Archive for May, 2006
Subdue The Earth
May 31, 2006 8:12 am
I spent most of the last two days working in the yard. I doused the poison ivy with chemicals, I hacked away at some wild onions with my machete, and seeded some bald spots in the yard (my grass looks a little like my head!).
When God created Adam and Eve, he gave them this simple mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
I kept thinking about this verse as I wiped away sweat and swatted spiders. God gave Adam and Eve this responsiblity as his representatives: to subdue the earth, and keep it orderly. Because they were made in the image of God, they did what He does. When we bring order and beauty into our worlds–whether it is weeding the garden, cleaning a room, making a meal, or completing an assignment, we do the same thing: demonstrating that we are made in the image of God, and fulfilling the mandate God gave to man at the very beginning.
It amazes me that an act as simple as maintaining my yard can in some way reflect God in this fallen world.
Don’t Forget To Remember
May 29, 2006 12:09 pm
Today is Memorial Day. It’s too easy to think of Memorial Day as a kind of Junior Fourth Of July–a national patriotism fest of flags, fireworks, and barbecues. But Memorial Day was established in 1868 to honor those who died in the military service and defense of their country. Today we also use this day to honor and thank those who are active or former military or law enforcement.
If you know someone an active or former soldier, sailor or airman, or someone in law enforcement, thank them today for their service. If you don’t know someone that fits this description, thank God for the many who gave their lives to preserve and protect our freedom. Don’t forget to take time out of your yard work, barbecue, or golf game to remember.
Summer Reading Challenge
10:06 amWant to be sure you make a good use of your summer? Rather than sitting around re-reading old comic books or watching TV, how about using your summer to grow in your understanding of God’s Word and His holiness? Last summer, we tackled John Owen.
Saturday night, I announced that this summer, we dive into two Sproul classics: Knowing Scripture and The Holiness of God. Here’s how this works: take up my challenge by reading the assigned books, turn in your completed reading plan by the retreat, and you will earn the item of your choice from our bookstore. That’s a pretty sweet deal.
You won’t find many books that make it easier to understand how to read and interpret God’s Word than Knowing Scripture. In it, Sproul says: “If I were the Devil, one of my first aims would be to stop people from digging into their Bible.” Let’s dig in together this summer, shall we?
And you won’t find many books that do a good job making a very deep and very important theological concept very clear. That’s part of why The Holiness of God is such a valuable book. If God tells us in the book of 1 Peter that, “You shall be holy, as I am holy,” then we need to know what that means!
Parents, I want to issue you a Summer Reading Challenge as well. You have options. You can either read along with your teens, or you can read Paul Tripp’s Lost In The Middle. Lost In The Middle is a wonderful book about the opportunities and the temptations of mid-life. I finished reading it about a week ago, and I think it is one of the best books I’ve ever read; just stuffed with the grace and the gospel. Same deal for you: do the reading by the retreat, turn in your form, and earn the item of your choice from the bookstore!
You can download the Summer Reading Plan here: 2006 Summer Reading Challenge.doc.
So, who’s in?
Na Starts Tonight
May 27, 2006 3:58 pm
About 100 peeps from Sovereign Grace Church are joining 3000 of their closest friends in Louisville for New Attitude this weekend. Please pray for them!
- That God would reveal Himself to them through the preaching of His Word
- That they would experience conviction and grace to grow
- That they would have fun and fellowship together
- That God would grant them safety as they return home
Want to follow along? Check out NewAttitude.org.
Today In History: May 27, 1919
3:46 pm
On this day in 1919, fed up with his burnt toast, Charles P. Strite filed for a patent for the world’s first pop-up toaster. 18 months later he would receive the patent and by 1926 the indefatigable Toastmaster was on the scene, changing the world (of breakfast) as we know it.
Who can imagine breakfast without a pop-up toaster? Where we put our marmalade? What would become of our Eggo waffles? English muffins would never arrive at that pefect crispy crust.
We salute you, Charles. And we say thanks.
Beholding Is Becoming
May 26, 2006 1:41 pm
In the preface to Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, John Piper explains why it is important that we take time every day to read our Bibles and remember Jesus Christ:
“When we see Jesus for who he really is, we savor him. That is, we delight in him as true and beautiful and satisfying. That is my goal, because two things flow from such an experience of Jesus Christ: He is honored, and we are freed by joy to walk the narrow way of love… As the apostle Paul said, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this ccome from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, RSV). Beholding is becoming. Seeing Christ saves and sanctifies.” (Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, 16)
Here’s what happens to me: on lazy summer days when I don’t have anything to do (and sometimes on weekends, for that matter), I find it more difficult to have a quiet time than when my day is just packed. I’ve found that it really serves me to have a regular routine.
A couple ideas about how to do this:
- Plan to get up about the same time every day. (This might mean planning to go to bed about the same time every day.)
- Each night as you fall asleep, resolve to wake up and meet with God the next morning. Ask God to help you.
- Make your Bible reading one of the first things you do in the morning: before the sports section, the morning news, or a favorite magazine. (Brushing your teeth first is ok.)
- Read with a plan. If you are already on a yearly schedule, stick with it. If not, decide now what books of the Bible you’re going to read this summer. Write out your plan. If you fall behind, don’t worry too much about it. Just pick up where you left off. Track what you’ve read - it will be encouraging to you to mark those chapters off your list.
- Keep a journal. More on this later.
Ask your parents how you can plan your summer schedule to make sure that you find time to meet with God in His Word every day.
five15 Retreat
May 25, 2006 10:20 am90 days until the five15 Retreat.
In August, we’ll be headed back to Concord Retreat in wild, wonderful West Virginia for three and a half days of God’s Word, God’s presence, and God’s people. $190 covers your meals, lodging, tshirt, surprise gift, and more. $20 more and you get to play paintball!
Will the water balloon launcher make a comeback? Count on it.
Sand-pit volleyball? You bet.
Fun new stuff? Of course. Come and see.
Special guest this year: Aron Osborne, senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Souderton, Pennsylvania.
For those of you who went last year, what did you enjoy most, and what are you looking forward to this year? Leave a comment…
five15 Fun Night
9:58 amI hope they’re all fun, but the five15 BIG MEETING on Saturday night is going to be a Fun Night. We’re going to kick back, relax, and enjoy being together.
The meeting will start about 5:30pm with burgers and dogs from the grill - all free of charge - and then we will play ultimate frisbee (and perhaps volleyball or soccer). Come dressed to play!
I’ll have a couple brief announcements about summer events, and you will be able to sign up for the five15 retreat if you haven’t done so already.
As always, guests are welcome; this would be a great meeting to bring a friend to.
Continuing What He Began
May 23, 2006 4:38 pm
Sometimes people wonder: “If God is sovereign, why should we pray? If God has ordained what is going to happen, what good can our prayers do?” Paul’s prayer in the first chapter of Ephesians is amazing in that the apostle Paul both acknowledges the sweeping sovereignty of God (vv. 3-14) and prays to God on behalf of the church in Ephesus (vv. 15-23).
Interestingly, the two halves of this prayer are joined by the phrase “for this reason…”, indicating that God’s sovereignty provides the motive for Paul’s prayer. In other words, the sovereignty of God doesn’t paralyze his prayer: the sovereignty of God fuels his prayer!
In his book, A Call To Spiritual Reformation, D.A. Carson explains:
“Because it is God who has worked in them, Paul has not stopped thanking God; because it is God alone who sovereignly and graciously continues to effect such transformation, he is the one who must be petitioned to continue his good work.”
To illustrate, he quotes this anonymous hymn:
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my heart to seek him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No, I was found by Thee.Thou didst reach forth Thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea;
‘Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold
As Thou dear Lord, on me.I find, I walk, I love but O the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
Always Thou lovedst me.(Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, 171)
Monday Matters: 05/22/06
May 22, 2006 6:15 pm
What should you bring to church? A passion for edification.
Mark preached yesterday from 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, using a lesson about the technical differences between the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy to make the overall point that any spiritual gift–tongues, prophecy or otherwise–is successful to the degree that it builds up the church. To help us understand this, Mark quoted Gordon Fee:
“The point of everything in corporate worship is not personal experience in the Spirit, but building up the church itself.” (Fee, 1 Corinthians, 667)
In fact, Mark explained, church is unique in that there are a million places someone could go to pamper their selfish desires, but church is the only place to go to–in love–be passionate about building others up. It’s one of the things that makes church unique.
So whether we are at caregroup, five15, a prayer meeting, or at a Sunday meeting, we need to make our job description to edify others. Mark mentioned at least four ways to do this: greeting people we don’t know (five15 Challenge, anyone?), encouraging others for how God is at work in their lives, thanking people for their service and participation in the church, and praying for others.
What do you bring to church? Is your passion to edify others? When was the last time you greeted encouraged, thanked, or prayed for someone on a Sunday morning or at a five15 meeting? Ask your parents for advice about how to make this a priority every time you gather with God’s people.
