This is a video Matt Chandler made before his brain surgery last Friday. Watch it, and let God through Matt build up your faith.
Faith & Fear
12 November 2009 By Leave a Comment
When the people of Israel reached the Red Sea in Exodus 14 they looked back and saw elite units of one of the World’s elite armies hot on their trail. It is not terribly difficult to imagine the emotions that that stirred up in their hearts. The Israelites were not yet a people of war and they were sure that they were about to be slaughtered. And that is what they said to Moses. Exodus 14.11, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?”
Their fear is almost understandable. I say ‘almost’ because Israel had just witnessed God’s dramatic deliverance; God had brought them out of Egypt with a bang. They had personally seen God do amazing things, and it is too bad that they forgot so quickly. The could have trusted God – He came through for them before. However, with the sea on one side and one of the world’s most ruthless armies on the other, I might have reacted the same.
We all know how it all ended. God told Moses to have the people move forward and witness God’s saving power again – and God rescued His people while destroying the Egyptian army (Exodus 14.15-17).
How do we apply this today? There are many ways. We should work on being less forgetful about what God has done on our behalf in the past – that track record builds our faith and helps us with what we face today. Another obvious lesson we learn from this is that we should turn to God when we face trial, and not let fear run free in our hearts.
There is one more thing. I always think my trials are huge. After reading about this ancient trial, my perspective is a bit more accurate. After all, nothing I have faced yet is as big as the Red Sea!
“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and the rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation….” Exodus 15.1,2.
An Outstanding Joy
19 August 2009 By 3 Comments
It is a little hard to see, thanks to the full trap set placed conveniently in front of the baptistery (the drums sound great, though). But this photo is of my soon to be seven-year-old son, David, and I just a second before I baptized him last Sunday. He clearly understands the Gospel, and I could not be a happier dad.
Faith Like Potatoes
9 April 2009 By Leave a Comment
Faith Like Potatoes is based on the true plight of a South African farmer named Angus Buchan. After nearly unraveling with the stress and work of survival, Buchan placed his faith in Christ. With that strong anchor in place, Buchan was able to face challenge after challenge, and even a devastating personal tragedy – not unscathed, but with steadfast, unflinching hope. In the end, it is an inspiring account of triumphant faith in Jesus Christ, and I highly recommend it (prevalent negative reviews, a tiny bit of faith-healing, and some suspect theology notwithstanding 
).
CT published an indepth review of the movie that I found balanced and helpful. (Click here for that review).
When Ministers Fall
27 December 2008 By Leave a Comment
I am pausing sermon prep this morning to jot this quick entry of the things filling my mind now, only a few minutes after someone popped into my office to inform me that a minister whom I have met before has fallen into sin – and that it’s been made public. This obviously has debunked his ministry, caused shame to the cause of Christ, and made his future, and the future of his family, highly uncertain.
The following are a few things that I think I should do when I learn that a fellow minister has fallen:
- Consider my own fallen-ness, and keep in mind the grace of Christ in my life. John Newton’s words are so appropriate. “This is what I know: I am a great sinner. Christ is a great savior”.
- Pray for the fallen. Pray that he sincerely repents, that he sets his gaze on Christ; that he returns to the foot of the cross. Mourn for him if he doesn’t.
- Pray for the family of the fallen; for healing, recovery and that their faith in Christ remain strong. And pray that they respond to him and to the world in a Christ-honoring way.
- Guard my walk and pursue Spiritual Formation as if my life, family and ministry depend on it. They do.
- Unapologetically continue to preach, teach, write and live-out the teachings of the Bible. Let there be no mistake: the fact that a messenger has fallen does not change the validity, truth and power of the message.
All Seek Happiness
22 September 2008 By Leave a Comment
…All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themsevles.
Eighteen Years of Real Life
16 August 2007 By Leave a Comment
Yesterday, Maya reminded me that it was exactly 18 years ago that my relationship with the Author of Life began. I remember well the evening that my friend, Rick, explained to me that someone had paid the price fully for my ransom. The chains fell off that very night, and I have never been the same.
- Paul, in Ephesians 2:6 (ESV)
Arrogant Storytelling
17 August 2006 By 2 Comments
The NY Times published an essay this week by Lawrence M. Krauss, a professor at Case Western Reserve University. The essay argues against creationists working in public school leadership, and implies that they have no place in the classroom; labeling creationism “ignorance”. My favorite quotes from the essay:
It is a matter of overwhelming scientific evidence. To maintain a belief in a 6,000-year-old earth requires a denial of essentially all the results of modern physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology and geology. It is to imply that airplanes and automobiles work by divine magic, rather than by empirically testable laws.
That last juicy sentence is especially interesting (and, of course, left unsupported). Here’s more:
Many fields — including evolutionary biology, astronomy and physics — use evidence from the past in formulating hypotheses. But they do not stop there. Science is not storytelling.
These disciplines take hypotheses and subject them to further tests and experiments. This is how we distinguish theories that work, like evolution or gravitation.
It takes grit to cleverly lump the verifiable together with the unverifiable as if they were the same. So how is it that intelligent scientists, who claim adherence to the scientific method, continue to present evolutional theory as “fact”, “knowledge” and “proven science”? He claims that “science is not storytelling” and, of course, it should not be. But posing theoretical ideas as verifiable science is storytelling at its finest. And it is arrogant.
My, How They’ve Changed…
28 June 2006 By Leave a Comment
Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternall life, 3
- Rule #2 in ‘Rules & Precepts’; Harvard College, 1642
Christ, the Lord, is Risen!
16 April 2006 By Leave a Comment
The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad—the Passover of gladness, the Passover of God! From death to life eternal, from this world to the sky, our Christ hath brought us over with hymns of victory!
Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright the Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light; and, list’ning to His accents, may hear, so calm and plain, His own “All hail!” and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.
Now let the heav’ns be joyful, let earth her song begin, let the round world keep triumph and all that is therein; let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend, for Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end!
Hymn written by John of Damascus, 8th century, and translated by John M. Neale.
