keep the flame of gospel passion burning brightly in the drizzle of real life? Preach to yourself, memorize the Gospel, pray the Gospel, sing the Gospel, review how the gospel has changed you, study the Gospel.

Make the Cross your focus, but I know many times we can get caught on "grey" issues of the Bible. Here is a quote from C.J. Mahaney about this...

"Regardless of your personal opinion about the Rapture or the Millennium, it's undeniable that in Scripture the work of Christ at Calvary still takes center stage. His Second Coming is the culmination of the victory He accomplished over death and hell at the cross. Jesus didn't instruct His disciples to concern themselves with the details of when and where He would return. They were to watch and pray, but their primary preoccupation was to be exulting in and proclaiming the good news of His death and resurrection."

We Cry Out

Monday's are "cry out to God" days. This song is moving...

You are my God

This morning I was going back through some verses I tweeted while reading in Hosea last month. This verse captivates me...

"And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, "You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God." Hosea 2:23

This might be the greatest thing man could ever say. "You are my God." After seeing lost person after lost person continue to deny the deity and all satisfying glory of knowing Christ Jesus, tears come down my face when I can hear the lost finally say to God, "You are my God." For it is not us who saves people but Jesus Christ and the work of the Spirit in the tri-unity.

We merely talk, but through the grace of God we are given the opportunity to share through him.

May you today you say in your heart, "You are my God." This is evidence of your life laid down before the Father. What a glorious thought!

Time for C.J.

In my continual goal to digest more knowledge of the Bible through scripture, preachers, and authors, I've now started reading "Living the Cross Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney.

In his introduction he makes known the importance of restating the Cross because many of us never understood from the start.
"Too many of us have fumbled the most important truth of the Bible, and therefore we've suffered the consequences."

This quote is probably the least quotable quote in the whole introduction, but the fact of the quote is so true. Are we lukewarm? Do we live for the Cross?

If man could only respect women

Pray for Men
Pray for Women
The nation is full of deceit and lies, but as Christians we must rise above the worldly temptations.

If man could only respect women...



I pray God will daily give me more wisdom on how man should treat women.

In Response to "Early Marriage"

After reading through the article and discussing the issue with a friend, I've come to realize some strong emotional disappointments we can make about early marriage. The disappointments can be found in those that aren't dating, engaged, married, or even finding a position close to a marriage possibility. Quotes like this can easily discourage single woman:

"Among evangelical churchgoers, there are about three single women for every two single men...God does work miracles. But the fact remains that there just aren't as many serious Christian young men as there are women, and the men know it."

In response to the article, I want to address the Cross and our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate road map. Here is a passage that describes God's blessing on us.

"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard....If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make our bones strong." Isaiah 58:8,10-11a

In words of the ESV study bible, "God reaffirms his readiness to bless his obedient people." He will respond to those who seek Him (Matt 6:33). While the world may deem signals that seem deserted towards a future Christian spouse, we must maintain our strength in knowing "the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard." In my terms, He has our backs when we seek him.

Wayne Grudem's book on "Systematic Theology" has a good section on God's providence. Before we understand this thought of His providence, we must first understand God is the creator and controller of all things. He is God. Now Grudem breaks God's providence down into different categories: Preservation, Concurrence, and Government (governing).

Grudem says God's providence includes concurrence, which means "God cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do."

I say this because this is important for understanding God's "rearing" in our lives. Ephesians 1:11 Paul says God "accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will." You and me are listed in His will because no one is left out. "In your book were written, every one of them the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them," said David (Ps. 139:16). God knew us and planned us before we were born. Then we also must read this verse from Acts 17:28 "in him we live and move." I love the word move here. Our actions within a life in God's will are moving.

God is our backbone, but we must guide ourselves away from laziness. We must "move." I fear for the man who stays in his chair all day and expects his life to change.

If you worry about being single, you are already off on the wrong step. Don't worry about being single. Wake up every morning remember and your reasserting your life under Christ. God,in triune, daily guides our lives, and we must believe this. Don't selfishly try to fix it yourselves. Fall in love with Christ and his providence.

The Case for Early Marriage

In a recent edition of Christianity Today, Mark Regnerus wrote the cover story on "The Case for Early Marriage." This is a thought process that I think many of us hardly think about. Let me share with you some key quotes in his article.

-Just under 80 percent of unmarried, church-going, conservative Protestants who are currently dating someone are having sex of some sort.
-Evangelicals tend to marry slightly earlier that other Americans, but not by much. Many of them plan to marry in their mid-20s. Yet waiting for sex until then feels far too long to most of them. And I am suggesting that when people wait until their mid-to-late 20s to marry, it is unreasonable to expect them to refrain from sex. It's battling our Creator's reproductive designs.
-Among evangelical churchgoers, there are about three single women for every two single men.
-God does work miracles. But the fact remains that there just aren't as many serious Christian young men as there are women, and the men know it.
-We buy, read, and pass along books about battling our sexual urges, when in face we are battling them far longer than we were meant to.
-Many of us think about marriage much like those outside the church-as a capstone that completes the life of the autonomous self.
-The focus of 20-somethings has become less about building mature relationships and fulfilling responsibilities, and more about enjoying oneself, traveling, and trying on identities and relationships. After all the fun, it will be time to settle down and get serious.
-The mentality that we need to shield young adults from the usual struggles of life by encouraging them to delay marriage until they are financially secure usually rests on an unrealistic standard of living.
-Marrying simply for the lure of sex is not what Paul had in mind.
-Family and friends ought to do their best to help young couples discern whether there is more to their love than sexual desire.
-The fact is that God makes no promises of great sex to those who wait. Some experience difficult marriages. Spouses wander. Others cannot conceive children...
-While sex matters, marriage matters more. The importance of Christian marriage as a symbol of God's covenantal faithfulness to his people-and a witness to the future union of Christ and his bride-will only grow in significance as the wider Western culture diminishes both the meaning and actual practice of marriage. Marriage itself will become a witness to the gospel.
-If a young couple displays maturity, faith, fidelity, a commitment to understand marriage as a covenant, and a sense of realism about marriage, then it's our duty-indeed, our pleasure-to help them expedite the part of marriage that involves public recognition and celebration of what God is already knitting together. We ought to "rejoice and delight" in them, and praise their love (Song of Sol. 1:4)

You can find the full article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/august/16.22.html

1 year

Today officially marks my one year anniversary of working at Channel 7. I can't believe the past year. Oh, where God has taken me. The journey from graduation, resumes, Montgomery, and Hattiesburg was incredible last year; but I can only stand in awe to think of God's grace in my life. I remember sitting in the late afternoon meeting on a Tuesday in mid-December. Nearly 9 people had just been laid-off, and I was wondering why I was still there. My questions of wondering were quickly jump started into a revitalized, and creative, churn for helping sports and news.

The past year has simply been incredible. I'm so thankful for where God has brought me. My church and close friends are only a blessing from God.

I pray this next year God will continue to sanctify me. My heart longs to become closer to God and understand his love, and I can hardly display patience for the next year. I pray God's will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Thank you Lord, thank you.

Communicable Attributes of God

Some points from Grudem:

Peace:
God is not a God of confusion but of peace. -1Corinthians 14:33
"God's peace means that in God's being and in his actions he is separate from all confusion and disorder, yet he is continually active in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions."
-A key word is "separate" from confusion/disorder.
The 3rd fruit of the Spirit is peace in Galatians 5:22. How often do we consider peace as a fruit of the Spirit in someone else?
People rub off peace to others so how do we share peace?

Righteousness:
"God's righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right."
-When God's righteousness is questions we should immediately know we have no right to say God is unrighteous or unjust. "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place.."Job 38:12.
-We are a small account, unworthy.

Jealousy:
This word is often used negative but should always be known in a positive sense as well.
"God's jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor."
It is only right for God to seek his honor and glory.
"He alone is infinitely worthy of being praised."
-this knowledge will also help us understand true worship.

Wrath:
God hates everything that opposes his moral character.
"God's wrath means that he intensely hates all sin."
This is an attribute of God worthy to be praised.
What would God be if he didn't hate sin?
Patience is also linked with wrath.
-"The delay of execution of God's wrath upon evil is for the purpose of leading people to repentance. Romans 2:4

Prayer

God is moving in ways I can't fathom. Praise God for my thirst and desire! My prayer is that you will daily gravitate to God's word. I pray you will dive deeper into learning more about Christ because the turnaround makes your cup larger and larger.
"For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45c

God I come to you tonight in humbleness and thanksgiving. Praise be to you my Lord! Thank you for your love. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy. And thank you for your goodness. I'm sorry for the wrongful sins I have committed. My past is filthy of evil deeds, but thank you for your cleansing. Thank you for the cross. I deserve nothing, and I'm on my knees saying "Father, how could I?" How could I ever sin against a great and Holy God? Please forgive me. To know your son fell to his knees with the weight of all of our sins, this thought crushes my soul. I'm sorry. But Lord thank you for loving me. I pray your name will be glorified. I pray your name will continue to be spread through your people, and I pray all will hear of the name Jesus Christ. Please continue to allow me to be a vessel for your Name. Thank you Lord.

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for your joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. -Luke 6:20-23

Praises

Praise God for his people! I'm so very thankful for the community God has blessed me with this summer. After an extremely difficult and trying time this past May, I feel as though God has really brought me to a place of better understanding and knowledge of his word, but my daily prayer is that I will daily awake in remembrance of the Cross. I pray I will daily find refuge and strength through his word. As I am sliding in continual motion of greater understanding, I also pray for those who don't understand his word as I do. Paul says in Philippians 3, "many live as enemies of the cross of Christ." Knowing people live as enemies of the cross saddens me, but I also know there are some people believing in Christ that still sit on the couch too long. I've recently heard, the more you understand the garden of Gethsemane the more you under the Cross, grace, mercy, love, and the gospel. The more we understand scripture the more we'll understand Christ and God's Holy Kingdom.

God's Love

According to Grudem, he writes God's love means that God eternally gives of himself to others. I can't think of an addition to add to this or rewording of this definition. "God eternally gives of himself to others."

As we look further into God's love and how we should imitate his love, most of us normally find similar points like "God is love", "Christ love for sinners", "We must love God", "We must imitate God's love to others", etc. But my mind recently started evolving around how exactly do we love others? I start with verses like "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." But how do we show love to others? How do we daily bring love to one another?

After talking with other guys about this...We've concluded showing love to one another is bringing Christ to one another. Bring them Christ. If God is the root, foundation, and definition, of love then we must then be deliverers of Christ. My best thoughts on how do we show love by bring Christ is to point people to Christ. Our pain and our emotions are so unstable, and the best gift we could give to someone is to point them to Christ for his answers and deliverance. Love, peace, and joy are found in Christ.

So many times people tend to fix small problems, which is the wrong approach because the small problem is happening since there is a bigger issue. Why waste timing trying to fix the small issue when a bigger issue can be fixed by pointing others to Christ?

What love is greater than this?

House Church

Wow, house church was incredible. I attended a college ministry bible study last night that turned into a prime example of house church. Total of only 15/20 folks with a handful of married couples and 2 babies. Words to the worship songs were up on the living room TV as a husband played his acoustic guitar. Some of us close friends while some of us were just meeting for the first time, but the atmosphere was right for a great night in the Word. Before we started, a spectacular dinner was spread across the dining room table for those to go around and fill their plates. This wasn't a meal prepared out of necessity but merely from the love and hospitality from the host.

After songs the powerful study on Gethsemane and the wrath of God was unpacked and delivered. If you don't understand Gethsemane then you don't fully understand the true meaning of the Cross. The pure and perfect Savior was dropped to his knees as he carried the burden of all our sins.

The night ended with each of us going around the room and serving the Lord's Supper to each other.

This is house church. This night was a demonstration of how remarkable a family can come together and dive-in to God's Word. I really wish you could have been there.

God's Love

I'm not a big viewer of "Jon and Kate plus 8", but the whole situation surrounding their divorce is very sad. I'm shocked to see the media continuing to roll on this situation, which is very personal to the whole family. Many questions arise...Does this change peoples view on divorce? How does their divorce impact viewers opinions on marriage? Are you crying for kids, wife, and/or husband?

I don't know the couples past, but I hope many people can see the peace in having a relationship built on Christ. I believe truly understanding God's love permeates any human misunderstanding. Ourselves focused on Christ will reveal a life in humility counting others more significant than yourself(phil. 2:3). Serving and honoring each other in any relationship is key, but the mega-media is pumping a "me-first" attitude into our hearts. God hates divorce, but we will make major decisions based on selfish instinct and not God's desires.

It's very sad to see Kate's face as she says they are getting a divorce. Losing relationships kill people, but I'm so thankful we can all have a continued, loving, relationship with God! Amen.

Be A Minister

Praise God for church! I love the opportunity to join with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to worship Him through song and scripture. It's a very warm and accepted peace to be a part of a church body.

My thoughts today hinge mainly on myself, but I can see others beside me with the same fault. We enter in the sanctuary greeting others we know. We sit down and worship. We stand up and leave. All along the way we socialize with those we know, but today my heart stood still for someone I saw sitting alone.

How can myself and others walk in and out of a church without talking to those alone? As members, we can't wait for a minister to walk around the church or stand at the front door to greet everyone. We must all be ministers to visitors and those not connected with the body of believers.

Maybe this post is just a personal motivator, but I think this is a major issue in large churches.

Confession

I have a confession to make.
The past few years of my life have been incredible. I've been able to grow and learn so much in the word of God since my freshman year in college, but, even though I grow and continue to learn, I still feel like I'm unable to disciple.

I feel like I'm not yet filled with enough wisdom and knowledge to adequately disciple someone younger than me. It's so much easier to chase after a gospel-centered minister to be discipled by rather than discipling someone younger. Do you ever feel like you want to become more holy? Knowing we will never be as holy as God, what is our "top" of being holy? In other words, will we ever truly attain our goal of holiness?

My confession is this: I've avoided discipling others because I continually feel unholy.

If I was God watching me continue to avoid leading others in discipleship I would be crying. He is probably telling me he has given me enough. He has led me where I need to be to carry-out his duties and his callings. He won't lead me into anything I can't handle, and I have faith he will continue to strengthen me in knowledge and wisdom in the future. I must stop waiting to become "something" while I am really nothing without Christ (galations 6:3). He is where I should place full dependance and foundational truth. Without Him I am nothing, but with Him I can do all things.

God wants to Advance the gospel and he is waiting for me to be a part of this.

I hate divorce

"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel Malachi 2:16a

I hate divorce.

This is a statement from God. If this is a statement from God then why do we listen to the world? Why do brothers and sisters in Christ allow each other to listen to the temptation of the world? Selfish cowards let there brothers fall. I hate divorce too, and I hate running through God seeking life without having a brother step-up and encourage, follow, and aid in building another brother's relationship towards a God filled marriage covenant. Why do we "let things slide?" The movies we watch, the shows we see, the magazines we read, but still nobody gets in the grill of my face and says "love her like God loved the church." Do not break the faith. Do not listen to the world.

Sexual temptation roams large. Sexual temptation bites evil poison into relationships. Where is a brother? Where is a sister? Do we pray for sexual purity for our brothers? our sisters? I'm tired of allowing myself to listen to the world. Can someone please stand up and understand the woman is the daughter of God. Outside of marriage a man has no right to her body. Her body is a temple of God. Sit down coward. Stop lacking in your faith with God and glue the heart of God to your forehead. Unlawful sex takes prime real-estate to destroy God's holy and pure vow of the covenant of marriage.

Marriage is from God.

My heart weeps.

I hate divorce.

God not pleased

"You placed defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 1:7-8

God sets the tone. God deserves our honor and respect. He requires the very best of our abilities. "For I am a great king, says the Lord Almighty, 'and my name is to be feared among the nations." How often do we shorthand prayer and praise towards God? We have the time in our day to spend with Him, but we decide to minimize the time with Him to jump over to something else. He is worthy of all our praise!

How lost do we have to be for God to say, "I am not pleased with you." (v.10)

May we give everything to Him who made all things.

I have loved you

Malachi 1:2
"I have loved you," says the Lord.

In this book we find the Israelites back in their sinful ways, but the Lord quickly sets the tone at the top of this book. He loves us.
Now I know the Israelites have really been through a lot with their past journey, which includes many experiences of God's wrath, but it's note worthy to see him say "I have loved you."

Then the next few verses the Lord shares his thoughts on Esau and the people of Edom. He is obviously not happy with the people of Edom, but verse 5 seems to summarize the situation. If only the people would truly see the greatness of God, then they will come out of their wicked land. "You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the Lord -even beyond the borders of Israel!' But the people will continue to be under God's wrath if they continue their self-reliance in thinking they can rebuild on their own.

Like the people of Edom, I know I frequently think "self-reliance" ways. But how can we ever truly see God's greatness if we aren't dependent on him? In all things, and everything, we must depend on Him. Our minds battle and emotions stir but God will deliver peace and comfort during times of uncertainty. Depend on him

Heart in my Chest

I've got to be honest...scripture hasn't been as 'lively' or 'passionate' in my head lately. I'm not sure the direct reason. I honestly hate these times, but I know God continues to guide us even when we feel like we are not being fed to our maximum capability. I've recently read from 2 Corinthians about "being the aroma of Christ" and "we who have unveiled faces reflect the Lord's glory." This is where I desire to be; daily challenged by his word so I may also be transforming into a more clearer image of reflecting God's glory.

Sometimes lyrics like this help us fall for Christ...

If all we have is love then all I have is You
If life is what we choose my choice is You

I'm coming Your way
I'm coming Your way
I'm coming Your way

If all we do is try I'm giving You all mine
If faith helps us to decide I have decided

With all of my breath with this heart in my chest
Every look in my eye You know why

I'm coming Your way
I'm coming Your way
I'm coming Your way

-Desperation Band "I'm Coming Your Way"

Watch the Bush Burn

So it's tax day and what a better passage to read then about the burning bush. Here is what I wrote today in my daily writings...

Today I decided to jump back and read one of my favorite chapters in the old testament: Exodus 3. This is when Moses comes across a burning bush as the bush isn't really burning. It's God who is first telling Moses to take his people out of Egypt, and he promises to lead them to "a land flowing with milk and honey" (v.8). The very chapter marks probably the most important journey of any large mass of people within the whole history of man kind. It's God's people being moved from one location to another, but the journey would provide many test and trials for the people to truely understand God's greatness.
This story of the bush burning makes me know God is near. He is always beside us, watching, planning, and delivering through our daily lives. He knows he can speak to us in unique ways and the burning bush was definitely a unique way to catch Moses' attention. But sometimes I do wish this bush in front of me would just start a blaze. Wouldn't that be incredible? Then God could tell me where he wanted my life to lead towards. He could describe to me my main mission field and ministry in my life. Maybe he would say, "Go, tell the students at USM about 'I AM'" or "Become one flesh with Emily and start an orphanage in Mexico" or "Start a donut shop in Petal to tell people about Him as they order their glazed and chocolate creme filling donuts." What is my calling today? And, what is my calling for tomorrow? That's the question I have today. What would God tell me if he talked to me through a burning bush today?

The Fight

I'm up late tonight watching this... http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/

This is a debate titled "Does Satan Exist?" on ABCNews between a bishop and and non believer versus Christians Mark Driscoll and a former hooker in her old life before Christ.

I need to learn more. I need to continue to learn more about the story of Christ and the Cosmic Battle between Truth and Falsehood. Right now I feel like God is not using me like I could be used simply because I don't know what I could...That's tough...

The fight breaks out in the hearts of those who don't see Christ. Peace reigns in the hearts of those who believe in the resurrection. Christ has risen for all of us.

Now as we talk to those who continue to fight against the truth of God, is it ok to be frustrated? We love them b/c we desire each to be in Heaven, but I continually become frustrated to those who deny the Truth. I pray I always hate evil, and I pray that the truth in Christ will continue to be revealed to me.

Let's just say, "It's time"

Sometimes it's just time to say thanks. The Lord has brought me through so much! I'm amazed at the wild story my whole life has followed, and how things from Arkansas to Hattiesburg, MS are all interconnected into a written life story of TC. I'm glad God has mercy because I know I could have easily been on the otherside of the river, but some how and some way he provided. He has provided wonderful relationships to help me always stay focused on His Word and plan in my life.

Today I definitely desire to pray for those who do not know Christ. What does life mean to them? After talking to several people, I can understand how people can't comprehend a creator of all things, but at the same time I don't understand how people can't believe someone had to have created this earth like someone has created the house we sleep in. There has to be a creator for something to be created. How do people not believe in Christ? Yes, I struggle to fully understand how God knitted everything together in this world, but I still know he created all things. God is real. God is great. I rejoice for the many blessings from Christ.

Words from Poland...

My sister is serving God for 2 years in Poland through the IMB. She recently e-mailed this word to me and others so I wanted to share with you....
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So this week I gave God my appetites. I gave him my appetite for food, for music, for the internet, for relationships and other things. I didn't fast to really have some special word from God that would make everything all clear. Mostly, I wanted to give him these things this week as offerings and sacrifices. It was a week of worship. Though I saw pretty much every emotion known to man and really wondered about my own sanity, it was a good week. There were no huge epiphanies or "ah ha!" moments. But there was a steady desire for God and for right decisions. Two passages of scripture that I learned from this week are...

"The Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." Genesis 4:6-7

Sin is pictured as an animal here that is sitting at your door. It is waiting for you to open the door so it can devour you. There's this idea that whatever it is that is sitting at your door doesn't desire the best for you. We see what it does with Cain in the next verse, "Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him."

Passage number two is Isaiah 1:16b-17. "cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." This passage gives examples of what doing good looks like. These are all relational. It's how we deal with the people around us. My time here should be a time of doing good. My time for as long as I live should be a time of doing good. We must think about what Justice would look like in our relationships. Are we doing evil in our relationships? Or are we seeking justice? Are we pleading the cause of the widow? Are we bringing justice to the fatherless? Are we correcting oppression?

I feel like part of oppression is ignorance. We send teenagers in the states on mission trips all the time and there are always stories of how those short term missionaries had their eyes opened. God changes people when they see with their eyes how the world is and how he sees the people in the world. The moment we see past someone's exterior image and status and our eyes are opened to see into someone's heart--our lives are changed forever. God connects hearts.

My desire, to work toward correcting oppression in Poland among the Roma (notice I say "working toward"), is to see people's hearts be connected. I have this vision to see Poles and Americans have their eyes opened to God's people regardless of their status here in Poland. I'm working toward putting together bike tours through Poland in which we'll have the opportunity to meet new Roma people who live off the beaten paths in Poland.

So thank you for praying with me during this past week and for continuing to pray for me. Thanks also, if you're reading this last paragraph, for reading this lengthy debrief. I hope to be keeping up with my updates more regularly.

"making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it [the mystery of the gospel] boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:19

Acts

So I have spent the last couple of weeks finishing out Acts, and I love how the last verse of the book reads. “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” This sums up the whole book of Acts. The gospel is a message to be heard and shared by believers. People are meant to hear the message of Christ, and Paul is a major testimony to the effort it takes to spread the gospel to all. Paul takes advantage of every opportunity to speak of “higher things” even when he is stuck on a boat with only bread to eat in chapter 27. He boldly proclaims the gospel!

By looking back on Acts I can’t help but to summarize the whole book by the first 11 verses in the book, and my key verse must be Acts 1:8. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I’m amazed. After reading through the whole book I now have a better understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit. From verse 8 our power clearly comes from the Holy Spirit. So I pray we may never look to ourselves for power, but I pray we may always look to the Spirit for power and deliverance. My prayer request this week start with the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit guide us in our studies and interactions in this journey here on earth. I pray Christ is our cornerstone and sole focus (Matt 6:33) for He is the greatest and we are blessed to know and see Christ (Matt 5:8).

Compelled by the Spirit

Wow. I stumbled across some incredible scripture this morning. Acts 20…Paul’s farewell to the Ephesians.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20: 24

My boy Lecrae starts off his song “Sold Out” with these lyrics, “Man I consider my life nothing. If I could just finish the race and complete the job the Lord Jesus gave me. I live to tell the world His message. Romans 1:16 I’m not ashamed. I ain’t ashamed. We sold out. Seeking God’s face to we fold out.”

I can’t fully explain in words my desire to complete the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. This passion in my heart carries two sides of emotion. My first emotion is excitement and thrill to carry out His gospel to those who haven’t heard. My second emotion is humility and unworthiness. Who am I to carry such knowledge and foundational understanding of God’s gospel message? But as I read this passage of scripture Paul first jumps back to the foundation of what Acts seems to be all about: the power of the Spirit. He says in verse 22, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.” He is compelled by the Spirit. How great and mighty is the Spirit of God? Obviously God is much greater than us in his plan and schedule for our lives. This I can relate to my current life as my parents are about to move everything to Beaumont, TX. No, they have never lived in Texas, and, yes, they are of the young age of 53. Why are they moving? The Spirit is leading them to a new music ministry at a church that appears to have a very strong congregation. My parents need and desire this journey. We must let the Spirit lead. How pitiful are we when we let our daily comforts lose focus on God’s movement and the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. He is greater. We are less. Nothing in our whole body and knowledge should ever attempt to out-due or out-work Christ and his Holy plan.

*On a side note: Our lazy attempts at life has a direct relationship with people’s attentiveness on mission trips. I pray the Spirit is the sole reason people are attending mission trips today. My heart burns when people attend mission trips solely because of comfort and peace. Why do some continue to bury their spiritual gifts in a trip guided away from their natural ability? Broken relationships? A dislike for others on the trip? I hope not. Let the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ lead your life of missions, and never let evil treasure get in the way.

The bottom line is that we are here to complete the task the Lord Jesus has given us. I pray this is my heartbeat. I pray this is the heartbeat of every Christian in the sanctuary at Temple Baptist. I pray this for my family, friends, and coworkers. Do they see the fullness of Christ? I pray we may never forget the fullness of Christ and the necessity to always be searching for the lost. Take a “risk” and do something different for the Lord’s Kingdom today.

Love for Money

“When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.” Acts 16:19.
The power of falsehood among humans is ever so clear in this passage. The owners of the slave girl are obviously wrapped up in money and their own selfishness so they try to get rid of Paul and Silas, which is really them trying to get rid of the Spirit. Then Paul and Silas are thrown in jail, but I’m sure the outcome of this story is not what the owners were imagining. Verse 33 says the jailer and all of his family were baptized. How Glorious! God does work in incredible ways, but I must recognize the huge faith Paul and Silas had. Without worry or stress, Paul and Silas were able to be calm and lead others to the Lord even when tied down in shackles. Man cannot hold the Lord back. And to think, man’s love for money was the start of this whole scene. I know God used man’s love for money to help make this story, but I definitely see how we must abstain from loving money. I pray my heart will not lust after the greatest riches of the world. For I know a man can gain the whole world, but he is worthless when he loses his soul. Our devotion in Christ is so much greater than any fiscal being such as money.
I pray money will be well controlled and respected in our hands and ultimately used for God’s Kingdom.

Through Him

My God My God! I love thee. Today I pour out my heart in scripture. “From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:26-27) This passage speaks volumes to me this morning. First of all, they gathered the whole church together to hear the good news and report from their journey. Let’s rejoice together in hearing the good news of the Kingdom! Next, they reported all the GOD had done through them. NO, this is not a life of finishing task of our own, for we are not worthy, but God is the one who we must finish task and duties for. He is the great Messiah and Great deliverer of all things that are good. We must work, flow, and deliver the gospel through Him. For we are weak and wounded in our transgression but he is our Hero of deliverance from the evil one. The last part of verse 27 backs this up in “how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” How great is God? So great that he controls all things. I can’t fathom all of the knowledge about Him but I have complete faith that he will deliver all of us as we commit our lives to Him. He is the great ambassador of the epic battle to proclaim Truth. He sent his son to Earth to “testify to the Truth.” God is great! This morning I praise his name! He uses us to spread His name. How great a gift is this? We humans, who are stuck in our own problems and sin, have been chosen by the great creator to work in his army and passionately deliver the good news to those who don’t believe.

I pray this is our heartbeat. I pray we can all see this. I pray to God the Father to come rescue us from our evil thoughts and dark deeds. For I know only through him can light shine bright. Only through Him can my light even begin to shine, and because Him does my light shine today.

I pray God will lead us to opportunities. I pray God will use us. I weep to think you have already given me opportunities that I missed because I was too busy wrapping my eyes around the work of darkness. God’s light must be my only point of focus.

Christ is not known

I see it clear! I have always understood why my friends desire to go to the 10/40 window to spread the gospel, but I have never quite come across a verse so clear in doing this. "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation" Romans 15:20. What a huge calling? Here I imagine God saying, "This is where I want Wes, Wade, and Martin, now this is where I want Tanner. Go over here Tanner and spread the gospel of my name." Wow! what a calling? Does this make me want to stay in the states or go overseas to East Asia? Well currently my heart definitely is still attached to those people here on USM's campus that have never heard "The Gospel." I want to spread the systematic and biblically founded store of the gospel to those who have not heard the right gospel. My heart is here today, but could I quickly be sent overseas to a new mission field? Is God molding me for a future in missions? These questions I can not answer right now, but I know God has his master plan.