Diary of an 80's Trucker

Here it is, if you're interested

2007-04-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

There's some pretty good conversation on the Sovereignty of God and human responsibility on my new blog; check it out:

rickharper.wordpress.com

See the article called "Puppet or Puppet-Master?" and the comments.

Moved...

2007-03-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

email me for my new site

well...

2007-02-11T20:37:00.000-06:00

what can i say...i'm a busy seminary student!

Sorry...one day, i'll return.

Rick

Wait...don't give up hope...

2006-08-10T01:37:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I'm actually working on a post. Coming soon...seriously.

While you wait, check out this awesome video: Click Here

Diotrephes...still a plague

2006-05-19T11:50:00.000-05:00

3 John 9-11
"I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; WHOEVER DOES EVIL HAS NOT SEEN GOD."

Yes, it is evil to deny the authority of Scripture, the Apostles writings, the inspired writings of the Bible. More and more, one by one, one after another, they deny Holy Scripture. In this context John says whoever does evil has not seen God.

I pray for the plague of Diotrephes to be lifted off these men, and that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts. And out of their mouths will come praise to God for His grace and mercy, and praise to God for His revelation, the Holy Spirit Inspired Scriptures.

What Was Wrong With Simon?

2006-04-23T23:46:00.000-05:00

This was our topic of discussion in Sunday night small group. I posted this on our small group website as further thoughts:

What Was Wrong With Simon?

Acts 8:9b - "saying that he himself was somebody great."
Acts 8:10b - "This man is the power of God that is called Great."

Simon was seen by those around him as a man of power. Not only was he seen as a man of power, but he was even called THE power of God that is called Great. Simon loved it. He was a power and fame seeker. He thrived on being the center of attention; he thrived on being seen as a powerful god-man.

When he saw that when the apostles laid their hands on some the Holy Spirit was given, he could only imagine what it would be like to possess that type of power. "I want to be able to do these signs! I want to give the Holy Spirit! I want to be the man!" Acts 8:18b-19 - "he offered them money, saying 'Give me this POWER also, so that anyone on whom I lay MY hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"

I want this power! That's all he could think about.
Simon badly missed the point. Simon badly mis-heard the Gospel.

A lot of times we think like Simon, whether we realize it or not. We are hungry for fame in our circles. We want people to say what they said about Simon, "he/she is somebody great!" We even go so far, like Simon, as to make evangelization about us. "I brought that person to Christ!" "I, with my clever words and reasoning, convinced that person to choose the Way of Christ."
Or we use ourselves as an excuse, saying, "I am not prepared to talk to this person about Christ." "I don't have the ability (or power) to open this person's eyes to the glory of God."

With both types, those who take the credit for the convert, and those who never talk about Christ because of their insecurities, a common theme rings out: I, I, I, I, I.

First, if you are a Christian, you ARE prepared to talk about Christ. Is it what you have to say that is going to save the person? NO! Is it answering every single question that may arise that is going to save the person? NO! Then, what saves them? Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for IT is the POWER OF GOD for salvation to everyone who believes..."
It is God through the Gospel that saves. If we know nothing more than the Gospel, we know enough; therefore, we have no excuse. It is God who saves, and not our craftiness.

Second, you are correct to say that you do not have the ability to open their eyes to the glory of God. Paul says that we plant the seed, and God provides the growth. He says in 1 Corinthians 4:5-6 "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
Who said "Let light shine out of darkness?" Was it us, or was it God? Of course, it was God. In the same way we are to preach and teach the Gospel, and we trust and pray for God to speak into existence light in those who are in the darkness.
In the very next verse, 4:7, he says, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." It is God who has the power to save, not us. Teach those around you, and rely on God to do His work that we are unable to do.
Like Simon, it is hard not to think of the power as being in ourselves. This is the very thing with which the serpant tempted Eve, "You can be like God! You can have the power."

We need to let God be God; and we need to do what He has called us to do, namely, be a light unto the world, teaching the Word of Christ by word and example as often as we can. Trust in His power.

Finally, some mistakenly claimed that Simon was like a god-man, but Christ WAS THE God Man. Unlike Simon, the true God Man didn't seek power and glory from man, but He sought to glorify His Father. Instead of seeking power, He humbled Himself completely. Instead of wanting to be liked by everyone and be a man of fame, he willingly was humiliated and eventually killed. This is what it is to have the power of God. It is being able to humble yourselves for the sake of others. It is being able to even humble yourselves to the point of being humiliated and possibly even killed for the sake of the children of God. It is being humble by acknowledging that the power is all God's and none of ours.

Don't be a power and fame seeker. Don't be a Simon. Trust God, and seek to glorify Him by being humble, teaching others, and being a light to the world.

"Suppose You Are a Liberal Critic of the Bible" - Piper

2006-04-15T10:21:00.000-05:00

My fellow soldier in war with the liberals sent me the link to this article by John Piper:

------------
Suppose You Are a Liberal Critic of the Bible

April 14, 1998

Suppose that you are a liberal critic of the Bible. By liberal, I mean unfettered by commitment to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. And suppose that you find in an early letter of the apostle Paul these words: "Concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge." And then suppose that you find in a letter written near the end of his life the words, "You are able to admonish one another." And suppose that, as a liberal, you are not inclined to find old-fashioned unity in Paul's various teachings, but rather are somewhat excited when you can construct new theories about how the diversity of Paul's teachings emerged.

So you infer that there was an "early Paul" who was enthusiastic and optimistic and perfectionistic. And you prove it with the early words, "You yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge." You argue that "full of goodness" and "filled with knowledge" clearly imply that Paul believed these people "had arrived." They had reached a state of perfection. They didn't need any teaching or any correction. They were "full of goodness." This is the "early Paul." But you also infer that Paul's thinking developed over time. He changed his mind and the "later Paul" emerged. Reality had settled in over the years, and Paul's optimism had been dashed by people's imperfections; and so he had adjusted his theology to something more realistic.

Perfectionism had given way to process. And you prove it with the later words, "You are able to admonish one another." You reason, "Clearly, if they had to admonish one another, they were not yet perfect." In fact, with scholarly flourish, you observe that the verbs "are able" and "to admonish" are both in the present continuous tense, implying ongoing action. And you argue that the imperfections must be fairly constant, because they require continuous admonition and correction.

From all this, you proclaim, with liberal "courage," over against conservative commitments to the inspiration and coherence of all apostolic writings, that Paul cannot be inspired by an all-knowing God, and his writings are limited and sometimes mistaken by his ordinary human perspective. He has to correct himself when experience proves his earlier efforts erroneous.

Now here is one of the problems with such an imaginary scenario. Romans 15:14 combines both of those words (the so-called early and the so-called later) in one verse: "And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another." In other words, there is nothing, in Paul's mind, inconsistent in saying both of these things about the same people at the same time. Being "full of goodness" and "filled with all knowledge" is not meant to imply perfection. It does not mean that the people are beyond the need for admonition and correction. The "fullness" is not a fullness of sinless perfection, but fullness of sufficiency for ministry, that is, the church in Rome had all the goodness and knowledge it needed to minister effectively to each other through admonition and correction.

Here's the point. When you find two parts of Scripture that may seem to be in tension with each other, don't make the liberal mistake of jumping to the conclusion that the Bible is inconsistent or self-correcting or in process of moving from enthusiastic error to realistic truth. Instead, picture the things that seem in tension as spoken by a person who means both of them, and regards both of them as true. Then work toward a coherent understanding of them as best you can. This will take you much deeper into the reality of God's truth. And you will honor the divine Author of Scripture.

Loving God's inerrant word with you,

Pastor John
------------

Thanks!

2006-04-07T01:07:00.000-05:00

Whoever it was, thanks for praying, it worked. I got some substantial work done today on my exegesis.

It has been a weird and trying day.

First, I looked at some mail and it said we owe a bunch of money on our car insurance. That's not what the commercial advertised! (explained below)

Second, I realized that today was the 6th, and the rent was supposed to be paid no later than the 3rd! I can't believe I did that - actually I can.

Third, I got a call from a friend that works for our apartment company, but at different grounds, and he said, "Dude, I just saw your car being towed down the road!" I accused him a few times of joking around, but I quickly knew he was serious. Let me explain: apparently, a notice was put on everyone's door to get a new parking sticker last month. Well, restaurants and health clubs stick stuff on our door every single day, so we turned those into "Eli's mail". Not knowing that the apartment complex used the junk mail system of sticking things on the door, we told Eli he could have the mail on the door everyday. We never even look at it most of the time. So, I'm guessing I never saw the notice. From now on, I'll have to check Eli's mail after he gets it off the door.

I was pretty hacked off at first, but while waiting for my car to get towed back, I read a little bit of "God in the Dark" by Os Guinness. It was exactly what I needed to hear. On page 61 in the section titled "Faulty Picture of God", Guinness said, "To believe in God is to 'let God be God'...In trusting God, we are living out our assumptions, putting them into practice all that we say he is in theory so that who God is and what he has done can make the difference in every part of our lives...This means that the accuracy of our pictures of God is not tested by our orthodoxy or our testimonies but by the truths we count on in real life. It is demonstrated when the heat is on, the chips are down, and reality seems to be breathing down our necks." I stopped there as my car arrived.

So, I had to pay a good bit of money to get my car back, and a good bit of money for the late fee for missed rent. In the meantime, I had a dentist appointment that it took me like a year to make; I missed it. I had to call them, and embarrassingly admit that my car was towed. It's rescheduled.

Then, my exegesis was driving me crazy. I was having to read off the wall commentaries, among other things. Thoughts were creeping in and out of my head about my study. But, then I blogged, and someone must have listened and prayed, and things got a lot better. Also, I misread the Geico bill, and we don't owe a lot of money on our car insurance. The commercial's claims still hold true!

At 6:00 we went to the Swenson's to eat. They had us and some of their neighbors over. It was a fun time. Allen played his new song that he wrote; it was absolutely amazing.

Gotta hit the bed; it's late.
Thank God for working in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure; otherwise, I would be dead in my trespasses and sins! In other words, I'd be toast!
God bless!

Grace and peace,
Rick

Prayer Request for me

2006-04-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

Please pray for me as I exegete Matthew 7:13-14. It has been a very difficult process. I have been confused several times, and have gone through a couple of ups and downs spiritually. Pray that I'll receive understanding and guidance from the Spirit of God as I search the Scriptures. Pray that I'll be discerning, being guarded from evil and temptation by God.

Help Me Out

2006-03-22T15:49:00.000-06:00

I am tasked with planning our men's retreat. I am to present 3 or 4 themes to the eldership. Here are 4 themes I thought to be appropriate. Rank them in order of your preference.

Theme: Men's Christian Service
- What is expected of me?
- Why is it expected?
- Am I Reaching expectation?
- How do I get started?

Theme: It's Not About Me
- Unity or Disunity, that is the question.
(Essentially unity is 'to be', or to live as one body in Christ, and disunity is 'not to be', or to die as a church)

Theme: Dealing with temptations and sin - Based on James 1
- Every man's struggle - lust
- Pre-marital sex, post-marital extra-marital sex (in mind or matter)
- The problem and accessibility of pornography
- A law issue or a heart issue (Scripture says that law increases sin; therefore, we must reach our heart; this is the 'heart' of the matter.)

Theme: Why men don't like church - What it means to be a Christian man?
- What does it mean to be a masculine Christian?
- Lies of the effeminate church.
- Touchy-feely versus brotherly love.
- The headship of the man.

Ah, the luck o' the Irish

2006-03-17T14:41:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm wearing a green t-shirt that reads "IRELAND - RUGBY LEAGUE - DUBLIN ATHLETICS". No pinches for me. In fact, I found a picture of it online; here it is:

I plan to find me some Harp's Irish Lager in remembrance of ol' St. Pat himself. I've been meaning to try it anyway, just because of the name.

Grace and peace from the Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

(read in an Irish accent)= God bless ya me lad!

Refreshed

2006-03-17T08:42:00.000-06:00

Taking the advice of a friend, I got up yesterday and went for a walk at White Rock Lake. I walked and read from my pocket ESV. I'll post some thoughts on my reading later. But for now, I just wanted to update on my feeling of leprosy-like isolation.
After walking, reading, thinking, and silently talking at the lake, I came home and gathered up the family and headed out for a picnic. This was the beginning of an amazing day. We came home, and I studied for a while. After studying, we all played so hard. I was Doc Oc and Eli was Spiderman. Kai was Spiderman as well, since he usually does what his big brother does - haha! When Doc Oc would grab the two Spidermen, the Spidermen's mom would rush in and rescue them. The boys loved it. It was much needed time for all of us.

Thank God for my awesome wife! Last night we spent great time in worship; singing, reading Scripture, and praying together. It was amazing, and again, much needed. Things are getting back to normal, or what we consider normal, what most people would consider very unnormal - haha!

Speaking of normal, this morning I feel normal again! I will gather all of my books in a moment, and head off to the coffee shop to study. Then, after Kelli returns from a Bible study with friends, we will make it a point to have another great evening together.

more later...gotta get started on the day...

Praise God!

Ughhhhh...

2006-03-15T10:21:00.000-06:00

I feel like a leper. After waking up sick somewhere between 1:00-2:00AM Monday morning, I sealed myself up in the bedroom for the entire day hoping to isolate the sickness to myself alone sparing the rest of my family who is already suffering from a pretty serious cold. Tuesday morning I was feeling a little better, and by lunch time I had made the decision to practice mind over body and get up and enjoy the rest of the day. We did enjoy the day, and I felt great. Last night, however, I woke up again sick. So, here I am, sealed once again in the bedroom of our apartment.

I haven't wanted to do anything while laying in the bed. I have so much to do: a test, an exegesis, a presentation, a book report, reading assignments, preparation for Sunday morning class; but I feel completely unmotivated. In fact, I feel a little despairing. A million thoughts have gone through my head while trapped to myself. Not many have been great. I've tried to clear my mind and study, but I can't focus, on anything at all. I don't know what's going on, but I pray for strength and wisdom as I travel what will be just another shadow through which I've passed.

I'm fearful. Sometimes I feel like the pretender. A familiar fear returns; it scares me that I have no idea what I am going to do in the next 2 years. It scares me that I can hardly see myself doing anything at all. Maybe it's a lack of confidence in myself, which I know boils down to a lack of trust in God. Whatever it is, I have to stop thinking about it and feeling this way. It only drags me down further and further. I hear my Shepherd calling, but I'm stuck in a trench. But I know that he'll find me soon and pull me out. I'm confident in that. I just wish I would remember the trench when I see it and stop falling into it everytime. Foolish sheep.

Woe to us when the day declines and the shadows of evening lengthen.

It's just a little longer until the cloud and darkness move and the sun once again shines to light the day and the path ahead. Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.

Christ return.

Curious George and Jack Johnson

2006-03-08T07:41:00.000-06:00

Curious George is now officially one of my favorite movies. We took Eli and Kai to see it last Sunday, and we all loved it. It's rated about a G-. The best part about it is that all of the music is by JACK JOHNSON! So of course, I had to splurge and buy the soundtrack. It is awesome! I highly recommend it. Of course, I wouldn't have expected anything less than awesome from Jack.

My Friend and Brother:

2006-02-14T23:51:00.001-06:00

"I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day."

"Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith."

"Train yourself for godliness."

"Avoid irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge", for by professing it some have swerved from the faith."

"But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me."

"No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."

"Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."

"But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene...They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.""

"Avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless."

"For people will be...unholy...having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power...always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth...But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all."

"They profess to know God, but deny him by their works."

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted."

"As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been aquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

"CHRIST IS ALL, AND IN ALL."

"May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ."

"May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

"May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way."

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you..."

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

pure motive

2006-01-28T21:45:00.000-06:00

i have found it necessary to ask myself a few questions when i seem to be doing well in my Christian journey. why am i winning? why am i defeating the temptations that usually conquer? what am i doing to conquer what are so often the conquerers?

i want my answers to be only one: because i love the LORD, my God, who has saved me.

i should be conquering not out of fear, not to dodge the guilt accompanied by sin, not to avoid the curses brought about by disobedience, but i should conquer because i have been conquered. i conquer because of love.

my victories should be preceded by, accompanied by, and resulting in unceasing prayer and praise and thanksgiving.

help me O God to love and serve you with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

2006-01-26T07:47:00.000-06:00

It's a little ironic that I posted a short post called "Still Alive" and the very next post I am expecting my Grandpa's death. It goes to show you that "Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."" James 4:15.

I traveled to Logansport on Wednesday of last week. I couldn't believe how fast he had gone down. I immediately went to his side and began praying out loud with him. He made a few struggling sounds in an attempt to respond to my praying. I talked to him about the grace of God, how sufficient it was, how we've been lavished in it by our LORD, and how he would soon hear the words similarly heard by the thief on the cross.

Thursday came and went. He was much worse on Thursday than Wednesday. His breathing changed, and the prayers became a plea for the end.

Friday, my Grandma, my Mom, and I continued to take care of my Grandpa. I was supposed to drive back to Dallas and pick up my family, but I had a strong feeling that today was the day. So I stayed. At 3:30 PM Pa was welcomed into Heaven as we held his hand here on earth. He began to breath his last struggled breaths, and my Mom broke down and we prayed for God to take him. He did.

His funeral was Sunday. It was a nice funeral. He's in paradise, yet we mourn selfishly knowing we will not see him in this life again. But we are assured that we will see him again after this life. That's why we celebrate.

Praise God.

Luke 23:43 And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Prayer request...

2006-01-16T13:10:00.000-06:00

We will be traveling to Louisiana tomorrow as my grandpa, my mom's father, is not expected to live more than 2 days. Pray for comfort for my grandma and mom. Pray for a safe trip for everyone who will be traveling to Logansport, LA.

thank you

grace, mercy, & peace
rick

Still Alive

2006-01-12T20:42:00.000-06:00

I'm still alive; just been busy. I'll post something soon! Check back.

NEW FORUM

2006-01-01T17:34:00.000-06:00

Since our last forum, Freedom in Christ, disappeared unexpectedly, Kelli has created a new one. I miss the discussions we used to have. Go join!
Click here for galatians51.10.forumer.com/" If you link to the forum, you must include the slash on the end of the address.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2006

2006-01-01T00:30:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! May God bless you and lavish His amazing grace upon you in 2006.

Praise God

A Sad and Beautiful Picture - 4 of 4

2005-12-27T22:37:00.000-06:00

grace - how truly amazing, oh how undeserved, oh how precious His blood

For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant,
yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant.
Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you.
I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD,
that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD."

Ezekiel 16:59-63

A Sad and Beautiful Picture - 3 of 4

2005-12-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

be mercy - only to die is just

How lovesick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute,
building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings.
So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.
Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD:
Thus says the Lord GOD, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them,
therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare.

Ezekiel 16:30-39

A Sad and Beautiful Picture - 2 of 4

2005-12-27T22:25:00.000-06:00

unfaithful - oh how we are

But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his.
You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.
You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.
And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them.
Also my bread that I gave you--I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey--you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD.
And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?
And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord GOD),
you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square.
At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring.

Ezekiel 16:15-25

A Sad and Beautiful Picture - 1 of 4

2005-12-27T22:13:00.000-06:00

salvation - oh beautiful sovereign choice

And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'
I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine.
Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.
And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck.
And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 16:4-14

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

2005-12-24T21:05:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLI! I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31:27-29

Accomplished in Death - part 4 of 4

2005-12-16T23:06:00.000-06:00

Sacrifice to Sacrifice
I want to now look at the parallel between Old Testament sacrifices, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament purification sacrifice is indeed a detailed picture of the sacrifice to come, as are all of the expected priestly actions and their objects of those actions copies of the true things (Hebrews 9:24). The atonement made by the sacrificing of the animal was for all of the people of Israel, God's people. The sacrifice was certainly not for everyone in the world; it was for God's chosen people and no others. The atonement was made for all of their iniquities; it was an accomplishment and not an offer bidding the people to receive the atonement made for them. Likewise, Jesus Christ is the priest that offered the sacrifice for God's people, namely the sheep that His Father had before given Him. Not only did He offer it, but He was Himself the sacrifice. He needed no purification, for He was pure and holy and perfect with no blemish. As the priest, our Good Shepherd placed His own hands on His own head and confessed all of the transgressions and iniquities of His sheep, placing their sins on Himself. Jesus then offered the perfect atonement sacrifice that all of the Old Covenant atonement sacrifices foreshadowed. He offered Himself on the cross, and bore the punishment that our sins deserve. There was most definitely atonement on the cross, and the atonement was for His sheep. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices, no other sacrifice would be needed after Christ's, because He offered Himself for the sins of the people once for all (Heb. 7:27). After the sacrifice was made which wrought perfect atonement, Jesus Christ then entered into the holy places to secure an eternal redemption for those sheep whom the Father had given Him, and once again, He did so once for all (Heb 9:12).

The oblation of Christ and the intercession of Christ cannot be separated as some like to imagine it. He did not offer Himself for all and then intercede for some. Likewise, He did not offer Himself for all and intercede for all. Christ offered Himself for those whom His Father had given Him, and after offering Himself up for their sins, He interceded for those same people with the blood of the covenant sprinkled on Himself that was the perfect blood for the perfect atonement made once for all, all of His people, every one of them and no others. The work of atonement was finished on the cross (John 19:30). The work of intercession secured the eternal redemption of those for whom the atonement was made. And as we have seen above, in the same manner that the Old Testament sacrifice was offered for God's chosen people, the atonement of Christ was made for God's chosen people throughout the whole world, every nation. It was not hopeful work performed by God, possibly in vain, but it was an accomplishment perfectly carried out as planned from before the foundation of the world.

for the sake of time and space, A Quick Conclusion
It is true that the Word of God has not failed as Paul rightly argues in Roman 9. God accomplishes all that He purposes. Christ's death was an accomplishment making atonement for the sheep that the Father had given Him before the foundation of the world. It was an accomplishment that atoned for the sins of the ones who were graciously, mercifully, and lovingly chosen by God based on His own freedom, glory, and purpose alone. Likewise, the intercession of Christ for His sheep secured their place in eternity, bringing about the end which all of the means worked to accomplish. What fails is the purpose and plan of God if Christ died for the opportunity of salvation, because billions of people for whom Christ died will enter into and spend eternity in eternal punishment. It fails if Christ did indeed pay the penalty for sins, and those for whom He paid the penalty still suffer for those very sins for which Christ suffered.

Indeed, God's purpose and plan has not failed, because the sins for which Christ suffered have met their penalty in full. Those for whom Christ died will never taste the fires of Hell, because One has paid the complete cost for them all. They have surely been redeemed with the most powerful atonement that no man can nullify. Just as the Jewish priest offered the sacrifice for atonement for the sins of the people of God, so our High Priest, Jesus Christ, offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice that atoned for the sins of the people of God, namely the sheep that the Father had given to Jesus before the foundation of the world.

farewell, I'm off for Christmas travels.
Merry Christmas!

GRACE & PEACE,
Rick

Accomplished in Death - part 3 of 4

2005-12-15T22:40:00.000-06:00

World Meaning Everyone, World Meaning Believers Worldwide
This brings attention to the use of the word "world" in 2 Cor 5:19, as well as in other places throughout Scripture (which for the sake of time and space only 2 Cor 5:19 will be discussed in this 4 part blog). "World" in 2 Cor 5:19 can only mean one of two things: either in Christ God has reconciled every human to Himself, or it is intended that He has reconciled something or some group other than every human. By "world" it is surely not meant the cosmos, as the cosmos has no sins against which can be counted. It is also surely not meant an opportunity, as the sins mentioned have already not been counted (which is something accomplished, not hoped for) against their performers. So one must decide whether it is universalism affirmed by this verse (which will nullify all use of Scripture), or rather "world" here is meant believers, or sheep, throughout the world who had already existed, and who did exist, and who would exist; sheep that have been named by the shepherd and given by the Father. As the angel of the Lord confirms in Joseph's dream about which we read in Matthew 1:21, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." God's people, His elect, His sheep, His children of promise, and indeed not the world meaning all human beings, are for whom Christ was sent and came to save. Hebrews chapter 9 (particularly verse 28) confirms that it is many for whom Christ died. In his work, the Death of Death in the Death of Christ, John Owen said, "That Christ should die for all, and yet not be a ransom for all, himself affirming that he came to "give his life for many," Matt. 20:28, is to me a plain contradiction. The death of Christ, in the first most general notion and apprehension thereof, is a ransom."

"No One Can Come"
We also see in the Gospel according to John an action of the Father that enables His own to come to Christ to receive the benefits of His oblation and intercession. John 6:44 says that "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." These two words, "no one", disclude no human being. The Greek word used for "no one" is oudeis which means, not even one man, woman, or thing, none, nobody, or nothing. So everyone is included, and no one is exempt from this word, oudeis. Oudeis is used in several other places in the New Testament including John 3:27 (A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.) and 6:65 (no man can come to me, unless it is granted him of the Father.). Applying this truth to what we have seen of Christ's sheep in the previous parts of this study, it follows that not even one man or woman, oudeis, can come as sheep to their Shepherd unless an action by the Father occurs which is the act of drawing. In his introduction to John Owen's the Death of Death in the Death of Christ, J. I. Packer says, "The old gospel, while stressing that faith is man's duty, stresses also that faith is not in man's power, but that God must give what He commands. It announces, not merely that men must come to Christ for salvation, but also that they cannot come unless Christ Himself draws them."

Oudeis is an all inclusive word. In John 3:27 oudeis is rendered as "nothing". "A man can receive oudeis, except it be given him from heaven." Here, John the Baptist confesses that his office of forerunner to Christ was not achieved in and of himself, but that he could not receive anything unless it was graciously given to him from heaven. So are the drawing and granting of the Father to His sheep also received by no one unless given to be received. In John 6:65 oudeis is rendered once again as "no one". "And he said, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.'" Jesus includes every single human being as being unable to come to Him unless it is granted to him by the Father. In other words, there is not one single person in the entire world that can come to Jesus, unless the Father grants that person to come to Jesus. This truth is proclaimed throughout Scripture. This is how someone becomes a sheep; this is what it means to be given by the Father (John 10:29). Then by what means are we brought into the flock if no one can come to Him unless drawn or granted the ability to do so? John 6:45 gives us insight: "It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me." God draws us and grants us the ability to come to Him by teaching us. As David says in Psalm 51:6, "...you teach me wisdom in the secret heart." The Father teaches us and gives us a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). And the effect of that is as Jesus says in the latter of John 6:45, "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me." He doesn't say that some will come after hearing and learning. This calling, drawing, granting, and teaching is effectual. If you hear and learn from the Father, if you are drawn, if it is granted to you to come, then you will most certainly come and eat as one of Christ's sheep.

tomorrow...Sacrifice to Sacrifice and some concluding comments

Accomplished in Death - part 2 of 4

2005-12-15T09:04:00.000-06:00

Opportunity or Accomplishment
As we have seen in looking at only a couple of passages, Christ died for His sheep which are indeed a named people to be saved. Why then does it seem that everyone is invited to partake in being sheep? For example, just two chapters later, John 12:35-36 is a command for the audience to "walk while you have the light...while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." Is it here meant that all have the ability to walk in this mentioned light? I answer with this: Has Jesus ever told anyone to do something that they had not the power in themselves to do? Has He not told the man with the withered hand to stretch it out? (Mark 3:5) Has He not told the paralytic to take up his bed and walk? (John 5:8) Has He not told Lazarus to come out of the tomb? (John 11:43) One must suppose that all men with withered hands have the ability within themselves to stretch out their hands and become like new. One must suppose that all paralytics have the power in themselves to take up their beds and walk. Furthermore, one must assume that all who have passed from this life have the ability in their dead selves to dig themselves out of their darkened graves. Of course, the power to do these such things had to be granted, or given, to them by God. They had not the power in themselves apart from the giving of it. Therefore, when all are told to walk in the light, or to choose Christ as their savior, it is not an accurate assumption that all have the power or ability in themselves to do so; in fact, they cannot, unless, however, it is granted or given to them by God. It is also everyday evident that all do not heed to this command, as the unbelievers cannot believe as a consequence of not being named sheep (John 10:26; John 12:40), and believers do believe as sheep who have been, and because they have been, appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48).

Christ's death was indeed an accomplishment that secured the eternal salvation of those who have been appointed to eternal life and believe. Christ gave Himself for us "to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works," (Titus 2:14). His sheep have been redeemed. His sheep are His own purified possessions. Entering into the holy places He secured for His sheep eternal redemption (Heb 9:12). And it is by His being made a curse that we have been redeemed and secured (Gal. 3:13) and reconciled (Rom 5:10). Furthermore, 2 Cor 5:19 says, "that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them..."; we have been reconciled by the salvific work of Christ.

Tomorrow...World Meaning Everyone, World Meaning Believers World Wide

Accomplished in Death - part 1 of 4

2005-12-13T22:27:00.000-06:00

Much confusion exists towards the subject of the accomplishment in the death of Jesus Christ. There cannot be two or more ends intended in our Lord's death; but only one. Though many have been suggested, all but one devised by man, it is my intension to better understand that one accomplishment, or end, intended by the Father in His Son's death.

In Jesus' own words His purpose in the incarnation and death is revealed to us. Jesus said in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Paul also tells us plainly in 1Timothy 1:15 "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." Jesus came into the world to seek and save the lost, whom are sinners. The questions at hand that bear much debate are these: 1. Who are the sinners that Christ came to save? 2. Were these sinners saved or given the opportunity to be saved in the death of Christ? 3. Did Christ die to save all men, or many men?

For Whom Did Christ Lay Down His Life?
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14-15

For whom did Christ lay down His life? In John 10:15, Jesus says He lays His life down for His sheep. Again, in John 10:11 Jesus calls Himself the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. My question to be answered is this: who are the sheep? And afterward, can the sheep in such a context and the use of the word world be reconciled? Are these sheep definite people or merely a hypothetical group that Christ hopes will form after Him?

In John 10:3 ("To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.") we have an action, or cause, and an effect of that action. The first action is that of a shepherd. The shepherd calls his own sheep. Moreover, he calls them by name. This gives the reader or hearer the impression that the called sheep are not unknown to the shepherd. In fact, they are, every one of them, named by the shepherd. Being named they are intimately connected to their own shepherd and no other. Likewise, the shepherd is connected intimately to his own sheep having named them. This action of the shepherd specifically calling his own sheep by name creates a reaction, or an effect. The sheep to which the shepherd calls hear his voice. The sheep recognize their shepherd's voice, and they must, for he cares for them, protects them, feeds them, leads them to green pastures, and gives them rest. Not hearing their shepherd's voice, or not recognizing the voice, would lead to certain death if they were to be left in their current place (if possible - Luke 15:4). The sheep are intimately connected to their shepherd in this way. They trust the voice of their shepherd who is their life sustainer; therefore, they follow the shepherd who leads them. Is it possible for the sheep to not follow their own shepherd and instead follow another? John 10:5 "A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Sheep, who follow their own shepherd's voice in which they trust and know, cannot follow an alien voice. In fact, not only do they not follow him, they do more and flee from him. We have certain absolutes given to us in this passage: The shepherd will call his sheep by name; the sheep will know and listen to his voice; the sheep will not listen to any other; the shepherd will lead them; and the sheep will follow.

By Jesus calling Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10:14, He connects Himself with the parables of the chapter. Christ is the shepherd; His followers are His sheep. Christ calls His own out by name. His own hear His voice, fleeing from all others. Christ leads them out guaranteeing them life and protection and care. So we see that the sheep are not merely a hypothetical group, but a group that is known by name by Christ, even before His death. If Christ calls His own by name, and His own follow Him and no other, then what follows is that there are those who are not called by name by Christ. If all were called by name, then all would follow. There are many in this world that do not know Christ, and many who know of Him that do not know Him intimately as their life-giving shepherd. In verse 14 Christ says that He knows His own (His named people) and His own know Him. If His own know Him, then they follow Him. Those of the world who do not follow Him are not His own. We see this plainly in John 10:26.

After being questioned by a group of non-believing Jews if He was the Christ, Jesus gave them the reason for their non-belief. John 10:26 "But you do not believe because you are not part of my flock." Many would like to transpose this truth so that it would then falsely read, "You are not part of my flock because you do not believe," as if believing then infuses them into the flock of Christ. If Christ were to call this group of non-believing Jews by name as His sheep, because of their first being named as sheep, they would then believe and follow Him, but Jesus tells them plainly that they are not part of the flock; therefore, they are not called by name; and it is because they are not called by name that they do not believe. In the next verse Jesus again says, (27) "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." The non-believers in this passage did not follow Jesus; therefore, the only conclusion that must be derived is that they are not His named, or called out, sheep who hear His voice.

More evidence toward the sheep being a definite group of people exists in verse 29. "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all..." Some often like to say that Christ died not to save and secure a salvation for His sheep, but rather that He died to make possible the salvation of His sheep who will only exist if they decide to become a sheep of Christ. This position must assume that verse 29 should actually read, "My Father, who has not given them to me, but rather hopes that some of the world will decide to become and name themselves as one of my sheep, is greater than all..." Of course this is not what is meant by the verse. Jesus speaks as something being accomplished and not offered or for something hoped. His Father has given His sheep to Him, which is an action on the part of the Father alone and not of the sheep themselves. The Son will then secure those sheep in their heavenly inheritance by His keeping of covenant with His Father in sacrifice.

We've seen briefly that Scripture teaches Christ's sheep are named people among all of humanity, given to Him by the Father who has granted (John 6:65) their coming and has drawn (John 6:44) them to Christ; and it is for these named people that Christ laid down His life.

tomorrow..."Opportunity or Accomplishment"

About Tonight

2005-12-02T00:18:00.000-06:00

Tonight was great. It was truly awesome. As you can read in the comments of my previous blog, we are doing something new for the Christmas season this year. Tonight was the first night of our Christmas celebration. Our family gift tonight was a movie night (Madagascar) complete with popcorn, hot chocolate, and snugglin'. We also partially put up the Christmas tree, which is always fun but exhausting. I put all of the branches on the tree neatly fanned out. We have a white tree this year. It looks cool. We began to put the red lights on it and quickly realized that they only made it a third of the way up the tree. It has to be the shortest line of lights I've ever seen. So, we'll get the rest of the lights tomorrow and finish the decorating of the tree. I also treated myself to a Red Stripe; I haven't had one in a long time. They have to be my favorite. Then, after everyone hit the sack, it was back to the grind of studying for finals and writing papers. Now, I am giving up for the night, and hitting the sack myself!

Shalom

We killed a god

2005-11-29T23:40:00.000-06:00

For a long part of my childhood, I was taught dualism. Not that there was a good god and an evil god warring against each other, but that there was God the creator of all things who was omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient; and that there was the god of giftgiving and gift withholding who was also omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. It's late and I'm tired from traveling, so I'm not going to go any deeper with a cheesy story when it is obvious that I'm speaking of old Santa Claus himself.

Many people worship God the creator January thru November, and then they switch to the god of December or the god of the winter wonderland who is equal with the God of the rest of year, only not a creator, accept for the fact that he creates billions of toys every year.

You know, when the pagans needed something or wanted something such as a good rain for their crop season, they would try to please the god of the storm that could bring that needed rain. They had gods for everything and did all they could to please the gods in order to receive what they wanted or needed at the time. As winter comes in, our kids "need" toys and other fun stuff to play with, so like the pagans, we tell them that they better please the toy god so that they receive these things they want. The toy god, like the god of the storm of the pagans, sees everything, knows everything, and therefore is in a sense everywhere. "If you're nice and not naughty, you will please the god of the toys and he will bless you with some toys. If you are naughty, he may not bless you with toys, or maybe with not as many toys. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, God the creator sees you too and He wants you to be nice. But you don't get anything from Him at Christmas; you have to wait until you die for His gifts."

7 YEARS LATER - "Well, Santa is not exactly real. ... No, we weren't lying to you; we said 'Whatever you think'. ... The presents from Santa? Oh, those were put under the tree by us. I guess we did kinda lie, huh? We just didn't want you to feel left out. Besides, what's the harm of believing in the pagan god of the storm, I mean the god of the toys, I mean Santa Claus?.....God? No, no, no, He's really real. ... Seriously, He is. ... Yes, He really does see you when you're sleeping...Yes, He really does know when you're awake...Yes, He does know if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake...I know there's no difference, but trust us, He's for real, really real."

Well, we killed the false god. I can't believe we ever considered letting our children believe in such a thing. We never pushed the whole Santa thing, but we never shut it down as false either. Now, as April approaches, I'm cleaning my gun. It's rabbit season, you know.

Comment from my wife's blog...

2005-11-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

This was posted on my wife's blog by my long lost friend who better be coming to Dallas soon, read it here in the comments after my wife's awesome post about your's truly: http://meditatewithme.blogspot.com. It's awesome, hilarious, and frog-in-the-throat causing.

If ever there were a dork to me
If ever this was a possibility
If ever one was filled with Glee
Compare Rick Harper and this you'll see

I first met Rick who used Arnold's voice
Thy husband thought he had the jokes of choice
But the Eastern spiders at University Terrace
were no match for one of God's fairest

The heavens agree, I have not doubt
Thy husband who was once muscular and stout
Thy arms have shrunk, thy chest is weary
Replaced with theological query

He's serving God with an unknown zeal
All spiders in his path he will kill
The lurking widow and brown recluse
and Satan's infection of the blues
Cannot stifle this man of God
To Dallas or Austin he will carry Aaron's rod
A priest of Christ he has become
No longer a dead sinful bum

To Dallas we must ride where the sun will set
To see the Harpers and coffee get
The friendship of the H Houses will not stop
Our horses will ride to the coffeeshop!

Drinking and talking: it gets no riper
Discussing Luther, Calvin, and Piper
Talking and laughing, scorning and mocking
The poor and pathetic Arminian church doctrine

Oops. We've judged a whole people
People who worship under the same steeple
Forgiveness we seek; we'll pray in the lot
With the bad breath of an espresso shot

Back home to our wives who are on the phone with each other
Acting so strange, kind of like my mother
"What were ya'll doing?" the wives humbly ask
"We were at the pub sharing a flask!"
"No way" she said behind images of hell
"Yes way" I said as I wished we drank ale

"Just joking" I said. Just coffee for us
As we sat, sipped and tried to discuss
The tenets of faith, hope, and love
Losing salvation and the Spiritual dove

Stop with the rhymes. We must leave now
In a car, a plane, or a saddled cow
To Dallas we go. On Jupiter lane
My coffee and talk just isn't the same
Without thy husband it's different you see
No more cups of undilluted VB
The conversation is stale the coffee is bad
I talk to myself; isnt' that sad?

I get me a Demon and stay up half the night
All by myself in P.J.'s dim light
The atheists and gays won't talk to me
My friend is in Austin learning theology
I tell the clerk, "Please put my coffee on the tab until
My friend comes to pay with a fake dollar bill"
No, it's not fake I laugh at the girl
It's his grandpa's, you see, he's the jokester of the world
She frowns, she doesn't get it
My attempt at humor has failed
Thy husband's not here, so I embarrasingly bailed
Out of the shop and back to my house
To be with my wife and fight with the mouse

from THE LOST POEMS OF ANNE BRADSTREET

3, 2, 1, ZERO

2005-11-06T21:16:00.000-06:00

I find myself checking my counter anxiously everyday to see how many people have read my writing. When my counter goes way up, I get a little prideful; when my counter doesn't go up, I get a little down. Why? Because of pride; I want people to read what I write, as if I have something on my site that is worth reading. When I would ask myself about the purpose of my counter, I would lie to myself in many ways. The ultimate purpose, the real reason for the counter is to feed my ego. So, I have removed my counter to do away with a source of a problem.

Be Back Soon...

2005-11-02T12:57:00.000-06:00

I've got 36 pages I have to write. No time for blogging at the moment. Be back soon.

That's a lot of work I know, but I just got some good news!!! I really did just save a lot of money on car insurance by switching to Geico!!! Woo Hoo!

Peace
Rick

The Cultural Christian / The Cultural Pastor Part 2 of Many

2005-10-27T23:53:00.000-05:00

Maybe this movement has "good intentions". Maybe they see this as becoming all things to all people in order to save some. Maybe they see no other choice but to dumb down the message and the service (substance and style), because everything about everything is being dumbed down in all aspects of life today. As "good" as the intentions may be, let the Word of God shed light on what is falsely called light; on what is actually Satan's greatest tool, the Cultural Christian/Pastor movement.
"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
(1Co 2:1-5)

Cultural pastor, your cunning, crafty, "intelligent", culture-soaked worship may bring up the number, but it's not the number of souls saved that are rising. Stop relying on your wisdom, the wisdom of men, the wisdom of the world, and rely on God to prick the hearts with the unadulterated Gospel message that Paul vowed only to teach. Do not be ashamed to stand up and speak truth, the Gospel. Accept that God did indeed choose the foolishness of preaching to save His elect.

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
(1Co 1:18-31)

------------------------------
"Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you."
(1Jo 3:13)

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
(Joh 15:18-20)

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
(Rom 12:1-2)

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began"
(2Ti 1:8-9)

"So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."
(Rom 1:15-18)

To be continued...

The Cultural Christian / The Cultural Pastor Part 1 of Many

2005-10-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

This series of blogs will be long; I make no apology.

He and his three friends pull up in the parking lot early. Obviously not early enough; the lot is packed, and they have to park close to the grass at least a football field away from the show. "Hurry up! Lock it please; I'm gonna leave my bag in the car," he says. They reach the building and get in the back of the line. Through the walls they can hear the beat, beat, beat, beat of the bass from the stage.

Sadly, this isn't a narrative of four guys waiting anxiously in line for the upcoming U2 concert; this is the narrative of four guys waiting in line for their Sunday morning "worship" service.

This is the not-so-new movement that is quickly sweeping through Christendom creating millions of people with a false sense of security in their new found buddy, Jesus. I could go on naming names, such as Walther Kallestad who actually has clowns in worship, Joel Osteen who everso beautifully never touches the word sin, or Rick Warren who can have me entrepeneuring for Jesus in just 40 easy days, but that's not my agenda. My focus is currently on what we see with our own eyes in our own churches. The easy and not so hard to believe truth that is being fed to young and old minds in hopes that the numbers in the bulletin rise for a change instead of drop like they have been in the last few years.

In many churches Sunday morning is no longer a place for believers to gather, humbly but zealously sing songs and hymns that tell of the wondrous salvific work of Christ and scream out our unworthiness and therefore thankfulness to the God who has saved us, a place for believers to stand in humble adoration for Scripture reading and prayer soaked in thankfulness, where we are lead in confession or are able to confess our sins and then hear or sing of our forgiveness that we are graciously granted as we're cleansed in the precious blood of Christ our Lord, where we hear a deep, thoughtful, thought-provoking, 20 hour in preparation Bible exposition that pierces our hearts and prepares us to go out into the world revived and rejuvenated showing the love in us that the Father has for us, where the climax of our fellowship and worship is the Lord's Meal where we commune and take part in the body and blood of Christ reactualizing not only His death on the cross, but the full salvific work, the life, righteousness, suffering, death, the powerful resurrection, and His current reign over all things in Heaven, where the Holy Spirit of God strengthens us and prepares us and teaches us and reveals truth to us and nurtures us and lifts us up, and so on and so on. These things are being lost, and not slowly, but they are being swept out from under our feet!

Worship as the Scriptures know it is being, in many churches, transformed into the tool to appeal to the outside rings in Tom Long's Bullseye (the non-believers and the Sunday morning cultural Christians). The cultural pastor now yells, "No longer is the world supposed to hate us! No longer are we to go out into the world and make our disciples! No longer are we to be persecuted! No longer are we to be a peculiar people! No longer is the Gospel going to be offensive! We are taking matters into our own hands!" Now, these "Christians" no longer have to be ashamed of the Gospel that they know no one wants to hear, because that Gospel no longer exists in their vocabulary. The Good News is now actually "good news". It's user-friendly, easy to hear, and easy to live. It fits in with the lifestyle of the person who says "give me a message on the 'unconditional love' of God and let me go home to the game or give me nothing at all!"

The center of the Long's Bullseye is tiny. And in that very small, hard to hit target are the committed, informed, but most importantly, Spirit-filled, Spirit-regenerated, fed-by-the-Spirit Christians who thrive on every word contained in the Book of hard truths we call the Bible. We hang on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We arrive at the place we gather longing for the long-awaited sermon, songs, prayer, teachings, fellowship, love, and Meal that God has granted us to partake. We need those 20 or more hours poured into the exposition of Scripture, we need to be lead in our confession of sin, we need to hear of the grace and forgiveness that we receive, we need to hear how our minds should be renewed and how we must spend every day of our lives unconforming to the world outside! Instead, the last thing we need is the very thing we get: CULTURE SOAKED SERVICE. The movement feeds the cravings of the cultural crowd with their cultural music. Some feed them with movies of the day, fun and games, and excitement. Some feed them with the exciting message that God loves everyone no matter what being that God is love and His love must be unconditional (therefore no one goes to hell). Some feed them with whatever it takes to keep them in the building so the number does not fall, because high numbers equal success.

One Step Closer

2005-10-26T00:18:00.000-05:00

One Step Closer by U2
Album - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

I'm 'round the corner from anything that's real
I'm across the road from hope
I'm under a bridge in a rip tide
That's taken everything I call my own

One step closer to knowing
One step closer to knowing

I'm on an island at a busy intersection
I can't go forward, I can't turn back
Can't see the future
It's getting away from me
I just watch the tail lights glowing

One step closer to knowing
One step closer to knowing
One step closer to knowing
Knowing, knowing

I'm hanging out to dry
With my old clothes
Finger still red with the prick of an old rose
Well the heart that hurts
Is a heart that beats
Can you hear the drummer slowing?

One step closer to knowing
One step closer to knowing
One step closer to knowing
To knowing, to knowing, to knowing

Day at the Lake & Pumpkin Patch

2005-10-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Trip Into the City 2

2005-10-22T22:08:00.000-05:00

Another amazing day! It was more than amazing. We took the Dart train, the cable car trolley...and yes, Marq, we went to the Dallas Museum of Art. It was so awesome! I can't wait to go back. Marq, we'll have to go in December.

It was great to just forget everything and spend some time with the family. Here are some pictures of two amazing days:

Trip Into the City 1

2005-10-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

It's a Beautiful Day

2005-10-20T19:59:00.000-05:00

We had a great day today, even though Kelli was sick. It was great just staying home, keeping my head out of the books, and spending the day together. Before lunch we went to a pumpkin patch and played and took some pictures, then we all went to White Rock Lake and played on a huge tree that touches the ground and watched sailboats. We threw big rocks in the water and explained to Eli that the huge shadows in the water weren't whales but shadows of the trees. Kai learned how to balance on the log with the big boys (Eli and me). With the Dallas skyscrapers in the background of the lake, we decided that tomorrow is going to be another great day; so we're going into the city (where the skyscrapers are) tomorrow for the first time since living here. At Kai's nap-time Kelli, Eli, and I sat down and watched Batman Begins. It's an awesome movie, I recommend it whether you like comic book heroes or not.

It's been a beautiful day. Praise God!

Pictures coming soon.

Visible & Invisible

2005-10-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

Is there in fact a "visible" church and an "invisible" church? While we know that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (Rom 9:6), does this correspond to the New Testament church? Are there weeds sown among the wheat (Mat 13:25)? Some argue that there is no such thing as the "visible and invisible church". I believe the New Testament teaches that there is in fact a physical church that the human being is capable of seeing, and there is an invisible church that only God in Heaven with all certainty sets His eyes upon.

God has a chosen people. We are called the Church. All others are vessels of wrath, sons of disobedience owned by the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2). Yes, we were all at one time in such a state, but God created life in us, the Church, freeing us from the enslaving chains of death in which the vessels of wrath remain. Can these sons of disobedience, put on sheeps clothing and mingle in the blessings that the children of God receive in the sanctifying life they now live? Can their prince sneak in during the night and sow his weeds in the same field that is cultivated for the wheat? Can we not by our own discernment answer an emphatic YES to these questions? Yes!

There are more than several references in the New Testament that teach this truth. I'll mention a few.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
(Mat 7:15-23)

These weeds sown among us we sometimes will recognize by their fruits, or lack of, but will some be able to deceive the Church all the days of their lives? These particular people at least tried to keep up their false righteousness until the end. They will dare tell the Lord they did all things for His sake, but they were "never" known by Him.

Some will last until harvest.
He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
(Mat 13:24-30)

They are sown in by the enemy in hopes of choking the Master's wheat and deminishing the grain or fruit that will be produced by true wheat.

Most will leave, in order that it might become plain that they are sons of disobedience, weeds once growing with the wheat.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
(1Jo 2:19)

There are many many references to there being a church within the church, just as there was indeed an Israel within Israel. I hope to study this more in depth in the coming weeks. I pray that in better understanding this, it will lead to a better understanding of some other things I'm hashing out at the moment.

Rom 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,

Mat 13:25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

Heb 6:7-8 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. (8) But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

1Jo 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

It's been a great week, and I praise God for it.

conscientia

2005-10-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

Good or bad? Luther said that man is driven to dispair by his conscience. I believe the conscience can be the devil's tool. The conscience creates guilt, which Luther would say is able to bring about despair.
Guilt can overcast grace. I wonder if Paul had what today we call the conscience in mind when he wrote Romans 7:14-25. My sin brings me to shame and guilt, my conscience screams "Wretched hopeless man!", but it is silenced by my God-given faith that Jesus Christ has died for my wretchedness.
The conscience can be an enemy, a tool in the devil's hand. But, faith in Christ and assurance of God's undefeatable, indescribable grace, takes the conscience that is the tool in the evil one's hand, and uses it to his, Satan's, own demise. Then, my conscience is eased, and although I am in fact a wretched man, I know I'm accepted by God (washed in Christ's blood), and I accept, yet fight against, my wretchedness.

Praise God

Back From the City of Austin

2005-09-27T12:54:00.000-05:00

The roads were traveled once again. I got in tonight around 10:00 I guess. Classes are going extremely well. I'm reading more than I've ever read in my entire life! If you look at my reading list down there on the right, you'll notice that the same books are still there; that's because for school, I'm reading like a book a week. My reading for pleasure time has diminished immensely. In my Reading the Old Testament class, well, I really am reading the Old Testament. Go figure! Christian Worship and Introduction to Theology are great classes as well.

Lord, where do you want me??? What am I to do?
My family and I picked up and moved to Dallas for me to go to seminary. I get asked everyday, "Rick, so what are you going to do when you graduate?" I kind of laugh and answer, "Man, I have no idea."
The Lord brought me here, no doubt. He rearranged my life, my plans, my mind, and provided the way to bring me to my current place in life. But what does He want with me? I'm prideful; I'm terrified of speaking (I'm not eloquent, I'm slow of speech and of tongue!); I'm unorganized; I'm a slow reader; I'm not a comprehensive reader (I have to read every other paragraph over again); I struggle with the same sin over and over; but He still picked me to be here, serving Him, learning His Word, His ways, and His love. I just can't figure out what I have that could possibly be used in ministry. So I'm waiting patiently. Trusting. I know God chose me; or else I'd still be lost in my filthy flesh back in Louisiana. Patiently I'm waiting; so it's OK with me that I don't know what I will be doing in 2 years. The Lord brought me here today, and He'll bring me there tomorrow. And I praise Him for that! I praise God for choosing me! Praise God!

Exo 4:10-12 "But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." (11) Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? (12) Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.""

2Ti 1:6-7 "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, (7) for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

2Ti 2:1-2 "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, (2) and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Hurricane Shelter

2005-09-22T07:55:00.000-05:00

If you have to leave because of the hurricane and need a place to stay, we are in Dallas and have some room; also, we know others who will be glad to open their doors; email me at wave_rider80@hotmail.com and leave me your name and number or contact info. I'll be checking email often throughout the next few days.

being shaped

2005-09-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

They've carved me out of what once was before me. So I'm thankful for them all. Lives, deaths, screams, guns, rocks, grass, crystals, cops, acids, the letter x, wrecks, threats, promises, d, lies, truths, and all others. One by one, day by day, night by night, they placed in me grain by grain the pieces of sand that build the hill, slowly forming into a castle. Love, births, life and life, love, joy, peace, suffering, friends, love, joy, and peace, are used to sustain the building process.

Regrets don't exist. They've all shaped me; how could I regret any of them.

Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."

To regret, well, that would be to doubt God.

I thank God for every day of my life. He has placed every one of my days before me. He is shaping me, and these are His tools.

It's all down hill from here...

2005-09-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

I'm 25 tomorrow, my insurance goes down. Woo hoo! Then, later I turn 65 and get senior citizens discounts! Nice!

Travelin' Man
I am the travelin' man. As you know, I drive to Austin from Dallas (which takes me 3 & 1/2 hours one way) on Monday, and back on either Tuesday night at 7:00 or Wednesday morning; depending on how tired I am. Tomorrow, I'm taking off to Logansport, LA, to see some of my family. We're driving back to Dallas (home) Saturday evening. Gas is destroying my life! Not really, but it is high. This is my last trip aside from Austin for a LONG time.

I have so much on my mind, but I have no time tonight to put it into words. Right now, life is in 5th gear and the pedal is pressed to the floor. Those of you who have my number, give a brother a call. It's always good to hear from friends.

Lonely Friends

My 2 lonely friends. I promised them both they'd see surf soon. I think I lied to 'em. What a shame; someone bring some surf to Dallas!

Alright, no deep thoughts tonight, sorry for any disappointment. Next time my friends, next time.

Currently listening to:
Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

Personal Random Confessions
qraM, Renovatio, I'm with you. I know that feeling all too well. We'll lift each other up.

Opportunities

2005-09-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's been hard to blog since the move. I've been extremely busy. Once we get settled down in our routines, I hope to be a more faithful blogger. I have to get up in the morning and travel to Austin for class; it is late, but I'll at least write a quick entry about today. It was an awesome day.

Today, I taught the young married's class. I was extremely pleased with the awesome discussion that took place after the reading of scripture. It went exactly how I hoped and prayed it would go. I hope it was as fruitful for the rest of the class as it was for me. I realized a lot of things preparing for the lesson on a part of Acts. It brought to light for me just how many opportunities I miss to share the grace that was given to me by God. Everyday, hundreds of opportunities that I fail to see or even see and pass over for fear of rejection or just plain fear itself. I have the Gospel, or as John Piper puts it, the cure to the plague that is taking over the world, and I did nothing to deserve it. I just found this cure for this terrible disease that is killing everyone in Dallas, and I give it to myself, my boys, my wife, and my parents and I lock it up in a box and store it away while the city of Dallas is perishing. It's the same with the Gospel, worse even. I've received the Gospel; I've received grace, something I most certainly didn't deserve. I have the only cure for death, and I keep it for myself so often. I pray that God will use me and grant me to spread His Gospel and Word.

After woship, we went to Spring Creek BBQ with Enrique and his family and Matt and his family. Amazing people. I thank God for them and pray that our friendships will continue to strengthen. Fellowship is essential to my spiritual life. Praise God for these two families!

Grace Lavished Upon Me
Eph 1:7-10 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (8) which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight (9) making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ (10) as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

From Desiring God @ www.desiringgod.org

2005-09-09T01:35:00.000-05:00

Was Katrina Intelligent Design?
Editor's Note: For resources on responding to Hurricane Katrina, see the "Today at DG" section on the Desiring God homepage.

September 2, 2005

On his 89th birthday (August 31) NPR Senior News Analyst, Daniel Schorr, observed that President Bush had “staked out a non-position” on the debate between evolution and intelligent design. Bush had said that “both sides ought to be properly taught in the schools of America.” Then, with manifest scorn, Schorr linked the devastation of Hurricane Katrina with the concept of intelligent design: “[Bush] might well have reflected that, if this was the result of intelligent design, then the designer has something to answer for.”

No, Mr. Schorr, you have something to answer for, not God. God answers to no man. Come, Daniel Schorr, take your place with Job and answer your Maker: “The Lord answered Job [and Daniel Schorr] out of the whirlwind and said: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. . . . Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed”?’” (Job 38:1-3, 8-11).

Who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Shall the pot say to the Potter, “This is an unintelligent way to show your justice and your power? Come, Maker of heaven and earth, sit at my feet—I have lived 89 years and have gotten much wisdom—and I will teach you—the eternal God—how to govern the universe”?

No. Rather let us put our hands on our mouths and weep both for the perishing and for ourselves who will soon follow. Whatever judgment has fallen, it is we who deserve it—all of us. And whatever mercy is mingled with judgment in New Orleans neither we nor they deserve.

God sent Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners. He did not suffer massive shame and pain because Americans are pretty good people. The magnitude of Christ’s suffering is owing to how deeply we deserve Katrina—all of us.

Our guilt in the face of Katrina is not that we can’t see the intelligence in God’s design, but that we can’t see arrogance in our own heart. God will always be guilty of high crimes for those who think they’ve never committed any.

But God commits no crimes when he brings famine, flood, and pestilence on the earth. “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” (Amos 3:6). The answer of the prophet is no. God’s own testimony is the same: “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). And if we ask, is there intelligent design in it all, the Bible answers: “You meant evil . . . but God meant it [designed it] for good” (Genesis 50:20).

This will always be ludicrous to those who put the life of man above the glory of God. Until our hearts are broken, not just for the life-destroying misery of human pain, but for the God-insulting rebellion of human sin, we will not see intelligent design in the way God mingles mercy and judgment in this world. But for those who bow before God’s sovereign grace and say, “From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever,” they are able to affirm, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:36, 33). And wisdom is another name for intelligent design.

No, Daniel Schorr, God does not answer to us. We answer to him. And we have only one answer: “Guilty as charged.” Every mouth is stopped and the whole world is accountable before God. There is only one hope to escape the flood of God’s wrath. It is not the levee of human virtue but the high ground called Calvary. All brokenhearted looters and news analysts and pastors are welcome there.

Officially Texans

2005-09-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

Man, there is absolutely no way I could possibly bring you up to speed on everything that has taken place since our move on August 13, 2005. It's been 3 weeks full of ups and downs. I've sat down several times over the last 2 weeks to give an update on our lives, but each time, I sat and thought, and thought, and thought and could not decide what or what not to include. These have been the most packed 3 weeks of my entire life, all 24 years of it.

We moved in on a Saturday; our apartment is awesome. We love it, and the kids love it. The boys have done especially well with the move. They've adjusted unbelievably well, so praise God for that! The apartment swimming pools played a huge role in their positive transition. We met some really cool people in our building. They are our age and have 2 children who are our childrens' ages. They also have one on the way. They're searchers; searching for life in this world of death. They haven't experienced the joy that is to be found in our Father. Sovereign God has placed us in each other's lives; I pray that I'm always mindful of that and that I seek His will in all of our experiences here in Dallas. We are beginning a Bible study with our neighbors next week when they return from vacation. Pray that our study and friendship will be fruitful and pleasing to the Lord.
Life is going to be full here. After 3 weeks in Dallas, I'm working at Meadow View as an intern (working with the young married group and youth group), we've started meeting with a small group for study on Thursday nights (more about that later), we begin our study with our neighbors next week, I drive 3 hours to Austin on Monday mornings for my 2 Monday classes then spend the night for my Tuesday evening class and drive home, and so on. So we have become very very busy people. It is worth every second. I pray that God will use us here to further His Kingdom and bring His people to Him, as well as prepare us for future ministry.

The Lord is faithful; we are not.
Prayer upholds me spiritually. It gives me strength for my day. It brings me into a deeper relationship with God. The Lord acts when we pray. God has ordained a means of communication, communion, petition for us that we are so incredibly blessed to have. Unfortunately, I take that great blessing for granted. John Piper asks the question, "Would my life be described as a life devoted to prayer?" With all the change, and this is a pitiful excuse, I have been slacking in my prayer life. It's been hard to pray lately, but as Piper says so boldly, "So it's hard to pray? Join the fallen humanity club! It's hard for anybody to pray! Fight it when it's hard to pray!!!" I'm fighting. I'm fighting with all my might. By experience, I've found that the weeks that I spend more time with the Lord in prayer are my happiest weeks of all. The weeks that I spend less time with the Lord are my hardest weeks of all. Prayer strengthens us and helps sustain us. Fight it when it's hard to pray! It's impossible to be a Christian if we spend no personal time with God in prayer.

Finding others amongst the millions.
I'm really excited about another intern, Wesley, who is in his second year at Meadow View. He's an amazing man with an amazing family. He leads the Hispanic ministry at Meadow View which I sat in on 2 Wednesdays ago. I enjoyed it very much and learned a little Spanish from it as well. He and his family came over last week and Virginia, his wife, made Toquitos. Woooo!!! They were amazing!!! Everytime we get together, he and I have awesome theological conversations and heart felt personal discussions which encourage me and stimulate my desire for the Lord and doing His work. I praise God for him and his family and look forward to growing closer to them as the Lord blesses us with fellowship. Kelli and Virginia are very much alike and get along extremely well. Praise God for that also.

Tonight, we had our first small group meeting with a couple of the young married couples. It was awesome. We tossed around ideas for study and structure. The Lord has really blessed us. Kelli and I have been praying for and hoping for and desperately needing a group similar to what we had back home in Natchitoches and I believe God is forming us into that group now. Enrique and his family are amazing. We look forward to growing in a strong and deep Christ-centered relationship with these people. Like us, they are seeking the Lord's will in all things. They are genuine lovers of God. I pray that God will use them in our lives as well as ours in theirs. Likewise, Andy and Sarah are amazing. Andy is the enthusiastic youth minister at Meadow View. I sat in on his class last night, and I was really impressed. He was an awesome teacher, and the kids seem to really love him and learn from him. I was also impressed with some of the comments from some of the young people in class. It is so refreshing and encouraging to see and hear young people with a zeal for the Lord that I have only recently found. I pray that these kids continue to walk with the Lord and serve Him with all of their hearts. Back to Andy, he's a great guy with a great wife, I know that the Lord has great things in the coming years for our families. I pray that the Lord will everyday strengthen our relationships. And there are others, too many to mention.

My blog is getting long, so I'll let you get back to surfing the net. Be on your guard. The devil in prowling, but the Lord is our shield.

Continue in prayer for us.
Grace and Peace in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Rick Harper

We've Moved! Update coming soon... (9/2/05)

2005-09-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

Count Down

2005-08-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

Our time is coming to an end here in Natchitoches. Today is Monday; we're pulling out in a U-Haul Saturday. It's bitter sweet, but mostly sweet. I'm cleaning out my office right now at work. It's bringing a lot of memories over the past 2 years to mind. This Thursday will be 2 years that I've worked at the paper mill. So, Friday, my last day, will make 2 years and a day for Weyerhaeuser.

I can't wait to move to Dallas! I can't wait to start our new lives. I miss our friends that have already gone before us. I can't wait to see them. But the absolute worst part, the part that I am most sad about, is leaving behind who I consider my best friend. I don't think I'll ever find a friend like I found in Jason Hughes. Man, I'm gonna miss the coffee discussions that we have. The prayers. Walking into the Church building and seeing him, or being bummed out when he has to work during worship. Chatting to each other over Yahoo Messenger about Reformed Theology or the forum. My heart hurts when I think about not being able to spend these times with him anymore. He and I have come so far together. He's strengthened me when I needed strengthening. He's encouraged me when I needed encouragement. I tried to talk him into packing up and coming with us; I think it's a great idea! haha! I hope God has it in our plans to be located close to each other one day. God is clearly working in Jason and Jessica's lives. Praise God! I pray that they will always serve God with all of their hearts for every second of their lives.

Time goes by so fast. When I pulled into Natchitoches for the first time in 1999, my plans for my future and what has become of my future are like black and white; complete opposites. The Lord our God is so amazing and sovereign! He, being so rich in mercy, has brought me to places I never would have dreamed that I would be. He has changed my heart from being a hard, black rock, to a living heart of flesh that desires Him with its every particle. Thank You, My God! Thank You for bringing me here and not to where I had planned in 1999. Thank you for my beautiful wife and children!!! I devote my life to You Oh Lord! Use me!

Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life

So take the photographs
And still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf of
Good health and good time
Tattoos of memories
And dead skin on trial
For what it's worth
It was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life

It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life

It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life

I Love Thee By Eliza Acton

2005-08-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

I love thee, as I love the calm
Of sweet, star-lighted hours!
I love thee, as I love the balm
Of early jes'mine flow'rs.
I love thee, as I love the last
Rich smile of fading day,
Which lingereth, like the look we cast,
On rapture pass'd away.
I love thee as I love the tone
Of some soft-breathing flute
Whose soul is wak'd for me alone,
When all beside is mute.

I love thee as I love the first
Young violet of the spring;
Or the pale lily, April-nurs'd,
To scented blossoming.
I love thee, as I love the full,
Clear gushings of the song,
Which lonely--sad--and beautiful--
At night-fall floats along,
Pour'd by the bul-bul forth to greet
The hours of rest and dew;
When melody and moonlight meet
To blend their charm, and hue.
I love thee, as the glad bird loves
The freedom of its wing,
On which delightedly it moves
In wildest wandering.

I love thee as I love the swell,
And hush, of some low strain,
Which bringeth, by its gentle spell,
The past to life again.
Such is the feeling which from thee
Nought earthly can allure:
'Tis ever link'd to all I see
Of gifted--high--and pure!

To Kelli by me

2005-08-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

My day gets so bright,
When I see your pretty eyes.
I love our Hello’s,
But I hate the goodbye’s.

If I could hold you all day,
It would be all that I need.
To see your face all day long,
Pure sweetness, indeed!

Never in My Life by me

2005-08-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

Never in my life
Have I seen something so great.
Some would call it a miracle,
Some would call it fate.

A miracle is what I lean towards,
That’s the only answer to be.
Because only God could grant a blessing
As perfect to someone like me.

The miracle that God performed
Is greater than water to wine.
Thank you God for the perfect miracle
Of making Kelli mine!

Skating With Eli & Kai

2005-08-05T22:07:00.000-05:00

SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!

2005-08-05T21:48:00.000-05:00

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

2005-08-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

"I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..""
author unknown

Imagine All the People

2005-08-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

6,457,513,023 = the population of the world today. It climbs everyday.

So many people. It's hard to imagine so many people existing, living their lives, experiencing joys and hardships, being driven by evil or being driven by good, and being born and dying. It's hard to imagine 6 and 1/2 billion of anything. I had never realized how many people are actually in the world until I started traveling for my job.

I went to San Francisco a while back. Oh what a beautiful place! It was amazing; the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the mountains, the sea lions, Chinatown, Pier 39, the food, and of course the ocean. So many people just in the one city, living separate lives while I live my life way down in Louisiana.

Then, it really hit me when I went to New York City. It was an amazing trip! I loved it. The buildings that I've seen on TV and in magazines, Times Square, Empire State Building, Trump Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, Fox News, ABC, MTV, and of course the solemn Ground Zero of the terror attacks. The minute we arrived it was complete chaos. We got to our hotel, which was in Times Square, and immediately went out to Times Square to find a restaurant. I've never in my life felt so insignificant! A germ among millions. One ant in 100 acres. One grain of sand on Galveston Island. But the most overwhelming feeling was that of being amongst so many obvious dead people. I was walking in the world's largest morgue.

We made it to Applebee's, of all places, it was least crowded. We sat on the second floor by the window so we could watch all of the people. I just can't describe the feelings I had while there. Imagine thousands upon thousands of people, "living for today", living for work and working for life, praying to the god of money and money being their god, waiting for the next fix and fixing their problems with white powder or green grass or sex or nothing at all but wasting time walking.

Though I enjoyed being in New York City and seeing all of the sites that I've always wanted to see, and meeting a couple of celebrities, and being on Fox and Friends, and being on People's Court, haha!, and remembering 9-11 at Ground Zero, I couldn't help being overwhelmed with a depressing feeling. I was depressed by thinking of not only NYC's population, but the world's population, and how many of the world's population were actually living life spiritually dead. Most people claim to be a Christian where I'm from, but stepping into a place where suddenly most people would rather lose a limb than be called a Christian was heart breaking and eye opening.

I would love to visit NYC again. I love to travel. But, this time, I think I would have a new agenda. Although I would probably be mocked and ridiculed and thought of as one of the thousands of crazies that walk the streets in NYC, my agenda would be to bring one of those millions of dead people in the great morgue to life. I pray that God will use me to bring some of the dead to life throughout my years.

So, imagine all the people, living life in peace because God has brought peace into their lives making them alive in Christ Jesus our Lord. Imagine all the people no longer worshipping their god known as the Franklin, but worshipping the God who created the world in which they live and are even able to worship at all. Imagine God using us to change the hearts and minds of all the people.

Praise God! Use me Lord. Use me.

Nail-Driver

2005-07-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

By unpopular demand, here is my next blog!

I’ve been a grocery bagger, a waiter, a salesman, a programmer, a network admin, a few other things, and now an IT Manager, but the thing that I’m best at by far is driving nails. Yeah, nail-driving is what I do best. I mean, it ought to be; I must drive 106,271 nails a day! When someone drives that many nails a day, they’ve got to become an expert at the trade in no time. That’s what I’ve done. I can say that I am for sure an expert nail-driver.

I am a Roman soldier. And still, Jesus Christ says to the Father about me, “Forgive Him, Father. Rick does not know what he is doing.”

If I held you down, and took your hand and hammered a nail in it, how would you feel toward me? On top of that, now add about 106,271 more nails everyday. You’d hate me. You’d wish that I would burn in Hell. Not Jesus. He loves me even so. I drive nails in His precious hands and feet everyday, and still His amazing grace is sufficient for me. I hate being a Roman soldier. I wish I was a Peter or Paul. However, Peter and Paul drove their portion of nails as well. So we’re all nail-drivers.

I wonder if our arms will ever get tired of swinging a hammer. I wonder if we’ll ever run out of nails. All I know is, I love Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with all my heart and want to serve Him every second of my life. Maybe if I can just throw one nail a day away then maybe I can give Christ one more of those seconds of my life a day.

I don’t want to be a nail-driver. I want to be a cross-bearer. I want to be a Jesus lover; a Jesus freak. I want the world to stop cheering me on while I hammer away and start hating me because I throw the nails and hammer on the ground and begin begging them to love the man we crucify.

Everyday, by the Holy Spirit’s power, I think I drive a few less nails. Praise God for that! My sin is great, but His grace is greater! Praise God in Heaven! Praise God for lifting me up, for calling me out of my tomb, and for making me alive. Praise God alone for saving me. Even while I was lost in my nail-driving trade, He lifted me up and made me alive. Praise Him!

Green Tea

2005-07-19T14:42:00.000-05:00

Not only am I a coffee addict, I also crave a cup of green tea regularly. Why am I drawn into desire for drink? I have cravings for Coke, wine, beer, especially coffee, and green tea. What is it that creates these cravings? Not only for myself, but others around me.

The ancient monks, as well as the modern, chant and meditate for hours upon hours in mountaintops in hopes to reach a state of enlightenment that would bring themselves into a spiritual balance beyond anything imaginable. They are known to break from their chanting and meditation for a cup of green tea. Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is "closest to Buddhism" than anything else. He regularly relaxes in meditation while drinking green tea. C.S Lewis, a Christian, would meet with others in a pub over a pitcher of beer and discuss the deeper things of God.

What is it with "thinkers" and drinkers? Do we get some kind of spiritually enlightened feeling that makes us feel a little more, well, "enlightened" when we drink certain drinks? I am a Chili Peppers fan, but I (a Christian; a believer in the one and only Son of God, Jesus Christ) began drinking green tea way before I knew that Anthony did the same. I'm sure C.S Lewis drank beer not because someone else he admired drank beer, but for some other reason/s. The monks have been drinking green tea for centuries.

I find it interesting that we, ones who desire a deeper understanding of life or God, tend to draw near to such habits that involve somewhat exotic liquid. Check the regulars at the local coffee shop; the group will include, but isn't limited to, thinking Christians and theologians, atheists digging for meaning in life, philosophers, poets, writers, readers, etc. You will rarely find a "normal", haha!, person in a coffee shop. Maybe that's it! For years people of the sort have been drinking these drinks and meeting in such places. Maybe we don't go to the coffee shop because we feel like it's the "thinking thing to do", but maybe we unconsciously know that it's the "thinking thing to do". Maybe while drinking these drinks, we unconsciously feel a little more intelligent; or like we are in the presence or same standing as histories great "thinkers". ;-)

Until next time, cheers!

The Coffee Shop

2005-07-11T23:35:00.000-05:00

Coffee Shops are a gift from God! I love them, and I love the coffee that they serve. I also love the conversation that is brought about in this magical place we call, The Coffee Shop.

This evening at 6:30PM, I met with one of the elders of our Church, Joel Worley, at PJ's Coffee House. What an amazing time! We talked for 2&1/2 hours straight with no wierd moments of silence. What I discovered was amazing. The stories that Joel told that I had never in the 6 years in Natchitoches heard before were touching and enlightening. It's a tragedy that I am leaving Natchitoches in 1 month exactly, and I am just discovering what I could learn from this man. He is such a gentle, kind, loving, Godly man. I see the love for God and God's people in his face when he talks. We are meeting again next Monday evening. I thank God for the time we had tonight. I can't wait for our next meeting.

I've had many conversations in PJ's. Jason Hughes and I have probably spent hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars at this place. A couple of years ago our conversations were full of doubt, searching for ways to disprove the Bible. Now, we are praying and discussing theological issues that I had no idea even existed a couple of years ago. Now we are praising God and striving to glorify Him in our study and coffee conversation. We've gone from finding numbers that don't match up, to counting the infinite number of the ways we can serve Him. Praise God! And thank God for coffee and the houses that serve it.

Maybe one day, a latte won't cost a LOT-te.

Bringing you up to speed...

2005-07-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

My name is Rick Harper. At the moment I live in Natchitoches, LA, supposedly the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase (I think); yes, the place where Steel Magnolias was filmed. I've been here for about 6 years now. Enough with that crap, let me tell you the important stuff that is going on, and how God is so evidentally working in my life.

Before a little over a year ago, I was a piece of dirt; in fact, I was more like a piece of used cat litter. I was a God-hater, a life-hater, and a self-hater. I was hopeless, helpless, faithless, and a coward. A hypocrit to say the least. I made some horrible choices, hurting many people around me, risking the loss of my family and everything that I had forgotten that I loved so much. I've struggled with depression my whole life; it was passed down through both sides of my family. During this time, I was THE most depressed I had ever been. I fell and broke through rock-bottom, smashing into the pits of Hell.

However, the Lord used three guys, two of which are my best friends, to drag me out of bed one night, and call me to repentance. I broke. The Lord had brought me to my absolute lowest possible position. Moreover, He held me there until my pitiful fighting ceased, and all I could do was arise a new man; a new creation. The Lord God rained His grace upon me. My eyes opened to the tremendous, awesome grace of our Lord. I was no longer a God-hater, now I was truly a God-lover from the marrow of my bones to my outer skin. I was filled with the Spirit and the love of God. I had new zeal. The Cross of Christ was suddenly my all. It consumed my thoughts, and sprang forth my actions. This, only God can do. The grace of God is too amazing for words. It brought a lowly, wretched piece of dirt like me and completely rearranged my inner and outer beings. Christ is all and God is love.

I still consider myself a piece of dirt, but now I'm a piece of dirt loved by my Father in Heaven. I have meaning and purpose. I know my duty at my home, at work, at Wal-Mart, in the car, wherever I may be. I am to bring glory to God in everything I do. I am to love and lead my wife as Christ loves and leads His bride. I am to love and lead my children in the grace and discipline of the Lord.

Lord willing, in a month I will be in Dallas, TX, working at a Church in Mesquite, TX, while going to school on Mondays and Tuesdays in Austin, TX, at Austin Graduate School of Theology. Praise God for what He has done in my life. Praise God!

Hear some of the amazing things God has done recently:
After deciding to go into the ministry, I planned to go to a little school in Dallas, TX, called the Center for Christian Education. I got accepted, then the Lord provided a place for me to intern at a Church in Mesquite, TX. They agreed to provide us with $1000/month, which is a little less than half of what we were planning to raise. I put in my notice to work months early, so I could train the person who would be replacing me. I put my house for sale; we put up signs and listed it in the paper. It wasn't long before I got a call from the president of the school regretting to inform me that this 40 year school around which I had centered my plans would be closing on June 30, 2005.

Of course, my jaw hit the floor. The shock of this news was like a bolt of lightning coming down upon my head. "What am I going to do? I've basically quit my job!" Oh the lack of faith! Of course my God would provide. The Church at which I will work worked fast and diligently on other options that would allow for me to attend school at still work at this amazing Church. The recommendation was one that my former preacher and current friend who is now in Oaxaca, Mexico, also recommended: Austin Graduate School of Theology. Done. I will go to Austin on Monday morning for classes, spend the night, go to class on Tuesday, and go home to Dallas. I got accepted, and around the same time I received a scholarship from the Tulsa Christian Foundation for $500/month. The Lord once again placed a piece in the puzzle called life. My current preacher and friend was accepted for a preaching position in Taylor, TX. His home is about 26 miles from Austin Grad. There's my place to stay, and we remain in close contact.

The latest curve ball, then I'll stop writing:
I was asked by the elder at the Church at which I will work to come up with the cost difference between what it would have cost to go to the Center (the school that closed), and what it will cost for me to go to Austin Grad (including gas for the 3 hour drive, meals, tuition, etc.). The bottom amount blew my mind: $11,850/year. Wow! "There's no way!" What little faith! My faith was a little stronger, I knew God would provide and show me where to go and what to do; however, I was relying on myself to make this decision that God had already made for me. I thought about dropping everything, all the hard work in Mesquite, and getting a job in Austin. I tried to contact someone at Austin Grad to ask about a possible position for me. He was out of the office 2 days straight. The third day, the day he would be returning, I got an email from one of the elders at the Church saying that the Center has decided to give the current students and the students who were enrolled $12,000 a piece! Praise God!!! God is so amazing! Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. The Lord has provided just enough to cover my first year. He has pieced the puzzle together for me much greater than I could have planned or imagined it. Praise God! God is good!

August 12, my family and I will make the big move to Dallas, TX. Pray for us. We need your prayers. Pray that God will use me to further His Kingdom. I love my God, and I want to serve Him with every second of my entire life. Praise God Most High!

2005-07-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

Weezer - Freak Me Out (sounds horrible, it was over the phone)

2005-07-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

To explain the title of my blogspot, this is me Halloween 2003. I was an 80's trucker. Theme music: "Convoy" by C.W. McCall