www.memoryverses.org

At my last home group meeting one of the ladies shared a resource about scripture memorisation, sadly, a discipline i think many of us have neglected since leaving sunday school, myself included. The following few questions may encourage you ...

• would you say the memorisation of scripture is a necessity, or an option if you have time?
• are you convinced that a regular intake of the word of God is a good thing for a christian, or is an absolute necessity? Do you hunger for the word?
• have you given scripture memorisation a priority which received scheduled time or only when you happened to get to it?
• are you easily distracted by other activities? e.g. things that are a waste of time (TV, certain hobbies) or things that are not bad but should have a lower priority.
• are you a procrastinator?
• do you think you are lazy?
• have you made an attempt to understand the scripture you want to memorise?
• have you made an attempt to meditate on it?
• have you made an attempt to apply it?
• is there significant sin in your life which is acting as a barrier between you and God or you and other people? This will also keep you away from the word.
• are you happy with your life? or do you struggle with discontentment, impatience, frustration, anger....?
• do you persue the wealth of the world, or the wealth of heaven. YOU GENERALLY CANNOT DO BOTH

Quotes from Francis Chan...

I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power.....

I don't believe God wants me to live in a way that makes sense from the world's perspective, a way I know I can 'manage'......

When our consciences are smiting us because of our sin, it is important to reflect upon the fact that, though our sins are real and inexcusable, nevertheless God's justice has already been satisfied through the ''satisfaction of Christ,'' that the penalty has been fully paid by Him.

Jerry Bridges

Hello 2010

Just a quick post to remind you I'm still alive...
few thoughts - firstly this year seems to be going very quickly, maybe I'm getting old but if you cast your mind over these past 8 months how do you think your year is going? Are you closer to God now than in January? Has God been speaking to you? What has he been saying? If you haven't heard anything have you tried listening? is there too much noise in your life? too busy doing nothing?
How have you grown this year?
It isn't over yet...let's ask God to speak and move in our hearts as we enter into Autumn :)

Some precepts...

When doing Precepts bible study, every so often you are encouraged to keep a 'Journal on God' and make notes about his character and other attributes as you see them in the text you are studying. I am not very good at noticing things and am always amazed at how others notice how something shows this side of God's character etc etc...so here are a few notes from Genesis 26. If you are familiar with the story, it is when Isaac goes to Gerar and says Rebekah is his sister instead of his wife (sounds strangely similar to his father Abraham, did the same thing a few chapters back, to the same guy Abimelech...kids never learn eh). God also makes promises to Isaac (again sounding fairly identical to the ones he made to Abraham). Check it out if you have time...
Here is what I learnt about God (how exciting) -

• Ch26 v2. When there is a famine God appears to Isaac. God shows up when you need him, when you are hungry. He shows up and he gives direction.
• v12 God keeps his promises. He promised to bless Isaac in v3 and delivers in v12. The Lord blessed him. Isaac reaped a hundredfold of what he sowed that year, became rich and then very wealthy. Sometimes I feel guilty for all the lovely things we are surrounded by here so I think it is important to note that God sometimes blesses in this way, and we should say Thankyou Lord :)
• After an unsettling time in Gerar (herdsmen fighting over wells and what-not) God appears to repeat his promises and reassure Isaac, v24. God knows what is going on in your life on an individual level, and cares about it. Amazing!
• Last point is not so much something we learn about God but a challenge...Abimelech noticed that the Lord was with Isaac. v28 They said, 'We see plainly that the Lord has been with you... When was the last time someone noticed this about you?

I have probably only scratched the surface here of deeper stuff, and hopefully not taken anything out of context, or concluded something that is incorrect. So please let me know if you have anything to add or comment on.

hello hello hello

my posting is so infrequent any time i do come on i feel like i need to extend warmer greetings. just came across a little gem (or two) on the blazing centre that i wanted to draw to the attention of anyone reading this. it was just what i needed to hear. somedays it feels like work is so difficult, frustrating and down-right annoying. i wonder if this truth will ever sink in or is it going to be a life-long struggle...dedicating my work to God.
so check out the post 'does your job really matter' ...its refreshing i can guarantee it. and take heed of his warnings on the next post 'the only safe rule for giving' ...i warned you!
www.theblazingcenter.com (june 18th 2009)

useful tool

there is a wee video clip we have seen in church a few times and its really good at focusing your soul on how amazing Jesus is, so i thought sharing it would be a good idea. daniel managed to find it on youtube...type in 'do you know him?' and it comes up.
or paste this into ur address-bar-thingy ....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z15FlTONVo
it stops you in your tracks for a few moments, and you can't do anything but worship.

Bridges nugget

Well here I am for the 2nd post this year, just want to keep you guys on your toes, the element of surprise and all that.
I'm currently forming my own personal Jerry Bridges appreciation society [...further perpetuated by my buying which ever book Simon has reduced each time I'm in inspire ...and Simon when you are doing your annual check of this blog you can note that I do buy stuff, you are never around] so just thought I would share the odd note of interest.
I understand they may not seem so amazing when they are read in isolation, just thought there maybe something useful to ponder.
He is taking a few pages to describe the importance of putting scripture into practice in your life.

All of life should be a theater (or theatre, depending on which side of the pond you learnt to spell on) in which we learn to apply the Word of God. Almost every event, every activity, every circumstance may be or should be an occasion of applying a spiritual principle or even a specific verse to the situation.
He then goes on to give examples of this...and me being the nerd appreciated his final illustration...
Most of us had labs in either high school or college where we were supposed to learn to apply theories we were learning in the classroom. The cicrumstances of life are our 'spiritual labs' where we learn to apply what we are being taught in the 'classroom' of the Bible.

Unfortunately this analogy resonates with me... at school i hated labs, prefered the classroom. And Jerry hits the nail on the head...I need to use lessons from the classroom in labs, and do better at labs, stop hiding away in the classroom. May the holy spirit give us opportunities to apply scripture to real life, and help us to see the lessons in the classroom and know how to handle the labs.

busyness...

CJ Mahaney has had a series on his blog on 'Busyness'. One of his recommendations is rising early to make time with Jesus, a point reinforced by his wife Carolyn in girltalk, both the book and the blog. He explains why ...

by carving ouot 45-60 mins of time in the morning, I am seeking to:

• Acknowledge my dependence upon God, affirm my intention to trust in Him, and voice skepticism of my own understanding (Prov 3v5-6)
• Slowly enter the day, careful to begin with a divine perspective.
• Preach the gospel to myself
• Get my soul happy before God by meditation on scripture.

The 3rd point is one I am trying to focus on, reading Jerry Bridges 'the gospel for real life' and focusing on the cross. Wonderful. I will maybe get around to posting a bit more on this...

Now, who's on coffee????

seasons...

Here is a quick note i scribbled down from the girltalk book - Shopping for time

We go through different seasons (ecclesiates) - none of us would choose a time to weep or a time to mourn or a time of sickness - it is what God chooses for us. We need to humble ourselves and acknowledge 'God you are in charge and I humbly accept your plan for the changing seasons of my life'.

Clip from Piper's sermon on Recession

(Some of) God’s Purposes in This Recession
Now what are some of God’s purposes in this recession? I will mention five:

1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
   
2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
   
3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
   
4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
   
5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

What do you need to unload?

Every year, about 1500 "thru-hikers" set out to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in a single season. Only 10 percent complete the 2,160 miles of challenging terrain stretching from Georgia to Maine. One reason some people drop out early is that they haven't learned to travel light.

A friend of mine launched his thru-hike carrying a seriously overloaded backpack. He had a cassette player and six tapes of bird calls, an air pistol to keep the varmints away, a camera, a radio, and an alarm clock. "If it ran on batteries," he said, "I had one in my pack."

At his first stop, an experienced hiker helped him go through his pack and decide what to keep and what to send home. Each item was placed on a gram scale with the question, "Is it worth it? Do you want to carry this for the next 2000 miles?"

My friend discovered that his biggest problem was an accumulation of little things. Most of his extra weight was in ounces, not pounds. He didn't need half of what was in his first-aid kit nor the extra tube of toothpaste. His heavy multi-tool knife was replaced with one weighing only an ounce. A metal knife-fork-and-spoon set gave way to a single plastic spoon. He sent home 26 pounds of unnecessary weight.

How many of us are trying to walk the trail of faith in Christ weighed down by an accumulation of little things -- anger, bitterness, worry, envy, jealousy, lust, and selfishness? Instead of enjoying the beauty of life with Jesus, we complain about how hard it is to follow Him.

Psalm 32 is for everyone who's ready to shed the weight of sin and regain the joy of walking with the Lord. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."

What do you need to unload today?

I cannot say...

Posting two days in a row...peculiar behaviour for me I know but I doubt I'll go three days in a row so if you're reading this I wouldn't bother checking tomorrow.
Our house has been undergoing a spring clean since the 12th holidays last weekend (perhaps I should call it '12th cleaned') and I'm telling myself there can't be many more drawers, shelves, cupboards, boxes or nooks or crannies left for me to pull everything out and ditch the junk, then hopefully leave everything back looking a little better than it did before I arrived (if ur driving past our house you will know it hasn't reached the exterior of our house yet, and im not sure it will). Anyway this is a little poem I found scribbled in a notebook somewhere that I thought you might find challenging...I did at least. I recommend reading it slowly and leaving time to understand each line...

I cannot say...

I cannot say 'our' if I live only for myself.
I cannot say 'father' if I do not endeavour each day to act like His child.
I cannot say 'in heaven' if I am laying up no treasure there.
I cannot say 'hallowed be your name' if I am not striving for holiness.
I cannot say 'your kingdom come' if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful event.
I cannot say 'your will be done' if I am disobedient to His word.
I cannot say 'on earth as it is in heaven' if I'll not serve Him here and now.
I cannot say 'give us today our daily bread' if I am dishonest or seeking things by subterfuge.
I cannot say 'forgive us our debts' if I harbour a grudge against anyone.
I cannot say 'lead us not into temptation' if I deliberately place myself in it's path.
I cannot say 'deliver us from evil' if I do not put on the whole armour of God.
I cannot say 'yours is the kingdom' if I do not give the King the loyalty due Him from a faithful subject.
I cannot attribute to Him 'the power' if I fear what men may do.
I cannot ascribe to Him 'the glory' if I am seeking honour only for myself.
And I cannot say 'forever' if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by time.

Author unknown

Random thoughts...

After Simon reminding me that I really haven't bothered my bum blogging in a while I thought I might share a few thoughts...so much for my last attempt in May. But here we go at the end of July. I might add in my defence that I have been kinda busy...doing pre-reg exam, going to Romania, going to england with work etc etc. And I have a husband to serve and care for, and home to make. Not that I'm doing a wonderful job at either (check out girltalk over past few weeks for posts on homemaking).
As I leave my current role in Dromara as pre-reg I am tempted to worry about my new responsibilities come the end of this week. Actually I haven't just been tempted to worry, I have been sinfully worrying and being anxious about it, but am looking to the words of Jesus "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." mat6v34. I have to trust in God that he will be my guide in these days of change.
Also, in church on Sunday we were studying Judges 3. I had never heard this passage before, it is soooo good and I was just like 'God you are so funny'. I won't spoil it for you incase you haven't already read it.....
And before I go I will give Simon free publicity and announce there is a 'Sale' table in the bookshop at Vic Ryn. Not that anybody reads this blog but there Simon - I promised.

More gems from CJ

Make no mistake: Jesus could have descended from the cross and saved Himself at any moment. It wasn't the nails that kept Him there. What kept Him there was what placed Him there - His passion to do the will of His Father, and His love for sinners like you and me.

The Cross

The next few posts will basically be little bits from 'Christ our mediator' by none other than CJ. Enjoy :)





The distractions that turn us away from the cross are so incessant and so numberous. But failing to focus on the right spot has serious consequences. So here's my question for you: In the last week, what was your primary preoccupation in your life? What was your spiritual focus? Was it on that spot where God most reveals His personal love for you - the cross? Or was it on your own circumstances, your own condition, your own concerns? Was your preoccupation with your personal pursuit of godliness? Growth in godliness must be pursued, but never apart from joyful gratitude for the cross.


That's why in my own spiritual diet - and I recommend this for yours as well - a consistent ingredient is the study of the cross, primarily from Scripture but also from many of the oustanding books that have been written about the cross from a strong biblical perspective. Let there never be a lengthy period of time where you aren't receiving inspiration and instruction related directly to the cross, since that's where we find a fresh, sustaining conviction of His personal love.

more plaigarism for you...

a quote from Gary or else Gary stole this from somewhere and brought it to my attention (and lets face it, probably only Gary reading it) ...but too challenging not to share...

I have met people who knew a lot about baseball, a lot about oldies rock and roll [oops], a lot about computers, a lot about a lot, but I have never met anyone who knew the Bible too well. Not one person. Ever. Especially not in these times.

The ESV Study Bible comes out this October. I see an opportunity here. Could we all give ourselves ESV Study Bibles for Christmas and then set 2009 apart as “Our Year of the Bible”? Could we all give less to other things so that we give more to the Bible? Could we bore down together and discover the wonders of this holy Book as never before? Could we acknowledge our spiritual hunger, and thoughtfully, carefully, attentively, daily feed our souls? Could we shut off the noise and listen? Could we re-set our focus from the voices inside our heads to the Voice in the Book?

And if we did, is it even conceivable that we could then come to the end of 2009 and say, “Dang. I could have done more TV and more computer and more video games and more dumb stuff. What a loser year 2009 has been! Next year, man, it’s going to be different. No more of this Bible-focus for me. I’m going to LIVE again”? Is there any chance, any chance at all, that could happen? Or might Jesus become more real to us? Might the Holy Spirit be poured out? Might we look back on 2009 as our turn-around year?

How are you??

Just reading some of 'Christ our mediator' by CJ Mahaney (Looks brill so far by the way, I would highly recommend it!). One little thing he talks about it how when someone asks how he is, he replies with 'better than i deserve'. Which I think is brilliant cos he then goes on to explain about how we are sinners and need a saviour. Brilliant. Just have to ask for the grace and strength to start using it.

CJ Mahaney

Both gary and girltalk mentioned that the legendary CJ has started his own blog...was having a little browse and thought id steal a paragraph or two to get you interested.... he was answering the question 'what books on the cross of Christ have affected you most?' so initally explains why it is important to consistently read about the cross.

We awaken each day with a tendency to forget that which is most important: the gospel. All of us should assume this tendency and be aware of this tendency. Because of the Fall and due to the effects of remaining sin, we have a daily tendency and temptation to forget stuff in general and to forget that which is most important in particular.
Assuming this tendency, we must create practices that will enable us to remember what we must not forget—the cross. So each day I seek to spend time in a location where I am not distracted, unhurriedly reading and meditating on Scripture and finding my way in Scripture to a hill called Calvary to meditate each day on Christ and him crucified. Each day I need to remind myself of the gospel. I cannot live on yesterday’s recollection of the gospel. I need to review and rehearse the gospel each day or I will assume the gospel, forget the gospel, and prove vulnerable to all manner of temptation and sin.

didn't i tell you it was brill...bet you are searching for his blog as i type... http://sovereigngraceministries.com/Blog/

One heart at a time...

At bottear last night we had andi and tresha from romania and their theme for this year is One heart at a time.. which i thought id share with you. cos even through their work and meeting thousands of kids potentially with their new facilities God is providing, they are still working one heart at a time, and so should we whatever we are involved in. it tied in too with what we had heard at church that morning, the second week in the series on restoring sabbath. the place where we work is as much our mission field as a pastor or missionary whereever they are. our attitude to work should not be one of dread but to be pleased to be able to work and work as if God is your boss. im not explaining that very well but anyway i better scoot can barely keep my eyes open!
oh and girltalk are posting about fasting which seems very good.