Kingdom Seeker

Sovereignty (John Piper)

Here's an excerpt from the recent conference I attended.  "When the Righteous Suffer".  Good stuff.

Wake up Pastors

first thoughts iii

this is part 3 of the first thoughts series where i start with an object in my immediate surroundings and then write a short sentence about it. from there i take another word from the sentence and begin another sentence. sort of a word association writing game.  okay here goes

i have a denim coat

did the redcoats actually have coats?

does the word actually get way too overused in modern day language

is modernism an era of the past or isn't it always here

if its wrong for churches to live in the past, what do we make of the christ of 1 AD

when they say we need to be the church not go to church that's not completely accurate

would it be accurate to say that the difference between the invisible church and the institutional church has been neglected

as a kid i wanted the power of invisibility

holy spirit as a person or as a power?

if he's a person as i believe he is why don't we call him the holy sperson

every denomination that exists was born from the idea that belief is important

why are my ideas original until i revisit them the next day and then i realize they're retreads

whenever i look at the michelin man i wonder if those rolls on his body are treads or some kind of weird body fat

do fat hip hoppers go around saying "that's fat" or "that's phat"? and if they say "phat" are they phat?

is the difference between a hip hopper and a hip hugger simply a belt?

when professional singers belt out the national anthem on tv, then you realize at once how much production is involved in their records.

is it reCORD or REcord?

if you pull the umbilical cord on a newborn, will a parachute fly out?

if humans sky dive, what do birds do for thrills? 

it would thrill me immensely to end this post right NOW!

Affection for Christ: stirred or stolen

First read this blog post  by Village Church pastor Matt Chandler.   Then come back and give me your list of 5-10 activities when your passion for Christ is stirred, and 5-10 things when your passion for Christ is stolen. Don't worry, doesn't have to be exact, if you only come up with 2 or 3 that's okay.  Here's mine.

When my passion for Christ is stirred:
1.  early morning reading with coffee (Bible and Books about the Bible)
2.  sermons by Piper and Chandler.
3.  Ministry conferences that emphasize spiritual refreshment over practical ideas.
4.  lately, poetry. writing and reading it
5.  Praise and Worship music namely Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Tim Hughes
6.  One on one lunches with friends who are more passionate for Christ and the Word of God than I am
7.  playing piano (instrumental)
8.  playing guitar while singing praise music
9.  blogging
10. Time with my family outside of the house

When my passion for Christ is stolen:
1.  watching tv reruns or excessive tv in general
2.  spending too much time online
3.  listening to griping and complaining
4.  obsessing over my fantasy football lineup
5.  worrying about the Cowboys, Mavs, and Rangers (ok, i actually gave up on the Rangers years ago)
6.  playing out negative scenarios in my mind before they happen
7.  fixating on material desires
8.  thinking about what others think about my actions
9.  legalism - by others and from myself
10.blogging
11. when my family time lacks quality, like sitting in front of a tv show but not interacting with each other
12. spending too much time over ministry practices and pragmatism.

Alright, I could write more but then i would start losing my passion for Christ. : )  Remember, these activities are not spiritual in of themselves, but are often contributors to our passions and energies.  If you cheated and didn't read the Chandler post, please go back and do so. 

Come on, give me you lists.  I'd like to see at least 20 comments.  Blessings, Rob

Sin

You gave me legs, sin crippled them
You gave me thoughts, sin poisoned them
You gave me emotions, sin exploited them
You gave me a will, sin conformed it
You gave me dominion, sin corrupted it
You gave me talents, sin buried them
You gave me a heart, sin hardened it
You gave me a mind, sin twisted it
You gave me a soul, sin ruined it
You gave me breath, sin choked me
You gave me life, sin killed me
You raised me.....................

Conference Video Posted

How awesome that they already uploaded all 3 sessions of the conference.  The one thing I appreciate about John Piper is that he is not trying to get rich off of his books and conferences.  The conference was only $35.00 and they posted the video and audio for free.  Most of the books he was selling were $5 and $8 bucks.  Anyway, it was an awe inspiring time for me these past 24 hours.  That's what the Word of God does though.
Here is the link to the conference media.  Enjoy!

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/42/

Unveiled

My soul was veiled since birth.
My eyes could not have known
what blinded by this earth;
the King of Glory's throne.

Owned by the darkness' grasp
and lured by empty crowns.
My spirit's judgment lapse
lacked His quiet sound.

Without a quickening turn
my heart was slowly crushed.
Wherewith a spoken wave,
by grace, supplied it's rush.

His all familiar Word
now seemingly first known,
when King Jesus undeterred,
unveiled His glory's throne!

Reasons

Here are Piper's reasons for speaking about "When the Righteous Suffer" as he opened up with tonight.  This was basically his introduction. 

1.  Hundreds of you have suffered and are looking for a way out of the darkness.
2.  You suffering is coming for sure.
3.  Persecution (he lists everything from scorn to cancer to calamity). they're all the same with regard to two things. a) the design of the devil to destroy faith  b) the design of God to strengthen your faith
4.  Natural disasters have put theophany in the news.
5.  God is rejected wholesale by many because of suffering.
6.  Christian critics of the sovereignty of God
7.  The wise, good, just, absolute sovereignty of God is great beyond all measure.
8.  Suffering is appointed as one way for the gospel to spread.
9. The supreme value, and glory, and admirableness of Christ is known when people see Him as more valuable than anything we could lose.

Here's one more nugget:  In regard to why good people suffer.  "Earth will never give you an answer.  Heaven will."

Live! Desiring God Conference!

I'm excited to be blogging live from Austin Texas for the Desiring God conference featuring John Piper.  He is speaking on "Why the Rigteous Suffer" from the book of Job.  This is so timely for me because I have seen suffering from those close to me and around me a lot lately.  I know that God in His providence has led me here this night.  I know the gospel will be spoken and I know this is going to quench the thirst! 

Stay tuned!! I will report later.

"You and I"

I try
You ignore

I strive
You abhor

I work
You abstain

I flex
You refrain

I conspire
You retreat

I perspire
You rest your feet

I climb
You're out of reach

I create
You cease to teach

I scheme
You hide

I dream
You step aside

I choose
You clear the way

I refuse
You have no say

now when....

You attend
I rest

You love
I am blessed

You work
I'm yoked

You burn
I'm stoked

You plan
I'm secure

You heal
I'm cured

You bleed
I'm redeemed

You give
I increase

You reveal
I'm revealed

You protect
I'm sealed

You elect
I'm adopted

You're glorified
I'm exalted