"And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."

His word "must" is why I am his.

-James

Video, music, dancing. All my favorite things into one thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBk3ynRbtsw&feature=channel_video_title

About the Psalms:

"The songs cover a wide range of experiences and emotions, and give God's people the words to express these emotions and bring these experiences before God. At the same time, the psalms do not simply express emotions: when sung in faith, they actually shape the emotions of the godly. The emotions are therefore not a problem to be solved but are part of the raw material of now-fallen humanity that can be shaped to good and noble ends. The psalms, as songs, act deeply on the emotions, for the good of God's people. It is not "natural" to trust God in hardship, and yet the Psalms provide a way of doing just that, and enable the singers to trust better as a result of singing them. A person staring at the night sky might not know quite what to do with the mixed fear and wonder he finds in himself, and singing Psalm 8 will enrich his ability to respond."

Have I forgotten you my Lord?

Sometimes I go through my old writings and am completely embarrassed. Yet other times old passions are reignited and new fervor is put in my spirit. I grow confident that though I could not see it at the time, God was working in me. I am encouraged to think that perhaps he is working in me now, though I cannot always see it.


Originally written Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 1:13am

In all our travels, in all our life, no matter how long we live, no matter what we achieve, from our first breath to the last, no matter what we learn, nor the power we gain, in all the books we write, in all the words we speak, let us never ever forget the Cross.

In all our theological discussions, and all of our well developed doctrine...let us never forget the Cross.

In our hearts, black as tar, in our guilt-ridden minds, let us never forget the Cross.

In our bloated egos, in our swelling pride, let us never forget the Cross.

In our desperation, our loneliness, let us never forget the Cross.

In our rest, our freedom, our contentment...let us never forget the Cross.

The Cross, the Cross...how beautiful the blood flow. How merciful the love shown! The King of glory poured out...Victorious are we now!


-James

Are you glad that you exist to display the glory of God?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXaRbNjKVic

The glory of God is the manifest beauty of His holiness.
Its the going public of His holiness.
Its the way He puts His holiness on display for people to apprehend.

“The heavens are telling the glory of God”. What does that mean?
It means He shouting at us!
He shouts with clouds.
He shouts with blue expanse.
He shouts with gold on the horizons.
He shouts with galaxies and stars.
He’s shouting “I AM GLORIOUS!”

Open your eyes!

Do you see it? Do you love it? You were made for this.
You were made for this!

This is why I exist: to see that. Everything is pointing to that. All the glory that I thought was so attractive is going there.
This [world] is all husks and ashes.

“Now we see through a glass darkly, then face to face”

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us”…

So, the glory that’s coming is such of an all satisfying, infinitely beautiful, totally need-meeting, and joy producing time,
that 80 years of pain
will be as nothing!

This…
slight…
momentary…
affliction…
is working for us an eternal weight of what?
…
Glory!

Are you glad that you exist to display the glory of God?

God is aiming that we see, and savor, and treasure His glory; the riches of His glory.

So I ask, do you see it?
Do you love it?

And I say again, you were made for this.

Less books, more reading.

Read fewer books. Reading is an unbelievably non passive, active affair. We've been taught, by teachers assigning us 12 books in a class, not to read. We've been TAUGHT not to read. We think moving through passages is reading. It's not reading. Interact so you can restate an authors thought, reconstruct an argument to his satisfaction, and then give reasons why you agree or disagree. "He was inadequate in the way he described this, he was incomplete, he was illogical, he drew wrong inferences." You need to learn different kinds of ways you can interact with the book. Then do the same thing with the bible.

-John Piper

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” -Simon Peter