How Deep The Fathers Love For Us

Please delete any emails from today our email was hacked...

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Sorry Everyone, please delete anything that was sent to you today.

Have a great day!
Post Family

Re:6

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:24:00 +0000

Good meds which may improve your life!... http://frances.com.tr/com.page.php?unipage=88yz7

Great Quote

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:59:00 +0000

We follow Christ when we stop showing off earthly crowns of "success" and embrace the crown of thorns that truly models the life of the Savior.

by Trevin Wax - Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

Bible Study Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

Stop Talking about Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:02:00 +0000

As I was scrolling through my favorite blogs this morning in Google Reader, I came accross a post from The Mars Hill Church Blog titled "Stop Talking about Jesus". At first, I didn't know what to think, but then I saw that, that the Gospel is supposed to bring everything into the light as He is in the light. It is there to expose our secrets & our sins. At times it can very painful, not only for you, but also for those who love you.

Here is an excerpt from the post:

"Dear Pastor Mark,

Please stop talking about Jesus. Please stop talking about sin.

You keep ripping my little Christian family’s world to pieces, and your teaching keeps bringing out secrets."

Please read the whole post.

D.L. Hughley interviews Pastor Mark Driscoll

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 06:28:00 +0000

Here is the interview that may or may not be shown, given the fact they end up talking about Jesus.

Unpacking Forgiveness Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Just finished Unpacking Forgiveness & I have to say that I was humbled, crushed, and in complete awe of how much I have been forgiven by my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

3 of the later chapters really stood out to me because they are things in which I have & still do struggle with.

They are:

What if I won't forgive?
How to Conquer Bitterness?
How Can I stop Thinking about it?

First lets go back to what the definition of forgiveness is for Christians:

"Forgiveness: A Commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person, although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated."

What if I won't forgive?

Brauns starts off by giving the passage of “The Unforgiving Servant” in Matthew 18:23-35:

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

First off, from what I gather Christ is using Hyperbole for the amount of ten thousand talents. It is comparable to today's money of about 6 Billion dollars. It was intentional to show how much God has forgiven us (an amount that we are completely unable to pay back). Second, Christ makes it very clear that if we won't forgive, He will not forgive us. When He says "in anger his master delivered him to the jailers", the Greek work is translated as torturers. It's a metaphorical allusion to eternal punishment that the wicked servant justly deserves. Needless to say, God comands us to forgive us as He forgives us. He offers it to us, but we must repent in order for forgiveness to be complete. Therefore, we must always offer forgiveness to our brothers & sisters in the Lord, and if they repent, then we must forgive (pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person).

How to conquer Bitterness:

"Fooling around with bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping someone else will die"

We need to deal with bitterness as soon as possible. Psalm 73 has the answers.

Know how to beat bitterness:

Frist, wait for God's justice, and trust His providence. The nature of bitterness is to complain. "It isn't fair." This is the first thing we notice about Asaph's struggle in Psalm 73. He felt like evil people were being rewarded. He admitted, "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (v3).

Ever been there? Ever find yourself thinking over & over about how unfair something is?
Now, it isn't wrong to notice that we have been treated unfairly. The question is, how do we deal with it? Those who process it wrongly, become bitter.

If bitterness is the wrong response to injustice or perceived injustice then the first step in beating bitterness is to recognize that when we are treated unjustly, we are particularly vulnerable to bitterness.

"What I find in the New Testament is that one powerful way of overcoming bitterness and revenge is to have faith in the promise that God will settle accounts with our offenders so that we don't have too.
How can I stop thinking about it?
"When we have been deeply offended, we may find ourselves thinking over and over about what happened. We mentally run in place. The more we think about it, the faster our thoughts go, and the faster we go nowhere."

Have you ever had those times where you just can’t stop thinking about something that someone has done to you? Or have something pop into your head that you thought you had forgiven? I know I have, more times than I care to admit.

Winning the Battle of your mind is a process, Brauns says. He says that the questions of how to forgive & how to stop dwelling upon past wrongs falls into the theological category of Sanctification. He gives us 1 Peter 2:23 as an example of what Jesus did, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Jesus entrusted himself to the Justice of God the Father.

Here are some specific on winning this battle:

Burn into your mind what the Bible teaches about forgiveness.
Take a long look at Christ in His work.
Pray, pray, pray.
Say and do the right things
Participate in God-given means of grace

Braun’s stressed in Chapter 1 that Jesus offers rest for the mentally weary, Matthew 11:29.

This has been an eye opener for me! Thank God for giving us Chris Brauns!

The Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:25:00 +0000

The Gospel
1 Corinthians 15:1-4

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, (It is Continual. It is something that we are to be continually reminded of.)

of the gospel I preached to you, (It is Proclimational, in that it cannot just be shared, it must be PROCLAIMED with certainty & clarity, conviction & passion)

which you received, (It is also Personal. We must receive it for it to be of any benefit to us)

in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, (Saved from Hell, Saved from the wrath of God, saved from a hollow & empty way of life)

if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (It is Essential. There is no Life apart from the Gospel, There is no Hope apart from the Gospel, There is no Joy apart from the Gospel, and without that our life & our death is spent in vanity.)

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance (It is also Central.)

what I also received: (It is Eternal. It gets passed on from God to us, to be faithfully served & handed on from one generation to the next.)

that Christ (It is Christological. It’s about Jesus, It’s always about Jesus, It’s only about Jesus, It’s solely about Jesus, and we are Jesus people living in the wake of Jesus death & resurrection, and so for us it is about Christ, it is only about Christ, it is always about Christ.)

died (It is also Penal. In that there is a penalty or wage as Paul would say elsewhere for sin)

for our sins (It is Substitutional, God made Him who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.)

in accordance with the Scriptures, (It is Biblical. It is the teaching from Genesis to Revelation.)

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (It is Eschatological, Jesus died, and we to shall die, and Jesus was raised & by God’s grace & faith in Jesus, we to shall rise.)

From Two Enemies of the Gospel - Mark Driscoll

Call it what it is, MURDER!

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:03:00 +0000

My friend & brother in Christ, Dan Christensen recently started a blog called Pro Life Perspectives. His most recent post, is about the FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act), in which President Obama promised to be the first thing he signs once he took office.

The Freedom of Choice Act is a bill that Prohibits a federal, state, or local governmental entity from denying or interfering with a woman's right to exercise such choices; or discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. Provides that such prohibition shall apply retroactively.

Here is what he said @ a Planned Parenthood event in 2007:

In my opinion, either Obama doesn't doesn't fully know the extent of the bill or he is OK with the premeditated murder of Innocent life. I tend to believe the latter.

What He must be...

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:27:00 +0000

New book coming out that you fathers out there might be interested in called "What He Must Be: ...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter" by Voddie T. Baucham Jr. I know that being a new father is heard enough if your wanting to raise your children in the ways of the Lord, a new challenge is added with the child is a girl. Since I am a father of a little girl, I want her to marry a godly man

that loves Jesus & will respect my daughter. To be quite honest, it scares me to death. I want to keep her in a box completely protected from every kind of evil & never let anyone hurt her. But what I realized was that while no one else was hurting her, I was by not allowing her to be her & to make mistakes & allowing her to feel hurt & pain even though it kills me to see her hurting or in pain. She is my pride & joy. Next to her mom, she is what I look forward to seeing every night. I love playing with her, snuggling her, rocking her to sleep, praying over her, and watching her excitement on Christmas morning opening presents & playing with her new toys.

I know that it is a long way off before Maddy starts dating & thinking about boys (or as my father-in-law calls them, Pigs). I have to agree with him. That's what he called me when I was dating my wife. He told me "I know how to hide a body". If that doesn't scare a boy off of your porch, then this quote from Bill Engval should "You see that little girl over there, she's my whole life! So if you have any thoughts about huggin or kissen, just remember one thing, I've got no problems going back to prison".

My plan is for her to be filled with so much love from her daddy & from her Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, that she will not be seeking love & affection from Pigs, oh I mean boys. One thing I want to start doing is taking Maddy on "Daddy Dates" in which we can go out to places that she likes & do the things she wants to so she can have one on one time with daddy. That's the one thing I don't ever want to deprive her of, time with daddy. Anyway, back to the book.

An excerpt isn't available yet, but here is a bit of a description from the publisher, Crossway.

What will you say when that certain young man sits down in your living room, sweaty-palmed and tongue-tied, and asks your permission to marry your daughter? What criteria should he meet before the two of them join together for life? What He Must Be… If He Wants to Marry My Daughter outlines ten qualities parents should look for in a son-in-law, including trustworthiness, a willingness to lead his family, an understanding of his wife’s role, and various spiritual leadership qualities.
Author Voddie Baucham follows up on his popular book Family Driven Faith with this compelling apologetic of biblical manhood. By studying the principles outlined in his book, parents who want their daughter to marry a godly man—as well as those who want their sons to become godly men—will be well equipped to help their children look for and develop these God-honoring qualities.

I've heard Voddie Baucham speak before & am looking forward to getting & reading this book. For those who don't know whether or not to get this, once I have read it, I will blog about what I have learned to see if that doesn't compel you to get it for yourself.

Till next time, Have a safe & blessed New Year in 2009.

Father's Raising Daughters

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Here is some great insight on how fathers should raise their daughters, from a daughter.

Here is a link to the "The Peasant Princess" sermon series from Mars Hill Church.

Should forgiveness be automatic or conditional?

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:24:00 +0000

I have just started a new book called "Unpacking Forgiveness" subtitled "Biblical answers to complex questions and deep wounds" by Chris Brauns.

In Chapter 3, Brauns established that the foundational principle for understanding forgiveness is that Christians are called to forgive others as God forgave them. God’s forgiveness is a commitment by the one true God to pardon graciously those who repent and believe so that they are reconciled to him, although not all consequences are eliminated.

Luke 17:3-4 :
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him,
And if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you
Seven times in a day, and turns to you seven times, saying,
‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

According to what Jesus says here in Luke, repentance precedes forgiveness. It isn’t automatic. Now I know there are things that we need to just let roll off of our back.

I guess I should share the reason I decided to read this book. About 3 years ago I was clinically diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) after my wife & I had been going through some counseling. The majority of the issues my wife was having a problem with was a result of my ADHD. Such as my lack of ability to sit still in Church, my inability to remember much if anything my wife & I had discussed, I couldn’t go 6 months without either being pulled over for speeding or getting a ticket as a result of speeding, I couldn’t keep a job very long (within 6 to 9 months of starting a new job, I would be ready to look for a new one.), I would never finish anything I set out to accomplish, & one of my own issues is that I wanted to be a reader, but could read for 15 minutes & have to start over because I couldn’t remember or even comprehend what I had read. Since then I have been taking medication to help correct the majority of the problems associated with my ADHD. November 16, 2008 marks 3 years that I have been @ Regence, February 5, 2009 will mark 3 years of not even being pulled over for any reason, & I have read more in the last 3 years than I have read in my entire life. I now enjoy reading. One thing the medication can’t completely fix is my holding on to a perceived issue/offense that may or may not have been committed against me. I just couldn’t let things go, and one would pile up on top of another to the point that I would become passive/aggressive, and would never confront the offender but would be mean or rude to them & never let them know why. It has started to ruin my family, both immediate & otherwise. I would avoid those whom I was angry with. I ended up ostracizing myself from everyone that has ever hurt me. I ended up alone, angry, & didn’t understand why.

All of a sudden, one day all of the bitterness & resentment was gone that I had toward some of my closest family members for many years. I no longer had any ill feelings toward them & am able to enjoy them for who they are & what they bring to the table. They are very generous people. They were and have always been very gracious to me, even during the times in which I hurt them the most. I am forever grateful to them & for them for showing me how to love those who hurt you. The only way I can explain how this happened was that God the Holy Spirit relieved me of the anger & bitterness that plagued me. I praise God for that.

In Chapter 4, Brauns “argued that Christian Forgiveness is a commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person, although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated. He says that any Christian who is offended should graciously wrap a present of forgiveness & offer it to all who offend him or her. If the offenders choose to open the package, they will find forgiveness & reconciliation inside.” This just floored me. Though I have read Luke 17:2-3 before never got this from it. It is concept that I will try to make a practice of.

As I continue on in the next few chapters, I will try to add another entry on what I have read.

How Deep The Fathers Love For Us

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:32:00 +0000

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon his cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Husbands As Stay-At-Home Dads

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:22:00 +0000

A Great response to the question, should a christian man be a stay @ home dad.

Death by Love

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:27:00 +0000

I got a new book recently called Death by Love: Letters from the Cross by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Bershears. The book is about 12 different aspects of the cross & they explain them by writing 12 letters, one to a member of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA in which Mark Driscoll is Preaching & Teaching pastor. Each letter is written to a specific person in the church & they start off by giving the person's story, then Mark writes a letter to them explaining how a particular aspect of the Cross can be appropriated to them & their situation. The first chapter really got me angered. It's titled "Demons are tormenting me: Jesus is Katie's Christus Victor (Colossians 2:13-15)." It starts off by telling Katie's story of how she grew up in what appeared to be a normal christian home with semi-regular church attendance. Even though her father was successful in business & a leader in the church, he was a coward who avoided most of his homeward responsibilities by ignoring the well-being of his kids & getting drunk all the time. This really hit home for me because my dad would do the same thing when I was really young, he would work, then come home to a six pack & a 5Th of Seagram's Seven. In his mind, providing financially was his only responsibility. He later came to know the Lord, then he passed away when I was 16.

Here is a little more from Katie's story:

From an early age, Katie began experiencing various forms of demonic oppression. She would hear from spirits that her father was negligent toward her because she was stupid, ugly, and not worthy of protection. She also suffered from horrendous nightmares and many physical pains following her molestation at age six at the hands of a male relative.

This just makes me cringe with anger & sadness! Just the thought that something like that could ever happen to my little girl, makes my eyes fill with tears. But we live in a fallen world where given the right circumstances, anyone of us could be that male relative, friend or acquaintance. One thing I do to guard myself & my family is that I will never watch someone elses child alone. Not to say that I am prone to that sort of sick crap, but that I do not think that I am exempt from sin of any kind.

Here's a little more of Katie's story:

During her teen years, Katie was a dangerous combination of gullible, needy, and rebellious. Partly due to the lack of affection from her father, she craved male approval and touch. Because her father did not teach her about boys, she quickly trusted the first young men who showed any interest in her. By the age of thirteen she was sexually active and, although it is painful to admit, in many ways traded the use of her body for the approval and companionship of young men. None of those young men ever truly cared about her, invested in her, or looked out for her.
Over time, the sins she was committing and the sins that were being committed against her conspired to infect much of her soul. The flicker of passion that remained was for her father. Deep down she desperately wanted her father to cherish her, protect her, and rescue her. At times she actually snuck boys into her bedroom to have sex with them while her father was home. Despite the noises coming from her bedroom, her father never once opened the door to check on his little girl. She wanted her father to know of her secret life but lacked the courage and relationship to confess it to him. She wished he would simply ask her how she was doing, speak to one of her boyfriends, or walk into her room late at night to discover that her sexual moaning was in fact a confused cry for help from a little girl’s heart trapped in a ravished woman’s body.

Tragically, her father never pursued or protected her. On one occasion he did knock on her door while she was having sex with a boyfriend but did not enter the room or do anything to show concern for his daughter. To make matters worse, rather than instructing and protecting, her father chose instead to mock her in front of the rest of the family for her parade of loser boyfriends, which only increased her shame and sense of worthlessness, since some of the boys who were the butt of her father’s jokes were actually her rapists.

This just makes my stomach turn! The thought that all of that could have been prevented if only he took time to love his daughter. I love my daughter with all that a father should love his daughter. I love snuggling with her on the couch, I love playing with her in our living room with her toys & chasing her around the house. She brightens my day. In this day and age where children are murdered out of convenience or they have the children & end up treating them as Katie's dad treated her. It makes me want to vomit!

But back to the point of this post, Jesus is our Christus Victor, as

Colossians 2:13-15 "13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

_______________________________________________________

You can read this chapter in full by clicking Death By Love.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:31:00 +0000

I guess I didn't really believe the saying "Monkey see, Monkey do" till a few months ago when my daughter started mimicing things that she saw mom, dad, and others do. At first it was cute to see her clap her hands when we clapped our hands or make the same faces we were making till one day her mom & I had a fight & I lost my temper & ended up punching the floor, walls & just screamed at her (which is not how anyone should act regardless if their son or daughter is watching or not). After that my wife & I started seeing our daughters temper tantrums get worse to the point where she would hit her mother or I depending on who was holding her. Granted she is only one years old & she doesn't hurt us physically, but emotionally, it devistated us knowing that I had displayed that behavior to her & so she thinks that is how one acts when they are mad. It's a truly humbling experience knowing that I displayed that to her as something ok to do. I know that I am a new father but the actions that I displayed were not new, in fact they have been apart of my life for a very long time. I thank God that my wife hasn't just picked up & left me for my sinful behaviors (and they are many). I have a great wife & she is a great mother to our daughter. I pray that God will grant me the grace to be patient & to love my wife & daughter the way that Jesus loves the church. Sacrificially, humbly, putting my wants aside so that Christ will be emulated through me. The things that prevent me from doing this is my lazyness to take the time to read scripture. I am going to start memorizing scripture, starting with

2 Timothy 3:14-17 "14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

With Kids In Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:51:00 +0000

Being new parents and all, my wife & I are always looking for things that will better help us in raising our daughter in the ways of the Lord. Jerry, the gentleman teaching our Sunday School class right now gave us a very practical website to use for finding out what content is in a movie before we either see it in the theater or bring it into our home. The site is With Kids In Mind. It tells you everything from how many sex seens are in the movie to what the sex seens actually intail without getting too graphic (this is very much appreciated). It also gives the language content as well as the violence & gore content. A great tool in helping Christians or anyone for that matter raise their kids.

Humbled by Our Children

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:43:00 +0000

I am the proud father of a 1 year old little girl, and I love coming home & see her smiling & reaching out with both arms for me, and at times I get all chocked up (I’ve become way more emotional since I became a father). Next to my wife, she is my joy in life, I just love her tons & tons!

I have always had a hard time with prayer, with what to say, how to say it, & in what order to say it in. Recently, pieces of this puzzle have slowly started to come together for me. For example, when Jesus showed us how to pray in

Matthew 6:9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” I struggled with that at first, because anytime I hear our Father I think of a Catholic Priest. That is the last thing I want to think of when I pray. Also, Jesus said this is how you should pray, not what you should pray, and I don't think He gave it to us as a montra to say over & over again as a form of punishment/repentance. I believe He was giving us a format in which to pray. In essence, he wants us to look to Him as Daddy! That thought clicked in my mind when my daughter does that to me with her arms wide open waiting for me to hold her in my arms. The sad thing is, I don’t often look to God as my daddy who’s arms are wide open ready to receive me back. I know that I would feel more comfortable praying if I looked to him as daddy. At my age (29) I feel very funny calling someone else daddy, though I’m getting over it.

Thank you Daddy for always having your arms wide open for me to come talk to you.