daddy4ms

Today's New Book Friday is by Jared Stump.  I first read a devotional by Jared called Power of 21 Days which was about our identity in Christ.  I look forward to reading this new book by him.    

Because God is Creator In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God . (Genesis 5:1)   Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28) Therefore, we are created in His image and new So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27) I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  (Psalm 139:14) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation . The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

Over the next week, I am going to be sharing my thoughts from Sabbatical.  Today's post is on the goal of rest.  When you are a pastor, it is hard to experience rest.  Even though you have days off, there are times when you are on call 24 hours a day. Tragedies happen and needs arise when someone needs you even on your day off.  Or it can be as simple as thinking about church, ministry, or congregation members even when you are "off" work.  I should say that my sabbatical was a "good" sabbatical meaning that I was not asked or required to take time off. After about a week, I realized that I needed some rest.  I was not burnt out or exhausted, but it was good to take a break.  Knowing that ministry and church was going on without me allowed my mind to rest.  It even gave me freedom to dream and ask questions.  Are we doing the most important things?  Why do we do _________? In addition to allowing my mind to rest, my sabbatical ga...

Are you tired, weary or exhausted today?  Do you look around the house or dorm room or office and see long to-do lists? I know for many it is difficult to stop and rest.  God created the world in six days and then rested.  He did this not because He was tired, but because He was showing us the importance of rest.  2  And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3  So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:2-3) Stop what you are doing!  The dishes, laundry, yard work, etc. will still be there tomorrow.  Take a break.   Enjoy God's creation by going to the park with your kids, taking a walk with your spouse, read a book, or take a nap.  Whatever you do, just relax.  It's OK!

Today, I read Chapter 1 from Recovering Redemption by Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzer.  To say it was good would be an understatement.  It tied in well with part of the message I preached a few weeks ago about Jesus being angry and weeping at the effect sin has had our world, relationships, and even death itself. I have a feeling this blog will be filled with quotes and thoughts from this book for weeks to come.  I only read one chapter and might have wore out a highlighter in the process. Here are a few quotes that spoke to me: "Because if you're looking at this world--and at yourself--and you're convinced neither one of them is the way they're supposed to be, then you're being given an important piece of bad news...In order for good news to be good--like the gospel is good--it must invade bad spaces." (Speaking of creation in Genesis 1-2) "Nothing is their world was dead or dying around them. Nothing was ominous or unsafe. Nothing was leaking...

On Thursday, I continued reading The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn. I am only a third through the book. Glenn definitely shares some great thoughts about the "yes" of God. Here are a few quotes from my reading: "We are on earth to fulfill the dreams God had for his masterpiece: creation." "And because we don't know the stories of God, we don't know God, which leads to our misunderstanding his intentions." "In every no, God finds a way to say yes." "even when there is good reason for God to say no, he chooses yes. Then he finds a way-working with highly flawed people-to accomplish his plans." "God has decided to overcome every no of humanity with his powerful and persistent yes." "But God is more than just a Divine Judge of Right and Wrong." "How does God temper his justice with mercy? The answer is Jesus, the God-Man." "Jesus took into himself the no of our sin and died in ...

On Friday, I was reading Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler. The chapter was focused on creation. Chandler does a great job explaining his view on creation. Here are some quotes to think about: "Science has severe limitations that the God who created all observational data does not." "The place to begin is . . . not in Genesis; rather, it is the opening of the Gospel of John." "God is more interested in declaring than in explaining. . . the Bible is more interested in telling us what happened and why than it is how." "there is no way to turn the worship switch in our hearts off." "All of creation has been given to us so that we behold the awesome God who made it all and made it all good." "because God's design is for us to be responsible for each other, to live not for ourselves but for God and others." "The miracles of healing, deliverance, provision and resurrection all reveal that God, through Jesus,...

Today, is what we call "Daddy Day" in our house. For the last 8 years, Bethany has worked about 1-2 days per week in various jobs. We have scheduled one of those days to be my day off from work. This day soon was known as Daddy Day. From the very beginning, we did things differently than what happened when mom was home with the kids. It usually consisted of two rotating lunches: grilled cheese & daddy noodles (Ramen noodles) or hot dogs & macaroni & cheese. I know I am a gourmet cook. These days almost always included some activity such as a trip to the park or pool. I don't do well being inside my house all day so I keep the kids scheduled. Well, today was daddy day and Molly set the agenda. She chose to ride her bike to Children's Park. Then she wanted to get a sucker from the bank. That was great since I needed to deposit a check anyway. So, as I walked and she rode her bike, she noticed the trees and some leaves that were falling. She aske...

Today, I took the four kids to the zoo. We had a great time! Bethany was enjoying a Beth Moore conference in McPherson so she was not with us. The weather was perfect as it was just the right temperature. The zoo was not very busy at all. We enjoyed our first tram tour. As we walked around, it was fun to see what different animal was most exciting to each child. Molly loves pretty much everything, but really likes the "big turtle" as she calls it. Mackenzie and Megan love the gorillas. Mitchell's favorite as always was the jungle or rain forest whatever you call it. I was really impressed with the new babies (zebra, giraffe, and vampire bat). It was hard to see the baby bat, but he (or she) was eating from a dish. As we ate supper tonight, we talked about was everyone's favorite animal that God had created. I told them that as I walked around today, I was reminded about how creative and awesome our God is. Just to see the differences of all the animals r...

As I was reading the Bible this morning, I came across the following verses from Psalm 145: 1-4. "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts." As we get ready for football season, I am reminded how we are quick to scream and shout and clap and jump up and down for our favorite team. I am convicted that I sometimes show more excitement on my favorite roller coaster, concert, or sporting event than I do for worshipping God. So, today I want to give God a standing ovation for the many great things He has done throughout history and in my life. Here is my list: He created the world! It is not evolution, it not by chance. It was our awesome and creative God who did it all. Think about it as you look at the sky,...