Monday, June 25, 2012

My Ebenezer's 100th post - thoughts from Valley of Vision

I have slowly been working my way through "The Valley of Vision", a compilation book of Puritan prayers.  I am always blessed and challenged as I read the thoughts that came from the hearts of these godly men.  Today has been no different.


Regeneration

O God of the highest heaven,
Occupy the throne of my heart,
take full possession and reign supreme,
lay low every rebel lust,
let no vile passion resist Thy holy war,
manifest Thy mighty power,
and make me Thine for ever.

Thou art worthy to be 
praised with my every breath,
loved with my every faculty of soul,
served with my every act of life.
Thou hast loved me, espoused me, received me,
purchased, washed, favored, clothed, adorned me,
when I was worthless, vile, soiled, polluted.

I was dead in iniquities,
having no eyes to see Thee,
no ears to hear Thee,
no taste to relish Thy joys,
no intelligence to know Thee;
But Thy Spirit has quickened me,
has brought me into a new world as a new creature,
has given me spiritual perception,
has opened to me Thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy. 

Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace; 
no provocation can part me from Thy sympathy,
for Thou hast drawn me with cords of love,
and dost forgive me daily, hourly.

O help me then to walk worthy of Thy love,
of my hopes, and my vocation.
Keep me, for I cannot keep myself;
protect me that no evil befall me;
let me lay aside every sin admired of many;
help me to walk by Thy side, lean on Thy arm, 
holy converse with Thee,
that henceforth I may be salt of the earth and a blessing to all. 

Here is a video of the Sovereign Grace rendition of this prayer.  The title is "O Great God".  May the music cement the great truths of the scriptural prayer into your heart, so that you may be filled with "...psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." (Eph. 5:19)




Monday, June 11, 2012

I'm sure you've had one in your basement...

For all of those "extra" ambitious people today, if you find one of these stuffed in a box of hardly used Christmas decorations, please throw it out!


This particular item was highly prized for it's ability to always look "new" and "fresh" in the winter time.  Because it is made of man-made materials, it didn't get brown over time like some other wreaths.  At one point, it was considered to be at the height of a fashionable Christmas party.  

Let's think for a moment of some descriptive titles for this once-desired holiday item.  

Plastic.  Vintage greenery.  Artificial Christmas.  Nostalgic

Some of these were decked with "realistic" holly berries.  Others were filled with pine-cones and bright bows.  But, honestly, can you hide the plastic leaves?  This ancient Christmas decoration is right up there with silver and/or multicolored tinsel and scary angel figurines.  Let's keep our Christmas decoration storage free of such artificial holly wreaths!  





Sunday, June 10, 2012

"Don't Waste Your Life"

I have been slowly working through John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" book.  It has been very challenging, and I wanted to share a section from it.


The Christ-Exalting Paradoxes of Life
     A life devoted to making much of Christ is costly.  And the cost is both a consequence and a means of making much of Him.  If we do not embrace the path of joy-laden, painful love, we will waste our lives.  If we do not learn with Paul the Christ-exalting paradoxes of life, we will squander our days pursuing bubbles that burst.  He lived "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything (2 Cor. 6:10).  The Calvary road is costly and painful, but it is not joyless.  
When we embrace with joy the cost of following Christ, His worth will shine in the world.  The cost itself will become a means of making Christ look great.  The apostle Paul had one great passion in life.  We have seen him say it several ways: to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), to boast only in the cross (Gal. 6:14).  

Our Shame and Our Treasure
     (referring to Phil. 1:20-21)  Notice the way he (Paul) makes this clear in verse 20: "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed."  Stop here just a moment.  Shame is that horrible feeling of guilt or failure when you don't measure up before people whose approval you want very much.  It's what the little child feels in the Christmas program when he forgets his lines, and the other kids snicker brutally.  I remember those horrible times.  Or shame is what a president feels when the secret tapes are finally played, and the foul language and all the deceit emerges, and he stands disgraced and guilty before the people.  
     What is the opposite of shame?  It's when the child remembers the lines and hears the applause.  It's when the president governs well and is reelected.  The opposite of being shamed is being honored.  Yes, usually.  But Paul was a very unusual person.  And Christians ought to be very unusual people.  For Paul, the opposite of being shamed was not his being honored, but Christ's being honored through him.  "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that...Christ will be honored in my body."  
     What you love determines what you feel shame about.  If you love for men to make much of you, you will feel shame when they don't.  But if you love for men to make much of Christ, then you will feel shame if His is belittled on your account.  And Paul loved Christ more than he loved anything or anyone.  "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil. 3:7-8).
     Whenever something is of tremendous value to you, and you cherish its beauty or power or uniqueness, you want to draw other's attention to it and waken in them the same joy.  That is why Paul's all-consuming goal in life was for Christ to be magnified.  Christ was of infinite value to Paul, and so Paul longed for others to see and savor this value.  That is what it means to magnify Christ--to show the magnitude of His value."

(from "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper, 63-65)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

It was graduation...

What is springtime best known for?  
Growing things.  Green grass.  Flowers.  Rain.  Chirping birds.  Pomp and Circumstance.  Funny flowing robes and hats.  
Yes, May is also "graduation" month.  
This year again was a happy time for me.  
More importantly, this was my graduation from Calvary Bible College where I received my 
B.S. in Biblical Studies.  

Grandma and Grandpa Fricke celebrating with Aunt Teresa and I!

My mom and her sisters...

4 years as friends and 2 graduations...:)

the graduates.

My Family

proud parents



My brothers and I.  

the Parker girls.


CBI'ers (aka the "Stoners") 
So, this is the attempt to cram a ridiculously crazy weekend into a collection of 9 pictures....
Did I succeed?  If you didn't catch it from the photos, there three basic things to understand about graduation weekend...

1.  I graduated!!! (put on the robe, donned the funky hat, wrestled with the collar, and walked across the stage with diploma in hand!)

2.  I loved seeing my family!  (It is such a blessing to have a wonderful family that come 12 hrs. to see me.  I love them all so much.)

3.  I loved seeing "old" friends.  (It has now become a tradition to have a CBI reunion at graduations and weddings...but only the graduation part applied here!)


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Death and Life

Death and Life.
These are themes that weave through every minute of our lives.  They are controlling.  There is uncertainty and fear related to both subjects.
Ask anyone you like, no one really wants to die.
Death is the great unknown.  Life is all that is known.

Today, I found out about the death of a young friend of mine.  She was killed in a car accident.  She wasn't even 22!  It happened so fast, so unexpected.  Why did this happen?  
The news speaks almost constantly of death.  It happens everywhere!  Murders.  Suicides.  Car accidents.  Shootings.  Fires, the list goes on.  Death is inevitable and unpredictable.

Life
This is more than just breathing moment by moment and having cognitive brain function.  True life is eternal life!  As believers in Christ, we have the hope of an eternal life with God when we die if we have placed our faith in Jesus alone for salvation.  Death has no fear for us (aside from the fear of physical suffering and pain).  Death is not the end of our "lives", but the entrance into Life with God!  Though we hear of death everywhere around us, we need not fear that end.  We sorrow for those who lose loved ones, because physical loss is hard to bear.  We rejoice, however, to know that that child of God is in the presence of their heavenly Father.

As I have been traveling around the past month with the singing group Evidence from college, we have been singing the popular song "I will rise".  In thinking about these two themes, this song has come to my mind over again.

It starts out by saying, "There's a peace I've come to know, though my heart and flesh my fail."   This is the peace of the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God.  This peace is not found in our circumstances, but only found in the joyful contentment of resting and trusting in God.  "There's an anchor for my soul.  I can say, 'It is well.'"  As a result of God's peace, we can say 'It is well' in the midst of frustrating and difficult times.  But what is our anchor?  "JESUS has overcome, and the grave is overwhelmed.  The victory is won.  He is risen from the dead!"  He is our peace.  He is our anchor.  He is the promise of eternal life.

Therefore, I don't have to fear death.  For when He calls me home, "I will rise, when He calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain.  I will rise on eagle's wings.  Before my God, fall on my knees and rise."   In the presence of our Great, Almighty, Omnipotent God, we will join the host of heaven singing, worshiping and praising God.  "And I hear the voice of many angels sing, 'Worthy is the Lamb'.  And I hear the cry of every longing heart, 'Worthy is the Lamb'"  



"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads or myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'  And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'"  Rev. 5:11-13

This is life!  

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Grace says...

Grace says: 

...God is in control. 

...Christ is all that we need!

... the best is yet to come.

...I know who holds tomorrow in His hand!

...God is my strength and my song!

...I'm forgiven.

...I am an undeserving child of God.

...love, joy, and peace are fruits of God's Spirit in me.

...Jesus loves me!

...I have a home in heaven.

...hope in Christ!

..."I will be with you!  I will never leave you, nor forsake you!"

..."I have loved you with an everlasting love."


"And from His fullness (the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in the person of Jesus Christ)
 we have all received, grace upon grace."
John 1:16

Our world has no hope.  It offers money, pleasure, and other selfish gains.  But it cannot offer anything that lasts.  All these things will not last.  They will burn!  
People try to offer consolation.  They seek to relieve the pain.  But they can't.  
Men offer pretty words, cunning phrases, poignant thoughts, but without Christ's truth they are nothing more than emptiness.  

Christ offers His grace freely, fully.  There is no measure to the love that He shows for us.  We are undeserving, but He is more-merciful.  

Praise God for His grace!!! 

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

But for Grace: the end of the semester

I can hardly believe that it is the end of the year!  It really seems like just yesterday that I was moving to Kansas City for one year of school to finish out my degree.  Funny how time and God "change" our plans!

Graduation was Saturday.  There was a lot of "Pomp and Circumstance".  My family was here!  It was a nice, but very hot day.  I walked across the stage in the traditional cap, gown, and tassel to receive my diploma from our president.  Oh, the anticipation and excitement!  Yes, it really is just a piece of paper.  But I was also reminded that that paper is a Bachelor's degree that will go with me the rest of my life!  It is an accomplishment that I can be proud of.  
Yet, I know the truth.  I really didn't accomplish anything.  It was all of God's grace!  I was listening to this song with my brother, and it reminded me of this past year.


"God's grace has brought me safe thus far, 
and grace will lead me home..." 

But For Grace
Eph 2:1, Psalm 23, John 14
Matt Papa

But for grace, where would I be
Just a ship lost on the ocean
Like a bird with broken wings
Iʼd have no place, but for grace

But for grace, could I be saved
Can one dead by works be pardoned
Lift himself out of the grave
Thereʼd be no way, but for grace

But for grace, Iʼd go astray
Often wandering from my shepherd
Even on my best of days
Iʼd fall away, but for grace

But for grace, how could I stand
Present trials overcome me
Under this worldʼs heavy hand
Iʼd surely break, but for grace

But for grace, could I get home
See that city Heʼs preparing
Join the saints around the throne
Thereʼs be no place, but for grace
Iʼm just a sinner on my own
Couldnʼt see His face, but for grace