Are you not entertained?!!

At the Drive-In Church Photo Essay

Who says our age is wierdly different from any other? Here's a church that has been in existence since the 50s!

Here's my favourite quote

"Church goers are encouraged to bring their pets to the sermon. Dog treats are handed our during collections"

Makes you wonder who thought there was a need for such a church. Some pastor actually woke up one morning, thinking this was a good idea. Gosh. Reality is funnier than fiction.

What does it all mean, this windfall for India?

TIME.com: Why Bush Is Courting India

What does it all mean?
Does it mean that I won't be suffering from power cuts (when I'm 60)?
Does it mean that my children will go to the united states without a Visa? (or that by then the rush will be for people to come to INDIA rather than the US, lol)
Does it mean that India will fulfil it's dream about being a superpower by 2020? (a rough interpretation of what "superpower" means is needed here)
Does it mean that someone out there is going to get really, really rich?
Does it mean that poverty is going to be eradicated in india (by nuclear explosions from badly managed plants)?

I hope it means something, and that the something is good, and that the good actually reaches the common people some day soon. I do sound cynical, but I'm really truly hopeful.

For You

XI

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse-and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness-
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

The Melancholic Waiter

A great post from a compassionate catholic waiter. There're lessons to learn everywhere. This guy writes well. And he doesn't know the Lord.

Heaven & Hell

Good News - Part One

Heads Up. This might be a long one.

What is the Biblical Gospel in a simple, logical, un-cliched, reasonable form? What is Christianity as defined by the Bible? Well, here's what I think is what it boils down to - this, in the form of a Q & A. I'm starting with a presupposition that the Bible IS the only authoritative word of God. I could have gone into a lot more detail, but I'm trying to outline a basic, clear explanation.

My main purpose in this blog post is remembrance - there is rich joy in contemplating the work of Jesus in my life. I have found that it is essential to stay close to the cross if I want to remain devoted to Jesus. This is the basis of my faith, my love, my hope, my passion.

This post is in three parts: This is part 1.

PART I: The Need for Salvation.

Question 1: What have God and man have to do with each other? Who decided that there needed to be this connection - that man somehow is compelled to come to God?

Answer: Three issues.

Issue a. Isaiah 43:7
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

There's a simple principle found here. God created all things. We are immediately confronted with the notion of accountability. The created owes its existence to the creator.

Issue b. Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him.

So we fine-tune the previous thought a little. Not only does all of creation owe its existence to God, but the purpose of all things is to give pleasure to God.
We're not only speaking now about accountability, but about specific duty. God created all things (not just man) to be actively giving him (God) pleasure. To "glorify" him. As a side note, this is what creation implicity does by just "being" (Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork".)the intricacy and beauty of creation gives glory to its creator.

Issue c. Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
The implications of this verse are very specific, because not only do they point to a special purpose for man's creation above and over the rest of creation, but they imply a means by which man can fulfil his purpose differently than the rest of creation (the purpose, as we have seen is the pleasure, the Glory, of God).
Man is in the image of God - this means not that he is God, but that unlike the rest of creation he can think, he can love, he can feel, he can have relationship connitively, by choosing to. In specific, actual ways, He can glorify God with words, with thoughts, with specifically chosen actions.
Also implied is God's tender love and special care when he created man.

Herein lies the uniqueness and specific purpose of man.


Question 2: Ok, so there is a connection between God and man. Man is accountable and his main purpose is to glorify God. So, what's the problem? Can't we just try to please him the best we can, as he intended us to?

Answer: There's a couple of issues we need to understand before we're ready to tackle the idea of glorifying God.

Issue a. The Character of God

Holy - Isaiah 6:1-5
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!
This is one of the phenomenal passages in scripture. Isaiah the prophet saw God. And this was his experience. The one thing that stands out is God's utter, unadulterated holiness. Even the perfect angels have to cover themselves in the presence of God. The idea of Holiness here is not just purity, but "otherness" - that God is set apart, above and beyond all else. And absolute purity is just an aspect of his holiness. It is this God who desires man to glorify him.

God's Standard - Leviticus 11:44
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.Man or woman can only fulfil his/her purpose in the context of God's holiness. Because God is so utterly holy, only a perfectly holy life will give him pleasure, will truly glorify him.

Issue b. The Fact of sin

Adam's Sin - Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Man and woman were created perfect, in the image of God, with an unhindered ability to glorify God. The situation was perfect. No issue, no unholiness present. But by one act of disobedience, the situation changed drastically. It is only once we have a proper understanding of God from passages like Isaiah 6 (above) that this makes sense. Man's one sin put a permanent block between him and God. No longer was man's life pleasing to God, no longer could man fulfil his purpose of existence.

You might ask, "What's that to me, If the first humans God created sinned? I was not there, I had nothing to do with it!" It's a valid question, and the Bible provides an answer. Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned sin came to all, through that one man, Adam. The point here is that all human beings are now, as it were genetically "birthmarked" or stamped with sin. It is the characteristic of who we are, inherently, at birth. King David understood it well when he confessed his sin to God - Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me. Born in sin, because of Adam. All of us, without exception, are marked, and therefore, separated from God, unable to please him. This is what I mean by the "fact of sin".

Issue c. The Act of Sin

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GodSee, we're not just marked even at birth by sin, we all, without exception faced with actual sin in our lives. Who of us can claim to be without sin? The Bible is clear that all have actually, physically, committed acts of sin. There is not much argument needed here. And so we're double sinful - both by just being human, and secondly, also by choosing to sin.

Sin is defined here as "falling short" of God's glory (see verse). To jump across a chasm, even an inch short means death. Same with sin - it results in both physical death, as we see in our own failing bodies, as well as eternal spiritual death. This, in short is the crisis. Because of factual and actual sin, we're unable to glorify God with the standard of perfect holiness that is required, which is our purpose for being.


Question 3: Well, I understand that sin is a problem. But I still don't quite understand what the big deal is... I mean, why can't I just do my best and can't God be merciful?

Answer: Sin has very serious effects that need to be understood if this question is to be tackled Biblically.

Issue a. Sin in Relation to God
James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. We've seen God's holy standard. But in addition to this, even one single disobedience to God's law means that we are in disobediece to all of God's law. It's all or nothing.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We saw from Romans 3:23 that sin prevents us from perfectly glorifying God. But it is important to understand that sin is not just a barrier that prevents us from communion with God. On the basis of sin being disobedience to all of God's law, we can see in this verse that it's not only a barrier, it's a crime. And crime demands punishment, and for us the "wage" is death.

Issue b. Sin with Relation to Man
Ephesians 2:1-3
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Sin is not only punished by physical death and eternal death, Sin causes spiritual death. The idea is of total inability. Dead things dont do anything. We're dead in sin, and without life, there is no possibility of us being able to do anything of ourselves to please God. This is our state without God.
In addition to this, because we have committed a crime before the Holy God, not only are we under punishment, but under his wrath, as the verse suggests. The Bible talks about judgement in very clear terms: Hebrews 9:27 - And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment... We will all be called to answer, and by ourselves, we will bear the punishment for our sins. This is righteous, this is just.
Here are some more verses about what our sin has done to us: Romans 8:7,8 - For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

This is where all men and women stand without God. This is the state of all humans - dead, unable to act, hostile to God, under the wrath of God, hopelessly lost, destined for eternal punishment.

Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

This is in clear Biblical terms, why we NEED to be saved.

She's got a ticket to ride....

This is satirical... please don't ask me silly questions.

Have you ever wanted to get away with almost anything? To have a ticket to inculpability, as it were, that lets you do mostly what you want with blissful abandon? Just thinking about such a thing makes me fear a world of anarchy and lawlessness. But the most devastating truth lies in the fact that this thing has existed for aeons, right under our noses. Women have "it" and it comes in the form of 4 worrisome words - "It's a Girl Thing". And the ones who suffer the brunt of this assault are men (and maybe very manly women, but that's for another day).

For example:

Woman: "Can I take your credit card and shop till we're in three decades of debt?"
Well, the man to whom this is addressed would ordinarily, if in his right mind, not even consider the possibility of this being a serious question. But then the trump card:
Woman: "It's a Girl Thing".
All of a sudden, there is no argument. The question WAS serious, and the credit card is handed over, along with the wallet and ID and 50 signed blank checks. It's like magic.

Or another example:

Consider this scenario - A man pulls a Three Stooges and makes a complete fool of himself. Justly, he can expect nothing but grief from his woman. It's what should happen. And it's what usually does, as most men will know.
But turn it around: The woman does a Lucy. Ahah! The man is ready with guns drawn: it's payback time. But then those ill-fated words "sorry dear, it's a woman thing". All of a sudden the man joins the woman on the table, and sings Cuban party songs, Desi Arnaz style.

There is a strange power here. Logic has nothing to do with it. But imagine the possibilities if this is properly harnessed.

Think about the Cold War. Had either the US or Russia decided to be smart, they would have installed a female leader. Said country would then be free to do what they wanted, no threat of war.

For Example, if Russia had a female leader:

High Level Phone Call from male US Premier to Russian Premier: "Um... Madam, you've just launched a nuclear missile, and it seems to be heading toward Texas"
Russian Reply: "Yes, Comrade, it's a woman thing".
American Response: "Uh... Ok.... I guess we can do without ONE state. Hope you feel better! I'm sending you flowers."

And so there is peace in the world, even if the US is less one section of real estate. However, if BOTH the US and Russia were to install a leader of the Feminine type, then that would be a whole different story, and I don't Imagine I would be around to type this little satire, or that you would be around to read it. At least not with the normal number of limbs or heads.

I'm still trying to figure out the point of this whole spiel, but I would imagine somewhere in here is the realization that us men just need to suck it up - sure life has a few Texas-sized smoking holes, but small price to pay for peace.

I better end this, I have no ticket to indemnity.

Wow... I like these people already

That there's a site like this one - with huge money poured into it and so much content dedicated to it makes me happy. I want to curl up under warm blankets and depart into my dreams for a while, without guilt. Hey! I'm not lazy after all! People are paid to promote the importance of such things!

Love at First Bite [The Publisher’s Ring]

Are these people for REAL? What in the world is wrong with the people in the world, and why is it that white people come up with some of the most bizzare ideas of love? Hollywood was bad enough, now reality takes it to a whole new level. Love at First Bite [The Publisher’s Ring] will shock you and send you into the other room screaming for mercy. They call this love. Oh my.

EDIT: Apparently, it's an April Fools joke, but in extremely bad "taste". And also, sort of hard to decipher considering the content and purpose of the site is about self-mutilation in more acceptable forms.

Worship Matters: Idolatry on Sunday Mornings, Pt. 3

Worship Matters: Idolatry on Sunday Mornings, Pt. 3

Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries fame has really hit upon a gem of a series - a three part posting about the Idols that we put in front of ourselves on Sunday Mornings when we should be worshipping God.

The whole thing is worth reading, but here's a snippet to whet interest

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, idolatry can be active in my heart even as I’m outwardly worshipping God. That’s a sobering thought. Whenever I think I can’t worship God unless “X” is present, I’m making a profound statement. If “X” is anything other than Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, I’ve moved into idolatrous territory.

Instant Gratification

Pandora Radio

Have you ever been in the mood for a specific kind of music, and nothing seems to fit the craving in your inner soul? Well, here's a resource that lets you listen to songs with styles that you dictate. Very customisable, and infinitely user friendly. I imagine site this is going to be my home page for a long time.

What an excellent idea! This is really cool, and best of all it's free.

From the Faq:
Q: What is Pandora?

Pandora is a music discovery service designed to help you find and enjoy music that you'll love. It's powered by the Music Genome Project, the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken. Just tell us one of your favorite songs or artists and we'll launch a streaming station to explore that part of the music universe.

Q: How do you decide what to play?

We take your input (artists, songs) and feedback ("I like this", "I don't like this") and use the Music Genome Project to create stations that play songs that are musically similar to what you've told us. That's it; only the music counts. We don't care how popular the artist is, who's backing them, and we don't care which genre bin they usually belong in. Only the music matters.

Only the music matters. I hear anthems ringing in my head as I read that. What wonderful times we live in.

Proving the existence of God

People say that it's a circular argument that us "fundamentalist Bible believing" Christians use to talk about the existence of God: Why do I believe In God? The Bible says so. Why believe the Bible? Because it's the Word of God. What makes you so sure God wrote it? Because, ultimately, the Bible says so - that's a circular argument all right, but I don't think that a Christian needs to be ashamed or guarded about it.

Sure, the Bible can be historically verified is internally consistent. Sure scriptural prophecies have stood times test. But for someone does not believe, what good does all of that do? Because some of these discussions are so far back in time that no one of us was there - all we have is the Bible - God's word that it happened.

"Faith comes by hearing the word of God". Ultimately, discussions away from the Word of God will lead nowhere, and the danger is that the authority of Scripture is undermined, traded for the wisdom of man - much of which is helpful, but just not Divine Decree.

It's hard to comprehend from an outsiders perspective, how such an approach is inviting or even desirable for anyone who does not have the same presuppositions. But I believe we have no reason to apologise, or rationalise or be diffident about the claims of God on men. There is definitely a measure of gentleness and love and compassion and understanding and relevance - this piece is not about those issues - Francis Shaeffer has got good things to say about the right approach in "taking the roof off" someone's worldview. Ultimately the only word that will save is the Word of Power - and only God's Word, Scripture, the Bible, has power to save.

ESV, Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, [4] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Who speaks from a position of power? Is man justified in his questions about God? Let's get our perspectives right. God owes no man:

ESV, Romans 1:19-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Circular arguments are OK, in my book, when they are backed by the clear mandate of God's word. It's not God who has to explain himself or prove himself. It's man who stands judged, because what is plain to him, he has suppressed, and has left himself no excuse.

Holy Spirit Revival

We've been going through 1 John, and reached chapter 4, and the discussion about the experience of the Spirit from the end of Chapter 3 has sparked some thought.

John Piper on the Holy Spirit
This is why Paul can say in Acts 19:2 when he meets the confused disciples of John the Baptist, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" What would a contemporary Protestant evangelical say in response to that question? I think we would say something like, "I thought we automatically received the Holy Spirit when we believed. I don't understand how you can even ask the question." How could Paul ask that question? He could ask it, I think, because receiving the Holy Spirit is a real experience. There are marks of it in your life. And the best way to test the faith of these so-called disciples is to ask them about their experience of the Spirit. This is no different than what Paul said in Romans 8:14, "All who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God" (see 2 Cor. 13:5 and 1 John 3:24; 4:12-13). I sometimes fear that we have so redefined conversion in terms of human decisions and have so removed any necessity of the experience of God's Spirit, that many people think they are saved when in fact they only have Christian ideas in their head not spiritual power in their heart.

Something I'm trying to understand. Coming from a cessationist, non-charistmatic, non-sign gifts background, and now trying to understand these things in light of scripture, and interesting issue is raised about the experience of the Spirit. I don't know if I agree with Piper fully, but he does have some good things to say.
What's the connection between tongues and the Spirit? As soon as you start talking about an experience, people start to get uneasy and think oh no, this guy is going to start speaking in Tongues or something. No! Piper again:

So you see, the real issue the Charismatics raise for us is not the issue of tongues. In itself that is relatively unimportant. The really valuable contribution of the Charismatic renewal is their relentless emphasis on the truth that receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is a real, life-changing experience. Christianity is not merely an array of glorious ideas. It is not merely the performance of rituals and sacraments. It is the life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord of the universe.

Not dead faith, but vibrant passionate, even (hold on to your hats) emotional faith that is filled with the truth of God and expressive of the glory of God. Piper helps a little with defining the "experience" of the Spirit.

We could talk for hours about what that experience is. In fact, most of my messages are just that—descriptions of the experience of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer. But I'll mention two things from the book of Acts—things that mark the experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit or of receiving the gift of the Spirit. One is a heart of praise. In Acts 10:46 the disciples knew the Holy Spirit had fallen because "they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling (or magnifying) God." Speaking in tongues is one particular way of releasing the heart of praise. It may be present or may not. But one thing is sure: the heart in which the Holy Spirit has been poured out will stop magnifying self and start magnifying God. Heartfelt praise and worship is the mark of a real experience of the Holy Spirit.

The other mark I'll mention is obedience. In Acts 5:29 Peter and the apostles say to the Sadducees who had arrested them, "We must obey God rather than men." Then in verse 32 he says, "We are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God gave to those who are obeying him." ("Gave" is past tense; "obey" is present ongoing tense.) It is inevitable that when the object of your heart's worship changes your obedience changes. When Jesus baptizes you in the Holy Spirit, and infuses you with a new sense of the glory of God, you have a new desire and a new power (1:8) to obey.

Fighting Entropy

Some people bring immense change to the world. And when such people start blogging it is a notable effort to make this world a better place. Dilbert has a blog!!

Here's what said world changer has to say in his defense:

MY OWN DILBERT BLOG
===================

When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won't have time to think about other people.

People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:

1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I'll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know - I'll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that doesn't involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It's called a blog? I'm there!

The blogger's philosophy goes something like this:

Everything that I think about is more fascinating than the crap in your head.

The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book, is that no editor will be interfering with my random spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and on and never end so that you feel like you need to take a breath and clear your head before you can even consider making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn't need to be written anyhoo.

If that doesn't inspire you to read my blog, I don't know what will. You can find the Dilbert Blog at http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/

Gas or Gold?

One positive product of high gas prices in the United States is humor. And by gosh, that's always welcome.
check out this site for some comics about the pain of gas (I'm not talking about the day after Tandoori Chicken).

Marriage on the Mind

Surely, marriage is an economic contract to provide for children and to take care of mothers while they bear kids and bring them up--but it is much more than that. It is the means this animal, Homo Sap., has evolved--quite unconsiously--for performing this indispensible function and be happy while doing so.
Robert A. Heinlein, Time enough for Love

Science Fiction is an amazing source to me of the world's mind. Sometimes, things that I read in these stories just stick out at me and help clarify some of the places reason takes man, without God.

This passage above seems like a reasonable statement (evolutionary theory aside). But there's so much missing. When I move into the Biblical realm, I see that marriage is not just an association for convenience and propagation. Marriage is a sacred ordination by God himself. And why is it sacred? To us who believe, the love of a husband and a wife is a profound illustration (or should be, Eph 5) of God's love for us. So marriage, God's way, is so much more than Mr. Heinlein outlines. More than just to make oneself happy, even more than just to make the other spouse happy. It is that God is exalted and explicitly seen as glorious through the union of two redeemed hearts.

And there's so much more.

Taking informality to an arrogant extreme

I have nothing but love for Americans, but listening to the Albert Mohler program(a great segment on Biblical relationships by the way), a little tidbit he gave on american teenage informality cracked me up:

Apparently NorthWestern University's winning Lacrosse team was invited to the oval office, and some of the girls on the team wore flip flops!

Now Americans are said by people across the world to be arrogant and to disregard any kind of norms (a general opinion based on some truth) but it's funny to see this caricature find root in examples from reality.

I can just imagine - 'clickety click' (sound of said girl walking up in flip flops to the premier) "whassup, George".

It's like they're itching to provide an already provoked world with ammunition for mockery. In India we call flip flops "bathroom slippers".

2 Samuel 22

31 "As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

32 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

33 It is God who arms me with strength [h]
and makes my way perfect.

There is a wider context to what David is singing about, in relation to why God is His refuge, and the reasons why God is faithful: David qualifies God's faithfulness in perspective of his(Davids) own pursuit of righteousness - very interesting. However today this part of the passage screams out at me.

There is no where else to turn! With assurance like this for the days ahead, I rest in my Lord, Holy is his name.

Great Psalm - 62

from vs. 5 (ESV):

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Selah

Some things stand out to me from these rich words: for God alone I must wait. Reason: He is the originator, not just the focus of hope.

And I love the result that David reaches after contemplating the steadfastness of God: He calls the people, because God is faithful, not just to trust in Him, but to pour out our hearts: open the floodgates of our hearts before him.

And I thought my problems were big. Lord teach me to wait for you alone, not for the fulfillment of my whims, however justified they may seem.

The Piper pipes a haunting tune

Want to be shaken about how casually we take the matter of sexuality? John Piper is a man who'd do you in. Found a couple of sermons from the desiring god website that blew me away. Especially in the context of western culture and the "freedom" that seems to be the demand of the day, we need to step out and see things for what they are in light of God's word.

(MP3 Links)

Sex and the Supremacy of God (part 1)

Sex and the Supremacy of God (part 2)

(though I hastily add that this is an issue that pervades all cultures equally, not just the west)

Give me Grace

When my feet don't step
where my head will lead
when the future is unclear;
when control is not forthcoming
and there's a penchant for fear
give me Grace to follow
in the knowledge that you guide
to trust my feet to your goodness
you are right here by my side

When the coming dawn
brings unwelcome days
when I get what I don't ask
When I wrestle with submitting
with disfavor I cannot mask
give me Grace to bend my knees
knowing full well in the end
that your eternal plan is yet unfazed
ever wiser than I intend

When tomorrow turns
to yesterday
when all is said and done
when the rigmarole and balderdash
of my normal life's begun
give me Grace to jog my memory
looking back into the past
drawing strength for the next tomorrow
for in your faithfulness I stand fast