Tonight, after supper, I gave both of our boys a bath. I gave Aidan a bath first, pulled him out, dried him off, put on a fresh diaper and handed him off to mom for pajamas. When Joshua finished, we got him dried off and sent to get dressed for supper.

I didn’t hear Aidan in our part of the house so I assumed he was with Jo. When seated in the comfy chair in the living room, Jo asked “Where’s Aidan?”

Where did we find him? See for yourself:

Today’s church has problems. Groups fight with heated disagreement over many seemingly minute differences. Why? If the different groups truly are redeemed, bought by Jesus’ blood, and bound for the New Jerusalem, then why must there be so many points of contention?

I think the New Testament book of Jude gives an answer for at least part of the problem.

Jude writes to several churches in his area about their “common salvation” (vs. 3) encouraging them to “content for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (vs. 3). Why? Jude tells us in verse 4: certain people had (have) crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation (not believers, not of the church but had crept in amongst God’s children unnoticed nonetheless). In Jude’s day, early in the life of the church, people had crept who were not believers, but were there creating division and dissention creating the need for encouragement to contend for the faith because of their common salvation.

How can we spot such saboteurs? Jude gives distinctions:

What can/should the church do? Jude further gives instruction:

May the church be on the lookout for these who cause division, and may we all seek to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

I’ve recently spent about 2 weeks combing through 1 John. Here are some things I’ve learned about God from 1 John:

I’ve recently spent about 2 weeks combing through 1 John. Here are some things I’ve learned about God from 1 John:

(to be continued)

I’ve recently spent about 2 weeks combing through 1 John. Here are some things I’ve learned about God from 1 John:

(to be continued)

I’ve recently spent about 2 weeks combing through 1 John. Here are some things I’ve learned about God from 1 John:

(to be continued)

I’ve recently spent about 2 weeks combing through 1 John. Here are some things I’ve learned about God from 1 John:

(to be continued)

This was initially a post written for a fellow blogger’s site. I thought I’d re-post it here for you all as well.

I tend to be random with my bible reading plans. Well, at the end of April I finished what I had been reading and did not know where to go next, so I decided I’d take up a read-the-bible-in-a-year plan. This one I found to follow gives an OT reading each day followed by a Psalms, a gospel reading, and a NT reading. It’s different than I’ve followed before, but I’m liking it very much. In the last week, one of my readings was from Exodus 14 .

Perhaps you’re familiar with this story. The Israelites have long awaited deliverance from the hands of the Egyptians. God had mercifully saved Israel many years before through Joseph, but times had changed and years had passed and the Israelites were slaves to Pharaoh. God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead the people out and at last, after many plagues and hardships brought upon Egypt, Pharaoh has allowed the people to leave. Can you imagine the excitement and joy they felt? They were to be a free people, never to work under a slave-master’s control again. Here they were, camped by the sea with their first taste of freedom when word arrives that Pharaoh has changed his mind. He was coming, and coming with force. Verse 11: “They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?’”

Quickly their joy turned to fear. We are not immune to such behavior. How many times have we petitioned God for deliverance or freedom from something over and over only to get silence for so long, but finally God speaks and you think that your deliverance is soon. With excitement in your heart you look over the horizon to see… your worst nightmare.

Perhaps you’re familiar with “Murphy’s Law” (my name is Murphy, so I’m quite familiar with the statement) – Whatever CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong. It seems that the Israelites defaulted to such a code. Their immediate response to the report of Pharaoh’s approach was that of fear and defeat, yet it was by that very method that God was going to miraculously deliver His people and forever rid them of the fear of Pharaoh and his army.

Why, in the face of seeming defeat, do we choose to blame God instead of trust Him? Does he not tell us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to “trust him” with a promise that “He will direct our paths”? Does God not tell us in Romans 8:28 that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose?

It’s reasonable to ask, if our response is the same as the Israelites, in whom are we trusting: God? our leader? ourselves?

Trust in God, for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin – Romans 14:23.

I’ve been invited to guest-write for one of my favorite blogs to follow: Homileo. Visit his site, read around, and subscribe for updates.

I thouht I’d share this story with you:

Yesterday morning, I had decided that I was going to ride my bicycle to WW so I left out the front door at 8:11am by my watch. I knew it would be hard to make it by 9am, but I was willing to try the challenge anyway. Well, I know more than rode to the end of our driveway than I wrecked my bike. I was just focused on hurrying (usually a problem, right?) and was going too fast when I hit the gathered loose gravel at the end of the driveway. As I was turning to go onto the road, my back tire went left and I went down. I scraped up the palms of my hands pretty badly, my right knee and leg and right elbow with pretty minor abrasions.

I walked the bike up the hill to the house, walked to the back of the house to the bathroom to wash off my hands, and fainted. I aroused, made it to the toilet and sat only to faint again and fall to the floor. Jo says I woke once more and tried to stand, soaped up my left hand, turned on the water, and fainted to the floor yet a third time. At this point, I fell and rested against the wall. Jo attempted to speak to me and arouse me and quickly became scared because I wasn’t responding. She laid me down, raised my feet, placed a cool wash-rag onto my head and called mom and dad for backup.

To make a long story short, dad came over to watch our boys and Jo took me to a local walk-in clinic, or as a co-worker recently called it, “Doc-in-a-box”. Everything checked out and I’m fine. They cleaned and dressed my wounds and even updated my Teatnus shot (I think I may have been 14 or 15 when I had the last one).

On a side note, I went to high school with the woman who cleaned and dressed my wounds, though she was a few years behind me. I know it doesn’t necessarily mean the quality of care is better, but there is something very comforting and reassuring about having “home folk” take care of you when your sick and hurting, ya know? We had that pleasure last year when Aidan was born as well. It’s very nice and I appreciate it greatly.

It’s been an experience, but at least for this morning I didn’t just avoid going!

The scales here at home this morning tell me it’s time get back into the WW groove. I’ve slipped as far as I want to slip. I’ll see any area WW’s around the meeting room soon.