Most and Least Bible-Minded Cities... fun and interesting study.

Hi All...

This is a Barna Group study I thought was quite interesting.  It breaks down the most and least Bible-Minded cities in the United States.

Top 6
Knoxville, TN

Shreveport, LA 

Chattanooga, TN

Birmingham, AL

Jackson, MS

Springfield, MD

...all major markets are included.  Here is a full list.

Don’t You Dare Be Caught Rejoicing with Those Who Weep by Justin Taylor

Hi Beloveds...

Here is a great, quick, read from Justin Taylor over at Between Two Worlds.  I think as guys we can be especially bad about this sometimes, wanting so desperately to just fix things.

Don't You Dare ...

Love

The Singing God Post by Sam Storms

Hi Beloveds...

I love music. God speaks to me through music. That's just our thing.

(This is the reason I often attach appropriate songs to my posts or write about a particular song outright.)

I can be in the car, on the way to work, ask Him to play me a specific song on the radio, and He will.  If I just need Him to talk to me, I ask, and the perfect song comes on.  Even though I've come to expect it, it still moves me.  He knows each and every one of us intimately.  This includes our "love languages".

This post/ book excerpt by Sam Storms at TheResurgence.com made me think of this.  While the post is well done and a good start, it only scratches the surface.  There's a generational sin component here which remains unaddressed.  (Huge topic on my heart over the past few years, and I hope to write about it soon.)

We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).  This starts by knowing and excepting God's love.




I Love This Song!! (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

Why do the right thing if there's mercy and grace?

Beloveds,

Do you know someone who's casual with God's mercy and grace. They may rationalize it, saying God loves them and wants them to be happy. A "good" and "loving" God would never let them suffer stress and difficulty.

To do the right thing is just too hard. They would rather sin, ask forgiveness, and move on. They're convinced God loves them so much He would never want them to feel the full weight of their sins.

The beautiful and ugly thing is, I don't think they're wrong! Case in point, the man who died next to Jesus on the cross. (Luke 23:32-33, Luke 23:39-43)

If, before it's all over, they've excepted God into their heart, they will be forgiven. There's NO sin, so big or intentional, it can't be covered by the blood of Jesus.

So why do the right thing?

Great Article by Tim Challies... Amazing Grace

Hi Beloveds...

"Pleasing Grief and Mournful Joy"

I thought this was a great article from Tim Challies over at Challies.com.  I really like the way he writes anyway, but this post struck me as being particularly well done.

Beyond the beautiful story, there are two things that stick out to me...

1)  I love the whole, we love Him because He first loved us, that is it's underlying truth.  He never uses those words, but it's there.

2)  I agree with the idea something promising freedom can ultimately enslave.  I believe this goes beyond abortion and into many other areas of life.  Drugs, Sex, Divorce, etc...

Worn - Tenth Avenue North, LIVE at K-LOVE.

Love this song!  Strength from God when we're weak.  Life from death when the "devourer"(1Peter 5:8) has done his worst.  Forgiveness and redemption for the times we've let him.  Hope this blesses someone!

Worn-Tenth Avenue North...

"Worn"

I’m Tired I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world

And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn

My Experience Buying A New Book Today (God Loves Broken People: And Those Who Pretend They're Not by Shelia Walsh)

Hi Beloveds...

I love the way God works.  I was asking God to minister to me this morning and He told me to "go to the book store to get a book".  I said "ok, but I have no book in mind so You need to show me the book when I get there".  With that I got ready and was on my way.


Now I don't know about you, but I'm a bit of a Bible addict.  So the first thing I do when I walk into any christian bookstore is go to the Bibles and spend a minimum of 10-15 minutes browsing.  Has anything new come in?  If there's nothing new, I look over the ones I've already seen, just to make sure nothings changed since the last time I looked them over.

It was not more than 3 minutes after I had completed this obligatory ritual, and was walking around, when God lead me straight to the book I was called there to get.  My heart dropped in my chest.  Oh how well our God knows just what we need and when.  It was the perfect book in so many ways.

So I started to think about whether I should buy the book from the bookstore or on amazon.  I mean, I'm on a budget here, right?!  I took out my phone and did a price check.  No joke, the book was about a tenth of the price on amazon.  But then I heard God say "Buy the book here, they need the money".

Ummm, ok God.  I was obedient and went to the register to pay full price for my book.

Now I believe blessing falls on those who get their eyes off themselves and onto others.  If you are looking to have a prayer answered, ask God, but then find someone who is facing the same situation and pray for them.  Serve them in some way.  God will lead you there, if you humble yourself and ask Him to show you.  We are called to love.  (Matthew 22:37-40)

I start by asking the lady behind the counter if she had heard anything about the book.  "Have you read this?  Have you heard if it's good?"  She told me that she had not, but she really liked the author and was confident it would be good.  With that she checked me out.  As she was finishing she started to ask me if I wanted to buy a $5 Bible to donate for....  My knee jerk reaction was to say no.  Guy on a budget remember.  Silly me!  Then the rest of what she had said settled in...  for the crisis pregnancy center.

Oh God!  Beloveds, if you knew my life right now you would understand how this effected me.

Let's just say I quickly changed my mind about the donation!

We serve an amazing God who loves us so deeply.  He loves those we love more than we ever could.  He is always with us.  If we turn to Him, He will answer!  Let Him love you.  Let Him lead you to where He intends to heal you.  Let Him love and heal others through you.  You CAN trust Him!

I'm excited about my new book.  I know it's just what I need.

I will let you know how it is.  :)


I love You so much God!

K-LOVE - Jason Castro "Hallelujah" LIVE

I thought this would be a perfect song to go along with my last post!  :)

Scars

Hi Beloveds...

So I was talking to a good friend last night.  He's an amazing man in Christ.

I'm blessed to have many friends in my life.  I've learned, for me personally, there are only a handful though who can handle the full weight of who I am in a moment of desperate need.  They've been tested by the fires of hell and refined.  Through the process they've been strengthened. There is nothing I can say or do that will break them or make them give up on me.  If I need to verbally vomit, I can.  If I need to cry, I can.

Though two of them are very much "men's men",  I feel safe and know they will never judge.

They've gotten to be where they are by walking some of the very same steps I walk today.  They offer no expectations,  just a love that prompts the desire to pay it forward or return the favor after I've made it through the fire myself.

So I had called this particular friend looking for some advice.  We got to talking about sin, judgment, and the scars that are left behind.  Here is a snip-it of thought that came out of that conversation...

I've had the verse about King David fasting for the life of his son on my heart.

¹⁶ David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. ¹⁸ Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!” ¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”
~2 Samuel 12:16-19

Over the past 3-4 years I've had some similar experiences.  For me it was not the life of a child but my wife and marriage.  I was grappling with how a servant of God could offer such a costly and heartfelt plea for forgiveness, I mean real blood and tears, yet in the end death still comes.  It was to the point David's servants thought he might kill himself.

Loving God?......  I say yes!

We sin.  We must ultimately face the judgment for that sin.  The Bible teaches us Christ came to forgive our sin and wash them away.  As far as the east to the west, right? (Psalm 103:12)  But I can think of no place where it says there will not be consequences for our actions.  Christ took the ultimate cost of our sin, eternal death.  Not all consequences here and in this dispensation.  Walk in life and be blessed.  Walk in death and be cursed. (Deuteronomy 30:19)  Decisions have consequences.  If there were no consequences, what would the purpose of free will be?

When you can see this operating in your life it provides comfort and stability.  Yeah, I can sin, but I know what is going to happen.  If I walk in His will for me, I know what's going to happen then too.  I will be blessed.  A bit Pavlovian?  Maybe.  But my point is this, we don't have to go through life in fear wondering what will happen next.  When we understand this, we can begin to let it shape our decision making.  We ultimately can start to let Him lead us.

Where does He lead us?......  Back to Him where we are loved, protected, and provided for. 

A relationship with Him!

What is more loving than that?!!!

Free will can leave scars, but scars are the remembrances of wounds healed.

²⁰ So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate.
²¹ Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” ²² He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ ²³ But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
²⁴ Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved him ²⁵ and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the Lord’s sake.~2 Samuel 12:20-25

Love