Personal Post

There was a time a couple of months ago when I was heavily impacted by this statement:

"There is a God-enthralled, Christ-treasuring, all-enduring love that pursues the fullness of God in the soul and in the service of Jesus. It is not absorbed in anthropology or methodology or even theology - it is absorbed in God. It cries with the psalmist, 'Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.... Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of the earth (Ps. 67:3-4; 47:6-7). There is a distinct God-magnifying mind-set. It is relentless in bringing God forward again and again. It is spring-loaded to make much of God in anthropology and methodology and theology. It cannot make peace with God-ignoring, God-neglecting planning or preaching or puttering around." ~ John Piper

I first read this leading a small group of junior-high boys six years ago. Then it set something off in my heart that has lead me to where I am now.

Now I pray it again.

To be a God-centered man, not a man-centered man. To be a God-honoring man, not a man-honoring man. To be a God-fearing man, not a man-fearing man. To look at past failures and pains and know that by the grace of God he has lead me to where I am for his own sake and therefore to breathe grace and forgiveness in the same manner I have been shown it. To be forgiven my sins of man-centeredness and man-fearing, of future-worrying and past-atrophy, of making much of man, methods and books but forgetting God.

May it be that freedom reigns, freedom which was purchased at the highest of costs to cause this once bound and dead soul to live and move finding all it's being and hope in the God of the miraculous and mundane. The one who both spoke the world into existence and taught my soul to know there are acres of hope in him because there is none like him, none.

Personal Fault

“Come overwhelmed with life. Come with a wandering mind. Come messy…” Paul Miller

When I first read this line I thought of another, “Come with what you do not have and buy what’s undeserved. (Shane and Shane)”

Both struck me at an opportune time. This whole last semester has been both blurry and busy. The final semester of senior year, the changes happening at the church, the homework of every class, and the daunting third try at College Algebra all worked their ways under my skin.

Sleep wasn’t really sleep, if you know what I mean. It was a dark period where I was still tired after I woke up.

In all of this I became rather cynical (more so than normal). Judging others for their shortcomings became easy. Looking down on those of ‘lesser understanding’ was second nature. Being proud of what I know was how I’d act.

Yet conviction comes when you least expect it.

In a conversation with a friend, whom I love, talking about his very personal struggles.

It was just a passing thought in offering some advice, “You speak about how you still love the arrogant despite their sin, pride, but you don’t do that, do you Sam?”

Acting as though I had it altogether is like a vase sitting on the edge of the mantle, just waiting to be nudged off.

My point is this: I’ve not lived the mental Christian life well. The fight in your brain against sin, yea that one. Where you encourage others and, at times, reach to their level.

So, “Come overwhelmed with life. Come with a wandering mind. Come messy…” “Come with what you do not have and buy what’s undeserved.” Because He's love for his people drew Him to the cross.