Pastor Jay //

This man amazes me. I know you can read this devotional for yourself, but it helps me to contemplate his thoughts here. Two thoughts for today. First, he speaks (literally, he spoke and his wife took notes by shorthand and published his works after his death)…. he speaks of how we tend to make the Christian life an experience using Christ as our pattern. Then he reminds us that: (more…)

Oswald Chambers writes in Brilliant Heritage:

There are three big mysteries. The Mystery of the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Ghost; they Mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is both human and divine, and … the mystery that I, a sinner, can be made into the image of Jesus Christ by the great work of His atonement in my life.

Well said Ozzie! As believers we all live in the midst of these mysteries. They are not mysteries because we don’t know the outcome. They are mysteries because we don’t understand how they are possible. Enter faith. Oswald comments, “the remarkable thing about mysteries which the Bible reveals is that they never contradict human reason, they transcend it.”

Just in case you need some encouragement… 

You can download this picture in a larger format by clicking HERE.

For the last 3 years on Memorial Day weekend, we have been having the Memorial of Lights at the Cameron City Park (McCorkle). Each year it is so beautiful to see the sidewalks lined with luminary bags. Each bag has the name of a loved on on it. Some of them are very simple, while others are wonderfully decorated. As the sun sets, the park becomes beautifully luminated with the memories of loved ones.

See more pictures here and here.

I can’t believe I actually finished. I haven’t blogged about my latest project because I wasn’t really sure what to say. Today, after 3 months of studying I have finally memorized Ephesians (except for the middle of chapter 3 - I still need to work on that.) But today, I had to sit down and write out what I could remember from what I had memorized and then I will send it in to my professor. I had the option of doing an 8 page paper - those don’t take 3 months - or this project to memorize Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Thank you to those that have been praying for me.

There are some good techniques that were passed on to me by my professor, Dr. Radu Gheorgita. I would be glad to share them with you if you are interested. It can be done.

A long time ago, I learned the verse in Psalm 119 that says “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I may not sin against you.” I would encourage you to memorize large portions of scripture. In many ways it is easier to remember a whole chapter rather than a few scattered verses.

Bert Brady is a 69 year old veteran that spent 300 days volunteering last year to welcome home troops at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW).

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Bert Brady - Person of the Week
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When I was about 10 years old, I remember being at a summer boys camp. It was an incredible week. We had so much fun fishing and hiking. One of the most memorable events of that week was what happened on the last day. Everyone was packed and the church vans were loaded to leave, but we had one more session in the old tabernacle. The camp pastor began to speak to us about commitment. I don’t remember the words that he said, exactly, but I do remember that it was a challenging moment for me. What was I going to do with what I had learned? How was I going to live my life?

He challenged us to make a life commitment. We were given a piece of foil and a notecard. On the notecard, we were challenged to write a message to God. I remember putting a message to God on that card about my desire to live my life for Him. We were encouraged to take that card, wrap it in foil, and hide it somewere on the campground. The foil was intended to preserve it. I went out into the woods and buried it under a pile of rocks. I will always remember that day. There was a sense of permanence about that moment that has stayed with me over the years. I returned to that campground several years later and searched for my message to God, but I was never able to find that exact location again. I know that whether that rock pile remains, the commitment that I feel in my heart is as strong as that day when I wrote those words on the card, wrapped them in foil, and buried them under an altar of rocks.

God is asking you to make a commitment to Him. He is the only one who can make your promise stand the test of time.

I’ve got several videos already online. Maybe I’ll stop with this one! BTW, the air temp was 57 degrees.

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Baptism at Lake Viking - Sept 06
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Can those two words co-exist? From my perspective, most of what I hear and see from the Emergent Church Movement has been a dance on the edge of practices that many consider unbiblical. TSK provided some great information about Chuck Smith’s (Sr.) reaction. Someone help me out here. I am not out to beat up the emergent church. I would like to understand it. Our local experience has been a tendency toward some newage type practices like contemplative prayer (ie. transendental meditation).