Psalm 94 – Futile

Psalm 94 – Futile
I sometimes wonder why God puts up with us. Why he puts up with the wicked, why he deals with people who curse Him. Why he allows agnostics or atheists to breath the breathe he gives them. He doesn’t have to…but he does it because he loves us, he created us…and knows us.
The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.
And we also know that the Lord disciplines those he loves
Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law
So this is a great reminder for those seasons that we feel like oppressed, like the Psalmist…and we feel that people are getting over on us…that the ‘amoral’ person has the upper hand in life…as we see them screw their way to the top. God places the seasons of discipline in our lives…so that we can grow in character, learn to trust Him more, see His love for us in all things…and ultimately for our good and His glory!

Psalm 93 – Merely Waves

Psalm 93 – Merely Waves

The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is mighty. Psalm 93:3-4

Im reminded and comforted this morning that God is on His throne. Whatever comes against us, speaks against us, persecutes us..will not prevail.

God’s kingdom is immovable, unchangeable and eternal.

This morning, my heart was thinking about a friend who stepped down from the church he pastored for 9 plus years. How what seems like a huge wave not only to him, his staff and his flock….is merely God moving. I pray for all of them to keep their focus on His Glory. Not to let the one who confuses or lies, keep them (or us) from advancing the Kingdom for His glory. His Kingdom will advance regardless


The Creator will not be taken down or lessened by the creation.

Psalm 92 – Finish Strong

Psalm 92 – Finish Strong

I really don’t consider myself old. I seriously feel and behave like I’m in my 20’s (aside from the naps). But as a 42 year old dude, I am the guy, who 15 years ago…I was wanting to emulate. I think it is so important to be an example, to finish strong…and I pray like the Psalmist here is saying….that my latter years are even more productive than my earlier ones.
Verse 14 states (The Righteous) will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.
Knowing that it’s Christ’s Righteousness that allows us to bear fruit, I pray that I can continue to position myself to pour into other men, to be the guy that encourages guys to put their trust, and plant their roots in the Lord.
I think about Paul….and his analogy of ‘the race’…..and at the end of his life/ministry he was kicking to the finish line. He still had a lot in him….God, keep me fresh and green.

Psalm 91 – Close

Psalm 91 – Close

God’s peace, God’s protection God’s Will.
All the protection that God provides….are for those who dwell in the shelter of the most high. One thing this passage screams to me this morning is STAY CLOSE! We must be close to be ‘in His shadow’ or ‘under his wing’.

And Happy Birthday Mom!

Psalm 90 - Knuckleheads

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

I love this verse this verse this morning. To me, this verse is saying….give us perspective, Kingdom perspective, so that we aren’t knuckleheads.
I think if we truly gain perspective of the time we have on earth…as compared to eternity, things begin to look a lot different. The temporal things we work so hard for, pale in comparison. The lost brother…while he may be a screw up and be almost unlovable on earth….is condemned to die for sin.
I almost wonder if most of us don’t believe that Hell is a real place, or that separation from God…isn’t such a bad thing, for eternity.
God, I pray in my own life…that you wreck my stupid materialist, consumer, self-focused, temporal, insolent perspectives…and give me fresh new love for people and a heart of wisdom to minister to them. Protect me and my family as we wade through the mess where culture and Kingdom collide.

Psalm 89 - Rogues Waves

You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. You crushed Rahab like one of the slain Psalm 89:9-10
At first glance I was a little surprised at this analogy….and I had to find out, why Rahab.
In this instance the Psalmist is either talking about a sea creature…or the guardian angel of Egypt. Either way…it represents chaos in the bible.
This morning I think about the headline I just read…Waves Pull 20 People to Sea. Hurricane now Tropical Storm Bill Skirted the eastern coast and is now headed back out to sea….caused huge rogue waves in Maine. Large enough to wash 20 people out to sea, including a 7 year old girl and her parents. The parents survived and the girl did not.
When there is chaos and devastation….it is a grim reminder for those closest to it, that death is real. It escapes no one….
47-48 Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men! What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave? Selah
James 4 says that life is but a mist….here today and gone tomorrow.
The Psalmist asks, like we all would in this instance….”where is your great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” And for us….that great love is manifest in Jesus, on the cross….in the grave…..resurrected!

Psalm 80 – Vine

Psalm 80 – Vine
I love the vine reference and how the verses in John were probably based on this scripture.
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit”
Apparently the vineyard the Psalmist is talking about, has recently been bearing fruit. However with the state of the church, the fruits were being plucked by anyone who passed by, the wild boars were devouring and all the creatures of the fields were feeding on it.
The language though is a little different.
“look down from heaven and see, watch over the vine”
“your vine is cut down, burned with fire”
Even in these scriptures that have very similar language, I just realized that we have a more personal God. One who is with us, via the Holy Spirit, one who has said, “surely I am with you” and “remain in me”.
But I believe that this Psalmist is calling for the Messiah. For the “son, at your right hand” to be raised up, so that we (the Israelites) may be restored, saved.
God thank you for your mercies…your Word…the written and the living. Give us tons of opportunities to love our neighbors this week.

Psalm 79 – Desperate

Psalm 79 – Desperate

I know the Bible, in it’s entirety, is the inspired word of God. But I think if God could hand pick one verse today….and say…..this…..this verse is why this Psalm was written, it would be;
8 Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
I know this is where God wants me. Too often we, like the Israelites, rely on ourselves, our actions, our goodness, our checklists, our scales of justice to determines whether or not God should love us. These things produce arrogance, pride and physically push us further from his goodness.
Last night, right before service started…we had about a 7 minute gully washing rain. I am talking it came down hard. Brandon mentioned in the sermon about how many times we pray for rain…then argue about God’s timing.
Well another thing I have been praying about is the temperature in the building. And at 5:45 is was 80 degrees (and climbing) inside the building. The building is basically a hot tin can laying in the sun…and the insulation and a/c do little on the inside against what the elements are doing on the outside. Factor in a cooling rain on the entire structure…and by the time the service started….inside we were down to 78 degrees and by the end of the service 74. This provision of rain outside, did on the inside…what none of our best efforts couldn’t accomplish.
Coolness of a building and having your temple laid to waste don’t even compare….but He is saying to me this morning…..seek me when you have no control, when you are desperate…and before you become that way.

Follow me here

Over the summer, we are reading the TK (Tangible Kingdom) Primer as a church.
Follow this interesting look at Missional "Sent"ness as our church body BLOGs daily.
http://anconline.wordpress.com/

Fencelines

I’ve been told recently, you and Jenny just meet people so easily….we just don’t know where to start, what to say, how to act…..
Well, truth be known….I still get nervous meeting new people, but it does get easier with practice. I don’t want to be too goofy, too serious….just natural….whatever that means. I don’t wanna say the wrong thing, give the wrong impression or get all “spiritual” too early….when they ask what I do. I just want them to get to know me and me them.
This weeks action is to imagine Jesus taking you somewhere….and it might be to a neighbor’s home, who you have lived next door to for years…and now it might be awkward to just start talking to him or her. Well yeah….if you just bust right out with….”hey you are part of this project, and ummmmm…Jesus said…ummmm……”
They might be older…or younger, or different ethnicity, or religion….but you have some commonalities….if you pay attention. Pets, cars, flowers, children/grandchildren, your homes, time of day you water, music, possibly talk about a third neighbor you don’t know…ask what they know about him/her, these are all great things to start talking about. Just have a conversation….and string it together with another conversation, then another. No rush…no agenda, God’s got this.
Great example for this for me personally….is the Sheltons. We had girls on the same basketball team….and boy the same age. Perfect! We weren’t out to “get them to come to church” or “tell them about Jesus”. We just wanted to become friends.
Crazy things about friends is though…..when you are friends, the things that are important to you, become important to them…and visa versa. Seriously, I would have never been to Camp Ben McCollough and pitched washers, watched Texas A&M basketball or football, or met Shane Phillips or Richard Taylor or all the 10 plus guys we play poker with, had it not been for the Sheltons. And they, in turn, became curious about our church, our friends, our Serve Austin Sunday and Restore Communinty.
I think I know the problem for most people….and I’ve heard this…people don’t really want anymore friends. People don’t feel they can emotionally invest in another relationship. I don’t know how to get anyone over this….but to tell you….too bad. God didn’t give us that option.

Tangible Touches

I guess I must write down this “example” only because it is so fresh, so real and hit me between the eyes tonight.
Those in our Restore Community know Bob and Juanna Reilly. They have met and recently taken in a man dying of cancer. They met him through another sweet lady (Mary Beth) in our Restore Community who is a hospice care-giver.
Well when I read about the immersions….I was struck at how this man (not a believer) was immersed in the blessings (or tangible touches of God) through these two families. Not many people would take a man into their home, only knowing him for 3 weeks, let alone a dying man, who by all accounts was difficult and mean. Yet the Reilly’s showed him love when he could offer them nothing. This touch softened this man’s heart.
In God’s sovereignty and his timing this man of 66 years lay dying in the breakfast room…in a make-shift hospital room, as Brandon and I prayed for him in the next room. We had been called to the house, as Juanna ran some errands…to possibly be with him as he died. We prayed for God to allow him to hear us and respond to the Gospel….or to just mercifully end his suffering.
This man, in the next few moments….sat up in bed and began talking….why did this shock us? Then, God moved in this man’s heart, to accept the gift of salvation that is available to all of us…oh my!
Over the last couple of hours….this has grown increasingly incredible to me. Its not always what we say…..it’s how we live and how we give those “tangible touches”.

More

Living 'missionally' or SENT is definitely an aspect of life that is both old and new for me. Having been 'called' to live on mission, before I really knew what that meant....Jenny and I basically served as best we could where God placed us.
You guys have got to know…that we have always been comfortable having people over, live with us, serving in one capacity or another….whether it was with youth, young adults, small groups ministry….but living ‘missionally’
has invaded and stretched us in ways that I didn’t think possible.
Invaded sounds kinda harsh…unwanted…but it was a new world to think that God not only called us to serve people who live like we do, in the same areas of town that we do, and go to the same schools or the same church….but he has called us to serve beyond our own little world…..in His.
When we responded to his call to live ‘missionally’ beyond our realm….we found life and love greater than we had ever experienced. When we trusted that when we “served the least” we WERE serving our Savior himself….we found joy that nourishes our souls.
As we begin this journey through the TK Primer…my prayer is that we can lay down the religious ‘baggage’ we bring in. We might not even realize we are carrying any. But I have heard some form of this conversation….. “I have been serving as hard as I can serve, attending church whenever the doors are open, I am a deacon or church volunteer of the decade….I have done every Beth Moore Precept study there is to do…and deep down I just know…there must be something more.”
Through living on mission….we will find….there is.

Daniel 11 - Time

Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

A couple of verses came to mind as I read this passage. When I think about prophesies of end times or end of seasons I rest in the fact that none of this catches God off guard. And who better to rely on, put your faith in or trust in…..because none of knows the “appointed time” or the when the “time of the end” will come, except the one who set it all in motion.

Psalm 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Christ even tells us in Acts that "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
I am really thinking about Mr. Nichols who has been placed in our lives through our connection with Mary Beth Ryan in our Restore Community. He has been overtaken by cancer…and even today….our neighbor Juana Reilly is driving Mr. Nichols to her home. The Riley’s have opened their hearts and their home to a man they never knew prior to a few short weeks ago.

He is not a believer, and has maybe just a few days left…but they are showing Christ’s love to man, who by all accounts has been difficult to deal with and mad. But his heart has softened and he has agreed to come home with the Reilly’s where he will most likely spend his last days.

He weighs 88 pounds and according to Juanna has lost 7 pound in the last week. But in all that….he doesn’t and we don’t know when he will draw his last breath…..but God does.

Let’s pray together that this is Mr. Nichols "appointed time" and that he is touched by the Kingdom and God as it is poured out....by the Reillys, Mary Beth and the rest of the ANC Restore Community. Pray that he will respond as we hope. But whether he does or not… God will glorify himself through this, no doubt.

Daniel 10 - Swagger

Daniel 10 – Swagger
A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
In this vision (apparently his last of the book) Jesus stands before Daniel, and he is so overcome with terror…that he is overwhelmed and can no longer speak, stand or look. Daniel….who stood up to Nebuchadnezzar, thrown in a den of lions…now is terrified before the Lord.
And here we are….sinners…that the only thing that saves us is the Grace of God…and we have some sort of self-righteous swagger.
I am reminded of when I signed on to play football at the University of Alabama….and I showed up for “voluntary workouts” in the summer. I seriously am walking in, in the best shape of my life….with a bunch of “lesser” athletes to a “voluntary” workout, how hard could this be? Right guys?
Day one, they had us report straight to the Track Field…..hey ran us so hard, so long, so many times that I felt that my heart would explode, my lungs would collapse, my legs would literally feel less pain if I would run over them with a car…I can honestly say…that is the day I lost my “swagger”. Day One…..done. Day two, after experiencing to the reality of my fate…..my main thoughts were on survival.
Do we not get it….because we aren’t really experiencing God? I pray that we would continually find ourselves in the position Daniel found himself in…face to the ground.

Daniel 1 – Favor

Daniel 1 – Favor

What a great example of God’s hand working through unbelievers….”God had caused the official to show favor”. No doubt this official (another translation calls him the Prince of Eunuchs) was a follower of the deity of whatever the king worshipped. But Daniel’s disposition and God’s hand allowed him the wiggle room to show Daniel favor.
Even with his own life on the line, he allowed Daniel and the three men, not to ‘defile’ themselves with the royal food. Though not vegetarians these men were not only able to sustain them selves on vegetables and water, but became more healthy looking than any of the others.

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your [c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
I think of the manner that I sometimes take with someone of opposing views or beliefs and the effect that has on my cause. Could Daniel have been indignant? Could God have still caused the official to relent? Sure…but Daniel, not knowing how or when God would intervene, decided to be gracious until He did. I guess the lesson here is ….. stand firm on your convictions, acts as if your position was fully dependent on your actions….then when God’s favor is placed on the situation, be sure to give him glory.

Psalm 78 – That’s Not Fair

Psalm 78 – That’s Not Fair

38-39 Yet he was merciful; 
he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, 
a passing breeze that does not return.
To me, the greatest thing about the mighty hand of God….is that he restrains it toward us when we don’t deserve it. He offers love, understanding, mercy…and grace. Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This may be a little corny… but when we are being stung by a mosquito….our natural reaction is to swat it, usually leaving a small black smear with some blood in it. We never think about the significance of that small life…..and its short life cycle, because we didn’t create it. You know I think about the ease with which God, in his full wrath, could just swat us out of existence…..yet he doesn’t. He remembers that we are but flesh, his creation, and he loves us.
But like my dad used to say….”I brought you into this world, I can take you out!” God’s mercy isn’t to be taken advantage of, or God isn’t to be though lightly…..his full wrath is still swift and just. In a few weeks at ANC we’ll be reminded of Ananias and Sapphira, and how God took them immediately. Romans 6:23 ….for the wages of sin is death! I just thank God that his mercy is exercised more than what is fair!

Psalm 76 - God's Got Game

Psalm 76 – God’s Got Game
4 You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains, rich with game.

Well I actually added that last comma….sorry God, but he does have game….and it’s rich.

I was just amazed yesterday, and I was searching for words to describe God….but realized that any word used, falls short. Not that ‘resplendent with light’ came to mind….but I realized that all these descriptions, are merely words trying to capture the glory of the Creator.
All the Psalms, 150 in all…..with all the words contained, still fall short. Yet we live as though we are serving a finite God. We give Him a Sunday or two every now and then to hold him at bay.
I read yesterday that in recent years, via the Hubble telescope that it is (conservatively) estimated that there are 350,000,000,000 galaxies….conservatively estimated! Why?
Why did our Creator create things that no one in history new about until recently. Maybe he is wanting us NOW to know….even with your fancy computers and telescopes....you cannot fathom the depth of me. You could spend your whole life trying to describe me…and still fall miserably short, not even scratch the surface.
God forgive me for not giving you my all, and forgive me for thinking you are smaller than you are.

Psalm 74 - It’s not about us.

Psalm 74 - It’s not about us.

I just found the tone of this Psalm very self –focussed. Maybe that is just a conviction I am having today. We’ve seen it before with the Israelites, and here the Babylonians have just overrun the Temple, plundered Jerusalem, and left the place in ruins.…and now they turn to God again?

20 Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

Why is it that we do this….we are cruising along, not a care in the world, because things are going so well….and things turn, and now we remember….oh yeah God, we have a covenant. Have regard for it….even though I may not have.

And why does the Psalmist/we think that we need a reason to uphold a covenant OTHER than there is a covenant? God is continually upholding his end of the deal, the failure, when there is one, is ours.

And why do when bad things come, that we forget….God is in control of it all. That he knows what is going on. The same God that saves us, loves us..and because he loves us, he corrects us. Most of the time it is painful, but all of the time it is just. WE may not see it, but we aren’t God. So we need to quit acting like we are.

Psalm 72 - Cries

Psalm 72:12-13 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
Last night we watched the Lifeway videos that Jen Hatmaker had done for her upcoming book Interrupted, and I was reminded of my own journey and how the poor and oppressed were to me…..a people group, some other people “out there”, nameless faces that I was scared of, that I felt they wanted to harm me somehow.
The guy that did the interviews from Lifeway basically said the exact same thing to Alan Graham, founder and president of Mobile Loaves and Fishes. For someone (like Alan) who already has a heart for the homeless, the oppressed and the marginalized….there wasn’t a worse thing to say to him….His jaw tightened….his teeth were clenched…and as soon as the interviewer paused for an answer, Alan Graham said….”you know, your feelings don’t matter.”
This is who God directs his love and compassions and mercies toward. Jen, later in the interview, talked about meeting God there….in service to marginalized. He is there.
Once we strip away all the things that we have grown up believing about church, what it should be, how we are to behave, what we are suppose to learn and achieve, and take (like consumers)….we are left bare with…. “what have we done for the least”?

Well, I went to all Beth Moore’s precepts classes….yes, but what about the homeless?
I taught Jr. High boys….yes, but what about single moms?
I sang in the choir, yes but what about children who don’t have a daddy?
I gave to Lottie Moon….yes, but what about taking a family who has lost their home into yours.
The verses talk about the cries of the needy….and they are there. The same cries we drowned out with our self serving, life numbing, busyness…. all in the name of Christiandom.
Pastors from other churches and people in other “flocks” are always asking us….how can we do what you guys are doing? Is it even possible? And the short answer is YES, listen for the CRIES!

Psalm 70 – EmUrgency

Psalm 70 – EmUrgency
5 Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; 
O LORD, do not delay.
Was David literally poor or needy?
I’m thinking this posture of David is one that we all need to take.
David could have said….Lord I got this world on a string….I am it’s king…what do you have to offer me, or better yet….what can I do for you today if I have time? Though that was never David’s heart….is it ours? We would never say that…. But I wonder if sometimes in our hearts that isn’t exactly what we give or say.
And I love that David seeks God’s urgency. I’ve done this so many times….but my prayers aren’t always answered in the manner or timing that I would have preferred.
As a parent, its one thing to be sitting in the living room watching the TV or talking to our wives….and one of the kids says…mom/dad can I get some help with this homework. We might say….give us a minute, or wait until the commercial. But one of our kids is hurt, or in trouble, or scared…..we drop everything to get there “without delay”.
David seeks God’s urgency….because he is in need.
As a Sovereign God, when we seek God urgently…and he responds to us, in his timing…..I wonder what that says? Maybe he is teaching us to wait on Him, maybe he is telling us He’s got this, maybe He is teaching us patience.