Costly Investment, Outlandish Rewards

What God Gives You in Prayer by Jennifer Kennedy Dean (via Charisma)

The most limiting misconception about prayer is that its secret lies in the words we sandwich between "Dear God" and "Amen." God has so much more to give us than just those things we know to ask Him for. He wants to give us Himself. And what does He want in return? Everything. Prayer is not an activity, but a relationship.

Teri bought an abstract painting from a junk store in California for $5. Ten years later, she discovered that the "junk" she purchased was likely an original Jackson Pollock painting and could be worth more than $10 million. Let's project our imaginations into the future and suppose that Teri has been paid $10 million for the painting that cost her $5. Let's imagine that she is sitting in the palatial mansion the money has afforded her and that she is dripping in jewels and draped in fine designer clothing, none of which she could have afforded previously. Imagine that I ask her, "What did that Jackson Pollock painting cost you?" How do you think she would answer that question? I think she would say, "Cost me? It cost me nothing. It gained me $10 million and afforded me everything I own." When the profit far outweighs the investment, we call it gain. The initial cost is swallowed up in the benefit it obtains, and it shows up on the "profit" side of the balance sheet.

Jesus challenged those who would be His disciples first to count the cost. "For who among you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost to see whether he has resources to complete it? Otherwise, perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to complete it, all who see it will begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to complete it'" (Luke 14:28-30). He made it clear that to be His disciple would cost a person everything. But Jesus also challenged those who sought to be His disciples to count the reward. After you count the cost, then count the reward. "If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:31-32). When the benefit far outweighs the cost, we call it gain.

"But what things were gain to me, I have counted these things to be loss for the sake of Christ. Yes, certainly, I count everything as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God on the basis of faith, to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:7-10)

Do you see what Paul is saying? He said that he gave up everything he valued because when he compared it to "the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," everything he valued was rubbish. It was nothing. It was less than nothing. The worth of everything he valued was swallowed up in the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. If we could ask Paul, "What did radical discipleship cost you?" I think Paul would answer, "Cost me? It cost me nothing and gained me everything."

The call is radical. His call to you is that you surrender everything to be His disciple. And when you have emptied yourself of everything you have, He will fill you with everything He has. What does Jesus have to give you? "All that the Father has is Mine" (John 16:15). Once you have counted the cost, then count the reward.

The Text That Shapes Our identity

How Reading the Bible Shapes Our Identity from Crossway on Vimeo.

How Reading the Bible Shapes Our identity by David Powlinson

Rewiring Our Self-Understanding

We often talk about Scripture as God’s self-revelation. But if every revelation of God is a revelation of myself in relation to God, then all of Scripture is continually in the business of rewiring our self-understanding.

Here are two examples that are particularly stunning and lovely: the Psalms and Ephesians.

The Psalms are one sustained portrayal and expression of an identity that is small before a God whom I both need mercy and refuge from, and a God who is great and worthy of all praise, adoration, and love. The Psalms never explicitly say, “Here’s an identity rejig.” But the whole book of Psalms rejigs your identity—every psalm, every prayer, every hymn of worship.

But my favorite “identity” book is Ephesians. Depending on how you understand the nature of what each sentence says about who you are, there are about fifty different identity statements in Ephesians. Every single one of them connects you to God. If he is Father, I am son. If he is the Holy One, I am a saint. If he is the one who indwells the temple, then I am part of that temple. If he is the possessor who is giving an inheritance to his children, then I am an heir owned by the one whom I will inherit from.

David Powlison serves as the executive director of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation and is a contributor to the ESV Men's Devotional Bible.

Our Familiar Idols

Excerpt from Subversive Kingdom by Ed Stetzer - via The Exchange

I've seen lots of idols in my time. From statues in India, and masks in Africa, to ancestral markings in South America, idols exist in all shapes and sizes. All forms of idols fill gaps. Man was designed to worship and will worship something. And as strange as these items may appear, it's not hard to notice their power. They capture the identities of those who are so connected to these attachments from their culture and history.

Yet strangely enough, my idols are not strange to me.

They call to me. Personally. They appeal to me from my past. They make their persuasive case for why I need them so badly and how much they can do for me. They try to convince me that we can all get along here in one place together, that I can share space with both them and my Christian devotion at the same time, and that God will understand.
So my idols are much more personal than a piece of stone or a block of wood. Anything from my past or present that shapes my identity or fills my thoughts with something other than God, especially on a regular, ongoing, irresistible basis, is an idol. Idolatry does not count the cost of worshipping anything but God. And although few of us could ever imagine worshipping a picture of ourselves, the reality is--we are either worshipping God or some form of ourselves. When we are driven by physical and emotional appetites rather than being led by the Spirit of God, we are worshipping the idol of ourselves. Paul spoke as a prophet on fire to the Colossian Christians: "Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5).

Both a king and his kingdom exist in every person's life, creating within us an impulse or desire for something more than we have right now. Even many God-given desires can turn into idols when we become too urgent to satisfy those desires. But every idol is a competitor. Our kingdom calling will always be mutually exclusive with the conniving appeals of other gods. We must never forget that we are in "rebellion against the rebellion" of the world's system, that we are commissioned by God to live with different loyalties from those of the world--and that, in fact, part of our motivation for choosing this singular existence is for the sake of those who are caught in the enemy's trap.

We're just subversive that way, aren't we?

Because if we allow idols to occupy living quarters in our hearts--especially on a consistent, unquestioned basis--we will never be able to develop the integrity and discernment necessary to challenge the oppressive values of the broader culture. We'll be too distracted and self-absorbed to notice the many examples of pain, doubt, confusion, and injustice happening in people's lives right around us. We simply cannot serve successfully as agents for the kingdom of light while simultaneously harboring pockets of darkness in the shadows and corners of our hearts. Just can't. Doesn't work like that.

Idols. Divided loyalties. Split personalities.

These are things we cannot tolerate if we hope to remain subversive.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

An Ancient Prayer of Thanksgiving

From the Didache, Chapter 10 (late 1st or early 2nd century):

We give you thanks, Holy Father,
for your holy name, which you have caused to dwell in our hearts,
and for the knowledge and faith and immortality that you have made known to us through Jesus your servant;
to you be the glory forever.

You, almighty Master, created all things for your name’s sake,
and gave food and drink to humans to enjoy, so that they might give you thanks;
but to us you have graciously given spiritual food and drink,
and eternal life through your servant.

Above all we give thanks to you because you are mighty;
to you be the glory forever.

Remember your church, Lord,
to deliver is from all evil and to make it perfect in your love;
and from the four winds gather the church that has been sanctified into your kingdom,
which you have prepared for it;
for yours is the power and the glory forever.

May grace come, and may this world pass away.
Hosanna to the God of David.
If anyone is holy, let him come;
if anyone is not, let him repent.
Maranatha! Amen.

Time Limited Command?

The Best Way To Love

The Best Way To Love Someone - Through Prayer by Kelly O'Dell Stanley (From Tyndale Blog)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

When you sit down to draw a still life, you have to be careful to maintain a consistent position. If you get up to stretch and sit down a few inches to the right, the scene will look different. The spaces between objects will have changed, relative proportions shifted. Lines moving away from you will be at different angles. Even if you’re not an artist, you’ve probably seen this in another way. When your family poses for a Christmas photo in front of the tree, it might look as though it’s growing out of your son’s head. But if you shift a couple feet to one side, that is no longer the case. This is because you’ve found a new perspective.

When I decided to keep a prayer journal for one month (from Thanksgiving through Christmas) for my friend Peggy, I knew it would be a meaningful gift. But I didn’t realize it would be a gift to me too.

Peggy’s life intersects with mine in so many ways. She and her husband pastor our church. Our children are about the same ages, and we grew up attending the same school for most of our lives. When I went forward to be baptized in sixth grade, it was during Peggy’s slumber party (she’d taken us to her church’s revival). When I later found my church and discovered what it meant to have an intimate relationship with Jesus, I owed much of it to Peggy’s example.

Peggy helped me discover the power of prayer. We often tell people we’ll pray for them but promptly forget. So, I wanted a tangible record of my commitment to pray for her.

I chose a small journal and sat down every day to write out my prayers. I prayed for a different aspect of her life each day—her children, husband, ministry, leadership, faith life, friendships, extended family, work, finances, and health.

When I intentionally prayed for Peggy and her family, asking for God’s protection and intervention, guidance and leadership, I got a new glimpse into Peggy’s life—her faith, her struggles—that I hadn’t seen before. In turn, I found a renewed sense of gratitude for her gifts—her joy, her welcoming kindness, her fun-loving personality. I gained a greater respect for the weights she carries and for the responsibility of her position and a new awe for the strength of her character and the depths of her faith. And this made me a better friend.

Amazing things happen when we pray. God draws nearer. Rough edges are made smooth. Hardened hearts are softened. It was easy to pray for Peggy because I already cared about her. It may not be as easy to pray for someone you don’t particularly like—someone who hurt you, makes snide comments, lies, cheats, or can’t be trusted. But here’s the hard truth about Christianity: we’re called to embrace the teachings and practices of Jesus, and that isn’t easy.

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). To pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) and to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6).

But not just any old prayers will do. We’re called to pray with thanksgiving.

Lucky for us, prayer and gratitude go hand in hand.

Pray for your enemy (or rival, or the person who offended you on Facebook) and you will discover that there’s more than one side to every story. Pray for the wife of a man you’re attracted to, and before long, you have one more good reason to avoid getting too close to him. Pray for the boss who sets a negative tone in the workplace and you might find yourself shouldering some of the emotional load he carries; your newfound compassion may change the dynamic of your relationship. Ask God to show you ways to give and you may realize your financial situation isn’t as dire as you thought.

The greatest gift you can offer to someone is your heartfelt prayer. Along the way, you will begin to see that, whatever your view, God is there.

And gratitude will bubble up. No matter where you are sitting.

Always Look For Him In The Text

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How to Be a Gospel-Centered Bible Reader from Crossway on Vimeo.


How to Be a Gospel-Centered Bible Reader - Jared C. Wilson

One of the best practices for those who want to make sure that they are gospel-centered everyday—that they are looking into the grace of God in Christ—is to look for Christ in the Scriptures.

Most Christians understand that they ought to be spending time in God’s Word everyday but a lot of times that can just look like a checklist of religious duty. No matter what biblical text you’re in, it is important to look for the gospel in it and to look for Jesus in it. This can be a little harder in the Old Testament and even in some New Testament texts. However, the aim is rather simple: look first and foremost for what God has done, notwhat you are to do.

Reordering your study of the Bible in this way will help you to develop a gospel-centered impulse or instinct—one that is quicker than our instinct toward man-made religion or obedience. And that is what will produce more and more awe in your heart at what God has done.

If God...

If God - Mark Batterson from NCC-Sermons on Vimeo.


Mark Batterson shares the message of his newest book - If: Trading Your If Only Regrets For God's What If Posibilities

Remember What You Know

"In these places of deep disappointment, we must remind ourselves of those things about God that we KNOW to be true ... though they might not FEEL true at the moment. Even Jesus felt forsaken before He was resurrected."

               -  Christine Caine

Stand In Awe

Paul Tripp on Why “AWE” Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do



Paul Tripp on Awe from Crossway on Vimeo.


Paul Tripp provides a preview of his new book, Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do (Crossway, 2015).

Identity: Achieved or Received?

Watch this speech by Tim Keller on Our Identity: The Christian Alternative to Late Modernity’s Story (via Justin Taylor)

Tim Keller speaking at chapel for Wheaton College (November 11, 2015), explaining that our culture repudiates as oppressive the idea that someone else names us and gives us an identity, but that when you trust Christ you have the only identity on earth that is received instead of achieved.

Keller goes on defend a form of individualism as inescapable but to critique expression individualism (the idea that you must look inside and then express them outwardly no matter what anyone says). He offers five critiques: it is  (1) incoherent; (2) unstable; (3) illusory; (4) crushing; (5) excluding.

We are social beings who need recognition and naming from outside—someone whom you love, approve, and esteem—to speak to you.

Never To Be Separated

Why Doctrine and Devotion Must Never Be Separated by Ray Ortlund, Jr.

Doctrine + Devotion

The Bible calls men today to lead in their churches and in their homes through both doctrine and devotion.

What is “doctrine”? The word simply refers to biblical teaching. So no man should fear this word. You can ponder the Lord, by his grace. But if you resist theological thinking, that mentality itself is teaching something, and what it’s saying is really bad doctrine.
What is “devotion”? This word simply refers to heartfelt feeling. So no man should look down on devotion. You can love the Lord, by his grace. But if you resist devotional feeling, that feeling itself is captivating your heart with really bad devotion.

But if your Christianity is both doctrine and devotion, both head and heart, and increasingly so as you grow and mature, then you are truly following the Lord.

Here is where the Bible takes us: All doctrine should be devotional, and all devotion should be doctrinal. This is the full-orbed kind of Christianity that we see everywhere in Scripture.

Sometimes men come from a background where doctrine was under-emphasized, and now they are excited about learning and growing and thinking and understanding. Good! But as you grow, don’t lose devotion. If you have doctrine without devotion, you will become proud, hard, aloof, and superior. And the gospel-team will lose yardage because of you.

One or the Other Just Isn't Enough

Sometimes men come from a background where devotion was under-emphasized, and now they are excited about worship and prayer and sharing and feeling. Good! But as you grow, don’t lose doctrine. If you have devotion without doctrine, you will become self-indulgent, gullible, vulnerable, and shallow. And the gospel-team will lose yardage because of you.

But if you have doctrine with devotion and devotion with doctrine, both head and heart, if your thinking is tenderized with great love for the Lord and your love strengthened with great thoughts of the Lord, you will become a well-rounded, balanced, wise, formidable, attractive man whose influence is the very influence of Jesus himself. And your life will be a touchdown for the team.

Which emphasis do you need to add to your Christianity right now? Are you growing deeper in doctrine and knowledge and insight and understanding? What significant books have you read in 2015? Not just dipped into but read. From cover to cover. And are you growing deeper in devotion and enthusiasm and passion and energy? What tears have you shed in 2015—tears of joy, of longing, of repentance, of worship? Not just a twinge of feeling but ravished by the glory of the Lord. Personal meltdown.

The Bible is God’s primary mechanism for deepening every one of us every day in both doctrine and devotion.

Digging For Gold In Simple Stories

How much golden truth can you find in one short story from Scripture? Check out this example - Your Bible Is a Gold Mine from Jon Bloom at Desiring God:

The word of Christ dwells richly in the one who dwells in it long enough to discover its riches (Colossians 3:16). The Bible is the divine mine that contains the theological mother load. Any theology book based on it is only a small fraction of the Bible’s unquantifiable wealth. That’s why there will be no end to theological book publishing.

The wonderful thing about this mine is that we often find treasure in unexpected places. God loves to lace and layer revelatory riches in what at first seems like a fairly straightforward historical narrative.

One example is the account of Jesus and Peter walking on water in Matthew 14:22–33. This aquatic hike is astounding. But if we’re not careful, we may only see the obvious gold and miss out on much more. Here are a few less obvious nuggets I found when digging recently.

Jesus Makes Us Face Strong Waves in the Dark

Jesus “made” the disciples get into the boat (Matthew 14:22). At the time, they probably didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t an unusual directive from the Master. But in retrospect, it became clear that God knowingly sent them to face an adverse wind all night.

After an exhausting day of ministry (feeding the 5,000), God did not lead them to a rest beside quiet waters, but to row against battering waves for most of the night. The sovereign Lord sometimes intentionally sends us when we’re already weary to struggle against adversity in disorienting darkness.

Jesus Comes in Unexpected Ways at Unexpected Times

When Jesus finally came to the disciples, he came in a completely unexpected way — walking on the water. This so caught them off guard that they didn’t even recognize him at first (Matthew 14:26). Furthermore, Jesus didn’t show up until “the fourth watch of the night” (Matthew 14:25) — between three and six in the morning.

The weary disciples had been fighting the wind and waves (and probably each other) for long dark hours. No doubt they prayed for God’s help. In the apostle John’s account, once Jesus reached them and got in the boat, “immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going” (John 6:21). This must have come as a welcome relief, but notice that this relief wasn’t provided until they were extraordinarily tired.

When God comes to us in a moment of need, he might arrive in an unexpected, unrecognizable, and frightening way and later than we hope.

Ask Jesus for Impossible Things

Peter’s request of Jesus was outrageous. It may be that this story is so familiar or has been told to us so matter-of-factly that it doesn’t shock us. If that’s true, we need fresh eyes. We must put our sleep-deprived selves in that wave-tossed little boat in the dead of night, feeling the wind-whipped sea spray on our faces while we squint at the strangest thing we’ve yet seen — Jesus standing about ten feet away on the heaving water as if it were solid ground.

Imagine our nerves being on edge from the terror-induced adrenaline rush. Would we ask to get out of the boat and join Jesus on the water? We might best answer this question by asking ourselves how often we are asking Jesus for the privilege of risking the humanly impossible with him now. Jesus may have admonished Peter for having “little faith” (Matthew 14:31), but Peter was a faith giant in that moment compared to the other eleven. He was the only one who asked to do the impossible with Jesus. And Jesus granted it to him with pleasure.

God is pleased when we ask him to enable us to get out of the safety of our “boat” in order to do the humanly impossible with him, and he does grant such requests.

Jesus Sovereignly Responds to Our Asking

This story illustrates a profound mystery: God in his sovereignty interacts with our initiative. Note the very brief but loaded exchange between Peter and Jesus:

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” [Jesus] said, “Come.” (Matthew 14:28–29)

There is towering theology in these few words. Peter recognized Jesus as the sovereign Lord of all nature who was commanding the water to support him. Peter also knew that walking on the water would require faith, but he did not mistake his own faith as the power that would command the water beneath him. So he asked Jesus to command him to come. And when Jesus commanded, Peter exercised faith in Jesus’s word, which Jesus honored. That’s how Peter’s faith helped him walk on water. It’s true that when Peter’s faith weakened, he sank (Matthew 14:30). But his cry to Jesus for help proved that Peter knew where the power to hold him up resided, and was itself an expression of faith. And again Jesus responded to Peter’s faith by pulling him back up (Matthew 14:31).

Notice, Jesus did not call any of the disciples to join him on the water. Peter took the initiative to ask Jesus if he could come. Forgive the pun, but this is deep theological water. If Peter had not taken the initiative to ask Jesus, this aspect of the story might simply be missing. What might be missing from your story if you do not take the initiative to ask Jesus?

God alone has power to command reality, but he encourages us to request whatever we wish in prayer (John 15:7) and he loves to respond to our faith by commanding answers to our requests.

Dig, Find, and Be Enriched

O, there’s much more gold in this story to be had, but time and article word limits fail me. I must refrain. Go dig, find it, and you will be enriched. In only twelve verses we discovered four theological nuggets:\

1. The sovereign Lord sometimes intentionally sends us when we’re already weary to struggle against adversity in disorienting darkness.
2. When God comes to us in a moment of need, he might arrive in an unexpected, unrecognizable, and frightening way and later than we hope.
3. God is pleased when we ask him to enable us to get out of the safety of our “boat” in order to do the humanly impossible with him, and he does grant such requests.
4. God alone has power to command reality, but he encourages us to request whatever we wish in prayer (John 15:7) and he loves to respond to our faith by commanding answers to our requests.

The Bible contains over 31,000 verses — so much gold and so little time. We’ll never exhaust the gold it contains during our brief lives, but we must discover all we can. The apostle John said this about the three years he spent with the word made flesh: “Were every one of [the things Jesus did] to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

Well, the written word is written. But of this word we can say that if all it reveals were to be written, the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Does God Want You to Be Happy?

The answer is yes, but perhaps not the way Joel Osteen and the like think. Read "Actually, God Does Want You To Be Happy" by Jade Mazarin at Relevant

Once upon a time, too many people saw God as a genie whose main purpose was to grant us our every wish. They believed every action in life was meant to bring happiness, and if it did, it would be what God wanted.

Then a backlash ensued against these ideas. A tidal wave of rebuttals addressed them, speaking out about deeper truths like purpose in suffering, and the fact that our happiness is not the litmus test for what’s good.

As a result, many people today state that while God is concerned with our growth, He is not so concerned with our happiness.

Today the idea of God wanting us to be happy is one that many Christians shy away from or refute. We’re OK with words like, “contentment” or “joy.” We believe those words contain an element of depth and holiness. "Happiness" though, well, that’s different. It reminds many of us of society’s definition of the meaning of life—like momentary satisfaction. It feels empty, irresponsible and even dangerous. It seems to squash the notion that God is Holy, wants us to grow or uses our suffering.

And sure, God is not a wish-granter, and our main purpose in life isn't consistent happiness. I have been through long seasons of intense trial and suffering, and they have changed me in priceless ways—ways I believe were divinely created.

But I think that while God allows and carefully uses seasons of difficulty, it is not His sole desire for us. When I look at His Word, I can see that He has a strong desire to even bring us—dare I say it—happiness, even if it’s not exactly how our culture would tend to define it.

Happiness Is in God’s Nature.

First of all, we see happiness in God’s very nature. Not only is He overflowing with love, He also brimming over with happiness.

Scripture says God “rejoices over us with singing.” This is not some uptight, stern judge who waits for us to mess up. This is a person who adores us, and whose very being is inclined toward happiness.

Scripture not only says God Himself is our strength; It also says His joy is our strength. Perhaps it’s time we paid more attention to His jovial heart.

Too often, we walk around with a heavy sense of seriousness. We are burdened with the belief that God Himself is serious, and our duty is to walk “just so” before Him. We become weak under the load. We think becoming lighthearted might mean becoming irresponsible.

But that’s not the way it has to be. Scripture not only says God Himself is our strength; It also says His joy is our strength. Perhaps it’s time we paid more attention to His jovial heart—one that can’t help but sing over His creation.

David praised God with singing and dancing, and sometimes we need to do that—get off that mental tight rope and just celebrate God’s good presence around us.

Hope Through Suffering

Of course, God’s desire for us to be happy doesn’t mean we won’t have times that we’re not. He takes us through seasons of suffering and difficulty, because He does desire more for us than only happiness; or what we think is happiness. He wants to refine our character, help us heal from the past and develop into our emotional and spiritual potential. This process often feels painful, and He doesn’t ask us to just pretend like everything’s OK and smile through it.

But the struggle is not the end of the story. And if we think God wants us to feel constantly miserable in order to make us holy, then we won’t grasp all of His love. The truth is, even the invitation to grow contains the desire of God to bring us to a deeper level of health, freedom—and therefore happiness.

He takes us through seasons of suffering and difficulty, because He does desire more for us than only happiness; or what we think is happiness

When we go through times of suffering, God wants us to keep sight of the hope that there’s more for us. In Isaiah, we see His passion to encourage the Israelites. Many years prior, they rebelled against God, and He distanced Himself from them. And yet, now He zealously proclaims that He is taking them back. He even wants to bless them more than they’ve ever been blessed before.

You can almost feel God’s excitement when He says, “They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isaiah 51:11).

Clearly, God doesn’t just want them to feel a little better. He wants their joy to be everlasting. He wants gladness and joy to overtake them.

Happiness doesn’t mean something that’s only surface level, even if people around us treat it that way. In fact, true happiness—happiness from God—is peaceful, safe and good. It’s genuine, and it isn’t based on situations that are empty or bad for us.

Veterans Day 2015

Today is Veterans Day in the USA. November 11th was originally called Armistice Day, in memory of the end of World War I. It is now called Veterans Day in honor of all U.S. military veterans. Many of my family members are veterans. I wish to make special recognition today for and to:

1. My Dad (Col. B.F. Simmons, USAF, retired, pictured at left), my late Grandfather (Jefferson L. Simmons, Mississippi National Guard in WWI in France, pictured below Dad), my late Uncle Franklin Simmons (Navy "Sea Bee" in WWII), Uncle Terrell Simmons (US Army), Uncle Charles Shirley (Air Force), Uncle Hal Shirley (Army National Guard), my late Uncle Cranford Nelson (Navy), Cousin Harry Nelson (Navy), Cousin Jimmy Walters (Marine Corps), Cousin Shain Vice (US Army), Brother-in-law Gary Meier (US Army), nephew Dale Meier (US Army, 82nd Airborne), and any other family members I'm forgetting.

2. All our men and women serving and protecting us on the front lines of Afghanistan, and many other dangerous places around the world.

3. All current and retired American veterans.

4. The families of those lost in Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, and so many other places. I am thankful and grateful.

Let Grace Sink In...

From the great book by Scott Sauls - Jesus Outside the Lines

The Communion of the Saints

The Apostles Creed says we believe in "the communion of saints." Do you? Here's how Ron Rolheiser defines it. 

As Christians, this is our belief: We believe that the dead are still alive, still themselves and, very importantly, still in a living, conscious, and loving relationship with us and with each other. That’s our common concept of heaven and, however simplistic its popular expression at times, it is wonderfully correct. That’s exactly what Christian faith and Christian dogma, not to mention deep intuitive experience, invite us to. After death we live on, conscious, self-conscious, in communication with others who have died before us, in communion with those we left behind on earth, and in communion with the divine itself. That’s the Christian doctrine of the Communion of Saints.

So, do you believe this? What difference dose it make in your life?

Hi, Mom. Miss you!

HT: Internet Monk

Pulling Up the Bitter Weeds

A Prayer for Riding Ourselves of All Bitterness and Resentment by Scotty Ward Smith - A prayer we can ll pray, and need to pray. (Hebrews 12:15, Job 5:2, Ephesians 4:31-32)

Dear heavenly Father, these Scriptures cut to the chase and bring conviction to our hearts. We are your beloved daughters and sons, but today we are also your “busted” daughters and sons; for resentment comes to us as quickly as someone steals our parking place, or eats the saran-wrapped piece of cake we hid in the “frig,” or fails to include us in some social event. It’s amazing how quickly a little slight can launch us into a big spite. Have mercy on us, Lord, and grant us fresh grace, thicker skin and bigger hearts.

But Father, being slighted is one thing, but being assaulted by the betrayals and failures, deceit and lies, attacks and abuse of others, is an altogether different matter. These aren’t things to shake off, but deep wounds, broken hearts, and incredible pain to bring to your throne of grace. You’re not calling us to denial, but to yourself. Have mercy on us, Lord, have big mercy; and grant us wisdom, strength and tons of grace.

Father—through the power of your Holy Spirit, the truth of the gospel, and the gift of community, don’t let our appropriate anger morph into destructive revenge. Don’t let our raw hurts become a band of vigilante marauders, not just bent on getting even, but upping the ante—repaying harm for harm, evil for evil, and death for death.

Don’t let our vulnerable hearts become gardens for the planting of roots of resentment and bushes of bitterness; and keep us from medicating our pain foolishly. Father, as Jesus has forgiven us, so help us to want to forgive others. Write stories of redemption and restoration with the ink of our hurt and your grace. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.

Quench Your Thirst

5 Ways to Confront Spiritual Dehydration by Jarrid Wilson (HT Charisma):

Spiritual dehydration can creep into our lives in many ways, but learning to combat this infection can be the difference between a healthy soul and a broken one.

1. Do away with comparison. Don't compare your inch to someone else's mile. Everyone is on their own spiritual journey, and the reality is that none of us are going to be on the exact same page or chapter. We're all going through different things, experiencing God in different ways and trying to wrestle through different questions.

Do away with comparison, as it will do nothing but get you down and make you feel inferior compared to the accomplishments of others. Comparison is a game you will never win at.

It's not fair to compare you own life with that of someone else. All of us were uniquely made for a different purpose and to experience different things. I'll be honest in admitting that I constantly find myself comparing the accomplishments of others to my own. It's not healthy, nor does it help my current spiritual journey either. Human nature yearns for the approval of others, and much of that is found within the weaving of comparison. We compare in hopes of being better, in turn making us feel better about ourselves.

Regardless of which side we're on, comparison is never healthy nor does it help progress our spiritual well-being. Do away with comparison.

2. Stop trying to do things on your own. Spiritual dehydration can take root in our lives in many different ways, but one of the most common is when we try to do this whole God-thing on our own. You know, as if we've got it all under control. The beauty of God is that not only is He a spiritual companion, but He is the creator of companionship itself. Humble yourself completely, drop the facade of perfection and allow God to intervene in every facet of your life. Doing so will completely revolutionize your heart, soul and spiritual awareness.

When we give God the room He deserves, our souls will be refreshed and our hearts will flow with His presence. We were created for the partnership of God. We were created to do life hand-in-hand with the one who created us in His image.

3. Don't allow a routine to become mundane. There is nothing wrong with having a routine. In fact, I'd encourage you to make prayer, reading your Bible and experiencing times of worship something you do habitually. What you don't want to do is allow these things to become a mundane routine, something you do just for the sake of doing. Prayer must be done with intention, studying your Bible must be done with tenacity, and worship must be done with passion.

When a routine becomes stale and mediocre, it's time to do away with it and recalibrate your direction. Routines are great because they form habits. You just need to make sure those habits don't become dry and without purpose.

4. Make prayer a priority, not a last resort. Prayer is spiritual dehydration's biggest enemy. When we truly discover the importance of prayer, we will see that it not only replenishes the soul, but it keeps us in tune with the current condition of our heart and mind. Prayer is common among those who are hurting and in quarrelsome situations, but one must not allow prayer to become nothing more than a last resort. Pray first.

Make prayer a priority, a part of your life and something that is interwoven into the inner-being of your character. You, my friend, are destined to be a prayer warrior. Combat spiritual dehydration with the awe-inspiring communication God has so graciously given us through the art of prayer. Share your feelings, your burdens and pains. Share your frustrations, your joy and your discontent. Share until you cannot share anymore.

5. Equip yourself with spiritual mentors. It's always a good idea to have people in your life to whom you've given permission to keep you accountable, call you out when you do something idiotic and keep you on track with your spiritual journey. Whether it be in person, over the phone or even Skype, give permission to men and women who are wiser than you to speak life into you.

Humble yourself, learn from their direction and allow your heart to be guided by those God has put before you. Your spiritual welfare depends on constant evaluation and refining.

Not Finished Yet

Kris Vallaton Facebook

Getting Over Yourself

Excerpt from The Freedom of Getting Over Yourself by G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (1908), chapter 2, “The Maniac”, Via Justin Taylor

How much happier you would be if you only knew that these people cared nothing about you!

How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men with common curiosity and pleasure; if you could see them walking as they are in their sunny selfishness and their virile indifference!

You would begin to be interested in them because they were not interested in you.

You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theater in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers.