Currently Reading A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society By Eugene H. Peterson see related

Still Around

Currently Reading The Kon-Tiki Expedition By Thor Heyerdahl see related

Boasting in the Lord... and my wife!

Yep, its time for my not so regular post.  Now I am a happily married man to an incredible woman.  I have been greatly blessed.  We've been married for a little over 2 weeks and she has yet to kick me out of the house!  Its been great.  Spent a few days in Colorado for our honeymoon, where I practically had to fight a mountain lion to save her.  At least, thats how I remember it...

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  -1 Cor. 1:26-31

I've recently realized how little I boast in the Lord.  He has done such marvelous work in me and all around me, how could I ever keep my mouth shut.  Its shameful that I do keep it shut and find other things to banter on about.  And not just talking about how He provides financially when we're in a bind or that He gives peace in difficult situations, but greater things than that, like the fact that He chose to reach down into the pit that I was in and pull me out placing my sin on Christ's shoulders.  I was rescued when I could not rescue myself.  The One who has done that is worth bragging about.  In Luke 19, God says that the stones would cry out if we were quiet.  I don't want a rock to tell of His greatness when I should be doing it.  Boast in the Lord today!

Currently Reading Communion With God (Puritan Paperbacks: Treasures of John Owen for Today's Readers) By John Owen see related

NEWS!

Guess I need to catch up the Xanga world on my new news.  I'm engaged!  Getting married on Sept. 1st in West Memphis Arkansas.  Just wanted to let xanga know since I met the lovely lady who has agreed to live with me forever right here on good ole Xanga. 

Currently Reading Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God By Dallas Willard see related

BECOMING WHAT YOU ARE NOT

This verse hit me last night with a little force.  "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." --2 Cor. 5: 21--  Christ became what he wasn't, so that we also might become what we are not.  He didn't just wipe it away or forget it, He became it.  The very farthest thing from the holiness of the Eternal Son is exactly what He became to make us the righteousness of God.  Sin does not belong in the trinity, yet Christ became it and the Father willed it, that we might be righteous.  That is heavy to me.  That is one of those thoughts that makes me sit back in my chair and just think, "Wow, wh.., wh.., what?!, why??"  Its kinda like Romans 5: 6-8.  God dies for sinners.  Not just any man dies, no, God Himself dies for us.  And not only does He die, He becomes sin that I might be the righteousness of God. 

Now I think about how I live.  Knowing what steps have been taken to make me righteous, I find myself ashamed.  How do we respond to such outrageous actions taken to give us such an undeserved, life-changing gift?  I guess we act like we have been changed.  We live from what we have been given.  What if we lived like we really had been given the most outrageous gift ever?  What if we lived like we had just been set free from death row?  Sadly, I don't.  But I'm grateful that my Father is patient and continues giving grace to open my eyes to the life he desires from me.  I hope and pray that I move closer and closer to living like I have been given the righteousness of God. 

"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other." --Isaiah 45:22-- 

Currently Reading Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God By Dallas Willard see related

Back in the saddle!

"Awake O sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you."  --Eph. 5:14--

Thought this was appropriate for my entrance back into the world of blogging.  Been thinking on this verse for the past few days.  More to come...