Were you there?

Jesus is the center of redemptive history!

Are we Christocentric Christians?

I have always thought myself a Christocentric Christian. I have always valued my redemption purchased by the shed blood of Christ as my greatest possession. Does that mean I am a Christocentric Christian?

Recently, however my concentration on the New Testament has given me a confessional perspective, walking circumspectly. I am lamenting the many days that I have identified with good men and exalted their testimony above the redemption bought for me in Christ. It is a point that might seem small, but it really isn't. All of scripture and all of the examples of scripture are meant to lead us to the superiority of the only true salvation. Jesus is the example for imitation. I was a "doctrinal centric" Christian, and I don't think that is a bad thing. I have searched my thoughts, with the light of scripture for inconsistencies in my behavior to my faith and used these finds to confess my sins and bring my behavior and thought into captivity to Christ, with much varying degrees of success in these endeavors. Some areas of my life go into the wash of the Word and seem to come out with the same stains upon them. Some of the successes have lead me to a greater sinfulness of sedentary self sufficiency, which is nearly damnable and needs a greater cleansing.

Who will relieve me from the body of this death? I know that Christ has cleansed us from the weight of the law and the sins which so easily beset us. But, it doesn't seem to work for me. Recently, these struggles of political sort, seem designed to promote a season of self-justification. That is a dangerous and insidious spiritual cancer that cannot be cleansed with the usual applications of the Word. It is a season of basking in the light of the perfection of Christ more than ever before. He is my only substitute before the throne of Grace. None of the righteous men who have gone before have paid the price for my sins. Nor have they given example of right behavior in the light of the sin of self-righteousness. God give grace to stand in this evil day, please!

What Language Shall I Borrow?

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

How can I thank the dearest friend of mine for salvation?

Jesus paid it all for us to believe and make it all the way to the end of our lives believing Him. It seems perilous sometimes. Poverty, prosperity, health and sickness all seem conspired to trip us in our confession of Christ. In special times we tend to lean on self. In hard times we tend to blame God, but I never meditated on the importance of the borrowed language of thankfulness.

In my family, much emphasis was placed on people having clear articulation. Also, great accolades of verbal praise were heaped upon those who spoke "the Queen's English" {on the Jamaican side of the family especially}

From whom are we borrowing our language of thankfulness?

Many who articulate clearly and concisely use sparing words to lavish praise. Many of mean language remain very verbose in their gratitude. Written language of English seems retained for the Theologians to give praise in clarity to God.

We owe Him all!

We owe Him the language of our hearts. We owe Him the language of our lips. And we owe Him the passing on of the language of praise to an upcoming generation! Lest, we become mute and language become hellbound. I fear we already are on that path.

Levels of Confusion in the Soul?

Watching the Babies

I see the relationship between a community and their children. God gives us a trust in their hearts. We either shepherd them toward truth and right or we let them to themselves. As we give them consistent examples of well-meaning direction, they learn to trust and to follow righteousness...God blesses our efforts and solidifies our efforts in exalting our nation or degrading it.

Sometimes we think it is our responsibility to help the children by showing them the double standards and duplicity of life. That is not the job of parents and caretakers, that is the job of the devil and he will show himself to them erelong. When we prayerfully take the hand of God and work with him to mold children's thinking and imaginations it is a greater responsibility and has greater consequences than any other work that we do. The storms of life and the storms that come from the sea are nothing compared to the randomness of children who are left to themselves. Peace be still and the storm listens to God. Yet we let these children churn and whirl out of control and think nothing of letting them gain habits of destruction and anger that they will never be able to recover from. When we learn to heed our parents in being quiet, when our very souls seem to be upset and quaking, God can teach us to submit that same control to His Spirit. We submit, like the storm to the voice of God. He tells us, when to wail and when and where to place our anger and upsetment. God can use that. He doesn't miss. He always hits his targets. We are practicing so that we can be accurately and rightly used by Him in our quiet and in our loudnesses! God redeem and exalt our culture from the randomness of self directed children. Give us direction through your Spirit!

For the beauty of the sky

When I was a youngun, I complained and cackled before the Lord for every providential dissuasion from my plans. Why? Lord, don't you know that I had plans for that time that was lost to a flat tire. Oh so often, some great revelation of my children's lives would come out of the hours spent waiting for the tow truck or the help for our automotive distresses. We were privy to each other's every thought in the midst of a small car with 6 to 9 little people trapped inside on a highway or a major thoroughfare. I learned to see it as an opportunity to get to know the people that I was with, but yesterday it was a getting to know God in the sky. He has amazing moving pictures that are wondrous. I am grateful that the God of the universe entertains us in His mind and paints and designs ways to get our attention that are sometimes inconvenient, but always in His great love. Thank you Lord.

Like a weaned child...

When we wean...

Crying and fussing but it always comes too soon.  Why do we wean?  It is a graduation to the cup.  A letting go.  There aught not be fuss and fanfare because everyone must do it.  But often there is a hanging on to the sucking.  Where is my binky?   Some children are a. Little more needy of those things than others.  Does it mean they will be addictive sorts? Not letting go to anything that they latch onto.  Somehow I imagine my Junior carrying a receiving blanket down the aisle for graduation from Highschool.  No! I must be firm.  It doesn't really mean that.  It is an early opportunity to teach that every good and perfect gift comes down from the father of lights.   This is in fact a perfect opportunity to say and sing this verse to secure it into their conscious minds as they lament their loss.  God is good and is the ultimate comforter and as we let go of these creature comforts for greater freedoms we embrace the ability to comfort others and the ability to walk with God in a greater and more mature way.  "Help Lord hat I might sympathize with my child in his maturing and guide him to the God of all comforts!  Amen."

Think Again!

Praise To the Lord, The Almighty

Yes He is the king of creation. Learning to submit to His ways and His providences is sometimes hard. Everytime I hear that hymn, my mind goes back to that grieving season where everytime they would sing...

Hast thou not seen, how all thy longings have been granted in what he ordaineth?

I would cry and maybe have to leave the church. How can they all sing that? Why do they think that God has given them everything that they want all the time? That isn't true in my experience very often and especially when you stand at the graveside of your child. I couldn't sing that.

Between "Hast thou not seen..." and "ponder anew" is an entire school of learning that cannot be placed into words.

I blame Central's Choir for helping me get over that wall of the obstacle course of my faith. There was one day that they sang that hymn and the Holy Spirit used it to help me see the Amen of faith, which I had already known was there and to get to the "Think Again" of seeing the clouds of my despising the dark providence of the Lord pour the blessings of true trust in Him into my soul. It takes a long time and many people praying for you. It is a dark night that lasts forever, if you let it;but God has an exit to that dark tunnel. You won't find the exit until He gives you the jewels that He brought you there to receive. I pray that God will do that for you as well, who reads this.