I missed a day…already. So, I will blog a psalm on Saturday.

Here’s today’s:

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O LORD;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

In the middle of great adversity and persecution…David has confidence. Confidence in God’s protection. Confidence in God’s salvation.

Scot McKnight will be reviewing Tim’s latest, The Reason for God, on Jesus Creed. The first installment is here. This may be a book we could study as a group. Check out the review and see what you think.

(FYI, just got done listening to Tim at the Dwell Conference, a detailed recap forthcoming.)

I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

It occurred to me in reading this that the last two lines are usually overlooked. The inheritance that is to be given to the “Son” is the nations - the heathen nations, defeated and broken. From David’s perspective, these were national enemies of his kingdom in Israel. In prophetic fulfillment, Jesus is the true Son who inherits the nations.

I am in New York for the Dwell Conference. I am tired. But I am in the middle of nations. I was on a subway two hours ago shoulder to shoulder with the nations. Those people on that subway are the Son’s inheritance - they belong to Jesus, one way or another.

The question is, How do they belong to him? This psalm has mainly judgment in view -  the nations belong to the Son in that he will one day judge - and destroy - the wicked.

But there is another way. That way is the way of faith by which the nations enter into the Abrahamic family of promise - and through the blood of Jesus become children of God.

How have I become hard to the truth of this? It is one or the other, and every person, every soul, is headed for one of two destinies - the inheritance of grace or the inheritance of destruction.

God help me this week to become soft again to this truth, to have a new passion for the nations on the subway, or on church st., or in the office next door. Let me do all I can to help secure the nations as an inheritance of grace for my God and king, Jesus.

Let such be the mission of us all.

Sup everyone. I was just listening to a Driscoll sermon entitled “Revelation: God Speaks” and hit a really awesome spot about halfway through. Mark starts talking about the purpose of scripture in life and here’s what he had to say (a bit of paraphrasing, but you should get the idea):

“Proverbs says ‘Every word of God is flawless’, all of scripture is literally breathed out by God. Unlike any and every other book. There are no other divinely-inspired books as the Bible is. It’s not just true like a phone book with it’s accurate info. It’s true in a way like a loving and caring relationship is where you can find insight and counsel and help and comfort and encouragement. It’s relationally profitable. It’s how God speaks to us. Whatever it is in your life, you need the Bible. Principally it speaks to ALL OF LIFE. Sexuality, work, worship, friendship, parenting, stewardship. It speaks in principle to EVERYONE and speaks in principle about EVERYTHING!” (how cool is that? everything including marriage! everything including my daily life and work and this moment right here!) “There is NO part of your life that should be disconnected from scripture or that doesn’t need scripture because scripture is how God speaks into our lives practically and builds our relationship with Him.”

This was really cool to hear and was something I’ve been thinking about lately, so it was cool to hear it being confirmed and talked about in a sermon. I’ve found it easy to slip into a reading and studying style that starts to become a bit mundane - more of a theological, learning style rather than a practical, relevant, alive kind of studying that can really impact my life. When i approach my Bible in that way it really does build my relationship with the Lord, and isn’t that what this life is all about?

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

I want blessing in my life. I do not want to be unblessed. I do not want to have the favor of God lift off of me, and that demands choice on my part. Responsibility. Decision.

Every day I am faced with moments of decision. Recognizing this is the mark of a man. Children shift blame and see all as the flowing stream of fate. They are never the “responsible moral agents.” And most adults act like children.

I am going to take on a slightly daunting task (for me): to study through the Psalms in 30 days and document each day on this blog. (That will mean a post for every day of the work-week. On weekends, I’ll sabbath.)

The goal is devotional, not so much theological - I am hoping to get to know Jesus better through these old poems, to hear his Spirit’s voice speaking through them. The reason is simple: I need it. I need to know Jesus. He has the words of life.

So here’s the deal.

We have been into Romans, and frankly, it’s weighty stuff. It’s deep. In order to get all the things Paul is trying to communicate, you have to do a fair amount of digging. And we’ve been doing just that.

But we’ve also seen that beneath the layers of info there are simple truths. The truth of universal human sin and confusion. The truth of God as a judge of sin. The truth of Jesus as the one who pays our penalty and dies in our place. The truth that by faith in him we become justified, right with our God and creator, truly free. We sometimes call that the truth of the gospel.

These simple truths are what we base our lives around; they are the core of who we are and how we see the world. And more importantly they provide the foundation upon which we build a life of knowing and following Jesus.

A life of faith.

And this life of faith is precisely that: a life, a walk, a journey.

This week, we will take a break from our study of Romans to share in the journey. To have a journey sesh. And if that sounds vague, the idea is simple: we will have time for music; time for some Scripture reading; time for random Q and A; time for sharing life-events, praises, and prayer requests; and time for prayer.

And the inspiration for our time will be Hebrews 11, a chapter about men and women (like you and me) who lived (and died) in faith.

Now quit yer talk talkin’ and git yer walk walkin’!

My dad just posted this, and it blessed me! Check it out if you have time.

You read correctly: I want to write a brief apologetic on behalf of the hippest clothing manufacturer/retailer on planet earth, American Apparel. I want to do this because American Apparel is in Burlington and I like them, especially their zip hoodies (with the bit of white on the zipper) which are absolutely the best feeling, fitting, and looking that I have ever worn. (My wife agrees and wears her hoody dress on a near-daily basis.)

The challenge is this: American Apparel is widely known for its provocative ads. It does not toe the line when it comes to sexually suggestive stuff - it takes a long, tight-pantsed step over that line. While some of their ads could qualify as off-beat, fashion-forward, artistic, hip, and attractive, others have been kinda close to pornographic.

So the question is, why am I, a Christian dude who really likes leading Bible studies, defending such a company of degenerate fashionistas?

It’s the zip hoody mainly, and the fact that American Apparel happens to be a rare brand with a thoughtful mission and message.

Here’s a news report on the trial that took place earlier today regarding the recent raid of a Texas polygamist compound.

And here is a trailer for a new documentary about that group’s prophet Warren Jeffs who is now in prison. The doc is called “Damned to Heaven.” Crazy stuff, but stuff that helps us to think about the truth of Christianity more clearly.