Once or Twice

"If you're only born once, you die twice.

But if you're born twice, you only die once."

~ Ken Ham (from "Death the Enemy", the last session in his Foundations series)

Before You Speak

The Sin of Silence

We know that we can sin through speech, but silence can also be a sin. Deitrich Bonhoffer put it so well:

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

Bonhoeffer lived at a time and place where this understanding of the sin of silence made the difference between life and death for some people. The same is true for us today. Will you allow innocent masses of children to go to their deaths while you sit idly and silently by? Will you allow ignorant masses of unsaved men and women to go to their deaths while you sit idly and silently by? God will not hold us guiltless!

Quote For Today - Nate Saint

“People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.”

~Nate Saint

Which Bible Translation?

There is a story about four clergymen who were discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version best because of its beautiful English. Another liked the American Revised Version best because it is more literal and comes nearer to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another liked Mofatt's translation best because of its up-to-date vocabulary. The fourth minister was silent. When asked to express his opinion, he replied, “I like my mother's translation best.” The other three expressed surprise. They did not know his mother had translated the Bible. “Yes, she did,” he replied. “She translated it into life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw.”

Reflections on Music

Between teaching twelve music students, practicing for orchestra camp at the beginning of September, practicing to fiddle at the farmer’s market, and taking an online course on string quartets, I practically live music these days. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Music is a gift! That reminds me of a quote that I really like:

Bach gave us God's Word.

Mozart gave us God's laughter.

Beethoven gave us God's fire.

God gave us Music that we might pray without words.

As I ponder the beautiful gift of music, I often marvel. God created music in all of its perfection and grandeur, and He chose to share it with us. Can you imagine how it will be to sing in heaven with the angels? I don’t think that the most beautiful music here on earth even begins to compare!

Yet I also marvel at how, like with many other things, man has corrupted this God-created, God-given gift. Music influences people in profound ways, either for good or bad, like little else does. Be vigilant in your music selection—it can be a tool of God or a tool of the enemy of your soul!

“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.” ~ Psalm 40:1-3

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” ~ Ephesians 5:15-21

“O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.” ~ Psalm 95:1

It's Not Safe. But . . .

Tell them it’s not safe.

Tell them they may get spit at.

Tell them they may get hit.

Tell them they may get arrested even though they didn’t break any laws.

And tell them if they don’t go, that babies will die and souls will end up in hell.

That’s far more dangerous.

We need to stop being middle-class American sissies, and we need to be willing to fight faithfully with the Gospel to save souls and unborn babies.

~R. C. Sproul, Jr.

(The above was R. C.’s excellent response when asked what to say to people who asked if ministering at abortion mills is safe.)

I Serve An Amazing God!

Today was an amazing day out at the abortion mill. Not because I like it out there. In fact, I hate it. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t feel compelled to. And not because we saw an extraordinary response, either. There was one woman, all smiles, who left and said that she had changed her mind. We were able to give her a gift bag and phone numbers in case she needed more help. That was exciting and encouraging, but there were still so many hard hearts.

Instead, it was amazing because I saw and felt God’s hand so many times. On the way down, my sister and I prayed and she read Colossians chapter three out loud. That was a blessing. I arrived feeling so much more prepared than I have other weeks. I felt a nearness to God, a quiet, trusting faith and peace in my heart this morning even amidst the utter sinfulness and depravity that was being displayed around me. That is why I said that today was amazing—because I serve a God that never ceases to amaze me!

And before I close, I wanted to share this quote that a friend of mine posted on Facebook recently. It sounds a lot like what I told the women at the mill this morning as I spoke on the microphone: “Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. Right is right even if no one is doing it.” ~Saint Augustine of Hippo

So true. Few are those who find it. But for those who do, they will find that God is truly amazing.

Where Are the Ambassadors?

"More [professing] evangelicals today will visit abortion mills as clients than as ambassadors of Jesus Christ."

~R.C. Sproul, Jr.

Brothers and sisters, church of God, this ought not to be!

The Door or the Room?

I have been reading a book called A Vision of Kingdom Christianity by David Robertson. It is an excellent book and I thought I’d share one of the quotes that I appreciated:

“. . . in our day the emphasis is too often put upon the door (forgiveness of sins and conversion). Because of this misplaced emphasis, believers are many times left standing in the doorway instead of fully entering into the room of the kingdom, into the wide land of being all God intended us to be, which is true freedom. So the good news of evangelism is not just that you sins can be forgiven, that you can accept Jesus into your heart, and that you can go to heaven. We cheat the new believer if we do not show them the deep communion, new society, kingdom citizenship and costly discipleship that are part of the salvation package.”

The Things We Believe . . .

Why does one believe when you say there are four billion stars but check when you say the paint is wet?

~Unknown