Soul Cry

As the deer pants for the water, my soul longs for You
As the body dies without water, my soul dies without You

They may say, “Come on, get over it
Drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die”
That’s why I’d rather sit in the house of mourning
Than at the table with fools
Blessed are the hungry—You said it, I believe it
Hunger is an escort into the deeper things of You
You satisfy, you satisfy

My soul cries, my soul cries, my soul cries for You

Take me to the place where You satisfy, take me to the river
I’ll do anything, God; there is no price, take me to the river

They may say, “Come on, get over it, everything is okay”
They may say, “Why the hunger?
Why the thirsting? Why the mourning?”
But my soul cries, my soul cries

All my tears You hold in a bottle; You will pour them out like rain
Weeping endures for the night, for the night
But joy comes in the morning, joy comes in the morning

Blessed are the hungry, blessed are the thirsty
You said it, I believe it; I believe it, I believe it
Hunger is the escort into the deeper things of You

Deep is calling out to deep is calling out to deep

Yesterday’s depth is feeling really shallow
I’ve gotta go deeper, deeper, deeper still
And all Your waves and all Your billows crash over me
Pulling me deep, deep, deeper
From glory to glory, from strength to strength
From depth to depth, I want to fellowship with You

You’re not so far away, it’s not too mysterious
You’re living on the inside of me, Your Spirit on the inside of me

Spring up, O well; spring up, O well; spring up, O well, within me

He prayed for them.

As our Lord was being crucified, the unspeakable pain did not distract his attention from others, including those who were causing his pain. Even his enemies, those who were abusing him and cursing him, were not outside the orbit of his love. How did Jesus love his enemies? He prayed for them. 'And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"' (Luke23.34). J.C. Ryle remarks, 'The fruits of this wonderful prayer will never be fully seen until the day when the books are opened, and the secrets of all our hearts are revealed.'

|brian.borgman.Feelings and Faith.p160


Oh, Father, help us love like Jesus.

Should I Give Money To Homeless Panhandlers?

"Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you" (Matthew 5:42).

I confess, I have not always obeyed this command.

I'm a veteran urban-dweller. Having lived in an inner city neighborhood for 18 years, I've encountered many beggers and borrowers. Some I discerned as cons I have called out or waved off. Some I have hired to do work. Others I've given to because I felt the conviction of this text.

I've thought a lot about this command of Jesus over the years. I've discussed it with many. I think I know all the major reasons why not to give when someone asks. You don't want to encourage deception. You don't want to feed a chemical addiction. You don't want to contribute to someone's cycle of poverty. And there are many others.

But still this text unnerves and convicts me.

The reason is that Jesus doesn't give this command in the context of addressing how I can best facilitate transformation in someone else. He is telling me how I should respond to those who are making demands on me, either from explicitly evil motives or just plain out of their difficult situation. He is telling me how I ought to respond even when being taken advantage of.

* Do not resist the evil person, he says. Let him slap you twice. (v. 39)
* Give him more than he is suing you for. (v. 40)
* Do more than he is forcing you to do. (v. 41)
* Give to those who ask. (v. 42)
* Love your enemy. (v. 44)

Jesus is telling me to actively show kindness and radical generosity toward those who hate me or who are seeking to take advantage of me.

Really, Jesus? Isn't that rewarding sinful, or at least unhealthy, behavior?

Of course, I can think of Biblical examples that illustrate when it seems right to resist or flee an evil person in situations of theft, deception, abuse, persecution, war, etc. So when the Word speaks, I must listen carefully, and I must weigh all of his words.

But from the words Jesus speaks here, I think it applies more often and more broadly than I want it to. He does not let me off the hook easily. He tests my heart with such radical love. And in my heart I see my selfish, unloving impulses that do not want to part with my money, possessions, time, or convenience for needy or evil people. And I have a ready arsenal of noble-sounding rationales that conceal my sin, almost from myself.

What Jesus is calling me to is gospel love. It's the love that drove him to die for me with when I was still a weak, ungodly, sinful enemy of his (Romans 5:6-10). There is something about such over-the-top, radically generous love that is so different from the way the world loves that it reflects the Father's love for sinners. It's why Jesus calls us also to costly love. It is both an expression and picture of the gospel.

Pray for me. I have an opportunity in my life right now to obey this command, which is why I'm wrestling with this text again. Pray that I will love the way I have been loved.

-John Piper

i don't have to LIKE...

Have you ever heard this:

"I have to love (insert person's name), but I don't have to like them."

Well that has always bothered me. How is that possible?
I'm not saying I love people perfectly, I'm just saying that the phrase doesn't make sense.
This sunday John MacArthur was reading through Romans (the weekly pre-sermon reading of the Word)
He happened to read this passage which reminded me of the above phrase:

Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."

There are a couple of words/phrases that shoot down the "i don't have to like" statement.

1. "Be devoted" : Usually, when someone says "i love them, but i don't have to like them" it is usually accompanied with a statement about not having to be around them, or not having to be friends with them. Well "Be devoted" is a command that would make that idea impossible.

2. "brotherly love" : This idea is more than friendship. It is a strong family tie. This also knocks down "i don't have to be friends..."

3. "honor one another above yourselves" : This is pretty much self-explanatory. "above yourselves"... Honestly... this doesn't mean saying "well they don't like me either, so i'm loving them by not hanging out with them." No, what it means is that you are loving them and serving them in a self-sacrificing way that would cause a loving response.

Think about it... we were enemies of God. What did he do? Unleash a furious, righteous wrath on us? Nope, He unleashed a furious, righteous wrath on Christ because of His love... and yes, that means He LIKES us too.


(photo: my friend b.j., i like him)

self-denying community passion

I've been reading through the New Testament, and I'm in Acts right now. It's encouraging to see the focus of the people of the church:

ACTS 2:42-46
" And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,"

I am ridiculously thankful for Grace Community Church/Foundry/Foundations/Epoch/Core groups for being and providing a community that allows for this type of fellowship/love.

T4G - Document Introduction

The following is the Together For The Gospel Document Introduction:


We are brothers in Christ united in one great
cause – to stand together for the Gospel.

We are convinced that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ has been misrepresented, misunderstood, and
marginalized in many churches and among many who
claim the name of Christ. Compromise of the Gospel
has led to the preaching of false gospels, the seduction
of many minds and movements, and the weakening of
the church’s Gospel witness.

As in previous moments of theological and
spiritual crisis in the church, we believe that the
answer to this confusion and compromise lies in a
comprehensive recovery and reaffirmation of the
Gospel – and in Christians banding together in Gospel
churches that display God’s glory in this fallen world.

We are also brothers united in deep concern for
the church and the Gospel. This concern is specifically
addressed to certain trends within the church today.

We are concerned about the tendency of so many
churches to substitute technique for truth, therapy for
theology, and management for ministry.

We are also concerned that God’s glorious
purpose for Christ’s church is often eclipsed
in concern by so many other issues, programs,
technologies, and priorities. Furthermore, confusion
over crucial questions concerning the authority of the
Bible, the meaning of the Gospel, and the nature of
truth itself have gravely weakened the church in terms
of its witness, its work, and its identity.

We stand together for the Gospel – and for a full
and gladdening recovery of the Gospel in the church.
We are convinced that such a recovery will be evident
in the form of faithful Gospel churches, each bearing
faithful witness to the glory of God and the power of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

meet the puritans.

On this day (August 24th) in 1662, English Parliament/The Church of England banished the puritans from the churches and schools in England. The decree was known as "The Uniformity Act of 1662" or "The Great Ejection." Puritans didn't let that stop them from preaching God's word. They ended up preaching in fields, barns, or wherever possible. In 1664, The Conventicle Act was passed. This banned all "non-conformists" from preaching in fields or conducting services in secret. In 1665 the Five Mile Act was passed and outlawed puritans from coming within five miles of their former churches or any city or town.

Although Puritans were barred, it didn't silence them. They continued to preach God's word and write many incredible God-exalting books.

The reason for such hostility against the Puritans was for their fervent dedication to God and scripture, that provoked them to speak up about the problems within the Church of England. The church began to become weak on scripture, which led to much compromise in teaching, church leadership, obedience, and truth. Some major goals/focuses of the Puritans were:

1. Dedication to search and study the truths/doctrines of scripture and apply them to their lives. They believed doctrine and life-change went hand in hand.

2. A fascination with the character of God and His work in their lives (but not on the experience itself) to give all glory to God for any work done in one's life. Their high view of God was also evidenced also by their strong reformed theology. (High view of God/Low view of Man.)

3. A passion for love.

"It is unusual today to find books that feed the mind with solid biblical substance and move the heart with affectionate warmth, but the puritans do both. They reason with the mind, confront the conscience, and appeal to the heart. They write out of love for God's Word, love for the glory of God, and love for the souls of readers. They set forth Christ in His loveliness, moving us to yearn to know Him better and live wholly for Him."

-Meet The Puritans (Joel R. Beek & Randall J. Pederson)

4. In the same mind as the Reformers, they sought for change within the church that called for the church to conform to the instruction of Scripture on all matters of doctrine, leadersip, and fellowship.

5. Focused on personal evangelism by proclaiming God's word/the gospel.

There is so much more I can write about these men and women. They were/are my heroes.

Just like Mikey from the movie "Goonies" told the pirate One-Eyed Willie: "you were the first Goonie..." So I tell the Puritans: "you were the first Talians."

(much of the information that i got for this post was summarized from what I read in the book "Meet The Puritans")

love in action

Speaking the truth to someone often doesn't feel good. The Holy Spirits work of conviction hurts. Pride is subtle and will cause a person to immediately question the sincerity of the truth. Love comes into question.

However, the Bible clearly teaches that letting someone go on with out truth or correction is a lack of love.

Look at what Hebrews says about God regarding discipline and love:

Hebrews 12:6-8

"And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?:

'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.'

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."

The Bible not only says that sparing discipline is a lack of love, but it calls it "hatred":

Proverbs 13:24

"He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently."


"The great mark of a believer is love for one another as God’s children. Love always necessitates discipline. If genuine love is to be manifested in the local church, biblical discipline must be practiced.

It is not an act of love when discipline is avoided. It is not an act of love if the local church does not practice biblical discipline. It is selfish and unfaithful to let a person continue sinning unchastened. Intervention can perhaps prevent the ultimate discipline.

The process sounds hard and cruel, but it is true Christian love. A believer cannot grow and mature if he persists in sin. God’s goal in discipline is always to bring about maturity in Him."

-Gil Rugh

It's like if your friend had dirt on their face - if you cared about them you would tell them. If you didn't want to offend them, so you remained silent about it, it wouldn't be considered noble or loving.

Speaking truth in someone's life is love. Without the speaking of truth, there is no love. Without love there is no truth. It goes hand in hand. So don't stay quiet. Let it be known.

Get Your Cyborg Name

harvest time.

Matthew 9:36-38:

"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.'"

The greatest is love...

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak with the tongues of men and angles, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In the church at Corinth spiritual gifts were present and right doctrine was even in place, however there was a massive void of love. This absence of love resulted in arguments, selfishness, and pride.

Instead of desiring love for one another they desired “showy” spiritual gifts. Instead of love they desired knowledge and wisdom that led to selfishness and pride.

1 Corinthians 13:1 Tongues of Men and Angels

No matter how linguistically gifted one is, no matter how amazing one speaks his own language or how capable he is to speak a foreign language, if he does not love it is noise only. Even if a man can speak with angelic tongue, if he does not have love he is just noise resounding.

1 Corinthians 1:2 Know all mystery and all knowledge and all Faith

If a man has all knowledge, all wisdom, and all discernment but fails to love he has missed the most important thing. What good is it to know all doctrine, all theology if you are prideful? What good is it to know the word of God and not love? To know truth and not love is useless. If you have truth but do not love you are of no use to the kingdom of God.

If you have all the faith in the world, enough to move and remove mountains but you do not love, your faith means nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3 Burned

A man could give up his life, and it profit him nothing if he does not love. We could give up our lives, but if we do not love it helps us not.

You can speak all languages in order to spread the fame of God’s name, but if you do not love you are like a gong, which pagans rang when worshipping false gods.

You can have all knowledge, all wisdom, all discernment, but if you do not love all your words are as empty noise.

You can have all faith, enough to remove mountains, but if you do not love you are of no use to the kingdom of God. You can lay your life down for Christ, but if you do not love, your life is lost for not.

Three things should exist within the fellowship of Christ, faith, hope, and love, but the greatest is love.

Lets not be like the Corinthians and gain knowledge, wisdom, faith, and forget the things that ties all these together, love. Lets not be puffed of with pride, but let us be filled with love for almighty God, and for each other.

love.

Proverbs 17:17

"A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity."

This verse is so simple, yet so deep and rich. Honestly, it has hit home and rung true recently for me. Thank you, to you guys for

1. LOVING me. True love. Not just a casual affection, but a genuine godly love.
2. Loving me AT ALL TIMES. Not just when you run into me or happen to see me. But seeking me out and inquiring and praying. I definately need you.

So thank you.

I love you.

desiring God.

A clip from a sermon by John Piper at Southern Seminary.

Love Your Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

God says that you treat enemies the same way you treat friends and family. Impossible? Of course. But not when we have the fear of the Lord. When we know that God's power is greater than that of our enemies, when we know that he is just, and when we know that he loved us while we were his enemies, then we are free to be simple servants who imitate and obey the Father. He blesses the righteous and unrighteous with rain and food, and so we too should bless.

To love this way, we need both power and discernment. We need power because we are incapable of loving the way Christ has loved us. We need discernment because it is sometimes difficult to know what form love should take.
-Edward Welch

difficult prayers build character, like finishing your veggies

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my boss. Even though he is one of the most powerful and consistent sources of stress, embarrassment, confusion, and frustration in my life, I am so glad that you have put him in it.

On a day-to-day basis, my boss is condescending, demeaning, hostile, and argumentative. He is a very skilled engineer, but seems to enjoy making everyone else feel incompetent and useless by comparison. He is dismissive of others' ideas, concerns, and proposals, and he is impatient with anyone who questions his own, even gently. Working for him can be a harrowing experience, and it is likely that when I finally move on to a new job, it will be mainly as an effort to escape him.

But, Lord, I thank you for him. Thank you for my boss, and please bless him.

I know that he played a major role in hiring me in the first place, which motivated me to move back to LA in 2005. Returning to Los Angeles wasn't my favorite idea at the time, but, since then, it has become clear to me that you brought me back here for a purpose, Lord, and my boss was one of the people you used to make it happen. Without him, I would not have my job, I would not be in LA, and thus I would not have returned to Venice Church. Without my boss's help, unwitting though it might have been, I wouldn't have discovered this purpose or this direction, which I pray are your purpose and your direction.

My job is a blessing, Lord, and so my boss is a blessing, and I thank you. My job allows me to pay my bills, and gives me the hope of being a financially responsible citizen, son, brother, friend, and church member. When I was hospitalized and near death in the summer of 2006, the medical insurance provided by my company spared my family from an overwhelming burden of health care expenses. When I needed to take a medical leave of absence from work, my company was supportive, and my coworkers actually seemed to care that I take the time to heal. My job has been such a blessing, Lord. And without my boss and his work, my own work would not be possible. So, again, thank you for my boss, Lord. Thank you for using him in my life, and please bless him.

And please, Father, help me resist the temptation to hate. Please help me to love my boss, to appreciate him and to care for him. I know that he is under an extreme amount of pressure, and that he works unbelievably hard. Please help me remember that, if I were under similar strain, I might act like a jerk sometimes too. Actually, even under much less strain, I already do act like a jerk a lot of the time! I pray that you will give me the patience and the understanding to see and understand the many, complex forces that push and pull on my boss, and I pray that you will give him the strength and perseverance to survive the wrenching effects of these forces. Please help me be able to share his burden, to be able to ease the pressures put on him, to be a blessing to him in some way.

And finally, Father, please draw my boss closer to you. Please touch his heart and his life, and if he doesn't already understand his desperate need for a savior, please help him to see it. I pray that your love and grace will saturate every part of his life.

I pray this in the name of our savior Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit,

Amen

True Love

Luke 17:1-4

And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Christ is commanding us to forgive one another. After the grace and forgiveness that God has shown us, we have to forgive each other. We must also help each other when we see sin in each other's lives. This is true love. Love is telling your brother or sister when they are struggling and then forgiving them when they hurt you. Rebuke and forgive, that is true love.

a heart for the lost.

Luke 19:41

"And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,"

Like Christ, we should broken hearted over the lost. When we see this sinful world, our hearts should ache with compassion. We should use this sorrow to motivate us to share the Gospel.

Acts 17:16

"Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols."


"that he who can behold sin without sorrowful feelings has not the mind of the Spirit."

-J.C. Ryle

fellowship.

Psalm 133:1

1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!

Staying together and staying out trouble. Learning together and loving each other. Giving each other spanish names. Risking our lives on railroad tracks... yummm..... ool fun...

Righteousness, Faith, Love, and Peace

2 Timothy 2:22-26

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

This is my prayer for our church. That we would flee youthful passions and chase after and long for righteousness, faith, peace and love. That we would have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant issues, which start fights. That we would teach each other and endure persecution with patience knowing that God is most glorified when we suffer for him. I pray the devil would not have a grip on our church and that Christ would be glorified through us.

Notice that Paul doesn't say to walk away from sin, no he says flee, run away from it. We need to run from sin and run to righteousness, faith, peace and love. If we pursue these things we will acceptable in God's eyes. So lets not chase after what we want or what the world wants for us, lets chase after what is right in God's eyes.

Pray for...

We should be in constant prayer for eachother and continually thanking God for eachother. I thank God everyday for the people he has put in my life who encourage and pray for me. We can never stop praying and encouraging one another. Please pray that the gospel would spread, that when persecution comes that we would praise God, that we would live a life of love and truth that glorifies God, pray for our church that we would be achurch on fire, and please pray for eachother that we would grow to be like Christ.

now hiring: disciples of Christ (qualification #1)

the first Commandment says that we have to love God over all other gods. that we should have no other gods before Him. so many times we hear people say... " God is first in my life. He's number one!! then comes my kids, then my wife, then my church, then my......" and so on.

God doesn't want to be the first choice, He wants to be the ONLY choice. He wants to be the WHOLE list.

what if a husband were to gather a few women he found attractive and brought them to his wife, we'll call then susan and jane, and said to her, "wife, i love you with all my heart. you're my everything, my number one desire and love. but i just wanted to tell you that if something happens to you, susan here pulls a very close second to you and our love, and well, if something happens to her then jane here wouldn't be so bad either as a nice third. but please don't forget honey, how much i LOVE YOU."

what do you think that wife would have done or said? i know that if my soon to be husband were to tell me that i can assure you i would have killed him then moved on to those two women. i am a jealous wife because i love my husband and he is the ONLY person i want to love and be loved by. in this same respect God is a jealous God and He also demands the same devoted love from us. it is not unfair what God asks of us just as it is not unfair to expect the same love from a spouse. to love my husband i have to give up ALL other men. i have to completely love him all the time and be only devoted to him. it wouldn't be a healthy marriage if i didn't.

to love God we have to give up ALL other desires. we have to completely love Him all the time and be only devoted to Him. we wouldn't be healthy disciples if we didn't.