Now That's a Processional

My next wedding. No question about it.

9 Things I learned About God from Planet Earth

Tim Challies has a great post of his impressions from the DVD series pictured here.

Makes me want to take it off the shelf and watch some more.

Check it out.

Of First Importance

Have you checked out the blog Of First Importance? I got it off J & A G's blog. It includes a thought for the day to remember that which is most important, the gospel. Take a look.

Lessons from the School of Prayer

Class is back in session.

The first five principles from Dr. Carson:

Much praying is not done because we don't plan to pray.
Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.
At various periods in your life, develop, if possible, a prayer-partner relationship.
Choose models, but choose them well.
Develop a system for your prayer lists.

Number six may be the most important in the list.

Mingle praise, confession, and intercession; but when you intercede, try to tie as many requests as possible to Scripture.

It's that last phrase that impresses me as potentially vaulting this principle to the top of the list.

He writes:

Prayer is his ordained means of conveying his blessings to his people. That means we must pray according to his will, in line with his values, in conformity with his own character and purposes, claiming his own promises. Practically speaking, how do we do that?

Where shall we learn the will of God, the values of God, the character and purposes of God, the promises of God? We shall learn such things in the Scriptures he has graciously given us. But that means that when we pray, when we ask God for things, we must try to tie as many requests as possible to Scripture. That is an immensely practical step.

Ever since my planning week in Idaho back in May, the Lord has helped me pray through the flock every week, a certain portion each day. One of my requests for our people always involves praying back to God a verse or two from His word.

An immensely practical step indeed.

It's Beginning to Feel Perfunctory

Those are the exact words of my oncologist today. I went in for my six-month check up. No sign of cancer. Thanks be to God. Blood work looks great. Neck and mouth clean as a whistle.

You have to understand that my dear doctor tends to the over cautious side. For him to say that my continuing to come in seems perfunctory, well, that's a big deal. He still wants to see me in six months, but the end of ENT, radiation oncologist, and medical oncologist appointments seems imminent.

Next month I will observe the four year anniversary of the end of my treatment for head and neck cancer. Expect more posts as August arrives. For now, I'm basking in the word perfunctory. God is pleased to give me length of days. Praise Him for His glorious grace.

Bradleys Are at It Again

Brett and Nicole finished up CCC staff trianing. They posted a bunch of pictures and a terrific video summary of their time. It's short and it's cool. Check it out here. I don't know about that thing Brett was eating. Doesn't look at all healthy to me. What was he thinking?

Are You a Tolkien Fan?

If you are, Justin Taylor has a slew of videos with clips of him in his own voice on a variety of topics. You can check it out here.

Lessons from the School of Prayer

So far D. A. Carson has given us four practical helps about prayer in his book A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

Much praying is not done because we don't plan to pray.
Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.
At various periods in your life, develop, if possible, a prayer-partner relationship.
Choose models, but choose them well.

Here is the fifth:

Develop a system for your prayer lists.

Three cheers for Dr. Carson. He makes a big deal out of one must for everyone's prayer list - Operation World. He commends this resource for the way it over the course of a year takes you around the world to country after country and region after region, and provides you with succinct, intelligent information to assist you in your prayers. Its value lies in its ability to enlarge your horizons, to expand your interest in the world church and the world's needs.

Amen.

More Puritan Power for the LB

This from William Gurnall for July 29:

A spectator sometimes sees more than the actor himself. And a man with an open-hearted friend who dares speak honestly has a wonderful source of encouragement for the power of holiness. Sometimes self-love binds us so we cannot see a single fault; and at other times, self-condemnation makes us appear worse than we really are. Therefore, keep your heart soft and ready to receive a reproof with real meekness.

Easier said than done. He who hates reproof is stupid (Prov. 12:1). Sometimes I don't feel very smart. Lord, have mercy. Make me soft and ready.

Lessons from the School of Prayer

It's time for lesson four. Let's review first.

1. Much praying is not done because we don't plan to pray.
2. Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.
3. At various periods in your life, develop, if possible, a prayer-partner relationship.
   
   And now:
   
4. Choose models, but choose them well.

D. A. Carson pays moving tribute to his parents in this regard, especially his father, a Baptist minister of a small church in Canada. Would that my sons would remember me for my model in prayer.

Since When Did OGC Go Dispensational?

Never. We've always been covenantal in our theology. We probably have some folks in our church who subscribe to dispensationalism, but we adhere to a covenant grid in our teaching.

My point on Sunday in referencing a conversation I had before the service with a new person who assumed we were dispensational (whom I gently corrected) was that we subscribe to an historic confession, the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), that clearly communicates where we stand on such issues.

Chapter seven of that document is God's Covenant. Paragraph three states this:

God's covenant is revealed in the gospel; in the first place to Adam in the promise of salvation by 'the seed of the woman', and afterwards, step by step, until the full revelation of salvation was completed in the New Testament. The salvation of the elect is based upon a covenant of redemption that was transacted in eternity between the Father and the Son; and it is solely through the grace conveyed by this covenant that all the descendants of fallen Adam who have been saved have obtained life and a blessed immortality; for the terms of blessing which applied to Adam in his state of innocency have no application to his posterity to render them acceptable to God.

Discussions related to dispensational vs. covenant theology often spill over into matters of eschatology. We have people who fall into all the main camps citing various biblical proofs. Our confession in its statement on the doctrine of last things gives a wide berth to all those views, sticking with the main issues all orthodox Christians agree upon and goes no further. I, for one, like that about the 1689. I also am covenantal in my theology and so is OGC.

Sorry for the confusion. Times like this I think about applying at Walmart for a greeter position. JK.

Another Africa Trip

Our own Olivia Allmand leaves for Rwanda on Saturday with a group from another church.

Here are her prayer requests.

Unity with the team (this has been an issue, being a multi-generational, multi-economic class, & multi-place in life team)
Health & safety
The 75 orphans awaiting the camp; that healing and restoration may begin/continue

Let's stand with her in prayer as she steps out for the sake of the Name.

He Will Come & Serve Them

I suppose I consider it something of a ritual. Nancy heads to NC to visit her Mom. Sunday night during that week I head to Emeril's Orlando for dinner (pictured above). My boy, Josh, works there. He has been their best server for years now (OK, so I am biased). They treat me like royalty. You would think I really was a VIP or something. I love it. Pamper me, please. I soak it for all it is worth. And it doesn't hurt that they deal me some sweet discounts as pops of the man on the floor.

The economy being what it is, things were slow. All the better for me. I got the full treatment. Appetizers, a duck entree to die for, even the chocolate souffle. If anyone tells Nancy, I will deny it. I spent over two hours just enjoying the ambiance, the attention. I even met my son's busser who hails from Romania. We talked about his country and my pastoral visits there. I left stuffed to the gills and content for the pleasure of having been waited on with such attention to detail and excellence.

Later as I reflected on the experience I was reminded of one of the most startling scriptures in all the gospels, Luke 12:37.

Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.

Now, as sweet as it is to have your first born son wait on you at Emeril's Orlando, it cannot even begin to compare with the delight, the drama, the deliciousness of having King Jesus insist that you recline at table in the kingdom so that He, who came not to be served but to serve, may wait on the likes of you with the lavish bounty of His mercies and grace.

Oh to stay awake until that great and glorious day!

Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

Tim Challies has a great post regarding Jerry Bridges' notion of preaching the gospel to yourself on a daily basis. You can check it out here.

Comments Now on Desiring God

Desiring God now accepts comments on their blog. They have an excellent set of guidelines for posting comments, appropriate to any blog, I should think. Check it out here.

More Lessons from the School of Prayer

So far D. A. Carson has given us two lessons:

Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray.
Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.

Here is the third:

At various periods in your life, develop, if possible, a prayer-partner relationship.

My heart skipped a beat as I read this:

I know a few pastors who seek out a handful of people who will meet, perhaps early in the morning, to give themselves for an hour or more to intercessory prayer. . . . Such clusters of prayer partners have been used by God again and again to spearhead powerful ministry and extravagant blessing.

I am grateful to be one of those pastors. How thankful I am for our staff and others who come to my place every Monday morning at 6:30 AM to storm the gates of heaven. To God be the glory.

More Puritan Power for the LB

William Gurnall today. Brief and to the point.

A man is diligent about the thing that satisfies him. . . . The soul that really loves Christ, then, delights in holiness and spends all his strength on it. If only this man can be more holy, he does not mind if he is behind in every other race.

Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35). Let us eat and be filled.

Winning Battles Through Prayer

Desiring God has a post on their blog from a sermon by Pastor John some time ago. It reminds me that what our staff and interns do on Monday mornings at 6:30 AM makes all the difference in the world as to what progress we do or don't make for the gospel at OGC. The same could be said for all our prayers, of course. You can check it out here.

Is God Slow?

You betcha. Check it out on Justin Taylor's blog here. Prepare to be convicted.

Scroll down to the title Be Slow Like God.

Bon Appétit!

Amanda Walton has posted a delicious looking recipe from Salerno on their blog.

Check it out here and be sure to leave a post saying how much you love them and pray for them and miss them but rejoice that they serve King Jesus in Italy for the cause of His gospel.

More Lessons from the School of Prayer

If you will recall from the previous post, lesson number one was this:

Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray.

Here is lesson number two from D. A. Carson in his book A Call to Spiritual Reformation:

Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.

Is this guy reading my mail or what?

Among the helps he suggests in this section of the first chapter are to vocalize your prayers, pray over the Scriptures, pray through the worship sections of better hymnals, pray through the segments of the Lord's prayer, uses lists, and journal.

Class is in session. May we get high grades in Jesus' school of prayer.

The Voice of Creation

Brett and Nicole Bradley posted a link to a pretty sweet video they viewed recently at Campus Crusade's staff training in Colorado.

This is stunning stuff. You can check it out here.

Lessons from the School of Prayer

D. A. Carson has written a book entitled A Call to Spiritual Reformation. The subtitle reads Priorities from Paul and His Prayers.

Chapter one deals with lessons from the school of prayer. Here is number one.

Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray.

He writes:

The reason we pray so little is that we do not plan to pray. Wise planning will ensure that we devote ourselves to prayer often, even if for brief periods: it is better to pray often with brevity than rarely but at length. But the worst option is simply not to pray--and that will be the controlling pattern unless we plan to pray (p. 20).

How about it? Do you plan to pray? Here is where we must begin if we are to make progress with Jesus in the school of prayer.

More Puritan Power for the LB

This from William Gurnall in yesterday's entry:

In business we first pay the biggest debts which are already due. Are you more deeply indebted to God or to your mate? Travel as far as you can with your relatives in God's company, but no farther--because you do not want to leave holiness and righteousness far behind. No one--family or otherwise--can ever repay you in the loss of those treasures.

Jesus made the terms of discipleship plain. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:37).

May Jesus be uppermost in all our affections.

All Things Maintenance

One of OGC's own has started a business in the area along with a partner.

You can check it out here.

Yes, there is help for those of us who are a-mechanical!

Anniversary of John Newton's Birth

Justin Taylor notes on his blog today this fact:

John Newton--the blaspheming slavetrader turned grace-filled pastor and hymnwriter--was born this day in 1725.

Taylor's post includes a brief video biography of Newton from Mars Hill Church.

Check it out here.

Download John Piper's Latest Book FOR FREE

No kidding. You can do just that here.

How the Lion Roars

Peter writes this in 1 Peter 5:8 -

Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

This report from a Voice of the Martyrs email prayer update offers one all-too-painful reminder of this reality among the persecuted.

SOMALIA - Seven Christians beheaded in Somalia

On July 10, seven Christians were beheaded by the Al Qaeda-linked extremist group Al Shabaab which controls southern Somalia and the capital Mogadishu. The Christians were accused of renouncing Islam and being "spies" for the government. Public executions, floggings, and amputations have reportedly increased in areas controlled by Al-Shabaab in recent weeks. Pray for the friends and family members mourning the loss of these Christians. Pray that Somali believers will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute them.

Let the exhortation of Hebrews 13:3 not be lost on us.

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

Digo Blog Back on Line

Did you know that? I didn't. I just happened to check today and there are several new posts. God is good, all the time!

You may check it out here.

Feeling a Little of What Paul Felt

What must it have been like for the Apostle Paul, languishing in prison, awaiting martyrdom, to write these words to his young charge, Timothy, in 2 Tim. 4:9-12?

If this picture I took in Rome last March is where Paul was at the time, it makes what follows all the more painful as we try to identify. That's my bride, Nancy, in the picture of the maritime prison in Rome.




9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

No wonder Paul longed for Timothy to make his way to him soon. Count the losses with me. He suffered the defection of Demas, once known for his faithful service (Col. 4:14), to worldly pursuits. That had to have been a crushing blow. Two other key players, Crescens and Titus, presumably for good reasons, split for different destinations. Tychicus, another faithful confidant and servant, Paul had to send to Ephesus on the Lord’s business.

Bottom line? Luke alone is with me. Slim pickens. There’s no one left in the bullpen. There are no reinforcements to call up to the front lines. No wonder Paul wanted Timothy to come quickly and bring Mark with him! God means ministry to be a partnership of many. Just read Colossians 4 and Romans 16 and you will see what I mean. Paul dearly felt the sting of loss of fellow servants at this crucial season in his life.

I feel a little of that this week. I suspect most of us do at Orlando Grace. It relates to the transition of three of our seminary grads at OGC moving on to new places of service. My journal reads like this lately:

JW has gone to San Francisco, JR to Albuquerque, GB to Londonberry. All for good reasons, I might add. There’s not a worldliness defector among them. To the man, they have accepted calls to ministries around the country. Thanks be to God. We had a sweet time of prayer with two out of the three at our staff meeting this Monday morning, pictured here.



So the question I ask now is this. Who will come to us soon? What new servants-in-training at RTS, Orlando, might God send us in which we might invest, come to love, and send out with tears when the Lord directs them on their way?

Another round of students reports in August for Greek boot camp. Pray with me that the Lord speaks to some, a few, even one (beyond EF already with us) that they may come to us before winter (see 2 Tim. 4:21) and help fill the gap left by such wonderful men and their families.

More Puritan Power for the LB

William Gurnall today from The Christian in Complete Armour:

Select spiritual masters. Be careful to show your holiness in the authority you put yourself under. First, find out if the air inside the doors is as healthful for your soul as it is for your body outside. Will you voluntarily submit to ungodly men? It is hard enough to serve two masters, even when both have similar personalities; but it is impossible to serve a holy God and an ungodly man and please them both.

May the Lord give His church, especially in the individualistic west, professing believers willing to submit to spiritual authority and may He make those of us who lead His church men of godliness deserving of the trust of willing followers. Amen.

His Name is Jealous

Really? I can think of lots of other names that describe God that appeal to my senses more readily than the label jealous.

Nonetheless it is true. God's name is jealous. I have J. I. Packer in his classic work Knowing God to thank for the insight. In contending for the truth that God reveals Himself as jealous in the best sense of the word he cites most notably Exodus 34:14.

For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Packer writes:

From these passages we see plainly what God meant by telling Moses that his name was "Jealous." He meant that he demands from those whom he has loved and redeemed utter and absolute loyalty, and he will vindicate his own claim by stern action against them if they betray his love by unfaithfulness (p. 171, IVP, 1993).

Our God is a jealous God. He demands our utmost devotion to Him as our covenant making and keeping Spouse. What other suitor vies for my/your attention? Let us be done with lesser & adulterous affections and press in to the ultimate Lover of our souls.

Interview with John Piper about his New Book

Justin Taylor posts the content of a three-question interview with John Piper about his new book Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ. You can read it here.

The Pastor, the People, & the Pursuit of Joy

This just in, as a dear friend of mine would say.

Desiring God has just released preliminary info on its next pastor's conference in 2010. You can check it out for yourself here.

Pastor John will do one of his biographies again, this time on C. S. Lewis. Sweet. Come quickly, February in Minneapolis!

Tough Talk from Tabletalk

I continue to savor Jesus through the devotional tool called Tabletalk magazine published by Ligonier Ministries and R. C. Sproul. My thanks to SD for his persistent nudges in this beneficial direction.

Today's Coram Deo (Living before the face of God) exhortation from 1 Tim. 5:2 is this:

Sexual immorality is a sin that causes the church to be slandered, so men and women alike should take care never to get into a situation where the propriety of a relationship can be legitimately questioned. Let us do what we can to promote chastity within the church. We are to be the light of the world, whose love for one another is a beacon of hope to our fallen culture. Mutual respect between all ages and sexes in the church is essential to fulfilling this task.

You may order your own subscription to Tabletalk here.

I highly commend the resource to you for promoting your own sacred romance with Jesus.

More Puritan Power for the Late Bloomer

William Gurnall for July 21:

This is godliness that triumphs--when the Christian can carve contentment out of God's providence, no matter what dish it sets before him.

What is that secret of contentment whether the dish is one of abundance or need? Paul leaves no doubt in Phil. 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Oh for grace today to experience a godliness that triumphs!

Battling Addictions

This weekend someone from another state called me to ask for help. Pornography. The demon lust enslaves so many men, even among the followers of Jesus.

I recommended to this brother a book I always recommend - Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, Ed Welch, P&R, 2001, 297 pages.

Here is a tidbit from the preface to entice you should a need in this area or any other "rapid bodily experience" tend to enslave.

Addictions are ultimately a disorder of worship. Will we worship ourselves and our own desires or will we worship the true God? Through this lens, all Scripture comes alive for the addict. . . . since all Scripture addresses our fundamental disorder of worship, all Scripture is rich with application for the addict (p. xvi).

I wish I possessed a tool like this in the heyday of my battle with sexual addiction. If you fight the same or similar foes, see that you include this weapon in your arsenal for warfare.

A Great Tool for Praying for the Unreached

I'm a fan and user of Global Prayer Digest. I commend it to you for your daily use.

Check it out at http://www.global-prayer-digest.org/.

Every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group for King Jesus!

The Sweet Sorrow of Saying Goodbye

Goodbye. It's a difficult word, a difficult task, particularly when you love the ones to whom you say it.

Paul experienced much of this with the Ephesian elders after his message at Miletus in Acts 20. Here's how Luke describes the scene in vv. 36-38.

And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

OGC said farewell to three choice families this morning. They have fellowshipped with us these past four years while the godly men involved finished their graduate degrees at RTS. They are princes to the man. Choice servants. I/we will miss them and their families dearly.

Among my consolations is that I may see their faces again. If not in this life, surely in the kingdom to come.

Jay, Justin, Graham, what a joy, what a privilege. You make me want to be a better pastor. May the Lord richly bless your efforts for Him in the new vineyards of service to which He now takes you. And may you be able to say with Paul some day, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7).

I love you. If you ever need me, I am a phone call away. Grace and peace be with you.

More Puritan Power for the Late Bloomer

William Gurnall writes this in the entry for July 19 entitled Do Not Neglect Worship:

Maybe you do not receive as much enlightenment as you want when you seek God in public services. Let me ask you this--what kind of communion do you have with Him in secret. Here is a hole wide enough to lose everything you get in public, if you do not repair it.

Seek God's goals. God has two purposes in worship. First, He intends for us to honor Him as sovereign Lord. And second, worship is the way He communicates His presence and blessings to His children.

And so I pray:

Dear Father in Heaven, make us fervent seekers of Jesus in private and public. Let there be honor, presence and blessing in our corporate worship this day. In Jesus name, Amen.

What Do Elders Talk About at Board Meetings?

Lots of things. Building things. Money things. Pastoral care things. Mercy ministry things. Missions things. The list can seem almost endless.

There is a lot of talk going on lately about a huge question. Should we build a building? Answer - we don't know. I don't know. Do I long for it? Absolutely. Do I think it is wise at this time? Again, I am not sure. We aren't sure. There are too many unknowns.

Well why then do we have a building committee with subcommittees and why are we doing site clearing and why are we giving reports every third Sunday about building? Because we are believing God that He may indeed want us to move ahead in 2010 and we want to be ready if He gives us the green light.

But understand this. WE HAVE NOT DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH THE PROJECT! The costs incurred right now are minimal to position ourselves for the future. The heavy money gets spent when we break ground, do site work/excavation, pour a slab and erect walls. Nobody knows if God wants us to commit to that extent at this point.

As the elders said in our congregational meeting last March, we're working off a bare bones budget and monitoring our income/expense flow very carefully throughout the summer with a view to making a decision this fall about God's timing in pushing ahead with a building effort. We plan to discuss this fully with the flock at our next congregational meeting during the 9:30 hour on the last Sunday in August.

None of us wants to do anything stupid and all of us refuse to forge ahead without significant buy in from the congregation on the project.

So again, I say to you, pray with us for the wisdom of God as to how to proceed and when to proceed given this dreadful economy and our ongoing need for a place to call home. And pray especially for the discernment to tell the difference between what constitutes genuine faith, rank presumption, and/or blatant unbelief.

And may we examine our hearts to see that our stewardship of resources includes adequate giving to our local church, for as you no doubt know, to date we are behind by some $11,500 in our giving. That's not a lot, relatively speaking, but it's enough to get our attention as to what God might say to us about building if the deficit persists.

Where Did the Theme Picture Come From?

If you're wondering where the image at the top of the blog comes from I can tell you. I took this picture at Desiring God's annual pastor's conference last February. I head up there each year for a dose of Christian Hedonism to feed my soul and fill my tank for another year of ministry.

I tried to get a picture of a little plant from Nancy's garden to work, but that just didn't seem to fit the bill. I found this image from a time of prayer at the conference. Late bloomers like me need more than anybody (or so it feels that way to me) to get on their knees and rely on Jesus for His help if we have any hope at all to serve Him for His glory and others' joy (John 15:5).

Give Me That Pure & Undefiled Religion

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.

More details will follow in this blog and our church e-news.

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).

Why PCBO?

I still get the question. Why PCBO? We get the PC. Pastor Curt. I do love being called that. I've never served a church where I feel so much affection, so much respect, behind that manner of address.

But what in the world is the BO all about? It's a nick name. Without sounding too weird I believe it was something the Lord gave me at a men's conference two years ago. It stands for "beloved ox." Hence the picture. I keep this on my screen saver at the office.

It's a daily reminder of two things. I am a beloved son of God in Christ who needs to remember that the Father is well pleased with him. And further it reminds me that He gives me the strength of a wild ox to do the taxing work of the ministry (1 Tim. 1:12).

Rap & Limited Atonement

Actually, I prefer the term particular redemption to describe the efficacious work of Christ on the cross whose actual design was indeed to save those whom the Father elects to eternal life.

Can rap music serve as a means of grace to teach this truth? Indeed it can! Imagine that? Now I like two rap tunes. Never in a thousand years would I have imagined it could be so. I HATE rap, at least the worldly version. But this stuff, man, it's blowing my 56 year old pastoral mind.

My thanks for deacon extraordinaire JG for calling this to my attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYV_It9du-I

Jury Duty & the Doctrine of Election

Not long ago I got a summons for federal jury duty. The possibility of having to report for service spanned a two week period of time. The government did not even require me to come in at all the first week of eligibility. My “luck,” however, ran out with the beginning of week two. Show up downtown on Monday at 9 AM in a coat and tie, the message said. And so I did.

Actually, strange as it might sound, I really don’t mind doing my civic duty in this regard. I have served on a county jury in the past. It was an armed robbery case that lasted an entire week. It was a fascinating experience. No, I can’t really afford the time away from my responsibilities any more than most other folks, but I have maintained that part of the stewardship of citizenship, like paying taxes, involves answering the jury duty call when it comes (Rom. 13:7).

I am grateful to live in a republic where the rule of law protects its citizenry. I would certainly want responsible folks serving on a jury for me if, God forbid, the time would come that I should need one. So I reported to the courthouse with a sense of civic pride compelling my availability for service and a certain positive anticipation that I might actually get chosen to serve.

After orientation about forty of us got ushered into the judge’s courtroom. She briefed us on the nature of the case and the anticipated time it might take to try it. Then began the arduous process called voir dire for almost three hours. She peppered us with question after question related to our past, legal experiences, relatives in law enforcement, etc., all with a view to determining which of us might be at all compromised in terms of sitting on the jury with impartial perspectives about the proceedings.

Finally the judge consulted with the attorneys to arrive at a list of twelve names and two alternates. One by one they were read. My name was not on the list. I was not chosen. I and the rest of us not deemed ideal for the task got sent home.

On the one hand, I felt relieved. I would be able to attend to my pastoral duties for the week without much interruption. On the other hand, I felt disappointed, even rejected, passed over, slighted, dissed (as my sons would say), shelved. They didn’t want me. In spite of the fact that the judge went to great lengths to assure us that not being selected meant none of those things, I still felt them. I drove away with a twinge of self pity and smug arrogance about how they missed the boat on having what would have proven to be a first-rate juror. No doubt my pride had something to do with the sovereignty of God in seeing to the fact that they didn’t pick Dr. Curtis Heffelfinger for service. They did ask for educational background and I did tell them I held an earned doctorate from RTS, Orlando. Mine was the only terminal degree in the bunch. Surely that had to count for something.

It didn’t. I don’t. Not in jury duty, not in life, not in eternity. I can’t say that I’ve come away with any profound insights about the doctrine of election from my federal jury duty snub. I’ve just come away more grateful than ever that God chose me, not for a jury, but for salvation from my sin and judgment that surely would have left me in the fires of hell for eternity had He not intervened by His grace. The words of Paul have been my refrain with renewed enthusiasm and gratitude. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him (Eph. 1:3-4).

I’ll take rejection by a gazillion judges for jury duty if I can possess the selection of the Judge of the universe that makes me His beloved child and delivers me from the wrath rightly due me for my rebellion and sin. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! He chose us not on the basis of works we had done but by His purpose and grace which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began (1 Tim. 1:9). Again, I say, we say, thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

May we never ever lose our wonder that the grace of Jesus would single us out and make us His own merely for the praise of His glorious grace!

Why This Late Bloomer Opted to Blog

Multiple reasons and people actually. Probably more on that later.

But for now this article by Abraham Piper at the DG blog persuaded me the most.

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1156_6_reasons_pastors_should_blog/

Now for grace to execute the stewardship well.

Puritan Power for the Late Bloomer

Part of my daily communion with God in the mornings includes the writings of Puritan William Gurnall as edited by James S. Bell, Jr. in a book called The Christian in Complete Armour (Moody, 1994). It's subtitled, Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare. Actually for some reason I've fallen into the habit of turning here first in my reading disciplines after my prayer walk/jog/lumber. I gave up running a long time ago.

Here is a portion from today's called, The Effect of Holiness.

When a Christian sees holiness sparkle in the life of another believer, the grace within him springs up as the baby in Elisabeth leaped at the sound of Mary's voice. Truly, one holy man is enough to put life into a whole society; but on the contrary, the looseness of a single professing Christian endangers the entire group of people who know him. Therefore God has given us a strict charge: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:14-15).

Oh to be a man holy enough to infuse life into a society and fearful enough so as not to endanger that society.

Why Late Bloomer Reformed?

Because I am. A late bloomer that is. In more ways than one. But perhaps especially in terms of my theology coming to roost on the label reformed.

I've been a follower of Jesus since December 14, 1972. But until the genesis of my journey toward biblical Calvinism (there, I said it) in 1995 at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, working on my D. Min. I could only "boast" being a 3.5 point version thereof.

Then a prof in a class on church administration said "You need to read this book. It has nothing to do with my class. But you need to read this book." It was John Piper's signature work, Desiring God. Yikes. What a mind, heart, will-blower that read was.

I almost got it, but not quite. God had to take me out to the wilderness for a season (fodder for another post in the future, maybe) to get my attention more fully. But He got it. And I have never been more certain of my orientation in thirty years. This is my pond. I fish here. It may not be a very huge pond, given the landscape of modern evangelicalism, but I will happily keep my pole dangling in these waters the rest of my days, Lord willing.

It has been my joy and terror to pastor a reformed fellowship with decidedly baptistic leanings (Orlando Grace Church) for six years now. Who would have thunk it? I'm home. Thanks be to God. I can hardly believe it. Why did it take so long to come to roost? Why so many circuitous wanderings? Why am I so slow? I am soon to be 57 and playing catch up theologically, pastorally, philosophically, and every other "ly" ad nauseum.

So why blog? To be honest, I have resisted the lure. More on that later. Dinner is ready. A man must have his priorities.