The Loneliest Moment

"When the pleasure button is repeatedly pressed and can no longer deliver or sustain, the emptiness that results is terrifying. Surely, the loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced what you thought would deliver the ultimate, and it has let you down."

Ravi Zacharias, from The Real Face of Atheism

Henry on Atheists

Matthew Henry, commenting on Genesis 1:1, made the following observation:

"Let us learn, hence, that atheism is folly, and atheists are the biggest fools in nature; for they see there is a world that could not make itself, and yet they will not own there is a God who made it."

SOHL Sunday 2011

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion in our nation. Since then, approximately 50,000,000 pregnancies have been terminated via abortion procedures. Abortion is not a political issue. It is a spiritual issue. We, as Christians, are to be the heralds of the Gospel, proclaiming Christ's forgiveness to those that have chosen an abortion; his guidance for those contemplating ending a pregnancy; and a voice for the rights of the unborn, those who are the most fragile of our society. For those that believe in the non-existent barrier between biblical principles and political positions, please consider the following ad that ran in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, sponsored by Pastor John Piper and Bethlehem Baptist Church. It was simple yet pointed:

"I am personally pro-life. But politically pro-choice." - Pontius Pilate

More importantly, meditate on the words of the psalmist, found in Psalms 139:32:

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb."

Remembering Dr. King

"Was not Jesus an extremist for love: 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you'? Was not Amos an extremist for justice: 'Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream'? Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: 'I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus'?...So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremist we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?"

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

A Prayer of St. Francis

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

St Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

Think About It!

"In the beginning, God created..."

Genesis 1:1


Our church recently completed a study of Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. Many of us are still sorting out the challenges and considerations presented by Chan in this bestseller. Our next Discipleship class will use The God Who Is There by D.A. Carson as its resource. In preparing for the sessions and the related Sunday sermons, I have been attempting to summarize the focus of the first chapter, Genesis 1 & 2, in a brief, pointed thought. Reading the opening pair of chapters to the Bible, two truths are overwhelmingly evident. First, God made everyone and everything. Second, if God made everyone and everything, then everyone is accountable to Him and everything is sustained by Him. These thoughts are foundational for rightly understanding what follows in scripture, whether it be Genesis 3 or Revelation 22. As you read and study the Bible this week, bear in mind the implications of the creation narrative. You will soon see that "God created" is the bedrock of scripture, made evident in the turning of every page. Thus, Genesis 1:1 serves as more than an introductory verse to the Bible; it is the essence of God's truth.

Owen on Obedience

"This obedience, as for the use and end of it, was not for himself, but for us. We were obliged to it, and could not perform it; he was not obliged to it any otherwise but by a free act of his own will, and did perform it. God gave him this honor, that he should obey for the whole church, that by 'his obedience many should be made righteous'. In this, I say, did God give him honor and glory, that his obedience should stand in the stead of the perfect obedience of the church as to justification."

John Owen (1616-1683)

Happy New Year!

In the midst of football, football, football...Happy New Year! As we begin 2011, let us give consideration to the words of David from Psalm 103:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!"
vs. 1

"Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"
vs. 22