Archive for the ‘ Religion ’ Category

Christmas Bells – I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Listen to the wisdom of proverbs at Proverbial Thought!

Last week I shared with you why “The Little Drummer Boy” is one of my favorite Christmas carols, and the one I have enjoyed the longest of my favorites.

This week I look at one of my newer favorites: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. I fell in love with this song in 2009 when I heard Casting Crowns’ version:

In truth, I had heard the carol when I was much younger, but I had forgotten about it.

For now, you cannot go wrong with Andy Williams singing the song:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

This site does a great job of relating how the Bible is associated with this poem turned song.

My Thoughts

This carol relates the work of the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

The great thing about this song is that it tells us that our Lord is greater than our circumstances.

When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his poem “Christmas Bells” on December 25, 1864, it was over three years since his wife burned to death in a freak accident in which he was injured trying to save her, and he had recently learned that his oldest son had been shot in back (fortunately surviving his wounds) during a battle in the American Civil War. This man had many reasons to feel sad and angry.

Yet, while he was sitting in his house that cold Christmas morning, he could hear the bells ringing down at the church. It reminded him that our “God is not dead” “nor doth He sleep” and will one day bring about “peace on earth, good will to man”!

Though we may face troubles, heartbreak, and pain, our Lord is able to overcome our situations and give us peace and joy, and One Day He will restore all of Creation including our bodies to perfection!

All we must do is completely trust Him and give all of our worries, pains, heartbreak, joys, dreams, and love to Him.

And He helps us.

2013
11/12
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Christmas
Hope
Music
Peace
TAGS









1 comment

Wholly Yours with the David Crowder Band

Make sure you read David’s wise words on Proverbs 26:23 at Proverbial Thought!

Last week we listened to Five Iron Frenzy’s song “Dandelions” and looked how we are like weeds, plants out of place, but the most beautiful flowers in God’s sight when we are in Christ.

Here is another look at who we are, this time through the lyrics of David Crowder.

Consider the following passages:

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Matthew 13:3-9

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Luke 6:43-45

God created us from the earth, and we are frequently referred to as soil or plants (which grow from soil).

Earth is soil which can support life.

Dirt, on the other hand, is misplaced soil. While things can grow from dirt, usually all you get are weeds or weak plants.

Only with soil do you get strong plants which are capable of producing good fruit. Good fruit are good deeds, good speech, and praise of God.

Weak plants and weeds do not give good fruit. Any good deeds from people like this are tainted by pride or do not have lasting or good results. There is a lack of, if any, praise to God.

And the thing that needs to be remembered is that only God by the grace shown through work of the crucified Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit can make us clean soil, fertile soil capable of growth and good fruit.

Listen to David Crowder and his band worship God for His creation and grace. Read the lyrics, and I pray grow in some understanding of just how much our God has done for us out of His love for us.

Wholly Yours by David Crowder Band

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I wanna be holy like You are

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean

Glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy, holy God

So here I am, all of me
Finally everything
Wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly Yours

I am wholly Yours

I am full of earth and dirt and You

2013
10/15
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Born Again
God
Grace
Majesty
Man
Music
Redemption
The Sower
Worship
TAGS



















Leave a comment

Seeing Flowers in Weeds with Five Iron Frenzy

Head over to Proverbial Thought for your daily dose of wisdom!

Did you know God loves you?

It is so true.

How much?

Here are a couple of examples:

See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 6:28-30, NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Romans 5:8-10, NIV

If we were to compare ourselves to plants, it is as though we are flowers. Not just any flowers, but weeds. Due to our sin, we are out of place and only take away from our environment. A weed is a plant out of context. Our sin puts us out of context with God, and all we are able to do ultimately is cause harm.

Something that is quite amazing, though, is that in the hands of an innocent child weeds can become beautiful flowers.

What is more amazing is that, though we are not worth much on our own and out of context, when we turn to God and trust Him, we look like beautiful flowers being presented to Him by His Son who has redeemed us. For at the end of the age, Jesus Christ will return to take His redeemed weeds to the Father:

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Revelation 14:14-16, NIV

This is what Five Iron Frenzy is singing about in this song “Dandelions”.

Dandelions

In a field of yellow flowers
underneath the sun
bluest eyes that spark with lightning
boy with shoes undone.
He is young
so full of hope
reveling in tiny dreams
filling up his arms with flowers
right for giving any queen.
Running to her beaming bright
while cradling his prize.
A flickering of yellow light
within his mother’s eyes.
She holds them to her heart
keeping them where they’ll be safe
clasped within her very marrow
dandelions in a vase.

{chorus 1}

She sees love where
anyone else would see weeds.
all hope is found.
Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless your endless mercy
weight I could not lift.
Where do I fit in this puzzle
what good are these gifts?
Not a martyr, or a saint
scarcely can I struggle through.
All that I have ever wanted
was to give my best to you.

{chorus 2}

Lord, search my heart
create in me something clean.
Dandelions
you see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven
softened by the sweetest hush
a Father sings over His children
loving them so very much.
More than words could warrant
deeper than the darkest blue
more than sacrifice could merit
Lord, I give my heart to You.

{chorus 2}

Lord, search my heart,
Create in me something clean.
Dandelions
You see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven,
Softened by the sweetest hush,
A Father sings over his children,
Loving them so very much.
More than words could warrant,
Deeper than the darkest blue,
More than sacrifice could merit,
Lord, I give my heart to you.

2013
10/08
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Grace
Love
Music
Redemption
TAGS











1 comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 09/29/2013

Redeem your mind, and find some wisdom through Proverbial Thought!

An interesting fact, all of the poems in WW&SS this month were all written on October 3, 2007! (Next week’s, too!)

I have had many friends who have experienced life altering physical problems, whether they be birth defects, accidents, or illnesses that caused these issues.

Most of these friends have refused to give in to their physical limitations, and they fully trust in the redemption purchased through Jesus Christ to make their lives something incredible!

May we realize how much sin has impaired us all and fall on the grace and power of Christ!

invalids and redeemed

 

imagine being useless

a complete invalid

not going anywhere

wondering if you should live

but someone comes along

to help you live your life

practically killing himself

to show you are worth the time

even being useless

you are on a new team

there is someone who took you

and made your life redeemed

 

realize you are useless

sin has destroyed you

spiritually dead

without having a clue

but Someone came along

His name is Jesus Christ

He came down from heaven

literally giving His life

and then He rose again

made you forgiven and clean

embraced in His nail scarred hands

He has called you redeemed

2013
09/29
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Gospel
Poetry
Redemption
TAGS






Leave a comment

Out for a Walk … And a Run

Hurry over to Proverbial Thought for some wisdom from Proverbs!

Once again, I bring a story of our wonderful puppy! (You may remember the entries found here, here, and here.)

When we go out for a walk, we frequently find things of interest.

At least, he finds things of interest, things I usually find less interesting.

These things range from fast food wrappers, bones, other pieces of trash, spills on the walkway/blacktop, larger dogs, and cats.

He may not always be aware of the danger posed by such things, such as germs/bacteria, parasites, or fights with other animals. I am aware of these dangers, and I am quick to say “Not good for us. Come on!”

Here is what usually happens: he tugs on the leash toward the desired item until I give a quick tug right back, then he runs full speed away!

Perhaps you see where I might be going with this:

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
Genesis 39:6-12, NIV

Sin is rather glamorous to us. We should face the facts: it can be fun and enjoyable to sin. If it was not enjoyable, there would be little or no problem with sin in our world!

It may look attractive, fun, or sweet, but, like with my puppy, it is garbage and dangerous.

We may strive to get close to it, to push our boundaries of what might be safe. It is just like Joseph with Potiphar’s wife. Odds are Potiphar knew his wife was “easy,” and Joseph could have alerted him to the situation. Instead, he only tried to ignore it instead of deal with it. (To be fair, he was only a servant, but work with me here!)

Eventually, he knew the cost of disobeying God was too great, and he literally ran. Because he toed the line too long, even though his master probably knew the truth, it cost him.

Notice my puppy still finds things and has to run away.

How many times do we fail to run away?

What thing or person do you refuse to run away from to protect yourself and honor God?

Online pornography? An attractive co-worker? Too much time on Facebook/P!nterest/news sites? Weekly lottery tickets? Gossip? Taking the excess [anything] from work? Driving too fast? Cutting corners to save time/money?

Stop pulling at the leash. Stop ignoring situations and God’s commands.

RUN!

Sometimes it means putting away the computer, or even giving it up completely (I would miss you, but I understand). Sometimes it means avoiding the store or certain people. Sometimes it means asking for a transfer or even quitting your job. Sometimes it means giving up the keys.

RUN!

Sin is never worth the cost.

Besides, I like cuddling with and getting kissed by my puppy.

God likes being close and indwelling us.

If my puppy gets into the garbage or a fight, I am wary of even touching him or letting him touch me.

Our sin is pushing God out.

RUN FROM THE TEMPTATION AND THE SIN!

RUN TO THE OPEN ARMS OF GOD!

2013
09/17
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Discipline
Repent
Sin
Temptation
TAGS












1 comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/18/2013

Teach your mind to worship in all wisdom by reading thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

Last week the poem looked at glorifying God by responding in faith to the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

How, then, do we continue to glorify God with our lives?

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
John 15:7-9, NIV

teach me to worship teach me to worship show me what it means to live a dedicated life to live a life of praise teach me to honor You show me how to sing to go into the world and share Your Great Name how can i worship how can i praise how can i honor Your Holy Name You have told us to love You have said not to hate be kind to everyone as an act of praise

teach me to worship

teach me to worship
show me what it means
to live a dedicated life
to live a life of praise
teach me to honor You
show me how to sing
to go into the world
and share Your Great Name
how can i worship
how can i praise
how can i honor
Your Holy Name
You have told us to love
You have said not to hate
be kind to everyone
as an act of praise

2013
08/18
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Poetry
Worship
TAGS





Leave a comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/21/2013

Process the wisdom offered at Proverbial Thought!

Christ lived and died so that we may be forgiven. That is instantaneous.

We also are sanctified. That is both instantaneous and a life-long process.

 

 

processing      

 

this Man lived a life
He went through a process
that included Him going to die
and rising so He could free us

when we respond to this
He makes a change inside
but this is also a process
to become like Him who died

we need to remember that His life
was raised up to also revive us
this is not only to be applied
but something our hearts and minds can process

while there is a change inside
that is instantaneous
becoming more like Jesus Christ
is a lifelong process

2013
07/21
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Poetry
Sanctification/Sanctified
TAGS






Leave a comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/14/2013

Live in a life of wisdom by reading the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

We have been offered new life in Christ, but sometimes we can forget and let our old life govern.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:14

 my zombie  

i killed myself when my God called me
my old self is now deceased
but as i live this life i have
the death i lived in tries to come back
it is like voodoo has been done on my flesh
making the old me an annoying pest
though that life is dead and gone
it seems to forget a new life has begun

2013
07/14
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Born Again
Die daily
Poetry
TAGS







Leave a comment

Waiting for the New

Get your thrills (and some wisdom) over at Proverbial Thought!

Jesus said to His disciples just before His arrest, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

My wife and I have thought about this verse a lot recently (such as in this post last month).

Home Renovations

As of this posting, we have had they keys to our house for a week and a half!

The promise has been made. We have a home.

The thing is, it has been We have keys to our first home! and emptied by people, so we cannot move in, yet.

On top of being summer in Phoenix, AZ, we have needed to go in (early, to avoid the 115 degree or higher temperatures in a house without air conditioning) to clean things before they can be painted.

We have to keep meeting with people to figure out colors, placements, designs, materials, and all of the hows and whys.

It takes cleaning things, removing walls and fixtures, building new walls and fixtures, renewing the electricity and water, replacing floors and ceilings and doors and locks.

Did I mention this is in the summer heat of Phoenix, Arizona?

And we cannot do it all. We have to have help every single step of the way, those with the knowledge and expertise to make our dirty, empty house into a beautiful new home.

It can be overwhelming at times, and sometimes it can be discouraging as we wait. But we have a hope that keeps us going that one day we can go to our home.

Spiritual Renovations

Likewise, we experience difficulties in this life for a myriad of reasons. As Christians, we know that God is preparing us for our Home with Him.

We will go through changes, many as we choose to let the Holy Spirit change us and many as God moves us through situations and seasons to change us.

All the while we see how fallen our world is, and we long for a better home.

Actually, I think Paul said it best:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5

We may face struggles and troubles in this life, but we can endure. We endure because Jesus Christ made us a promise that He is getting a Home ready for us, and He proved His promise is true by dying on a cross and rising from the dead three days later.

If Jesus can come back from the dead, He will come back to Earth one day to take us Home!

2013
07/02
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Faith
Heaven
Hope
Jesus
TAGS









4 comments

In Escrow …

Winnow out wisdom over at Proverbial Thought.

Buying a House

My wife and I are in the process of getting a house.

There have been many issues to arise along the way.

Obviously there is a lot of paperwork. Our entire history is looked into, and a massive amount of money has to be spent.

One of the more amazing parts of the buying a house is the escrow account.

The escrow account holds funds to help with closing costs during the buying process, and it collects money throughout the year to help pay taxes, HOA fees, and insurance. The bank takes care of all of this for us.

However, we do not see anything on our investment until the end of the process. We have put in all of this money and time, and everyone already considers this house as ours. For the time being, we must eagerly wait to get all of the benefits of our work.

Already/Not Yet

There is an interesting part of theology known as the “Already/Not Yet” part of Christ’s work and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Christ has paid the closing costs of our redemption through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from the grave.

We join with Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the work of reaching out to our fallen world.

It is a lot of work that requires a lot of time and energy. The cost is high, at points costing a Christian everything.

Now, you see, we are already redeemed for Christ in anticipation of eternity and for His work in this life.

However, we wait for the final redemption.

The payment has been made, and we continue to do the work. Eternity with God is already considered ours.

While we work, we await the redemption of our fallen world and our physical bodies that is not yet come to us. Our work with and for God is God preparing us for a world we do not yet see.

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans 8:18-30, NIV

2013
06/11
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Faith
Hope
Predestination
Savior
Works
TAGS
















1 comment