Songs That Help Me EnJoy God

Here are a few of my currents faves...

1. At The Cross ~ Daniel Renstrom ~ Adore and Tremble
2. Sing to Jesus ~ Fernando Ortega ~ Storm
3. Our Great God ~ Fernando Ortega ~ Storm
4. The Love of God ~ Ascend The Hill ~ Hymns - Take the World, But Give Me Jesus
5. Great Reward ~ Shane & Shane ~ Everything Is Different
6. Zion and Babylon ~ Josh Garrels ~ Jacaranda
7. The Humility of Christ ~ Timothy Brindle ~ Killing Sin
8. Throne of Grace ~ Shai Linne ~ The Atonement
9. Let Your Kingdom Come ~ Sovereign Grace Music ~ The Valley of Vision
10. Unashamed  ~ Starfield ~ Beauty in The Broken

As always, I reserve the right to change my mind at any time - And I often do, SDG!

Love in the Truth.

We Praise What We Care About

I have been preaching through the Psalms for most of this year at my Church.  This week, we finish our look into Psalm 103.  It is a stunning ode to the love of God that after reading if you're not praising, you should check to ensure your heart is beating!  While doing some research (I use the term loosely as I was reading blogs!), I stopped by The Gospel-Driven Church and found this gem by Jared Wilson.

Worship of God is enjoyment of God. We have no problem laughing at something funny, smiling at something pretty, "mmmm"-ing something delicious, humming something catchy, or cheering something exciting in the stadium, but when we get into church on Sunday mornings, we have trouble worshiping because we don't know and enjoy God the same way we know and enjoy jokes, pictures, food, songs, or sports.

In Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis writes:

But the most obvious fact about praise – whether of God or anything – strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honour. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless . . . shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise – lovers praising their mistresses [Romeo praising Juliet and vice versa], readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game – praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. . . . Except where intolerably adverse circumstances interfere, praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. . . . I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: 'Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?' The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.

We praise what we care about.

I couldn't have said it better myself, thanks Jared.

...random thought...every time I say (write) that name, I get a craving for Subway!

Love in the Truth.

Dever on Culture

Here is a great little clip of Mark Dever speaking on both the good and the bad of culture. Love this guy!

Love in the Truth

HT / Timmy Brister

Radical or Normal?

Francis Chan asks the question, "If my life was stuck in the book of Acts would people say I was radical or just normal?"




Love in the Truth.

HT / Z

The Power of a Photo

(This is a picture of a child aged 10 weeks)

Jennifer Rego

For myself, the power of the photograph is precisely that it is the reminder that I need that defending the unborn is not simply “a cause”, or an “issue”, because people are not causes or issue, they are unique, unrepeatable human beings that I have a relationship with simply because we both share our human dignity, and it is simply because of that, that I have an obligation to defend them.

Read the rest.  

Love in the Truth.

HT / Z

Misplaced Astonishment

Great post by Jared Wilson from a classic article by R.C. Sproul called "The Locus of Astonishment."

Jesus said, "But unless you repent, you will likewise perish. Or do you think those 18 people who were walking down the street, minding their own business, were more miserable sinners, and more disobedient to the laws and commandments of God than the average person in Siloam? No, no, no. But I say to you, unless you repent, you too will perish." 

How do you respond to that? As I said, this is a hard saying. This is a harsh Jesus speaking. I have to ask, what is it Jesus is trying to communicate and teach those who are asking these questions. People are saying, "How can God allow these terrible things to happen?" If I can restate Jesus' words in another way, what I hear Jesus saying here is this, "You're asking me the wrong question. You're asking me about things that you shouldn't be asking me about. In other words, you are shocked at the wrong point. You have located your astonishment at a different place from where I would locate it." 

What do I mean by that? There's a song that we sing in the Christian church. We all know the name of the song, "Amazing Grace." It's an interesting title and an interesting concept. I wonder if we really are amazed by grace? I think we express more amazement at God's wrath than at His mercy. We've come to the place, I think, in our religious thinking where we assume that God will be merciful, that God will be kind, that God will be gracious, and so we're not surprised whenever we experience His kindness. What shocks us is when we see something bad take place, when we see an expression of the wrath of God. That's what I hear Jesus saying here. "You people are asking me the wrong question. You are asking me why that temple fell on the heads of the people in Siloam. You should be asking me why that temple didn't fall on your heads."

Are you more amazed by the wrath of God or the grace of God?

Love in the Truth.

HT / Jared Wilson 

God Story

Love in the Truth.

HT / Challies

Is "Inner Peace" A Good Indicator For Being In God's Will?

Haddon Robinson, in Decision Making by the Book:

If we think about it, peace cannot be the proof that we’re in God’s will. If ever anyone was in God’s will, it was our Lord Jesus Christ. But the Bible tells us that just before His crucifixion, Jesus, sweat great drops of blood. With strong cries and tears He asked that, if possible, this cup be taken from Him (Luke 22:41-44). At that moment Jesus fulfilled the will of His Father in Heaven, but if these are the marks of a man at peace, it’s certainly a strange kind of peace. 

Look at a contrasting example. If ever anyone was out of God’s will, it was Jonah. God commanded Jonah to go to Ninevah, which was to the north and to the east. But Jonah, the reluctant prophet, immediately headed to the south and to the west, and boarded a ship sailing out into the Mediterranean. After the boat put out to sea, a tremendous storm arose, and the pagan sailors were terrified. 

But Jonah didn’t worry – he was asleep in the lower deck of the boat. He had peace, perfect peace, in the midst of the storm. Yet the prophet was completely out of the will of God. These accounts of Jesus and Jonah demonstrate that inner peace cannot signal whether or not we are in God’s will, Scripture simply does not hold up such a theory.

Simply some great thoughts from a great book. I know that it may step on some "traditional" toes, but Scripture must be our guide. Inner peace is a good thing; it's just not a good indicator that we are walking in the God's will.

Love in the Truth.

HT / Z

"the True North strong and..."

And I never heard a word about this on the news...hmmmm. If this had been any other group I have little doubt that it would be all over the national news. Shame on Carleton University. Shame on Canada. Sad day.




Love in the Truth.

The Mission of the Church

I have really been enjoying these round table discussions from The Gospel Coalition.  The latest features Greg Gilbert, Kevin DeYoung, and Ryan Kelly discussing the mission of the church.  For the record...I can't wait to get my hands on that book!


The Mission of the Church from Ben Peays on Vimeo.


Love in the Truth.