daddy4ms

Have you ever thought about how grace and the ocean have a lot of similarities? Check out this post which was originally written following the Liberate Conferences 4 years ago.  I am sharing it again today because I have just been to the Here We Still Stand Conference in beautiful San Diego and definitely made a few trips to the beach while I was there. Be reminded of what Christ has DONE for you. Grace is like an ocean because: It is deep .  When we think we have understood its depths, there is always more and more. It is far reaching .  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you. It is free . Isn't it amazing that you can go to the beach for free?  No admission fee. It draws you in .  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us to Himself. It is rest . Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful. Living by grace is rest and freedom. It is unpredictable . You cannot predict th...

Below you find a post that I shared about a year ago.  It was written after returning from Liberate 2014 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  I leave for Liberate 2015 in just 27 days.  I cannot wait to hear good news on the theme, "It is finished." Another bonus is the time to spend at the beach and ocean. The picture below was taken last year.  Enjoy my thoughts on grace and the ocean again:   Grace is like an ocean because: It is deep .  When we think we have understood its depths, there is more. It is far reaching .  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you. It is free . Isn't it amazing that you can go the beach for free?  No admission fee. It draws you in .  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us. It is rest . Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful. It is unpredictable . You cannot predict the pattern of waves. You cannot predict how grace will affect a person. ...

The song below are from a new song by Zac Hicks and Julie Vargas.  I look forward to singing this song in February at Liberate.  I love the lyrics.  Be reminded as you read what Jesus finished work on the cross means for you. 1. I am weary, worn out Who will deliver me? I am heavy, burdened Who will deliver me?  Though I sink in guilt and shame: grace flows deeper Though I run against your will: grace runs faster Though I hide away from You: grace comes nearer Spirit help me know:  It is finished, It is finished No more running, no more hiding Now my weary soul can rest It is finished, It is finished No more striving, no more taking All in Christ I now possess It is finished   2. I am failing, unable, Who will deliver me? I am fearful, faithless Who will deliver me?  Bridge: No condemnation No guilty shame No past to haunt me None in Christ, None in Christ  Gone is my record Gone my regrets Gone is my failure Gone in Christ, Gone in C...

After attending the Liberate Conference this year, I purchased the book Thoughts that Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones.  As I have posted before, I highly recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible to all parents.  However, I had not read any of this other book. About a week ago, Molly (my 6 year old) and I were reading one of the stories.  It is the story about faith as small as a mustard seed.  Picture from the book is below.  What amazed me was how I had focused so often on the size of my faith (mustard seed) rather than who our faith is in.  All of a sudden a light bulb came on for me.  It is about faith in Jesus and who He is and His power, not how much faith I can work up or muster.  The Holy Spirit can use many different tools including a children's book to help us go deeper.

Elyse Fitzpatrick was one of my favorite speakers at Liberate 2014.  And when I went to post my notes following her talk, my iPad crashed.  Anyway, I had to listen to her message again so I could get all of the great wisdom and truth she shared. She is author of Found In Him . I highly recommend this book to you.  I will be writing a review of the book in a few weeks on the blog. Here are my notes from her message entitled, "The Fruit of One Way Love": Are you thirsty for good news? This One Way Love is free to us, but it was not free for Jesus.  What did it cost Jesus?  He had to leave heaven, he had to be born, he had to learn, he was weak, he suffered like us. He paid for it on the cross. Why?  We need a perfect representative.  We need someone like us. We need someone to fulfill the Law in our place.  Jesus came to fulfill all of the Law in our place so that as God's perfect sacrifice, the lamb of God who takes a...

Here is another song we sang at Liberate 2014. It is based on Psalm 130. Be reminded of the God who is in this song.  From depths of woe I raise to Thee The voice of lamentation; Lord, turn a gracious ear to me And hear my supplication; If Thou iniquities dost mark, Our secret sins and misdeeds dark, O who shall stand before Thee? To wash away the crimson stain, Grace, grace alone availeth; Our works, alas! are all in vain; In much the best life faileth: No man can glory in Thy sight, All must alike confess Thy might, And live alone by mercy. Therefore my trust is in the Lord, And not in mine own merit; On Him my soul shall rest, His Word Upholds my fainting spirit: His promised mercy is my fort, My comfort, and my sweet support; I wait for it with patience. What though I wait the livelong night, And till the dawn appeareth, My heart still trusteth in His might; It doubteth not nor feareth: Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, Ye of the Spirit born indeed;...

Here is the devotion I shared with BOAM at our retreat yesterday.  The quotes I am sharing are by Paul Tripp from the Liberate 2014 conference I attended a few weeks ago.   After reading, spend time reflecting on them. We will look at four things. Gaze We have spent enough time meditating on our sin and brokenness and the fallenness of the world, we need to instead run to His beauty. King David knew there is One that exists that is awesome and glorious and way more beautiful than any ugly thing you will face in this life and grace connects you to this beauty. Gaze at the beauty of God from Isaiah 40 Remember After we have gazed at the beauty of Father, Son, and Spirit, we need to remember who we are in Christ. Remember these truths: You Are Chosen-Ephesians 1:4 You Are Loved-1 John 4:9-10 You are Redeemed-Galatians 3:13-14 You Are Forgiven-Colossians 1:13-14 You Are New-2 Corinthians 5:17 You Are Righteous-2 Corinthians 5:21 You Are ...

Several of the videos are now available from speakers at Liberate 2014.  Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from each speaker.  You can read all my notes on blog posts from February 20-23.  The King has banged the gavel and pardoned our past, present, and future sins.  If you don't get justification, you will run from God not run to Him. (Matt Chandler) Grace isn't just a doctrine. It's 24/7. It's a pool where elephants can swim and children can play. (Steve Brown) Home is not a place to settle, but a place to set out from. (Sally Lloyd-Jones) Two preliminary points in making connection with others: you have to get to the end of law (sanctions don't work with kids, spouses, or others) & the name of the game is healing. (Paul Zahl) Three things the gospel does that religion cannot do    1. Gospel reveals to us God is more glorious than our idols (2 Corin. 3:18)    2. Gospel overwhelms us with grace (1 John 4:19) ...

Here is another song we sang at Liberate 2014.  Think about the words. You can listen below.  I also encourage you to return  here  to listen to "Once For All". His Be the Victor's Name 1. His be the Victor's Name Who fought the fight alone; Triumphant saints no honor claim; Their conquest was His own. 2. By weakness and defeat He won the glorious crown; Trod all His foes beneath His feet By being trodden down. What though the vile accuser roar Of sins that I have done; I know them well, and thousands more; My God, He knoweth none 3. He hell in hell laid low; Made sin, He sin o'erthrew; Bowed to the grave, destroyed it so, And death, by dying, slew. 4. Bless, bless the Conqueror slain, Slain by divine decree! Who lived, who died, who lives again, For thee, my soul, for thee. My sin is cast into the sea Of God’s forgotten memory No more to haunt accusingly For Christ has lived and died for me His Be the Victor's Name by Zac Hicks...

I just returned from Liberate 2014 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Below is a picture I took. It was a great conference and you can read my notes from many of the speakers on earlier posts.  Today, I wanted to share some thoughts I had while sitting on the beach one morning about the similarities between grace and the ocean.   Grace is like an ocean because: It is deep .  When we think we have understood its depths, there is more. It is far reaching .  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you. It is free . Isn't it amazing that you can go the beach for free?  No admission fee. It draws you in .  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us. It is rest . Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful. It is unpredictable . You cannot predict the pattern of waves. You cannot predict how grace will affect a person. It is bitter .  We avoid drinking it.  To those who want to live b...

I sang this song at Liberate 2014 last week.  It has been in my head and heart ever since.  What a great reminder that "It is finished!" I will be sharing more songs on the blog in the days ahead. You can purchase the CD here Once For All 1. Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus has bled and there is remission, Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, Grace hath redeemed us once for all. 2. Now we are free, there’s no condemnation, Jesus provides a perfect salvation. “Come unto Me,” O hear His sweet call, Come, and He saves us once for all. Once for all, O sinner, receive it, Once for all, O doubter, believe it; Cling to the cross, the burden will fall, Christ has redeemed us once for all. 3. Children of God, O glorious calling, Surely His grace will keep us from falling; Passing from death to life at His call; Blessed salvation once for all. Bridge: It is finished His Be the Victor's Name by Zac Hicks & Coral Ridge Worship Words:...

Paul Tripp was last speaker for 2014 Liberate Conference. His topic was "Who Am I? One Way Love and Personal Identity" There is a plague that has infected the church of Jesus Christ. It has left us broken, discouraged, afraid.  It robs you of spiritual vitality, joy, & rest. It reduces you to timidity & doubt. We don't know we have it. It is identity amnesia. You are in a constant conversation with yourself.  You are always assigning to yourself some kind of identity and potential. Who do you think you are? Where will you look today for identity? In ministry, in relationships, in possessions, in achievements,  What does that do for how you live your everyday lives? Psalm 27-where our identity can be found. A psalm of trouble written by David during two possible times: hiding from Saul in cave or David fleeing his son, Absalom. This psalm does not begin with trouble, but with theology.  True rest is rooted in sound, scriptural ...

David Zahl was first speaker on Saturday morning. His topic was "All We Need is (One Way) Love" Website is mbird.com 3 things came across his screen as he was preparing for his message: The Onion-love is unconditional, Depressed man tries to feed himself to tiger but was rejected, & effect of loneliness on 3000 older people-twice as likely to die Why are we so lonely? The church is not immune from loneliness. It has everything to do with the Law. We are focused on self-actualization. The price we pay for ambition is loneliness. We are lonely because there is a shortage of love. There is a whole lot of law & not enough gospel. Sin isolates. It inspires hiding. We block intimacy. Hiding makes us even more lonely. How do we deal with loneliness? We distract ourselves from it and keep ourselves busy. Everyone needs to stop.  The gospel allows us to do that. Another way we deal with loneliness is to buy people's love. We make it tr...

Saturday night, Tullian Tchividjian shared about One Way Love. One of the greatest draws of Liberate is Ft. Lauderdale in February. His topic was "Inexhaustible grace for an exhausted people" What is main problem in evangelicalism? Most would answer related to cultural wars.   20 years from now his hope is people will respond "forgiveness of sins." We should be good news specialists. When it comes to the gospel, there is no "and then." Luke 4:16-21-May God use the mission statement of Jesus to blow our minds. We live our lives under a banner that reads, "it is finished." The church should be one place in all of society where people can find rest, but instead they get a to do lists. Life places many demands on us. Life is long on law and short on grace. Where does our exhaustion come from?    Often we think it comes from outside of us.  But it is not. It is from inside of us.     Robert Capon quote (further, better, more aggressive)    It is...

Scotty Smith spoke second in the afternoon session. Romans 5:15-17-"The Revolution Continues" 4 Dimensions of the Depth of Gospel    1. I am discovering the much moreness of God's love           Contrast of guilt & shame           I have something to offer as a person not just what I can do     2. I am discovering the much moreness of God's laughter           Psalm 2-He who sits in heaven laughs           Love people without trying to fix them.     3. I am discovering the much moreness of God's heaven           All things--people, places, and things are made complete. We need a bigger view of God.           Everyone of us matters, but none of us are the point.      4. I am discovering the much moreness of God's Son, Jesus.           Re...

"Grace From Beginning to End" was afternoon session with two speakers J.D. Greear & Scotty Smith. J.D. Greear spoke first on "Recovering the Power that Makes Christianity Revolutionary" Author of several books and lead pastor in North Carolina. What does gospel mean? How does it change us? Genesis 3-conditions sin left us in: spiritually dead & naked Human heart became an idol factory.   God's law on our hearts makes us respond in one of two ways: when law no longer present, we go back to old way of doing things or spiritually snap (I can't do this!).   Good works are done for self-justification. Every religion in world teaches "I obey therefore I am accepted." Christianity teaches "I am accepted so I obey." Three things the gospel does that religion cannot do    1. Gospel reveals to us God is more glorious than our idols (2 Corin. 3:18)    2. Gospel overwhelms us with grace (1 John 4:1...

I attended a luncheon with Paul Zahl whose topic was "Preaching Grace from the Pulpit" The opening of your message will be entirely forgotten by your congregation. Two preliminary points in making connection with others: you have to get to the end of law (sanctions don't work with kids, spouses, or others) & the name of the game is healing. "If you are trying to find God, go back to where you lost him."  3 pointed star of communicating with others.       1.   Healing work of the preacher (everyone needs a Savior) You are absolutely nothing until it gets into your system as a preacher. You have to get deep enough in yourself that it connects with others beyond gender, history, etc.        2.   Sermon Illustration from life People are altruistic in the pew.  It's about me. It can be the heavy lifting.          3.  Humor It cuts down the resistance. 

I attended breakout session led by Sally Lloyd-Jones entitled, "Communicating Grace Through Story" She is the author of several books including the "Jesus Storybook Bible" There's no ifs and maybes with God.  To show God loves us no matter what she wrote "Just because your mine." A story slips up on you and catches your heart.  A picture book tells us a story in two languages: words and images. What I knew about America came straight out of the movies. Home is not a place to settle, but a place to set out from. How do you choose the 44 stories in Jesus Storybook Bible? Need stories to help explain the plot, those with good illustrations like Noah, and then stories that moved her.

Steve Brown started Day 2 of #2014Liberate. "Everyday Grace" was his topic. If you don't live in God's grace when you spill water, you won't be able to live in God's grace when you get cancer. Grace isn't just a doctrine. It's 24/7. It's a pool where elephants can swim and children can play. It's not following in the mud that is terrible.  It is staying there that is. Grace doesn't define us in church, but in every place we go and everthing we do. "He's not what you think."  That's how I feel about God sometimes. Jesus is very fond of you. God is good & He is sovereign. Sometimes I say this to God, " I don't want you to fix me.  I want you to hug me."

Matt Chandler was up first at Liberate 2014. His message was from Romans 8. "The older I get, the busier life gets." The tendency, if I am not careful, is to take my relationship with Christ and add it on to my busy schedule rather than let it be the defining relationship. If God is an add on, then we are saying we are own god. How does our relationship with God function and work? His focus: those he called If you got saved by saying the prayer, we are witches. God was wooing me, but it was not because I was trying to get better. It was when I was at my worst. To those he called, he also justified. We as a culture should get this doctrine. We love the law. Justification means to be pardoned. Galatians 2:15.  Our story is not I helped myself.  I pulled myself up by my bootstraps.  The King has banged the gavel and pardoned our past, present, and future sins.  If you don't get justification, you will run from God not ru...