Two more reasons among a couple of hundred! Happy anniversary to you both!

Ed Welch writes in his book Addictions: Banquet in the Grave:

The story of the Bible is entitled, “Whom Will You Worship?” The story of our lives has the same title. And ultimately the idols we worship are shaped by our own desires (p. 127).

Whom will you worship today? May it be said of all of us, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

Here is the text I am praying for the families of our fellowship by name this week – Phil. 1:9-11:

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

What passage of Scripture has God put on your heart to use as a basis of prayer for your brothers and sisters in Christ at OGC this week?

This from William Gurnall today:

Just as the Gospel lays the axe to strife and digs it up by its bitter roots, so it fills the hearts of men who embrace it with principles leading to peace and unity. Some of these tenets are self-denial, long-suffering, and gentleness. Self-denial prefers that another be honored before himself. Long-suffering prefers that which makes one not easily provoked. And if gentleness is pushed by a wrong, it holds the door open for peace to come in again.

May Gospel graces abound at OGC as we approach the 7th anniversary of Conciliation Sunday this coming Lord’s Day. Praise God for the corporate peace and unity He has granted us these last several years.

ONE OF TWO HUNDRED SOME REASONS!

NEED I SAY MORE!

Job 39:5 says,

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Some handbreadths are briefer than others – a mere five days.

This is worth your time. My thanks to Timmy Brister.

This from 9.06.05’s journal:

I know I’m not, but I felt abandoned last night. I kept praying as I turned off the lights, “Please don’t abandon me, God.” It wasn’t a good day. I was more tired than usual. Slept until 1:00 PM. Felt nauseous most of the day. Threw up around dinner time. Tongue is still sore. Mouth is still sore. Cheeks are swollen. Lip is still scabbing. It just goes on forever. Mucous still forming. What a routine of drudgery. When will relief come? Lord, have mercy!

I am rebuked by Bonhoeffer’s final letter to his wife or betrothed. He never felt abandoned for all the support he had. I feel ashamed.

During treatment I read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters & Papers from Prison. I highly recommend it to anyone traversing the twists and turns of the road called suffering.

I first posted this on my blog several weeks ago. I repeat it here now because the window of service opportunity has reopened and it’s time to get in gear. See details at the end of the post if you want to jump on board.

The old gospel tune went like this: “Give me that ole time religion, give me that ole time religion, give me that ole time religion, it’s good enough for me.”

James speaks of a kind of religion good enough for God. “Religion that is pure and undefiled BEFORE GOD, THE FATHER, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27, emphasis added). The only brand of religion good enough for you and me ought to be the kind that God judges with superlatives like “pure” and “undefiled.”

The writer leaves no doubt. Two things mark religion good enough for God: merciful treatment towards the down and out and godly behavior unstained by worldliness and sin.

The down and out include orphans and widows – those who have lost their normal means of family support and now left to themselves. We are to VISIT them. That doesn’t just mean drop by the orphanage or house and say hello. It means to bring to bear resources and help that contribute to the alleviation of their misery. The same concept occurs in the Old Testament when it says God visits His people with salvation (Psalm 106:4). The term “visit” has massive implications for a robust Christianity that moves into the lives of those the world often deems as insignificant and unworthy of attention.

I have been praying for some time now that the Lord would open the door to practice some measure of this brand of priceless religion with my neighbor across the street. Darlene lost her husband to cancer a couple of years back. Months ago OGC offered to paint her house as a mercy ministry project. It didn’t work out at the time, but recently she asked me if the offer still stood. I checked with the leadership team at our last meeting and they assured me it did. Here’s is a picture of her place.

It desperately needs a paint job. My vision is to “visit” this house with an extreme makeover cosmetically speaking in two to three weeks time. I intend to canvas the neighborhood for volunteers so that some of them will prep and paint along side some of the good folks from OGC.

The plan is to prep on 9/12 and paint on 9/19 from 8:00 AM to Noon. You can sign up this Sunday at OGC using the insert in the bulletin.

ANYBODY GOT AN ADDITIONAL PRESSURE WASHER OR TWO WE MAY USE?

May the Lord allow us to let our light shine before others, so that they might see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16).