daddy4ms

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Messiah Messiah is also translated as Christ.  It means anointed one.   41  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:41) 16  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) What it reminds me?  Jesus was sent to rescue His people.  He was set aside for a special purpose for us.  It was a name for Jesus to remind us why He came

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. 22  And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23  And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24  And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25  Then Jesus [ c ] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26  And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” 27  And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28  And they told him,...

Last week, I finished Night Driving: Notes from a Prodigal Soul by Chad Bird.  It is a book I would recommend as the author communicates well and shares how God met him every step of his journey. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book: God specializes in broken people...No matter how badly we have wrecked our lives, our Father is in the thick of that disaster to begin the work of making us whole again...Every step of the way we are accompanied by the God who, in Jesus Christ, will never un-love us, un-adopt us, un-redeem us. Christ's forgiveness precedes our repentance--and calls it forth...Once more, we lose control. And in loss is freedom. At the foot of the cross we are equal--equally guilty, equally forgiven, equally loved. We realize, in our weakness, that we are totally dependent on the strength that comes from the grace of Christ...freedom comes not from pretending I'm someone I'm not, but from a loving welcome from one who accepts me as I am. Th...

I am about halfway through the book, Why the Reformation Still Matters   by Michael Reeves and Tim Chester.  I am reading it in preparation for preaching this summer.  Here are some quotes from the first 5 chapters: Nothing matters more than justification by Christ alone through faith alone...This is why Luther described justification as "the summary of Christian doctrine" and "the article by which the church stands or falls." So Christ is central to the Bible. And Christ is central to the interpretation of the Bible. All true interpretations of the Bible lead us to Jesus. Corrupted all the way down, we cannot fix ourselves. Our hearts must be renewed, and that can happen only through the gospel being preached and the glory of God being unveiled. For them, grace was not a "thing" at all; it is the personal kindness of God by which he does not merely enable us but actually rescues and freely gives us himself...In other words, the grace and righte...

Here are my notes from my message today at Hesston MB based on 1 Timothy 3:14-16:   Introduction : I went on the internet and typed in books titled “A Bettter Way” and the search came up with more than 21,000 titles on topics from discipleship, worship, prayer, business, marriage, parenting, health, personal finance, education, dying, communication, cooking, life, government, being human, dating, friendship, travel, medical, think, discipline, making decisions and even preaching.   As humans, we are a fix it culture.   We are always looking for a better way no matter what we are doing.   When I was growing up, my dad was always looking for a better way to get somewhere on a trip.   Where most people would take the interstate or larger highways,   my dad was always looking for a better way (which meant quickest way with least amount of traffic).   I have to say I take after him a little because even when I put something in maps on my phone, I still...

Our final speaker for the Here We Still Stand Conference on Saturday was Matt Popovits. Here are some notes: Romans 1:16-17 After wrestling with these words, the light bulb came on for Martin Luther. Man is made righteous in the eyes of God the Father through His Son by faith alone. The point of this for Luther was comforting hearts rattled by their own evil by faith alone starting with our own heart. How is your faith? It's not about us making it bigger or greater. Faith is not intellectual assent, moral courage, positive emotions, absence of doubt. Faith is dependence. Faith is resting in or relying on something that is greater than you.  The only requirement for great faith is great need. This faith you have is a byproduct of who Christ is not what you have done. Who gave you that faith? Who maintains that faith?  Christ This faith in Christ does produce fruit in the people of Christ as it invades our head, heart, and hands. The primary fruit of faith i...

The first breakout session on Friday night was by Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto.  He provided an extensive handout (see below), but I will include a few thoughts here. What was my place as a Christian and journalist in this messed up world? What is the role of Christ in our culture? 5 Views of Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr (handout)-Christ against culture, Christ the transformer of culture, Christ and Culture in paradox, Christ above culture, and Christ of culture. The only one that makes sense to me is Christ and Culture in Paradox. Luther said that the Devil was always trying to get people to combine the two kingdoms.

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Messiah   Messiah is also translated as Christ.  It means anointed one.   41  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:41) 16  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) What it reminds me?  Jesus was sent to rescue His people.  He was set aside for a special purpose for us.  It was a name for Jesus to remind us why He came. 

For 2017, the phrase I am focusing on is "in Christ."  Each week, I will post 1 verse that includes the phrase "in Christ". I look forward to growing in understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." 10  We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11  To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12  and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13  when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14  I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15  For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16  I urge you, then, be imitators of m...

Currently, I am reading several books on various subjects.  In my Go Deeper Hour Class, I am teaching through  Jesus Outside the Lines by Scott Sauls In preparation for Easter, I am starting a devotional during Lent published by New Growth Publishing called Journey To The Cross And then my current books for "fun" are by Lee Strobel, Sinclair Ferguson and Noel Heikkinen:

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. This is a new feature on the blog on the names of God.  Why?  Because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Messiah   Messiah is also translated as Christ.  It means anointed one.   41  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:41) 16  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) What it reminds me?  Jesus was sent to rescue His people.  He was set aside for a special purpose for us.  It was a name for Jesus to remind us why He came.