Us men always need words to build up and cheer us on towards godliness and manliness. Here are a list of articles and books I’ve enjoyed reading or studying:
A brief guide to biblical manhood.
Where have all the good men gone?
Walter on being a dad & how men look.
Real men don’t complain. They fix.
A Civil War soldiers letter to his wife.
6 ways fathers pursue Christ in their fatherhood.
How would you describe eternity? Eternity is one of the most difficult concepts to understand. The best description of eternity is, God. His name is El Olam (Genesis 21:33). His beginning and end are infinite. Whether you look His past or His future you will see that He is permanent and everlasting. That is difficult for our finite minds to wrap its brain around. Try, and you will be boggled, wowed, and flat out stumped. And that’s ok.
When considering the existence or eternality of God you must peer into His past, present and future. Together let’s wade into the mysterious depths of the God’s character. My aim is to stir your affections towards Him. To worship God is an act of hope—participation in the future, the eternal—and a look outside the cave.
“Suppose a man is born in a cave and spends his entire life tied to a post, facing the wall at the rear of the cave. He cannot look to the right or the left, only forward. The light from the outside shines from behind him on the wall he faces. Occasionally people and animals walk by the cave’s entrance and, as they do, their shadows are cast on the wall. These shadows and the dim light on the wall are all he ever knows of reality. To him they are reality. To speak of a world outside the cave, made of color and three dimensions, would be incomprehensible and unbelievable to him. But what would it mean if a mirror were held up to him, in which he could get a glimpse of the world outside the cave? Everything would change! He would then see the shadows in the context of a larger and deeper reality of depth and color.”[1]
The mirror is the Scripture. In His Word, you get a glimpse of God in all His eternal glory. It is there that you see yourself with the tens of thousands of angels in heaven around the everlasting God worshiping Him “who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
God has always existed. Before anything was He was. Before there was a created universe, before the planet earth was formed, or before the first human being walked on the earth, God was. The first information you read about God in the Scripture is straight to the point; “In the beginning, GOD” (Genesis 1:1). The verse is not a long drawn out argument, but simply a statement of fact that God was and is.
God said to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:4ff) And king David sang to God, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” (Psalm 90:2)
Even Jesus always was, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” [Hebrews 13:8]
When John wrote the seven churches in Asia, he greeted them saying, “Grace to you and peace from Him who is (Exodus 3:14) and who was (John 1:1) and who is to come…” (Revelation 1:4)[2] Then John tell us whom “who” is, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (1:8; Cf. 4:8)
The Godhead has existed for a long time—like forever. He always existed in eternity past. Just thinking about eternity past makes my melon hurt. But for God, forever is who He is. He has no beginning. He always was.
Although the Scripture says God exists, does not mean everyone believes He is still intimately involved within the affairs of mankind or creation. Some think that God is distant or has taken a hands-off approach towards dealing with the universe. What if someone says to you, “God is not real!” How would your respond? What if someone else says to you, “God does not care about me. He is distant from my world and this world.” What would you say? These kinds of statements are common in today’s culture, but they are not new; people have made these statements for millenniums.
The ancient God-fearer, Job said confidently, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25) The Bible portrays a God orchestrating history, sovereignly working out His purposes among humanity, and sacrificially stepping onto the planet to redeem mankind. God is not dead nor is He distant. Jesus is not buried is some tomb like so many great men of the past. He lives (Matthew 28:6; 1 Corinthians 15) and He intercedes on behalf of redeemed mankind, even at this moment (Hebrews 7:25), “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:9-11)
Why would you want to worship a God or a guy who claimed He was God if He were dead? After Jesus’ death an angel (and many others) declared, “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.” (Matthew 28:6) And He is still transforming lives today. There is great encouragement, knowing Jesus still lives and His Spirit dwells within the redeemed (John 15:26-16:15). As the old hymn sung at Easter trumpets,
Verse 1: I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him He’s always near.
Chorus: He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.[3]
Verse 2: In all the world around me I see His loving care, and tho my heart grows weary I never will despair; I know that He is leading thru all the stormy blast; the day of His appearing will come at last.
Verse 3: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King! The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find, none other is so loving, so good and kind.
God was and is and will always be. Christ promises to come back and rule all eternity as the King of kings and Lord of Lords. When Revelation 4:8 says, “Holy, holy holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come,” the last three words certainly include an anticipation of God’s future coming to earth to fill it with His glory in an unprecedented way (Cf. Isaiah 6:3).[4]
First, God created you an eternal being too. You are not meant to live in the back of the cave in the dark. If you repent of your sin and believe on the name of Christ you will live forever with the Light of the world. If not, you will forever be separated from God in eternal torment (Matthew 25:41-46; Revelation 14:11). And this leads to a serious question; will you forever live with Him?
“Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning His Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 10-12; Cf. John 3:16; 17:3)
Jesus will be glorified throughout all eternity—His kingdom is forever (2 Peter 1:11; Revelation 11:15), “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25; cf. 2 Peter 3:18)
There is not only a future hope of eternity for followers of Christ, but there is a present hope too. You do not have to wait to be blessed by the eternal God; you can be secure in His presence now. Isaac Watts in His great hymn, O Go, Our Help in Ages Past wrote, “Oh, God our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Within the shadow of Thy throne, Still may we dwell secure. Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same.”
Second, God is always present and always is working out His purposes within your life for your good and His glory. Even in the difficult parts of life, God is orchestrated His purposes. Suffering always precedes glory; just look at the way of the cross. Paul shared to young Timothy,
“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,and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:9-10)
God’s eternal existence may be a truth that is almost impossible to grasp from inside the cave, but it is one amazing truth that should cause us to be in awe of His awesome attributes seen in the mirror of His Word. He never ceases to exist nor will He ever fade from existence. Our God was and is and is to come.
[1] Ben Patterson and David L. Goetz, vol. 7, Deepening Your Conversation With God, The pastor’s soul series; Library of leadership development (Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers, 1999), 99.
[2] Cf. 21:6; 22:13; [Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 44:6]
[3] Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990), 128.
[4] Note: The Lord comes to judge the earth (1 Chr. 16:33; we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:16); the coming of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:1); when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints (1 Thess. 3:13); where is the promise of his coming? (2 Pet. 3:4); Maranatha – our Lord, come! (1 Cor. 16:22); I am coming to you (Rev. 2:5); him who is and was and is to come (Rev. 1:4; Rev. 1:8; Rev. 4:8); you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26); come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20).
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How much do you owe mom since your birth?
Is Mormonism a cult? What about a Mormon president?
10 things you have to do if you want the next generation to listen.
It Is What It Is, But It Is Not What It Shall Be.
Why Bible study doesn’t transform us?
The gospel for those who’ve grown up in church.
Muslim Unreached People Groups.
Recently I visited Muir Woods just north of San Francisco. My wife and I were celebrating our third anniversary walking among God’s creation. Walking together is one of our greatest joys. And walking in Muir Woods is quite majestic. It smells of ancient forest. It sounds of pleasant birds and gentle water brook. We even saw a tame young fawn drinking from the water brook that carved through the huge ravine.
We were not alone in the woods. People drive from all over the country and the world to see these mammoth trees. Muir Woods is filled with giant Redwood trees that are bigger than your car in circumference and taller than a 20-story building. Your neck strains seeking to look at the top branches swaying in the ocean breeze.
As amazed as I was by the Redwoods, I was equally amazed by all the people taking pictures of the trees. If you think about it, doesn’t it seem weird that people are flocking to take pictures of big trees? You cannot help but take your camera out of your pocket and snap a few shots. However the photos never really do justice to their reality. It’s like taking a picture of a mountain; you cannot grasp its massiveness and grandeur. But we do not care because we must take a picture to remember what glory we’ve beheld.
It is natural to want to capture nature. We are enamored by nature. John Muir said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than [one] seeks.” Creation wow’s and fascinates us to our core. That’s why people were photographing Muir Woods beauty or spend a moment in silence within the particular grove of trees named, “The Sanctuary.”
Creation is just one of many ways He has revealed Himself to man. It is hard not to look at the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, or Muir Woods and think, “Wow, God made this.” Any other response is utter rejection of the obvious reality. This is called General Revelation.
Here is a concise theology of General Revelation as seen in Muir Woods:
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” [Romans 1:19-20; Cf. Psalm 19:1-6]
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” [Isaiah 55:12, Cf. 44:23]
“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!” [1 Chronicles 16:31-34, Cf. Psalm 96:11-13]
“As He [Jesus] rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” [Luke 19:36-40′ Cf. Acts 14:11-18]
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” [Romans 8:18-22]
3 ways to encourage your pastor.
That idol that you love it doesn’t love you back.
Statistics that will amaze you about the world you live in.
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Welcome to wedding season. Check out these seriously bad wedding photos.
After visiting San Fransisco this week this impresses me.
Marriage is a good thing (cf. 1 Corinthians 7). I can still remember what it was like to be a single guy. It wasn’t that long ago. I liked being single. And I was single for a while. The longer I am married the more I realize what a wonderful thing it is. Sarah is God-sent.
Marriage is work. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking anything otherwise. Marriage is hard work. It is a field that needs to be cultivated and a storehouse that needs to be stocked. If not, your field will become weeded and shelves become empty. The best work we’ve done for our marriage is to pray together and point each other to Christ. He is our purest example of selfless sacrifice and unconditional love.
Marriage is the mending of best friends forever. Since August, I stepped down from my position as an assistant pastor and we have taken a course direction to plant churches overseas. Immediately our family loaded into our car and began traveling throughout the Midwest. You really learn about someone on a road trip. Sarah and I have been on a 9-month road trip! We’ve both survived and are enjoying getting to know one another better together in our tiny Honda Element. I love living with my best friend.
Marriage is beautiful. If Sarah were president she would be Babe-raham Lincoln! After 1.5 children my wife just gets more beautiful. Sarah is entering her 6th month of pregnancy and is more tired this time than when she was pregnant with Justus. Honestly, she still is the most attractive woman I know, inside and out.
Marriage has softened me. I am not soft in a fluffy or girly way. Although marriage has been healthy for me. Sarah is one good cook! Marriage has softened me like sandpaper to shaves rough edges. I have many insensitive slivers that Sarah has graciously sanded down. It hurts a little, but I think she has a better husband for it. I suppose that’s why God has given me a house full of girls. He is so humorous.
Marriage keeps you honest. It is easy to fib or lie to the one I love (Didn’t think this would be confessional time, eh?), but the longer I am with Sarah the harder it is to get away with dishonesty. Sarah knows me. And I am not a good liar, but Sarah is a good lie detector. Thankfully. It’s best just to be honest from the beginning. It saves marriage from messes.
Marriage is still sanctifying. Living with another person, especially a spouse reveals how selfish you really are. I am quite selfish, even after three years. However, I would like to think I am become more selfless because of the tender helpfulness of my wife. She counsels me to the core.
See entries from years past:
1st anniversary
2nd anniversary
Ah, the joys of marriage. I am sure all men can relate to the lack of rights when it comes to staking territory, no matter the size of the mattress.
[HT]
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How to deal with the loss of a spouse.
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10 of the most difficult theological issues Christians must face today.
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More than just Christmas.
1. Saturate yourself with the Word of God, the Bible. There is no reason to think that God will ignite the powder of His Spirit if you don’t load your cannon with the bullet of the Word. Acts 1:8 and Luke 24:48 teach that the power is given for effective witness of Jesus and His miraculous power. And you witness primarily with the Word of God, as it speaks about the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
2. Believe what the Word of God says. If you don’t believe the Word, you wont have the power of the Word.
3. Pray earnestly for it and fast. In Acts 1:13, the disciples devoted themselves to prayer while in Jerusalem waiting for Pentecost, “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer.” Also, this is what the disciples were doing in Acts 4:24–31 when they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word with boldness. They were praying. And they were praying the Word of God.
4. Submit to the Holy Spirit. Sometimes you have resisted the Holy Spirit so often when He is calling you to bear witness to Christ you are unfit for the flow of His power. The channels have become so clogged with fear and doubt and worldliness that what you allow through is a barely visible trickle of obedience. God’s power is a waterfall and will flow torrentially if you obey His Spirit.
DEVICE AGAINST THE LEARNED AND THE WISE
By moving them to pride themselves on their parts and abilities, and to despise men of greater grace but inferior abilities [4 remedies]
DEVICE AGAINST THE SAINTS
By dividing them and causing them to ‘bite and devour one another.’ [12 remedies]
DEVICE AGAINST POOR AND IGNORANT SOULS
By causing them to affect ignorance and to neglect and despise the means of knowledge [4 remedies]
FIVE MORE OF SATAN’S DEVICES
Adapted from Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks. [download PDF] It’s time to read a classic book. There is nothing like an old Puritan book from the 1600’s!.
If I could preach one message to myself. This is one I would preach.
The 4/14 Window refers to all children between the ages of 4 to 14. During this decade or “window,” most children in this demographic develop their moral and spiritual foundations.
Why is this age group so important?There are 2.3 billion children on earth under age 15 and they represent the largest unreached people group in the world. Boys and girls in the 4/14 Window are given priority because they are more open and receptive to the gospel than older youth and adults. Nearly 85% of people who make a decision for Christ, do so between the ages of 4 to 14!
The 4/14 Window Initiative is “to raise-up a new generation from the 4/14 Window to transform the world for Christ.” This is simply the mission statement of the 4/14 Window Movement.
The 4/14 Window Movement is a partnership of Christ followers and Christian leaders from the Body of Christ around the world. While many denominations and ministries are represented, the 4/14 Movement is non-denominational. Many who serve within the movement are employed by local churches or other ministries. The 4/14 Movement has no headquarters, no formal organization and no paid staff. Everyone who serves, does so out their love for Jesus Christ and the children in the 4/14 Window.
Find out more about at the 4/14 Window website. Download the prayer and fasting guide.
Have you ever been picked last during the gym class lineup? In elementary school, I used to be skinnier than a twig, but as fast as a gazelle. You’d think I would be an ideal candidate for dodge ball, but all the strong guns and smack mouths got picked above me.
Or have you ever been ignored from participating in an important project at work when you thought you’d be the one for the job? Or have you been left out of a discussion at church when you thought you had the gifts to help? It might be that in a similar situation it is common for you to become angry, fearful, or lonely.
When Jesus died. He left the disciples all alone, but not really. Though He promised a Helper would come, He was nowhere to be found, at least to their eyes. So they did what anyone would do. They went back to work, mending the nets. They did not know they were supposed to carry on the work of Christ ASAP. Like little kids, who had just been asked to do their jobs might have thought, “You mean when you said, “Go therefore and make disciples,” You meant, right now? Oh!”
So after Jesus rose from the grave He came to His followers and gave them some last words. His last words were a charge to the troops, an assignment to His students, and order from the throne,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)
Like the disciples, you are not alone. You have the power. The power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. He goes with you always until the end of your life.
Parenting: how eternity shapes the mundane.
Not so fast. The sometimes slow and steady process of sanctification.
The importance of writing letters.
Praying past our preferred outcomes.
Forget Kevlar, use liquid armor. This stuff is sweet!
15 grammar goofs that make you look silly.
Love is… (for you married folk)
Funny comments to the mega millions winner.
Dirt. Not your ordinary music video.
Leaning forward, you strain to hear. The fresh, cool breeze of the garden morning brushes your cheek. Bending, you look into that open, black-dark mouth of the tomb, its only light the sun’s thin finger reaching past your shoulder to touch the corner of a bone box. But the bones for which it waits have changed, gotten up and walked away. No smell of death; only the sweet scent of burial spices hanging in the air.
Bouncing off the walls of this vacated tomb, you may hear echoes from another garden where the lie, “Has God really said?” prevailed, and death was ushered in. But now, in this garden the lie has been silenced with a resounding, “Yes!! His Word lives!” and death has been driven out, the curse of Eden swallowed up in this empty space.
And do you hear the echo of righteous Noah, who built a deliverance to carry God’s creations through the judgment, or Father Abraham, through whom all the peoples of the earth would be blessed? Do you hear the echoes of Egypt’s oppressive slavery turned inside-out in powerful salvation, and at its peak an innocent lamb slain so that death would pass over? Do you hear the echo of new life found through parting waters, or of bread, water, and the Shekinah tent given in a wilderness? Do you hear the death-dealing law, unable to give life, at once fulfilled and filled full by the Life? Do you hear these echoes?
As you now kneel on this rough-hewn path leading into where Hope was dead for a moment, do you hear Joshua’s name, bouncing ’round these walls, the same name as “Yeshua,” “Jesus,” whose very name shouts “Salvation!”? Walls have crumbled. Evil has been judged, banished from the land. Joshua led God’s people to a promised place, a place flowing with all good things, as does now his namesake, who takes us to a promised rest harder bought. And the chaos of Judges too rings through this darkened grave, its “every man did what was right in his own eyes” now crushed under a staggering obedience, one Man having done what was right to give us new hearts, making us right with God.
King David’s words, “You will not allow your Holy One to see decay,” hang in this sweet air, and His Son, the ultimate Man, the ultimate King, receives the coronation song and, finally, dominion of the world and of a different kind of Kingdom. And this Easter tomb, having become a temple of sorts, housing God, echoes with the words of blessing over Solomon’s temple, its walls now torn down but built up in flesh and bone, stone by stone, to go walking through the world, taking the Light of the Gospel, the Presence, to all the black corners of the earth. The temple decisively cleansed by one Offering, the Great High Priest intercedes, never to offer another sacrifice, the way into the holiest place forever opened by His trail-blazing life.
Here too, in this now-hollow crypt ring full the words of Isaiah, “On this mountain … He will destroy death forever,” and Jeremiah’s “they will all know Me,” and do you hear Ezekiel’s bones rattle with hope? Exile having been exiled, this now is the true return, the Kingdom come, God’s people ruled by one ever-living King.
A baby’s cry, warbling out from a dusty trough, warbles here too, for the birth of Salvation always was leading to death, thus to this place. Vulnerability led to and ended here. The Jordan with open sky and loving Voice, the temptation to bow down, gain dominion, and avoid the terrible fate, and the transfiguration, shining and telling of his Exodus — events that all anticipate this shaking of the earth, this shattering of our assumptions. Echoed in every inch of this tomb are Love’s words, “no greater love,” and Love’s power that shushed a storm and raised a child. You hear them here in this cavernous glory.
And now you turn looking from this garden to the outpouring, the Spirit come, and to the church spreading down the ages, and to those who die in Hope, and you see us. For all these echoes from the Easter tomb, you realize, are our Story, and we, at the mouth of this conquered grave, stand at the center of His Story.
[HT]
spreading the fame 
