Sonnet XIII

On The American Election 2008 - A Sonnet To My King
By Jonathan D. Eller

My God, Your wisdom far exceeds my own,
And I draw comfort from this very thing.
For by Your great omnipotence You've shown
That You determine president and king.
Yes, You know all men's hearts - this fact is true -
And render unto them a payment just,
Rewarding men and nations what is due.
Lord, in Your goodness I have learned to trust.
Your discipline is sorrowful for sure -
Your wrath and blows seem ever so severe -
But chastisement is sent to make us pure,
And by its cleansing helps us to draw near.
My God, this nation's nothing without Thee.
Please cleanse our hearts and truly make us free.

November 5, 2008

Sonnet XII

My God – A Sonnet To My King
By Jonathan D. Eller

My God, My God, who loves as well as You?
Your patience is more broad than all You’ve made,
And though all men are false your word proves true.
Your promises, vast as the stars arrayed,
Speak goodness, love, and mercy without end.
Your power stuns my intellect and yet,
The helpless and downtrodden You defend.
Your heart’s inclined to forgive and forget
The sins confessed by children penitent.
But anger flares towards those who mock Your path
And scorn Your truth with actions insolent.
They, sowing foolish seed, invite Your wrath.
Lord, let Your kindness cause them to repent.
Please draw them to the Holy Lamb You sent.

October 27, 2008

Undone

I was utterly undone by this song this morning.

Sonnet VII

My Treasure – A Sonnet To My King
By Jonathan D. Eller

Oh Lord, how sweet Your presence is to me.
Its worth exceeds by far the whole earth’s gold!
And yet I find sometimes I run from Thee
To cherish something not worth laying hold.
A foolish man I am, and there’s no doubt
To think that the created may compare
To He who made and stretched the heavens out
And notes each fallen sparrow’s end with care.
Yes, fool was I to choose something ‘fore Thee
When lovingly You wanted me to wrap
Up tightly warm within Your arms safely
And snuggle there with You upon Your lap.
“My son if you into My arms will fly
Your joy will grow as each new day draws nigh.”

October 14, 2008

Very Cool Video

Fearfully And Wonderfully Made

You can see a picture of the molecule over at Deborah's blog, Thoughts Along The Way. That's where I found the video.

Taking Love Up A Notch

Today's post at Our Daily Blog went right along with something else that I read today. How interesting it is that such a coincidence should occur.

The morning after Korah's rebellion, a large mob of Israelites formed around the Tent of Meeting. The mob called for retribution against Moses and Aaron because of their role in God's judgment of that rebellion. As the cloud of God’s presence enveloped the Tent of Meeting, Moses could already feel God’s growing wrath.

The moment he and Aaron fell on their faces, a terrible plague began....

...Even though the Israelites had come to threaten them and possibly kill them, Moses and Aaron were still willing to risk their lives to save them. It should be no different in our lives; no matter how obnoxiously people treat us, or how threatened we are by their actions, we must be willing to call out for their salvation and deliverance in prayer.

This is also true when it comes to the sins and wickedness influencing the very life of our own nations today. For example, my personal aversion to homosexuality and other forms of perversion must not stop me from praying and crying out for those bound by these terrible sins.

At times, like Aaron, you and I may even be called to stand between the living and the dead. That’s right, God may even call you to personally reach out to the very people you have been praying for from a distance.

Whether it is someone bound in a homosexual lifestyle or a person addicted to some illegal substance, God may need your actions as much as He needs your prayers....

...Today, the Holy Spirit is calling you afresh. He is calling you out of your comfort zone into a place of service which will change both your heart and the hearts of those around you.

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

The post is really excellent. It would be worth reading in its entirety.

Today I also read about a new ministry that is encouraging Christians to "Adopt A Terrorist" on the Presidential Prayer Team website .

A new web-based ministry is urging Christians to adopt a terrorist and pray for them as Jesus Christ had instructed his disciples to love and pray for their enemies.

Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer (ATFP) agrees that the military needs to fight terrorism, but advocates prayer as a counter-offensive strategy not utilized by generals and politicians. ATFP founder Dr. Thomas Bruce believes the war on terrorism is a spiritual struggle against fear.

“The terrorists are just the highest profile intimidators in Satan's arsenal,” Bruce said in a released statement. “They think they are serving God.”

You should really check out that article as well. I believe that Dr. Bruce offers some relevant insights that I won't be covering in this post.

It is so easy to get locked into an "us against them" mentality. It is pervasive in American culture. Heck, my other blog is even named "Xs and Os!" And truly this has been my default setting when it comes to people that I perceive to be opposing me in some way. I can't say that I am beyond responding this way, but God has been working in my heart to teach me to take a more diplomatic tone with people who disagree with my position on things.

It is our job to show love to our neighbors and even our enemies by serving them when we can (individually) and by praying for them. In many of the cases already identified in this post the eternal destination of our enemies is at stake. If we really understand how horrible hell is, we shouldn't desire that anyone go there. Perhaps our prayers can avert that terrible end for even our enemies.

Wonderful News!

OK, this is a little late, but I figure better late than never. I got some great news from Luke D a former member at StillWaters about the medical condition of his son, Josh. Some of you may remember that Josh nearly died several times as a result of complications from a surgery that he had. It was really touch and go there for quite a while. I'll let Luke give you the details:

Just so you know the context...
Many doctors said Josh might not eat by mouth again.
Josh ate solid food at Thanksgiving.
Some doctors said Josh would not get off the vent.
Josh hasn't used the vent since December 21st.
One PICU doctor raised questions about Josh's future "quality of life" and suggested that we just take Josh home and "let nature take its course".
We know that God determines what Josh's life will be, and because He loves Josh, we can rest in that hope.
Virtually all the doctors (except pulmonology) said he'd never get rid of the trach.
(You know where this is headed...)
TODAY DR. SIMPSER REMOVED JOSH'S TRACH!

Out it came, and Josh continued breathing normally! In fact, he has not had to be suctioned once since the trach's removal at 2:15 pm EDT! He is on his bipap now sleeping comfortably and enjoying this new turn of events. We will change the gauze over the small hole in his neck tomorrow, and the hole should be half the size then. It should close off completely in a bit and all that will be left is a slight scar.

There is still more to be done in terms of Josh's strength and speech, but therapy is dealing with that. This trach issue has long been viewed by Josh as the summit of the mountain he needed to climb. For some time, he has expressed that he will be "normal" when he gets the trach out. No matter how much encouragement and prayer we have given him, he still has struggled with his image. Since mid-afternoon today, Josh has been positively glowing.

Josh's life and successful independence from the trach is testimony to God's faithfulness and the efficacy of prayer. Perhaps you are facing a huge challenge that is causing you to doubt God's goodness and His care for you, but let this story encourage you that God loves YOU and is working for YOUR good. Don't give up - even when the "experts" (like the "doctor" that thought they should just stop wasting resources on Josh and let him die) tell you there is no hope. With God there is always hope. NOTHING is too hard for our God.

That certainly doesn't mean that the road won't be difficult. If you knew the whole story behind this wonderful report, you would know that there were some very dark days and some heart-wrenching cries to God, questioning how He could allow this to happen. You would realize that there were excruciating weeks spent in hospitals where there was little hope offered and exhausting hours spent caring for this brave little soldier.

But God has come through! Take Him at His word when He says, "For I know the plans that I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

An Amazing Lyric

I found this lyric posted on the blog Crying Out To Make God Beautiful recently and thought that it was pretty amazing. There are some really unexpected lyric turns. I hope you enjoy it.

I heard He’s up there in that room
I’m afraid—I don’t know what to do
If He only knew what I’ve done He might never even look at me
I have to climb those stairs
I have to find His voice
As I make my way through the crowds nobody sees me, nobody notices me
I walk up those stairs and through the window I hear Him talking—telling parables
I can hear Him telling parables, I can understand what He’s saying
I should have changed my clothes
I’ve had this dress on for almost two weeks now and it’s stained in my sin
My sin—it’s like stains all over this garment but I have to climb those stairs
The room is crowded and I can’t see Him
He’s kneeled down and He’s talking in parables again
I just make my way over to the right and I lean against the wall
There’s an opening between the phrases
And I make my way, I make my break and I run and throw myself at His feet—and I weep
I have this perfume
I know it’s a gift from my lovers—it’s the only thing I have
So I break the neck of the bottle and start to pour my life
My mother forgot my name
My father disappeared when I was just a girl
I was used by everyone, abused by everyone and I was angry
So I ran and hid in the darkness—can you smell my darkness Lord?
Can you smell my sin, it’s being poured on you
And I worship you here at your feet
I hear them talking about me but I keep pouring
This is my one chance, this is my one hope, I have nothing left,
I’m gonna give you everything
Because I heard you heal the sick
I heard you give sight to the blind
I heard you would father the orphan
I heard you would be a husband to the widow
I heard you would forgive my sin
Demons will flee when the fragrance is lifted
Restoration comes when the fragrance is lifted
I’ve never known anyone in my life to look at me the way He is right now
He rebuked them in my presence and took my face in His hands
He looked in through my skin and said
“The fragrance is lifted. I can smell your worship daughter. You are free”
So I dance in a circle and I laugh out loud for the first time in my life
Cause the fragrance has been lifted—the fragrance was lifted
And I have the smell of His feet in my hair
Where He walked I can tell
Because the fragrance is lifted

-Rita Springer

James 2:26

I suppose that it is a little tacky to quote yourself in a blog, but oh well, sometimes you write something that you just don't think that you can improve upon. Not to say that the following quote from my post called The Least Of These is Pulitzer Prize winning stuff, but it really communicates what I want to say in this forum as we are heading towards the big Christmas parties that we have scheduled.

I was talking with my good friend Bruce after the service and we were both feeling kind of low and worn out. We've both been taking a little time in the Lord's crucible lately, and I confessed to him how dry I had been feeling this past week - lonely for the Lord's presence. (Isn't it funny how being lonely for the Lord will often disguise itself as loneliness for other company? But I digress.) He suggested that it was perhaps the enemy's attack. We talked for a little bit longer and in the course of that discussion decided that we should do some servant evangelism together soon. (See Steve Sjogren's book Conspiracy Of Kindness.) As we left the church we passed a car broken down in the middle of the road. I stopped to ask if the guy driving needed help, and he could only answer me in Spanish. I went to park the car and looked up and there was Bruce! He was stopping to help too.

Now you need to understand, I am utterly NOT mechanical. I know next to NOTHING about what is going on under the hood of a car - especially if it isn't doing what it is supposed to be doing. However, Bruce is VERY mechanical. We helped the fellow to get his car out of the road and then Bruce went to work on the car. I used the little Spanish I knew to talk to Carlos and before you knew it Bruce had the car running again! We didn't say a word to Carlos about God or Jesus - I probably could have if I had been in practice - but as we went on our way I felt like I had just touched the Lord's fellowship for the first time in the past seven days. Is it possible that we met the Lord broken down on the road? Matthew 25:40 would seem to indicate that we did.

Perhaps God let me get dry and hungry for His presence so that I would sense it so clearly when I encountered it with Carlos this afternoon. If so, may He not let me forget to seek His presence even amongst "the least of these."

This encounter this past Sunday has stayed with me over the past couple of days. I am hungry to do a Servant Evangelism project between now and Christmas.

I actually have one in mind - not nearly as ambitious as the roofing project we did! I was thinking about contacting one (or several) stores at the mall and finding out when their busiest projected time will be one weekend. Then I will ask permission for a group of us to station ourselves around at the exit area cash registers and offer to assist customers with large packages to their cars. It is simple and inexpensive and will give us opportunities to talk with these folks while we are waiting for someone to serve and while we are serving!

What do you think? We would only go for an hour - two at the most. I believe the impact would be tremendous! All I need now is some volunteers. The two dates that I have in mind are the 8th or the 15th, but we could do it later too. I am leaning towards the 15th to give me a little time to promote the outing and to do all the planning. Please respond in the comments if you would be willing to help.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:31-40

Reformation Day 2007

History was made today.
In some ways, history began today.
Some of us will never forget today.

While fully expecting to post a message about our 490 years of Protestant heritage since Brother Martin Luther posted those historic "95 Theses" on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on this date in 1517, I must defer to a more timely and ultimately more important event which occurred this very day.

It seems that another was even MORE fully expecting!
In Salisbury, North Carolina, at precisely 10:45 am Eastern Time, within the comfortable confines of the Rowan Regional Medical Center, a marvelous arrival was heralded as LYDIA MARIE VRIESEMA was welcomed into the arms and lives of her delighted, humbled, and pretty much exhausted parents, Katherine and Chad. These three along with the staff in the birthing suite pulled an "all-niter" as the labor progressed for almost twelve hours. All are doing well. Amen.

The Numbers.
First child of Katherine & Chad Vriesema.
Weight: 8 pounds.
Length: 20 inches.
Future: eternal.

That's a pretty grand miracle to be wrapped in so diminutive a package! She is a series of miracles, really. Every child is. Your parents thought the same of you all those years ago. At least, I hope they did, because they would have been right.

Before Lydia moved into her third hour of brighter light, louder sounds, and breathing air I was afforded the memorable privilege of holding this perfect angel in my arms. Thank you, Katherine and Chad, I shall never forget the honor or the awe I experienced when you placed the mother of your grandchildren into my ready hands today. Okay, that may seem like I am rushing things a good bit.

Nevertheless, Lydia is tangible evidence that our Creator God is exceedingly loving towards His people, as He has entrusted the care and nurture of this precious little one primarily to Katherine and Chad, yet additionally to her extended family, and her extended faith family as well. We are ready. We are eager. We are able to assist loving and shaping her in the years ahead because Christ has placed within us the desire and granted the permission to love her in His name.

I could not help myself from singing a phrase or two of "Jesus Loves YOU" as she peacefully looked up at me. If memory serves, I also said something like this to Katherine, "Perfect! Beautiful! And so is your daughter!"

Prior to holding her, with the proud Papa and maternal Grandmother along side, I watched through the Newborn Nursery glass as Lydia passed all her neonatal tests with flying colors, and donned her very first piece of clothing, a fairly sporty and casual tiny tee shirt, followed quickly by a hand-knitted pink cap made especially for her. Not surprisingly, both were perfect fits.

Okay, StillWaters, let's allow the Vriesema family to establish their own "normal" routine before we inundate them with our presence and our presents. They all need their rest right now, and for the foreseeable future. Each of us wants to be, and will offer to be available to help in various ways, no doubt, so let's be sensitive to their needs, wants and desires now. Sandy, Katherine's mother, is here from Durham until next Tuesday, so let's coordinate with her on things such as meals and helps of all kinds, including visits simply to see the baby.

Nearly five hundred years ago today the spiritual world was influenced for change by an event which would reverberate throughout human history forever onward. Today in Salisbury, North Carolina the lives of the Vriesema family members were forever changed for the better, too. A covenant child birthed on Reformation Day -- how memorably wonderful. And, while the Reformation teachings will fade away when time and space are concluded on this old earth, Lydia will continue in her eternal spirit in paradise for all eternity! (Told you this was a more ultimately important event.) What an honor to pronounce the first benediction over her, knowing that our Lord will continue the choruses of blessing and joy over her for eternity. His song is already resounding through the halls of heaven over Lydia. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Welcome Baby Lydia.
Well done Katherine (and Chad, too).
We worship You, oh God, for this marvelous gift.

History was made today.
History began today for the "Three Vriesemas." We will never forget.
God's best to you, dear ones. . . is that the sound of baahing from a new sheep I hear?

Quote Of The Day

If we believe the Lord is sovereign, as I firmly do, then perhaps hardships are meant to expose His acceptance. If we never face rejection, then we never truly know what we have in His acceptance. I know of His love and acceptance and it is sweet. Once you let Him in those areas of hurt and rejection, man's approval is dull and not worth the pursuit.

- Deborah @ Thoughts Along The Way

Quote of The Day

People all around us are dry and parched -- craving to be "rained" on by His presence. The Lord blesses us with daily opportunities to join Him in "raining on people" the truth of His existence. He so deeply wants us to pass on the joy, peace, love, etc. we find only in Him to those people who don't even have a clue what it is that they are missing!

-Deborah @ Thoughts Along The Way

A Message From The Skipper

Dear Friends

"Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." Joel 2:13 NIV

The God of grace is the God of your reality.
The Lord of glory is the Lord of your heart and spirit.
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is your strength and help.

That is why He is so approachable, even though He is holy and sovereign. It is His desire that each of us have our heart's desire to delight in Him. It is my heart's desire to be a leader among many who do exactly that... daily.

This Sunday morning and evening should prove to be important in our corporate life as a congregation after God's own heart.

I will make my plea here: please join the gatherings on Sunday as they may well set the course for our immediate and longer range future as an extended family of faith. It is important to me, and I hope you will join me and Carol, and the rest on Sunday.

Worship gathering at KidSports 10:30 am,
"What Happened to THEM?"

Oasis Diner at Kirker home 5:30 pm,
"Christmas in October" - Carol is roasting Turkey and you may bring all the trimmin's! Rick and I will present some of the opportunities relating to parties in the months to come.

God's best to you, now and always,
Cameron
Romans 1:16,17

Quote Of The Day

Have you ever wondered why the end of Job’s life was far better than the beginning? It obviously wasn’t because God loved him any more than He had before the trials. I think it had to do with the fact that Job was no longer bound with fear.

According to Job 3:25, God’s precious servant had been tormented with the fear of losing his children and possessions. Now that he had faced the reality of every one of his fears, he had nothing left to fear. This enabled him to enjoy a quality of life that he had never enjoyed before.

- Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

Why The Name "Conspiracy Of Kindness"?

So, perhaps you are wondering about this unusual name, "Conspiracy of Kindness." What does it mean? Why did you pick this for the name of the blog for Stillwaters church?

Well, there are a couple of different reasons. I had originally thought to name the blog Philadelphia, after the church mentioned in the book Revelation, because the name "city of brotherly love" matched the mission that our church has identified here in Salisbury. I also liked the message that Jesus gave to the church at Philadelphia. However, and not unexpectedly, the address that would have contained simply "Philadelphia" was already taken.

As I was pondering another name that would convey what we believe that we are supposed to be doing, I thought of Steve Sjogren's book Conspiracy of Kindness. Here is a picture of the book with a link to Amazon:


I don't remember where I discovered this book, but when I read it, I was totally captivated by a church's plan to show the love of Jesus to Cincinnati, OH with no strings attached. They were going to follow their plan with no hidden agendas. If no one came to their church it was OK. If they didn't see anyone get saved as a result of their outreach that was OK too. They were going to intentionally continue to share the love of Jesus with the people of Cincinnati in practical ways regardless of the outcome.

They call it "Servant Evangelism" because their modus operandi is to do practical things to let people know that Jesus loves them. The first project that they came up with was to go door to door in downtown Cincinnati and offer to wash the businesses' toilets for free "to show them God's love in a practical way." The effect was electric. Not everyone would allow them to serve them, but it sure got people talking.

As they expanded their program, not everyone got saved. Not everyone came to their church. But because they had been laboring, many people (even some that they hadn't served) DID get saved. Many people DID come to their church (although many of them had never been served by them.) And the city of Cincinnati became a much friendlier place.

Ever since I have read this book, I have been convinced that its methodologies are worth emulating. What better way to be relevant to the society in which we live? What better way to help people understand who Jesus is and what He is about than by trading words for action?

The beauty of Servant Evangelism is that it doesn't require a head full of theology to be effective. Even the newest believer can be involved in it. Even the most shy can be a servant evangelist. Oftentimes, the people that are being served don't even know that something has been done for them until long after the person serving them has left, but the effectiveness is not lessened one iota by the lack of direct contact.

There is also a serendipitous benefit that derives to the one doing the Servant Evangelism: their courage and boldness to actually talk to others about the gospel is increased.

So, in the near future you will be hearing about plans for Stillwaters to "Show God's love in a practical way." One is in the works right now. Start thinking of ways to serve your neighbors. How would you like to be served? What would make your day if someone did it for you out of the blue? With a little planning, a little work, and a little money we will see our city transformed by the love of Jesus demonstrated through our hands.