We finally got to go to our local church this past Sunday after missing it for two straight weeks. We were out of town one week for a meeting and got to attend our home church, and the next week, my wife was recovering from having her wisdom teeth pulled. I was particularly excited about this service. A few weeks ago a friend of mine said that he and his girlfriend wanted to find a church to go to around here. He is from a couple hours south and she is from Ohio, and they have not gone to church since they lived in the area. So, of course, I was more than happy to invite them to our church.
Unfortunately we had to duck out a little early because my wife is working with a ministry that decided to get some of the young women involved in the church, and the designated meeting time was 11:00, which is when our regular service ends - more on this other service in a little bit. Because of this, my friend and I did not have a chance to really talk about Sunday's service until yesterday.
He told me that he hadn't been to church in about two years and the message was exactly what he needed to hear. The pastor spoke the previous week about forgiveness, and as a follow-up, this past week's sermon was on forgetting. He made the point that when God forgives us, that is it. It is done. It is as if it never happened. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:11-12 ).
The focus of the sermon was a verse in Philippians - "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14 ).
My friend wasn't the only one that needed to hear that message. As I've said in a previous post, I've had a difficult time getting past some of my personal faults. If God can forgive and move on, what is stopping me? I semi-randomly choose the address of this blog as "growing day by day," but maybe that wasn't so random after all. I also needed to hear the message that we need to forget that for which we have been forgiven. It is a daily challenge sometimes, but isn't that what life is all about? - Living day to day on the promises of the Almighty. As if that wasn't enough for one day.....
At the other service, the sermon focused on anxiety. I personally do not have much of a problem with anxiety, but at times it certainly does flare up. However, my wife has sometimes struggled with anxiety - assuming that the worst might happen. This service was right up her alley, which was something that we talked about later in the day.
God is amazing! After two years of not going in church, my friend heard exactly what he needed to hear. After years and years of going to church, I heard what I needed to hear. And at a new church, my wife heard what she needed to hear. God is actively at work in this world. We can look at all the bad things that are happening on a grand scale and try to refute it, but God doesn't always work on a grand scale. Sometimes God's best work is done in the life of an individual who is willing and able to listen to what God has in store on one particular morning.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
A Recent Conversation
I spent a good bit of the afternoon on Wednesday talking with a friend of mine at work. He came up to me and asked what I thought about Buddha and Allah. There are a couple of things that need to be understood about this friend of mine.
When I first met him, he was probably about 19. He would probably be considered a veteran, having served in Iraq when everything first started going down over there. He is part of the (I believe) army reserves, maybe National Guard, I can't remember right now. He's a great kid, but was a borderline alcoholic by the time he actually reached the legal drinking age. A few months ago, he asked my advice concerning an issue with his girlfriend. She was pregnant and last I heard it was up in the air as to whether or not the child was his in the first place, but we talked about taking responsibility. It was a short conversation, but I get the feeling that it was helpful. He has taken full responsibility for the child, who was born not too long before Thanksgiving, I believe. He is a good guy, but a little lost, so the opportunity to actually talk with him on a "faith-level" was very well received from this end.
After talking a little about Buddhism and Islam for a couple minutes, about the concept of heaven and hell, then the conversation turned towards his personal struggles with the faith. He was raised Catholic, and I don't believe he would say he understands what it really means to be a Christian. We talked about two ways of viewing God - as the Judge who is pointing His finger at us when we screw up, and as the loving Father who constantly longs for His children to come home. He said that he tries to pray before he goes to sleep, but he thinks it is because he does not want to go to hell. I challenged him to start thinking of God more as a loving Father who forgives us when we mess up. At a couple different times, he told me that he couldn't see just how God could forgive us from day to day. I asked him if he would ever reject his son, and I saw a look of love and compassion in his eyes that I cannot describe, as he told me that he can't imagine anything separating him from his son.
I think God was really working in him that morning. I think some doors were opened. We had a couple of points in the conversation when one or the other of us had to help a customer, or take care of something - the hazards of conversing at work - but all in all, I think it was an excellent conversation, and I pray that God continues to work in this young man's life, and if necessary to use me in any way possible.
I'm not an extremely bold and outgoing person. This confirmed for me that evangelism is not necessarily something that takes place on a vast, Billy-Graham-ish level. Crusade evangelism is definitely not my forte. Relational evangelism is crucial, and as much as I hate my job from time to time, I think I am where God needs me to be for now.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
When I first met him, he was probably about 19. He would probably be considered a veteran, having served in Iraq when everything first started going down over there. He is part of the (I believe) army reserves, maybe National Guard, I can't remember right now. He's a great kid, but was a borderline alcoholic by the time he actually reached the legal drinking age. A few months ago, he asked my advice concerning an issue with his girlfriend. She was pregnant and last I heard it was up in the air as to whether or not the child was his in the first place, but we talked about taking responsibility. It was a short conversation, but I get the feeling that it was helpful. He has taken full responsibility for the child, who was born not too long before Thanksgiving, I believe. He is a good guy, but a little lost, so the opportunity to actually talk with him on a "faith-level" was very well received from this end.
After talking a little about Buddhism and Islam for a couple minutes, about the concept of heaven and hell, then the conversation turned towards his personal struggles with the faith. He was raised Catholic, and I don't believe he would say he understands what it really means to be a Christian. We talked about two ways of viewing God - as the Judge who is pointing His finger at us when we screw up, and as the loving Father who constantly longs for His children to come home. He said that he tries to pray before he goes to sleep, but he thinks it is because he does not want to go to hell. I challenged him to start thinking of God more as a loving Father who forgives us when we mess up. At a couple different times, he told me that he couldn't see just how God could forgive us from day to day. I asked him if he would ever reject his son, and I saw a look of love and compassion in his eyes that I cannot describe, as he told me that he can't imagine anything separating him from his son.
I think God was really working in him that morning. I think some doors were opened. We had a couple of points in the conversation when one or the other of us had to help a customer, or take care of something - the hazards of conversing at work - but all in all, I think it was an excellent conversation, and I pray that God continues to work in this young man's life, and if necessary to use me in any way possible.
I'm not an extremely bold and outgoing person. This confirmed for me that evangelism is not necessarily something that takes place on a vast, Billy-Graham-ish level. Crusade evangelism is definitely not my forte. Relational evangelism is crucial, and as much as I hate my job from time to time, I think I am where God needs me to be for now.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Psalm 1:1-3
Psalm 1:1-3 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. 3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
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I've been reading Psalm 1 for the past couple of days. I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous to read six verses over and over again, but I think there is so much behind it that we just don't realize in a single read. Read, meditate, read, analyze, meditate, and read. Sounds tedious, doesn't it?
Our society has tried to do everything it possibly can to keep us from hearing the voice of God. Think about it. When was the last time everything in the house/apartment/ trailer/ car/ truck.. you name it..... was completely silent? Are we scared of the silence? What are we afraid of finding in the deep places of our hearts when nothing is there to distract us?
Notice the progression of closeness in the opening section of passage. Walk...stand...sit... each seems to imply a gradual closeness to the "wicked, sinners and mockers." While this is an example of grammatical parallelism (A-B-C, A1-B1-C1, A2-B2-C2), the changes are what is most significant. You can walk by a room and hear a little bit that may influence you. You can stand at the doorway and still be distant from the conversation, but sitting implies that you are a part of the group. Blessed indeed is the one who doesn't do this, but why is this one blessed?
This one is blessed because he/she is rooted in the Word of God. The "law of the Lord" that is mentioned in verse 2 is also known as the torah or instruction. It is the Bible. The Bible is the God-inspired account of the people of God. It is our story. It is the story of the children of God, those who have entered into a relationship with the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ. The blessed one is compared to a tree that is planted near a stream - living water. In the appropriate time, such a tree yields fruit. Its purposes are fulfilled. Our purposes become more and more clear as we continue being rooted in the Word of God, and as we continue in relationship with God, we fulfill our purposes in the appropriate time.
There are some important remarks at the end of the chapter, but I think they are pretty-well explained in the beginning of the chapter. And besides, that quite a bit for one posting.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
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I've been reading Psalm 1 for the past couple of days. I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous to read six verses over and over again, but I think there is so much behind it that we just don't realize in a single read. Read, meditate, read, analyze, meditate, and read. Sounds tedious, doesn't it?
Our society has tried to do everything it possibly can to keep us from hearing the voice of God. Think about it. When was the last time everything in the house/apartment/ trailer/ car/ truck.. you name it..... was completely silent? Are we scared of the silence? What are we afraid of finding in the deep places of our hearts when nothing is there to distract us?
Notice the progression of closeness in the opening section of passage. Walk...stand...sit... each seems to imply a gradual closeness to the "wicked, sinners and mockers." While this is an example of grammatical parallelism (A-B-C, A1-B1-C1, A2-B2-C2), the changes are what is most significant. You can walk by a room and hear a little bit that may influence you. You can stand at the doorway and still be distant from the conversation, but sitting implies that you are a part of the group. Blessed indeed is the one who doesn't do this, but why is this one blessed?
This one is blessed because he/she is rooted in the Word of God. The "law of the Lord" that is mentioned in verse 2 is also known as the torah or instruction. It is the Bible. The Bible is the God-inspired account of the people of God. It is our story. It is the story of the children of God, those who have entered into a relationship with the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ. The blessed one is compared to a tree that is planted near a stream - living water. In the appropriate time, such a tree yields fruit. Its purposes are fulfilled. Our purposes become more and more clear as we continue being rooted in the Word of God, and as we continue in relationship with God, we fulfill our purposes in the appropriate time.
There are some important remarks at the end of the chapter, but I think they are pretty-well explained in the beginning of the chapter. And besides, that quite a bit for one posting.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Who am I?
Isn't this what everyone asks? Well, don't worry, I'm not going into a philosophical discussion about Descartes and "I think therefore I am." No, I'm not in the mood for such a deep, albeit playful conversation in which I get to use all sorts of big words that make me feel better about myself, even though I don't really know what they mean in the first place.
I'm a seminary student who is trying to overcome the disappointments in my life that continue to haunt me. For someone who hears of the love and forgiveness of God on a daily basis, I have a difficult time procuring it in my personal walk with Christ. This is an experiment in personal therapy as I hope to grow closer to God and to eradicate my personal demons in the process.
I'm a seminary student who is trying to overcome the disappointments in my life that continue to haunt me. For someone who hears of the love and forgiveness of God on a daily basis, I have a difficult time procuring it in my personal walk with Christ. This is an experiment in personal therapy as I hope to grow closer to God and to eradicate my personal demons in the process.