On the road toward humility

Jane Fryer is a favorite author of mine.  Over the years I have found her notes in the "Today's Light Bible" from Concordia Publishing House to be invaluable.  I found this Fryer quote in my journal yesterday and wanted to share it with you. 

True, godly humility comes to us as God's gift of grace.  When His Word leads us to see our helplessness, our sinfulness, our need for Jesus, we're on the road toward humility.  When we - by grace - focus on Christ, when we cling to Him as our only hope, we are exactly where God wants us to be.  When we trust in Christ's pardon alone as the remedy for our sin, then God can lift us up.  He gives us - us! - the very righteousness of God.

Two things strike me as I read this.  First, humility is not something that we work up in ourselves but it is happens as we are changed by the forgiveness and grace of Christ.  Second, isn't the Gospel of Christ such sweet news? Nothing compares!

What is your Kryptonite?

He was called "the man of steel."  But Superman wasn't so super in the presence of kryptonite.  What is your kryptonite? What is the millstone of sin that hangs around your neck? How do you get rid of it? Who has the power to remove it? Learn more this Sunday at Life in Christ.  Worship at 8 and 10:45 am with Christian LIFE Hour (Learning Is For Everyone) at 9:15 am.  Join us if you can!

Hooray for "The Middle"

Imagine my surprise as I read the back page of the "Life" section of USA Today and found the following: TV's most under appreciated great comedy returns with a one hour special as the Heck family makes its way through summer to fall.  Maybe this is the night the Hecks begin their break into the buzz and ratings elite - as they should...

My wife and I began watching "The Middle" from its first episode.  The setting is a small town in Indiana.  I can relate because I was born in small town Indiana too.  The show is based on the activities of the Heck family, a traditional family - something that is increasingly rare on television.  The parents are dealing with all the stresses of raising a family and the kids are feeling all the pressures of trying to fit in among peers while finding their own way in their world.

"The Middle" stars Patricia Heaton from "Everyone Loves Raymond" fame.  Her comedic timing is impeccable and the rest of the cast - especially the kids - are equally good.  It has seemed to me that the other, edgier comedies on the ABC schedule get all the promotion while "The Middle" is overlooked, even though it churns out one great and funny episode after another.

If you watch "The Middle," keep tuning in.  If you haven't yet checked out this program, do it tonight.  You're gonna like Frankie Heck and her family!

What can God's substitute do for you?

From John Jeske's wonderful book, "Connecting Sinai to Calvary:"

Because in our place our substitute lived a life of perfect obedience to the holy law of God, God considers us to be people who have given Him the perfect obedience He demands.  Because in our place our substitute died innocently under God's curse, God considers us to have been punished for our sins.

Whatcha reading?

Last year I read 31 books.  Since I was on renewal last summer, I had plenty of time to read and I took advantage of the time.  So far this year I've read about a dozen books.  This has been a very busy year of ministry and I find that often, by the time I get home from the church, I'm just too mentally exhausted to open a book and read.  I've got to do something about that but I'm not exactly sure what.

Here's what I'm working on right now:

Daily devotional - The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle.  I have several devotional book that I enjoy but I seem to always come back to the Divine Hours.  There are readings for morning, afternoon and evening plus a reading for the close of the day.  Tickle makes great use of the Psalms and I find such comfort and peace by reading and praying the Psalms.

Daily Bible study - Light for the Way by Frank Starr.  This is an out of print daily Bible reading guide that was published by CPH back in the mid 80's.  There are two series - four books for the Old Testament and the same for the New Testament.  Pastor Starr does a fine job of establishing the theme for each reading and offering enlightenment as to what God is doing in the text.  He also provides a prayer starter.  This is probably my fourth time utilizing these books but they offer such a structured approach for daily Bible reading that I find them invaluable for me.

I'm reading two other books at the moment:

Grace by Max Lucado.  Actually, I'm just getting started with this book.  It was given to me as a birthday present.  I've admired Lucado's writing style for many years.  Whether you embrace his theology or not, he really knows how to connect with his readers and few writers turn a phrase better than Lucado.

West by West - My Charmed, Tormented Life by Jerry West and Jonathan Coleman.  When I was a kid pounding a basketball on cement school courts, I admired Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers and tried to emulate him.  West had a very successful career both as a player and general manager.  West describes what his life was like growing up in a family where his father was very abusive and his mother seemed incapable of offering nurturing love and affection.  West also describes the challenges of dealing with pampered, self-seeking professional athletes.  This is a candid and revealing book about the life of a basketball icon.

Who is the Greatest?

It was Muhammad Ali who once proclaimed himself as the "greatest."  But long before Ali coined the phrase, Jesus' disciples argued about which of them was the greatest.  How did Jesus settle the argument? Join us this week at Life in Christ to find out.  Worship at 8 and 10:45 am with Christian LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) at 9:15 am.  We'd love to greet you this week at LICL!

Defining temptation

I think Pastor Richard Lauersdorf does a pretty good job of it in his book, "As Luther Taught the Word of Truth."

Playing around with temptation is like trying to run down a mountainside.  There comes a time when your legs get away from you and you can no longer stop.