Wednesday, November 2, 2011

THE WELL-WORN PATH

THE WELL-WORN PATH

I prefer the well-worn path
The latest trend never lasts
Look back in awe at the cross
If you would worship God

If you would approach God
Keep your heart in good repair
Let wisdom guard the way you walk
If you would walk with God

If you would understand God
Your best bet is at the cross
Look up in amazement at Jesus' love
If you would know God

If you would love God
Watch Jesus die on an earthen cross
Nothing else in this world was built to last
I prefer the well-worn path

J. POLLOCK
11 02 2011
 
November 2
Morning Verse
"I am the Lord, I change not." Malachi 3:6
 
 
It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows. All things else have changed--all things are changing. The sun itself grows dim with age; the world is waxing old; the folding up of the worn-out vesture has commenced; the heavens and earth must soon pass away; they shall perish, they shall wax old as doth a garment; but there is One who only hath immortality, of whose years there is no end, and in whose person there is no change. The delight which the mariner feels, when, after having been tossed about for many a day, he steps again upon the solid shore, is the satisfaction of a Christian when, amidst all the changes of this troublous life, he rests the foot of his faith upon this truth--"I am the Lord, I change not."
 
 
The stability which the anchor gives the ship when it has at last obtained a hold-fast, is like that which the Christian's hope affords him when it fixes itself upon this glorious truth. With God "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." What ever His attributes were of old, they are now; His power, His wisdom, His justice, His truth, are alike unchanged. He has ever been the refuge of His people, their stronghold in the day of trouble, and He is their sure Helper still. He is unchanged in His love. He has loved His people with "an everlasting love"; He loves them now as much as ever He did, and when all earthly things shall have melted in the last conflagration, His love will still wear the dew of its youth. Precious is the assurance that He changes not! The wheel of providence revolves, but its axle is eternal love.
  
"Death and change are busy ever,
Man decays, and ages move; 
But His mercy waneth never;
God is wisdom, God is love."  

 
                                       —Morning and Evening


 
 
O MY SOUL
 
This broken heart
This tortured mind
Torn between the hear and now
 
Forgiven?  Yes
Contented?  No
Burdened by a restless soul
 
O my soul
Find rest in God
There's nothing more that need be done
 
Fall asleep
In the strong arms of Jesus
You're always safe and never alone
 
JEP
 
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

SING

SING A NEW SONG

Sing a new song in the morning
Sing a new song to the Lord
Sing a new song in the morning
Lift up a song to the Lord

Lift your praises to the maker of light
Lift your worship to the King
Lift your voice to the creator of life
The sovereign King of everything

Sing a new song in the evening
Sing a new song at nightfall
Sing a new song to the maker of all
Sing a new song to the Lord

Raise your hands to the genius of the stars
Raise your voice to the inventor of sound
Raise your head and see with new eyes
True living beauty is all around

Sing a new song to the Lord!

Jeffrey E Pollock
September 2011




Thursday, October 20, 2011

ONE KING

ONE KING
 
One God
One Father
 One Holy Spirit
 
One Shield
One Sword
 One Body Armor
 
One King
One Crown
One Hope for Life
 
One Shepherd
One Redeemer
One Way to Our Father
 
One Truth
One Creator
One God and no other 
 
One Love
One Light
One Peace that won't cease
 
One Lord
One Master
One escape from disaster
 
 
 
JP


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

THE MARCH OF TIME / God of the Temporal (October 11, 2011)

 
"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 
But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for
he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears he will speak;
and he will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:12-13).
 
THE MARCH OF TIME
 
Second by second, hour by hour
Time moves steadily along
Step by step, unseen Power
Reveals truth in hope and song
 
Heart by heart, soul by soul
Faith is always moving forward
Word by word, thought by thought
Concealed truth is taught and heard
 
Month by month, year by year
Time takes its toll on His story
Piece by piece, in peace and war
The truth of love and hate is seen
 
Second by second, day by day
Precious time is moving forward
Life by life, compassion and grace
Reveals Heaven to a dying world
 
 
Jeffree7
Oct. 11
 
________________________________________________________________________________
 God of the Temporal    Most of us, if we're honest, live by the clock.  The alarm sounds and we are  off, watching the minutes slip by.  Time-sensitive deadlines drive our days.  We  have appointments and meetings, we eat at a certain time, and the day ends by a  certain time.  Bound to our timepieces, it often seems our every moment is  synchronized and controlled.      In contrast to the "objective" measures of time marking seconds, minutes, and  hours, there is also a "subjective" experience of time being "fast or slow."   Those of us who are growing older describe our experience of time as passing by  more and more quickly.  We feel our vacation time as ephemeral, while our work  week plods slowly by—and yet both are marked by the same objective measurements  of time.  How is it that our subjective experience of time is so different from  what our watches and clocks objectively mark out for us, second by second, hour  by hour?     This question of our subjective experience of time is one that the ancient 
philosophers and early Christian leaders pondered. Their philosophical and theological musings bequeathed to us many perplexities regarding the human experience of time. Saint Augustine, for example, wrestled with the fleeting character of our human temporal experience. No sooner do we apprehend the present than it has receded into the past. He wrote, "We cannot rightly say what time is, except by reason of its impending state of not-being."(1) Regardless of our perceptual and philosophical difficulties with understanding the nature of time, what seems most crucial for our lives is the significance of events that happen in time, moment by moment, hour by hour, and day by day. Seeking to reclaim this emphasis, theologians have tried to understand the nature of time by what takes place in time—a narrative of unfolding events.(2) These theological discussions involve God's engagement with time. Is God a wholly atemporal being, outside of time and history? Or is God genuinely engaged with time and revealed through an unfolding story of historical disclosure? The biblical writers give witness to a God who progressively unfolds saving acts within history. The divine plan of salvation that Christians believe culminates in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ is called salvation history. God did not, for example, reveal every aspect of salvation to Abraham or to Moses. Instead, the biblical writers give witness to the God who works within and through the temporal events of history to reveal the plan of redemption. We see this unfolding in God's commissioning of Moses prior to the Exodus: "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai) but by my name 'the Lord (Yahweh)' I did not make myself known."(2) Within the long ministry of the prophets, a God is revealed who gradually discloses what will take place. Isaiah presents the God who "proclaims to you new things from this time; even hidden things which you have not known. They are created now, and not long ago: and before today you have not heard them" (Isaiah 48:6-7). For Christians, God's decisive revelatory action in time is in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While there are many glimpses, sign-markers, and hints pointing towards a messianic redeemer in the Old Testament, ultimately God chose to enter a particular time as a human being to live life among the time-bound. The significance of those time-bound events continues into our time, and indeed into eternity. And through the unfolding of time, humans can grow in their understanding of who God is and what God has done through Jesus, the Messiah. Indeed, as Jesus spoke with his disciples, he suggests that there would be more to learn and more to reveal through the work of the Holy Spirit: "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will disclose to you what is to come" (italics mine; John 16:12-13). The witness of Scripture suggests that the events of our lives reveal this ongoing work of the Spirit. Sometimes, we apprehend the significance of those events in the present time. Other times, it is only through the lens of hindsight as events recede into times past that we understand God's action. While time might move slowly for some or quickly for others, while minutes and seconds and hours are filled with appointments, meetings, and all the events that make up our time-bound existence, we would do well to look around to see how the Spirit of God is working through what might appear to be ordinary events in the march of time. Indeed, those who follow Jesus ought never to forget that God entered time to enact the new creation in Christ's resurrection. As we grow in our understanding of that timeless act, the events of our temporal lives act as sign-markers for eternity. And while we often see the significance of our time-bound events "through a mirror darkly," the day will come when "all things are subjected to Him...that God may be all in all."(4) Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington. (1) Augustine, Confessions, XI, 14. (2) Colin Gunton, cited in John Polkinghorne, Exploring Reality: The Intertwining of Science and Religion, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005), 120. (3) Exodus 6:2-3, Italics mine. (4) 1 Corinthians 15:28.


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for
he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears he will speak;
and he will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:12-13).

THE MARCH OF TIME

Second by second, hour to hour

Time moves steadily along

Step by step, unseen Power

Reveals truth in hope and song


Heart to heart, soul to soul

Faith is always moving forward

Word by word, thought by thought

Concealed truth is taught and heard


Month by month, year to year

Time takes its toll on His Story

Piece by piece, in peace and war

The truth of love and hate is seen


Second by second, day to day

Precious time is moving forward

Life to life compassion and grace

Reveal HEAVEN to a dying world


Jeffree7
Oct. 11

________________________________________________________________________________


God of the Temporal

Most of us, if we're honest, live by the clock. The alarm sounds and we are
off, watching the minutes slip by. Time-sensitive deadlines drive our days. We
have appointments and meetings, we eat at a certain time, and the day ends by a
certain time. Bound to our timepieces, it often seems our every moment is
synchronized and controlled.

In contrast to the "objective" measures of time marking seconds, minutes, and
hours, there is also a "subjective" experience of time being "fast or slow."
Those of us who are growing older describe our experience of time as passing
by more and more quickly. We feel our vacation time as ephemeral, while our
work week plods slowly by—and yet both are marked by the same objective
measurements of time. How is it that our subjective experience of time is so
different from what our watches and clocks objectively mark out for us, second
by second, hour by hour?

This question of our subjective experience of time is one that the ancient
philosophers and early Christian leaders pondered. Their philosophical and
theological musings bequeathed to us many perplexities regarding the human
experience of time. Saint Augustine, for example, wrestled with the fleeting
character of our human temporal experience.  No sooner do we apprehend
the present than it has receded into the past. He wrote, "We cannot rightly
say what time is, except by reason of its impending state of not-being."(1)

Regardless of our perceptual and philosophical difficulties with understanding
the nature of time, what seems most crucial for our lives is the significance of
events that happen in time, moment by moment, hour by hour, and day by day.
Seeking to reclaim this emphasis, theologians have tried to understand the
nature of time by what takes place in time—a narrative of unfolding events.(2)
These theological discussions involve God's engagement with time. Is God a
wholly atemporal being, outside of time and history? Or is God genuinely en-
gaged with time and revealed through an unfolding story of historical disclosure?

The biblical writers give witness to a God who progressively unfolds saving
acts within history. The divine plan of salvation that Christians believe culmi-
nates in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ is called salvation history. God did
not, for example, reveal every aspect of salvation to Abraham or to Moses.
Instead, the biblical writers give witness to the God who works within and
through the temporal events of history to reveal the plan of redemption. We see
this unfolding in God's commissioning of Moses prior to the Exodus: "I appeared
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai) but by my name 'the
Lord (Yahweh)' I did not make myself known."(2) Within the long ministry of the
prophets, a God is revealed who gradually discloses what will take place.
Isaiah presents the God who "proclaims to you new things from this time;
even hidden things which you have not known. They are created now, and not
long ago: and before today you have not heard them" (Isaiah 48:6-7).

For Christians, God's decisive revelatory action in time is in the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While there are many glimpses, sign-markers,
and hints pointing towards a messianic redeemer in the Old Testament, ultimately
God chose to enter a particular time as a human being to live life among the
time-bound.

The significance of those time-bound events continues into our time, and indeed
into eternity. And through the unfolding of time, humans can grow in their
understanding of who God is and what God has done through Jesus, the Messiah.
Indeed, as Jesus spoke with his disciples, he suggests that there would be more
to learn and more to reveal through the work of the Holy Spirit: "I have many
more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own
initiative, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will disclose to you what is
to come" (italics mine; John 16:12-13).

The witness of Scripture suggests that the events of our lives reveal this
ongoing work of the Spirit. Sometimes, we apprehend the significance of those
events in the present time. Other times, it is only through the lens of hindsight
as events recede into times past that we understand God's action. While time
might move slowly for some or quickly for others, while minutes and seconds
and hours are filled with appointments, meetings, and all the events that make
up our time-bound existence, we would do well to look around to see how the
Spirit of God is working through what might appear to be ordinary events
in the march of time. Indeed, those who follow Jesus ought never to forget
that God entered time to enact the new creation in Christ's resurrection. As we
grow in our understanding of that timeless act, the events of our temporal lives
act as sign-markers for eternity. And while we often see the significance of our
time-bound events "through a mirror darkly," the day will come when "all things
are subjected to Him...that God may be all in all."(4)

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries in Seattle, Washington.

(1) Augustine, Confessions, XI, 14.
(2) Colin Gunton, cited in John Polkinghorne, Exploring Reality: The
Intertwining of Science and Religion, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005), 120.
(3) Exodus 6:2-3, Italics mine.
(4) 1 Corinthians 15:28.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

STAND ON TRUTH

 
Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else,
guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life."
STAND ON TRUTH

First and foremost guard your heart,
Now and forever it guides your life;
Be perfectly holy and be set apart,
Love God and obey Him in Christ.

Above everything keep your focus pure,
Let no petty pursuit disturb your peace;
Be ready and willing to wholly surrender,
Lift your hands up to Heaven and release.

From beginning to end f
aith is Life's blood, 
That keeps a sanctified heart loving God;
Nothing can ever move you from His love, 
Bought and secured by Jesus at the Cross.
Above all else take your stand on Truth,
Let no dirty demon have access to your mind;
Be bravely defiant when sin wants to rule you,
Christ alone must reign on the throne of your life.
 
J. E. Pollock
Sept 24 2011
Oct 06, 2011
 
> You may have to force yourself to concentrate on God's words and instructions.

> Disciplining yourself to read the Bible daily is not easy when your emotions are interfering with your thoughts. The Bible addresses this struggle:

> My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul" (Proverbs 2:1-10).

> My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:20-23)

> Grant me discipline, Lord God. Amen.

 GS
 
Aren't All Religions the Same? Thursday, October 06, 2011
Amy Orr-Ewing

 
We live in a context of spiritual longing. Many people are searching for that which will satisfy an inner craving for meaning and significance. The artist Damian Hirst recently said this: "Why do I feel so important when I'm not? Nothing is important and everything is important. I do not know why I am here but I am glad that I am. I'd rather be here than not. I am going to die and I want to live forever, I can't escape that fact, and I can't let go of that desire." 
 
But this does not always translate into people finding Christ and starting to follow him. There is a dizzying array of options when it comes to religion, and the culture around us says that they are all equally valid. It seems absolutely bizarre to people that someone would say, "This one way is the truth and the only truth."  The poet Steve Turner describes brilliantly what many think when it comes to religion: "Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammed, and ourselves. We believe he was a good teacher of morals but we believe that his good morals are really bad. We believe that all religions are basically the same, at least the one we read was. They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation."
 
In my experience, there are usually two motivations for dismissing the idea that Christ is the only way to God, and we need to examine them both. The first objection is that it is arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way. How could Christians possibly be so arrogant as to say that all the other religions are wrong and Jesus is the only path to God? Often the parable of the elephant is used to illustrate the sheer arrogance of Christianity. It goes something like this: "Three blind scribes are touching different parts of an elephant. The one who is holding the tail says, "This is a rope." Another holding the elephant's leg says, "This is not a rope; you are wrong. It is a tree." Still another who is holding the trunk of the elephant says, "You are both wrong. It is a snake!" The moral of the story is that all religions are like these men. They each touch a different part of ultimate reality and therefore any one of them is arrogant to say they have the whole truth. 
 
But take a step back and think about what is being said here. Do you see the breathtaking claim that is being made? Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, and Muhammad are all blind, but in fact, I can see! These leaders all had a small perspective, but I am the one who sees the full picture. Now who is being arrogant? It is just as arrogant to say that Buddha, Muhammad, and Jesus were all wrong in their exclusive claims as it is to say that Jesus is the only way. The issue is not about who is arrogant, but what is actually true and real.
 
The second motivation in dismissing Christ is often a question of exclusion. How can you exclude all of these religions? Jesus may have said he was the way to the Father, but how can I follow him and become an intolerant person who excludes others? Again, we need to think carefully about this view because the reality is that whatever position we hold will exclude something. Even the person who believes that all ways lead to God excludes the view that only some ways lead to God or that only one way leads to God. Every view excludes something. Again, the issue is not about who is excluding people, but what is actually true and real.
 
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6). There are a number of possibilities here for why he might have said this, and exploring these possibilities is crucial. First, perhaps he was genuinely a good person but he was deluded.  He was sincere, but he was wrong; he believed that he was the Son of God, but he wasn't. In other words, he was mentally imbalanced. Or second, perhaps Jesus knew he wasn't God but went around telling people that he was the only way to God regardless. In other words, he was a sinister character purposely telling lies. Or finally, perhaps Jesus was who he said he was. Perhaps he made these radical statements because they were true and real. In other words, he is indeed the way to God.
 
Amy Orr-Ewing is Director of Programs for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and Training Director at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in the United Kingdom.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, October 2, 2011

PURE & SIMPLE


PURE AND SIMPLE
 
Pure and simple
God's Word reaches me
His Truth has set me free
 
Pure and simple
Her love changed my heart
His Love made it start
 
Pure and simple
His Light reaches me
Grace by faith let me see
 
Truth is easy to comprehend
Love God, love people
Pure and simple

JP
 


Followers