erasing hell by Francis Chan

Francis Chan’s latest book’s provocative title, erasing hell, is more a comment on society’s view than his own. Far from erasing hell, Chan ends up ascribing to the scariest option possible—eternal torture—as his final conclusion.

I appreciated Chan and fellow writer, Preston Sprinkle’s in-depth study—diving into the Greek and looking at the Jewish mindset to understand what they would have thought about hell. He does a fine job, I think, of showing that an actual hell—a real place of punishment—is Biblical. Past this point, however, he took a number of important passages out of context, so in the end, didn’t convince me that a God defined by love would torture forever and ever even those who had never heard the gospel.

Chan’s main point, though, is that hell is real, and if we believe that, we ought to live like we do. He contends if we really believed it, we would be bolder in proclaiming the gospel message and more fervent in our prayers for the lost around us.

And in that, he is most definitely right.

Looking again at 9/11

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I'm praying for a little perspective. I'm not one of the "we will never forget" bunch. I think it's time to collectively put the day, the pain, and the horror behind us and move on. Not the people--just the event. Here's why.
As tragic as it was, many other people died that day. Other people lost their parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins due to any number of tragedies. Was their pain less? Did they cry fewer tears because their relatives avoided being in the towers that day? A certain number of firefighters and police lose their lives every day in the line of duty. Are their deaths less important?
My aunt (and several others) died on 8/11 of that year due to faulty filters in a dialysis machine. A tragedy that didn't make the news--even the local news. Someone was at fault, but we don't re-live a play by play of her death every year on 8/11. We remember her life every day.
When we elevate some to mega hero status because they died in a big event, we degrade the status of those who died serving their fellow man in a smaller way.
Some have died fighting a fire in Texas or a house fire in Tonganoxie. Some have died working the floods in Missouri or trying to rescue one child in a pond.
Some have died searching for survivors in Joplin or racing to the scene of an accident on a lonely country road.
Even the grandma who dies in her sleep can be one who leaves behind a legacy of service.
And they leave behind people who loved them.
This Sunday, let's just keep that in mind.

Living Shirtless

Luke 6:29 says this: If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. NIV
Or put another way: If someone grabs your coat, gift wrap your best shirt and make a present of it. The Message

I’ve been pondering this passage for some time and what it would mean to “live shirtless.” Here are some of my thoughts.
*If I’m wearing a cloak, it is probably because I need it—it’s cold.
*If someone is asking for my cloak, I assume he doesn’t have one—he’s cold.
*Would I offer my shirt if he already had one? He’s super cold.
*If I give away my cloak, I will be less warm, but he will be more warm.
*If I give him my coat and my shirt, he will be warm, and I will be cold.

Why would any sane person do this? (I really hate to be cold.)
It is sane to give it all away IF one trusts that they will get another shirt and coat from their supplier.

MT 6:28-30 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Rich kids spend money with no worries. Why? They’ve got a rich dad. They trust in their supplier. (They may have to spend according to his will or get cut off.)

One day when I was thinking about this as I was shopping, I stopped to get some cash at the bank. And the thought occurred to me: what if I made a practice of giving not the smallest bill in my wallet to those who ask, but the largest. What if I gave it all?

So I made a promise right then. The next person I see standing on a corner with a sign asking for money gets it all—everything in my wallet. If you don’t think God takes promises like that seriously, for heaven’s sake, don’t make them. In less than five minutes, there he was, the guy with the sign, in a place I’ve never seen one before or since.

And I had just gotten a hundred bucks in cash.

So I took that hundred dollars and the sixteen I already had, rolled it up and handed it to him. And I went back to my car and laughed, thinking how surprised he’d be when he unrolled that wad. (Or maybe he was an angel and not surprised at all!)

I know my Dad—it’s His will for me to give to the poor. So it’s really no big deal to give.

He’s rich

The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker wants Christians everywhere to wake up.

Usually known as a fiction writer, Dekker stepped out of that genre to write The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth, and he’s hoping that it will serve as an alarm clock for the Church.

Dekker contends that without a passion for heaven, we not only live in fear of death, but live unsatisfied lives while on this earth. It’s only in realizing that the pleasures of this life are but a foretaste of the pleasures of heaven can we be satisfied with what earth has to offer.

Dekker believes that Christians spend too much of their time trying to find happiness and fulfillment on earth when that fulfillment will not really happen until they reach heaven. He wants the Church to develop a passion for heaven by meditating often on the glories of heaven and the love of God.

I believe his point is well taken that our communion services should more reflect the heavenly wedding banquet than a solemn passing of crumbs of bread and a sip of grape juice, but what Dekker only mentions briefly is that God has a mission for the Church while on earth. Yes, there is great value in finding a passion for spending eternity with Jesus, but if we spend all our time in that state of longing, we will miss what God has for us to do in the meantime. The Slumber of Christianity is a good book to jumpstart a passion for heaven if you don’t have one, but be aware as you read it that God has a plan for your life right here and now.

I think there is another, maybe greater, slumber going on in the Christian world--the deep sleep of those completely unaware of the spiritual battle going on all around them. While I agree with Dekker’s alarm, I think his book is a bit out of balance. Yes, we need that passion for the future Light, but we also need to get in the game, pick up a sword and fight the dark.

Third Day--Move

Lift up your face/ Lift up your face/ Salvation is calling/. Salvation is calling your name.

Thus begins Third Day’s latest album, Move.

Just over the horizon/ a new light is shining/ Salvation’s on its way

Once again Mac Powell and friends have created a collection of songs that are passionate and real. Encouragement is at the heart.

They encourage their listeners to take that step…

Well you’ve got love and I’ve got time/ Won’t you make a move before I change my mind/ And I want to believe it’s true/ I’m listening close/ won’t you make your move now

Speak that truth…

We are the saints/ We are the children/ We’ve been redeemed/ We’ve been forgiven/ We are the sons and daughters of God

Surrender it all…

You better give up/ Gotta stop running/ It’s the end of the line/ It’s time to surrender/ Hands up/ Turn it around/ Fall to the ground/ Are you gonna surrender

Always musically interesting, Third Day moves easily between genres. Surrender starts with a country sound, moves into rock, and finishes with strings. That’s versatility.

Mac Powell’s strong vocals lend strength to the words of his songs.

Don’t give up now/ Please, don’t let go/ What can feel like the ending/ Could just be the beginning/ Don’t give up hope

Could be that Third Day knows how important encouragement is…

Well, I’m gone/ It was nice to meet you, but I’m gone/ I’m sure gonna miss you, but I’ve got to keep moving on/ Can’t stay in one place too long/ Say a prayer for me, I’m gone

Encouragement. Soak it in, then MOVE.

Sex God by Rob Bell

“Sex. God. They’re connected. And they can’t be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the ‘this’ and spirituality is the ‘that.’ To make sense of the one, we have to explore the other.

And that is what this book is about.”

Rob Bell is known for pushing the envelope of Christian thought. He has been given a gift of thinking outside the box and a boldness to say what he has been thinking. And while the title of this book, Sex God, probably raises some eyebrows (and may make some faint dead away), when you think about it, it’s obvious isn’t it? Sex is THE driving force in creation. Without it, everything living would cease to exist. And God is the author of creation and how it works, so he isn’t at all squeamish about it. God doesn’t blush about sex or the pleasure that goes with it. He designed it. But is there more to it than that? Rob Bell would say yes.

Sex in marriage is a picture of God’s relationship to the Church, also called the Bride. Loving, intimate, intertwined – each looking to satisfy the needs of the other. Over and over God treats His people like His lover, and over and over “wedding language” is used to illustrate the kind of relationship He longs for.

The subtitle is Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality, and there is so much good stuff packed into this little book, I can’t begin to go into all of it. Bell takes his readers through relationships, love, marriage, and how we can complete or destroy the picture God painted for us in sex.

In the last chapter, Whoopee Forever, Bell asks this question: “What does sex now say about life forever?”

Well, I’m not going to tell you Bell’s conclusions...pick up this gem and read it yourself. I think your view of God will be expanded.

Chris Tomlin has done it again.

He’s created a worship experience that is fresh, meaningful, and powerful. And If Our God Is For Us offers the healing balm for what ails us.

Right off the bat, Tomlin declares:
Our God is greater/ Our God is stronger/ God, you are higher than any other/ Our God is healer/ Awesome in power/Our God/ Our God/ And if our God is for us/ Then who could ever stop us/ And if our God is with us/ Then what could stand against

Aw, yes, Tomlin knows how to unlock the Courts of the King and march boldly into His presence.

And he follows up this invocation, with a personal declaration:
Where you go, I’ll go/ Where you stay, I’ll stay/ When you move, I’ll move/ I will follow you

And all through the album, Tomlin pours out his heart in praise of God’s faithfulness, majesty, and beauty. He sings of freedom, redemption, and awakening.

One can’t stay the same singing these songs. The words are healing, transforming. It’s no wonder Tomlin’s songs quickly find their way into modern worship services. Simple, sing-able, and easy to learn, but packed with the kind of truth you can take with you all week long.

The name of Jesus is a refuge/ A shelter from the storm/ A help to those who call/ The name of Jesus is a fortress/ A saving place to run/ A hope unshakeable/ When we fall You are the Savior/ When we call You are the answer/ There is power in Your name

Amen!

Authoritative vs Authoritarian

According to Terry D. Cooper’s book, Making Judgments Without Being Judgmental, There is a big difference between people who speak with authority and authoritarians. Authorities have knowledge and expertise, while authoritarians feel they should be agreed with merely on the basis of their position or power. They insist on loyalty even when they don’t make sense. Authorities, by contrast, speak with rationality and wisdom.

Cooper maintains that authoritarians can turn simple conversations and discussions into power struggles. Their rigid mental thinking won’t allow them to consider a different viewpoint, and they believe that anyone who disagrees with them is persecuting them.

Authoritarianism is everywhere, says Cooper, so don’t waste your time being shocked by it. First of all, realize that something in this person’s past made him or her this way. Authoritarianism usually springs from insecurity and fear. Knowing this may help us be more compassionate. To put them in a box with an Authoritarian label makes us just as judgmental as they are.

Instead, help an authoritarian person to grow by continuing to present alternative perspectives and encouraging them to try to step into someone else’s shoes to see how they may have arrived at their point of view.

Cooper encourages us to focus on the true goal of conversation. Argument may grow out of a conversation, but it shouldn’t occur simply for its own sake. There needs to be a commitment to truth and mutual respect that overshadows the desire to win a debate.

It’s very easy to slide into authoritarian thinking. It happens to us all at one time or another, but having an understanding of it will help us recognize when we are on that slippery slope. According to Cooper, our goal should be “to invite greater humanness in a dialogue enveloped by care. We can affirm the person while disagreeing with the viewpoint. Uncaring argument does not help in the pursuit of truth.”

Good Wednesday?

Matt 12:38-40 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil & adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.

Three days and three nights.

Jesus seemed to be pretty specific here.

So how is it that most churches talk about Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Let's see, that's one night, one day, one night. Huh.

We know from Scripture that Jesus was hastily laid in the tomb because the Sabbath (which began at sunset) was about to begin, so wouldn't that mean a Friday crucifixion? Not necessarily. In old Testament times there were Sabbaths to be observed in addition to the regular weekly Sabbath on the last day of the week (Saturday). During Passover, there were special Sabbaths built into the commemoration.

LEV 23:4 " `These are the LORD's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5 The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.' "

With the possibility of an extra Sabbath in this week, a Friday crucifixion isn't a necessary element. It also isn't necessary for Jesus to have been raised on Sunday morning. The Bible says the stone was rolled away then, but that may have been so the women could see that it was empty. As we learn later, Jesus didn't need a door opened to get out!
To find out the probable day of the crucifixion, let's look at what we know:
1. Jesus said he would be "in the heart of the earth" three days and three nights.
2. He was laid in the tomb as night was approaching, so the count has to begin with night and end with day.

If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, we would count the days like this: Wed. night (1 night), Thurs. day (1 day), Thurs. night (2 nights), Fri. day (2 days), Fri. night (3 nights), Sat. day (3 days). In this scenario, Jesus was then most likely raised as the sun set Saturday.

So why did the women wait until Sunday morning to go to the tomb? If Thursday was a Sabbath, then why not head out Friday morning? Perhaps because Friday was the preparation day for the regular Saturday Sabbath. It may be that early Sunday morning was their first opportunity, or it could be that God delayed them somehow because a Saturday morning discovery was what He had planned.

So what? you may be asking. Isn't it more important that Jesus was raised than the specific days he was crucified and resurrected? Isn't this just nit-picking about something completely unimportant.

Yes and no.

Absolutely, the most important information here is that Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead, and if your church observes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services, by all means participate. But there is something to be said for accuracy and truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. It matters that we, as Christians, take time to sort out and know the truth.

The world wants the Bible to be a mixed up mess that contradicts itself at every turn.

We don't have to fuel this notion.

Judgment vs Judgmentalism--7 Distinctions

In his book, Making Judgments Without Being Judgmental, Terry D. Cooper suggests seven important distinctions between the necessary process of making judgments and the unnecessary process of being judgmental.

Concern. Whereas healthy judgment involves concern for others, judgmentalism often has no concern whatsoever for the people it is condemning.

Trust. Healthy judgment refuses to distrust another’s motives without solid evidence for doing so. Judgmentalism, on the other hand, claims to be able to read people’s minds.

Tolerant. Judgmentalism often clings so tenaciously to rigid religious and moral concepts that it ends up disrespecting anyone who thinks differently. Healthy judgment may indeed think that the ideas of someone are off-base, limited or even dangerous, but it extends tolerance to the person beneath the ideas.

Behavior vs. people. Bashing a behavior is a judgment. Bashing a person is being judgmental. We must make healthy judgments concerning behaviors every day. When we start in on the person behind the behaviors, making sweeping judgments about their personhood, we have crossed the line into judgmentalism.

Open. Healthy judgment recognizes the unresolved problems with our own viewpoints. We can be open to new information that may change our opinion, but at the same time act on the information we now have. By contrast, judgmentalism refuses to recognize any problems or limitations with its own viewpoint. Changing an opinion, even in the face of new information or insight, is nearly impossible.

Time. Making a healthy judgment involves a calm, sober insistence on looking at all the evidence before reaching a conclusion. Judgmentalism as a mentality, however, is based on reactionary protest to something. It is emotional reasoning, which allows clear thinking no room to navigate amidst our colliding feelings.

Unafraid. Healthy judgments are not driven by fear. Judgmentalism, on the other hand, is driven by fear of carefully examining evidence and thinking analytically. Judgmentalism thinks in terms of black and white. It’s too frightening to admit that there may be several angles to consider.

It’s so easy to slip into judgmentalism. I’m grateful to Terry Cooper for laying out these distinctions, so I can think about my own interactions with those around me.

Judgments vs. Judgmentalism

I just finished the book, Making Judgments Without Being Judgmental by Terry D. Cooper. I’m not going to do a typical review of this book, as it’s not exactly a page-turner, but it does have some great info in it that I will be sharing in the next few blogs.

Have you ever been accused of being judgmental and found yourself wondering if you were? Weren’t you just trying to help? Have you caught yourself in the act of a quick assessment of someone based on very little information? On the other hand, have you been incensed when someone “put you in a box”?

The Bible says,”Judge not lest you be judged,” (Matt. 7:1) but it also says, “It’s time for judgment to begin with the family of God” (I Pet. 4:17) and “whoever turns a sinner from the error or his ways will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20) There can be no saving from error unless we first make a judgment that an error has been committed.

Cooper begins to unknot our confusion on this issue with first pointing out that there is a difference between making judgments and being judgmental. “Many of us confuse the difference between making judgments and being judgmental. Yet the two mental processes are not at all the same. It is perfectly appropriate to negatively evaluate actions and behavior that bring hurt, damage or pain to another person. In fact, to not react to such a behavior is to have a numbed sense of conscience. A world without judgments would be a world without conviction, principles and ethical concerns…Yet this focus on behaviors must be kept separate from a denouncement of entire people.”

Ah, the light begins to dawn.

Next time: the seven distinctions, according to Cooper, between making judgments and being judgmental.

What's Your Life Equation?

Judas.
Betrayer.
Whatever else his life was, that is the label he finished with.
If that was the final answer of his life, what were the factors of his life’s equation that added up to that end? And what should that equation consist of to end up as a follower of Jesus, instead of His betrayer?

I’d like to submit this as the Followers Equation:
knowing Jesus + listening to Jesus + worshiping Jesus + obeying Jesus= follower of Jesus.

So what do we know about Judas?
• He was one of the twelve apostles
• He was present for all of Jesus’ teaching—the parables, confronting the Pharisees, and how He would die
• He was present for all of Jesus’ miracles—healing, casting out demons, feeding the multitudes
• He was among those sent out by Jesus and given authority over evil Spirits
• He was in the boat when Jesus calmed the storm
• He was in the boat when Jesus came strolling along on the waves

There is no doubt that Judas knew Jesus was no ordinary man, and we also know he listened to His teaching. He literally walked with God. He heard it all. He saw it all. And yet, we can tell that his knowledge wasn’t very deep, and his listening didn’t bring him understanding, because it didn’t lead to worship.

When the woman poured the expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, Judas didn’t think Jesus was worth all that fuss. He thought the perfume should be sold and the money given to the poor. John tells us that the real reason was because Judas was the keeper of the money and often helped himself, which shows his lack of obedience as well. But was greed the primary motive to betray Jesus to His death?

Judas probably shared some of the attitudes of the other apostles:
• James and John wanted to sit at Jesus’ left and right in His Kingdom
• The disciples argued about who was the greatest among them, and on one occasion, they asked Jesus who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Don’t you think they expected Jesus to name some names—their names?)
• Peter vehemently opposed Jesus when He talked of His death. “Never Lord,” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

None of the apostles were exactly on the same page as Jesus. They were all expecting an earthly kingdom with Jesus as the head and all of them on slightly smaller thrones. But there was one difference between the eleven and Judas. Judas was an unreformed thief.

If a thief doesn’t get what he wants in life, he takes it.

Jesus wasn’t giving Judas what he wanted—position, power, money—BUT Judas was convinced that Jesus could. Forget all that talk about dying and serving…he just had to set Jesus up—force His hand.

It may have sounded very “right” to him, as Satan’s lies often do. I think he never expected the outcome. I think He never expected Jesus to let Himself be arrested. He took a gamble, and he lost. He would forever be known as the betrayer of the Son of God.

Maybe we are not as different from Judas as we’d like to think.

It’s possible to hang around church and churchy people and never really change—never really take ourselves off the throne in our mind.

It’s possible to know the Bible backwards and forwards and even experience miracles and use that to elevate ourselves.

It’s possible to say we’re following God, while we are really following our own agenda.

It’s even possible to convince ourselves that we are following God even though we’ve never asked Him what He wants us to do, where He wants us to live, or who He wants us to serve.

I’ve been thinking about my life’s equation. I need to think daily about my “final answer” and evaluate my motives and actions in light of the factors of the Followers Equation.

Because there are really only two possible outcomes: follower or betrayer.

Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

“I am not alone in this nagging sense of failing to measure up, a feeling of not being good enough as a woman. Every woman I’ve ever met feels it—something deeper than just the sense of failing at what she does. An underlying, gut feeling of failing at who she is. I am not enough, and I am too much at the same time. Not pretty enough, not thin enough, not kind enough, not gracious enough, too strong, too opinionated, too messy. The result is Shame, the universal companion of women. It haunts us, nipping at our heels, feeding on our deepest fear that we will end up abandoned and alone.”

Stasi Eldredge, together with her husband, John have tackled a theme of extreme importance—what it means to be a woman.

The Eldredges acknowledge that there have been many books written on women’s roles, but they believe in all these books, something has been missed—the heart of a woman. They believe “that every woman in her heart of hearts longs for three things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty.”

The Eldredges take us back to the beginning—back to the first woman—to see what God’s original plan was for women, the crown of creation. “Eve was created because things were not right without her.” Romance, adventure, and beauty would be diminished without her.

God’s creation of woman reveals His own heart, contends Eldredge. Woman’s vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships tells us of God’s vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. Woman’s desire for beauty tells us of God’s desire for beauty. No wonder He finds her captivating—He has put the longings of His heart into hers.

This is not an easy thing for many women who have been downtrodden and abused to believe. The wounds of troubled human relationships cloud our ideas of a relationship with God. Stasi Eldredge knows this first-hand, and takes the readers through her own wounds and disappointments to a place of understanding, healing, and joy.

The subtitle of Captivating is Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul, and the Eldredges have a clear mission statement for their book: “Not to learn one more set of standards you fail to meet. Not toward a new set of rules to live by and things you ought to do. Something far, far better—a journey of the heart. A journey toward the restoration and release of the woman you always longed to be. This book is not about what you ought to do or who you ought to be. It’s about discovering who you already are, as a woman….The woman God had in mind when he made Eve…and made you. Glorious, powerful, and captivating.”

Wounded or not, all women need to understand the Father’s great love for her as a woman. This is just the book to help you do that.

Authority in Prayer by Dutch Sheets

Have you wondered how to reconcile God’s sovereignty with prayer? Why pray if God has everything all lined out and His mind never changes? Why did God tell us to ask for anything—why not just praise Him and say “God’s will be done”? What do we do with all those bold and powerful statements concerning prayer in the Bible?

This book is the best book I have ever read on the topic of prayer.

Pastor Dutch Sheets looks at the authority given to Adam in the beginning, how that authority was usurped by Satan and won back by Jesus. He then explains how Jesus gave that authority back to His Church.

Sheets, who is very much into Greek word studies (a man after my own heart!), explains that God’s plan for us is to “pray with true authority, knowing that Christ our Head wants to release His kingdom rule through us. The Father’s original plan is now reinstated—He is governing the earth through His kids.”

How often have you heard in church circles, “God has a plan”? Dutch Sheets emphasizes that WE are God’s plan—that God is “waiting for the church to be the church.” He says we must “grow in our boldness and skill, learning to partner with the Spirit to operate in and impact this realm.”

Written with humor, intelligence, insight and a lot of personal experience, this is a book I’m probably going to buy whenever I see it, just so I can give it away. This book can re-energize your prayer life and help you truly believe that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

David Crowder*Band: Church Music

With the title of Church Music, I was expecting something different--something like Indelible Grace's updating of older hymns. And while the first song, Phos Hilaron, is from the 4th century, the David Crowder*Band isn't so much interested in updating the old, but making something totally new.

These songs are all about meeting with God. That's the church part--at least what church is suppose to be. That opening 4th century song (translated Hail Gladdening Light) is the invocation to bring God near:

Hail gladdening light/ Of Your pure glory poured/ Who is the immortal Father/ Heavenly blesses/ Oh holiest of holies/ Jesus Christ our Lord.

There are songs that welcome His nearness:

Like springtime to winter's hush/ Like laughter to solemness/ Like a sun rising up/ You come, You come to us --Alleluia Sing

And some that long for His nearness:

Send me a sign, a hint, a whisper/ Throw me a line 'cause I'm listening/ Come break the quiet/ Breathe Your awakening/ Bring me to life 'cause I am fading--SMS [Shine]

Can I lie here in Your arms/ Can I lie here in Your arms/ My only calm is You/ Save me/ Oh how lovely this place, To be with You/ To be with You/ Oh the brightness of Your face/ Here with You/ Here with You
--Can I Lie Here

Some explore the results of having God near:

Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss/ And my heart turns violently inside of my chest. I don't have time to maintain these regrets/ When I think about, the way../
That He loves us/ Oh, how He loves us...
--How He Loves

If the whole world could feel it/ If the whole world could feel it/ We could love/ We could love 'cause we are loved--We Are Loved

My hands are searching for You/ My arms are outstretched towards You/ I feel You on my fingertips/ My tongue dances behind my lips for You/ This fire rising through my being/ Burning, I'm not used to seeing You/ I'm alive/ I'm alive
--All Around Me

Some tell us how to bring God near:

Dance if you're wounded/ Dance if you're torn in two/ Dance if you're broken open/ Dance with nothing to lose/ Perfectly free/ Dance if you wanna be
-- Church Music-Dance[!]

The Veil tells of the One who came near in the flesh:

The love of angels becomes the love of men/ Oh, heavenly light takes on earth and skin/ What a Savior, what a King

The last song, In The End [O Resplendent Light!], speaks of being near to God throughout eternity:

In the end, in love our souls will rise/ All the nations, all the sides/ No fear in me for that dark place/ For I will be in His embrace

Church Music has powerful lyrics that work their way into your soul bringing the light of God's glory, love, and mercy. A more intimate group of songs may have never been written.

Musically, the album almost feels like one long song. There's not a lot of variation in rhythm and tempo, and one song just transitions into the next without ever stopping. David Crowder*Band has designed an entire album around a theme that leads the listener from Light to Light.

Hail Gladdening Light to O Resplendent Light.

The glory of the Beginning...
Son of our God, giver of life alone

to the glory of the end...
Our bodies die, but our souls will rise/ We were made to live forever

Brilliant

and Beautiful

Love is a verb

Just before Christmas, I gave myself a present--a daughter. It's actually my third. There's Maria in the Dominican Republic, Lalitha in India, and now Night in Uganda. These girls, aged 11, 9, and 7, are my Compassion daughters.

I received my first letter from Night recently and was taken back by her excited, "Thanks very much for loving me!"

I thought, gee, we just started this thing. I've never even written yet. She doesn't know what I look like....in fact, she doesn't know anything about me. And me, well, besides what she looks like, all I know about her are a few facts--her favorite color is blue and she wants to be a teacher someday. How could she presume that I love her already?

Ah, but young Night already knows that love is a verb. She's not interested in words of love--they don't fill her stomach. And she's not interested in platitudes about love--they don't put clothes on her body or give her an education or even teach her about God. Because even God did more than talk about love--He came down here and demonstrated the greatest act of love we could have never imagined. And all along His way to the cross, He helped, He healed, He fed.

He loved.

Compassion Sunday is coming soon to a church near you (or go to www.compassion.com). Don't walk past that table of faces without stopping to look. And don't just look with your eyes, look with Jesus' eyes.

Then I know you won't go home empty-handed.

Dr. Kevin Leman’s book Have a New Husband by Friday makes some pretty big claims. Is it really possible to “change his attitude, behavior, and communication in 5 days”?

Leman’s commonsense plan begins with understanding the differences between men and women. He insists that one of the main problems in marriages today is that gender differences aren’t understood or respected.

Leman then lets women in on some secrets: men need to be respected, needed, and fulfilled. If those needs are met, most husbands will bend over backward trying to please their wives, Leman contends.

Leman encourages women, “observe your male creature in his environment” to find out what makes him tick, looking at his background, family, and the way he was raised.

Leman explores the subject of communication —the way he does it, the way she does it, and how to meet in the middle. “Give him the Cliffs-Notes, not the whole enchilada,” says Leman.

Sex is a subject that can’t be avoided when talking about marriage, and Leman believes that “a couple’s satisfaction with their marriage is revealed in how healthy their sex life is.” Leman encourages, “Take a risk. Step out of your comfort zone. Surprise him.”

Over all, Leman says, “Treat him as your hero, and he’ll act like it.”

Leman’s plan for a happy marriage is simple—each member must put the other member’s needs above their own— but women have to get the ball rolling, because “he wants to be a good husband. He wants to please you. But he doesn’t know how to do that. He needs your help.”

Leman is quick to say that not every marriage is this simple. Abuse, addiction, and psychological issues change the game, and no woman should put up with being a door mat for a man who refuses help.

Leman employs Christian marriage principles without preaching. An excellent book for any wife or woman with marriage in her future.