David Crowder Band Updates

For all of you David Crowder fans, here are a few updates that you may find useful:

*David Crowder Band is in the running for MSN artist of the month. They are up against Nelly Furtado, Frankie J, Busta Rhymes, and Neil Young. Strange company, right? In regard to DCB, MSN writes the following:

In only a couple of years, David Crowder and his band have single-handedly redefined what contemporary Christian music should sound like. While Crowder is unafraid to make direct and straightforward pledges to his savior, he seems extremely restless creatively and tries his hand at any style that suits him. Even Crowder's fans in the Christian music community had to be blown away by the album "A Collision or (3+4=7)," a literate, pensive and complicated album about death. It won the Dove Award for Best Rock Album, and has even secular fans wondering what's up next.

I pray that the Lord continues to give these guys opportunity to shine the light of Christ into the dark (ears!) of the world. Currently, they have recieved 65% of the votes. Go Crowder! Anyway, you can vote for DCB here.

*In other DCB news, the band released B Collision yesterday. The disk includes variant tracks from A Collision and live recordings with Shane and Shane. I haven't had a chance to buy it yet, but I hope to do so soon.

The Blessing of Family Visits

My father and sister-in-law arrived today. We haven't seen them since April, so it is such a blessing to have them with us for the week. Time with family is always such a blessing, and I thank the Lord for every moment that I have to spend with them.

Wilson on Worship

"Reformed Christians have sometimes reacted away from the man-centered worship of much of the contemporary church, and they have lurched to another extreme, one just as dangerous. If you react away from a style of worship that seems to be saying nothing more than 'gimme, gimme, gimme,' the temptation is to think that 'God-centered worship' means therefore coming before the Lord in order to receive nothing at all. 'We come to give glory to God, to focus on Him. We do not come in selfishness, like those others.' But this is extremely wrong-headed. How did we get to the point where we came to believe that implicit declarations of our self-sufficiency, of our lack of a need to receive anything from God in worship, were anything but arrogant posturing."

-Continue reading Doug Wilson's blog entry here.

And the List Grows.

I just wanted to give my wife props for the two websites that she recently designed. Although she has never had any formal training in website design, I think that she's done a great job. We'll just add "website designer" to the growing list of her talents. (Even though she isn't totally done with the sites, I thought you might like to check them out:

*Black Cow Coffee House

*Widows Watchman Ministries

At the Lord's Table

**Thankfully, I am no longer holding a paint sprayer in my hand. My arm is hurting a bit as a result of 12-hours of painting. (I painted over 500 motor adaptors last night.) I am glad that I'll be able to spend the rest of the day worshipping our Lord and Savior. I am thankful that it is once again the Lord's Day, and today I'll be feasting with my Brothers and Sisters at the Lord's Table. I pray that each of you are able to worship Him today, in spirit and in truth. May His grace be in your hearts and on your minds.

**"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." --Hebrews 10:19-25 (ESV)

**From the Westminster Larger Catechism:

Q. 168. What is the Lord’s supper?

A. The Lord’s supper is a sacrament of the New Testament,[1077] wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine according to the appointment of Jesus Christ, his death is showed forth; and they that worthily communicate feed upon his body and blood, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace;[1078] have their union and communion with him confirmed;[1079] testify and renew their thankfulness,[1080] and engagement to God,[1081] and their mutual love and fellowship each with the other, as members of the same mystical body.[1082]

[1077] Luke 22:20. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
[1078] Matthew 26:26-28. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.
[1079] 1 Corinthians 10:16. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
[1080] 1 Corinthians 11:24. And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[1081] 1 Corinthians 10:14-16, 21. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?... Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
[1082] 1 Corinthians 10:17. For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Vain Plots and the LORD's Laughter: Reflections on Psalm 2

"Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.Then he will speak to them in his wrath,and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:1-6).

Nations, you speak as though you are mighty
And you plan as though you are wise:
"No one can restrain us! No one can stay our hands."

But can you not see your destiny?
Do you not know that doom is at your door?
For the Sovereign God of Heaven and Earth,
The Creator and Sustainer of all life, He laughs.

You say you are mighty, but He know your weakness.
You say you are wise, but He know your foolishness.
He has spoken and your doom will come,
Unless you turn to Him: broken and needy.

He has sent forth His Word. The Promise has arrived:
King Jesus stands before you victorious!
No other kingdom will stand before the Son of Almighty God.
From North to South and East to West,
Nothing can escape the dominion of King Jesus and His Bride.
The Nations are His heritage
And the ends of the earth are His possession.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
All Hail King Jesus!
Men, women, boys, and girls must bow before Him,
And every tongue must confess, "Jesus is Lord!"

Unrepentant nations, do you dare stand in the way of the King and His People?
You shall be destroyed with a rod of iron--broken like pottery.

But to the wise, be blessed:
Fear the King.
Submit to His rule.
Kiss His feet.
Take refuge in Him--
Before it is too late.
For His reign is forever
And His wrath is quickly kindled.

Oh, nations, why do you plot in vain?

Mayfield Cow

On Sunday I noticed that there was an enormous plastic cow in front of Bi-Lo. (Just to give you an idea of how big the cow is, the utters were about two feet in diameter.) Hopefully, the cow is still there because I want to climb on top of it and get my picture made with it. I think my friend Daniel is also interested in taking some cool pictures with the Mayfield cow. Be on the lookout for some cow pictures soon.

The Valley of Vision: God the All

O God Whose will conquers all,

There is no comfort in anything apart from
enjoying thee
and being engaged in thy service;
Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are what
to me thou makest them, and no more.
I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is,
or should be in all respects,
And if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair,
I would choose to refer all to thee,
for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss,
as I am in danger of doing.
I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,
and it delights me to leave them there.
Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.
What shall I give thee for all thy benefits?
I am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not
what to do;
I long to make some return, but have nothing to
offer,
and can only rejoice that thou doest all,
that none in heaven or on earth shares thy honour;
I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed
name,
but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul
and body to thee,
I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith,
that the whole work of redemption is thine alone,
that every good work or thought found in me
is the effect of thy power and grace,
that thy sole motive in working in me to will
and to do is for thy good pleasure.
O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much
about man’s creaturely power and goodness,
when, if thou didst not hold us back every
moment, we should be devils incarnate.
This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me concerning myself.

-Excerpt from The Valley of Vision

Sunday, 6:00 am

One of my favorite times of the week is at 6:00 am on Sunday morning. Why? As soon as I see 6:00 flash on the clock at work, I know that I am finished with work until Thursday. Also, it reminds me that I will be able to worship with other believers later on in the morning. I am so thankful that I am able to rest from my weekly labor, worship the Lord, spend time with my family: to enjoy life.

Well, right now, I think that I will take a couple of hours and enjoy a little bit a sleep before we go to church this morning. I pray that each of you will have the opportunity to worship the Lord this morning. May the Lord convict, bless, and encourage each of us today!

Honor Your Father...But Not That Way.

Fathers Day is quickly approaching and the stores are trying to convince us that we need to buy some "fatherly" products so that each of us can honoring our fathers. Hopefully, we understand that honoring one's father involves much more than giving them a gift. But if you do plan on purchasing something for your father this year, please avoid giving them something stupid. For instance, just the other day I saw a "Father's Day Tire Gage," which was inscribed with a bible verse. Now, don't get me wrong...I love the bible, and tire gages are useful when you need to....ugh....check tire pressure, but who wants to get a tire gage for Father's Day? Nothing says "I love you" like tire gage! Also, please avoid any gifts that are related to the "Left Behind" series (like the book pictured above). If you don't understand why I wrote the last sentence, then please disregard my anti-dispensational-left-behind-dry-humor. LaHaye for president!

*Note* Just in case you didn't pick up on it, this post was supposed to be funny. If you didn't laugh, I am sorry. I'll try harder next time.

A Lord's Day Prayer of Praise

Merciful, Sovereign Savior:

We praise you for your sinless life.
We praise you for your selfless death.
We praise you for your glorious resurrection.

May your Name be glorified among Your people
throughout the nations.

We acknowledge that You are God
and there is no other!
There is nothing greater than You!
You are our Creator and Savior.
Apart from You, we are hopeless.
We come before You today,
To worship you alone.

Guide us as we seek to love you with--
heart, soul, mind and strenth.
Enable us to worship you--
in spirit and in truth.

Praise to the Father!
Praise to the Son!
Praise to the Spirit!

Let all the peoples praise you.

Amen.

God at Work, At Work...Again.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to talk with one of my co-workers about the Lord. He told me that he used to love read the bible and go to church, but overtime he began to neglect both. Well, tonight, he told me that he had read the bible before he came to work. (He started reading in Genesis.) I cannot express how excited I was when he told me. Please pray that the Lord will continue to work in Jason's heart and mind.

Also, I was able to talk about God, the Bible, and other important things with a guy named Shaun. This is the second time that we've been able to talk in-depth about the Lord. (In case you missed my earlier post about our conversations, it is available here.) He has been asking some really important/difficult questions lately. Please pray that the Lord will continue to work in Shaun's heart and mind.

Pray that the Lord will continue to give me wisdom and understanding. Pray that I will continue to speak the truth boldly, in love.

Although I long to be working in a church-related vocation once again, I am amazed at how the Lord has used me while I have been at Rockwell. It encourages me to know that the Lord can and will give us opportunities to serve him wherever we may be.

The Multi-Talented Alora Grace

Animal Trainer


Explorer


Exercise Guru


Food Destoyer

Catechism Corner

Q. 2. How doth it appear that there is a God?

A. The very light of nature in man, and the works of God, declare plainly that there is a God;[3] but his word and Spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto men for their salvation.[4]

[3] Romans 1:19-20. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Psalm 19:1-3. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Acts 17:28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

[4] 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 2 Timothy 3:15-17. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Isaiah 59:21. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

-Taken from the Westminster Larger Catechism