Coming to the Still Waters

What Is the Biblical Definition of Worship?

     Health-wise I am feeling good.  Actually a couple of days ago, while working at our cleaning job, I actually forgot what had been done to me throughout the last year.  Even if it was just for a moment, it was good to feel normal again.  I still am stiff when I get up and it takes a little to get me going but once in motion I have nothing to complain.  God is continuing to heal my body.      I am continuing through Paul Tripp's book " What Did You Expect?? "  Under the chapter called "Pulling Weeds" Paul gives us some big weeds that need to be pulled out of any garden or out of any marriage.  How about selfishness, busyness, inattention, self-righteousness, fear, and laziness.  So many times we focus on the biggies like finances and feelings and not dig deeper to look at yourself and not the other person.  Here are some more great quotes. "It is not enough to identify the weeds in your relationship that need...

     One of my highlights this Sunday was Sunday School.  Our normal teacher was sick so I jumped in to cover for the class.  Looking again at the material I see it was about forgiveness and I had just read chapters on confession and forgiveness in Paul Tripp's book " What Did You Expect?? "  Talk about the Lord preparing me ahead of time for the class.  Here are a couple quotes that helped me that I could draw upon. "Healthy marriages are healthy because the people in those marriages find joy in canceling debts.  I cannot think of a more essential ingredient in marriage than forgiveness." "Because the patterns of sin and failure were not accompanied by patterns of confession and forgiveness; what was left was the compilation of the wrongs of the other." "Often, forgiveness is a process, not an event." "The biblical call to confession and forgiveness is to be followed only in instances when one spouse has done something to the othe...

     I am still working through the Paul Tripp book " What Did You Expect?? ", a book on marriage.  I just finished the chapter called "Coming Clean:  Confession" and I almost underlined the whole chapter.  I have seen this over and over in the office counseling couples.  Here a just a few nuggets from this chapter. "Confession is the doorway to growth and change in your relationship." "One of the most tempting fallacies for us--and for every human being in this fallen world--is to believe that our greatest problems exist outside us rather than inside us." "When a husband and wife quit arguing about who is the more righteous and begin to be grieved over their respective sin, you can know for sure that grace has visited their marriage." "Remember, truth not spoken in love ceases to be helpful because the message gets twisted and distorted by other human emotions and agendas." "It means quieting that background noise...

     Let's start off with a long quote from Paul Tripp's book " What Did You Expect? ". "Where will you find the reasons to continue working on your marriage in those disappointing moments when those reasons are most needed?  Well, you won't find them in your spouse.  He or she shares your condition; your spouse is still a flawed person in need of God's transforming grace.  You won't find them in the ease of your circumstances.  You still live in a world that is groaning and broken.  You won't find them in surface strategies and techniques; your struggles are deeper than that.  You will only find your reasons to continue by looking up." "As long as He is Creator, as long as He is sovereign, and as long as He is the Savior, you have reason to get up in the morning and love one another, even though you aren't yet what He created you to be."      I also got to watch a sermon by Matt Chandler that I was hoping to repost h...

      Repaired the 10 year old dryer today.  It brought back memories of working at the laundromat and dry cleaners repairing machines on a daily basis.  I needed to replace the rear bearing and it went well. I was surprised that the company that I got the part from also sent a link to watch a video at how to make the repair.  If I was back at the laundromat, I would probably have my lap top with me today.  It was so nice to have a whole day at home to dedicate to some projects that had been put on the back burner for a while.      There was also time to go through a first run of Matthew 3.  We will be taking a closer look at John  the Baptist this Sunday along with baptism (John's and Jesus').  Some harsh words are given to the Pharisees and the Sadducees as they come out to see what is going on.  John was crying out to those like prostitutes and tax collectors who knew they needed to repent bu...

     I don't think I could have ever imagined the meeting that we had this morning at the church but I am glad for the love and support in that room.  We held our first meeting on nutrition and healthy living with the help of God and each other.  A lot of information was shared, maybe too much, but my prayer is that each person take away and put into practice one thing that was learned.  Maybe the year of cancer will be used to help others that are closest to me have a better life physically and spiritually because of what Steph and I have gone through.  Steph was so great in her presentation of the material that I see that what she learned in college and in life has not left her.  She could walk into any job dealing with health and pull it off.  Maybe my bias coming through there.      Sunday is a comin' and the sermon this week came together without much fanfare.  Plenty of time to think and read and study.  Matt...

      I love this picture that a "new" friend posted on Facebook.  It reminds me of home and the many walks made around the perimeter of the property with a 410 in my hands that my father gave me.  I was waiting for a grouse to flush or a rabbit to run but it didn't matter if that didn't happen because it was my "thinking" time.  As a young man I made that trip so many times I think I could have done it blindfolded.  I would come to one corner of the property and make a left and head to the next corner until I was all the way around.  I don't ever remember going around the other way.  This was well before cell phones and other electronic devices so the only way to get ahold of me was the blow of the hollowed out bull horn from my mother that dinner was on.  Wow, that is a great memory!!!      Winter in northern Michigan is still green with some promise of the "white" stuff tonight and tomorrow.  We haven'...

     So the lack of snow has me watching a documentary on the Iditarod race across Alaska.  That is sure a race of endurance for both mushers and dogs.  There is within me to do something that just puts you way out there.      I am now on the Paul David Tripp book called "What Did You Expect??  Redeeming the Realities of Marriage".  Here are some points or some facts that we have to learn and live by. "First, you will not escape the grief of life in the fallen world." "Second, we all face trials." "You see, most of us have a personal happiness paradigm.  God has a personal holiness paradigm."      I was able to use some of the things I have learned from these last two books with a pre-marital counseling session I had on Sunday.  It definitely made me ask more important questions quicker in the conversation.  I think I have always asked these questions but maybe without the depth of conviction about th...

     Okay, so I knew it was going to be tough to blog something every day of the year.  I guess it is the case of the unexpected in our lives that become more important and take place of other things.  So I get back up after missing a couple of days I plunge on.      I have had several opportunities to show the movie "Courageous" to our church along with a preview of it.  What a powerful movie.  If you have the opportunity, it is a definite must see on my list.  We showed it to our youth group on Wednesday night and I could not have imagined the outcome from the group.  There was such an outpouring of care for their fathers.  It stretches across the lines to all ages.      Friday was a trip to Grand Rapids to drop off our last one at home for the holidays off at the train station.  It meant leaving home at 3:30 a.m.  We also scheduled our routine check up with the surgeon on the same day in G...

     Some last quotes from Tim Keller's book " The Meaning of Marriage:  Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God " and then I will start Paul David Tripp's book " What Did You Expect?? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage ." "The husband's authority (like the Son's over us) is never used to please himself but only to serve the interests of his wife." "A wife is never to be merely compliant but is to use her resources to empower." "A wife is not to give her husband unconditional obedience." "Assuming the role of headship is only done for purposes of ministering to your wife and family."      This time of year always brings some great conferences across the nation and through the power of the internet, even those of us who are not able to attend physically can watch online.  I have so enjoyed and grown and been challenged by the One Thing conference from IHOP in Kansas City and also Pas...

     Yesterday I gave the points from Tim Keller's book " The Meaning Of Marriage " on the section called "Some Practical Counsel for Marriage Seekers."  I want to give you a quote or two under a couple of the points from this section.  Under... "Don't let things get too passionate too quickly." "I have come to realize that many turn to cohabitation because they have no other way to get into the other person's everyday life enough to access their character. When two Christians participate together in the same Christian community, however, there are plenty of opportunities to enter the worlds of one another in the older way. By serving the poor, or going to Bible study and fellowship groups, or attending worship you can come into each other's 'front porches' and 'parlors' in a way that is difficult outside a community of faith."      Under... "Get and submit to lots of community input." "Marria...

     Well...I guess the big announcement could be that I had to use the tractor and snowblower for the first time this winter season and looking out the window I could be repeating it tomorrow morning.  I guess the big announcement could be some more quotes from Tim Keller's new book on marriage.  I guess it could be 3 months of daily juicing (many times twice a day) with our Hurom slow juicer.  I guess a lot but the big announcement for me is the next book of the Bible that we will be covering in church.  We are headed to the gospel book of Matthew.  Last year we covered James through Jude and then back to Malachi on Sunday mornings and we covered Galatians through 2 Thessalonians on Sunday nights.  Sunday nights now will go onto 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews while on Sunday mornings we will see how long it takes us to look in depth at Jesus' life through the eyes of Matthew.        What is ahead for ...

     It is amazing how God can use so many different things to touch people's lives for good.  I met a guy this morning after church that was totally different than I have ever known him and it was all because of God speaking to him through the message in the movie last night.  He made a connection with the characters on the screen and made the jump to the God of the Bible.  Never under estimate the power of God and the love of God and the grace of God and the tenacity of God.      Sermon #1 of 2012 is done.  It was a stand alone sermon on resolutions, Biblical ones.  I am so thankful that the Apostle Paul said it was a practice of the mature to keep pressing onto Christ.  We usually think of the new Christian as one with a lot of change for God going on in their lives but Paul says that the mature should be making resolutions that focus on our growth with a deeper walk with Christ.  I also went to the Old Testament pas...