Archive for October, 2007
Pondering Prayer…
October 30th, 2007 | 6 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Psalm 17:6-7
6I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.7Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Proverbs 15:29
29The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Matthew:18:19-20
19“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
John 14:12-14
12“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Romans 12:12
12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11
8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Philippians 4:6
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Colossians 4:2
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
James 5:13-16
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is 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. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
1 John 5:14-15
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.
I’ll admit… I struggle with prayer. I can’t fully explain why… part of it is that I know God is omniscient… part of it that He’s omnipresent… yet more because He’s sovereign over everything. He knows everything I need, provides for me in accordance to His will… He knows my thoughts before I think them… my prayers before I offer them.
It seems so… well… I hate to admit… pointless sometimes.
Yet in light of Scripture (such as the above)… it’s clear that God expects prayer. Regular prayer. Powerful prayer. Righteous prayer. Fervent prayer. Even prayer that feels pointless to the one offering it.
Yet, to those who offer their prayers with complete faith and trust, somehow He hears us and responds… sometimes even answering as we plead.
I just don’t get it.
Does anyone?
Friday Photos — Allison Outdoors
October 26th, 2007 | 1 Comment | Posted in » My Life, Pictures
It’s time for Friday photos again (yeah, I’ve neglected posting them for a while).
Here’s a couple of Allison, enjoying the fall weather last weekend at Grandma and Grandpa’s. While she certainly doesn’t have the largest of smiles in these, I think they’re pretty priceless photos. Credit Nancy for these… I was busy getting skunked fishing when these were taken.
Good Investments…
October 25th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Quick question… have you checked your investment portfolio recently? I’m not talking about Guidestone (for you pastors), your 401(k), IRAs, stocks, bonds, savings accounts, or the like… but the investment portfolio that matters most in the long run.
Check it out…
Matthew 25:14-30
14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.19“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28“‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
You’ve probably read this before… the parable of the talents.
Jesus shared with his disciples about real investment here. God, the Master, has granted us, His servants, some amazing treasures of which we are stewards. Our talents, while not necessarily large sums of money as in the original parable, are extremely valuable to Him, and He’s simply entrusted them to us.
So what are you doing with the portfolio of talents God has entrusted to you while He’s away? Be it money, skills, spiritual gifts, time, energy, relationships, or anything else… God expects us to look at our talent portfolios and invest what we find within for His glory. We’ve got to be about the business of growing His Kingdom.
Will you be found a “good and faithful servant” when He returns? Do you know God’s true character… that He loves you enough to forgive you even if you mess up while trying to invest the “talents” He’s given to you? Or will you be the lazy servant, the one who is so afraid of crossing God… of messing up… of blowing it… that you hide away those things He has entrusted to you in a misguided effort of safekeeping?
Do something with what God has given you. Anything. Just don’t sit on your rear end and watch life go by, missing out on the treasures God has placed out there for you to take hold of and be part of… simply because risk is scary.
Live life. Love God. Serve others.
Attempt something great for God today.
Good Stuff on GodTube…
October 23rd, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » Just For Fun...
GodTube… heard about it?
Yeah, it’s the Christian alternative to YouTube. It sounds a bit goofy, I know… but it’s definitely got a place online (if only for video hosting where you know you won’t have to worry about being linked with objectionable content).
Anyway, I was doing some surfing there tonight to get more familiar with it, and was pleased to find some quality stuff. Check out these videos from Coffey (who’s a pretty talented musician), and these videos from Community Christian Church (on being Christ-followers vs. simply culturally Christian).
Burleson / Corbaley Feud Comes to a Head…
October 23rd, 2007 | 5 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues
According to Wade Burleson’s blog, Jerry Corbaley is asking the IMB Board of Trustees to remove him as a trustee for the “gross and habitual sin” of gossip / slander.
Here’s the 153 page letter that Jerry submitted to the Board.
*SIGH*
Here’s my proposed solution to this mess… how about Jerry and Wade both submitting to Christian conflict resolution prior to the next Trustee meeting, facilitiated by a trained Christian mediator?
I don’t expect that to happen, but it certainly makes sense to me.
The (Over)Importance of Doctrine…
October 22nd, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Worth Reading
No doubt about it, Southern Baptists are awfully proud of their focus on being doctrinally sound. For the most part, it’s a good thing. We focus on being Biblical believers… doing what God has directed through His word… trusting and confirming our understanding of who He is to that revealed by Scripture.
It begs the question though… do we often get the cart before the horse when it comes to a focus on doctrinal matters? Do we place an overemphasis on knowing about God instead of developing a relationship that leads to that knowledge?
Bryan Riley has written a post today that could trigger some interesting thought and discussion on the matter. Entitled, “Doctrine Saves”, his post asks an important question… do we misunderstand what doctrine truly is? Do we place an overimportance on it when it comes to growing in our faith and sharing it with others?
Check out what he has to say when you get a chance.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 7.
October 22nd, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., KC Chiefs
Back in week 3, after a much-needed win over the Minnesota Vikings, I predicted the Chiefs could be anything from 4-3 to 2-5 going into the bye week. It wasn’t much of a stretch to make that kind of prediction, of course, but I simply didn’t know enough about what the Chiefs were going to be at that point to make any kind of guess as to where they’d end up.
After yesterday’s nail-biter over the Raiders, I still don’t know, yet this morning, they’re sitting at 4-3, in first place in the AFC West.
Not a bad place to be at this point in the season.
Here’s what we know going into the bye week:
- The defense is much improved.
- Jared Allen looks like he’ll be punching a ticket to Hawaii.
- The offensive line needs work, especially in the running game.
- Larry Johnson is inconsistent.
- Damon Huard may last the season at QB, but he’s not the answer for much longer than that.
- Dave Rayner has a huge leg, but seems to miss the easy kicks. We really don’t want to have to find out if he can drill a game-winner.
- Eddie Drummond is NOT the answer for kick and punt returns.
The uncertainties?
- Will the running game improve?
- What will Priest Holmes’ return do for this team the rest of the season?
- Will the offense develop some consistency?
- Can the defense continue to carry the team?
- Is there any hope for an improved return game?
- Can the Chiefs hold serve at home in the AFC West?
This team may be able to compete for a playoff spot in their division, but at this point, it’s hard to get too excited beyond that. The Chiefs are clearly not on the level of teams like Indianapolis and New England, and unless something changes, playoff success looks to be a distant dream. Just making it there would be a huge success though, given the way Herm is trying to transform this team.
He’s Back!
October 20th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., KC Chiefs
Yes, I know it’s late Saturday evening, a time I normally reserve for last-minute preparations for Sunday School tomorrow… but I decided to jump over to ESPN and check out the results of today’s college football action before calling it a night. The headline that caught my eye, though, involved the Chiefs…
I can barely contain my excitement… this is just incredible! Out of action for two years due to a freaky neck injury… deciding to return almost on a whim… after over three months of workouts, and now just one week of practice? Priest Holmes is back on the active roster for the Chiefs!
Simply unbelievable!
Here’s hoping Priest sees action in tomorrow’s game, and that he gives Larry Johnson a bit of motivation to get back to top form.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 6.
October 14th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., KC Chiefs
Victory!
The Bengals came to Kansas City today and got mauled by my beloved Chiefs. The defense looked pretty good, consistently getting good pressure on Carson Palmer, with obviously positive results… only 1/11 on third down, with the one conversion coming against weak prevent defense late in the fourth quarter… two interceptions… holding their explosive offense to 20 points. I certainly question why Gunther and Herm abandoned the blitz late, as the Bengals moved the ball at will against the prevent defense (Palmer had WAY too much time to pick us apart)… but the game was pretty much decided at that point, so I can’t fault them TOO much.
As for the offense? Well… what can you say about Tony Gonzalez? Two touchdowns, breaking the NFL record for tight ends… he’s been a mainstay of the Chiefs offense for years, and no doubt will one day be a Hall of Fame member. Huard looked like his normal self… decent, but not spectacular. And Larry Johnson? Well… he finally broke loose with a few big runs, but tempered those with several boneheaded plays, the biggest of which, his failure to protect the ball on a sure TD run in the second quarter. Stripped at the one yard line and turning the ball over to the Bengals, the play could have really killed the Chiefs. Throw in a dumb delay of game penalty with 4:00 left in the fourth and the Bengals clinging to faint hopes, stopping the clock and forcing us to punt from deep in our own end zone… well, again… it could have cost us dearly. Blocking continues to be one of his weak points, as a missed block on a blitz nearly resulted in Huard’s beheading.
Anyway, we’re now 3-3 on the year… tied in the win column for the division lead. With Oakland (yes, Oakland), leading the division by a half game (due to the bye week), next week’s game looms large.
Who knows what could happen yet this year? The Chiefs look spectacular at times, and horrific at others. Two things are for certain… the defense will keep us in a lot of games… and the running game still needs help. It’s a recipe for uncertainty… and a long season.
MBLA Endorses Candidates… or Not.
October 12th, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, In the News...
I hate to take up more space on this site about MBC politics, but the saga has taken another turn this evening. There was incorrect information passed on previously here, and it must be corrected.
Remember a few days back, when I posted news from David Krueger (originating on the Missouri Baptist list) about a new set of candidates for Missouri Baptist Convention officers? Well, supposedly, they were endorsed by the Missouri Baptist Layman’s Association (MBLA).
This evening, David informed the list that his “sources” were in error. Although the candidates he announced were spot on, the endorsement didn’t actually happen. David conveyed that, per a conversation he’d had with Kerry Messer (MBLA president), that MBLA has not met, that they did not endorse the candidates, and that they have no plans to do so.
Given the deluge of debate and argument on the list over endorsements for candidates since the announcment on Monday (there have been so many messages, I can’t hardly keep up with reading them all), the sudden news that these endorsements didn’t really happen is certainly interesting, to say the least. It raises quite a few questions in my mind, but to vocalize these publicly and imply that there was anything other than misunderstanding involved in this wouldn’t extend a bit of the grace to David and his “source” that I would hope for were I in their shoes.
(BTW, Rodney? You’ll probably want to correct your post, or create a new one clarifying the matter.)
