So Why do You Smile? Where is Your Joy?

I think Haiti and the earthquake that crushed businesses, cars, homes, and lives and has claimed over 150,000 lives in the capital city alone thus far. Images and stories stream from the the news nightly, but none doing justice to the reality of life now in Haiti. I cannot fathom what the scene is like, what people are going through.

People have traveled from Canada, Israel, Iceland, Germany, France, the US, China, Colombia, as well as many other countries to Haiti in recent weeks as reporters, doctors, rescue workers, nurses all doing what they can to meet the physical needs of the Haitian people.

Not only are people hurting physically and emotionally, I'm sure people are struggling spiritually trying to grapple everything that has just happened. I have not personally heard of many pastors or missionaries that have been able to travel there in recent days. Two pastors that have been able to go, Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hills Church in Seattle and James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Church in Chicago, are now heading up Churches helping Churches - A ministry "created to address the immediate and long-term needs of churches when disaster befalls a country, region, city, or people in the spirit of Galatians 6:10- 'Let us do good to everyone, and especially those who are in the household of faith'"

On their trip to Haiti they met a pastor with a big smile and spoke with him on camera. (you can view the video below)

Pastor Mark says "You love Jesus, you teach the Bible, you marry a woman, you have four children, you're serving the Lord in ministry. And now your wife is gone, your church is gone, your home is gone, your Bible college is gone.....So why do you smile? Where is your Joy?"

The man replied "It's from the Lord."

Praise God for sustaining this man! I pray that believers in Haiti would be strengthened, that they would know, despite watching the world around them crumble, that God has not crumbled, He's not left them, He is sovereign and in control over all things - including the events and devastation that surround them. To Gob be the glory.

The Bible is not Boring

2010 Bible Reading Plan

Another year has come and gone and yet another year I make no resolutions. This past year I challenged myself I read through the Bible in a year, tonight I will finish the reading it through. I really enjoyed this plan, given out by Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL last year as a challenge to their church. I read this year through the ESV Reformation Study Bible.

This coming year I intend to start the plan over starting at the beginning. This time reading through my ESV Study Bible and looking for a couple specific things as I read, which helps me to pay much more attention to detail.

I benefited tons and learned so much more as I looked at all the scriptures...I'm left with many more questions as I ponder the text. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to study, freely, the word of the Lord. I look forward to other studies I will be beginning in addition to the read through the Bible plan. My prayer from here on is that the Lord would give me more desire and a deep hunger to study, ponder, meditate, read the scriptures, that He'd reveal new things to me in each verse, and that he'd transform my life.

Sermon prep for the Congregation - Consider how you listen

I was catching up on some blog reading this afternoon and was convicted by a couple of blogs posts written by Tim Challies on the topic of considering how we listen to sermons. I recommend giving both posts a read.

The first of the posts is excerpted from a George Whitfield sermon...These pearls of wisdom will help you listen to sermons in a way that will bring great blessing to your soul. Or as Whitefield said, “Here are some cautions and directions, in order to help you hear sermons with profit and advantage.”

The second post is a great list of ways we who do not preach can prepare for the Sunday sermon..."What we consider less often, I think, is that while a pastor bears great responsibility in preparing for and delivering the Word of God each Sunday, the listener shares in the responsibility. The church has no place for an audience. We are all to be involved in the preaching, even as listeners." - Tim Challies

Jake and USC football

I came across this video on a couple blogs I read, it's worth taking the 7 minutes to watch. It'll make you cry, least it did me.

My list...part 1

A few years ago now I made a list, a list of what I would look for in a man that I would want to marry. Not the type of list I would have made in my early teen years...tall, dark, handsome....yeah you know what I am talking about. And a list that is more than just the obvious (at least obvious for me)...that he's man and a Christian. But a list coming mostly from scripture...I don't have the list any more, but to recall a few...

He loves his wife as Christ loves the church – Eph 5:25
He should love their wife as their own bodies – Eph 5:28
He'd live with his wife in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel 1 Peter 3:7

Then there were other qualities – not necessarily given in scripture as addressed to husbands but more general...
A man of prayer
self-controlled
be in accordance with sound doctrine
sound in faith, in love, and steadfastness
sober-minded

And the list went on...But when I was thinking back on the list this week I was convicted. Convicted that I need not be focused on searching for this man who fits the description or try to make a man fit that description and trust that the Lord would bring him if the Lord wills.

Rather, I need to focus on becoming a godly woman and wife. What are those things that I should be learning or reinforcing in my life that that will lead to that? So I began to prayerfully think on this and journaling my thoughts, some of which Lord willing I will be posting in the coming days.

But here me say, I am not erasing from my mind that list that I had written out about what type of man I want to marry. I still will use that as I do want to get just caught up in a relationship for the sake of being in a relationship but because I am interested in getting to the man God had placed in my life and see if he may be that one who embodies these biblical characteristics.