February, 2020

...now browsing by month

 

#Quote#Darkness

Wednesday, February 12th, 2020

Quite honestly I have never been one to listen to sermons or podcasts while I drive. I don’t know if you would say I am a typical male or whether it is just me, but I have trouble doing two things at one time.  Even reading more than one book at a time is hard, especially if I find one of them more interesting than the other. So I tend to be a “one-tasker” (as opposed to multi-tasker).  Driving and listening to a sermon is not on my radar for obvious reasons. Hint: you have to think while listening.

But lately I have found a couple podcasts I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to. One is Carey Nieuwhof’s leadership podcast, as well as Craig Groeschel’s. Another is Hole in my Heart with Laurie Krieg. Her husband, Matt, and friend, Steve, often join her. I have personally met Matt & Laurie and had them as our weekend guests here at OVCF. Laurie has what she calls “broken sexuality” (Same Sex Attraction). But her podcast has not focused on that alone. She did have one guest whom I really enjoyed listening to concerning his SSA but also his conversion to Christ. A recent guest, Sheridan Voysey, talked about the struggle he and his wife had with infertility.  It was during a “side road” Laurie took Sheridan on that he said something I wrote down (after I got back to the office).

This very darkness you are going through and your waiting and hungering and hoping for that new birth or rebirth, God can be doing things under the surface without you even realizing it, which is all part of Him making you who He called you to be.

I sent that to someone I know who is going through a really tough time right now. Short thought: nothing is ever wasted in God’s economy. His plan is sometimes curvy; sometimes uncomfortable; sometimes painful; but always with purpose.

I leave this quote with you for your perusal. If you care to comment, I’d love to hear what you think.

Posted in Christian living, God, Grace, hope, Just a Quote, Opinion, Pick me Up, Story | 10 Responses »

#GlorifyWhom?#YouWantMeToWhat?

Friday, February 7th, 2020

Talk about worship and you are sure to get a bunch of different ideas. Some of our ideas will be determined by our generation. Some are determined by our likes and dislikes and preferences. The struggle was so intense several years ago they called it “the worship wars.” Imagine fighting over worship. But they did. It started with the music. Hymns were replaced by worship songs and choruses. Admittedly some of them were cheesy and mere fluff and extremely repetitive. The battle intensified when the whole seeker-sensitive approach hit the fan. Preaching was replaced by “talks” and drama. Worship music was replaced by pop songs and shallow songs pushing horizontal type of worship. There was more “me” than there was “Him” in our singing.

But IMHO that all missed the mark of what should be our focus: the worship and majesty of the Holy One, Jesus. God the Father and God the Son. (I’m not into worship of the Holy Spirit since the Bible tells us His purpose is to bring glory to Jesus). A church that worships is a church that is pleasing to God. Not for the purpose of self but for the purpose of lifting up and glorifying the only One worthy of it.

John MacArthur calls worship the ultimate priority. Chuck Swindoll calls it the irreplaceable priority. In other words, it is important and cannot be downplayed. That is the topic of my sermon this Sunday as I continue my series on Faithful. I’ve titled it Glorify Whom? My prayer is to lead us into a higher view of worship this Sunday. I’d sure appreciate your prayers.

Posted in Church, Doctrine, God, Jesus, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Worship | 12 Responses »

#Miraculous#PrayerAnswered#Astounded

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020

I don’t normally “cross dress” my two blogs. As many of you know, I have this one (Cycleguy’s Spin) and another one-a devotional blog called “Living in the Shadow.” I decided to bring “Shadow” to this one today. Not many read “Shadow,” but I believe someone who reads this one may need to hear this today. So I share it with you here.

There has been and always will be a battle between seeing and believing the miraculous and being so jaded that even the miraculous is seen as mundane. Skepticism seems to rule so many peoples’ thinking.  Over the past 45+ years as a pastor I have had the blessing of seeing the miraculous. I’ve seen God work in ways that astound. I know some question the use of the word “miracle” and want to confine it to the NT days, but I’m going to use it to describe some recent events I have been privileged to witness:

  • A 13 y/o healthy young man finds himself suddenly fighting for his life. In just a matter of  days, he goes from healthy to life support. Prayers bombard heaven endlessly. “Miraculously” he goes from death’s door to home in a matter of weeks. He still has a haul but there is much to marvel at. Aslan was on the move!
  • A 20 month old boy born with a heart defect (left artery totally closed) has another surgery as a “last ditch” to get some blood flowing. Not only are the doctors able to open his artery 2mm (needs 10-12), but-and here is the absolutely incredible, “miraculous” element-he goes home less than a week after surgery! There is no other explanation except God’s hand. Aslan was on the move!
  • A man who does not acknowledge the God of the Bible has health issues. Heart. Feet. Heart supposedly has bacteria on his valves but surgery is risky because of infection in his foot. A cath late last week shows his valves are clear with no bacteria; his foot is healing; and he has heart surgery to replace two valves this week. The whole scenario is nothing short of incredible. And even though his idea of God is warped, prayers have been said on his behalf. I’d like to believe it is so he can hear about and respond to the true God of the Bible. Aslan was on the move!

Those are recent examples. It is easy to write them off as “the doctors did this” or “modern medicine did that,” but I believe differently. I’d rather say it is-if I may borrow Paul’s words from Ephesians 2: “But God.” Man may have knowledge (ironically given to him by God) and may even acknowledge it is limited; man may say, “If it hadn’t been for the doctors;” but it goes much, much deeper. Man’s limited knowledge shows God’s limitless power.

“Father, skeptics can be cast aside. They will never accept nor understand Your unlimited-dare I say miraculous?-power. Limitless. Powerful. Able to astound. Help me to never take that power for granted, nor take your wonder working power for granted.”

Posted in Christian living, God, Opinion, Pick me Up, Prayer, Story, Thanksgiving | 2 Responses »

#Trust#FulfilledProphecy

Sunday, February 2nd, 2020

In my last post I wrote about the sermon I was preaching this weekend.  As I write this post, it is Sunday morning and I am in a “holding pattern.” I am transitioning from studying and preparing myself to waiting. I thought I would share something that really struck me as I studied.

There are several reasons why we can trust God’s Word to be authoritative. One of those is fulfilled prophecy. I’d like to comment on that in this post.

I once had a man who was trying to defend his unbelief. When I asked Ken about Jesus and the fulfilled prophecy in His life, Ken’s answer was classic.  He said, “He was just the right man born at the right time and in the right place.” I wasn’t very knowledgeable at the time (and still have a huge lack in that department) and so my answer was simple: “Seriously? All those prophecies and one man filled them all in just the right time and just the right place?” Since then I have learned more. (Good thing since my answer was so weak). Here is just one thing I have found out:

There were 55 OT prophecies He alone fulfilled. One mathematics professor studied just 8 specific prophecies and his research was staggering. Just 8 prophecies and he found the possibility of one person fulfilling just those 8 was 1 in 10 with 17 zeroes. In a journal called Science Speaks this man said, “Suppose that we take 10 with 17 zeroes and had that put into silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep.  Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom.”

That sort of puts it all into a different light doesn’t it?  Which is harder to accept-that Jesus was Who He said He was or that He was a man born at the right time and in the right place and just happened to fulfill the prophecies? I know where I will stake my sword.  And you?

Posted in Bible, Doctrine, Jesus | 3 Responses »

Newer Entries »