My Parent's Album circa 1977

Unbelievable! My parents made an album in 1977 when they were in ministry as church-planters in New York City (I am the little boy standing in the photo next to my mother and father). As they went out on deputation they would sell the vinyl albums for $10 a pop. They sold 600 copies. Amid all the changes and moves over the years they have no copy of this album. Enter Ebay, the persistence of my brother-in-law Kevin, and a willing seller of obscure vinyl records from France and you get a a story of "what was once lost is now found". Kevin purchased and had the 30+ year-old album shipped to Oregon where he made a digital copy. And here it is for you to enjoy - a slice of my parent's talents and life (and mine!) from the 70's.

Victory in Jesus
Follow Me
Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
Oh, Bring Your Loved Ones
Why
In the Garden
So Little Time
The Elusive Dream
Christ Returneth
No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

The Shared Fate of Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong-il – The Gospel Coalition Blog

The Shared Fate of Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong-il – The Gospel Coalition Blog:

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How is He lovely?

John Flavel: "He is altogether lovely in his person: he is Deity dwelling in flesh, John 1:14. The wonderful, perfect union of the divine and human nature in Christ renders him an object of admiration and adoration to both angels and men, 1 Tim. 3:16. God never presented to the world such a vision of glory before. Consider how the human nature of our Lord Jesus Christ is overflowing with all the graces of the Spirit, in such a way as never any of the saints was filled. O what a lovely picture does this paint of him! John 3:34, "God gives the Spirit [to him] without limit." This makes him "the most excellent of men and [his] lips have been anointed with grace," Psalm 45:2. If a small measure of grace in the saints makes them sweet and desirable companions, what must the riches of the Spirit of grace filling Jesus Christ without measure make him in the eyes of believers? O what a glory must it fix upon him!"

'via Blog this'

A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving | 9Marks

A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving | 9Marks:

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Forward Progress » Blog Archive » “God Will Not Give You More Than You Can Handle.”

“God Will Not Give You More Than You Can Handle.”

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AlbertMohler.com – The Tragic Lessons of Penn State — A Call to Action

AlbertMohler.com – The Tragic Lessons of Penn State — A Call to Action:

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Chris Castaldo » Blog Archive » Hispanics Leaving the Catholic Church

Chris Castaldo » Blog Archive » Hispanics Leaving the Catholic Church:

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17 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Morning Coffee

 Sorry...here is the link for the post

“I Will Never….do (that) again.” | CCEF

Having just preached a sermon that deal with vows (conditional promises) and how we still vow today, this is helpful...“I Will Never….do (that) again.” | CCEF:

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eJournal : Twelve Reasons Why Membership Matters | 9Marks

eJournal : Twelve Reasons Why Membership Matters | 9Marks

Questions in Light of Heaven - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

Questions in Light of Heaven - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

Here are some great thoughts from Randy Alcorn:

Setting our minds on Heaven is a discipline that needs to be learned. Pastors and church leaders should train themselves and their people to be Heaven-minded. This means teaching and preaching about Heaven. It means presenting a biblical theology of Heaven that can shape and transform people’s lives, liberating them from the shallow hopelessness of life centered on a fallen and failing world. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I daily reflect on my own mortality?
• Do I daily realize there are only two destinations—Heaven or Hell—and that I and every person I know will go to one or the other?
• Do I daily remind myself that this world is not my home and that everything in it will burn, leaving behind only what’s eternal?
• Do I daily recognize that my choices and actions have a direct influence on the world to come?
• Do I daily realize that my life is being examined by God, the Audience of One, and that the only appraisal of my life that will ultimately matter is his?
• Do I daily reflect on the fact that my ultimate home will be the New Earth, where I will see God and serve him as a resurrected being in a resurrected human society, where I will overflow with joy and delight in drawing nearer to God by studying him and his creation, and where I will exercise, to God’s glory, dominion over his creation?

Where the Twelve Apostles Died » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Where the Twelve Apostles Died » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Judgment Day: May 21, 2011? – Justin Taylor

Judgment Day: May 21, 2011? – Justin Taylor: "Albert Mohler has some good background on Harold Camping’s latest claims (part of a larger pattern of false teaching), and closes his article with some helpful reminders:"

People Do Not Drift Toward Holiness - Desiring God

People Do Not Drift Toward Holiness - Desiring God

Hard work is not the opposite of grace, it is the result of experiencing grace.

D. A. Carson explains:

People do not drift toward Holiness.

Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.

We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.
(For the Love of God, Volume 2, paragraphing mine)

The Gospel-Driven Church: 5 Things You Can Stake Your Life On

The Gospel-Driven Church: 5 Things You Can Stake Your Life On

This Week - KJV's 400th B-Day! A Short History of the KJV

A Short History of the KJV from St Helen’s Church on Vimeo.

A Gospel Prayer Based on an Historic Confession

Question 84. How is the kingdom of heaven opened and shut by the preaching of the holy gospel?

Answer: Thus: when according to the command of Christ, it is declared and publicly testified to all and every believer, that, whenever they receive the promise of the gospel by a true faith, all their sins are really forgiven them of God, for the sake of Christ's merits; and on the contrary, when it is declared and testified to all unbelievers, and such as do not sincerely repent, that they stand exposed to the wrath of God, and eternal condemnation, so long as they are unconverted: (Matt. 16:18-19; 18:15-19; John 20:21-23) according to which testimony of the gospel, God will judge them, both in this, and in the life to come.

from The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)

Prayer:

God of grace, the gospel is like a key that opens up all of heaven and unlocks dead-bolted human hearts. As you send your church to declare the good news, remind us that we carry a key and not a hammer; convince us that the gentle gospel promises to fit the contours of human life, opening minds to know and receive the forgiveness of sins through what Jesus has done. Today, unbolt my heart to accept the grace of Jesus. Amen.

from Seeking God's Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

EASTER SUNDAY

Scripture Reading for Easter Sunday:
Psalm 22:1-31
John 20:1-8
Acts 10:34-43
1 Cor. 15:1-58
Col. 3:1-4

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I know that my redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living head.

He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.

He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.

He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my prophet, priest, and king.

He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
I know that my redeemer lives!

 - Samuel Medley (1775)

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

 - 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-20

"God of life,
we praise you for the miracle of Easter.
We pray for great joy for ourselves and for all who come
to worship today to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.
We pray especially for those who will join us for worship
and whose lives are filled with pain, loss, or deep sadness.
May they sense how the resurrection is a source of great hope."

Saturday

Scripture Reading for Saturday:
Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 49:1-26
John 11:17-32
Romans 6:1-11

The Case for the Resurrection:



Save Jesus? Ignore Easter
A Washington Post article, titled “Save Jesus, Ignore Easter,” says Christians focus too much on the death and resurrection of Jesus and that we need to focus more on his ethical teachings.This couldn't be further from the truth!...[read more]

"Forsaken God, you really did die. The cross was no theater or mere metaphor; you weren't whisked away badly injured yet alive. You set out to save, and you went all the way to death, fulfilling God's justice and truth, fully paying for my sin. And so today, between the cross and the resurrection, I wait for your salvation to dawn again in my life." 

- a prayer from Seeking God's Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

Good Friday

Scripture Reading for Good Friday:
Isa. 52:13-53:12
Psa. 22
Heb. 10:16-25
John 18:1-19:42

Love Lustres at Calvary

My Father, 

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,open my lips,supply words that proclaim ‘Love Lustres at Calvary.’There grace removes my burdensand heaps them on thy Son,made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;There the sword of thy justice smote the man,thy fellow;There thy infinite attributes were magnified,and infinite atonement was made;There infinite punishment was due,and infinite punishment was endured. 

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,cast off that I might be brought in,trodden down as an enemythat I might be welcomed as a friend,surrendered to hell’s worstthat I might attain heaven’s best,stripped that I might be clothed,wounded that I might be healed,athirst that I might drink,tormented that I might be comforted,made a shame that I might inherit glory,entered darkness that I might have eternal light. 

My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,groaned that I might have endless song,endured all pain that I might have unfading health,bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem,bowed his head that I might uplift mine,experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclothed brightness,expired that I might forever live. 

O Father, who spared not thine own Sonthat thou mightest spare me,All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;Help me to adore thee by lips and life.O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,my every step buoyant with delight,as I see my enemies crushed,Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.Go forth, O conquering God, and show methe cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save. 

~ Love Lustres at Calvary, in The Valley of Vision

Read and pray Psalm 118:
 1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
 2 Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
 3 Let the house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
 4 Let those who fear the LORD say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
 5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.
 6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
 7 The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
 10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
 11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
 12 They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
 13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
 14 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
 15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: "The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,
 16 the right hand of the LORD exalts, the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!"
 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.
 18 The LORD has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
 20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
 23 This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
 24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
 25 Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!
 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.
 27 The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.
 29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

"Let us remember Jesus,
who, though rich, became poor and dwelt among us;
who was mighty indeed, healing the sick and the troubled;
who, as a teacher to his disciples, was their companion and servant.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus the Christ
and what he has done for us. 

"Let us remember Jesus,
who prayed for the forgiveness of those who rejected him
and for the perfecting of those who received him;
who loved all people and prayed for them,
even if they denied and rejected him;
who hated sin because he knew the cost of pride and selfishness,
of cruelty and hatred, both to people and to God.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus the Christ
and what he has done for us. 

"Let us remember Jesus,
who humbled himself, obedient unto the cross.
God has exalted him who has redeemed us
from the bondage of sin and given us new freedom.
May we ever be grateful for Jesus the Christ
and what he has done for us and continues to do for us."

Thursday

Scripture Reading for Thursday:
Exod. 12:1-14
Psa. 116
1 Cor. 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 31-35

On Maundy Thursday the church remembers the last evening Jesus shared with his disciples in the upper room before his arrest and crucifixion. Maundy Thursday marks three key events in Jesus’ last week: his washing of his disciples’ feet, his institution of the Lord’s Supper, and his new commandment to love one another. This service begins the Triduum, the three-day period from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Easter Day. The name “Maundy Thursday” comes from the Latin mandatum novum, referring to the “new commandment” Jesus taught his disciples (John 13:34). In other words, this is “new commandment Thursday.” (The Worship Sourcebook)

Read and pray Psalm 116:

1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!"
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I believed, even when I spoke, "I am greatly afflicted";
11 I said in my alarm, "All mankind are liars."
12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!


O Lord Jesus Christ,
you are enthroned in the majesty of heaven,
yet you gave up that heavenly perfection to become a servant.
We adore you for laying aside your glory
and clothing yourself in complete humility as one of us.
We praise you for the example of washing your disciples’ feet.
Teach us to do as you have done.
Deliver us from pride, jealousy, and ambition,
and make us ready to serve one another in lowliness for your sake,
O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Wednesday

Scripture Reading for Wednesday:
Isa. 50:4-9a
Psa. 70
Heb. 12:1-3
John 13:21-32

"There stands the mysterious cross - a rock against which the very waves of the curse break. He who so mercifully engaged to direct this judgment against Himself hangs yonder in profound darkness. Still He remains the Morning Star, announcing an eternal Sabbath to the world. Though rejected by heaven and earth, yet He forms the connecting link between them both, and the Mediator of their eternal and renewed amity. Ah see! His bleeding arms are extended wide; He stretches them out to every sinner. His hands point to the east and west; for He shall gather His children from the ends of the earth. The top of the cross is directed toward the sky; far above the world will its effects extend. Its foot is fixed in the earth; the cross becomes a wondrous tree, from which we reap the fruit of an eternal reconciliation. O, nothing more is requisite, than that God should grant us penitential tears, and then, by means of the Holy Spirit, show us the Savior suffering on the cross. We then escape from all earthly care and sorrow, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - F.W. Krummacher, The Suffering Savior: Meditations On the Last Days of Christ, p. 332.

The practice of crucifixion was a brutal reality in the days of Christ. Here is a site which details the practice of crucifixion and provides insight and commentary as to the bodily suffering which Jesus endured. Read and meditate on our Lord's suffering for sin.

Read and pray Psalm 115:

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great.
14 May the LORD give you increase, you and your children!
15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!


"O Lord, not to us - but to you be endless glory! For you saved us from all our sin and from Your holy wrath which burned against it all by the Redeemer's life and death. He died so that I could live. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby I could be saved. May you be praised! Amen."

Tuesday

Scripture Reading for Tuesday:
Isa. 49:1-7
Psa. 71:1-14
1 Cor. 1:18-31
John 12:20-26

Learn more about how the events of the week unfolded with the "Holy Week Timeline Visualization" provided by the folks at the Bible Gateway. It is a very helpful resource!

"The happiness of Christ’s exalted state consists, in a great degree, in the pleasure of seeing...?" How might you complete this sentence? Read how one preacher/teacher from the 1700's did finish this sentence in Randy Alcorn's post entitled "Christ's Greatest Joy".


Pray Psalm 114 and worship God for His salvation exploits in human history.


Psalm 114

1 When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

"Saving Father, we are thankful for Your rescue work on behalf of a people whom You called and loved for Yourself and Your great purposes. We see in Your salvation that nothing can hinder You from accomplishing Your redemptive work - nothing on heaven or on the earth. You will forever be the God of Israel's Exodus and mine. Amen."

Monday

Scripture Reading for Monday:
Isa. 42:1-9
Ps. 36:5-11
Heb. 9:11-15
John 12:1-11

The following poem is by Kevin Hartnett who works for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, overseeing the science operations activities of the mission. He was selected in 2003 from a thousand candidates as the “Poet of the Year” by the Fellowship of Christian Poets.

How awesome is that day to me-
O day of hallowed history!
Set time in God’s determined plan
To sacrifice the Son of Man.
What famous work that day was done
By Jesus Christ, His Perfect Son!
The Second Adam, sent to save,
Humbly obeying to the grave! 

How savage is that day to me-
O day of pure brutality!
When Christ, the Son of God Most High,
Was fiercely whipped and hung to die.
And O the horror of my sin,
Seen there in His appalling skin!
For God struck down- as meant for me-
The sinless One, at Calvary. 

How precious is that day to me-
O day of purchased liberty!
In Him, a freeman now I live;
My sins, through death, did God forgive.
No wrath at length looms o’er my head,
But lovingkindness there instead.
His righteousness, my guilt replaced,
And Love, this ransomed soul embraced! 

O awesome, savage, precious day- ‘Tis God the Savior on display!
What peerless, holy, gracious Mind
Would fashion such a Grand Design? 

Pray with Psalm113 to conclude your time of meditation:

1 Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD!

2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!
4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! 

5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 

7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. 

Praise the LORD!

Parenting God's Way

By Rene Llusco

"Therefore, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." 1 Peter 5:6

The most recent lesson I learned about parenting was that is never too late to learn to parent God’s way.  As I wished I had learned these principles years ago, when I started parenting, I was corrected that God is never too late and that He can use our “detours” to glorify Himself and at the same time to prepare us to help others.

In the past couple of months my wife and I started an intensive study about parenting.  This included a 6-lesson recorded seminar and two parenting books.  We want to honor God in the way we raise our children and to help them grow stronger in the Lord so that no “wind of doctrine” can tossed them away from the path of the Gospel. 

Before we became parents we thought ourselves to know pretty much what was needed to raise a child in the ways of the Lord, however, it is a different story once you have them.  We had to humbly admit we did not know as much as we thought and that we needed help.  That was our first step.  After talking to Pastor Josh he handed us the book entitled Gospel-Powered Parenting, How the Gospel Shapes and Transform Parenting by William P. Farley.  Pastor Josh wanted us to study it and talk to him about it.  My wife started the book but realized that it was directed to fathers and pass it on to me.  The Lord used this book to open my eyes to the proper way to “disciple” and instruct my children.  God used this reading to bring me back to the basic:  His Word!  This book is full of principles that have been taken from the Word of God.  It is such a blessing to be able to rediscover that all our answers can be found in the Word of God and that it is full of instructions for every situation we may encounter.  

The first principle I was tested on was:  Whatever we, as parents, give priorities to in our lives, our children will do also.  The same day I read this chapter about priorities my wife and I received two tickets valued $150 to attend a Hockey Game… on the night of a prayer Conference.  I happen to love Hockey, however, that same date the Lord had brought the principle to me, and although it was a tough decision, I was able to lay my priorities down at the Lord’s feet. 

Below I will list down a few of the most important points I was able to withdraw as I studied Gospel-Powered Parenting (taken directly from the book):

Understanding New Birth
“Most Christian parents assume their child’s new birth:  this could be your biggest parenting mistake.  Conversion is outside of our control.  God is sovereign over the process, “The Son gives life to whom HE will” (John 5:21)
The first sign of new birth is the growing hunger for God, hunger for holiness, growing in obedience to parents and the desire for secret prayer and Bible reading time.

Are we Child-centered or God- centered families?In a God-centered family, everyone serves God by submitting to the authority over them.  This depends a lot on where the family’s head centers himself:   Is he seeking to please God or his children?
Wikipedia defines:   Parenting is the process of raising and educating a child from birth to adulthood.
For Christians, however, this definition is inadequate since it ignores the Ultimate Goal of parenting: ETERNITY.

To close this review of the book, I will highlight other important ideas I was able to withdraw from it:

“We as parents have one Job:  Faithfulness!  It is God job to bring the results; we are absolutely dependent on God’s Spirit to complete the parenting process.

“Parenting is not easy… It will be difficult, but the end result will be: -the delightful Christ-centered young adults who are married to someone you actually like, and this will make it all worth the effort.

…Effective parenting equips their children to overcome the world, not by changing and controlling their environment, but by going after their children’s hearts.

…”The best way, is not with morality or self-discipline, Christians overcome the world by Seeing the Beauty and Excellence of Christ.” (Thomas Chalmers)

“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3)

I praise the Lord for He is good and His mercies are new every morning.  He continues to help our families to grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him is the honor and glory forever!

Rene Llusco

Recommended readings:

Gospel-Powered Parenting, by William P. Farley

Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Ted Tripp

Augustine's Prayer for Joy

"There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, but to those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art. And this is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee; this it is, and there is no other."

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The Hymns That Keep on Going | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

The Hymns That Keep on Going | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

God's Providence in Salvation - Joshua Harris

This is an incredible testimony! God's Providence in Salvation - Joshua Harris

One of My Favorite Descriptions of the Christian Life – Justin Taylor

One of My Favorite Descriptions of the Christian Life – Justin Taylor

I am not what I ought to be.
Ah! how imperfect and deficient.

Not what I might be,
considering my privileges and opportunities.

Not what I wish to be.
God, who knows my heart, knows I wish to be like him.

I am not what I hope to be;
ere long to drop this clay tabernacle, to be like him and see him as He is.

Not what I once was,
a child of sin, and slave of the devil.

Thought not all these,

not what I ought to be,
not what I might be,
not what I wish or hope to be, and
not what once was,

I think I can truly say with the apostle,

“By the grace of God I am what I am.”

—Cited in Letters of John Newton, p. 400.

How to Pray for Egypt Today: An Insider’s Report – The Gospel Coalition Blog

How to Pray for Egypt Today: An Insider’s Report – The Gospel Coalition Blog

The Gospel-Driven Church: Your Gospel is Too Small

The Gospel-Driven Church: Your Gospel is Too Small

What doctrines make you blush?

You know how it is.

You're just about to sit down to dinner when the doorbell rings. There, at the door...everyone's worst "just-about-to-sit-down-to-dinner" nightmare - Mormon missionaries.

That's what happened to me last week. However I was in the mood to engage our young friends. We got into a good discussion and I raised the question...

"Do you believe that there is only one God?"

Almost without hesitation, Elder Hall (I believe that was on his nametag) replied, "Yes!" Before he could continue I said, "No, no. I know you are going to say that we have one God for this world, but do you believe that there are many more gods besides this one? Don't you believe that you too have the potential to be a god?"

His head dropped and he looked toward the ground. "Well, um, yes..."

Last week I had the opportunity of having lunch with Chip Thompson, our missionary to Mormons in Utah. He was recounting how he got tickets into the General Conference of the LDS church in Salt Lake City. He was surprised at how openly they talked about doctrines in the conference like the one which our Mormon missionary blushed at. According to Chip, Mormons are reluctant to discuss these doctrines outside Mormon circles. He explained it as them being a bit ashamed of their strange doctrines. I suppose I would be self-conscious too if I really believed that I was going to be a god with a world of my own.

As I reflected on my encounter last night, I wondered if there are any doctrines that I am ashamed of.

I finished an article recently written by Wayne Grudem. He was addressing evangelical scholars about how seriously they took the Scriptures. Sure they all professed belief that "the Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written", but did they believe it to the degree that they recognized it as the authority source for truth in confronting many modern issues? Did they believe it to the extent they they would faithfully quote from it, refer to it, and declare its truths to the unbelieving world?

Perhaps we who subscribe to such a glorious doctrine as the doctrine of the God-breathed Scriptures feel a bit foolish saying as much to a world which will not receive those who hold such a position graciously. If we really believe we hold God's words in our hands, should we be timid? Is it right for us to blush at this doctrine? We should rather joyfully proclaim our belief without reservation or hesitation.

We have nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, we have everything to be confident of because we have God's Word and it is sufficient to address every need. Do you believe that?

How an Inferiority Complex Can Be a Form of Pride – Justin Taylor

How an Inferiority Complex Can Be a Form of Pride – Justin Taylor

The Gospel-Driven Church: A Missional Way for the Pro-Life Passion

The Gospel-Driven Church: A Missional Way for the Pro-Life Passion

by Jared Wilson

Let me lay my cards on the table:

1) If you put overturning Roe v. Wade to a popular vote, I'm in line early ready to vote in favor of protecting the approximately one million unborn babies killed each year, and if you're a politician, the best way to lose my vote is to align with the pro-choice agenda.

2) Nevertheless, I don't believe laws -- or the protests and petitions and politicking that seek to achieve them -- are how we are going to eradicate abortion. Overturning Roe v. Wade is a win -- and it's a win we should work for -- but in my way of thinking, it is notthe win.

The emancipation of the slaves was necessary. But it didn't end racism.

I am not proposing an either/or. What I'm proposing is that evangelicals take the harder route, adopt the harder cause, that we aim for Spiritual change of hearts more than we aim for legal stay of hands.

Read the rest of the article here

God-Centered Transformation

"When the child of God looks into the Word of God and sees the Son of God he is changed into the image of God by the Spirit of God for the glory of God." -Warren Wiersbe (as shared by Joe Humrichous last night in our Prayer Conference)

The Gospel-Driven Church: 15 Talking Points on Abortion

The Gospel-Driven Church: 15 Talking Points on Abortion

Christ Magnified

What makes a person a Christian? This is a question which the eminent Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) takes up in a chapter of his book Revival. Before he answers the question in the positive, he details what a Christian is not:

There are so many false notions current today as to what a Christian is. Some may say that a Christian is a good man. Yes, but there are many good men who are not Christians. Others say that a Christian is a man who has had a marvelous experience. Ah yes, but there are cults that can give people experiences, and they are very wonderful. A Christian, says another, is a man whose life has been entirely changed. I know, but the psycho-therapists can do that and the cults can do that. Then again, a Christian, according to some people, is a man who has taken a decision. Yes, but you can tale many sorts of decisions to be better and to live better, and to join a church, and to do a thousand and one other things, yet clearly there are many people who have done all that and still are not Christians. Well, other maintain, a Christian is one who has had some sort of a vision, who has seen a ball of light or something like that. No, there are many people who have had that kind of experience but who clearly cannot be admitted as Christians. They do not believe the very elements of the Christian faith...So I am not prepared to accept any of these statements as being determinative of whether we are Christians or not. (pp. 239-240)

This past Sunday morning, we looked in Philippians at Paul's vision of Christ as it is displayed chapter-by-chapter. Paul moved from the Gospel of Christ (chapter 1), to the humility of Christ (2), the knowledge of Christ (3), and the Strength of Christ (4). Jesus dominated the Apostle Paul's life. So much so that he would write "it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (1:19-20) This is what makes a Christian. To be born again is to understand the significance of who Jesus is and what He has done for you and for the world. It is to see the glory of God in the Person and Work of Christ. It is to yearn for Christ's glory to be magnified in your life. Listen to how Dr. Jones answers the question What makes a Christian?

What is it, then, that makes a man a Christian? Well, surely it is the realisation of the fact that God has given a revelation of his own glory in the face of Jesus Christ: 'God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined in our hearts...' - what for? - 'to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' A Christian is a man who believers that. A Christian is a man who has experienced that in a measure, or to a certain extent. This is the thing that constitutes the Christian. Not a change of life, or habits or of behaviour. Not merely being religious, not merely attempting to worship God. No, it is the realisation that God has done this, has given this manifestation of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ. (p. 240)

 May Christ dominate our vision and may we continually have our eyes opened to see His glory!