.. my heart is being stirred again for this place and this place.  If you don’t know what that means .. well, neither do I.  I do know, however, that there are quite a few connections to the first place here at EBC.  If you would like to pray about that, I would be grateful.

“How’s the weather there in sunny California?” – is a question I am often asked by my friends and family members in Indiana. I have often found myself complaining to them that it is still 90 degrees in October. I am amazed at how readily I can complain about how “hot” the weather is here, and how rad I think it is when there is a rainy day like today in Southern California .. and yet, back home I would likely be doing the opposite. I have been convicted about my attitude towards the weather as of late, and really liked what I read from John Piper today (via desiringgod.org) :

 

“Thursday in Minneapolis it was so gorgeous walking home I thought: I should write a post on how astonishing it is that no earthquake swallowed up this city today.

Instead God sent warmth and crystal skies and cool breezes and golden leaves and hanging sea gulls over Elliot Park.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing!

We deserved the 52-story IDS tower to fall, and bridges to collapse, and poisonous gas to kill thousands. But instead God gave us over-the-top foretastes of heaven.

This is why everyone is crying out, Where was God on Thursday! Where were you God! How could you do this? Why did you let this happen?

Everybody is saying that, aren’t they?”

 

Although I do love fall, I should never complain about the beautiful, sunny (and oft-warm) weather here in Simi. Because, honestly, I deserve the sun to move just a tiny bit closer to earth and make the temperature so hot that I perish.  But, God has given an insane amount of grace, and has made each day, as He sees fit, to bring glory to Himself.  

Psalm 145:8-9: “ The Lord is gracious and merciful,slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.The Lord is good to all,and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

I would say Piper and I share similar thoughts about this election …

Two songs that I have really come to like …

 Remedy Drive- Daylight Is Coming

Luke 1:78-79 78 because of the tender mercy of our God,whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

 Everyday Sunday-  Stand Up

1 Timothy 6:11-12 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I’ve posted something new on my EBC blog – nothing extraordinary- but an update for those who would like one none-the-less.

“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, leading us to faith and worship, we have to see it as something done by us, leading us to repentance.  Only the man or woman who is prepared to own his share in the guilt of the cross may claim his share in its grace.”  ~ C.J. Mahaney

Were You There by Shai Linne  

This story starts at the climax, we find that time’s lapsed- don’t mind that

It’s kind of like a night cap filled with divine acts

We zoom in the lens on Christ’s agony on the garden

Doomed for His friends- His tragedy for our pardon

Foreseeing the Father’s cup of wrath has Him stifled and weak

He’s sweating blood with His disciples asleep

The Prince of Peace knows the beef shall increase

Since the thief approaches with the soldiers and the chief priests

His arrest is not just- neither is the trial

While Jesus is being treated foul, He sees Peter’s denial

He’s sent to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate

The violence of humanity at its finest

So now He stands before the crowd doomed to die

An angry mob who’s yelling out “crucify”

The way they treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul

But you miss the point if you don’t see your face in the crowd

 

Chorus

 

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there? Were you there? (4x)

Man, sometimes it causes me to tremble

Yo, sometimes it causes me to tremble

 

This story starts at the climax, we find that time’s lapsed- don’t mind that

It’s kind of like a night cap filled with divine acts

We zoom in the lens on Christ’s agony in the garden

Doomed for His friends- it had to be for the pardon

And delivery from misery of kids who speak wickedly

Sinfully, inwardly slick with the iniquity

We see disciples sleep and mock today with a lot to say

But we do the same thing when we don’t watch and pray

Like Judas, we sell Christ out to get the treasure

Whether it’s the cheddar or forbidden pleasure

Like the chief priests, we want Christ to surrender

But we want Him out the way when He doesn’t fit our agenda

Like Peter, we have misplaced, fleshly confidence

But we’ll deny the Lord when faced with deadly consequence

Like Herod, we’re curious about Christ because He’s famous

But we quickly get bored with Him when He doesn’t entertain us

Like Pilate, we see Christ and find nothing wrong with Him

But when the world chooses the wicked, we go right along with them

Despite His kindness, we seek to do our Maker violence

The fallenness of humanity at its finest

So now He stands before the crowd doomed to die

An angry mob who’s yelling out “crucify”

The way they treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul

But you miss the point if you don’t see your face in the crowd

 

This story starts at the climax, we find that time’s lapsed- don’t mind that

It’s kind of like a night cap filled with divine acts

We zoom in the lens on Christ’s agony on the garden

Doomed for His friends- His tragedy for our pardon

Foreseeing the Father’s cup of wrath- it has Him stifled and weak

He’s sweating blood with His disciples asleep

The Prince of Peace knows the beef shall increase

Since the thief approaches with the soldiers and the chief priests

His arrest is not just- neither is the trial

While Jesus is being treated foul, he sees Peter’s denial

He’s sent to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate

The violence of humanity at its finest

So now He stands before the crowd doomed to die

An angry mob who’s yelling out “crucify”

The way we treat the Lord of glory is debased and it’s foul

Ashamed, I bow because I see my face in the crowd

That’s right …. The new ESV study Bible.  I’m so super stoked.  I’ve heard it is huge, which kind of scares me, but I’m sure it’s going to be rad either way. I’ll let you know.

.. and He is of the primary order, and because He is of absolute and infinite value, and we are to delight in Him and love Him and treasure Him above all; I wanted to post this on my birthday…. may it serve to bring you delight in Him.

(I am particularly wanting to show the clip of the “roller-coaster” teaching )

So, obviously at a Bible college, theology and doctrine will be discussed.  If not … there might be a slight problem.  Anyways, here at EBC I’ve been wading through some different theological questions and views as they have been presented.  One that keeps popping up is the Gospel.  We were asked to define this in class one day, and a variety of answers were given (most were essentially the same).  BUT … there was one answer that was given .. and now I’m hearing it floating around more and more.  I just heard someone teach on this yesterday, and they were supporting why they thought this one view was indeed the Gospel message.  I thought through the things he said, and went back and examined scripture myself and came up with my own conclusion (though I’m not yet done processing it in it’s entirety).  

Now I am going to ask a gnarly  question … and who knows what will happen (if anything .. does anyone even read this anymore?) … but the question is What is the Gospel?  Scriptural support would be greatly desired.

If I get some responses, I’ll come back and give the one view I spoke of as well as why I believe it is not that, and what I actually believe it is and why.

Quite a bit has been happening in the past few days.

I was able to go see a free Phil Wickham concert, which was incredible.  After the concert I got to meet Phil, which was so sick.  I was stoked just to get to go to a concert (a free one at that) but then to get to meet him was like the icing on the cake.  He seems like a really cool guy, He is sooo passionate when he is singing and after Saturday night, I am a bigger fan (if that’s at all possible).    

 Along the lines of being a fan .. we sing his songs in church here, and whenever the lyrics pop up on the screen, my roommates will look at me- every time- even though we have been singing his songs for weeks now.  And, when John Piper is mentioned the same thing happens.  I wonder if I really make things that obvious…

The second string of events is the crazy wildfire that is burning right outside of Simi.  It’s really close.  In fact, here is the view from outside of my apartment (and no, those aren’t just big puffy clouds..)