Back at school after a couple of days of rest! We had a great time with my wife's in-laws in Northern Minnesota. We had the joy of taking our daughter through the 'Underwater' world at the Mall of America. This is one of the most impressive displays of fish, turtles, and rays that I have ever seen! They have numerous displays that are built for little kids to walk up and see fish at their level, or "fishies!' as Alyssa would exclaim when a big one swam by. This adventure is spendy, but worth the cost if you really appreciate nature and God's ingenuity in the aquatic world.
The second round of classes has begun, and the topic for the week is hermeneutics, which is a fancy word for 'interpreting the Bible.' One meaningful thing to me today is the thought that the Bible does more than just communicate to us. When we read books, magazines, or the newspaper, information is communicated and we choose what to do with it. The Bible contains more than just information; it truly contains transformation. As we come in contact with God's Word and humble ourselves underneath it, we are changed and shaped by the transferred information. This is why reading the Bible is so vital to our faith and our walk with Christ. We don't read the Bible just to learn the stories and hear about God; we actually come in contact with God and power of His Spirit as we surrender our lives to His Word. As you approach God's truth this week, realize you hold something entirely different in your hands. If you want to follow Christ, give to Him the rights to decide how you handle that information. When we see truth in God's Word, we seek to live it and not just acknowledge it.
May you discover life-transformation in the pages of His Word this week.
Journey on with Him.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
The Bethel Experience- Day 5
Well, one week of class is now done and I get a weekend to recover before the next one. My wife and daughter arrived last night and are at my in-laws, so I am headed up to be with them for the next few days.
Today, I'll just leave a thought that has been on my heart lately. We learned a new song this past weekend that had the line, "Mountains bow down, all the oceans roar, to the Lord of hosts." I've climbed numerous high peaks in my life and each time, I am deeply impacted by their imposing heights, their sheer rock cliffs, and the astounding views from the top. From this perspective, mountains are incredibly powerful. I can tell you from first-hand experience that you feel small and insignificant on the slopes of one of these giants. Throughout the Bible, we read about creation, the mountains and the seas, worshipping the Creator. My thought has been that if the mountains of such incredible power and size bow before the Lord, who am I not to worship? If the heights of creation and the expanses of the ocean shout His praise, how much more should I? I have been given a voice, and a life, with which I can magnify and worship my Creator. To not worship would be a high form of arrogance.
May your life be lived as an act of worship to the Creator. It's the only way for His creation to live.
Journey on, fellow traveler.
Today, I'll just leave a thought that has been on my heart lately. We learned a new song this past weekend that had the line, "Mountains bow down, all the oceans roar, to the Lord of hosts." I've climbed numerous high peaks in my life and each time, I am deeply impacted by their imposing heights, their sheer rock cliffs, and the astounding views from the top. From this perspective, mountains are incredibly powerful. I can tell you from first-hand experience that you feel small and insignificant on the slopes of one of these giants. Throughout the Bible, we read about creation, the mountains and the seas, worshipping the Creator. My thought has been that if the mountains of such incredible power and size bow before the Lord, who am I not to worship? If the heights of creation and the expanses of the ocean shout His praise, how much more should I? I have been given a voice, and a life, with which I can magnify and worship my Creator. To not worship would be a high form of arrogance.
May your life be lived as an act of worship to the Creator. It's the only way for His creation to live.
Journey on, fellow traveler.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Bethel Experience- Day 4
We've heard some interesting updates from China today- reports of lives being changed, churches being started, and the dead being raised, spiritually and physically. Can you imagine having the privilege of living in a place where God is still waking people from their coffins? One Chinese pastor recently told a group of Americans, "Please don't pray for deliverance from political persecution; pray that Jesus finds the lost." The Chinese believers truly see their persecution as positive- that God has used it to refine, strengthen, and grow His church. A student in our class chimed in and said that believers in China are praying that the church in America will face persecution, believing that through persecution the American church will be wakened from her slumber. I can't disagree with the need to wake our churches, but I guess I hope it won't take an extreme time of difficulty. Yet in the horrid times of suffering and pain, the Chinese people have seen the light and beauty of Jesus and turned to Him. We could learn a great deal from these Asian friends.
May you be able to see the beauty of Jesus today.
Journey on.
May you be able to see the beauty of Jesus today.
Journey on.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Where Will Your Light Shine?
A compelling quote from today...
I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light– John Keith Falconer
I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light– John Keith Falconer
The Bethel Experience- Day 3
Whew- halfway through week 1. This class has been tough- I'm in a cinder block room with no windows, sitting in a little desk just like in high school. At 3:30 in the afternoon, some fresh air would be like, well, a breath of fresh air!
We've spent a great deal of time discussing Muslims today. This has been a fascinating subject as we've looked at the numerous ways that Islamic belief borders on Christian belief. Also, it's compelling to realize that within the Muslim world are the greatest number of unreached people groups, while western churches send fewer missionaries to those countries than anywhere else. I am impressed by groups like Frontiers (the group Robert Mitchell is with, for those who know him) who are committed wholly to going to unreached "frontier" countries where a vast majority of the people are Muslim. God is making some inroads into these places and bringing people to the truth of Jesus Christ. I realize now why the CMA is so focused at this time on redistributing our resources (missionaries) to get people who are working in "reached" countries (Ecuador, Hong Kong, etc.) into countries that are not reached (the Middle East, Northern Africa, India, etc.). Did you know that within the country of India there are over 4,000 DIFFERENT people groups, and the majority of those groups have no significant witness to Christ? It's time we renew our commitment to taking the Good News to every nation. (Note: nation is not a geographical word in the New Testament; it refers to distinct people groups.)
The Muslims know so much about Jesus, but they miss His power and relevance at a crucial point. They deny the death (and therefore resurrection) of Jesus Christ, believing that he was too "special" to God to be allowed to die. Yet we believe that it is just because Jesus is so special to God that he was able to die for us and redeem us from an empty way of life. As missionaries attempt to dialogue with Muslims, they try to keep the focus off of the religious difference and stay focused on who is Jesus and what did he come to do. As we recognize the reality of Jesus' death and resurrection, our faith takes shape. The hinge point of our faith always has been and always will be the resurrected Christ who draws us to himself. Draw near to Him today, and pray for the eyes of the lost to be opened to His plan for salvation.
Journey on, friend. I'd love to hear from you.
We've spent a great deal of time discussing Muslims today. This has been a fascinating subject as we've looked at the numerous ways that Islamic belief borders on Christian belief. Also, it's compelling to realize that within the Muslim world are the greatest number of unreached people groups, while western churches send fewer missionaries to those countries than anywhere else. I am impressed by groups like Frontiers (the group Robert Mitchell is with, for those who know him) who are committed wholly to going to unreached "frontier" countries where a vast majority of the people are Muslim. God is making some inroads into these places and bringing people to the truth of Jesus Christ. I realize now why the CMA is so focused at this time on redistributing our resources (missionaries) to get people who are working in "reached" countries (Ecuador, Hong Kong, etc.) into countries that are not reached (the Middle East, Northern Africa, India, etc.). Did you know that within the country of India there are over 4,000 DIFFERENT people groups, and the majority of those groups have no significant witness to Christ? It's time we renew our commitment to taking the Good News to every nation. (Note: nation is not a geographical word in the New Testament; it refers to distinct people groups.)
The Muslims know so much about Jesus, but they miss His power and relevance at a crucial point. They deny the death (and therefore resurrection) of Jesus Christ, believing that he was too "special" to God to be allowed to die. Yet we believe that it is just because Jesus is so special to God that he was able to die for us and redeem us from an empty way of life. As missionaries attempt to dialogue with Muslims, they try to keep the focus off of the religious difference and stay focused on who is Jesus and what did he come to do. As we recognize the reality of Jesus' death and resurrection, our faith takes shape. The hinge point of our faith always has been and always will be the resurrected Christ who draws us to himself. Draw near to Him today, and pray for the eyes of the lost to be opened to His plan for salvation.
Journey on, friend. I'd love to hear from you.
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