Words, Thoughts, Actions

In preparing to teach recently at Ouachita River Fellowship in Malvern, I was debating what translation of the Bible to use. In the end I decided upon the New International Version.

Six years ago, I was using this copy of the Bible to preach through the Psalms. It was enjoyable flipping through the pages and seeing some of my notes. Because of my markings, I know exactly where I was at in the Psalms when God called me to pastor elsewhere. More importantly, I can see some of the exact things that I was thinking about and teaching on during that time.

In Psalm 19:12-14, we find these words:

"Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

We all have sin in our lives. This is something that neither individuals nor society as a whole particularly like to acknowledge. But we know that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). For those of us who have come to know the power and grace of Jesus Christ, we know that those sins have been forgiven. That does not mean, however, that we never did them, only that we will not be held accountable for them because of the sacrificial love of Jesus; it also does not mean that we will not struggle with them in the future.

As I look over my notes from teaching on this passage years ago, I want to share a couple of thoughts that I see in the margins. I do not take credit for these; sadly, the margins left little room for citing the original sources. Nevertheless, I feel that the reflection and sharing is necessary:

• secret sins may do deadly mischief; it is well to be in much prayer concerning them
• the final verse addresses both expressed ("words of my mouth") and unspoken ("meditation of my heart") words
• words are a mockery if the heart does not meditate

Sin draws our attention from God. It is relentless in doing so. And it can be fun, though that fun is short-lived. The sins which we think are hidden from men are exposed fully before God. Upon reflection, I think that it is those sins which we believe no one sees that draw us farthest from God; often these are the ones that we willfully choose, which increases their capacity to take hold of us.

That's why David offers the prayer which he does: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." If our words and thoughts are God-centered, our actions will be less inclined towards sin. None of us are perfect, but God has offered to make us a new creation through Jesus Christ. Today, let's turn our eyes towards Him and His divine purpose.

Bibliography

NIV Archaeological Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Print.

Monkey See...

I am not a parent. My wife and I have no plans to change that in the immediate future. However, I am a son. My parents are amazing: they have always set an excellent example for me. The lessons that I learned from them are innumerable, and I can never thank God enough for them both.

That is the perspective which I bring into today's discussion. Parents, your children learn from you. They learn not only the wisdom that you teach, but they learn behavior from watching you. This is not inherently a bad thing; in fact, God ordained it that way. Take a look at the following passage:

He decreed statues for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so that the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands. They would not be like their forefathers- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

Psalm 78:5-8 (emphasis mine)

If you continue reading through the chapter, you find that the parents

• "did not keep God's covenant, and refused to live by His law" (10)
• "continued to sin against Him" (17)
• "kept on sinning in spit of His wonders" (32)
• "put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep His statutes"(56).

Here's where the point hits home. Immediately following the last reference above, we find these words: "Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow" (57, emphasis mine). The story that is recounted in this chapter spans generations; each successive generation follows the example taught to it by its predecessors.

If we want future generations to follow God, we have no choice but to model that lifestyle for them. This is a responsibility not just for parents, but for any of us who have influence on those younger than ourselves. The fact of the matter is simple: we cannot teach them to live as disciples of Jesus Christ if we are not doing it ourselves.

Bibliography

NIV Archaeological Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Print.

Abide in Me

Following Jesus puts us in a peculiar situation. Of utmost importance, it means that we have a relationship with Him. This relationship goes deep, reshaping our lives both personally and publicly. It also means that the world will hate us.

"If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world- therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also."

John 15:19-20

How then are we to bear fruit when the world is hostile to the Gospel? Take a look at Jesus' words in John 15:1-11. It is no coincidence that Jesus gave these words just before the passage quoted above. It is a very hard thing for us to hear that people are against us. So He offers a prescription: to be fruitful, abide in Me.

The word abide comes from the Greek word which is transliterated meno: it is a verb that means "to stay, remain, live, dwell, abide." In addition to this, it has a special annotation: "to be in a state that begins and continues, yet may or may not end or stop." The editors of the concordance referenced went on to note that "'To abide in Christ' is to follow His example of a life obedient to the will of God" (Goodrick, Kohlenberger, and Swanson, 1570).

Here's the deal: if we want to see the world redeemed, we must abide in Jesus. As His people, we need to be intentional about being close to Him and then, at the end of the day, desiring to draw closer still. There is no program or plan that will make the difference. Apart from Jesus, the Church cannot fulfill the Great Commission. Apart from Him, the Christian becomes ineffective.

But we have to count the cost. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus often warned His immediate followers of this; one instance was in Luke 14. Even as we look back to the passage quoted at the beginning of this post, we can see that the cost is real and is not limited to the financial realm. In fact, it may cost us everything. We who wish to follow Him today must be prepared to heed the same warning.

Bibliography

Goodrick, Edward W., John R. Kohlenberger, and James A. Swanson. Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1999. Print.

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Your Kingdom or Mine?

"For we are not peddlers of God's word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in His presence."

2 Corinthians 2:17

When Paul wrote these words, he was addressing a prevalent fact within Corinth and his world: not all teachers were true. There were false teachers in the apostolic period who were trying to corrupt or dilute the Gospel; Paul would often discuss this issue in his writings.

Now we sit with the codified Scriptures available to us with ease: many people have a copy (or even copies) of the Bible at home, there is an app for that, and God's word is made available to us on the Internet, that great database of human knowledge and existence. Surely we've moved past this issue, right? The only reason it's important now is so that we can understand historical context.

If only that were so. The teachers that Paul was addressing were corrupting the message of Jesus for their own personal gain, either monetary or (perhaps more often) politically. Throughout his letter to the Galatians, Paul addressed the Judaizers, a group who believed that Gentiles needed to first convert to Judaism before they could truly know Jesus. He said that these "false believers" had "slipped in to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus" (2:4). While the Law of God is good, this was never the question: throughout the rest of that letter, Paul stresses the point that man is saved not by works but by faith in Jesus Christ (2:15-16). Paul drives the point home in Galatians 6:12-15:

"It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised- only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law; but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!"

Today, we need to be aware of false teachers; perhaps we need to be more vigilant than ever because of the sheer amount of unfiltered data and the rapid rate at which it spreads. Jesus came to bring about the Kingdom of God. Why, then, do Christians so often use the Gospel to further their own kingdoms? Friends, I urge you to explore God's word, to pray, and to listen. As God calls us to life and freedom through Christ, He calls us to change the world, reshaping it in His image instead of our own. And this can only be done when we are firmly rooted in Him, surrendered to the fact that He is God and we are not.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Thoughts on Debt

Being in debt is hard. Sometimes, it feels like we can never get out. Though we work hard and make regular payments, there are days it feels most hopeless.

Though we do not like to admit it, this concept of debt applies to our spiritual life as well. Take a look at Colossians 2:13-14:

"And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross."

This debt, the sin debt, is one that we cannot pay off. But God erased it with the cross. We are freed from those legal demands, and are called into a new arrangement.

Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at what that means. It is a process that will take a lifetime, but God, who has called us to life, will give us what we need as we follow Him.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

The Gospel

Sometimes we over-complicate the Gospel. Here are the essentials:

• We are all messed up. That includes you too.
• God loves you so much that He chose to take on flesh and reach out to you, to us.
• Jesus Christ, God incarnate, was obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:5-11).
• He was nailed to a cross and died (John 19:16-37).
• His body was buried in a new tomb and guarded by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:57-66).
• On the third day, He rose again (Luke 24:1-7).

Jesus came to save us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

He came that we "may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

He loves you, and wants to have a relationship with you. Have you met Him?

If you are walking with Christ, I celebrate with you. I pray that God would continue to grow you towards spiritual maturity. If you have not ever heard this story or you are still wrestling with it, ask questions. Start by asking God and exploring His written Word. Then find a pastor or believer and visit. You could even contact me. My prayer for you is that God would change your heart and life as I have seen Him change mine and many others.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Cleaning House

I have been in the process of doing some cleaning and work around my home. One of the projects I tackled was cleaning the bathroom. We all know how much fun this is. I started working on the shower with one cleaning product, but had to change to change to another when it ran out. The second was a bleach based cleaner.

A few hours later, I was reminded of this passage from Matthew 23:27-28.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

We like things to look clean. But looking clean and being clean are two different things. Our hearts and minds are easily deceived, and we find ourselves thinking and even doing things that we know we should not. In his letter to the Romans, Paul asked the church if we should keep sinning so that grace may abound. His answer was a resounding "No!"- if through Christ we have died to sin, why would we want to continue in it (Romans 6:1-12)?

Friends, it's time that we do some cleaning. Each one of us who has been freed from the bondage of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ still finds ourselves wrestling with those sins which so easily entangle us. We all fall prey to hypocrisy. Christ wants more for us, and He offers it by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Perhaps you have not ever heard how much God loves you. We are coming up on that time when, each year, we remember and celebrate the great lengths that He went to in order to show His love while we were still sinners. Feel free to contact me or find a local pastor: we want to share this incredible love story with you.

May the God who has given His all to redeem us be honored today in our thoughts and actions.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Leaving 99

"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices."

Luke 15:4-5

I have heard this passage taught many times. I have read it many more. Yet I did not fully understand it until I became a teacher.

Teachers are entrusted with so many responsibilities and hopes for their students. Both inside and outside the classroom, we see them trying to learn and find their way. I have the privilege of serving at a Christian school, which gives me the freedom to express not just my hopes for them academically and socially, but also spiritually.

I will be honest: I am not perfect. I have wasted opportunities. As God has been working in my life lately, I am trying to do better; in doing so, I am getting a deeper understanding of this passage and what it requires.

First, it requires love. My friends who are parents understand this on a real, urgent level when they cannot find their child. The shepherd has to love the sheep, otherwise he would not care to pursue it. But more than love is needed. 

A shepherd must also be strong and courageous. Without these qualities, he would not brave the unknowns of the wild in order to find the sheep. He would be unable to lift the sheep from any snares and the carry it back to the flock.

That all sounds good, but why are we talking about it? Our culture needs shepherds. It needs parents, teachers, pastors, coworkers, neighbors, and friends who will be loving enough to watch over it, courageous enough to pursue it, and strong enough both to carry it towards safety and to lead it in the way it should go. It needs shepherds who will protect it from the thieves that come to harm it. It needs men and women who get what Jesus was talking about and who are striving daily to follow in the example of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).

Can we be those shepherds? May God enable us by His Spirit for this purpose.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Continuing to Grow

As we mark our first anniversary of The Landing, I have just finished rereading a book that I read almost a decade ago as I was entering my first semester at university. I have been wanting to do this for about a year now, and decided that this was the perfect time to again read The Heart of the Artist.

In my copy of this book there were many highlights and notes from my first read and our class discussions. Now there are many more. It is amazing how much more we get out of things the second time around, as we have grown with age and experience. Today I would like to share a quote that I found particularly challenging:

"Growing in Christ doesn't mean that we acquire a bunch of head knowledge. It means that we grow in areas such as moral excellence, intimacy with Christ, self-control and discipline, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love" (39).

From the beginning of our work here at The Landing, our goal has been to participate in a global, digital society, working to fulfill the Great Commission: "make disciples of all nations... teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). The last year has wrought its fair share of changes in each of our lives, but that goal remains constant.

As you read this post or others that are available through our archives, we hope that you do not leave only with information. Thanks to the rapid growth of the internet, information can be found anywhere. Rather, it is our prayer that you are challenged in your faith. In the aforementioned quote from Rory Noland, he points out that discipleship is not just learning new data; instead, discipleship is taking what we learn from Jesus and letting it make a noticeable, tangible difference in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I look forward to continuing to write here at The Landing. With so many distractions online, I pray that this will continue to be a quiet place where we can be challenged towards spiritual maturity in Christ.

Though I may never have met you, dear reader and friend, know that I am praying for you. As Spring approaches and 2015 continues, I pray that you would come to know God in a deeper way. I pray that He would empower you to make a difference in your family, workplace, and community for His Name's sake.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1 Thessalonians 5:28)

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Noland, Rory. The Heart of the Artist: A Character-building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999. Print.

A Reflection on Psalm 37

The other day I was reading Psalm 37, which is subtitled in the NRSV as Exhortation to Patience and Trust.

There are many things in life that cause us stress: situations, people, and any combination of the two. We often cannot control these things; instead, we can only control our reactions to them. Here are some of the things that David advises throughout this text:

• "Commit your way to the Lord" (5)
• "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (7)
• "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath" (8)
• "Depart from evil, and do good" (27)
• "Wait for the Lord, and keep to His way" (34)
• "Mark the blameless, and behold the upright" (37)

Yes, life is chaotic. However, David's counsel is very different from the frenzied responses which we so often take to moments of stress or uncertainty. He tells us to wait on God, committing ourselves anew to Him and His purpose. He also challenges us to refrain from anger, wrath, and evil; instead, we should do good and pursue good things.

I will not pretend to know the struggles you face. I can only speak for myself. As I face challenges, it is my prayer that God would help me to follow David's advice. So often I do not. I want control, or I want it to be resolved at my tempo; however, I am not God.

Verse 39 begins the concluding thought: "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord..." We should not become arrogant in this. The righteousness in question is that which David has been describing throughout the whole text. It is found by waiting upon the Lord, not in our acting and reacting according to our own imperfect and biased standards.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

The Responsibilities of the Disciple in Regards to Sin

"My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All men must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads."
Galatians 6:1-5

I love being challenged by Scripture. The author of Hebrews tells us that it "is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" and "it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (4:12). It does this by the power of the Holy Spirit, continuing to teach us as we follow Jesus. How amazing is this continual act of God's love?

Then we come to a passage like the one given above. This passage can be considered challenging, because of how it begins and ends. The issue: "Bear one another's burdens" vs. "All must carry their own loads."

At first glance, these two statements stand in direct contradiction. Biblical exegesis, however, shows that his is not the case. Let us begin by looking at the differences between the two nouns, translated into English as "burdens" and "loads." The first, burdens, is transliterated in Greek as baros, which can refer to weight, burden, or difficulty. The second comes from the Greek phortion, which is a burden, load, or cargo. J. M. Boice says that the difference between the two is that the first are burdens "more than a man should carry," while the second is "a common term for a man's 'pack'" (502).

Taking this subtle nuance into consideration, as disciples of Christ being filled with the Holy Spirit we are obliged to help our brothers trapped beneath the burden of sin. In his commentary on these verses, John Calvin offers an insightful reflection on this: "When we perceive a brother to have transgressed, let us consider that he has fallen into the snares of Satan; let us be moved with compassion, and prepare our minds to exercise forgiveness. But offences and falls of this description must undoubtedly be distinguished from deep-seated crimes, accompanied by deliberate and obstinate disregard of the authority of God" (171). No sin is to be ignored or swept under the rug, but this passage refers explicitly to those brothers or sisters who are habitually and willfully choosing sin over the new life which Christ has offered.

Let the disciple beware, however. Paul warns caution against temptation as we strive for our brother's restoration. He even encourages warning against two conceits: (1) the believer thinking he is more important than he actually is, and (2) the believer comparing himself with others (Boice, 502). It is in the context of this latter conceit that we come to the final thought in the Scripture: "For all must carry their own loads." The English, in my opinion, presents the timing of this with much less clarity than the Greek or even the Latin, which uses the verb portabit, a future tense verb. In the end, each disciple will carry his own pack of works when he/she stands in the presence of God. J.V. Fesko notes that

"We can either look to Christ by faith and receive his righteousness and perfect obedience, or we can try to stand on our own. However, if we lean on our own devices, there will be no one else to blame when we fall. We will have to give an account for every one of our actions. There will not be any justification by guilt, by poor parents, by weakness, or by any other excuse we may try to conjure up" (188-9).

At the end of the journey, we will be responsible for our own actions. There will be no excuse that can be given. At the same time, we are responsible for coming to the aid of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they too wrestle with sin. We must do so in humility and kindness.

I myself am still working through the implications of these things, both as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as an educator. It is my prayer for each of us that as we allow God to teach us through His word, He would show us practical opportunities to apply this passage in each of our varied situations.

Bibliography

Boice, James M. "Galatians." Romans through Galatians. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Vol. 10. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976. Print. The Expositor's Bible Commentary with the New International Version.

Calvin, Jean. "Galatians." Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians. Trans. William Pringle. Vol. XXI. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009. 170-76. Print. Calvin's Commentaries.

Fesko, J. V., and Jon D. Payne. Galatians. Powder Springs, GA: Tolle Lege, 2012. 183-89. Print.

Goodrick, Edward W., John R. Kohlenberger, and James A. Swanson. Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1999. Print.

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Contemplating Sin and Our Relationship with God

Lately I have been thinking much about my relationship with God. In seeking Him, I have been challenged to think much about another issue: sin.

I realize that in our postmodern society, clearcut right and wrong can be hard to find. When we choose to submit ourselves to Christ, however, this becomes a well defined issue with which we must reckon.

King David offers the following prayer in Psalm 51:1-5.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and blameless when You pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me."

David, who is elsewhere in Scripture acknowledged by God as "a man after My own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22), recognized the reality of this issue of sin. He himself wrestled with it, and was honest about his struggles. When David sinned against God, he sought restored relationship with God through repentance.

After quite some time contemplating this issue, I found myself at this thought: we wrestle with sin in direct proportion to our relationship with God. When I do not care to pursue God as a disciple of Jesus Christ, sin is not so bothersome. In fact, it's mostly enjoyable. But when I am drawing near to God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, sin becomes a major problem. Instead of feeling nothing, I am able to acknowledge that a part of myself is dying in darkness because of sin. And I can only know this because of the light of truth which Jesus Christ provides.

"For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" (Ephesians 5:8-14)

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Everyday Journeys

Recently I stood for the second time in the Sistine Chapel.

It was almost exactly two years since my first visit. It amazed me how much things had changed. Not about the Chapel itself, but about me.

You see, when I was there the first time, I was undergoing information overload. I think that this happens to many of us when we encounter a new place or situation. I remember visiting quietly with my colleagues and students for the majority of the time that we were in the room, discussing the images displayed magnificently before us. I walked around the chamber trying to frantically observe every panel during the short time we were there.

This time I found a seat on a bench along the side wall. And I sat.

I thought.

I reflected.

I prayed.

I sat. And it was perfect. I allowed the quiet and beauty of the moment to challenge me as I considered God and His redemptive work throughout history.

This moment was a renewing challenge: to be still and reflect on who God is. Everyday life is remarkably busy, and I know that often I put far too many things on my plate. We are our own worst distractions. But this is not our only choice.

This morning when I woke up, I read these verses:

"But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:24b-25)

In the same breath that God tells us He has been hurt by us, He says that He forgives us according to His divine character. AMAZING!

You see, today I do not have the luxury of the Sistine Chapel. Right now there is only God's word, a computer, and me. And I still want to marvel. I still want to be challenged. That, friends, is my hope and prayer for us all: that wherever we are at, we would be aware of God's presence shining through the moment.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Reflections

The times... they are changing.

It has been some time since we last communicated. I hope that you and your family enjoyed the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and that you are looking eagerly to 2015. I know that I am; I cannot wait to see what adventures lie ahead!

Two years ago, I was spending New Year's Eve on my own. My wife was travelling with her side of the family, and my parents and sister were all travelling as well. When I had gotten on the road from dropping my wife, Rachel, off with her parents, I did so with the intent of driving back to Little Rock. However, it was mid-afternoon, and it would have been a very late arrival. I decided instead to go back and stay the night at my parents' house, and start fresh the next morning. As I was driving, I called my grandmother to see what she was doing. She invited me out for supper.

I ended up staying out at her house until after midnight. We watched football, visited, and laughed. It was a truly enjoyable evening, one which I will never forget. Within six months, she was diagnosed with cancer. Six months later (almost a year ago to date), she passed away.

I love and miss my Nana. She is not the only one that I lost this year. But 2014 also had some truly incredible, unforgettable moments: a family vacation with my parents and sister, a march through Washington DC on the fourth of July, and countless other personal and professional highlights.

In the end, 2014 was a sobering reminder to cherish every moment. And that is our challenge looking ahead to 2015. Love God, love others, and savor the beauty that is life.

Happy New Year!