“Lead Me In Your Righteous Path: Psalm 5″

Lead Me In Your Righteous Path: Psalm 5“
Lord, give ear to my groaning words today,
Hear my cry, sovereign God, to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
I give you my all and watch and rejoice!
For in wickedness You take no delight,
Evil may not even endure Your sight.

The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate those who are evil and speak lies.
But I, through Your abundant, steadfast love,
Will enter the house of the Lord above.
I will bow down toward Your holy temple,
In Your presence I will fear and tremble.

Lead me in Your righteous path, living God,
For Your name’s sake, make straight Your path I trod.
Lord, my enemies lie, flatter, and flail,
Make them bear their guilt, let their counsel fail.
But let all who refuge in You rejoice,
Let them ever sing for joy with their voice.

Lord, but for Your grace and mercy so great,
I would be doomed to share Uzzah’s fate.
For I reach out to You with unclean hands,
Though I deserve nothing but reprimands.
Without Your promises I’d be daunted,
But I’m called righteous, and Christ’s name’s vaunted.

For He died in my stead, my substitute,
So that His life, to me, He could impute.
Because now there is no condemnation,
For those with Christ Jesus’ commendation.
Believe in The Name, quit being sin’s slave,
For His is the only name that can save.

“A Culture in Denial”

Dr. Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, has posted on a shift in American culture since the 1970’s.  This shift has seen a significant rise in both the acceptance of and practice of cohabitation by heterosexual, unmarried couples.  Dr. Mohler recently mentioned Phillip Longman’s “The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity and What to Do About It,” which I just finished reading. 

Longman’s book was both great and sobering, and I would add my commendation to Dr. Mohler’s.  Longman points out with sturdy evidence that our Social Security crisis, along with the aging of our population, is the fruit of a problem of which our falling birthrate is the root.

With Longman’s book fresh in my mind, Dr. Mohler’s post on cohabitation had added significance.  Not only do the acceptance of and practice of cohabitation threaten the moral hygene of our culture, as Dr. Mohler points out, but they also add to our falling birthrate.

Generally, the longer a couple waits before having children is reflected in that couple having less children.  As our falling birthrate and aging population threaten life as we know it, the child-related decisions of couples and the way we view “the family” are critical.  Since couples are less likely to have children without the mutual commitment of marriage, cohabitation naturally opposes any efforts to fix our falling birthrate pandemic.

My “Philosophy of Christian Education, As it Applies to Athletics”

I wrote this about nine months ago for a small, Christian school in the Houston area.  Their website said that they needed a basketball coach.  However, when I submitted my application, resume, etc., and contacted them, I found out that they had already filled the position and just had not updated the website.  The application, which was the same one for teachers, called for the applicant to provide his or her “Philosophy of Christian Education.”  They had no teaching positions open at the time, so I decided to add “As it Applies to Athletics” to my “Philosophy of Christian Education.”

My personal philosophy of Christian education, as it applies to athletics, is that there is a God who created everything in this universe.  He ordained that people get better at things to which they devote time and effort.  My pride often kept me from acknowledging these truths in my own basketball career, but I am inspired to see others avoid mistakes that I have made- in life and on the basketball court.  I know that, “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).  I also acknowledge that, “bodily discipline is only of a little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).  With these two verses in mind, I believe that basketball coaches and players should acknowledge that God is the Creator and Giver of all things, including basketball.  Coaches and players should see basketball as a blessing from God, and be thankful for it, while also realizing that the most important things for which we all strive are the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

I believe that basketball, when viewed in light of the Scriptures and applied in the right avenues, can teach a lot of life lessons.  The things necessary to succeed in basketball translate well to the things necessary to succeed in life.  In order to succeed in basketball, a person has to learn how to train, persevere, focus, and compete, among other things.  These are all traits that lead to success off the court as well.  Also, bodily discipline “holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” only insofar as it aligns with our pursuit of godliness.

I intend to do everything I can to help the players get the most out of their potential and to win as many games as possible, but I also know that the most important victories will be measured off the court.  I will consider myself successful if I am able to lead, mold, and encourage my players to be better Christians and better people, even if we never win a single game.

What I Miss About College Basketball

I am a little over two years removed from my college basketball career at the University of the Ozarks, and I thought I would post some things that I miss.

I definitely miss the obvious things. The games- especially the victories- and playing your best when the big lights are on. Hitting a big shot late in the game, the big dunk, steal, 3, assist, screen, block, and taking a charge (which I think I did a total of three times in my four-year career!). I loved those things, and miss them dearly.

However, I have been surprised by other things that I miss. Things that I didn’t realize that I loved until they were gone. Things that nobody outside of college ball knows about.

Lacing them up six days a week in practice and battling another guy for your spot- or his. Scouting reports, film sessions, meetings, and pre-game talks all geared toward preparing for the other team and its individual players. All of the mental focus from the time the last game ended to get ready for the next one. Subbing out of the game, and sitting on the bench wanting your team to do well, but wanting even more to get back in there and help them do well.

And the relationships. The players, coaches, and trainer. The bonding time in locker rooms (no homo) and on road trips.

People see the final product on Thursday night or Saturday afternoon, or whatever. What they don’t see is all of the behind-the-scenes things that culminate on Thursday night or Saturday afternoon. I love and miss them all!

Preaching 101, From a Pre-Seminarian

Note: I have taken one seminary class.  However, I believe that my limited level of training at this point qualifies me as “pre-seminarian.”

As I prepare to, Lord willing, jump into seminary with both feet, I thought that I would post my pre-seminary thoughts on preaching.  Make no mistake, I have a lot to learn.  But these are my thoughts at this point.

As I embark on this journey, I am fearful.  With God’s blessing our worst efforts will be fruitful, but without God’s blessing our best efforts will be barren.  Because God promises not to give His glory to another, I fear that He will not bless our efforts if we strive in such a way that we are glorified rather than giving Him His due glory.

I am also fearful because I have no doubt that I could construct a “successful” message (at least in worldly measures) that would give the best proponents of the prosperity “gospel” a run for their money.  I also have no doubt that I could steer a church from focusing on doctrines to focusing on a relationship with God and living our beliefs in a way that would put me neck-and-neck with the leaders of the emergent movement.

I believe that C.S. Lewis’ oft-mentioned quote applies to those in both of these camps.  Lewis said that our problem with sin is not that our desires are too strong, but that they are too weak.  If we truly sought to fulfill our desires in the most satisfying way, then our efforts would lead us to God and His way rather than from Him and it.  Similarly, I think those in both the prosperity and emergent movements suffer from desires to help people and be relevant that are too weak.  If those that we classify in the “prosperity gospel” camp really sought to help people and bring them true prosperity, then they would go through the seemingly “negative” aspects of Christianity, rather than around them.  We can only give people true prosperity if we help them to realize that God is angry with their sin, and that they are storing up wrath for themselves unless they cast themselves upon Christ and His cross for atonement of their sins and reconciliation with God through Christ’s life, penal substitutionary work on the cross, and resurrection from the grave.  Only by a right understanding of God, in all His holiness and anger toward sin, and a right understanding of our sin and God’s righteous anger at our sin, and the fear of God that such understanding produces, can we rightly understand Christ and Him crucified, in all His wondrous glory.  Only by fearing God as we ought can we love God as we ought.

And if those in the emergent camp sought to truly be relevant, then they would realize that relevance does not come about by chasing the newest fad, but by basing present efforts on what we can learn from history.  We cannot have a relationship with the triune God without knowing Him as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word.  True relevance comes about by sharing the wisdom of God, from a collection of writings that has been relevant for nearly 2,000 years (and the Old Testament for longer than that).

Now, thanks to those ramblings I must be brief in my thoughts on preaching, or nobody will actually read them!  I believe that God is glorified in us individually when, in spite of the millions of other things we could be doing, we make time to regularly read the Bible.  Similarly, I think that God is glorified when, in spite of the millions of other things a preacher could do from the pulpit, he exposits the Bible.  I think that much of the terrible man-centered preaching that abounds today is the result of incrementally moving from faithfully preaching the Bible, to focusing on the “positives” and minimizing the “negatives” in the name of “evangelism.”  Then, the digression moves from man-centered, decision-driven “evangelism,” to “apologetics.”  However, I believe that even then we are failing to do Biblical evangelism and/or apologetics.  Thankfully, our God did not give us a “preaching gospel,” an “evangelism gospel,” and an “apologetics gospel;” He just gave us the Gospel.  Paul said the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.  So any preaching, evangelism, and/or apologetics that leaves out the Gospel is leaving out the power of God unto salvation (substitution theory of mathematics: the Gospel = the power of God unto salvation; Preaching/Evangelism/Apologetics – the Gospel = Preaching/Evangelism/Apologetics – the power of God unto Salvation… Mr. Hixon, my 10th grade Geometry teacher would be so proud! proofs, baby!).

All that said, I believe that a preacher should faithfully exposit the Bible, and if the Lord enables and allows him to preach at the same church long enough, he should seek to exposit the whole Bible for his congregation.  He should preach Christ from every text, and proclaim the Gospel in every message.  There is the difficulty in every speaking/teaching opportunity of identifying the audience.  Do you teach up to the smartest person and make sure to challenge everybody or teach down to the “weakest link” and make sure not to leave anybody behind?  However, I believe that every sermon should be prepared and given with the realization that somebody could be hearing both their first and last sermon, ever.  That person needs to hear the Gospel.  Conveniently, the same Gospel that he or she needs to hear is the Gospel that every congregant needs to hear.  I heard John Piper make the now-obvious connection between the audience of the epistle to the Romans and Romans 1:16.  When Paul said that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, he was writing a letter to Christians in Rome.  There is a sense in which our salvation takes place at the point of conversion.  However, until our perseverance is complete- by the return of King Jesus or our death- our salvation is not final.  As long as we are in these sinful bodies, there is the possibility that we could each prove to be the seed that fell on the path, in the rocky or dry soil, or among weeds.  So I believe that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation in that it both produces conversion and leads to perseverance.

Lord willing The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will teach me how to do that, among all the other things I will learn there.

Height and Weight Percentile Calculator

Click here to find out where you size up in terms of height and weight compared to others your age.  I’m in the 97th percentile for height, and the 70th for weight (though it has been quite a while since I’ve weighed myself).

“Psalm 4″

“Psalm 4“
Answer me, Oh God of my righteousness.
You have relieved me from every distress.
Be gracious and lend me Your ear today.
Hear my pleas, Oh Lord, as to You I pray.
Men, how long shall you turn honor to shame,
Seek after lies and love words that are vain?

Be angry toward sin, sit in silence,
And rend your hearts rather than your garments
Since to befriend the world is God hatred,
We must hate the world to keep God sacred.
Know that the godly belong to the Lord.
He answers His people when He’s implored.

Lay down right sacrifices at His throne,
And you must trust in Him, and Him alone.
What does He ask from those who tread His sod?
Be just, love mercy, humbly walk with God.
Many wonder, “Who will show us goodness?”
Oh Lord God, Make Your face shine upon us!

You have given me what I never sought,
With love, grace, and mercy my soul was bought.
The joy You’ve put in my heart’s astounding,
More than when wine and grain are abounding.
Because of the wondrous incarnation,
For those in Christ there’s no condemnation.

“The Power of the Cross” by Keith and Kristyn Getty

“How Deep the Father’s Love”

“Arise and Save Me: Psalm 3″

“Arise and Save Me: Psalm 3“
How many foes rise against me, Oh Lord!
They say my soul, in vain, trusts in Your Word.
But You, Oh Lord, are my shield and glory.
You lift my head to the sight before me.
You answer me from Your holy Zion,
You alone can I trust and rely on.

I sleep and awake, the Lord sustains me.
Though enemies seek to coup de main me.
Arise and save me, my Lord and my God!
Upon Your Word and Your servant they’ve trod.
But You strike my enemies on the cheek,
And as for the wicked, You break their teeth.

Salvation and blessing come from You, Lord,
Your Son came not to bring peace, but a sword.
You bless those who are yours, the woman’s seed,
But Your salvation is not guaranteed.
The sword of election sometimes divides,
Cuts parents from children, husbands from brides.

Jesus said all who do not love Him first,
Are not worthy of Him, and remain cursed.
But all who His flesh and His blood receive,
He promises not to forsake nor leave.
Let us obey and believe til the end,
And trust in the name of Jesus, our Friend.

His name alone under heaven can save,
And He makes righteous the total depraved.
For if we will but obey and repent,
Then from our sins we shall forever be rent.
All will be judged on the day of the Lord,
Those in Christ won’t be cleaved by the sword.