When we moved here to our new home from San Jose, we started a house church. It lasted for nearly four years but due to various reasons, we ended it here. Our “father and founder”, Brian Anderson, continued the spirit in their house church up in Sonora. It’s still going strong and now they have a web site. If you’re in the Sonora area looking to fellowship with a strong body that feels home is where it’s at, then I encourage you to give the Great Commission House Churches a look!

Wow, talk about a convicting devo this morning. I’ll just paste it below for you to read. I think I have some work ahead of me…

By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death . . . for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb_11:5-6)

Before Enoch was taken to heaven, he walked with God in a manner that pleased the Lord. Enoch’s faith in God is what was pleasing unto Him. “Before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Pleasing God, as Enoch did, should be our desire.

Many people waste their lives by aiming at pleasing themselves. Their lives are choked with self-indulgence. “And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Luke 8:14). They have ignored the fact that pleasing self cannot lead to spiritual growth and Christlikeness. “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves . . . For even Christ did not please Himself” (Rom_15:1, Rom_15:3).

In my reading this morning, I couldn’t help how these two Scriptures so apply to those who suffered during the Katrina hurricane. I thought I would share them with you all.

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap
(Psalms 113:7 ESV)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
(Psalms 147:3 ESV)

I’ve been hearing lots of news and talk shows asking this question that has received a lot of interesting answers. While I yet to have to hear a well known Biblical scholar speak on this issue on such shows, Evers’ site does have an excerpt from one such well known scholar, John Piper. Piper explains in full detail with Scripture in attempting to explain the disaster caused by Katrina. You might find it interesting to find what Piper says about this tragedy that has struck our great nation. In brief, Piper tells us:

“Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” (Amos 3:6). The answer of the prophet is no. God’s own testimony is the same: “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). And if we ask, is there intelligent design in it all, the Bible answers: “You meant evil . . . but God meant it [designed it] for good” (Genesis 50:20). [Source]

I must confess. You were right. I was wrong. Instead of complaining about the gas prices, I should have thinking and praying for the victims of the hurricane.

Today for our sermon, we read 2 Cor. 1:5-7 and verse 6 reads, “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same suffering.” Yes, for my brothers and sisters out there, I should have been thinking of their suffering and not my inconvenience of gas. That was wrong, as some even pointed out.

Verse 7 concludes, “Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share incur suffering, you will also share in our comfort.” As Pastor Glenn told us this morning, yes, we need to suffer with the saints as well as share in their comfort. We can not just remember the good times and forget the hard ones. We need to think of their suffering and I sadly must say, I wasn’t. Forgive me.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. One, because it’s so powerful and two, so convicting. I hope it’s power convicts you today.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17)

Bob posted a really short yet very thought provink post that I wanted to share with you.

They say faith is a Crutch, and I have to agree. What they don’t tell you is that everyone needs a Crutch. Today we attended the funeral of a three year old girl who has grown up with Nathan. People were sobbing just looking at the program. In that room with hundreds of people, there was no one strong enough to not need a Crutch. [Full Text]

What a lesson I have learned. Yesterday in patience with the Home Depot thing and last night into this afternoon with a client’s PC. This PC had two and only two drivers need to get it up and going. Sound and modem. Through my sniffing tools, I was able to identify the chipset of each but not the manufacture of the card (modem) or the on-board soundcard. Through hours of trail and much error, I gave up in full frustration last night — early this morning — and went to bed at 1:30 a.m.

I awoke frustrated and deflated. I didn’t even want to get up and try after losing with my previous six hour battle. I had to drop off my car, too, and figured might as well do that. Liz and the family followed me and we did that after which we ate breakfast. I wanted to enjoy my family before the dreaded day started.

When I got home and started working on it, it was the same as the previous night. With the modem, I kept getting prompted for the “Windows Modem Install Disk” which I had none and it didn’t like the modem driver package that I had. I figured my driver trick must have messed it up, so I formated the drive and re-installed Win98SE. After the install, same issues. Ugh.

I found something late last night called DriverMagic that seemed to be getting the hardware fingered but it’s drivers weren’t working either. Finally, I fudged on the modem and got it! The Plug-n-Pray wizard had the wrong COMM port! Ugh. After that, I tried another manufacture driver, SoundMAX which failed. I then tried yet another common driver, Realtek, and rebooted. I was greeted with the groovy sound the Windows98 demo. What a sweeeet sound that was! Thank you, Lord!

After all that hassle, sweat, and tears, I was relieved to be done with it. I dropped into Katelyn’s room with mommy and her to read a story. Nice little break and I just love cuddling Katelyn. It was a wonderful way to end the most stressful 24 hours I’ve had in a long time. Trust in the Lord, He’ll work it out.

I got this from the Vision Forum mailing list and — wow — what a touching story it is. Talk about bringing tears to my eyes. I love it. Just imagining this little boy is Joshua and the daddy is me. What a heart tug!

I have a little boy who waits for his daddy at the end of the street.

For several years, we lived at the end of a long Texas country road. Every evening when I was away from home on business, my little boy would ask permission of his mother to take his black lab and his daddy’s blackthorn walking stick, to make the half-mile journey from the house to the picket fence which marked the beginning of the dirt driveway.

One day, I was delayed in my business. Some seemingly all-important grown-up concern distracted me. I forgot about the faithful little boy down the road who might be waiting for his daddy.

On my way home, the floodgates of heaven opened. For several minutes, the rain was so thick I could not see ten feet in front of me. All I could think of was finishing my journey and getting out of the rain. Finally, the downpour began to abate. It was only a drizzle by the time my car turned the last corner and approached the final street between me and a warm home and nice meal.

But in less than a fraction of a second, my business priorities, my concerns, and my grown-up thoughts would fade and vanish.

There was my little boy. He was holding a rickety umbrella in one hand, a walking stick in the other, and was wearing the biggest and most beautiful smile ever to grace the face of a little boy. Read the rest of this entry »

In my read this morning, I turned to one of my favorite OT passages and thought I’d share it with you.

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Isaiah 6:1-5 (ESV)