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International Justice Day – Mocha Club

Hello everyone, today is International Justice Day. I was unaware of that fact as well until I received an email from from my friends at The Mocha Club–who are doing something about injustice. They–along with many others–are embodying the good news of the kingdom of God. My wife and I support them because they have a vision for becoming good news to people who desperately need it. Take a minute and watch this video…

“…let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”–Amos 5:24

Another ministry, International Justice Mission.

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A Recipe for Joy

Earlier this year our church was preaching through some of the Psalms and I preached on Psalm 16. Preparing for it taught me a lot about biblical joy and how to enter in to joy as a way of life. I hope you find this passage as encouraging as I did. The text of Psalm 16 is below; you can click here to listen to a “Recipe for Joy.”

16:1 A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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King David’s Palace Discovered

I came across this post at STR:

[T]he debunkers of Jewish biblical history got some bad news recently, when a spunky, dedicated archaeologist began her latest dig. Dr. Eilat Mazar, world authority on Jerusalem’s past, has taken King David out of the pages of the Bible and put him back into living history. Mazar’s latest excavation in the City of David, in the southern shadow of the Temple Mount, has shaken up the archaeological world. For lying undisturbed for over 3,000 years is a massive building which Mazar believes is King David’s palace. For Mazar, 48, one of the world’s leading authorities on the archaeology of ancient Jerusalem and head archaeologist of the Shalem Center Institute of Archaeology, the discovery was the culmination of years of effort and solid speculation.”

Interested in biblical archaeology? Then you would love Zondervan’s Archaeological Study Bible.

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Is There Hope for the American Marriage?

Is There Hope for the American Marriage? A provocative question to be sure. But it did not come from a sermon or pastor….it came from Time Magazine in the wake of recent scandals and affairs. Flanagan makes some candid observations, here is one:

“And so two more American families discover a truth as old as marriage: a lasting covenant between a man and a woman can be a vehicle for the nurture and protection of each other, the one reliable shelter in an uncaring world — or it can be a matchless tool for the infliction of suffering on the people you supposedly love above all others, most of all on your children.”

So is there hope? Yes, but it will take a change in thinking and it will take people investing time and getting input (along with healthy servings of grace). One such voice seeking to help families and offer hope is Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey. If you do not know about this wonderful organization, you owe it to yourself, spouse, and kids to check out their website and get some encouragement and training.

Check out Family Life

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A Fresh Start…A New Day

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”—Lamentations 3:22-26

What a wonderful promise to begin each day with. God’s loving kindness never ceases and no matter what happened yesterday; new mercies and grace await us today.