tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61329239257296183522024-03-13T00:58:31.196-07:00Protestant Perspectives and PonderingsMany Imperfect Creatures - Trying to Understand the Perfect CreatorRChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-69895300673441620182009-10-02T05:03:00.000-07:002009-10-02T05:20:53.183-07:00Mountains and ValleysAfter every time of exaltation we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they are where it is neither beautiful nor poetic nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley we have to live for the glory of God. We <em>see</em> His glory on the mount, but we never <em>live</em> for His glory there. It is in the sphere of humiliation that we find our true worth in God. That is where our faithfulness is revealed....<br /><br />When you were on the mount, you could believe anything, but what about the time you were up against the facts in the valley? You may be able to give a testimony to sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you just now? The last time you were on the mount with God, you saw that all power in Heaven and in earth belonged to Jesus - will you be skeptical now in the valley of humiliation?<br /><br />- Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest", October 2Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-69304124245919113602009-09-15T05:15:00.000-07:002009-09-15T05:21:18.918-07:00The Relationship Between Prayer and Living"There is a two way relationship between prayer and life. Prayer can be seen as the focusing and redirecting of an attitude to God and to our fellow [human beings] that runs through all that we do. On the other hand we can see our daily life as something which prayer purifies, directs and consecrates. This interrelationship of prayer and life was expressed by William Temple in his well known saying "It is not that conduct is the end of life and worship helps it but that worship is the end of life and conducts tests it." Temple is here using worship in a broad sense to include all of life. For in worship, as the derivation of the work from worth implies, we declare what we value most. If in prayer I declare that I value God above all things and in my life I show that my own selfish interests come first I am making a nonsense of my praying. We declare how we value God as much by our actions, by the way we treat other people, by the manner in which we do our work, as by anything we say. <em>If my actions are wrong or wrongly motivated prayer cannot make them right. If however, despite my failures and inconsistencies, I do on the whole want to put God above all things then prayer will help to purify my motives and clarify my judgment</em>."<br /><br /> - Christopher Bryant, <em>"The River Within"</em>Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-31027656721504841032009-09-11T22:37:00.000-07:002009-09-11T22:38:31.685-07:00Things Ought Not To Be So<span style="font-weight:bold;">James 3:10<br />From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.</span><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-oHm7IB8Uxc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-oHm7IB8Uxc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-68480072270295960502009-09-06T05:03:00.000-07:002009-09-06T11:46:10.847-07:00Rivers of Living Water<em>'A river touches places of which its source knows nothing, and Jesus says if we have received His fullness, however small the visible measure of our lives, out of us will flow the rivers that will bless to the uttermost parts of the earth. We have nothing to do with the outflow - "This is the work that ye believe." God rarely allows a soul to see how great a blessing he is.<br /><br />Think of the healing and far-flung rivers nursing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up marvelous truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is an indication of the wider power of the river He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished you in mighty torrents of blessing for others.'</em><br /><br />- Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest", September 6<br /><br />It seems so much of my life I have been asking, "What legacy will I leave to future generations? What purpose does my life serve? How will I be remembered? Does my life really matter in the grand scheme of things?"<br /><br />This comment gives me hope that, though I may never know it, I can (and will) make someone's life better simply by getting as close to God as possible. It also challenges me. For if I want to truly make a mark on this rock that will last, I must remember from where that change comes and must be open for that changing force in my life as well.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-74161791234436704152009-09-01T16:28:00.000-07:002009-09-01T16:31:03.890-07:00Fellowship and Solitude<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvoi9_zwsCyjU4LNhux8wGzp1waybOLRObpnX8_spzSqawb7d9QitN2KYavNP73tu_qIEMJFwx5ly5_xYqXVrdTNOCiNjVlneVd7R2VKEe-J2VboCfcf3uSkWvZyyA90uOt8PdV9LsQ8/s1600-h/89578229.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 114px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvoi9_zwsCyjU4LNhux8wGzp1waybOLRObpnX8_spzSqawb7d9QitN2KYavNP73tu_qIEMJFwx5ly5_xYqXVrdTNOCiNjVlneVd7R2VKEe-J2VboCfcf3uSkWvZyyA90uOt8PdV9LsQ8/s400/89578229.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376645593073432642" /></a><br />This quote from a <a href="http://www.gracecommunity.ws/node/5915">sermon by Mike Bullmore</a> is worth meditating upon:<br /><br /> We need fellowship with others to be alone safely.<br /> We need solitude to be with others meaningfully.<br /><br />HT: <a href="http://theologica.blogspot.com/">Between Two Worlds</a>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-33289475404956485802009-09-01T14:50:00.001-07:002009-09-01T14:50:41.373-07:00No Sin Too Small<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5S2Rdn1OOfGkU8tDMCkIolRwmM9Cu0BTc8V_Lg37lZJh7MzTpPn04-DmsQMwQtLdL67HRNzzjLL2haHNfWBUPwUXKcOI8pLQEhga3uNQ1U1MUEFPul_nUj7gPfy_GmDWaxFrbrVVK2bA/s1600-h/5105N7SP7VL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5S2Rdn1OOfGkU8tDMCkIolRwmM9Cu0BTc8V_Lg37lZJh7MzTpPn04-DmsQMwQtLdL67HRNzzjLL2haHNfWBUPwUXKcOI8pLQEhga3uNQ1U1MUEFPul_nUj7gPfy_GmDWaxFrbrVVK2bA/s400/5105N7SP7VL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376618027595022738" /></a><br />"Your misdeeds and mine are nonetheless repellent because our opportunities for doing damage are less spectacular than those of some other people. Do you suggest that your doings and mine are too trivial for God to bother about? That cuts both ways; for, in that case, it would make precious little difference to His creation if he wiped us both out tomorrow."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sayers.org.uk/dorothy.html">Dorothy L. Sayers</a> in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/091847731X/righteousjudg-20">Creed or Chaos?</a>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-70286016334013875972009-08-31T05:01:00.000-07:002009-08-31T05:22:03.625-07:00The joy of Jesus ChristWhat was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do...<br /><br />The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happenings, not in seeing God's work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had.... All that God has done for us is the mere threshold. He wants to get us to the place where we will be His witness and proclaim who Jesus is.<br /><br />Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a center for Jesus Christ to pour living water through.... The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes. The lives that have been of the most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it.<br /><br />- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 31Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-87187973755693737382009-08-29T11:58:00.001-07:002009-08-29T11:58:43.575-07:00God’s grace comes from the outside<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins49BfEvVwEKUHU1RS7aYFRmlXgG5DyRmgMRG4a7BjqKUeGCpLDItiAAEQIcyP814TqlSSJU6JWRkYH7kXBziARVtLE3an7pGc4YtFui74zTRJR1S1sTIg_7nLLzb9wL9jXlPmMMVbVU/s1600-h/AB27778.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins49BfEvVwEKUHU1RS7aYFRmlXgG5DyRmgMRG4a7BjqKUeGCpLDItiAAEQIcyP814TqlSSJU6JWRkYH7kXBziARVtLE3an7pGc4YtFui74zTRJR1S1sTIg_7nLLzb9wL9jXlPmMMVbVU/s400/AB27778.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375461892899961954" /></a><br />“The point I am making is quite offensive to us today. It is that God hides himself from us, that he cannot be had on our terms, and that he cannot be accessed from “below” through natural revelation. In the malls, and in much of life, we encounter nothing like this. We expect access. We expect to be able to get what we want, when we want it, and on our terms.<br /><br />Here this is not the case. Here we have to be admitted to God’s presence, on his terms, in his way … or not at all. We cannot simply walk into his presence. Here nature does not itself yield grace. God’s grace comes from the outside, not the inside, from above and not from within. It is not natural to fallen human life. We enter the presence of God as those who have been estranged, not as those who have been in continuity with the sacred simply because we are human. We are brought into a saving relationship through Christ; we do not put this together from within ourselves.”<br /><br />—David F. Wells, The Courage to be Protestant (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Eerdmans, 2008), 190<br /><br />HT: <a href="http://firstimportance.org/">Of First Importance</a>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-71017277665958778932009-08-29T11:48:00.001-07:002009-08-29T11:48:52.047-07:00Choosing Life before Death - Choosing Thomas<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ToNWquoXqJI&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ToNWquoXqJI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Watch this for so many reasons, but be prepared to cry.<br /><br />Denny Burk:<br /><br /> " Twenty weeks into their pregnancy, T. K. and Deidrea Laux found out that their son had Trisomy 13—a rare DNA abnormality. After being counseled that “terminating the pregnancy” would be an option, they chose life. In Deidrea’s own words:<br /><br /> “We didn’t not terminate because we were hanging on to some sort of hope that there was a medical mistake or there was gonna be some sort of medical miracle. We didn’t terminate because he’s our son.”<br /><br /> The Dallas Morning News has produced this video chronicling the birth and home-going of Thomas. The Laux’s are members of Paul Lindquist’s church (one of my former Criswell College students), and Paul is the one who alerted me to “Choosing Thomas.” This is an amazing story of love and life, and you need to watch it."<br /><br />HT: <a href="http://takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com/">Take Your Vitamin Z</a>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-5113042686446349832009-08-29T05:35:00.000-07:002009-08-29T05:47:12.378-07:00Faith or common-sense?"Every time you venture out in the life in faith, you will find something in your common-sense circumstances that flatly contradicts your faith. Common-sense is not faith and faith is not common-sense; they stand in relation to the natural and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common-sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture heroically on Jesus Christ's statements when the facts of your common-sense life shout - 'It's a lie?'...<br /><br />Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams He will not stand by us."<br /> - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 29Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-165032534817235492009-08-28T05:09:00.000-07:002009-08-28T05:17:36.051-07:00What's the good of prayer?"It is not so true that 'prayer changes things' as that prayer changes <em>me</em> and I change things. God has no constituted things that prayer on the basis of redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man's disposition."<br /> - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 28Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-18104419588088127992009-08-27T21:18:00.000-07:002009-08-27T21:19:20.813-07:00Shepherd or Hireling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_uRrKdJeeGFqmYKKbQjXFuI4nN-VkvrwW15pRppHupICg72vZmfO2Q-PzW0HOgzQESGEiUbkJln6_t3KBVmwOusYD2tBivz-t_gcru9sRY0ereZ_wFrRN7M6foYbKt9cy6Fvw_hF4No/s1600-h/ts.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 78px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_uRrKdJeeGFqmYKKbQjXFuI4nN-VkvrwW15pRppHupICg72vZmfO2Q-PzW0HOgzQESGEiUbkJln6_t3KBVmwOusYD2tBivz-t_gcru9sRY0ereZ_wFrRN7M6foYbKt9cy6Fvw_hF4No/s400/ts.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374863932719956514" /></a><br />The God of Calvin is the good shepherd, who names and numbers his sheep, who saves the lost sheep and fends off the wolf. The God of Wesley is the hireling, who knows not the flock by name and number, who lets the sheep go astray and be eaten by the wolf. Which is more loving, I ask?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Steve Hays</span>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-68404862526515411802009-08-26T18:02:00.001-07:002009-08-26T18:02:33.488-07:00Earthen Vessels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6ba6jUZF_-7XvaEC79bw82RDeMFY64nJbwMv1rS5pJ2T-Lc-aDJCfN2fc75uMMI6efHZvTYMge1KAEbQCkFEh8h3QNE7ckgAmh8Xom54xWRwtdYu-G9qSJOwtXTzFrSoJL2f5RZIsvE/s1600-h/75402290.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6ba6jUZF_-7XvaEC79bw82RDeMFY64nJbwMv1rS5pJ2T-Lc-aDJCfN2fc75uMMI6efHZvTYMge1KAEbQCkFEh8h3QNE7ckgAmh8Xom54xWRwtdYu-G9qSJOwtXTzFrSoJL2f5RZIsvE/s400/75402290.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374442424911485634" /></a><br />“Let us stand still, and admire and wonder at the love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners; that Christ should rather die for us, than for the angels. They were creatures of a more noble extract, and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God: yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels, and make us vessels of glory, Oh, what amazing and astonishing love is this! This is the envy of devils, and the admiration of angels and saints.”<br /><br />- Thomas Brooks, Christ’s Love for us<br /><br />H.T.: <a href="http://firstimportance.org/">Of First Importance</a>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-39286843496452666882009-08-25T18:33:00.001-07:002009-08-25T18:33:43.685-07:00Thankful Discontentment“The Christian life should be a state of thankful discontentment or joyful dissatisfaction! We live every day thankful for the amazing grace that fundamentally changes our lives, but we should not be satisfied. Why not? Because, when we look at ourselves honestly, we have to admit that there is still need for personal growth and change. We are not yet all that we could be in Christ. We are thankful for the many things in our lives that would not be there without His grace, but we should not settle for partial inheritance. We should want nothing less than all that is ours in Christ! In this sense, God does not want us to be content with less than what He wants for us. He calls us to continue to wrestle, meditate, look, consider, resist, submit, follow, and pray until we have been completely transformed into His likeness.”<br /><br />- Paul David Tripp & Timothy S. Lane, “How Christ Changes Us By His Grace” in The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Spring 2005), 20.<br /><br />H.T.: <a href="http://firstimportance.org/">Of First Importance</a>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-68858516819850966072009-08-23T15:28:00.000-07:002009-08-23T15:29:17.953-07:00Packer on Humaness<strong>Genesis 1:27<br />So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/bio/mugs/ji_packer.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/bio/mugs/ji_packer.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://g.christianbook.com/g/slideshow/3/39602/main/39602_1_ftc_dp.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://g.christianbook.com/g/slideshow/3/39602/main/39602_1_ftc_dp.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I was reading <a href="http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/bio/jipacker.html">J. I. Packer's</a> book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Concise-Theology-sc-J-Packer/dp/0842339604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197773743&sr=8-1">Concise Theology</a> and he wrote something that really hit home with me. It was in the chapter Humanness (page 71) which dealt with what it means to be human and man's role as the image bearer of God:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>"The statement at the start of the Bible (Gen. 1:26-27, echoed in 5:1; 1 Cor. 11:7; James 3:9) that God made man in his own image, so that humans are like God as no other earthly creatures are, tells us that the special dignity of being human is that, as humans, we may reflect and reproduce at our own creaturely level the holy ways of God., and thus act as his direct representatives on earth. This is what humans are made to do, and in one sense we are human only to the extent that are doing it."</strong><br /><br />It made me think, "How well am I being "human" in the sense that Dr. Packer is speaking of?" The answer is I am not doing very well. I unceasingly fail to reproduce the holy ways of God.<br /><br />May God grant me the ability to reproduce His holy ways.<br /><br />RCRChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-27081223433121135172009-08-23T15:26:00.001-07:002009-08-23T15:29:46.592-07:00C.S. Lewis regarding one's life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTfHU_xvOlai4eqzDFu5PjcDE-KaPW5pdaQvZSPj74qR8Rwpplz7SFpKGxH-OHyuTLcahRXZFnWPxMtBznAiewVpR0AARR3EWsyyKXL8DrkZd-pWZTUJfjCW1AtV7VQlwwqEaeA-TuIQ/s1600-h/71688169.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTfHU_xvOlai4eqzDFu5PjcDE-KaPW5pdaQvZSPj74qR8Rwpplz7SFpKGxH-OHyuTLcahRXZFnWPxMtBznAiewVpR0AARR3EWsyyKXL8DrkZd-pWZTUJfjCW1AtV7VQlwwqEaeA-TuIQ/s400/71688169.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373289067513384962" /></a><br />"The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s “own,” or “real” life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one ...day by day; what one calls one’s “real life” is a phantom of one’s own imagination."<br /><br />C.S. LewisRChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-45484531999756779542009-08-12T21:54:00.000-07:002009-08-12T22:21:09.085-07:00My walk with God<em>I was recently asked to give a talk at the WayFM Christian Business Leaders’ Breakfast on how my faith and career intersect. Afterwards some people asked for a copy of my notes and I thought I would write a narrative to make it easier to follow:</em><br /><br />As you all know, my name is Larry Johnston and I run All Phase Painting. When Jennie first asked me to speak to you I told her I would be honored. I also said that I didn’t want to spend ten minutes boring you with all sorts of technical stuff about painting, but that I would rather talk about my job than the way I make a living. You see, I pay my bills by painting houses and offices, but my job is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone I meet.<br /><br />In order to tell you how my faith intersects with my career I have to take you back almost ten years. At that time I had a pretty good job – I worked as a telemarketing manager about 30 hours per week and was making about $35,000 per year. The only real drawback was I had to work nights until about 8:00 and missed spending time with my school-age children. My wife worked as a shift manager for a car rental company making about $38,000 and from the outside we looked like a happy family. In private, though, there was a lot of fighting. I went to church regularly and my boys were very active in Sunday school. I participated in bible studies and helped out wherever needed. Because of her schedule, my wife was rarely able to attend and this became one of the cracks in the facade of our marriage – she resented my deepening faith and relationship with God as well as the time away at the church. Even though I looked pretty together on the outside, I always was aware that something was missing in my life: I KNEW I needed to be home more with the kids; I KNEW my marriage was falling apart; I KNEW that, though I spent time at the church, I was never really known. I had a tendency to stay in the background because I didn’t feel like I fit in.<br /><br />I asked God to help me make sense of my life, but I wanted Him to do it on my terms: I asked Him to fix my marriage; I asked Him to bless my career; I asked for guidance in raising my kids; I asked Him to make me feel like I belonged somewhere. He and I had this conversation for about two years before I finally relented and told God He could have control of it all. That’s when God’s wrecking ball leveled everything I valued in my life.<br /><br />My oldest son suffered emotional trauma from the stress of my failing marriage and I took advantage of the Family Leave Act to stay home and care for him. While staying home, I came to realize my marriage was unfixable in its current state as long as I lived in the same house with my wife. I decided to end the toxicity of our relationship by moving out in the hopes of some distance helping to fix things. I had to move with a few boxes in my car and my clothes into a friend’s basement. With nowhere to set up house, I had to leave my kids behind. I went back to work to try and rebuild my life, but within a few weeks was diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells on my back and had to have a surgical biopsy done. During recovery I had an abscess that caused me to miss more work and I was let go. In less than ninety days I lost my house, my marriage, my kids, my job and my health. The only thing I had left was my relationship with God and I dove into that for all I was worth.<br /><br />It was at this point God started to rebuild my life. I found a reduced-rent apartment through Colorado Homeless Families. Their organization not only allowed me to move into my own place with almost no money, they gave me furniture to furnish the place – some of which I still have today – and they allowed me to get food from their food pantry while I got back on my feet financially. I applied for and received unemployment, and since this happened around the time of 9-11 I also qualified for extended benefits. This was good because I seemed to work only sporadically over the next couple years as I tried to discern God’s will for my life and through His grace my bills always somehow got paid. It was during this time that I realized how much I enjoyed painting while working as a handyman. And I began to study God’s word daily. I dove into daily devotions and spent two years reading the entire Bible (at least most of it) with a class from church.<br /><br />I also became involved in men’s ministry. I started with Promise Keepers, where I learned I had something more to offer my family than a paycheck. Promise Keepers created in me a strong desire to be a better man. The truth was I didn’t know what that looked like, so I continued to look to the Bible for examples. What I found was that every man God chose to use – Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David, Solomon, – all of them failed a LOT. This knowledge gave me hope that, though I had fallen, God could still use me in some way.<br /><br />I then went on an experiential retreat created by my pastor and another man called Men of Faith in Mission which taught me that even before I was born, God had placed in me certain gifts (which I call my gold) that he wanted to me to use on Earth to further His Kingdom. I learned how the world in which I lived and my own shame and fear had caused me to bury my gold a long time ago. And I realized how a part of me still resisted God’s will for my life (see Romans 7:14-23). But I also saw how God could use the experiences of my broken life and the gold He had given me to glorify Him and His Kingdom on Earth. From these lessons I developed my mission statement, which I’d like to share with you:<br /><br /><em>I am Larry D. Johnston. I am a bold, caring, strong man. I have been called to use my empathy, my compassion and my strength to help create a world that fosters hope in one another, faith in God, and serenity for those around me.</em><br /><br />I contemplated how to fulfill this mission and decided the best way would be to show other men what I had learned and help them become better husbands, better fathers and better workers and to show boys that being a man of God could be both rewarding and fun. So I started teaching other men (both young and old) these lessons in variety of ways: I became a leader for the same retreat that began my mission; I became a volunteer with our church’s high school ministry, and I try to lead by example by serving first as a deacon and then as an elder of our church.<br /><br />Shortly after my first Men of Faith retreat I came up with the vision for All Phase Painting. My main motivation for opening a business had less to do with money as it did with the ability to set my own schedule – I wanted to have enough flexibility to be available for my middle-school-aged boys. As I began the process of starting the company, I realized early on that the company really isn’t mine, but belongs to God and I am just the steward of His gift. Every day I look for ways to glorify His Kingdom through the company, and ways are always coming up: from sending 75 gallons of paint to an orphanage in Mexico to painting a church office for the cost of materials, to painting a recently-retired pastor’s new home free with extra paint I had collected – I see all of these as a service that glorifies our Heavenly Father. There are other ways as well: praying with a customer preparing for surgery; taking time to tell a prospective client how God is changing me through missional work in Jamaica; sharing with people like you all the things He has done for me every opportunity I get; offering free painting certificates for fundraising at different charity events; and providing a positive, Godly environment for my employees.<br /><br />I also feel very honored to be an Impact Partner with WayFM. Music was very important to me growing up (and still is). There were many years when I gave up listening to the radio because of the negative message and I wasn’t aware of stations that had an encouraging word. Knowing of a station like WayFM would have been an excellent outlet for filling that need had they been around then. It speaks to my heart to be able to help provide a positive message for today’s youth.<br /><br />The last way I try to honor God through All Phase Painting is by sharing a simple message on how to live a good life. It comes from I Thessalonians 5: 16-18:<br /><br /><em>“Be joyful always”</em> – No matter how good your circumstances, there are bad things as well; and no matter how bad your circumstances, there’s also good things. No matter how bleak your situation, there is always something to be joyful about. If you need an example, look at how children live.<br /><br /><br /><em>"Pray continuously" </em>– When you have a best friend, you make the time to talk to them, no matter what else is going on in your life. That’s how you become best friends. God wants to be your best friend. Get to know Him better the only way you can – by talking to Him through prayer.<br /><br /><em>“Give thanks in all circumstances”</em> – When things are going your way it’s easy to be thankful, but it’s not during the good times we do most of our growing. We learn and grow and become stronger during the difficult times in our lives. It’s also when things are tough that we are given more chances to let God carry part of the load for us. We need to be thankful for these things too.<br /><br /><em>“This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”</em> – If we can live out these three things, we will be living a fulfilled, joyous life, and that is all God wants for us.<br /><br />Finally, I’d like to share a couple of the lessons I’ve learned over the last seven or eight years as I took this walk with God:<br />1. Never ask God to fix your life unless you really mean it – you never know what that might entail.<br />2. Realize that sometimes, in order to build the palace God has planned for you to live in He has to first tear down the shanty in which you currently reside.<br />3. God NEVER promises that, just because you choose to follow Him your life will be easy. In fact He promises quite the opposite – He promises that you will be reviled and hated for His name. But He also promises that He will always be with you to see you through.<br />4. No matter who we are, where we’ve been, or what we’ve done, we all have something to offer for the glory of God’s Kingdom – In fact sometimes it’s those very pasts that hold the key to our contribution.<br />5. When Jesus needed people to start His church, He didn’t look to professional priests or rabbis or Levites trained in the Torah. He chose common everyday people – laborers, shop keepers, small business owners – people like you and me. He even chose a reviled tax collector to help form His church. Perhaps He knew common people with common problems would be better suited to carry the Good News to other common people with common (and uncommon) problems and tell of the plans He has for us all.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-39166373256852636972009-07-29T19:53:00.001-07:002009-07-29T19:53:31.311-07:00The Gospel<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lFTX80TpZ_4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lFTX80TpZ_4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-49736755402034764732009-07-29T19:38:00.000-07:002009-07-29T19:51:35.538-07:00The Battlefield"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."<br /><br />Attributed to Martin LutherRChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-4338564424553106682009-07-28T04:03:00.000-07:002009-07-28T04:32:55.358-07:00The Journey IS the Destinantion<em>"The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process God calls the end."</em> Oswald Chambers, <em><u>My Utmost for His Highest</u></em>, July 28<br /><br />We are so goal-oriented in our culture. It seems like I am always looking for some destination or another - some benchmark that denotes my 'reaching' something : prosperity; fulfilment; success; retirement; etc. A good example for me is weddings... I remember when I was getting married how the wedding itself seemed like a destination - we spent so much time and preparation getting ready for the "Big Day" with little concern with what would follow. The reality is that day means little if the years to follow are not spent in constant care of the relationship that day celebrates.<br /><br />I think all the little 'destinations' in my life are much the same. I don't think God sees my life as a series of endings so much as the process of becoming. As I do more 'becoming', I get to do more 'reaching' - as I grow deeper in my faith <em>now</em>, I feel more fulfilment in my life; as I stay more focused on the time and space I occupy <em>now'</em> I feel the success of navigating this moment; As I focus on the relationships in my life in the <em>now</em>, I feel prosperous in the ways I can touch the lives of those I care about.<br /><br />Because when I finally do reach the ultimate destination, it won't matter how much money I made, how many toys I own, how many check marks are on my list. The only thing that will matter then is how I went through the process of living and relating with those around me and with God.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-3130514292369533832009-07-09T23:31:00.000-07:002009-07-09T23:37:18.449-07:00Lessons learned from helping others<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4s1rx4wKihJ3p3vWh1H_BzWKMqNSZqy7Wj0yU90OiHc9T7aUv-JggENH9z3tR9IHklHGp0g6-cJtgVWd9hVTyxn2AiHRzxkeng8reaOaRI4WsD19reMh5ClC3mQfK0BfH6GPl20Qo5eS/s1600-h/Jamaica+%2709+129.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356716441945882722" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4s1rx4wKihJ3p3vWh1H_BzWKMqNSZqy7Wj0yU90OiHc9T7aUv-JggENH9z3tR9IHklHGp0g6-cJtgVWd9hVTyxn2AiHRzxkeng8reaOaRI4WsD19reMh5ClC3mQfK0BfH6GPl20Qo5eS/s320/Jamaica+%2709+129.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I recently returned from my second mission trip to Jamaica and wanted to tell you about my experiences there. If I could live anywhere else but Colorado, it would be Jamaica. There are many reasons I feel so strongly, but most of them I can’t really put into words. There are two things, though that come to mind: First, there’s the beauty of the island itself – everywhere you look, it’s green. It seems every natural surface in Jamaica is alive with some kind of growth. It’s almost as if nature itself is challenging mankind to push it back to make room for human development. And I truly believe that man has only reached a temporary cease-fire in that battle. Secondly it’s the people – I have never been in a place where EVERYONE is so happy to see you. Nor have I ever been to a place where the quality of relationships are more important than the things you own.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Since this was a mission trip, I could stand up here and talk about the things we did and how we helped others, but instead I want to talk about how God helped us. The theme for this year’s trip was ‘be real’. Son Servants chose this theme to describe what our relationship to God and others should look like (real faith, real love, real devotion). We spent a little time every day learning how to have a more real relationship with God and the people in our lives. </div><div> </div><div>I’d like to share some of the ‘real’ stuff I saw on the trip:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real caring from the staff – We didn’t arrive at the camp until 12:30 AM on Wednesday after traveling 19 hours. The work was to begin that very morning with a wake-up call at 6:30. The staff, obviously, would need to be up prior to that, and yet everyone was awake and greeted us when we arrived. They fed us and sat with us and showed us to our rooms before they themselves went to sleep.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real growth – some of the quieter members of our group really began to participate and share for the first time since joining Youth Group a year ago during family time. It was amazing to hear how God was touching the lives of kids who I hardly knew though we had spent some time nearly every week together.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real love – one of the girls came back from the infirmary with tears in her eyes as she talked about one of the residents praying over her. She talked about how she had gone to this VERY sad place to bring comfort to those in need and yet SHE had been comforted. The infirmary in Mandeville, Jamaica completely changed her world-view. Now she is looking for a retirement village in her neighborhood that she can ride her bike to in order to visit the forgotten here in Denver.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real joy – there is nothing like seeing a bunch of teenagers, covered from head to toe with dirt that stains EVERYTHING, exhausted from digging a hole 6 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet, so happy to work so hard and excited to know they’ll be doing it again tomorrow. It was very apparent that doing God’s work creates in us a joyful heart.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real community – we not only grew closer to each other as we relied on each other, but created relationships with people we had never met – most of whom we’ll never see again – that we will continue for years to come. We overcame regional barriers with those from other parts of the country and language barriers from those in another country to touch their lives and allow ours to be touched. It was amazing to see people stop what they were doing when a neighbor came walking down the road and REALLY talk to them about their life – not just a quick “how are you” and “I’m fine” before getting back to whatever business was at hand.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real faith – one of the members of our team shared how he had been wrestling with God about trusting God to care for him and found a peace in that relationship.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real devotion – When one of our kids got hurt our leader dropped everything to give aid and comfort to that boy, forsaking his own need to eat to care for his wounds.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real grace – When one of our kids’ luggage was lost in Miami for three days, not once did he complain. Not once did he remark about missing this or that, he just went on with the job at hand, and as an example of real compassion, the rest of our team banded together to make sure he had clothes to wear to the worksite, soap, shampoo, toothpaste to stay clean, blankets to use as bedding. We did our best to insure his hardship was minimized completely.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Real patience - even as the trip was winding down, with 100 tired kids and adults stretched to the end of their rope, even when nerves were wearing thin, not once did we have so much as an argument amongst ourselves. Not once were voices raised in anger. Not once were the lines of right and wrong behaviour so much as grazed, let alone overstepped.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>When I went to Jamaica last time, I knew I was going down to help people who had a lot less than I did. What I didn’t realize was how these people had so much more than me in ways that really counted:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>They taught me to place my worth not on what I own but on who I’ve touched in a positive way; about counting success not in how many things I scratch off my to do list but in who I’ve spent time with; That God is not found in my schedule, or my phone, or my stuff, but in the faces of every living thing He puts in front of me; That in order to receive God’s grace I must learn to hold everything else in my life lightly; That the most valuable thing I will do today (and every day) is to stop what I’m doing, no matter how important I think it to be, when God calls me through one of His creations to take a moment and share myself with that person.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One of my most poignant memories of this trip was an experience I had with our team’s mason (foreman) on the last day: WE had only known each other for six days. We had shared a little about our lives and gotten to know each other some, but not deeply, yet after we said our goodbyes, I went to get on the bus to go back to camp; Paul stood there and waited like a kid watching his best friend move away. He had concrete mixed and waiting for him to be applied to the wall – it was drying as he stood there, but watching me roll away was more important, meant more to him than doing the job that had to be done before he could go home. You see, in Jamaica they don’t own a bunch of stuff to distract them from what’s important – not the houses, not the water tanks, not the septic systems, not the concrete we poured, but the relationships we built.</div>Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-47951937125828164912009-07-07T05:10:00.000-07:002009-07-07T05:32:36.161-07:00All Noble Things are Difficult<em>"Thank God He does give us difficult things to do...[they] test us for all we are worth...God's grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milksops." </em>- Oswald Chambers, <u>My Utmost for His Highest</u>, July 7<br /><br />On more than one occasion, I have heard somebody say, "Why does life have to be so hard?" or something similar. It seems many (including myself) wish life could always be simple, always be easy, always be fun. The truth is, as I follow Jesus, life is often more difficult than I ever imagined. I am tested in ways that often make me question whether it is worth it or not. I often ask myself why God puts such a hard road in front of me.<br /><br />Many live the the mistaken idea that, by accepting Christ in their lives, their lives will be easier, but that is <strong>not</strong> what Christ promised. In fact he promised the exact opposite: "You will be universally hated for my name, but anyone who stands firm will be saved." This says to me, "The world will be against you if you stand up for me." It's not that God is making my life hard, the world and all that is not of God is fighting against my determination to keep God at the center of my life. <br /><br />What God does promise is He will be with me and, if I do make my stand in Him, He will help me through all that comes at me, and He has ALWAYS been faithful to that promiseLarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-37399329266842106542009-06-27T05:49:00.000-07:002009-06-27T06:06:55.794-07:00Looking for justice in an unjust world<em>"Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it"</em> - Oswald Chambers, <u>My Utmost of His Highest</u>, June 27.<br /><br />It seems to me that to be a true follower of Jesus means to accept the fact that I am going to be treated badly, partly because of what I believe, by those that don't follow Him. That those who follow the ways of the world are not going to be concerned with my welfare or my well being. Yet I am compelled by the One who gives me life to treat them fairly and honestly. I am to be concerned about <em>their </em>welfare as much (or more) than I am about mine.<br /><br />How is that fair? Where is the justice in that? The simple answer is this: It's not and it isn't. Jesus, when He walked on this earth, knew he would be betrayed by the ones who loved Him. He knew He would be rejected by the ones He came to save. He didn't worry about justice. If He had, we would not have His example to follow because He wouldn't have come to earth in the first place.<br /><br />In order to be an example of the man Jesus wants me to be I, too, must learn to treat people not as they treat me, but as Jesus dealt with everyone He came into contact with - with love, generosity, compassion. In doing so, I show others the peace I have found in Him. I glorify His kingdom and, hopefully, help it grow right here on this rock we call earth.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-49739502922486880272009-06-26T05:33:00.000-07:002009-07-05T07:30:43.422-07:00Life changing lessons of missional work - Pt 2Two years ago I went to Jamaica on this same mission project with Son Servants and while there, as we always do, we went to the local infirmary. Jamaica is broken down into provinces like our states and each province has a state-run infirmary. From what I understand, the infirmary in Manchester (where we work) ranks low in quality compared to others. Now just so you understand, the infirmaries are not a place people go to heal - they are where people wind up who cannot take care of themselves and have no family or friends to care for them. Many are mentally handicapped - some very much so - and others suffer from physical disabilities that make living alone impossible. A few are very rarely even out of their bed. But for all of them, this is most probably their last stop before returning to their Creator. Son Servants visits the infirmary every year, partly to do minor work projects, but mainly to visit with the residents - many of whom never have visitors.<br /><br /><br />So two years ago, I was helping to organize a bunch of teenagers to paint a couple of buildings, since that is my profession anyway, and was working mainly in two areas about 150 feet apart. I had a fanny pack on me that carried my camera, my wallet, and all our traveler's checks (my two younger sons were with me) and I took it off to move a bunch of stuff. I asked the kids in that building to keep an eye on it for me (a bad idea at best). A few minutes later, I realized the kids I left with my pack were now with me and they didn't have my pack! As I rushed back to look for it, panic started to set in: All our money for the trip was in there, and my ID, and my credit cards, all the photos of the trip in my camera...<br /><br />Then a voice in my head (the cynic will say it was just me talking to myself - the romantic in me says it was the Holy Spirit) said, "Larry, you came here to work with these people, to show the love of Jesus Christ to those in need, to build relationships. Now you can focus on your stuff and ruin your day, and possibly your trip, or you can get back to the work you came here to do." And an odd sense of peace fell over me. I went back to work until I saw someone in charge, then told them what had happened and accepted I would have to deal with the consequences of my stupidity when I got back to the States. While I continued to work, those in charge did all the right things - they called the police, searched the area, had me speak to the police, etc., and I continued to work. Thirty minutes later, I was shocked to get my pack with my wallet (and all its contents, including my traveler's cheques receipt) back. I spent much of the next day at the local bank replacing my traveler's cheques and pondering the lesson I was privileged to receive:<br /><br />So much of our lives in the U.S. are wrapped up in the acquiring of stuff. The ads on TV tell us we need more stuff, better stuff, newer stuff. We measure our success by the amount and quality of our stuff. we build houses to hold all our stuff and build fences to protect our stuff and lock it away so no one can steal our stuff. By the time we are in our prime, we have so much stuff that we spend our time worrying about our stuff and not focusing on what's important - people, and the grace of God that he rains down on us every day. There are people in our families, living on our streets, going to our churches that are much more important than any of our stuff, and we ignore them because our focus is on stuff - the stuff we have and the stuff we want. The visual I have in my head is of the person walking out of a store with so many packages they can't hardly hold all of them, piled so high they can't see where they are walking. In essence, that is each of us, and we hold all our stuff close so we don't loose it or have it taken from us. Our hands are so full we couldn't possibly hold one more thing.<br /><br />Here's the problem: with our hands so full, we can't possibly reach out for the grace of God. We can't grasp the peace He wants each of to own in our lives. We can't hold those around us who need our love. In order to truly enjoy the abundance of the One who created us, we <em>must</em> be willing to let go of all that stuff and trust Him to give us what we need. We need to re-prioritize what is <em>really</em> important and know that <strong>everything</strong> else is just... stuff.Larryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157060421601525462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132923925729618352.post-15381545326314109422009-06-24T18:40:00.000-07:002009-07-16T19:08:43.531-07:00Man Describes Heaven<a href="http://www.challies.com/about.php">Tim Challies</a> <a href="http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/book-review-90.php">reviewed</a> Don Piper's '90 Minutes in Heaven.' He made a statement that really struck home with me.<br /><br />"Piper’s description of heaven left me cold. I was dismayed to find that his heaven seems largely man-centered. In fact, if you were to ask your unbelieving friends and neighbors to describe heaven, they would probably create a place very much like this. Piper did not see Jesus, nor did he see God, though, to be fair, he saw only the “outskirts” and did not pass through the gates. Despite this, he was exceedingly joyful and feels that he experienced the very joys of paradise. For ninety minutes he walked through heaven, greeted by those he knew in this life, all of whom were (quite conveniently), the same age they were when he had last known them. <br /><br />Piper’s heaven was a place of reunion with loved ones, a place of beautiful music and a place of literal pearl (or “pearlescent”) gates and literal streets of gold. It is a heaven that can be so easily described to a human mind using mere human words, as if it had originated in a human mind. Piper is able to describe it in some detail, but what he presents is surely far too human to be heaven."<br /><br />How often do we humanize God and the things of God? When we reduce God to human terms we reduce God. Glorify God and do not reduce him to your level.RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12977591961391283858noreply@blogger.com0