Random, I think not.

The Discipleship Group that I am in has started reading through the book Abide in Christ this week, and I have been getting alot out of it.  After we met this morning, I went to the gym and decided I was going to listen to a Matt Chandler sermon.  Well, I opened the podcast app and picked a random one and low and behold it was about Abiding in Christ.   I thought that was awesome and it was a great sermon as well.  It was called Embrace the Ordinary, and Pray for Breakthrough and it was preached at Village Church in Denton, if you want to give it a listen.

Anyway, this week I have been way more intentional in my prayer life, devotional reading and general bible reading.  I know it has been less than a week, but I can already tell so much difference in my life.  Quite amazing actually!

I have also been thinking through a theory on Rahab and Boaz, mother and son relationship and how it could have played a part in his initial generosity to Ruth.  I will have to expound upon it later.  

In also less pivotal news, my running streak (not streaking) is up to 6 days with 13.2 miles total.  So I am over a half marathon distance out of 1200.

I hope all who are reading this has had a blessed, fruitful week.

soli Deo gloria

Truly Majestic

In Isaiah 6 we get a glimpse of the majesty God.  There it states:

I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hum of his robe filled the temple.  Seraphim were standing above him...And one called to another:  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of the Armies; his glories fill the whole earth. 

It is amazing just thinking of the pure awesomeness of God, imagine how awestruck Isaiah was in this vision of God.  Who even during his judgements it mentions his majestic splendor.

Yet in all his greatness, he chose to give us mercy.  He sent his son to die for our sins!  How many times to we go about our lives thinking how great we are, and simply live for ourselves.  When He, being truly great, chose to sacrifice Jesus for us.

He sustains us, we are the branches of the vine.  I love how Murray put it in today's reading in Abide in Christ.  "The daily inflowing of the life-sap of the Holy Spirit is his only power to bring forth fruit.  He lives alone in Him and is for each moment dependent on Him alone".  Christians today need to realize that we are nothing, without Him we can't do nothing.  God sustains us and is our source of power.

soli Deo gloria

Broken Hearts are Never Healed with Cliches

Last night after I composed my blog I started listening to a lecture on bereavement counseling.  There was one quote in the lecture that has stuck with me since: mainly since I have personally felt it and said things close to it.  In the lecture it stated that "broken hearts are never healed with cliches"; you know the ones many christians love to say because they seem easy and they honestly do not know what to say.  Sadly in my personal times of grief the christian cliches did more harm than they did good.  Many times just leaving me angry and more heartbroken.  

Sometimes just being there does way more good.  When I was reading in Job today Job 2:16 CSB states; "Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense."

Charles Spurgeon said once:

Some of the rarest pearls have been found in the deepest waters, and some of the choicest utterances of believers have come when God's waves and billows have been made to roll over them.

 Soli Deo Gloria

P.S.

My running streak continues, it was a "rest day" so I ran a mile in 9:56 as opposed to more distance.

Dia Dos

So today was a day of curve balls.  I was originally off for a root canal in the afternoon and was planning on spending the day doing course work for my class on Bereavement Counseling.  So I went to drop Owen off at daycare and it ended up that he wasn't scheduled to be there for the day, because his daycare worker had one of her holiday days today, and we had got the days mixed up.  So at any rate with a active three year old you are not going to get any coursework completed.

So after a fun filled day of playing gorilla with Owen, I was able to get my devotional reading done for the day.  I loved how Murray put that we find our souls rest when we give up our whole life to God and abide in him.

...how just the yoke gives the rest, because the moment the soul yields itself to obey, the Lord Himself gives the strength and joy to do it.

After that I dropped Owen off with Heather and went to the gym before my appointment for a root canal.  I had a great back and bicep workout and ran 3 1/2 miles (my streak continues).

I then went to the dentist and he decided and didn't need a root canal and was just going to put a new crown on and he would eat most of the cost and I would just need to pay the lab fees for the crown, so that was a blessing and saved me a lot of pain.

When I got home I spent some times in the psalms and time with family.

We shall see if I get a class done tonight, but if I dont I am ok with it.  I am hoping I get much from this class, I would one day like to incorporate my past pain into some type of ministry.

soli Deo gloria

Day 1

Today I started 2018 fairly easy. 

I started out the day going to the gym and knocking out day 1 of my 365 streak and only have 1199 miles to go this year.

In my devotional book I started, Abide in Christ, there was a quote Andrew Murray said that really struck home.

You did well to come; you do better to abide.  Who would, after seeking the King's palace, be content to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King's presence, and share with Him in all the glory of his royal life?  Oh, let us enter in and abide, and enjoy to the full all that rich supply His wondrous love hath prepared for us!

The other day I purchased the Spurgeon Study Bible, in it the study notes are from his sermons and personal writings, and there are sermon outlines and quotes throughout.  Today as I was reading in Genesis, may favorite verse always hits me Genesis 3:15.  Before God condemned man for man's sin, he laid out his plan for redemption. 

Goals

The new year is always a time of reflections and making resolutions for many people.  I personally think resolutions are just things for people to break by the second week of January.   So thus I choose not to make them.

However, I have always been a very goal oriented person, and will do whatever it takes to complete them.  Some of them I will never do again (I say that now), like running 26.2 miles.

So in 2018 I have made several goals for myself, and I will be blogging regularly about them, as a means of accountability.  The goals are mixture of spiritual, physical and mentor items.  They are as follows:

• Read through the Bible
• Read a minimum of 24 books
• Run 365 days and a minimum of 1200 miles
• Complete 3 half marathons
• Continue to work towards my M.Div and complete as much as possible.

This blog is mainly for my accountability to myself, but if you happen to come upon it you are welcome to join me on my journey.