Yea God!

Yup, our house will be under contract today. Yea God!!!
Please pray and ask the Lord to make the transition from our home here in Glen Rose, to the one that we will move to in Fort Worth, to be a smooth one.
Moving away from a body such as the one that we will be moving from, here in Glen Rose, will be very hard. The people here at Grace Community Church are more like family in many ways than my real extended family.
The sense of community here at Grace is something that most churches only dream of. We have been blessed immeasurably. I pray that you, the reader of this post, will be blessed by the Lord as much as He has blessed us with a body like ours.

Praise God! He is directing us to a body in Fort Worth which is our sister church. May He bless us with the strong, loving bonds that He blessed us with here at Grace.

Gods Goal Part VI

Gods Goal Part VI


The Wilderness Wandering





God had good reason to destroy his people in the wilderness because of their repeated grumbling and unbelief and idolatry. But again the Lord stays his hand and treats them graciously for his own name's sake.

But the children rebelled against me; they did not walk in my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance man shall live; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. (Ezekiel 20:21-22, cf. vv. 13-14)



This motive of God in preserving his people in the wilderness is the same one that emerges in Moses' prayer for the people in Deuteronomy 9:27-29 when God was about to destroy the people:

Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not regard the stubborness of this people, or their wickedness, or their sin, lest the land from which thou didst bring them say, "Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness." For they are thy people and thy heritage, whom thou didst bring out by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm. (See also Numbers 14:13-16, Exodus 32:11-14)

Moses appeals to God's promise to the patriarchs and argues with God that surely he does not want scorn to come upon his name, which would certainly happen if Israel perished in the wilderness. The Egyptians would say God was not able to bring them to Canaan! In allowing Moses to pray in this way, God makes plain that his decision to relent from his wrath against Israel is for his own name's sake.

Dont mess with Texas

It is Saturday night. My wife is out watching a movie with one of her best friends while I sit here in my Lazy Boy. I am bored out of my mind. All I can do is think about just how ready I am for high school and college football to crank up.


Im not sure if I have stated just how much I love the Longhorns. For those of you who don’t know, the Longhorns are the reigning NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. WOO HOO HOOK EM’ HORNS!!!
People don’t realize just how close my 11 month old daughter came to having another name. If she had been born a month and a half later, instead of being named Joy, we, I mean, I, would have named her Vince.


Well my wife just got home. Its off to bed so buenos noches.

Extra Extra

An abundance of dog costumes have been found in Disney Land dumpsters.
READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

How Sad

I hopped out of bed, ur, um, I crawled out of bed at 5 this morning and was checking some of my favorite blogs and read Steve Camps post ahref="http://www.calvinistgadfly.com/?p=288#more-288">here.
Though I dont agree with Joel Osteens theology, I have to give Joel Osteen credit. After appearing to deny that Christ was the Only Way on Larry King Live ">here, two days later he quickly clarified and stated his beliefs.

I tried to link to his statement but for some reason the statement has been removed. I managed to find the transcript so I will print it below and link to his churches statements of belief here
.

Joel Osteens statement-"Many of you have called, written or e-mailed regarding my recent appearance on Larry King Live. I appreciate your comments and value your words of correction and encouragement.
It was never my desire or intention to leave any doubt as to what I believe and Whom I serve. I believe with all my heart that it is only through Christ that we have hope in eternal life. I regret and sincerely apologize that I was unclear on the very thing in which I have dedicated my life.
Jesus declared in John 14; I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. I believe that Jesus Christ alone is the only way to salvation. However, it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to review the transcript of the interview that I realize I had not clearly stated that having a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to heaven. It’s about the individual’s choice to follow Him.
God has given me a platform to present the Gospel to a very diverse audience. In my desire not to alienate the people that Jesus came to save, I did not clearly communicate the convictions that I hold so precious.
I will use this as a learning experience and believe that God will ultimately use it for my good and His glory. I am comforted by the fact that He sees my heart and knows my intentions. I am so thankful that I have friends, like you, who are willing to share their concerns with me.
Thank you again to those who have written. I hope that you accept my deepest apology and see it in your heart to extend to me grace and forgiveness.
As always, I covet your prayers and I am believing for God’s best in your life,
Joel Osteen"



However these two other FAMOUS representatives of Christianity
clearly stated what they believe.

How sad and frieghtening. Just think of all those who have been led astray as a result of hearing this interview as well as other interviews/statements made by these men since.


Please pray.

Bacon, Eggs And A Glass Of Osteen - To Laugh Or Cry That Is The Question

I was reading Challies.com yesterday and Tim Challies wrote "Joel Osteen preached a sermon on the importance of eating a healthy breakfast."

I dont know if Joel Olsteen really preached a sermon titled as such. Tim Challies may have been trying to be funny. Due to the reputation that Joel Osteen deservedly has, the sad part is I dont know if Tim Challies was joking or not.



Part of me wants to burst out in laughter at the absurdity of such a sermon.



Another part of me wants to cry at the thought of the lack of spiritual growth that is expected and encouraged in Osteens congregation.

Pray for Joel Olsteen and for his congregation. Im not suggesting that he is not a believer. I am suggesting that he, as well as his congregation are in need of prayer. Pray that the LORD would smile on Joel and this body of believers and place in their hearts a burning desire to pursue Him and not to pursue the things of this world.

Fact-You are God

I just listened to a 9-1-1 call from a caller who was stuck on the 105th or tower two in the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001.

My heart ached and everything went numb when I heard the end of the call. The last three words this man said were "Oh God...God!"....silence........

I dont know if this man was a Christian or not. What I do know is that the response of this gentleman when the building began to collapse was to cry out to a Soveriegn Creator with his last breath.

I dont believe that it was a cry for help. I dont believe that is was a cry for mercy. In that very instant of realization of what was taking place, I believe that this gentlmans cry "Oh God...God!", was a cry of Fact.

Please do not ask me to explain what I mean because Im not sure that I know. The best that I can do, is to say that that man, believer or not, upon realization that his end had come, verbally/emotionally expressed that he understood that there is a Sovereign Creator. He cried out Fact.

The anniversary of this horrific tragedy is almost upon on us. Please pray for the surviving family of this man. Also pray for all the unbelievers who have heard and will hear this 9-1-1 call as well as other 9/11 stories. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself so that they may know our One True Sovereign Creator.

Gods Goal Part V

The Giving of the Law

When Israel reached Mount Sinai, God called Moses onto the mountain and gave him the Ten Commandments and other regulations for the new social community. At the head of this law is Exodus 20:3-5.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.

When God says we may have no other gods before him and that he is a jealous God, he means his first aim in giving the law is that we accord him the honor he alone is due. He had just shown himself gloriously gracious and powerful in the exodus; now he simply demands in the law an appropriate response from his people-that we should love him and keep his commandments.

To love God does not mean to meet his needs, but rather to delight in him and to be captivated by his glorious power and grace, and to value him above all other things on earth. All the rest of the commandments are the kinds of things that we will do from our hearts, if our hearts are truly delighted with and resting in the glory of God's grace.

Gods Goal Part IV

The Exodus

After the period of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), which is recorded in the rest of the book of Genesis, the people of Israel spent several hundred years expanding in the land of Egypt, and then became slaves there. They cry to God for mercy. In response God undertakes to deliver them through the hand of Moses, and then bring them through the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan. God's purpose in this deliverance from Egypt is recorded several places besides in Exodus-for example, in Ezekiel and the Psalms:

Thus says the Lord God: on the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not every man cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the na tions among whom they dwelt, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. (Ezekiel 20:5-9)

Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider thy wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of thy steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. (Psalm 106:6-8)

It is clear that the deliverance from Egypt is not due to the worth of the Israelites, but to the worth of God's name. He acted "for the sake of his name." This is also made clear in the story of the exodus itself in Exodus 14.

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.... And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. (14:4,18)

God's purpose is to act in a way that causes people to own up to his glory and confess that he is the only Lord of the universe. Therefore, the great event of the exodus, which was a paradigm for all God's saving acts, should have made clear to all generations that God's purpose with Israel was to glorify himself and create a people who trust him and delight in his glory.

Gods Goal Part III

GODS GOAL IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY PART III
From the Book "Desiring God" by John Piper

The Call of Abram


Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2)At this major turning point in God's dealings with mankind, he calls Abram and begins his dealings with with the people of Israel

There is a clear contrast between what God says here and what happened at the tower of Babel. God says that he will make Abram's name great, in explicit contrast to Genesis 11:4 where man wanted to make his own name great.The key difference is this: When man undertakes to make his own name great, he takes credit for his own accomplishments and does not give glory to God. But when God undertakes to make a person great, the only proper response is trust and gratitude on the part of man, which gives all glory back to God, where it belongs. Abram proved himself to be very different from the builders of the tower of Babel, because (as we see in Genesis 15:6) Abram trusted God.In Romans 4:20-21, the apostle Paul shows us the link between Abram's faith and God's glory: "No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith, giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." So, in contrast to the builders of the tower of Babel, the children of Abram were chosen by God to be a people who trust him and thus give him glory. This is what God says in Isaiah 49:3, "You are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified."

Gods Goal Part II

Goal Part II


The Tower of Babel
Now the whole earth had one language and few words, and as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Gods (Genesis 11:1-4) The point of this story is to show how fallen man thought, and still thinks. By contrast it also shows God's purpose for man. The key phrase is, "Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered" ( 11:4) . The instinct of self-preservation in fallen man seeks fulfillment not by trusting God, and thereby exalting his name, but by employing his own human genius, thereby making a name for himself. This was contrary to God's purpose for man and so God frustrated the effort-and has been frustrating it more or less ever since. God's purpose was that he be given credit for man's greatness and that man depend on him. This will be even more evident when we look at what God did next in redemptive history.

TBN

No I do not recommend the regular viewing of the television network TBN. However I do recommend that you take the time to watch it tonight at 9:00.

There is a great line up of guests on Praise the Lord. Two names that I am familiar with are Paul Washer and Ted Tripp.
Click on the link and I think that you will be very pleased!!!

Life working at the Bureau!

This is hilarious!

To give a little background on who these people are, Jack Lilly is a good old boy who is a REAL HOOT. The man writing this is my district sales mngr. The man, Robert Lunn, is also a district sales manager.

I have changed the names of those involved and the county mentioned to protect the identities of all involved.

Enjoy!
___________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone; For those who do not know, Jack Lilly had an interview with the xxxx Board last week concerning the possibility of Jack becoming their next agency manager.

Jack being the positive person that he can be, was going to look at real estate after the meeting, eventhough his wife was out of town on family concerns.

This had Jack with a problem, it was just too hot for him to leave his dog in Waco, so he took his dog to xxxx county (this is the same dog that came to our district meeting last September), Jack felt he could keep his dog under the desk during the interview process. Jack knew you could not let his dog stay in the heat, for these types of dogs are very sensitive to heat. During the interview process, just when the questions were becoming very difficult. The dog had a serious bowel problem which made a odor in the room, which forced Jack to either admit he had an accident in his britches or he brought his dog to the Board Meeting.

At this point, the dog leaps from under the desk and goes straight to Robert Lunn and tears a hole in his new dress slacks. As it turned out, this was very comical to everyone in the room except Jack and Rober.

After, the board gained their composure, they instantly voted to make Jack the next Agency Manager because of their love for his dog. So, once again, the old saying is true. Man`s best friend is his dog. Some of this message may not be exactly true, but this is true, Jack Lilly is now the Agency Manager in xxxxx county. Congratulations to Jack!!!!!!! Hopefully he will bring his dog to one more district meeting. Again, we all are very proud of Jack and his dog!!!!!!!!

Tom Starter

The Finger of God

Like a child in a sandbox cutting a road with his finger through a sand mountain, God is blazing a trail through the mountains of the world so that His people will know and Glorify Him.

I was visiting with a very good friend who is a missionary in Tanzania. He made my heart jump with joy when he told about paved roads that were being built by France through the mountains in the area where he works. He said that God was opening the Gospel to the the Luguru people who are an unreached people group that live in those mountains.



When we were in S.E. Asia 2 years ago, the same thing was taking place there. Roads were being built which were allowing His word to penetrate and be proclaimed to a people who do not know Him.

God is active. He WILL make His name known. If we look, we can see Him declaring His glory through things such as the building of roads by a country that denies Him and another that might as well deny Him.

What a great God we serve! For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Shes A Wonderful Wife

30 Something

Today is my wifes birthday. I will not tell her age so please dont ask.:)
We have been married for 12 years 1 month and 29 days.
We have known each other for 14 years 1 month and 27 days.
The marriage road has not always been easy, in fact there have been times that were extremly hard for the both of us...but man has it been worth it :-].
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED!!! Thank you Megan for putting up with me. Thank you for loving me. I sure love you :). HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Gods Goal

Have you ever wondered what Gods ultimate goal was? If you havent, I encourage you to do so. When I read the book "Desiring God", by John Piper,
it revolutionized the way that I thought. In appendix 1 of this book Dr. Piper lists "a brief survey of the high points of redemptive history with a view to why God does what he does".
This "brief survey" isnt exactly what the average person would describe as brief. Since this is somewhat lengthy I intend to break it up over several posts in order to keep your attention in hopes that this book will have the impact on you that it had on me. I wish you good reading :].
Remember!!! If you are going to build a relationship with another you HAVE to spend time with the person you desire to build that relationship with.
If you are a Christian that relationship is to be built with the One that called you His own. I want to encourage you to pray, read His Word, meditate on His Word, surround yourself with other believers (community), read about His word from SOLID theologians like the following.

Appendix 1
The Goal of God in Redemptive History

In chapter one I said God's
ultimate goal in all that he does is to preserve and display his glory. I
inferred from this that he is uppermost in his own affections. He
prizes and delights in his own glory above all things. This appendix
presents the biblical evidence for this statement. It is a brief survey of the
high points of redemptive history with a view to why God does what he
does.

First, a comment about terminology.

The term "glory of God" in the Bible generally refers to the visible
splendor or moral beauty of God's manifold perfections. It is an attempt
to put into words what cannot be contained in words-what God is like in
his unveiled magnificence and excellence.

Another term which can signify much the same thing is "the name of
God." When Scripture speaks of doing something "for God's name's sake" it
means virtually the same as doing it "for his glory." The "name" of God
is not merely his label, but a reference to his character. The term
"glory" simply makes more explicit that the character of God is indeed
magnificent and excellent. This is implicit in the term "name" when it
refers to God.

What follows is an overview of some of the high points of redemp tive
history where Scripture makes clear the purpose of God. The aim is to
discover the unifying goal of God in all that he does.


Old Testament
Creation


Then God said, "Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon
the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

The biblical story of creation reaches its climax with the creation of
man (male and female) in God's image. Four things should be noted about
this climactic act. (1) Man is created as the last of all God's works
and thus is the highest creature. (2) Only man is said to be in the
image of God. (3) Only now that man is on the scene in the image of God
does the writer describe the work of creation as being very good (1:31).
(4) Man is given dominion and commanded to subdue and fill the earth (
1:28) .

What is man's purpose here? According to the text, creation exists for
man. But since God made man like himself, man's dominion over the world
and his filling the world is a display-an imaging forth-of God. God's
aim, therefore, was that man would so act that he mirror forth God, who
has ultimate dominion. Man is given the exalted status of image-bearer
not so he would become arrogant and autonomous (as he tried to do in
the fall), but so he would reflect the glory of his Maker whose image he
bears. God's purpose in creation, therefore, was to fill the earth with
his own glory. This is made clear, for example, in Numbers 14:21, where
the Lord says, "All the earth shall be full of the glory of the Lord,"
and in Isaiah 43:7, where the Lord refers to his people as those "whom
I created for my glory."

Let The Nations Be Glad!

LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD!


I would like to let everyone know that God has called Megan and I to the mission field and I would like to share with you the process that He used to lead us to where we are now.

In 2000 my wife and I had a major life change. I was asked to leave my job as a teacher/coach. The details, in case you are wondering, as to why I was asked to leave are not important to what I am writing about now, so I will not go that direction. However, since those details are a powerful part of my testimony I will not hesitate to share with you how God worked in my life and the truth that "the LORD disciplines those that He loves and He punishes those that He accepts as sons".

Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth experienced a horiffic tragedy in 2000. As most of you will remember a gunman stormed into the church and began shooting. He killed seven people and wounded seven others.

Not long after that, I providentially recieved an email from a lady who I not only did not know personally, but did not know existed. The email was about the Wedgewood shootings. It told about all the horrible things that took place during the gunmans rampage. After telling about these horrific events the letter then told of all the incredible events that came out of that tragedy as well as the incredible events that took place during the shootings.

I knew that I needed some incredible events to take place in my life.

The thing that struck me about this letter was the prayer that the pastor of Wedgewood Baptist Church reportedly prayed..."Our pastor, Brother Al, had prayed that God would do whatever it took to expand the ministry of Wedgwood Baptist
Church."

Knowing that God answered Brother Als prayer, I began to pray and ask God to bring a revival to my life...at ANY COST.

AND HE DID.

As I quoted above from Prov 3:12/Heb 12:6, God disciplines those that He loves. Little did I know just how much He did love me and considered me as a son, because the discipline that I recieved sure did smart!

My wife was a stay home mom and to top that off she was pregnant with our second child and I went from employed to unemployed.

Though I proclaimed to be a Christian (which I believe that I was), I had little if any evidence of such. As far as reading the Bible is concerned, I had read the first few chapters of Genesis and that was about it. I only knew two verses, one being John 3:16 and the other is the one that I quoted above, Prov 3:11-12.

Wow, think about it. If you only knew two verses and had to go through a trial, what two better ones to know than those two? Talk about Gods providence.

Like a bean that a child plants in a cup of dirt, you would have seen a little growth in my life as a believer that first year.

I knew that God was who He said that He was and I knew that I needed to know Him more. So I made myself read His Word. It was excruciating. I made myself read a chapter a day starting in the New Testament. I dont know how long it took but before long I was reading several chapters at a sitting. I couldnt get enough. As a result, like a sprout that breaks free of the ground, my spiritual growth started to become evident.

Its a shame just how ignorant of the things of God I was and of how much of my life I had wasted. When I first started reading the Gospels, I remember thinking "this story sure sounds familiar. Then a month or so later I would say to myself "this story sure sounds familiar"..a month or so later, again, "this story..." I knew so little about the Bible that I didnt realize that the Gospels were testamonies of Christs, life, death and resurection written by different authors...Like all infant Chritians, I had some learning and growing to do.

A year later (2001) I was (and still am) working for Farm Bureau and was at the home of a couple that had their insurnace through my company and I was doing an insurance review. As I was going through the review form, I came to the question that asks the insureds what they did for a living. When they responded that they were missionaries, the word Mexico popped into my head. As I was tryig to conduct the review, the word Mexico would not stop "rolling" through my head. For an hour I couldnt get it out of my head.

When I got to my car to leave and go back to my office I prayed, "God if You want me to go to Mexico, You are going to have to put it in front of me because Im not able to see it unless it is right there in front of me."

Two days later my wife and I are closing on a house in Glen Rose, Texas, that we bought (which is another miracle where God clearly showed His hand. That too is another story so I will save it for later) and the lawyer that owned the title company who was doing the closing work looked over his glasses as he was writing and asked if we had found a church in Glen Rose. Of course since we hadnt moved there yet our answer was "no".

The next thing he said was "you might like the church that I attend. Our church is really involved in the mission field."

I knew that his next sentance would be "We are about to send a group to Mexico." He then said, "We are about to send a group to Mexico."...All I knew was that I was supposed to go to Mexico and needed to know who I needed to talk to in order to sign up.

Two weeks later I was in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico!

From that time on God has continued to soften mine and my wonderful wifes heart to mission work. We have been blessed by having the opprotunity to take two additional trips to an orphanage in Chihuahua, Chihuahua and another to the Sierra Madre Mountains further into the interior of Chihuahua, Mexico. We were then blessed to be able to take a trip to South East Asia, two years ago.

Three weeks ago Megan received her call to the mission field. Since then we have decided to put our house up for sale in order to pay off debt and move closer to SWBTS. God blessed us immensly. We had a contract on our house within two and a half days of putting a for sale sign in our front yard!!!

God is good. Yes God is good all the time.

We ask that you please remember us when you pray. Ask God to give us wisdom in all the decisions that we will be making.

Ask him to grow us into oaks of righteiousness being displayed for His splendor. Is 61:3.

May God bless you and give you a heart for the lost.

mjtjlee