Seeking His Grace

I recently took part in a prayer chain and as my time was drawing to a close I started singing these words...after a few times through I decided to write them down.

Jesus
Draw near to Jesus
Come to Him humbly
Seeking His grace

Jesus
Keep seeking Jesus
Come to Him fully
Seeking His grace

For it is Jesus
Only Jesus
The Son of the Most High
The Son of the King
For it is Jesus
Only Jesus
Word from the beginning
The only way

Jesus
Kneel before Jesus
Come in His mercy
Seeking His grace

Jesus
Oh come King Jesus
We need you Jesus
Please give us Your grace

5 Books That Changed My Life

I love to read.

I love to curl up with a good book and will stay up late into the night if I find a real page-turner.

Over the years I have read more books than I can count.

Five of those books changed or impacted my life in significant ways.

Those books are:

1. Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

This book was handed to me when I was 15 years old. I had talked to one of the Deacons in my church and told him of the call I felt to missions. He gave me this book and I devoured it in a little over a day. I read this book every year for the next 12 years!  I learned so much...the biggest lesson being what Hudson Taylor's secret was. That secret changed my life and set me on the course to where I am today.

2. The Pursuit of God

In 1994, while attending a YWAM DTS in Lindale, TX, I chose this classic for a book report for school.  I had never heard of A.W. Tozer but was intrigued by the title.What I discovered in these pages challenged me in a way I had never been challenged before. This old school Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor wrote a book that rocked me to my core. All these years later I am still pursuing God and this book played a part in that decision.

3. What's So Amazing About Grace

I received this book as a gift while living on the mission field in Croatia back in the late 90's. As I read this book I was greatly disturbed. In fact I tossed the book aside and counted it as rubbish. I could not agree with Yancey's conclusions. I vehemently disagreed in some places. Then in a bored moment I went back to the book and got a little further before tossing it aside. No clue why I did not just toss the book out but on the 3rd read I finished the book and wrestled with its themes. I now count it as one of my all time favorites and have seen, received and attempted to show grace in ways I never did before thanks to this book!

4. Classic Christianity

I came across this simple little book shortly after the Yancey one mentioned above. I was frustrated and then intrigued by it's simple message of Identity in Christ. I read it with excitement, prayed through its pages and have recommended it to many over the years. I can only say that the Biblical truth found in the pages of this book can change your life!

5. Spiritual Rhythms

I picked up this book while in the midst of a spiritual low point. Talk about timely. What Mark Buchanan wrote in this book was nothing short of life altering. I never looked at my faith through the lens of seasons before and yet it resonated with me so completely that it formed the underpinning of many of my sermons over the next year. I soon discovered spring time again and still refer to this book when talking to others in the winter of their faith.

So there you have it. Five books that changed my life. If you have never read these titles I mentioned you should grab them, set aside some time and dive in!

Have you been significantly impacted by a book you've read? Feel free to share.

A Good Question

“What does that teach you about God, Daddy?”

This is the question my son has been asking lately.  He likes to sing praise and worship songs.  He also likes to make up new songs about God. Invariably he will end the song and ask what that song has taught me about God. It is a good question and will often cause me to think, what IS the meaning of the song and what DOES it teach me about God?  It is a great exercise.

I also realized, it is something I never used to ask.  I love to sing and will belt out a song anywhere and at any time.  Yes, I am that guy walking down the street singing to himself.  I will sing at work, in the car and yes, in the shower.  Until my son started asking his question, I never put much thought into what the song was teaching me about God.  Now I can’t stop.

I have also begun applying the question to my reading as well.  When I dig into God’s Word, I have asked myself, “What does this passage of Scripture teach me about God?”    According to God’s Word, the Scriptures are a light for my path (Psalm 119:105) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. (2 Timothy 3:16)

It is all that and so much more.  As I read the Old Testament, I see a God who is long-suffering and filled with patience and loving kindness.  Moving into the New Testament, we see a God who loved us enough to send His Son to earth, to die on a cross for you and me! 

God’s love, mercy and grace are all things that I have been taught through the reading of His Word. 

My son has challenged me to go deeper in worship and in reading the Bible.  Hopefully you will be asking yourself this same question he asked me.  “What does that teach you about God?”

Vanishing Grace

 
Philip Yancey has written another book on grace.  

Vanishing Grace by Philip Yancey is a sequel of sorts to his classic book What's So Amazing About Grace? 

In this newest book, Yancey asks why Christians continue to be ridiculed while losing respect and influence in our modern culture.  Vanishing Grace is actually four books in one. A World Athirst (1), Grace Dispensers (2), Is It Really Good News? (3), and Faith and Culture (4).

In part one Yancey shows the current view of Christians by society at large.  Insetead of judgement, Yancey calls believers to listen and love with grace and humility.  I enjoyed this chapter immensely. People are thirsty for more in life and we have the chance to show them the true Thirst Quencher. However, in order for people to truly listen, we need to judge less and love more.

Part two calls for believers to approach those we meet as pilgrims, activists and artists. I appreciate his call for believers to use the arts to call people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Seeing ourselves as pilgrims, we can take the journey together in humility instead of placing ourselves in a position where we can often look down on others in self righteous indignation.

Part three looks at why faith matters. Why are we here? Is there anyone else? How should we live?  These are the burning questions of life that Yancey seeks to address in this section.

In the final section of the book, Yancey returns to the theme of artist, activists and pilgrims and shows how we can and should be involved in the culture around us today.  All of these sections call us to be active grace giviers to those around us, calling people to a filling and fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ.

I will admit, I am a fan of Philip Yancey's writings.  Even with that bias, I think this book is timely for the world we find ourselves in today.  Do yourself a favor and add this book to your shelf.

This book was provided for through the Book Look Bloggers program in exchange for writing a review on the book.  I was not obligated to post a positive review; the opinions expressed are mine.

David Wilkerson

My familiarity with David Wilkerson comes primarily from The Cross and the Switchblade and receiving his newsletter for a short period of time in the late 1980's.  This created an image in my mind of a man who seemed cutting edge but also at times quite legalistic.  I knew almost nothing else about him.

When Zondervan announced a new biography about David Wilkerson, written by his son Gary, I was intrigued and also a little curious how open his son would be about his dads life.

Having now finished the book, I am impressed.

Gary Wilkerson has crafted both a loving tribute and an unvarnished look at his father's life.  This book gives you a clear picture of his dad's spiritual life and corresponding struggles.  You see both his highs and lows of a lifetime of service to the Lord.  The behind the scene looks at his book The Cross and the Switchblade and the movie of the same name were quite interesting.  The fallout among his own staff when he released The Vision was a bit surprising.

David Wilkerson's ministry is still changing lives today.  I saw firsthand the work of Teen Challenge while living in Croatia and can attest that it does change lives.

What develops over the course of this book is a story of a man who was passionate for God and who still struggled with his own faith walk.  I found myself encouraged by this clearer picture of David Wilkerson. I found myself relating to some of his spiritual struggles and his final acceptance of the grace of God.

I highly recommend this book.

Don't Miss Jesus

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her.

But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."  (Mark 14:3-9)

The people gathered at Simon’s house were missing the point of what this woman was doing.  They saw with their physical eyes and their indignation and disgust was distracting them from what was really happening.  The people were more focused on the value of the nard and what could be done with it, than they were on Jesus Christ. 

"The poor always being with us" is probably one of the most misquoted Scriptures in the Bible.  I have seen it taken out of context and used as an excuse to avoid asking the hard questions about poverty or as an excuse to do nothing.  Jesus was not talking about ignoring the poor in this passage.  He was not saying that they’ll always be there so therefore we should do nothing to relieve their suffering.  He was saying that at that particular moment, what this woman was doing was a reflection of God’s will and timing. 

Jesus pointed out that she was anointing his body for burial.  He was drawing their attention to the fact that He was going to die!  We know through the Scriptures that He was dying for each one of us, but at this moment in the story, people weren’t getting that.   

Jesus had a heart for the poor.  He reached out to and walked with those who suffered.  He called the weak, the sick, the impoverished and even the religious.  He called all of them and all of us to a deeper relationship.   He called us to love one another, just as he loved us. 

He calls us to walk with those less fortunate.  To reach out with His love, grace, mercy and hope.  If we do otherwise, we miss opportunities to see Him reflected in those around us.  I have seen Jesus reflected in the lives of the poor, the needy, the addicted and the afflicted.  I have felt the presence of God as a homeless man poured out his heart beside me, sharing his struggles with addictions, fear and faith.  I have seen the heart of Jesus reflected in an addict who reaches out in concern for those around him.  I have seen the love of Jesus in the actions of  the one whom society steps over and ignores.

Yes we have the poor among us today.  We also have an opportunity to experience God’s love in a fresh and exciting way.  Let’s not miss Jesus.

Love Mercy

I have been meditating on Micah 6:8 quite a bit these last 2 weeks.  If you are not familiar with the verse it says:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?"

I looked up the definition of justly.  It means to do what is morally right or fair.  So we are called to act with fairness, to do what is morally right.  

Interesting that this is followed by a call to love mercy!  Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.  A synonym for mercy is grace.

Love Mercy.

I am forever grateful that God loved mercy.  He loved us enough that He sent His Son to die for us, to save us from what we deserved (hell) and to show us mercy and grace.  

This gift of salvation allows us to truly walk humbly with our God.
 

You Can't Measure Forever

 My son is at an age where he is trying to quantify and measure things.  His big thing right now is trying to figure out time.  He uses his hands to measure out what he thinks you mean by a half hour, an hour, etc.  He keeps using the word 'forever' as well when he wants something to continue.  So when he was playing with his sister, he mentioned the word 'forever' and spread his hands wide.  My daughter said to him, "You can't measure forever!"

I heard that comment and was immediately impressed by the wisdom of that statement. 

We can't measure forever.  Keep that in mind as you look at Psalm 100:5 which says, "The LORD is good. His mercy endures forever. His faithfulness endures throughout every generation"

I thank God that His mercy does last forever.  I stand in need of His mercy and grace.  The fact that God is eternal and His mercies are everlasting give me cause to sing with joy!  In fact if you read all of Psalm 100, it speaks of just that:

A psalm of thanksgiving. "Shout happily to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD cheerfully. Come into his presence with a joyful song. Realize that the LORD alone is God. He made us, and we are his. We are his people and the sheep in his care. Enter his gates with a song of thanksgiving. Come into his courtyards with a song of praise. Give thanks to him; praise his name. The LORD is good. His mercy endures forever. His faithfulness endures throughout every generation."

I can't read that passage without getting excited. 

There is so much here but I want to point out just a few things.

Serve the Lord cheerfully - We shouldn't act as if serving God is like pulling teeth.  We should do so cheerfully.  In fact we should do EVERYTHING as unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:23) We should do whatever we put our hands to with a cheerful heart.  In fact, it's good for us to do so!  (Proverbs 17:22)

He Made Us - God is the creator of everything.  People can debate the age of the earth and how we came into existence but the Bible says God did it.  That's good enough for me. 

We are His - God sent His Son and purchased us with a price, His own Sons life.  I am glad that I recognized and accepted that gift. 

We are His people, the sheep in His care - I praise God He truly does care for us, watches over us and guides us with His voice, His Word and His provision.

Yes the Lord is good and we have a reason to sing!  We can't measure forever, but I am glad that I have the chance to spend forever with Him!

Jesus Is__ - A Book Review

Jesus Is_

I like the title of this book.  I also enjoyed the premise very much.  Author Judah Smith, pastor of City Church in Seattle Washington, uses that question to delve into the character of Christ. He breaks the theme of Jesus Is_ down into six sections:

1. Jesus Is Your Friend
2. Jesus Is Grace
3. Jesus Is The Point
4. Jesus Is Happy
5. Jesus Is Here 
6. Jesus Is Alive

With passion, humor, and conviction, Judah Smith attempts to show that Jesus is life.  Smith's passion comes through in this book.  You really get the fact that he is into Jesus.  He conviction is there on display.  I found numerous nuggets of truth that seemed to leap off the page.  I read a few out loud to my wife, discussing the ones that seemed profound and full of wisdom.

Sadly,mixed in with that passion and conviction was just a tad to much humor. Don't get me wrong, I love humor.  I use it while preaching and we also laugh quite a bit in our home.  I think humor in a non-fiction book about the character of Jesus is not a bad thing.  Judah Smith just seems to be trying to dang hard. In the first chapter, Smith has Zacchaeus thinking things are "dope" or "jacked up".  It is when he "tells the stories" that this book falls apart.  When Jesus mentions adultery during the Sermon on the Mount, I get taken out of the points Smith is trying to make when he says a guy has the Fisherman's Quarterly Swimsuit Edition in his knapsack and that guys are thinking they never hooked up with any desperate housewives or stopped by Hooters.

I made it half way through this book. By then, the constant modern day culture inserted into Biblical times thing got really old.  The humor was more than enough to drown out a needed message.

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

Dirty God - A Book Review

Dirty God: Jesus In the Trenches.  

Catchy title isn't it?  I thought so.  To me a title should hook you in and make you want to know more.  I was intrigued by the title and excited by the book itself, a book about grace.

The book is divided into two parts.  Part one is called Getting Grace.  Primarily this section could be described as explaining grace.  Frankly, I think as Christians we often misinterpret grace.  The author, Johnnie Moore, spends the first half of the book defining grace and showing what it is and what it isn't.  His conversational writing style, stories and balanced look at Scripture makes for a compelling read.

I found myself picking up my Bible and looking deeper into the passages mentioned and the book sparked more than one conversation on grace with my family and led to one (so far) sermon at church as well.

However it is in the second half of the book that I think Johnnie Moore really makes an impact.  That section is called Giving Grace.  This to me is the key the body of Christ as a whole should seek to practice.  We all want to receive grace from God and others but how often do we extend it to those around us?  I found this section challenging and compelling.  The author really encourages the reader to look for ways to extend grace to others and he bases his stories and thoughts in the Word of God.

He ends the book with a clear challenge and it's one I plan on taking up.  I want to challenge you as well to read this book.  Your life could be forever changed. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What Does Grace Look Like? - Just A Thought #55

When I look for an example of grace in the Bible, I invariably go to the parable of the prodigal son as found in Luke 15:11-32.  You probably recall the story.  Kid asks for his inheritance, leaves and parties hard, blowing his money and life in wild living.  He eventually runs through his funds and a famine hits.  He takes the lowest of jobs and is so hungry he decides to go home and throw himself at his dad's feet and beg for any work he has to offer.  His dad, seeing him coming, runs out to meet him with open arms and celebrates his lost son's return.

Grace: Unmerited Favor.

I prefer a different definition.

Grace: Unconditional Love.

 In this story, I see the unconditional love of a father.  Dad could have turned his back and turned his son back out to the streets.  He would have been justified.  Yet love won out.  His son turned from his past and returned to his Dad, who was ready to receive him.  Unconditionally.

He not only welcomed him back; he threw a party.  His other son got jealous and self-righteous.  Dad wasn't having any of it.  He had love enough for everyone but never shied away from speaking truth.  He pointed out to his older son that this party was needed.  The lost was now found. 

Unconditional love.

Do we set aside our pride and "right to justice", to love our friends, family, neighbors and enemies unconditionally?  God loved us enough to send His Son; Jesus loved us enough to die; can we love the people around us without reservation?

Grace - Unmerited favor; unconditional love; radical Christianity.

Amazing Grace!

                                              This video is amazing and really touched my heart.

Glorious Mess

Glorious Mess by Mike Howerton is one of the funniest non-fiction books I have ever read. In fact, I have never laughed so hard while reading a book about grace.

Wait, let me try this again.

According to the description from Baker Books, Glorious Mess clearly reveals God's perfect love for imperfect people. The book shows you how to hear God's voice, how to embrace God's calling, how to make the most of your messes, and how to see God working through them. The book includes insightful discussion questions for group or personal use.

Mike Howerton weaves the story of Jonah throughout the book and he uses both Biblical and personal stories of God's amazing grace. Each chapter ends by Mining the Mess, making each chapter personal.

I found the book to be quite good. Mike Howerton accomplished what he set out to do, to show God's love for imperfect people. I found the book held my attention to the very end. His frequent use of humor had me laughing out loud. As much as I loved the humor though, and I did, I found that near the end of the book it was just a bit too much. Most of his humor worked and there was nothing offensive. However, in the end I felt like he could have cut it back just a bit and still made the book an enjoyable read.

How's that for criticism...the book was too funny at times.

On a serious note, I found myself re-reading Jonah and coming away with a fresh understanding of the grace of God. I would recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with accepting the fact that God loves us just as we are.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group"

There Is No Sin That I Have Done [Official Music Video]

A fellow blogger, Paul Wilkinson, sent me the link for this video today and it really spoke to me.

The song is really quite powerful I encourage you to sit back and listen to the words.

Enjoy!

I Do Not Condemn You!

Who knows what was running through the woman's mind. As she was dragged into the midst where Jesus stood, the Pharisees began eagerly sharing the woman’s sin with Jesus and the people around Him. The woman had sinned…she was caught in the act, the very act, of adultery. “Moses said, according to the LAW, that she should be stoned. What do you say Jesus?”

Stooping down, Jesus took His finger and began writing on the ground. Again He was questioned, “What do you say? Should this woman be stoned?” Jesus stood up and looking around said to the scribes and Pharisees, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” With that proclamation Jesus returned to writing on the ground.

The crowd of accusers drifted away until no one was left. Jesus stood again and asked the woman if there was anyone left to condemn her. When the woman replied, “No”, His response to her echoes as a lesson to us all. “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” (A paraphrase of Romans 8:1-11)

I love this passage of Scripture. It is one of hope and mercy, grace and truth! Note that Jesus did not condone her sin. He told her to in fact, stop sinning! However, He showed her grace and mercy while also addressing those who would condemn her.

The accusations laid against her were not wrong, but the heart motive of her accusers was. Sadly, my motivations were not always pure when I confronted someone caught in sin. how have you responded to those who sin?

Instead of heaping condemnation on this woman, Jesus demonstrated a better response, one filled with grace.

I think we struggle in the church with how to respond to those caught in sin. We seem to forget that these were the very people Jesus died for. In fact, His harshest words were for those religious people of the day.

Maybe we are afraid that by demonstrating grace and mercy, we will seem weak on sin. Need that be so? Jesus spoke to the heart, not to the behavior. As demonstrated in this story, He told her to sin no more, but by His act of mercy, he also demonstrated His love!

There is a wonderful passage of Scripture found in Matthew 7:1-5 which says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

If we would remember that we ourselves have sinned and been forgiven much, we would find it easier to extend grace to others.

So the next time you want to speak to the sins of others, swallow your spiritual pride, check your heart and show the love of Christ!

Genealogy of Grace

I have to admit that I never really enjoyed reading the genealogies listed in the Bible. I mean I have read them. However, to be honest, I just skim over them lately.

That is, I did until yesterday. I started reading the book of Matthew again. I was determined to READ the whole thing and not just skim it. So imagine my joy when I read Matthew 1:1-17 and realized how exciting the genealogy actually is. I mean this thing was a mess. I looked at this list and was like...Whoa!

Just look at this list in Matthew 1. Reading it you will find a prostitute, a murderer, an adulterer, idol worshipers, you name it.

These people were in the lineage of Jesus! This was the list God gave us of Joseph's family tree. This sounds like a who's who of reprobates. Most people would try to hide these kinds of relatives in their family tree. Not God. He wanted us to see the good, bad and ugly of Jesus' earthly lineage.

Why?

I believe it was because God's grace was on display. David was forgiven, Jacob became the father of a nation. Some repented, others didn't but God's grace WAS evident. Even those who did not come back into a right relationship with God, WERE given the chance. God sent prophets to call them to repentance. His mercy was there for all to see.

The same holds true for us. We might mess up royally but you know what? God forgives. His grace and unmerited favor is there for us as well.

Are you willing to accept?

Challenged

I have a new favorite author:

Phillip Yancey

I first discovered Yancey on the mission field. I was given a copy of his book What's So Amazing About Grace? and it challenged, provoked and even angered me. Then I went back and read it last year and saw how much truth there really was in it.

About 4 months ago I picked up The Jesus I Never Knew and it hit me right where I was at.

Now I am reading The Bible Jesus Read.....

Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another." God has been using Yancey's writings to sharpen me of late. I would encourage you to check him out for yourself.

A Fresh Perspective

I survived the Blizzard of 93!

The storm struck in March and left Tennessee in a mess. I remember listening to the radio as the snow fell and hearing all the calls for rescue vehicles coming in over the radio. Power lines fell, people were stranded, the salt trucks could not keep up. All told the storm did $6.6 billion in damages. In East Tn. where I lived we received a little over 10 inches of snow. That summer people were wearing an "I Survived the Blizzard of 93" t-shirts.

Now here in Canada where I live now 10 inches does not qualify as a blizzard. In fact when I share this with people here they even chuckle a little. It's all about perspective though. Tenn. does not get much snow. They have very few salt trucks even. There is no need. Some winters there we were wearing t-shirts in Dec. 10 inches of snow there is crippling.

Perspective. Kind of like our relationship with God.

As a young believer I kept hearing the phrase, "A sinner saved by grace." Now don't get me wrong that is a very true statement. However many people live there. That becomes their identity. They walk around and see themselves as a sinner. Well when you focus on sin what are you going to do? That's right sin. Tell a child, or a husband, not to take a bite of fresh out of the oven cookies and what will they do? Eat a cookie. We want what we think about.

Yes I was a sinner saved by grace. However now I am a New Creation in Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:17) I was crucified with Christ and I no longer live! (Galatians 2:20). My perspective has changed. I see myself as new in Christ. When I think on Him I can't be thinking about sin. The key there though is keeping my mind fixed on Christ. When I take my eyes off Jesus I fall faster than a ton of bricks. However when I fix my eyes on Him I can't be thinking about sin.

I want to encourage you to develop a fresh perspective. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!