Tried With Fire

Congratulations to Diane W., winner of  Jesus On Every Page .  Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to Thomas Nelson for sponsoring the giveaway.

"It's resting." (I've posted this before but it's worth a repeat.)

source I'm thankful for: ~ Breaking bread and cracking crabs with my brothers and sisters. ~ God's unexpected provision for an unexpected expense. ~ Daily strength for daily duties. ~ Theology over lunch. ~  Grace to learn and grace to change. ~ God's faithfulness as I mark another year to my total.

I'm sharing some quotes from John Owen on regeneration at Out of the Ordinary today. It never hurts to be reminded of the awesome and mind-blowing work that God has done to secure our salvation. "All this is the work of the Holy Spirit. He brings us who were dead in trespasses and sins to life. He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit within us. He writes his laws in our hearts, so that we may know and do the will of God and so walk in his ways. He works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. He makes them who were unwilling and obstinate to become willing and obedient, and that by their freedom of will and choice." Good stuff, isn't it? Read more here .

Jesus On Every Page by David Murray, Thomas Nelson, August 2013, 256 pages. Reading the Old Testament can be overwhelming to many Christians. We remember the exciting Sunday school stories, but there's so much we don't understand. Consequently, it's easy to skim or skip over the bulk of the Bible to get to the New Testament. But is this how we should treat God's Word? Jesus didn't think so. On the Emmaus road “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) If this is true, which it is, shouldn't we expect to find Him on every page? Dr. David Murray begins Jesus On Every Page with his own Emmaus journey and discovery of Christ in the Old Testament. He then takes a look at what Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John say about the importance of the Scriptures, which did not include the New Testament at that time. After laying this foundation, he gives ten ways to find Jesus: Ch...

"Hallowed be Thy name" Matthew 6:9 By praying, "hallowed be Thy name," we beg that God, who is most holy and glorious, might enable us to acknowledge and honor Him as such. As Manton forcefully expressed it, In this petition the glory of God is both desired and promised on our part; for every prayer is both an expression of a desire and also an implicit vow or solemn obligation that we take upon ourselves to prosecute what we ask. Prayer is a preaching to ourselves in God’s hearing: we speak to God to warn ourselves—not for His information, but for our edification.  (Thomas Manton) For us to hallow or sanctify His name means that we give God the supreme place, that we set Him above all else in our thoughts, affections, and lives. This high purpose of life is antithetical to the example of the builders of the tower of Babel, who said, "Let us make us a name (Gen. 11:4), and of Nebuchadnezzar, who said, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built...

Much Better Now from Salon Alpin on Vimeo .

source I'm thankful for: A good start to the school year for my daughter. I'm thankful for community colleges that provide a good and affordable education. Good student insurance discounts. It's quite a shock when you go from the solo middle-aged rate to a policy with a teen driver. Answered prayer. The treasure trove of hymns through the centuries. Books that help me appreciate the extravagant grace of God given freely to sinners. Christian community. I can't live without it.

Here are a few stanzas from Isaac Watts' Divine and Moral Songs for Children . I don't know if I would sing these to future grandchildren, and I doubt Wee Sing will be making a recording anytime soon.  Maybe kids (and parents) were tougher back then. SONG 16. Against Quarrelling and Fighting.  Let dogs delight to bark and bite,  For God hath made them so;  Let bears and lions growl and fight,  For 'tis their nature too. But, children, you should never let  Such angry passions rise;  Your little hands were never made  To tear each other's eyes. SONG 18. Against scoffing and calling Names.  When children in their wanton play  Serv'd old Elisha so;  And bid the prophet go his way,  'Go up, thou bald-head, go:' God quickly stop'd their wicked breath,  And sent two raging bears,  That tore them limb from limb to death,  With blood, and groans, and tears. Grea...

"Bob was a crisp, button-down Christian. He knew a lot about the bible and carried it to church with him every week. He was the kind of guy who could teach adult Sunday school. He had a good reputation as an eye doctor and was a pretty upstanding citizen. Then the meltdown. He had an affair with a young woman at work. He divorced his wife, Rita, who taught at the local Christian high school. She was diagnosed with cancer not too long after that, which made Bob an even greater pariah." "When fisherman are out for shark they do what they call "chum" - they throw bloody stuff overboard that attracts the sharks and drives them into a frenzy. Bob was a kind of Christian chum for a while. We were the sharks. What he did and how he did it pulled out all the self-righteousness in our little community. We fed on Bob for a while until we finally lost interest. Bob disappeared and when he resurfaced years later he was completely different." Red Like Blood: Conf...

If you love hymns, you may be interested in  History of Hymnody taught by Kevin Twit, founder of Indelible Grace . This course at Covenant Theological Seminary is available for online listening or free download if you set up an account. There are nine lectures that cover the history of hymns from the early church forward. I'm two-thirds the way through, and it has been fascinating. Here are some tidbits from the course: - Listen to the original tune to A Might Fortress is Our God as it would have been sung in Luther's day. - There was a period of 1000 years before the Reformation where congregational singing was forbidden by the Catholic Church. Only trained priests and singers were allowed to sing Gregorian chant in Latin.  - Calvin did not approve of harmony in church services because he wanted the church to be unified in its praise to God. He also disapproved of choirs and special music - anything that would make the believer feel like a spectator. - In the 1500...

"Our Father which art in heaven." Let us first endeavor to ascertain the general principle that is embodied in this introductory clause. It informs us in the simplest possible manner that the great God is most graciously ready to grant us an audience. By directing us to address Him as our Father , it definitely assures us of His love and power. This precious title is designed to raise our affections, to excite us to reverent attention, and to confirm our confidence in the efficacy of prayer. Three things are essential to acceptable and effectual prayer: fervency, reverence, and confidence. This opening clause is designed to stir up each of these essential elements within us. Fervency is the effect of our affections being called into exercise; reverence will be promoted by an apprehension of the fact that we are addressing the heavenly throne; confidence will be deepened by viewing the Object of prayer as our Father. In coming to God in acts of worship, we must "believe...

I'm thankful for: A mug of tea and chocolate almond granola. The humming birds visiting the turk's cap . Another cool spell with days in the 70's. I'm actually looking forward to mowing the yard today. My old car passing inspection. I'm also thankful for a new mechanic, who is a believer based on the tract rack. Echoes of Eden in good books. Sermons that make me think. A faith family that is real family.

A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos, Christian Focus Publications, July 2013, 128 pages. As Christian parents, we know about the importance of family worship, but very often it's an intimidating prospect. What do we do? Where do we start? What if the kids hate it? What if we do a terrible job? If these are your thoughts, A Neglected Grace is the book for you. Author, Jason Helopoulos, encourages the reader to view family worship as a joyful responsibility instead of a burdensome duty. He discusses the importance of worship and how the spheres of private, corporate, and family worship are given by God for our good and our growth. Family worship also centers the home in the Lord, encourages our children in Christ, prepares them for corporate worship, and provides systematic discipleship among other benefits. The author gives practical suggestions for the basic elements of family worship and where to begin. There is also a chapter of...

We've been sharing excerpts from our favorite dead theologians at Out of the Ordinary . It's my turn today, so I'm sharing from  The Holy Spirit by the Puritan, John Owen. "What, then, is holiness? Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out the gospel in our souls..." Read more here .

[E]ach of the promises attached to the Beatitudes finds its accomplishment in Christ. Poor in spirit He was, and His supremely is the Kingdom. Mourn He did, yet He will be comforted as He sees of the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11). He was meekness personified, yet He is now seated upon a throne of glory. He hungered and thirsted after righteousness, yet now He is filled with satisfaction as He beholds that the righteousness which He worked out has been imputed to His people. Pure in heart, He sees God as none other sees him (Matthew 11:27). As the Peacemaker, He is acknowledged as the unique Son of God by all the blood-bought children. As the persecuted One, great is His reward, for He has been given the name above all others (Phil. 2:9-11). May the Spirit of God occupy us more and more with Him who is fairer than the children of men (Ps. 45:2). The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer , A. W. Pink, Baker Book House, pg. 67.

I'm thankful for: - Summer days without AC.  - Turning off the computer in the evenings to enjoy good books and ice cream. - Favor with my employer and extra work. - God's sovereign hand in every aspect of our lives, right down to each cell. - Theological discussions with my daughter.  - The scandal of the Gospel: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now receiv...

I like this explanation by Anthony Hoekema on how we should view ourselves in Christ. It clears up quite a bit of my past confusion re: "old man" vs. "new man" vs. a combo of the two. Paul says to the believers at Colossae (Col. 3:9-10), since you have become one with Christ you are no longer slaves to sin, for you have taken off the old man or old self that was enslaved to sin and have put on the new self ( neos anthropos ). After the analogy of what has just been said about the old man, we conclude that the new man or new self must mean the person in his unity ruled by the Holy Spirit. You ought not to lie, Paul is saying, because lying does not comport with the new self you have put on. But even the new self is not yet perfect, for, as Paul goes on to say, it "is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator" (v. 10). If something needs to be renewed it is not yet perfect. It is interesting to note the tenses of the Greek verbs used in thi...

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.   Matthew 5:10-12 The Lord Jesus here pronounced blessed or happy those who, through devotion to Him, would be called upon to suffer. They are blessed because such are given the unspeakable privilege of having fellowship in the sufferings of the Savior (Phil. 3:10). They are blessed because such "tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed" (Rom. 5:3-5). They are blessed because they shall be fully recompensed in the great Day to come. Here is rich comfort indeed. Let not the soldier of the cross be dismayed because the fiery darts of the wicked one are hurled ...

The Gospel Call & True Conversion by Paul Washer, Reformation Heritage Books, 2013, 200 pages. If you asked the average professing American Christian, "What is the gospel and what constitutes true conversion?", what would be his/her answer? More importantly, would that answer be biblical? The Gospel Call & True Conversion provides a thorough and yet very readable explanation of the call of the gospel and true conversion. Divided in three parts, author, Paul Washer, breaks down the elements of the gospel call, the new heart that is imparted through conversion, and the changed life that is its fruit. He discusses familiar terms such as repentance, faith, receiving Christ, and receiving a new heart, but these terms are seen through the lens of God's Word, not through the eyes of modern evangelicalism. Washer writes with clarity and conviction, and a love for God and His gospel permeates the text. There are extensive footnotes with scripture references as well....

Right click to see the details ht: Craig on FB

Source I'm thankful for: The sound of the rain dripping from the leaves, songbirds in the bushes, and squirrels scampering on the roof. The bursts of color from the crepe myrtle trees. Physical strength for the day and sleep at night. God's faithfulness in life's transitions. My brothers and sisters at Grace Baptist Chapel. The internet is a great place to connect with believers, but there's no substitute for face-to-face commitment to a local church. The challenge to be renewed in the gospel for the sake of knowing the God of the gospel. Thankfulness is pleasing to God, not only in good days, but in bad.  William Cooper