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‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:
‘In those days and at that time
I will cause to grow up to David
A Branch of righteousness;
He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In those days Judah will be saved,
And Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. -- Jeremiah 33:14-16
A good definition of “hope” is to look forward to something with desire and have a reasonable confidence that it will happen.
The hope we have is something that the world does not understand. Where the world sees only death, poverty, war and disease, we can see the promise of God. We know that one day He will return and restore all things.
As Christians we know that what God has promised He will fulfill. We have God’s Word that states “that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.” The Bible is filled with promises that God has fulfilled, and this one is no different. It has not been fulfilled yet, but we have the desire and reasonable confidence that it will happen. We have the hope of God’s promise, the promise that we will live and reign with Him forever, that all things will be restored, that there will be no sickness or death, and the entire world will be at peace.
As we travel this Advent journey together, let us remember that our hope is based on nothing less than the Word of God.
The following are promises of our hope from God’s Word. Read each day’s promise and take time to meditate on it, thanking God for the hope you have in Him.
Monday - Isaiah 2:1-5
Tuesday - Matthew 24:36-44
Wednesday - Micah 4:1-4
Thursday - James 5:7-10
Friday - Isaiah 35:1-10
Saturday - 1 John 5:1-12
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sorry
I wish to apologize for my lack of posting. I've been distracted by several events in my life.
1) I'm engaged
2) Started planning a wedding
3) Looking for a job
I had a job interview on Friday. I think it was a good one, please pray that if it's the right fit God would open the door for me.
Hopefully I will start posting again soon.
Josh
1) I'm engaged
2) Started planning a wedding
3) Looking for a job
I had a job interview on Friday. I think it was a good one, please pray that if it's the right fit God would open the door for me.
Hopefully I will start posting again soon.
Josh
Monday, September 14, 2009
Play
Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis may notice a constant theme of balance in life. I spend quite a bit of time thinking about how to live a balanced and healthy life, asking myself questions like: What things in life are important? Is this a good activity? Am I getting enough rest, nutrition and exercise? This list could go on, but these few examples should give you the gist of what my thoughts often are and why I often blog on the subject.
Last month night I attended my first “Port and Pipe” night with some friends from college. They smoke pipes, drink port and attempt to play poker (for fun, not for money). The point is to have fun, socialize and play.
I have another group of friends that typically gets together once a week to play board and card games. Sometimes we do dinner, while other times we get together to celebrate holidays, birthdays and other life events. However, the main purpose of our gatherings is to relax, have fun and play.
I’ve been wondering the past few weeks if we play enough. We fill our lives with so many different things: church, work, school, weddings, funerals, and volunteering, to name a few. But do we include play in our list of things to do? In living a balanced life we try to include down time, alone time, resting time, but do we include playtime?
According to Dictionary.com, the verb “play” means “to exercise or employ oneself in diversion, amusement, or recreation.”
I’ll often joke that kindergarten was the best grade in school. When I went, it was for a half day. We would get to class, work on a project, have recess, listen to a story, do a craft, take a nap, do another project and go home. What could not have been great about that? We would play, relax, socialize and have a bit of learning all going on in the space of a few hours. I wonder if society needs to take another look at how kindergarten is structured and rethink some things.
As a society we seem to fill our lives with so many concerns, activities and responsibilities. Is it any wonder that we live stress-filled lives? The news constantly bombards us with reports on “Cheney: Obama Setting A 'Terrible Precedent',” “Severe H1N1 Warning” “Fired for Refusing Sex?” “Florida Man's Body Found Tangled in Bulldozer” and a plethora of other headlines. The human mind body and spirit can only take so much.
We desperately need time to play. We need to distract ourselves with amusement or recreation. As we all strive to live healthier lives I would encourage you to find time in your busy schedules to play.
Last month night I attended my first “Port and Pipe” night with some friends from college. They smoke pipes, drink port and attempt to play poker (for fun, not for money). The point is to have fun, socialize and play.
I have another group of friends that typically gets together once a week to play board and card games. Sometimes we do dinner, while other times we get together to celebrate holidays, birthdays and other life events. However, the main purpose of our gatherings is to relax, have fun and play.
I’ve been wondering the past few weeks if we play enough. We fill our lives with so many different things: church, work, school, weddings, funerals, and volunteering, to name a few. But do we include play in our list of things to do? In living a balanced life we try to include down time, alone time, resting time, but do we include playtime?
According to Dictionary.com, the verb “play” means “to exercise or employ oneself in diversion, amusement, or recreation.”
I’ll often joke that kindergarten was the best grade in school. When I went, it was for a half day. We would get to class, work on a project, have recess, listen to a story, do a craft, take a nap, do another project and go home. What could not have been great about that? We would play, relax, socialize and have a bit of learning all going on in the space of a few hours. I wonder if society needs to take another look at how kindergarten is structured and rethink some things.
As a society we seem to fill our lives with so many concerns, activities and responsibilities. Is it any wonder that we live stress-filled lives? The news constantly bombards us with reports on “Cheney: Obama Setting A 'Terrible Precedent',” “Severe H1N1 Warning” “Fired for Refusing Sex?” “Florida Man's Body Found Tangled in Bulldozer” and a plethora of other headlines. The human mind body and spirit can only take so much.
We desperately need time to play. We need to distract ourselves with amusement or recreation. As we all strive to live healthier lives I would encourage you to find time in your busy schedules to play.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Abraham
“Now the Lord said to Abram, go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you….So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him…” Genesis 12:1-2a; 4a
“By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8
Something new and amazing is going on here. This is not just another man listening to the voice of God, stepping out in faith. This is Abram, the father of faith. The man who would later be renamed Abraham, the father of many nations; the man who would one day offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. So many great things this man did, and the one thing he is remembered most for in the book of Hebrews is that when God called he went.
What was so special and so amazing about Abram going “forth as the Lord had spoken to him”? In Thomas Cahill’s book The Gift of the Jews we begin to see a picture of what was so special with this one act of faith.
From what we understand of the history of the region Abram came out of there are many things that make this such an extraordinary event. First, God was probably one of many gods Abram worshiped. Abram in all likelihood had no concept of one all sovereign God. And yet, at this strange command Abram goes. Second, Abram was coming out of a land where the status quo was more important than it is today. There really were no ‘dreamers’ or ‘optimists’. In their worldview history moved in cycles, seasons changed, you were born you died and the only reason to offer homage to the gods was to ensure a good harvest, so the cycle would continue. There was no concept of God directing history towards an ultimate goal (as the Christians and the Jews believe).
What was so amazing was that God was calling Abram out of everything he knew and believed: everything familiar, his home, his family, his entire view of the world and how things worked. God was calling Abram to a whole new way of thinking and living. And the most amazing thing is that Abram went. No questions asked, no excuses, he just went.
“By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8
Something new and amazing is going on here. This is not just another man listening to the voice of God, stepping out in faith. This is Abram, the father of faith. The man who would later be renamed Abraham, the father of many nations; the man who would one day offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. So many great things this man did, and the one thing he is remembered most for in the book of Hebrews is that when God called he went.
What was so special and so amazing about Abram going “forth as the Lord had spoken to him”? In Thomas Cahill’s book The Gift of the Jews we begin to see a picture of what was so special with this one act of faith.
From what we understand of the history of the region Abram came out of there are many things that make this such an extraordinary event. First, God was probably one of many gods Abram worshiped. Abram in all likelihood had no concept of one all sovereign God. And yet, at this strange command Abram goes. Second, Abram was coming out of a land where the status quo was more important than it is today. There really were no ‘dreamers’ or ‘optimists’. In their worldview history moved in cycles, seasons changed, you were born you died and the only reason to offer homage to the gods was to ensure a good harvest, so the cycle would continue. There was no concept of God directing history towards an ultimate goal (as the Christians and the Jews believe).
What was so amazing was that God was calling Abram out of everything he knew and believed: everything familiar, his home, his family, his entire view of the world and how things worked. God was calling Abram to a whole new way of thinking and living. And the most amazing thing is that Abram went. No questions asked, no excuses, he just went.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Confessions
The other night I was having a discussion with a friend about the topic of “confession,” specifically the differences between how the Catholic and Protestant churches handle confession. As a note of background, my friend is a Protestant, his wife is Catholic and I am a Protestant but have spent quite a bit of time studying the Catholic church and its practices.
In the Catholic church one goes to “confession.” In essence you go sit in a little booth, confess your sins to the priest, and he dispenses penance if necessary, then absolves you of your sins.
In the Protestant church one is admonished to confess one’s sins to God and if necessary share your “struggles” with a brother or sister in Christ, or your pastor for prayer and support.
These are two very different approaches.
The idea of confession comes from James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
Confessing one’s sins is a very hard, personal thing. It is an admittance that one has failed in keeping God’s law. But, I think it does much more. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1455:
“The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.”
I have heard many times throughout my life that someone who has a problem cannot deal with it until that person admits that there is a problem. What strength could one gain if one had the ability to go to someone, confess one’s sins, struggles and concerns and get prayer and support.
I have had people in my life that I have felt comfortable sharing some things with, but not everything. I have been around too many well-meaning Christians who share something that was told them in confidence because “this person needs prayer.” Then it gets around, and finally the person is very hurt (and in some cases leaves the church) because something they thought they were sharing in confidence was not kept in confidence.
Because of this, the past few years I have been considering the idea of how the Catholics handle confession. One goes to a booth anonymously confesses to a priest who has sworn a solemn vow of secrecy, and receives absolution.
While I do believe that only God can forgive sins, I am wondering if there is not some value in this. I know that if I had someplace to go confess, get prayer and know that 1) my confession was secret, and 2) my confession was anonymous, I would go quite frequently.
Maybe my issue is lack of trust rather than needing a place to confess, because I do have brothers and sisters in Christ I can go to with some things, but I do not feel comfortable sharing everything.
At times I have even thought about going to a Catholic church for confession and telling the priest that I am a Protestant and just need to unburden my soul and receive prayer.
However, I think the deeper need is the need to confess. I do not want to give someone a laundry list of my sins so that I can go out and keep sinning, but I want to confess in a way that is like the Catechism says: “Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible” which is another way to say what James says: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
In the Catholic church one goes to “confession.” In essence you go sit in a little booth, confess your sins to the priest, and he dispenses penance if necessary, then absolves you of your sins.
In the Protestant church one is admonished to confess one’s sins to God and if necessary share your “struggles” with a brother or sister in Christ, or your pastor for prayer and support.
These are two very different approaches.
The idea of confession comes from James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
Confessing one’s sins is a very hard, personal thing. It is an admittance that one has failed in keeping God’s law. But, I think it does much more. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1455:
“The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.”
I have heard many times throughout my life that someone who has a problem cannot deal with it until that person admits that there is a problem. What strength could one gain if one had the ability to go to someone, confess one’s sins, struggles and concerns and get prayer and support.
I have had people in my life that I have felt comfortable sharing some things with, but not everything. I have been around too many well-meaning Christians who share something that was told them in confidence because “this person needs prayer.” Then it gets around, and finally the person is very hurt (and in some cases leaves the church) because something they thought they were sharing in confidence was not kept in confidence.
Because of this, the past few years I have been considering the idea of how the Catholics handle confession. One goes to a booth anonymously confesses to a priest who has sworn a solemn vow of secrecy, and receives absolution.
While I do believe that only God can forgive sins, I am wondering if there is not some value in this. I know that if I had someplace to go confess, get prayer and know that 1) my confession was secret, and 2) my confession was anonymous, I would go quite frequently.
Maybe my issue is lack of trust rather than needing a place to confess, because I do have brothers and sisters in Christ I can go to with some things, but I do not feel comfortable sharing everything.
At times I have even thought about going to a Catholic church for confession and telling the priest that I am a Protestant and just need to unburden my soul and receive prayer.
However, I think the deeper need is the need to confess. I do not want to give someone a laundry list of my sins so that I can go out and keep sinning, but I want to confess in a way that is like the Catechism says: “Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible” which is another way to say what James says: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
Monday, June 15, 2009
Expect the Unexpected
This picture has become a reminder to me that sometimes the best things in life are unexpected.
This picture, I took September 2008 at the Portland Street of Dreams. I almost deleted it. I didn't like the lighting, it was out of focus, not really my best work. However, I kinda liked the shadows and kept it around as something I might reference later as an idea for another picture.
So as I usually do I posted this picture to my Flickr account to share with my friends. Something strange happened. This picture (as of today 6/15/09) has more comments on it from non-friends than any other picture I have. It is the only one of my pictures that has been invited to join a special group. 5 people call it one of their favorite shots and it has been viewed 110 times (more than any other picture on that account).
I was (and still am) highly baffled by this. I still do not think it is a great shot. I still criticize the same issues that I did after I took it. But, other people see beauty in it.
I think the same is true with life. We tend to get down on ourselves when things do not go as planned. My life certainly has not gone as planned.
I am currently unemployed, dating a wonderful girl - who lives three hours away and staying with my parents until I can find a new job.
On the one hand it is very easy for me to get depressed about this whole situation. I am not working and I wonder if I am ever going to find a job. My girlfriend lives three hours away. I love her very much but want to see her more often than I do - and being unemployed it makes it hard to move forward in the relationship or make a lot trips to see her. I am living with my parents - need I say more?
However, on the other hand I have an amazing life. Yes, I am unemployed but I have family and friends doing everything they can to help me find a job. Yes, my girlfriend lives three hours away, but she understand my situation. She helps me out where and when she can and is willing to do for me as much as I am for her. Sure, I am living with my parents, but at least I have a roof over my head and food to eat.
So like this picture, my life is not what I wanted or expected it to be. But it still has beauty in it. It is still blessed by God. I would not trade my life right now for anything. And as I look at this picture I remember that not everything is as I perceive it to be.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pentecost
We are all familiar with the story of Pentecost from Acts chapter 2. The disciples were sitting together in the upper room praying and waiting as Jesus had instructed, when suddenly the Holy Spirit came down upon them and each one began to speak in “other tongues.”
Many times in church we get so caught up in the coming of the Holy Spirit and debating what “other tongues” means that we miss the true importance of the event.
Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, celebrates the birth of the Church. For the first time since creation, God created something new, not just another synagogue or temple for people who adhere to a specific set of beliefs. God created, using humans, the living Body of Christ.
Pentecost is a reminder to us that we are the Body of Christ. From Pentecost to rapture we are to be on this earth fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus in John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
Pentecost is a reminder that we are the Body of Christ. We are Christ’s representatives on this earth. How we act is how people perceive Christ in the real world.
Are you fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus? Are you living your life as Christ’s representative?
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