September 10, 2004

  • Hello Xanga World.

    Some of you have been wondering if I was still around. The rumors of my demise have been greatly exagerated. I am still around reading your posts, but I have been to busy as of recently to take the time to post. Since my last post I have been working 12 hour days and/or weekends to keep up with the demands of a new school year at the college I work at. Things are finally calming down and I expect to start posting regularly this weekend again. I hope to have my Gangel book review posted by Monday for all of you.

    Thank you for your prays. I have felt them lift me through this last 2 1/2 weeks. I would also ask you to continue to pray for me and my small group. This past Wednesday I joined a small group of 5 men. We are going through a 30 week series called Climbing Higher. I hope to be able to use this time to develope some strong Chrisitain relationships in our church (my wife and I are joining this fall). In addition I am looking forward to the accountibility and mentoring this group will provide. So please be in prayer for me as I allow God to use this to mold me more into His Image.

    May all the praise, honor, and glory go to Him who is worthy of my praise. Thank you Gofd for your Love.
    Godspeed,
    Wesley

August 25, 2004

  • Just started a new book today at breakfast. It is not on my list but as I listen to the Dave Ramsey Show on the radio I thought this would be an excellent book to add to my reading schedule. I hope to finish it by October, but I may not so I may have to renew this once or twice before I can finish it.

    I finished Fathering Like the Father by Gangel last night. In the next couple of days I hope to collect my thoughts about this book and post them here for all the world.

    I would continue to post but I am so swamped with work before the students return that I need to get working on that stuff. Pray for our IS team since we have a ton to do before Friday and at this point I think some things are not going to get done.

     

August 15, 2004

  • Thank you for your prayers. Being that I have not taught a Sunday School Lesson in almost a year it went well. But I think I was over prepared. Since my handouts (changed last night) varied a little from my lesson notes (not changed) in content I found it hard to keep my place in my notes. I think the next time instead of detailed fill in the blank notes I will use notes that are more like an outline where they can write whatever they want to in it. In this case I think less would have been more. I got through to my main points and conclusion, but I missed out on being able to use an application activity I thought would be good. God knows better so I cannot complain. He gave me the time He wanted me to use. I pray that I used it as He wanted me to. Thank you God for this opportunity to teach your word.


    The main idea for Matthew 6:1-18 can be found in verse one.
    "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." (ESV)


    Christ in his Sermon on the Mount is not addressing a list of “DO’s” and “DON’T DO’s” but a list of “ARE’s”. These statements ought to be characterized by you already. Thus you are to be meek, pure in heart, salt, light, and to love. These are heart issues not external conformity. We are to already be described by these qualities, because of our heart condition which is best describe by love for God and others.


    Last week our focus was on how we valued others. Today’s Lesson will continue to focus in on the heart issues, but this time on our motivations.



    BEWARE OF your motivation.


                in your giving to the needy (Deut 15:7-11)


                in your prayers (Ps 55:1-2; 61:1-2)


                in your fasting (Est 4:16; Is 58; Zech 8:18-19)


     


    THREE MOTIVATIONS – Self promotion, manipulation, love


    1.       Hypocrites - heart issue (motivation) praise and pride


    a.       Are seen (1,5) in the public places (announce with trumpets AND stand. Both in streets and synagogues)


    b.       Have their reward - praise/esteem/curses of men (2, 5)


    c.       Where seen? How do we do this?


    2.       Gentiles - heart issue (motivation) - changing the mind of God via their words


    a.       Use empty words - help gods to hear via repetition (7)


    b.       Not about praying some stuff repeatedly, but speaking meaningless words based on your motivation – “More words God will hear”


    c.       Where seen? How do we do this?


    3.       You - heart issue (motivation) God's glory, love for God, others, and His will


    a.       Secret (4, 6) (from left hand and right hand AND in private room)


    b.       Will be reward - by God (no place or time frame) (4, 6)


    c.       God is our father


    d.       God knows your needs and hears (8)


    e.       Where seen? How do we do this?


     


    RIGHTLY MOTIVATED PRAY – is based on love for God and trust in Him and His ways. It is not a means to an end. It should not be used to praise ourselves or to make God our heavenly gift giver.


    1.       Acknowledges the Father’s uniqueness


    a.       Holy name that is set apart from all other names


    b.       OT and present day Israelites understood this – Not speak God’s name or spell it


                                                                  i.      G-D


                                                                  ii.      YHWH – do not know vowels or sound (Jehovah or YaHWaH)


                                                                  iii.      Adonai


    c.       Not using His name vainly or as curses


    d.       APPLICATIONS


                                                                    i.      Pray attributes of God’s


                                                                    ii.      Pray Scripture about God


    e.       The Father’s kingdom - full manifestation of God's promised kingdom


    f.        The Father’s Will – He has a perfect will for us


    2.       Acknowledges our need for provision and protection


    a.       The Father’s Will - trust in God during the trials and blessings of life


    b.       Daily Bread – food, people lived day to day, lived off the land. If the land did not provide or their stores went empty, they would starve.


    c.       Forgiveness – “Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:14-15 explain His statement about forgiveness in verse 12. Though God’s forgiveness of sin is not based on one’s forgiving others, a Christian’s forgiveness is based on realizing he has been forgiven (Eph. 4:32). Personal fellowship with God is in view in these verses (not salvation from sin). One cannot walk in fellowship with God if he refuses to forgive others.” - The Bible Knowledge Commentary


    d.       Protection from sin (evil, evil one cf. 5:39 – same Gk words)


     


    This is not a cookie cutter prayer, but a lesson on properly motivated ot focused prayer. “The so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is not given to be recited thoughtlessly. Rather, it is a model for us to use to learn to pray. It is a “family prayer”—note the repeated “our” and “us” [and the Our Father reference]. It puts God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will before the earthly needs of people. It cautions us against selfish praying” ~ Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament


     

August 14, 2004

  • Please pray for me!
    I am teaching tomorrow on Matthew 6:1-18 and I want the Spirit to use the teachings from the Scriptures to be effective in my life first and then in the lives of those listening. The Sermon on the Mount is an awesome message. We have been studing it for the last month in Sunday School. Tomorrow I will be teaching on a section that deals with our motivation for giving, prayer, and fasting. Are we doing these things to recieve glory from man or God? This whole chapter has been about our hearts (spiritual life) and whether they are in tune with God. If they are then there ought to be obvious clues bleeding through from our lives. Matthew 5 and 6 list a lot of characteristics of believers, but they are not a "DO" list for us. They are an "ARE" list and thus they ought to reflect the state of our hearts. I will post my thoughts on 6:1-18 on Sunday so you have a clearer idea of what I am talking about.

August 7, 2004

  • Today I heard a song I have not heard in ages. The song made me think back about 9 years when I began dating my wife of these last 6 wonderful years. It was our song and still is. Since we were both in the car together we instantly looked at each other and without a word our eyes and thoughts said it all. I am lucky to have you in my life. 


    "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine..."
    Song of Solomon 6:3 


    Keeper of the Stars

    by Tracy Byrd

    It was no accident me finding you
    Someone had a hand in it
    Long before we ever knew
    Now I just can't believe you're in my life
    Heaven's smilin' down on me
    As I look at you tonight

    I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
    He sure knew what he was doin'
    When he joined these two hearts
    I hold everything
    When I hold you in my arms
    I've got all I'll ever need
    Thanks to the keeper of the stars

    Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine
    It takes my breath away
    Just to look into your eyes
    I know I don't deserve a treasure like you
    There really are no words
    To show my gratitude

    I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
    He sure knew what he was doin'
    When he joined these two hearts
    I hold everything
    When I hold you in my arms
    I've got all I'll ever need
    Thanks to the keeper of the stars

    It was no accident me finding you
    Someone had a hand in it
    Long before we ever knew


    Do you share a song with that special someone in your life? I love to hear about your song.

July 29, 2004

  • I hope you enjoy my new header picture. It is a picture I took today with my Olympus Camedia D-560 Zoom Digital camera. This camera is awesome. I can take Panorama pictures with it and the software will stitch them together for me. I highly recommend this camera for any picture taker who wants a digital camera.

     

    This picture is the view from the "porch" outside our server room. It shows the beautiful mountains of NE PA and some of our campus.

July 28, 2004

July 27, 2004

  • Thoughts on prayer from Dr. James King of Baptist Bible Seminary
    (    http://www.bbc.edu/seminary or http://www.gpte.org/gpte/)


    Prayer is...


    "...A conscious realization of a personal intimate relationship with a holy omnipotent God."
    "...Communication between God and a child of God"

     

    These thoughts on prayer come from a small group I had last fall with a professor of mine from seminary. God truely has blessed me in this last year as I have learned more about God and my relationship with Him do to this professor.  Thank you Dr. King.




    NEW PROFILE PIC

    What a lovely couple! Can you guess who they are?

July 26, 2004

July 24, 2004

  • 12 MONTH READING PLAN - AHEAD OF SCHEDULE


    On June 29, 2004 I posted my 12 month reading list. Today I have caught to where I need to be by finishing May's book. Tomorrow I begin August's book, Fathering Like the Father by Gangel & Gangel. I think that if I find myself ahead next month I may throw in another book to cover the time a get ahead. Check out my reading list at thus URL http://tinyurl.com/4sywf.


    12 MONTH READING PLAN - THOUGHTS ON THE CASE FOR FAITH





    Ultimately, though, faith isn't about having perfect and complete answers to every single one of "The Big Eight" objections. After all, we don't demand that level of conclusive proof in any other area of life. The point is that we certainly do have sufficient evidence about God upon which to act. And in the end, that's the issue. Faith is about a choice, a step of the will, a decision to know God personally. It's saying, "I believe - please help my unbelief!" As [Dallas] Willard said, "It's the person who wants to know God that God reveals himself to." Or as Lynn Anderson had told me: "When you scratch below the surface, there's either a will to believe or there's a will not to believe. That's the core ot it." (page 255).

     

    That quote really sums up Lee's book. Lee Strobel goes through his eight objections (see below) to having faith in Christ from cover to cover by interviwing a varity of different Christian theologians, scientist, philosophers, authors, and pastors.  In his search he discovers that his objections are weak and created by his own pride. His pride is what he concludes is the reason for his own choice not to have faith in the saving power of Christ. By the end of the book most if not all of his objections have been removed and all that is left is the real reason he has not placed his faith in Christ yet, his own selfish pride.  Ultimately, he had to decide what he wanted. A life with Christ or without. It was his choice and it is yours.

    I HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you struggle with coming to faith in Christ as your savior or if you know others who struggle with this issue. It will help you get a grasp on what goes through the mind of those who say they lack faith even though they believe in the existence of God and Christ. Pray for me in this area. I have a friend who says he know God exists, but he is not ready to have faith in Him yet.

    This book can also he a jumping platform for further readnig do to his More Resources on this Topic sections at the end of every objection chapter. I know I already have new books in mind to begin reading in the near future.

     

    Lee Strobel's Eight Objections


    1) If there's a loving God, why does this pain-wracked world groan under so much suffering and evil?
    2) If the miracles of God contradict science, then how can any rational person believe that they're true?
    3) If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did?
    4) If God cares about the people he created, how could he consign so many of them to an eternity of torture in hell just because they didn't believe the right things about him?
    5) If Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what about the millions of people who have never heard of him?
    6) If God really created the universe, why does the evidence of science compel so many to conclude that the unguided process of evolution accounts for life?
    7) If God is the ultimate overseer of the church, why has it been rife with hypocrisy and brutality throughout the ages?
    8) If I'm still plagued by doubts, then is it still possible to be a Christian?


    GOSSIP COLUMN - MY HOT DATE




    I mentioned a hot date on Friday. Well my wife and I found a sitter for the evening and we hit the town. It has been a long time since the two of us had a good date night so this was a refreashing time to spend with one another. We began the evening with dinner at Olive Garden and had an excellent time conversing and eating our meals. She had some garlic chicken dish and salad while I dined on ravilo stuffed with portabella mushrooms covered in a cheese sauce. Both meals where great, but my was superbly great. After our meal we headed over to Borders and browsed the books and magzines together as we needed to pass some time before visiting the theater where we were to finish our evening by seeing a movie, Spiderman 2. The dinner, the bookstore, and the movie were all awesome, but the best part of the night was that I was spending it with my beloved. Thank you my love for choosing to spend your life and night with me. I love and adore you with all of my heart. With love forever and always! Your Silly Goose.