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I had one of those test last week. You know one where challenges abound and you’re just not sure why everything seems to be against you.

• I had a couple of IT issues at work that took days to resolve. What I thought would take an hour took 3 days.
• I had to prepare to speak on Sunday about prayer. We’re doing a series called “Living on a Prayer”. I couldn’t seem to get going with it earlier in the week, but finally was able to get it all together by Friday. (I don’t like to finish things last minute). You can hear the sermon here. (We had a little audio difficulties)
• My Dad started coughing up blood Thursday night. I meet him at the Hospital around 6 and was there until they admitted him around 10. (Thanks for everyone who prayed. He was released yesterday and diagnosed with pneumonia).

I do recognize all this was from the LORDs hands, which he used to chip off some rough spots in me. This also explains while the blog posts have been a little slow in coming.

I ran across this list by R.A. Torrey while preparing for a message on Prayer. I thought these were great so I’ve listed them for you here. They were taken from a book my Mr. Torrey entitled, “How to Pray”.

• Because there is a devil and because prayer is the God-appointed means of resisting him
• Because prayer is God’s way for us to obtain what we need from Him
• Because the apostles, whom God set forth to be a pattern for us, considered prayer to be the most important business of their lives
• Because prayer occupied a prominent place and played a very important part in the earthly life of our Lord
• Because He (Christ) is now interceding for us
• Because prayer is the means God has appointed for our receiving mercy from him and of obtaining grace to help in time of need
• Because prayer is the means of obtaining fullness of God’s joy
• Because prayer with thanksgiving is the means of obtaining freedom from anxiety and in it’s place, that peace that passes understanding
• Because prayer is the method appointed for us obtaining the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit
• Because prayer is the means by which we are to be watchful and be alert to Christ’s return
• Because prayer is used by God to promote out spiritual growth, bring power into our work, lead others to faith in Christ, and bring all other blessings to Christ’s church

I really like reading the book of Job. While there is no certainty on when the book was actually written, most agree that the subject matter in the book contains some of the oldest records of history (Somewhere between Adam and Abraham). Instead of providing a narrative of what happens in the book (you should read it) let me leave you with some of my take always from the read.

• God has a hedge of protection around all who are righteous.
  
• Satan has to get permission before testing any of us. However, God sometimes allows him to test us but still provides the parameters
  
• Why do we only accept the good things from God and not the Bad? God is trying to teach us something (2:10)
  
• Job did have a problem of worry and fear before his calamities (3:25)
  
• Job was committed to God even though he recognized his intense suffering was from the God. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him:” (13:5)
  
• While some of you rfriends have your best interest in mind, they may not speak wisdom. While there were sympathetic to his situations, they were not thinking from God’s perspective.
  
• Suffering is intense and goes on until we learn the lesson (I didn’t say until we are ready for it to be over).
  
• Don’t discount the wisdom of young people who love God. Elihu had more insight in Job situations that all the other older people.
  
• One’s own sin is not always at the root of personal suffering.
  
• Pain tunes up our spiritual ears.
  
• There were behemoths and leviathans in Job’s day. Not sure if these were Dinos, but I would have been scared too.
  
• Healing comes when we ask our friends to forgive us for our ungodly words.
  
• God always restores more that Satan destroys.
  
• God Wins, Job Wins, We will in the end; in Christ!
  

I went to Chattanooga a few weeks ago to attend a Freedom in Christ Ministries seminar.  I am very impressed by Neil Anderson’s systemic approach to confession and repentance.  His material is a rare find for me in the world of “Christian Counseling”.    I’ve read Bondage Breaker and Discipleship Counseling.  I’m going back now and reading his first book, Victory over the Darkness. 

There is nothing glamorous or heroic about surrender. Surrender is what someone does when they see they can’t win. It’s when you give up; when you Tap Out. However, Surrender is the very thing that is at the root of living for and with Christ. A person may attend church, say prayers, read the bible, home school, witness, write a blog, or do any number of good things out of their own strength and capacity. However to do “something” of spiritual significance we must surrender our lives to Christ (John 15:5). This means coming to Him on his terms, not ours. Putting down our silly religious games and showing up as a defeated foe ready for our fate. Graciously our LORD extends his loving hand to His defeated enemies who humble themselves and come before him SURRENDERED. Here is an incredible lesson from the Old Testament. Let me set it up and the scripture will play it out.

It’s around 586 years before Christ. The Israelites have been in continuous rebellion from God since the kingdom was divided; after Solomon pursued other things (like 1000 women). So after hundreds of years of sending prophets asking the people to repent; God sends judgment on the remaining Jews in Jerusalem by sending the Babylonians to completely destroy the walls, temple, and city.

The King of Judah at the time is Zedekiah. So he does what most do in times of major fear (Remember Sept 11?). He wants to talk to the preacher/ I mean prophet, Jeremiah.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.

¹⁸ But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from their hands.’”
 ¹⁹ King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”
 ²⁰ ”They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.
²¹ But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has revealed to me:
^{………… 23} ”All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will^[5][[23] Or and you will cause this city to] be burned down.”

 

Loving Brad Paisley new album, “American Saturday Night”.  Yesterday at the Gym I happened to catch the Welcome to the Future video on GAC.  The song reminded me of this video. Funny thing is, if you are seeing this video for the first time you are probobly way behind.  Enjoy!

I know you don’t need me to tell you this, but life it buzzing by. I know there are rough days and there are long days, but all days come to an end. We pulled out some old home videos tonight from a few years back. JJ and I kept glancing at each other through the entire thing. Since the videos were made; our new born is now 3, the 3 yr old is now 6 and 5 yr has become 9 yr old! I know you’re thinking. Da, that’s what happen as kids get older; But when it’s your kids it’s different. You start wondering; have I done enough? I have taught them right from wrong? I’m I being too hard on them? I’m I being to lenient on them? There is a lot of insecurity for us parents. But then I remember. I’m still in the game. I still have some time. They are still under my care. Though the days are passing fast, I still have a chance to influence them toward God, and His Love, and His Purpose and Plan for their lives. It’s a mean and wicked world, you know.

I remembered Jesus words to his disciples on the night before his execution. The part I remembered from John 17:15 was, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world..”, the part I had forgotten was, “but that you protect them from the evil one.” Ah, prayers for protection from the evil one. I offer them up every day for my kids, just glad to get some Biblical support here. In a day where brokenness and pain and deception are everywhere there is only one hope for us and one hope for our kids and it comes from the Man with scars in his hands and his feet and he says to us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV) What an awesome Savior!

Photo taken Oct 21, 2006

Photo take Sept 20, 2009

It’s been a long week. Looking forward to a great weekend.

• Looks like JJ and I will be getting a date night tonight! Homeschooling 3 kids, I know she needs it more than I do. Thanks Mom and Dad for keeping the kids.
• Ally has a soccer game on Saturday. We’re not supposed to keep score, but my assistant coach tells we have tied all three games. That would make us 0-0-3.
• A ton of big College Football Games this week: I should get a chance to watch
  • State vs. Houston
  • Old Miss vs. BAMA
  • Southern Miss vs. Louisville

  Hopefully the Mississippi boys won’t lose all three games, but it’s certainly a good possibility.

Sunday we start a new sermon series at Turning Pointe. The series is call, “My Secret”. It’s going to be fun and intense all at the same time. Come Join Us!

I started reading Ezekiel yesterday morning in preparation for Halloween. {OK joking about prep for Halloween, but I am reading Ezekiel. But there is something in there about dry bones (insert evil laughter here)}. Anyway I came to a verse which took my mind to, Geophagy. I didn’t know the word Geophagy, but I did know the concept. Here is what Wikipedia has

Geophagy is the practice of eating earthy or soil-like substances such as clay, and chalk, in order to obtain essential nutrients such as sulfur and phosphorus from the soil. This practice is widespread among animals in the wild, as well as in human societies.

So what verse reminded me about pregnant women eating dirt? It was Ezekiel 3:1-3,

And he (the heavenly being) said to me (Ezekiel), “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.”  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

There are a couple of other locations in scripture where people are commanded to eat the Words of God. Thus illustrating the point that we should so consume the teachings of scripture that they become part of us. I’ve chose to coin the phrase Rhemaphagy. Which uses the Greek work “Rhema” to mean the specific words/sayings that come from the LORD? Read Eugene Petersons “Eat this Book” for more insight on eating scripture.

This type of thinking lead to come up with one last word which I’m calling Logosphagy. Thinking about Jesus words in John 6:53-56,

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood; you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

So Logosphagy is synonymous with Communion or The LORD’s Supper. We consume him in the elements (in some form or fashionJ). So today eat some clay, eat some word, and next time you take the elements remember our LORD…… crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and coming again in power. WOW