Holiday Haiku

Shells crunch underfoot;

Silence punctuated by

The lap of small waves.

Here I am at what feels like the end
And so I come to You, my Lord, again
With this burden buried deep within
This heart that You have made
In this trial that I'm going through
I don't question 'cause I know it's true
That the sorrow brings me back to You
And You have made me stronger

It's been forty days and forty nights
Down the road of many trials
And I pray it's only for a season
'Cause in the wilderness and in the flood
You're the one I'm thinking of
And I know You've brought me for a reason

I have one more thing I've got to say
Before they try to take my life away
Let it be known that I am not afraid..


40 DAYS Lyrics by Mac Powell/Music by Third Day From the recording: Come Together, Track #2.

Humbling ourselves before God

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10

Being Served

Our mate John Piper, in his book Future Grace, talks about 'The Debtor's Ethic' where rather than feeling gratitude for something, we think 'because you have done something good for me, I feel indebted to do something good for you'. Piper explores this concept in relationship to us trying to 'repay' God's grace. This book is great and I strongly recommend it.

But tonight I am more concerned about the Debtor's Ethic as it relates to being served by our Christian brothers and sisters. The New Testament is so clear about our responsibilities to one another and I have spent much time thinking about and praying about serving others in a way that pleases God (this is something I struggle so much with because of my pride and self-absorption)

But what about being served? James 5:14 gives us clear instruction about praying for the sick. "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." Tomorrow, a group of my friends are gathering to pray, or are putting aside time to pray, for me. This has been organised by my friend Joy, a great prayer-warrior. Such a strange feeling to plan to go to a "Jill Prayer Night". Don't get me wrong I have asked for prayer many many times over the past 2 years, and my friends have shown amazing faithfulness and perseverance in praying for me, but to actually rock up to my own prayer night is a bit bizarre.

My dear, wise friend Phil said to me many months ago, that maybe my ministry to the church at this time is to be served. I couldn't really cope with thinking about that at the time - it seemed so pitiful to have only that to offer, but surely it is only foolish pride to think that is any less valuable than women's ministry, children's ministry, service leading, or any other ministry.
And do I not have to obey this command to 'call the elders of the church to pray over me' as much as any other?

So tonight I will pray that God will grant me the grace to overcome my debtor's ethic and accept the love, prayer and ministry of my Christian brother's and sisters in the spirit in which it is commanded and in the name of the Lord.

I would love to hear your thoughts/comments on whether you think being prayed for can actually be considered to be a ministry.

Riding the Wave of Bipolar

Riding the wave
Sun brilliant overhead
Salty blast, fresh and free
Glance down to the ocean floor below
Treacherous descent
Turmoil, which way is up
Unable to breathe
Spat out onto the reef, bruised and broken
Ready to ride again.

Acquainted with the Night

The moon woke me, the pocked and chalky moon

that floods the garden with its silvery blue

and cuts the shadow of one leaf branch

across this bed of mine as if on to bright snow.

The sky is empty. Streetlights and stars

are all extinguished. Still the moon flows in,

drowning old landmarks in a magic lake,

the chilly waters lapping at my pillow,

their spell relentless as this cold

unhappiness in which I lie awake.

Insomnia by Elaine Feinstein 2002

Ensnared

Psalm 25: 15-18

My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.

Praise God for faithful friends

Luke 5: 18-19 'Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.'
Christian friendship is one of God's greatest blessings and my cup is overflowing. For all of you who have carried me over the last 2 years and brought me in front of Jesus when I could not do this for myself, I am so grateful. I pray with thanksgiving for each of you tonight.

Psalm 69: 29 - 30
I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.
I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Out of the mouths of babes

This week at Sunday School my task was to teach 2-5 year olds about sin. What an amazing challenge - it really forced me to confront my own (mis)understanding of sin as defined by God's word.

We looked at the fall in Genesis 3 and then talked about the ways in which we turn away from God.

Here are the top 3 sins to be aware of (according to the preschool-kindy class). May I exhort you brothers and sisters to avoid these.

1. pushing someone
2. spitting
3. poisoning people

I'm not sure whether I should talk to the mother of the class poisoner, but I certainly won't be accepting any home-made treats until further notice.

Mothers' Day

I think that no matter which way you look at it I have the best mother in all the world. However God promises to 'mother' his chosen people too. Isaiah 66:12-13 'For this is what the Lord says: "I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."'

'weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.'

Psalm 30:5

Comfort in the early hours

'You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? ' Psalm 56:8

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

These last few weeks I've received a quite surprising blessing. Being less physically able than I would like, I've had more time to read and pray. And I think God is really using this time to teach me. I'm learning that sometimes when God doesn't give us what we are asking for, he gives us something much more valuable - in my case it's a better understanding of my dependence on him.

Gratitude (by Nichole Nordeman 2002 Ariose Music)
Send some rain, would You send some rain?
Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case...We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain
Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up And warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case...We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread
Oh the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we need
So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace may be another world away
And if that's the case...We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace
But Jesus, would you please.....

Singleness

I know it seems that I'm obsessed with John Piper, but his resources are just so great. You really should check out the Desiring God webpage http://www.desiringgod.org

Today I read the most balanced view of the Single vs Married debate, I've heard so far.

A follow-up letter presents a summary of the arguement.

Dear Friend,
You ask: “What is at all compelling about marriage? Why would we even want to be married?”The “compelling” comes only from the right combination of internal realities and objective truths about God’s design for marriage. When the right combination is not there, marriage is not compelling and should not be. I would say the same thing about singleness.The objective truths about marriage are primarily God’s design:
1. To display his covenant keeping love between Christ and the church,
2 To sanctify the couple with the peculiar pains and pleasures of marriage,
3. To beget and rear a generation of white-hot worshippers, and
4. And to channel good sexual desire into holy paths and transpose it into worshipful foretastes of heaven’s pleasures.
That is a high calling, but it is only compelling if it meets with internal longings for God that lean strongly into these designs.

The objective truths about singleness are also primarily God’s design:
1. To display the spiritual nature of God’s family that grows from regeneration and faith, not procreation and sex,
2. To sanctify the single with the peculiar pains and pleasures of singleness,
3. To capture more of the single’s life for non-domestic ministry that is so desperately needed in the world,
4. And to magnify the all-satisfying worth of Christ that sustains life-long chastity.
That is a high calling, but it is only compelling if it meets with internal longings for God that lean strongly into these designs.

There is more to marriage and singleness than I have mentioned. But the point is to show that neither I nor the Bible means to say that either is compelling in and of themselves. That is why Paul says, “One has one gift and one another” (1 Corinthians 7:7). I think he means: The internal reality of one person finds one of these powerfully compelling and the internal reality of another finds another powerfully compelling.


And I would add: This can change from one season to another.I don’t know which holds out more joys and more hardships. There is no way to know ahead of time, it seems to me. We Christians don’t make our choices that way anyway. This would be clear if all singles not only heard the wedding vows, “For better or for worse,” but also heard the same words written over singleness: “For better or for worse.” Marriage may prove to be gloriously happy, or painfully disappointing. Singleness may prove to be gloriously satisfying or painfully disappointing. Only God knows which it will be for you.

So in the end, your heart really matters. Objectively, we cannot know ahead of time whether marriage or singleness will sanctify us more or honor God more. Does the internal reality of our heart lean us into the designs of marriage or the designs of singleness? That is a huge question and one that only the heart can answer. But it should be a heart well-formed with much Bible and much prayer and much maturity through life and counsel of friends and family.That’s my best effort. Thanks for caring about being devoted to Christ above all.


Pastor John
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: http://www.desiringgod.org/. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

Divine Grace

I am continuing to seek guidance on how to live in Christ, how to trust in him, how to live in faith, how to accept that his grace is sufficient for each moment. It seems that seeking guidance on how to do this myself is ironically reflective of the problem.
"The idea that many Christians have of grace is this: that their conversion and pardon are God's work, but that now in gratitude to God, it is their work to live as Christians and follow Jesus...No, wandering one, as it was Jesus who drew thee when He spake "Come", so it is Jesus who keeps thee when He says "Abide." The grace to come and the grace to abide are alike from Him alone."
My tears flow tonight. Lord God by your grace may I abide in you and you alone.


Ref: Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ (New York: Grosset and Dunlap) quoted in John Piper, Future Grace, 1995, Multnomah Publishers.

Turkish Martyrs

For anyone who would like to know more about the recent tragedy in Turkey, can I refer you to this post? Our brothers and sisters in Turkey are very keen to ensure that accurate information is circulated to those who are interested. Let us continue to pray for the persecuted church in Turkey.

http://double-usefulness.blogspot.com/2007/05/important-corrective-regarding-turkeys.html

Evil and the Justice of God

I recently read N.T. Wright's 'Evil and the Justice of God'.
Wright's premise is as follows:
1. We ignore evil except when it hits us in the face
2. We are surprised by evil when it hits us in the face
3. As a result we react in immature and dangerous ways
Case in point: War on Terror
Has anyone read this? If so, would love to hear your thoughts.

The Grass is Always Greener

The Now and the Not Yet

Tonight it seems that the joy and freedom of walking with Jesus, is almost totally eclipsed by the damage, pain and suffering of this period of awaiting His return.
Oh, Come Lord Jesus, Come

What is wrong with this picture?

Palm Beach, NSW, Australia. Barry Collins Landscape Photography www.barrycollins.com.au

I am blessed to have the opportunity to be a regular visitor to Palm Beach. Just being near the ocean seems to have a calming effect, the worries of the world and the stresses of the mind gradually ebb away. Oh and how great is it to actually get into the sea! I can't think of a better way to wash off the grime of day to day life, than a dip in the ocean. (There was a time I actually wanted to live underwater, but that's a story for another post).


Then there's just the simple pleasure of walking along the beach. My sister and I spent many, many hours every summer for 20 years walking up and down Kendall's Beach in Kiama (also a beautiful spot). Something about the beach just seems to allow for gradual relaxation and easy conversation.

So what's the problem? Well I was recently shocked to discover that in the New Creation there will be no more sea! I am ecstatic to hear about no more tears, death, mourning, crying or pain. Bring it on, I say. But no more sea???


Revelation 21:1 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea."


On further investigation it seems that some of God's most spectacular displays of power have been against/over the sea. Think the parting of the Red Sea, Jonah and his adventures, Jesus calming the storm, Jesus walking on the sea.


There certainly seems to be a degree of personification of the sea as an evil force for God to deal with. And deal with it he does - fairly dramatically in Revelation 18.


'Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea and said "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth." Revelation 18: 21-24


God must have something even better than walks on the beach, and cool dips in the ocean prepared for us. That's a nice thought.