Great Post: Airport Eavsdropping

Yesterday's featured article on Boundless addressed a subject that has been on my mind for the last few months. Basically, author David Barshinger discusses how more and more, even the most traditional of Evangelicals are not looking to the Bible as the ultimate authority in their lives. Instead, they base their decisions on reason, experience and tradition. David points out the fallacies of these things and shows us how important it is to take Scripture seriously.

"And if we Christians want to take the God we worship seriously, then we need to take His Word seriously too.

Taking Scripture seriously means, on one level, reading the whole thing — even the parts that may seem difficult. The gospel message is simple, but the Bible as a whole is not. No one could master it in a lifetime because its subject is the infinite God. Yet pursuing mastery is worth every minute. It will require help from commentators, pastors, small group leaders and other Christians seeking to understand it together, but will yield rewarding results."

It the past few years I have seen many Christians water down the truth of the Bible based on their own feelings, opinions and desires. When will we abandon our selfishness and actually obey what God has written?

"I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word" Psalm 119:15-16

Hope for a Nation

On this historic day, the words "hope" and "pride" will be said countless times as, for better or for worse, Barack H. Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States. Though you may not have voted for him (I didn't) and though you may not think that he is the best person for the job (I don't), we Christians still have reasons to have both hope and pride:

• We can be proud that we live in a nation where the transfer of power from one political party to the next happened in a few bloodless and peaceful minutes.


• We can be proud that only 40 some years since people of other races were denied even the most basic of freedoms, enough Americans have set aside those prejudices to elect a black man. "...since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all." Colossians 3:9b-11


• We can be hopeful, because our God has shown time and again that He can use anyone from donkeys to shepherd boys to work good for those who love Him.


• We can be hopeful, because the fate of the nation rests not in the hands of a chosen few in Washington, but rather with US, the followers of Christ. "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14


• Finally, we have hope, not in a person or thing of this earth, but in the grace and power of God, who sent His Son to save us from ourselves. No matter what we face as individuals, as Christians or as a country, we have an eternal hope that no circumstance can take away. "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." 2 Corinthians 5:1

We have a great opportunity in the coming years to show our country where true hope and peace can be found. Not in a stable economy, not in a "warless" society, but rather in Almighty God. Let us take the time today to pray for our new President and our nation, that both might be used to bring glory to God here on earth.

It Takes A Lifetime...

Once again, we have arrived at the dawning of a brand new year. Though it is usually an exciting time of looking forward to the numerous possibilities that await us, it can also be a time of disappointment when we look back on last year's goals and resolutions that didn't seem to get anywhere. Though I made some progress in my goals from last year, I certainly didn't finish them. They're still there, begging to be completed. At first, I was rather mad at myself about this. How could I make so little progress in a whole year? I then began to realize that the process is almost as important as the accomplishment itself. From the mundane goals that we set for ourselves every day to our walk with God, nothing that we accomplish in this life comes quickly. Each one requires time, some more than others, to to complete. So if you are like me and you are looking back on 2008 and seeing only the goals that you didn't finish, smile, keep working on them, and remember that it takes a lifetime to become the person the God wants us to be.

The More

I met You like a little child

Wide-eyed and mystified

That You could love even me

So I'm here to testify

That it's been an amazing ride with You

And I have never walked alone

Wanna give You every moment, every minute

It's takes a lifetime to know You, to know You

And the more You show me, the more You grow me

The more Your glory becomes all there is

And the more I know You, the more I need You

The more I love You, the more You become to me

Fast-forward to the golden years

A smaller pride and a bigger fear

But still, no way are we done yet

I pray that You would keep me mystified,

In every way that I will still abide in You

Till You come to take me home

Wanna give You every moment, every minute

And take a lifetime to know You, to know You

And the more You show me, the more You grow me
The more Your glory becomes all there is
And the more I know You, the more I need You
The more I love You, the more You become to me

Wanna give You every moment, every minute

I'll take a lifetime to know You

Hold me Lord, keep me

Draw me closer every moment of my life

And the more You show me, the more You grow me
The more Your glory becomes all there is
And the more I know You, the more I need You
The more I love You, the more You become to me

-"The More" by Downhere from the album Wide-eyed and Mystified