Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

---

---

---

---

Verse of the Day

---

Today's Quote

---

 
It's all in the Timing

Luke 2:1-20

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. NIV

My only sonny boy, who is in 1st grade, has been off for Christmas break for the past 2 weeks. But his last day he had a Bible memory verse to recite, Luke 2:4-14. We practiced while driving around in the car for the two weeks beforehand, and he did it perfectly! :-) But after hearing those verses recited by myself and my young son, day after day, I thought of the timing of God's gift to the world.

The Word says, "the time came for the baby to be born." After aproximately 400 years of scriptural silence, the time came. Preordained and foreknew by God, the Roman emporer called for a census that required each head of the household to return to the town of their birth to rgister to pay taxes. Mary, who at this time was carrying what could only be considered a bastard son, had to make the 4 to 6 day from Nazareth to Galilee. A journey of about 60 miles while she was at full term. My wife didn't want to go 6 steps at that point!

God had pre-announced the birth to both Joseph and Mary and then sent a herald to alert the shepherds out in the fields of the coming of the Christ. They were wise enough to make the journey to see the babe. Then the rushed to tell everyone they encountered about what they had seen, heard and experienced.

We too have been told and although we cannot physically "see" the babe in the manager (lying in a animals feed trough in a cave used to house the livestock), we can see the proof of His existence in the world around us, in the changed lives of His followers and in the record that He left for us. May we too return, glorifying and praising God for all the things we have heard and seen, which are just as we have been told.

Praise God for His perfect gift!
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 1:41 AM (1) comments      

 
Pressing On

2 Corinthians 4:5-11

⁵ For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. ⁶ For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. ⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ⁸ we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (NASB)

So, we are:

afflicted in every way

perplexed

persecuted

struck down

but we are also:

not crushed

not despairing

not forsaken

not destroyed

and Paul continues by saying that we are "always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."

Do you ever feel afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and/or struck down? Sometimes we feel very, very weary in this world. Today is one of those days for me. I feel tired...very tired. Not just physically tired but also mentally tired. But I also have the hope, the faith and the promise that I am not to be crushed by this tiredness. I will not be destroyed for I am not forsaken. I can give the tiredness over to Jesus - whatever that means and be done with it. Or I can get myself out of the way and let Jesus live through me - whatever that means too!

I do know that "that which does not kill me, only makes me stronger." I know that I have a race to complete, a course to traverse and an end which makes the best days here on earth seem like rubbish. But some days, the rubbish is piled around us so high that we cannot see the rest of the road to travel. On those days, it is vitally important, I believe, to realize and act upon two truths:
(1) God does see the entire course, and,
(2) I can see the one step in front of me...I must press on.

Pressing on...

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 1:14 PM (0) comments      

 

Do You Wanna Die

From a message delivered by Mike Junge & Dr. Larry Fulton at Pure Heart Christian Fellowship, Phoenix, AZ at 11:15 on August 1, 2004.

I am sure there are a few people in this room who at some point in their lives have felt that are ready to die – even looking forward to it. Let me explain. Not in the pain associated with dying, but in the new life with Christ in heaven or in an escape from this life. I mean, maybe you are getting older, are feeling worn out, maybe you are depressed, wanting or wishing for something better or just different….

Others here still have dreams to dream, plans to fulfill, are young, have a family, want to watch your children grow up, want to have some children. Maybe you don’t have time to die because you are too busy.

Have you ever had a day or month you just hoped someone would put a fork in you and get it over with? Let me tell you about July.

The month started out great. Summer vacation plans. Good friends and good times. Good Times. It all began in a neurologist’s office. We found out early in July that one of our girls needed an EEG in order to rule-out seizures and night-terrors.

One day before we were to leave on our vacation Laurie begins puking all over the place at around 9pm. I bring her to the hospital at 11:00 pm and she is admitted around 12am. We both figured that it was probably something mild like food poisoning or something. My wife wanted me to get the girls and get a head start on the vacation. So, the girls and I got on the plane the next day and flew to MN. I get off the plane and Laurie’s dad tells us that she may have a ruptured appendix. Great. I am in MN while my wife is in the hospital Arizona. What a loser I am! The good news is that that she was able to fly to MN four days later. No ruptured Appendix, thank God!

However, the neurologist calls Laurie a few hours before her flight and tells her that our daughter’s EEG results were abnormal on the right side of her brain and that she needs to have an MRI in order to rule-out a mass or brain tumor. The good news is that the results were normal. No tumor or mass. Praise God!

So, my parents are visiting from South Dakota a few days later and on the way back from a restaurant my daughter inhales a dinner candy and begins choking on it. It gets stuck in her throat and I drive 100 Mph to the emergency room where she pukes the candy out in my lap. Praise God, she is still alive.

The next morning we wake up and the power is off. Another transformer fire. My parents drive back to SD after 2 hours. The good news is the power did come back on an hour after they left.

To top it off we bought a puppy. She even sits when you command her to sit. The bad news is that she still poops everywhere but outside. Praise God it’s August.

I know that through these struggles our relationship with Christ has grown stronger. Jesus calmed the storm.

Anyway, open a Bible if you have one with you today and let’s read Romans 6:3 or follow along on the video screen.

“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?”

Paul is reminding those who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord to “know” that you are “baptized into His death.” But what does it mean to know this?

Let’s suppose a man has an incredible amount of credit card debt and has no way of paying his bills. But then something takes place that potentially changes his life forever. His uncle dies, leaving a sizeable fortune to him. Legally, the man is now rich. And even if the man never knows what has been left to him, the inheritance still belongs to Him - but it is not going to do him any good, because he doesn’t know about it.

Many of us are like that. We believe in the fact that Jesus died for us, but we have never fully realized all that was accomplished for us on the Cross. We have an inheritance – just like that man had - it belongs to us and potentially can change our lives forever - but we haven’t claimed the inheritance because some of us don’t know about it. Now, the fact is, the “knowing” that Paul is speaking of in Romans 6:1-10 is actually far deeper than just being informed of the facts. The “knowing” of Romans 6 includes acting upon that knowledge.

So let’s dig a little deeper and read Romans 6:6.

This verse says:

“knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin.”

Knowing this…notice the word “know” again. Knowing what? That the old man is crucified…So who is the “old man” that was crucified?

Have you ever watched two children in a room with one toy? The other day I was watching Josh and Luke playing with a pink Barbie scooter. Oops, I mean my kids; Josey and Amelia were playing with the scooter. I guess I am just so used to hearing Pastor Dan speak about his kids. Anyway, it didn’t take long before they were fighting for it. And this is not an isolated incident that happens just to my kids. Take any two kids and place them into a room with only one toy. Sooner or later the selfishness comes out. Children are not taught to be selfish. They don’t need to be taught. They just are. It is human nature. Those children are selfish just like we are.

All that you were in Adam - all the traits we inherited as a member of his race - what Paul called our “old man” -died in Christ.

Let’s take a closer look at the way Paul phrases this truth. In 6:2, he writes:

“…We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

I want us to notice the tense that Paul uses. It is very important. He is not saying we need to die to sin. He is not encouraging us to try to die to sin. He is stating an accomplished fact - we have already died to sin! 2000 years ago, on the Cross of Calvary, I died to sin, done, completed, once and for all time. Now Paul says, because we have already died to sin, how can we continue to live in it any longer?

This remarkable statement by Paul should change forever the way we view our lives as Christians. As one Bible Commentary explains:

“Death to sin is not something hoped for by the believer; it is something that has already taken place. It is a simple fact basic to the living of the Christian life.”

I do not see Paul leaving any room for doubt as to the power of the Cross in the Christian life. He explains quite simply, “We died to sin.”

Suppose a member of a family recently died and he had been an alcoholic. All his life, alcohol had been a huge problem for him, and his family encouraged his drinking by encouraging him to drink. But now he is dead. His family visits the grave and one of his brothers has brought a bottle of alcohol with him. “Come on, Jack”, he says, holding the bottle out over the grave. “Have a drink for old time’s sake.” But there is no response from Jack because he is now dead to alcohol.

This is an example of the nature of the victory won for us on the Cross! In Christ we died as a member of Adam’s race and in that death the power sin had over us was broken.

I am sure some of you are thinking. Ok, this sounds good. But how does this become my experience on a daily basis? How does the truth on Romans 6:6 become a truth rather than a theory?

In my own personal life one of my greatest frustrations and heartaches in my walk with Christ is the slowness of my change. I hear the summons of God to love him with all my heart and soul and mind and strength. But do I ever rise to this standard? I struggle with this on a daily basis and like Paul I cry out “What a wretched man that I am!”

In the past, I was quite envious of people who were miraculously freed from habitual sins once they accepted Christ. This was primarily due to the fact that I did not believe that I was immediately freed from any of my sins. I continued then and continue now to be tempted by some of them on a daily basis.

When we continue to sin even after trusting in Jesus it results in many of us having a ceaseless struggle with much time and energy spent trying to fix up the problems we have within ourselves. We continue to struggle with the idea that we cannot stop the rottenness, decay and corruption of sin. After all, we cannot heal ourselves.

But what I have found is that the simple secret to having Christ’s work become a daily reality in our own lives is a conscious act of willing ourselves to God and yielding ourselves to God. When we are self-focused we are always biased towards sin. But when we realign our heart and lifestyle toward God, by actively offering our lives to Him, we experience the power of the Cross working in our lives and we can overcome sin.

I believe that one of the greatest sources of joy and endurance for the Christian is knowing that in the imperfection of our progress we have already been perfected—and this is because of the suffering and death of Christ.

Hebrews 10:14 says,

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

This is amazing when you catch this. Let me read that verse again. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” In the same sentence Paul says we are “being sanctified” and are already “perfected.”

Being sanctified means that we are not perfect and in process. We are becoming holy—but are not yet fully holy. The joyful encouragement here is that the evidence of our perfection before God is not our experienced perfection, but out experienced progress. The good news is that the being on the way is proof that we have arrived.

The basis of all of this is found in 1 Corinthians 5:7 “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” The suffering of Christ secures our perfection so firmly that it is already now a reality. Therefore, we fight against our sin not simply to become perfect, but because we are.

The Cross does not make it impossible for a Christian to sin. It makes it possible for us not to!

We can either choose to live the way Christ modeled and taught for us empowered by the Holy Spirit or we can live the way our enemy wants us to live….

The question remains…..Do you wanna die?

Now wait a second…I thought I was going to get a cool video before I started like Mike had. I had requested a video clip of Sponge Bob Square Pants dancing to “I’m Too Sexy” but it appears that I was denied. So sad.

Earlier, Mike pointed us to Romans 6:3 and 6:6 and reminded us, that knowing something and acting upon it are two completely different things. The knowledge of what Christ’s death achieved should lead to a change in our beliefs. The change in our beliefs should lead to a change in our actions. The Message translation of verse 6 says, “Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life--no longer at sin's every beck and call!”

Up to now, everything Paul has written has been about what God has done for us but in Romans 6, verse 11 we are asked to do something.

Can you hear it?

“…count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 6:11 NIV)

Do any of you ever watch old western movies or TV shows? As a kid, my hero was the Lone Ranger and as a teenager, I watched re-runs of the Rifleman. My wife is a John Wayne addict. I believe it’s a condition that she caught from her dad and she’s doing her best to pass it down to my son. Anyway, something about westerns that we like is that you can almost always tell the good guys from the bad guys. The good guys are usually the ones with the little metal badge on that says Sheriff or Marshal and they wear a white hat. The villains on the other hand dress in black. They have beady little eyes and long handlebar mustaches. The good guys are named Roy or Tex while the bad guys are called Lefty or Two-fingered Joe. In the typical western movie, the bad guy would rob a bank or stagecoach or shoot someone and then slink out of town and try to make a run for the Mexican border. The good guys would round up a posse of law abiding, more or less straight shooting men and try to hunt them down. Along the way, the posse would post signs telling everyone that they were offering a reward for the capture of the desperados…you’ve all seen these posters haven’t you? They would normally say that the bad guy was Wanted: Dead OR Alive. Dead or alive. They didn’t really care which condition the bad guy was in as long as you could prove that he was captured. Throw him in jail or in a coffin. Case closed.

God, the ultimate good Guy, also has a wanted poster of sorts. We can see it in words of Romans 6:11, “…consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God.” So, while Sheriff Wyatt Earp would take you dead or alive, God wants you to be dead AND alive. Mike asked earlier, “Do you want to die?” Many of us are hesitant to answer that question; and thinking in terms of our natural body, we only see two options. We can be alive or we can be dead. But looking again at what God says throughout these verses, we see that Romans is a “wanted poster.” It is an advertisement from God to capture not criminals, but Christians who are ready and willing to live out the moral standards of life in Christ. The Savior wants us dead and alive. He wants us to be willing to die so that we can be more alive than is ever humanly possible.

But how can this be? Life is the opposite of death. Things live and then they die. Death is the final conclusion. Dead and alive is an illogical statement; it’s an oxymoron like “jumbo shrimp.” Dead and alive? That’s two contradictory ideas trying to occupy the same space. But God is asking us not for a literal, physical death here but instead for us to be dead to sin and to our own selfish desires but alive to God, available to Him for doing His will to fulfill the purposes that He has for our lives. Simply put, He is asking us to follow Him.

So, let’s say that you’ve died to yourself. The question that naturally follows is, “How do we keep the dead, old self dead and buried at the same time we are living for Jesus?”

When you feel temptation in your body or your mind, then there are three things you are to do: First,

Know who you are in Christ.

Understand that the first step of obedience is to see ourselves in light of what the Bible says about us. But recall that “knowledge” alone is useless unless it leads to action. So the

second thing is to,

Remember that you don't have to obey sin.

You just don't have to. You are free to refuse it. You are free to say, "No, you don't have the right to use that part of my body for a sinful purpose." This step says to stop offering your body to sin. Or as Paul writes in the first half of verse 13, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness.” Now, that may mean a struggle, because the strength of sin is very strong. When we start to turn away from evil in our bodies, the habits of our lives are so deeply engrained that oftentimes it is very difficult, and we struggle. But we continue to press on

And then, take the third step to

Remember that God’s power is in you…

to enable you to offer that same part of your body to Him, to be used for His purposes. The second half of verse 13 says to, “offer yourselves to God, as those who have returned from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.” We have the power not to sin because we have God Himself within us - the living, all-powerful God.

Just to be clear, when this verse says to offer the parts of your body, that includes your tongue, your mind, your stomach, your hands, your feet, your sex organs, everything -- offer them all to God. Through a conscious decision on your part, yield control of them to God for His purposes. And then, do not place your body in situations where the sinful temptations of the old habits can overcome you. Instead, place yourself in places and with people that can help your grow closer to God and more like Jesus.

Paul says that after we have been buried with Christ by baptism into His death, we are dead to Sin. Now, I want to be crystal clear on a point. To be dead to Sin does not mean that we never again transgress. It should, however, mean that we will not be dominated by sin. As long as we are in the flesh, we are prone to making mistakes— mistakes for which we can sincerely seek forgiveness. However, once we have been baptized into Christ, sin no longer should have dominion over us.

As we grow in our relationship with Christ, stumbling blocks after a while should start becoming stepping-stones for us to move up in Christ. But in order for this to happen, we must be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. As Paul says in verse 4, when we are alive to God in Christ, we will walk in the newness of life. When we are dead and alive, there ought to be newness about us. When we are dead and alive, transformations are bound to occur. When we are dead and alive, we are ever reminded that the chief goal of the Holy Spirit is not excitement but transformation. When we are dead and alive, something on the inside starts working on the outside, and there will be a change in our lives.

We’ve asked what many of you may think is a rhetorical question, “Do you want to die?” But it’s not rhetorical now. The wanted poster is clearly up on the wall for everyone to see and it has your picture on it. God is seeking you today; He is waiting for you to turn yourself in. Are you willing to take your pain, take your past, take your problems, to take all your junk and give it to God today? Are you ready to die to yourself, your own selfish desires and plans and become truly alive? Today you can open up your life to discover the amazing purposes and desires that God created you for.

Some of you are here this morning thinking, “Well, I understand all that but I’m not there yet. I don’t know Jesus. How do I do it?” So, if you’re living completely for yourself still, you haven’t asked Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins, God made it totally easy. He offered His love to us as a gift for us to accept or reject. The Bible says we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, He was born here, died to pay for our sins and will forgive us if we ask. If you are ready and willing to accept His gift of love and take His guidance over your self-control, repeat the following prayer silently:

“God, thank you for loving me as I am – faults and all – and for sending Your Son Jesus to die in order to pay the price that I cannot. Today, right now, I want to lay down my self-desires and self-control and begin to live for the purposes that You have for me. Jesus, forgive me of my sins and come into my life to be my Savior and Lord. Amen.”

If you just did that, you’re starting a wonderful journey of growing in a real relationship with Jesus. Make sure to stop by the Information Table out front before you leave today to pick up a gift we have for you and welcome to God’s family!!!

Others of you already have Jesus as friend and Savior but maybe you’re not satisfied with the relationship. Is your relationship with God as deep as an ocean or does it resemble a puddle? Do you still have a nagging battle of control going on inside, old habits that die-hard and this morning you’re desiring to turn completely to God? If that’s you and you want to give up that self-control, to die to self here today, let’s ask God together to do it.

“Father God, I thank you for the love, grace and mercy You have for me. I give you praise for Your Son Jesus who is already my Savior. My desire is to get out of the way, to relinquish control of my life to You. Please Holy Spirit, turn me away from my selfishness and to a life for You. It’s only by Your power God that this can happen and I pray that begins now. Amen.”

Mike and I pray that as you leave here today and go about your living, when someone asks you how your weekend was, what you did, you’ll be able to respond that it was fantastic. That you went to a funeral and birthday at the same time!

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 12:12 AM (0) comments      

 

Rom 6:1-14 MSG

(1) So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?
(2) I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?
(3) Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace--a new life in a new land! That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means.
(4) When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus.
(5) Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.
(6) Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life--no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this:
(7) (SEE 6:6)
(8) If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.
(9) We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.
(10) When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us.
(11) From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
(12) That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day.
(13) Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time--remember, you've been raised from the dead!--into God's way of doing things.
(14) Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 12:42 PM (0) comments      

 
Of Loss and Other Matters

I was reading through the book of Job and came across a few verses that are very interesting. I do not have all the answers for some of the questions posed here but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

We spend much of our time when studying Job looking at the losses that Job incurs and the steadfast faith he has in God during these trials and loss, and rightly so. Job shows us that we are here for God Himself, not for anything else, wealth, property, family, anything. That's a little harsh. But it's God's universe. His rules. He made the earth and all that is in it so He gets to have first and utmost priority.

But, when we look at the losses of Job, the faith of Job and then the restoration of Job, we tend to overlook the beginning of the book of Job. We forget that here he was, minding his own business. Being faithful to God, avoiding evil, doing good. All of the sudden...WHACK! His apple cart is overturned, so to speak. And worse yet, it's overturned on him and his entire existence! So let's look at the first few verses of Job.

All verses taken from the Good News Bible today...just because I wanted to.

Job 1:1
There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshiped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil.

Q: What would that look like in my life?

Q: Does being "careful not to do anything evil" make one a "good man" ?


Job 1:6-9
6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the LORD, Satan was there among them. 7 The LORD asked him, "What have you been doing?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 8 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the LORD asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil." 9 Satan replied, "Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it?

Q: Why was a day appointed for the heavenly beings to appear before God?

Q: Why was Satan included?

Q: Why did God ask Satan what he had been doing? Did He not know or was He asking in the same manner He asked Adam where he was in the garden?

Q: Why did God bring up Job to Satan?

That last one is a mind blower! I had not remembered that it was God, not Satan, that brought Job up. We know that God does not tempt us to do evil, but can we think that He allows us to be put into a place to be tempted? What do you think?


scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 10:45 AM (0) comments      

 
Motivations

What motivates you? Money? Power? Love? Acceptance? Or a combination of these and other factors?

I’ve been playing some different games on the computer both online with others and some directly on my computer alone. Funny thing is the different way people play based upon their motivations. They may not all necessarily be trying to get the same prize or end result as you are. In an online game, I see this very easily as it shows up in the manner in which people interact with one another, the actions and reactions that they have. In some cases, this leads to hurt feelings and misunderstandings due to differences in the end goals. For example, if we were playing Monopoly together, what is your motivation? To have the most money or to own the most property or to own the most hotels, etc.? As you can see, there are different motivations. Some of them may be compatible with one another, some may not be.

What’s the point you may be asking right about now? Well, back to my original question, “What motivates you?” God, I believe, is motivated by His love. I guess “motivated” isn’t the correct term in this case because it seems to imply that He is “pressured” in some way by His love to act as He does. That, I do not believe, is the case. In actuality, God IS love. All of his actions therefore, flow out of Him, His love and would therefore be acts of love.

But we are not God are we and so, we can be pressured by different forces. We also have the ability to act or not act based upon these pressures. We may be motivated by a desire to obtain wealth but choose to live in abject poverty in order to reach some other objective. This dichotomy would certainly raise a terrific battle within us, possibly even spilling over to those around us. When I treat someone kindly, is it because I am motivated by love for them, or am I motivated by a selfish desire that causes me to act nicely toward them in order to get them to act in a certain manner?

I pray that I am motivated by God’s desires. To do His will, to obey Him, to love Him and His creation as He does. Again, what motivates you???

Praying that I’m loving for Him,
Dr. Larry

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 11:48 AM      

 
Flies in My Cheerios^tm

Odd title isn't it. I'm not really sure why God gave me that thought last night but I've been pondering it and have a few ideas - but of course! :-)

One of my favorite cereals growing up would have to be Cheerios^tm. Nevermind those Fruit Loops. Keep your Trix. Forget the Sugar Smacks. Just give me a bowl of plain ol' Cheerios^tm. Don't need a banana cut up, no strawberries either puh-leeze! Simple, plain, tasty, nutritious...Delicious!

But have you ever been eating your nice, cold bowl of Cheerios^tm and had a fly try to share it with you? Nasty! And rude! Here you are sitting and minding your own business...enjoying a tasty treat and along come a nasty bug trying to steal some of the goodness that is your Cheerios^tm!

So what do you do? Some would dump out the bowl...it's been contaminated with fly filth! But not me...and probably not some of you either. We try to "shoo" the fly away. Shoo, shoo fly! All the while we keep eating our Cheerios^tm. And does that work? Of course not. So we try moving the bowl around while we eat. Maybe we even try to slouch over it to protect our precious Cheerios^tm from the airborne bandit. This may or may not work. But in my experience, a couple of things happen almost immediately:

We stop enjoying and concentrating on our Cheerios^tm and start thinking about the pest instead.

You're starting to wonder right about now, "So what? What are you trying to say in this lovely Parable of the Cheerio and the Fly?"

Well, I'm glad you asked. Well, you didn't really ask. I actually assumed that you were thinking that because I certainly was. So, how about this...

Sometimes, often maybe, when we're doing something (anything) "unto the Lord", trying to be a minister for Him on earth we are able to be joyous (as He commands) and happy at the same time. We find ourselves enjoying whatever ministry it may be. We are seeing a difference for the Kingdom in what we are doing. But then...buzzzzzz. Here comes the fly.

The fly comes in many, many forms and I won't try to describe them all here (I can't), but suffice it to say, the fly is that person, event, obstacle or situation which you encounter that tries to divert you, to disgust you, to take away the joy of your ministry. Maybe it's the new guest, the unbeliever, who acts like the sinner that we all are - they're just being themselves. Maybe it's a brother or sister in the Lord, a co-laborer, who offends you - intentionally or not. Maybe it's a dry spell where you see no progress - watching for the flower to bloom up top when it's the roots that are growing down deep to get stronger that's necessary and happening.

The fly makes some "throw out" the Cheerios^tm. They get discouraged. They get disgusted. Fed up, had enough, it's not worth it! Some will try to cover their bowl, hide it from the fly while still eating it. But the focus has changed from enjoying the Cheerios^tm to keeping them from the fly. They'll try to keep undesirables out of their area of ministry. They become protective and possessive.

So what do we do now? We could choose to stop eating Cheerios^tm (no ministry involvement). We could focus on the fly, the distractions, the annoyance. We could seal off our entire kitchen, or home, so that there's no way the buzz of the fly could even come close to us. How did Jesus handle the "flies", the distractions in His life? We know that the disciples tried to shoo away the children, they were only children and they were bothersome. Probably dirty. Definitely noisy. Running around, jumping and shouting excitedly to see the Messiah. Keep those flies away from the Lord! But what was Jesus' response?

Mark 10
¹³The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. ¹⁴The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. ¹⁵Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."
(The Message)

So, I suppose that we must learn to accept the flies that want to share our breakfast. Focus instead upon the joy - sometimes that's easier said than done...but in the long run, the eternal run, isn't it going to be worth it?

Stop shooing and keep chewing!

He is not here, He is risen! Risen indeed!
Dr. Larry

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 10:26 AM (0) comments      

 
The Passion of the Christ

"He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5


I viewed this movie last night in a sold-out theater with hundreds of other members of our local church. The impact on me was intense and I am still trying to process what I saw, heard and felt. These are my own reactions immediately and after an evening of thought.

1. Imagery
   Incredible! To the point of either awe-inspiring or ferociously vicious leaving me in tears! I loved the realism and attention to detail I saw in the dress of the Sanhedrin and Roman soldiers. The appearance of the religious leaders - both in dress and mannerisms - made me think of the terms "organized religion," ritualistic and lofty-power-hungry-self-important men. The Roman soldiers made me think of the Imperial Storm Troopers from the Star Wars movies, except for the portrayal of their own individual sadistic inhumanity and brutality.
   
   The movie is not for the weak stomached! It presents a graphic depiction of the last hours of Jesus' life. I've read some reviews online criticizing the amount of violence and gore depicted - mostly from secular reviewers. I pray that a brief study of the brutality of the Romans in their punishment in the first century was examined by these professional "journalists" prior to their judgment. Well guess what? The Roman soldiers were brutal! They were trained professionals and they took their jobs seriously! This included those whose function was to torture. Who else could devise implements of torture that would maximize the pain while allowing the victim to remain alive?!! I don't know if they took as much joyful glee in inflicting their brutality upon others as is shown here. From accounts of the atrocities we've heard over the years of other tyrannical rulers, we can imagine that the soldiers may have indeed enjoyed the power and destruction that they were paid to wield.
   
   From the ominous, agonized atmosphere and Jesus' anguish present at the beginning of the movie in the Garden of Gethsemane to the stark loneliness depicted upon the cross at Golgotha, Gibson certainly used the images and lighting to convey a variety of human emotion and foibles. I could go on and on here, but suffice it to say that I think that the film did a masterful job of using the surroundings - down to a single drop of rain - to help communicate the message.
   
   I wept uncontrollably during the scouring scenes envisioning the physical torture and pain the Jesus endured because of me. At one point I had to close my eyes and began to just thank Him for substituting Himself for me. I have the same tearful reaction each year around Easter though when contemplating the scourging episode, now that I've seen this portrayal, maybe that thankfulness will carry throughout the year. The actual crucifixion, while painfully wrenching in its portrayal, almost came as a relief to me - knowing that His torture was almost at an end.
   
   
2. Actors/Acting
   I guess the best praise that I could give is that I did not think that they were acting. 'nuff said? The actors throughout displayed almost every emotion that a human can express: joy, agony, disgust, ambivalence, fear, remorse, forgiveness, anguish, hatred, etc. I've thought about this next statement and think that I could say that: because I already "know" the story, I could have watched the movie without the subtitles and still understood exactly what was going on throughout. At some point in the film, I actually forgot that I was reading a subtitled film. I loved hearing the names spoken in the original tongue! Every time I heard my Lord's name in the original form, Yeshua, I think that I smiled unintentionally.
   
   The woman that played Mary came across as an agonized mother who only desires to protect her beloved son. The actors playing the religious leaders meshed together well and left me feeling that they were an organized mob willing to do and say whatever necessary to do away with their problem. I loved the facial expressions by the criminal Barabbas as he was released by Pilate (and the crowd). Pilate came across as more sympathetic than I believe him to be , the disciple John as less involved and Judas as more tortured though. And Caviezel's portrayal of a Jesus who was tender, loving and strong presents, I believe, a closer depiction to the real Jesus than many of the previous movie attempts which typically came across as a meek, mild-mannered teacher.
   
   Along with the actors, I must give kudos to those behind the scenes of the film - cinematography, lighting, costumes, location, sets and especially make-up and special effects. Whoever did the effects of the post-scourging upon the human body deserves an award! I have done some study on the effects of the Roman's torture techniques on the human body and flesh, I've heard sermons on it and doctors descriptions of it. Last night I believe that I saw it! It finally hit me when Jesus said that He was thirsty, just how much bodily fluid He must have lost, both in sweat and in blood, during the ordeal.
   
   
3. Story
   Okay, I get that the passion is just about the last hours of Christ's life...but will others who are less familiar with the story get it? Gibson presents the harshest, most violent portion of the life of Jesus and does not present the "rest of the story." I understand that it is not Gibson's job to educate the viewer as to the historical and cultural background of the people and period. But as anyone attempting Biblical hermeneutics knows, the context is vital! And I feel that it is sorely lacking if this movie was meant to influence unbelievers.
   
   I found the story to be fairly accurate and faithful with the artistic license necessary for Gibson to offer 2 hours of storyline. The embellishments offered don't necessarily provide anything unbiblical although other's opinions may differ, especially with the depiction of Satan and with the predominance of Mary seemingly undergoing the same suffering and trial as Jesus. Biblically, she is not portrayed as dominantly as shown in this film.
   
   The flashbacks to other scenes of Jesus' life was a welcomed reprieve from the brutality of His present circumstances. I do question if enough of each story was presented in the flashback to either (a) explain it to an unbeliever or (b) cause an unbeliever to want to learn more about it.
   
   
4. Questions
   Did I "like" the film? No. I don't think that this is a "likeable" film. But then I do not think that there is much about the last hours of Jesus' life that was pleasant.
   
   Would I recommend this film? Yes, to anyone over the age of 13.
   
   When I got home last night, my wife asked me if I thought it would be the evangelistic tool that many have proclaimed it could be. I'm unsure. I don't know if it leaves the unbelieving viewer with enough questions about "who do you say that I am?", what did He do and did He live again.
   
   Well, maybe that's our job - to interact, ask questions, and start a dialogue that uses this movie as a jumping off point.
   
   
5. Effects
   We had about 200 members of our church in the theater. They were comprised of pastors, staff members and various ministry leaders and those very committed to furthering the Kingdom of God through our local church. At the conclusion of the film, the theater was silent. I personally did not/could not talk with anyone. I made my way out of the theater, to my car and drove home. I really didn't even talk with my wife about it much, a couple of minutes maybe, but it was hard for me to put into words what I was feeling and had just seen. Now, the next day, I can and am willing to discuss its effects upon me. Mainly it was emotional. I'm as manly a man as the next man (say that 4 times fast) but the images of my Saviour being beaten, tortured, spat upon were gut-wrenching. I winched at the sound of the whip, I cringed at the hurled insults and epithets and seeing the blood splatter from His body and later run down the cross to the ground just hit me in the pit of my stomach.
   
   < sarcasm >Thankfully I do not seem to be feeling anti-Semitic today (praise God) but maybe that's an after-effect that comes on gradually. Also, I'm not feeling anti-Roman either! < /sarcasm >
   
   I pray that I am able to glorify God by taking the questions raised by this film and pointing the questioner toward the real Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray also that many can see the victory of His resurrection - the EMPTY cross - rather than just His suffering on the cross.
   

As an aside, happy 6th birthday to my beautiful son Zachary Robert!

Thank you Jesus for carrying my sin upon Your shoulders to the cross!

Because He lives,
Dr. Larry
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 10:51 AM (0) comments      

 
Blogus Interruptus

We interrupt the regularly scheduled thoughts to bring you thoughts regarding Ash Wednesday. Information provided from the Catholic Information Network.

---

Ash Wednesday
by James Akin
Q: What is Ash Wednesday?
A: Ash Wednesday is the day Lent begins. It occurs forty days before Good Friday.

Q: Is Ash Wednesday based on a pagan festival?
A: Heck, no. Ash Wednesday originated in the A.D. 900s, long after Europe had been Christianized and the pagan cults stamped out.

Q: Why is it called Ash Wednesday?
A: Actually, Ash Wednesday is its colloquial name. Its official name is the Day of Ashes. It is called Ash Wednesday because, being forty days before Good Friday, it always falls on a Wednesday and it is called Ash Wednesday because on that day at church the faithful have their foreheads marked with ashes in the shape of a cross.

Q: Why do they have their foreheads marked with a cross?
A: Because in the Bible a mark on the forehead is a symbol of a person's ownership. By having their foreheads marked with the sign of a cross, this symbolizes that the person belongs to Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross.

This is in imitation of the spiritual mark or seal that is put on a Christian in baptism, when he is delivered from slavery to sin and the devil and made a slave of righteousness and Christ (Rom. 6:3-18).

It is also in imitation of the way the righteousness are described in the book of Revelation, where we read of the servants of God (the Christian faithful, as symbolized by the 144,000 male virgins):

"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads." (Revelation 7:3)

"[The demon locust] were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4)

"Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads." (Revelation 14:1)

This is in contrast to the followers of the beast, who have the number 666 on their foreheads or hands.

The reference to the sealing of the servants of God for their protection in Revelation is an allusion to a parallel passage in Ezekiel, where Ezekiel also sees a sealing of the servants of God for their protection:

"And the LORD said to him [one of the four cherubim], 'Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark [literally, "a tav"] upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.' And to the others he said in my hearing, 'Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity; slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the elders who were before the house." (Ezekiel 9:4-6)

Unfortunately, like most modern translations, the one quoted above (the Revised Standard Version, which we have been quoting thus far), is not sufficiently literal. What it actually says is to place a tav on the foreheads of the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem. Tav is one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and in ancient script it looked like the Greek letter chi, which happens to be two crossed lines (like an "x") and which happens to be the first letter in the word "Christ" in Greek (christos). The Jewish rabbis commented on the connection between tav and chi and this is undoubtedly the mark Revelation has in mind when the servants of God are sealed in it.

The early Church Fathers seized on this tav-chi-cross-christos connection and expounded it in their homilies, seeing in Ezekiel a prophetic foreshadowing of the sealing of Christians as servants of Christ. It is also part of the background to the Catholic practice of making the sign of the cross, which in the early centuries (as can be documented from the second century on) was practiced by using one's thumb to furrow one's brow with a small sign of the cross, like Catholic do today at the reading of the Gospel during Mass.

Q: Why is the signing done with ashes?
A: Because ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance. In Bible times the custom was to fast, wear sackcloth, sit in dust and ashes, and put dust and ashes on one's head. While we no longer normally wear sackcloth or sit in dust and ashes, the customs of fasting and putting ashes on one's forehead as a sign of mourning and penance have survived to this day. These are two of the key distinctives of Lent. In fact, Ash Wednesday is a day not only for putting ashes on one's head, but also a day of fasting (see below).

Q: What are some biblical examples of people putting dust and ashes on their foreheads?
A: Consider the following verses from the New International Version:

"That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head." (1 Samuel 4:12)

"On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor." (2 Samuel 1:20

"Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went." (2 Samuel 13:19)

"When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head." (2 Samuel 15:32)

Q: Is there another significance to the ashes?
A: Yes. They also symbolize death and so remind us of our mortality. Thus when the priest uses his thumb to sign one of the faithful with the ashes, he says, "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return," which is modeled after God's address to Adam (Genesis 3:19; cf. Job 34:15, Psalms 90:3, 104:29, Ecclesiastes 3:20). This also echoes the words at a burial, "Ashes to ashes; dust to dust," which is based on God's words to Adam in Genesis 3 and Abraham's confession, "I am nothing but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27). It is thus a reminder of our mortality and our need to repent before this life is over and we face our Judge.

Q: Where do the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from?
A: They are made by burning palm fronds which have been saved from the previous year's Palm Sunday, they are then blessed by a priest -- blessed ashes having been used in God's rituals since the time of Moses (Numbers 19:9-10, 17).

Q: Why are ashes from the previous year's Palm Sunday used?
A: Because Palm Sunday was when the people rejoiced at Jesus' triumphal entrance to Jerusalem. They celebrated his arrival by waving palm fronds, little realizing that he was coming to die for their sins. By using palms from Palm Sunday, it is a reminder that we must not only rejoice of Jersus' coming but also regret the fact that our sins made it necessary for him to die for us in order to save us from hell.

---

Other terms that might be interesting for you to learn more about include:
Maundy Thursday
Passion
Easter
Pentecost


Tonight I'll be going to see the "Passion of the Christ" movie with hundreds of fellow worshippers from church. I have mixed feelings. Excited about the movie, but I already get very emotional when visualizing Christ's suffering for me...should be interesting! But our family has been praying that this movie will touch countless lives causing current believers to rededicate themselves more deeply and fully to Jesus and to cause non-believers to ask deeper questions about who is this Jesus and why He would do this.


Reflecting on His glory,
Dr. Larry

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 1:21 PM (0) comments      

 
My "theologian" rating is listed below. I find it amusing. I shall have to ponder the implications. It's funny though, one of my best friends comes out as "John Wesley"
:-P

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to igure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson


Feeling ancient but in very good company,
Dr. Larry aka "Augie" :-)

scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 3:22 PM (0) comments