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Opening: When I first met Steve Toews at a restaurant in El Dorado KS to talk about the position I now hold, he mentioned to me the phrase “Equipping Future Generations.” This phrase intrigued me.   We have seen a picture of that phrase as we have celebrated parent/child dedication.   As we begin, what does the phrase “equipping future generations” mean to you? Introduction: Psalms were used in worship.   This particular psalm was written by Asaph. David appointed Asaph to serve “by giving constant praise and thanks to the Lord God and to lead Israelites in worship. [1] Psalms 50 and 73–83 are attributed to him [2] Remember (Vs. 1-4) ·          Vs. 1-2-Asaph begins by leading the people in worship by focusing on “remembering.” ·          Vs. 3-what we have heard & known, what our fathers have told us o    The facts of their past history had been handed down orally from father to son among the Israelites, not simply learnt from their sacred writings. [3] ·     

Here's a new song by Steven Curtis Chapman called Amen. I love the focus on our identity in Christ and believing what God says is true about us.  Be reminded of who you are today.  Enjoy! You have given us A new name The sons and daughters of your righteousness You have taking all of our shame And given us the gift of holiness Lord we're crying out for faith To believe the words you say You say we are loved You say we belong to you Your grace is enough Nothing more that we can do You say we've been bought by your blood, by your blood And all that we can say is amen. You have given us a new hope An anchor for the soul that shall not fail Jesus we believe your truth shines Yes in the darkest night, you shall prevail, Lord we're crying out for faith To believe the words you say. You say we are loved You say we belong to you Your grace is enough Nothing more that we can do You say we've been bought by your blood, by your blood And all th

Today I am writing over at 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting.  My topic is why I don't make New Year's resolutions and instead reminding all of us who we are in Christ as we begin 2016.  Check it out here

Here's my New Book Friday a day early!

This is a new feature on the blog.  Usually on Mondays, I get caught up on my favorite podcasts.  This usually results in a lot of tweeting on that day.  However, if you are at work and not checking Twitter during that time, you might miss some of the great truth being shared by others.  So, starting today and each week, I will be sharing some of best tweets from the previous week which include great wisdom and truth.                        The law has become a portrait of freedom & not a task list to be completed. It cannot condemn those in Christ. @byronyawn Under Christ, everything is paid up front, it doesn't come out of your pocket. Everything is completely & absolutely finished. @ Byronyawn Be reminded of this promise of God: He is with us! No matter whether last week was good or bad-God is With Us Always! http:// daddy4ms.blogspot.com   @ DailyKeller   “Do you realize that it is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the perfor

Because Christ defeated Satan   15  I will put enmity between you and the woman,      and between your offspring and her offspring; he (Jesus) shall bruise your head,      and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) 15  He (Christ) disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.  (Colossians 2:15)  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) We know how the story ends. Satan is defeated . 7  And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8  and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9  And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10  and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulf

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have chosen the word, gospel, to think about and meditate on in 2016.  Gospel in the Greek literally means, "good news."  My best definition of gospel is the "life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ." I hope to have a deeper understanding of the word and definition at the end of 2016. Check out previous posts on this topic. 34  And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:34-36)   26  And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Here is a song I heard in the car when I was rushing to a basketball game. It is called Breathe by Jonny Diaz.  What a great reminder to rest in Christ!  Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor It's off to the races everybody out the door I'm feeling like I'm falling behind, it's a crazy life Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand So much to do in so little time, it's a crazy life It's ready, set, go it's another wild day When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel You say just (chorus) Breathe, just breathe Come and rest at My feet And be, just be Chaos calls but all you really need Is to just breathe Third cup of joe just to get me through the day Wanna make the most of time but I feel it slip away I wonder if there's something more to this crazy life I'm busy, busy, busy, and it's no surprise to see That I only have time for me, me, me There's gotta be someth

It seems like a lot of new podcasts were started in 2015.  I have not mentioned my go-to podcasts on the blog so I decided to share them with you today.  I have 6 podcasts that I listen to on a consistent basis.  Each of them encourages me in different ways.  Some are sermon podcasts, others make me laugh, and some are more scholarly or intellectual.  Chief Sinner Podcast Christ Hold Fast Cast Community Bible Church in Nashville. Byron Yawn in the pastor. Front Porch with the Fitzes KW Redeemer Podcast. Paul Dunk is the pastor. Theocast from Community Bible Church What are your favorite podcasts?

Because Christ fulfilled the law “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)  Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfill ed.” (Luke 24:44)  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:4)   12  But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14  so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:12-14) I live by the Spirit 3  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the lik

I am thoroughly enjoying Elyse Fitzpatrick's book, Counsel from the Cross . Here are some quotes from chapters on counseling and our sanctification.  So gospel-centered counseling is counseling based on Scripture that defines us as God does and then applies both gospel declarations and gospel obligations to every problem we encounter. When we use the word gospel, indicatives, and declarations, we are referring to those portions of Scripture that tell us what Christ has already done...when we use the terms law, imperatives, and obligations, we are referring to those verses that tell us what our response to this good news should be. We not only cease the evil activity; we also replace it with obedience instead. the obligations of the gospel become a burdensome duty simply because we don't spend enough time remembering what Jesus has already done for us. If the message of the gospel does not inform every thought, word, and deed, our striving to put off and put on will d

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have chosen the word, gospel, to think about and meditate on in 2016.  Gospel in the Greek literally means, "good news."  My best definition of gospel is the "life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ." I hope to have a deeper understanding of the word and definition at the end of 2016. Previous posts here  & here Here are a few verses using the word: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1) 14  Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15  and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  

“ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

Here is a song playing on the radio right now.  It is called "Call It Grace" by Unspoken. A great reminder of why grace is such good news! Enjoy. It's the light that pierces through you To the darkest hidden place It knows your deepest secrets But it never looks away It's the gentle hand that pulls you From the judgement of the crowd When you stand before them guilty And you got no way out Some may call it foolish and impossible But for every heart it rescues, it's a miracle It's nothing less than scandalous This love that took our place Just call it what it is, call it grace Call it grace It's the breath that's breathing new life Into what we thought was dead It's the favor that takes orphans Placing crowns upon their heads It's the hope for our tomorrows The rock on which we stand It's a strong and mighty fortress Even Hell can't stand against Some may call it foolish and impossible But for every heart it

We have a couple of birthdays in the Martin family in January.  Happy Birthday to my favorite nephew, Mason! (He is my only nephew).  Hope you have a great day celebrating.  Below is picture of all the cousins.  My son is the oldest cousin and Mason is the youngest.

Because Christ has defeated sin For sin will have no dominion over you, sin ce you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14)   18  to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:18)  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven , and whose sin s are covered; (Romans 4:7) I am forgiven 13  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14  by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)  And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sin s are forgiven .” (Matthew 9:2)  Indeed, under the law a

Today is my little sister's birthday.  If you are from Yates Center and will see her today, wish her a "Happy Birthday!"

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have chosen the word, gospel, to think about and meditate on in 2016.  Gospel in the Greek literally means, "good news."  My best definition of gospel is the "life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ." I hope to have a deeper understanding of the word and definition at the end of 2016. Previous post here Here are a few verses using the word: 14  And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14) 13  Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:13)  

“ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1)

I have been listening to this song for months because my family loves Josh Wilson.  They have only recently started playing it on the radio. Here is a great reminder for us about what grace does in our lives. We used to hide from the light We made friends with the night We were headed the wrong way on a one way track Going nowhere fast We got used to the dark We thought this is who we are And we figured that we were just too far gone But we were wrong ‘Cause love came running like a river And we got washed in the water Then He said you're forgiven Your sins are gone That was then, this is now You're bought by the blood, saved by the Son the saints all sing about That was lost, this is found And it's time to say goodbye to the old you now So go ahead, put the past in the past Box it up like an old photograph You don't have to go back ‘Cause that was then and this is now We've been remade by grace We've all got new names And nothing we do could ever change

Happy New Year!  Now I can share all the new books that I received for my birthday and Christmas.  Here is my first "New Book Friday" for 2016.

I am continuing Counsel from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I enjoyed several chapters on the topic of God's love for us and how it impacts us.  She asks, do you believe God loves you?  Do you?  And then challenges others who think they make "Varsity Christian Squad."  You know those who have no doubt that God loves them because they are so good.  Is that you?  Either extreme misses out on the good news of the gospel for us. Here are some quotes on God's love and our response: Love is the key to every sin problem in our lives both vertically, between ourselves and the Lord, and horizontally, between ourselves and others. What will ignite a white-hot passion in our hearts? Only trusting in God's love for us. Only the gospel annihilates self-condemnation. Only love stimulates love...our love for God and our others is responsive in nature. God places all our transgressions upon his Son, he pours out our punishment upon him, he transfers his perfect record to u

After a great Christmas and New Year's break, Wednesday nights are back.  Schedule is: Kid's Choir-6:30-7:00 p.m. Hide N Seek (age 4 through 4th grade) at HMBC from 7-8:00 p.m. fuzion (5th/6th graders) at Hesston Middle School from 7-8:15 p.m. We are looking forward to a great semester together!