The Sovereignty of God and the death of a Scottish lad.

Temple Gairdner, the son of a wealthy Scotsman, was at away at a private school and 10 when his younger brother died.  Previously he had dreamed of a life of success, wealth and popularity. But the death of his brother changed his life.  He resolved to follow God where ever he would lead.
Under an Arabic teacher he mastered Arabic in six months.  His teacher said that "He became more Egyptian than the Egyptians."
For 23 years, until his death, Gairdner helped to create Christian literature in Arabic.  He launched a weekly magazine that explained the Christian faith, and he wrote musicals for Biblical narratives, poetry, Arabic hymns, simple rhymes for the street children and gospel stories in verse.  He provided hospitality to many and ended up planting a vibrant cross-cultural church.  He longed to touch the heart of the Muslims and he poured out his life for that.
I cannot help but feel for Gairdner's mother when she lost her young son.   How she must have wept!  Little did she know that our sovereign God would use that death to propel another son to bring Christ to one of the needest parts of the world.
O mothers,  I hope this story encourages us to trust God with his mysterious providences in our lives.

Obstacles to Prayer

If you are discouraged from praying by a consciousness of your sin, consider this example from Developing a Healthy Prayer Life by James and Joel Beeke:

"A person encouraged a beggar to beg at a king's palace.  He observed that other beggars who asked there had received, that those who sought had found, and that those who knocked had the door opened to them.  But the beggar hesitated; he doubted.  He thought, 'I can't do that.  Look at my coat, it's not nearly good enough for the king.  My face is dirty, my shoes are old, my hands are filthy.  I cannot beg at the king's door.  He doesn't know me well enough and I haven't served him sincerely enough.' If the beggar holds to this way of thinking, in the end, he will be outside the king's blessing forever.  Why?  Because he is focused more on his own unworthiness than on the king's graciousness; he trusts more in his own preparedness instead of the king's mercy."

Exegetical Gymnastics

When asked about the problems with an old-earth position, Al Mohler said:

"The first problem is exegetical -- that is, it has to do with the interpretation of Scripture.  I'm absolutely certain that there is no problem when one holds to a young-earth position. But if you hold an old-earth position, you have to employ interpretive methodologies in Genesis1-3 that most evangelicals would recognize as being invalid in any other context. There are huge exegetical problems,and they impact our understanding of the rest of Scripture."

Could you give a demonstration, please?

The theme of the Bethlehem Woman Conference this year is gratitude.  I love it.  Nancy Leigh De Moss says that ingratitude is a breeding ground for a sense of entitlement to sin.  How carefully we should keep our hearts!
Further, how ashamed a Christian woman should be when God has promised to, with the SON, give us freely all things.
For a real life example of a grateful, happy woman see this clip below:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/real-life-emmad-menem-marriages/

You will cry...

The makers of "Fireproof"are coming out with their new movie this September called "Courageous."
Just watching the trailer makes me cry.  It is a call for men to be courageous.   I love that call.   May God be gracious.
Watch the trailer here
http://www.courageousthemovie.com/

Suppressing the Truth

"Idolatry is not the by-product of forgetting God, it is the means by which we forget him..."

Allender

Haman strutted -- and then hung.

When  I am tempted to think highly of myself and it is like the heady stupor of a drunken man or a gambler or an adulterer, I remind myself of Haman.   He strutted but his strutting took him to the gallows.   Better to be Mordecai.   I remind myself of Pharoah.  The pleasures of sin for a season.   Better to be Moses who exchanged that pleasure to suffer with God's people in the wilderness.  In the wilderness God was present along with his promise of everlasting rest.  Lord, when pride rises in my breast let it be swallowed up by those images of Haman strutting -- then hung -- and Pharoah, wealthy beyond imagination -- then stripped of trees, cows, gold and firstborn son.