Archive for November, 2005
November 30, 2005 10:17 pm
 We have a five15 BIG MEETING this Saturday night.
As always, pizza and ping-pong begins at 5:15pm, the BIG MEETING itself begins at 6:30pm.
If you’d like to start soaking your soul in the verses we’re going to talk about, read Luke 6:43-45.
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We talked about meditation in leadership development class a while back, and I’ve been meaning to post about it for some time. It came to mind this past week while I was reading Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Meditation is extremely important but often forgotten and sometimes misunderstood.
Mr. Whitney devotes an entire chapter to the topic of meditation, explaining the importance of soaking ourselves in Scripture, since we are being bombarded with so much data and input from other sources: “…the average weekday edition of The New York Times contains more information than Jonathan Edwards would have encountered in his entire 18th-century lifetime.” (p. 50)
Mr. Whitney defines meditation as “deep thinking on the truths and realities revealed in Scripture for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer.” (p. 48)
He proposes a simple method for considering a given verse slowly, carefully, and thoughtfully. He explains that a meditation on John 11:25 might look like this:
“I am the resurrection and the life…”
“I am the resurrection and the life…”
“I am the resurrection and the life…”
“I am the resurrection and the life…” And so on… (p. 53)
The idea is to carefully consider what each of the words in a verse mean, even the little ones.
It also helps to remember that the entire Bible is one story, leading up to or pointing back towards Jesus and his work on the Cross. I try to use Mark Mullery’s two questions for my meditations to help me remember this:
“How does this verse show man’s disposition to require a Savior?”
“How does this verse show God’s disposition to provide a Savior?”
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November 29, 2005 5:57 pm
 Dave D just brought in some of the Jones Soda Holiday Pack he won at the last five15 meeting. He let me try the Brussels Sprouts Soda. I gave it a test sniff, and then thought: “you only live once” and took a swig.
Here’s the verdict:
nastier than I could have imagined.
Granted, the soda was flat and warm, but I don’t see how being iced would make it any better. Thanks for sharing, Dave.
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November 28, 2005 8:33 pm
Nothing like Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner. Perfect recipe for a turkey sandwich: wheat bread, dark meat, a thin spread of mayo, some lettuce (less is more), and a narrow slice of that canned cranberry sauce. Yum.
What is your favorite? Weigh in on the Sidebar Poll.
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We were given an early Christmas gift yesterday in the form of CJ’s message “The Transforming Effect of a Divine Perspective.” CJ preached on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 as part of our Connect series on 1 Corinthians. (The very first thing you do after reading this post should be to download CJ’s message and listen to it again. Click here to start the download while you finish reading.)
CJ explained that Paul’s exemplary attitude and affection for the Corinthians was created by his divine perspective of the Corinthians in:
- his understanding of God’s call.
- his recognition of God’s grace.
- his confidence in God’s faithfulness.
The main point of this message is that seeing people and situations from a divine perspective allows us to see more than just the deficiencies, failures, and sins of others. The transforming effect of a divine perspective allows us to see where God is at work in others people. This will change our attitude toward those around us, creating affection for them and appreciation for what God has done in their lives. It requires no gifting or discernment to see deficiencies in others, but seeing evidences of God’s grace in others is a mark of spiritual maturity.
Start with your parents and your siblings and ask them:
- “Do you think I am more aware of God’s prior activity in you or am I more aware of your present deficiencies?”
- “Do you think I have faith for you or do you think of me as frustrated with you?”
- “Do you leave my presence aware that God is at work in your life?”
Categories: Monday Matters, five15 blog
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November 26, 2005 7:47 pm
Now this is worth thinking about: if we’re Christians, why should Thanksgiving be that much different from any other day? Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sure. But should we be any less grateful the other 364 days of the year than we are on the fourth Thursday of November? Given all that we know about the holiness of God, His just wrath for sin, and the rescue provided to us in Jesus Christ, we should be the most thankful of people, and thankful all the time.
Here is what we find in Scripture:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
My father-in-law has an “every-day-alike” policy when it comes to holidays–it’s not that he tones down his expressiveness on Thanksgiving; rather, he is careful to be as grateful to God every day of the year as he is on Thanksgiving. (This applies to other holidays, too! We’re grateful for the incarnation every day, not just Christmas, amazed by the death and resurrection of our Savior every day, not just Easter, and so on.)
This is simply a humble way to live. In his book, Humility, CJ quotes Michael Ramsey: “Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.” CJ goes on to explain, “We also want to continue throughout the day expressing gratefulness for the innumerable manifestations of God’s grace. It’s as if God is placing sticky-notes in our lives as daily reminders of His presence and provision.
Here’s a resolution you don’t need to wait for New Year’s for: let’s resolve to be as grateful today, and every day, as we were on Thanksgiving Day.
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 Looking for a job for some spending money, but you don’t want to bag groceries or wait tables? You could follow the example of 18 year-old Michael Sessions. He was recently elected mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan. No, I’m not joking. USA Today reports it here. He beat the 51 year-old incumbent Doug Ingles by only two votes! Good thing his parents voted for him.
Apparently Mr. Sessions ran a write-in campaign on a $700 campaign budget. (MSN reports that Mayor Bloomberg spent $67 million to get reelected mayor of New York City!)
I like this line: “Sessions plans to devote after-school hours to the job and use his bedroom as his office.” You could do that. Any future mayors among us?
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November 25, 2005 7:07 pm
This month marks 60 years of Slinky–the most fun you can have with a piece of coiled steel.
 According to Slinky’s website, naval engineer Richard James accidentally bumped into the idea while working on an experiment with tension springs in 1943, and took the toy public in 1945. The first 400 Slinkys available for sale sold in about 90 minutes, and more than 750,000,000 Slinkys have been sold to date. That’s a lot of Slinkys.
Richard’s wife, Betty came up with the name, which is based on a Swedish word meaning stealthy, sleek, and sinuous.
Happy Birthday, Slinky. We salute you.
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Once we’ve begun giving thanks to God for who He is, it’s also right and appropriate for us to give thanks for what He’s done. I was reminded of what he’s done during my quiet time this morning, reading 1 Peter 2:22-25,
He [Jesus] 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 entrusting 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.
I thank God that he bore my sins in his body on the tree. I was straying like a sheep, but I’ve been returned to the Shepherd of my soul.
What about you? What has God done that you want to thank Him for?
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November 24, 2005 5:56 pm
 Some people call it the “Turkey Coma.” Allegedly, the presence of a chemical in turkey called tryptophan makes people sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner.
Technically speaking, it’s not the tryptophan that makes you sleepy. Tryptophan helps your body make Vitamin B, which helps your body make serotonin, which… makes you sleepy. But you didn’t really need to know that.
Apparently tryptophan works best on an empty stomach, so most of us are probably not as sleepy right now as we could be.
Read more on Wikipedia or How Stuff Works.
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We have a five15 BIG MEETING this Saturday night.
Dave D just brought in some of the Jones Soda Holiday Pack he won at the last five15 meeting. He let me try the Brussels Sprouts Soda. I gave it a test sniff, and then thought: “you only live once” and took a swig.
Looking for a job for some spending money, but you don’t want to bag groceries or wait tables? You could follow the example of 18 year-old Michael Sessions. He was recently elected mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan. No, I’m not joking. USA Today reports it here. He beat the 51 year-old incumbent Doug Ingles by only two votes! Good thing his parents voted for him.
According to Slinky’s website, naval engineer Richard James accidentally bumped into the idea while working on an experiment with tension springs in 1943, and took the toy public in 1945. The first 400 Slinkys available for sale sold in about 90 minutes, and more than 750,000,000 Slinkys have been sold to date. That’s a lot of Slinkys.
Some people call it the “Turkey Coma.” Allegedly, the presence of a chemical in turkey called tryptophan makes people sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner.
