Lavish Hospitality 10

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I grew up in a small Primitive Baptist Church in a small town in central Florida.  I accepted Christ early and started participating as a member in my church.  We did feet washing.  I remember washing feet and having my feet washed.  I remember kneeling and  getting the towel wet.

Now, we don’t do feet washing in the churches I’ve been a part of, but I will tell you some of the most meaningful Lord Suppers.

In Louisville, I went to a church where the Lord’s Supper was practiced every week, tied wholly into the sermon each week (the Gospel), and we actually broke bread (tore off pieces from one loaf) and could dip the bread either into the wine or the juice (in goblets).  The community of believers served each other each week.  Here some meaningful aspects:

  1.  Believers serving believers.  Community with the Lord’s Supper.  First with Christ because He gave himself for us, then we other believers who have put their faith in Jesus too.
  2. Tearing off the bread.  The body of Jesus was a real body. He was bloody.  He had thorns on his head.  The little wafer that I’ve mostly had in life isn’t as much of a replication of it.  But, there is something about tearing off the bread that is more symbolic of what happened on the cross 2000 years ago.
  3. Wine.  (If you have personal reflections on alcoholic intake, I’m not saying you should go partake with wine at the Lord’s Supper.  Where there is freedom, there is love).  I’m not a dry red wine fan.  But, when taking the Lord’s Supper, and you are drinking sweet grape juice, it again misses the symbolic mark for me.  When I dip the torn bread in a cup of bitter wine, the wine hits my tongue and almost makes me wince…it highlights the bitter nature of the cross.

And this table, the Lord’s table, reminds me most of a time when I can sit at the table with Him in Heaven, my feet covered with brilliant fine linens, no one seeing my faithlessness, my rebellion, but all seeing the love and beauty of Christ.

Quote from John Frame, Systematic Theology, found in Habits of Grace by David Mathis.

Blogtember: Music for the Car Ride

posted in: hymns, illustrated faith | 0

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

To be honest, I don’t listen to my ipod and I don’t have music loaded on my computer because it slows down the overall working of the computer – so I’d rather just have quiet in my home and then I definitely listen to it in the car.  You can always hear my older son asking for it by pointing to the radio dial and saying “more more” from the back seat.

SO, instead of pushing shuffle, I’ll just tell you what is in my 6 CD changer in our highlander:

  1. Sovereign Grace.  This CD is such a blessing to my soul – reassuring my of my position in Christ.
  2.  Getty.  The songwriting of the Gettys (and Stuart Townend, they often write together) is untouchable in these days. And the fiddle and penny whistle is well-worth the listen.  I love their live albums the most because you hear people singing passionately and expressively which encourages me in my walk.
  3. Hillsong United.  Whenever I want to rock it out in my car, this one gets played.  Mercy Mercy is my favorite song on the disk for sure.
  4. Daniel Renstrom.  A friend of mine and a lover of children learning the truths of the Word. My boys know this one by heart!  And some of my fave hymns on it too.
  5. Sojourn.  I attended church in Louisville and got to sing these songs weekly.  This CD is another reminder of the Gospel to my sweet soul.
  6. Songs from Luke.  The authority of Christ – Not In Me – Come to the Feast – definitely some of my favorite new ones.

31 Hymns: The Authority of Christ

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The Authority of Christ

Since I’ve been doing old school hymns, thought I would switch it up today.  One of the ways I care for my soul is by listening to Sojourn’s Songs from the Book of Luke CD (and really any of their music).  This particular hymn is written by a friend of the Mister’s who is at a church in Nashville – always gospel stuff from him.

This first song on the aforementioned album is stellar.  I love it and sing it at the top of my lungs (in the car) when I hear it.

Oh that we might live with the same understanding and practice of the authority of Christ in our lives:

And because of this song – I love the person of Simeon – wow – what privilege (just a side note)

 

31 Days of Hymns: Thou Who Wast Rich

posted in: 31days, Christmas, hymns | 0

Thou Who Wast Rich

Whenever October rolls around – you will always see pumpkins, and ghosts, and fall leaves.

But, you will also see Christmas lights, fake trees, snow globes, and wrapping paper.  Even before Halloween and Thanksgiving, the stores are stockpiling for Christmas.

I have made it a habit not to play Christmas music until December first.  There are two exceptions: Advent Songs by Sojourn and Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb.  My two favorite cds get played often and throughout the year.

The first hymn that makes the list is one of my husband’s favorites – and I think its partly because it was one of his mentor’s favorites.  And its a Christmas carol.  Go figure.  This link takes you to a devotional written by my husband’s mentor, on his last Christmas on earth.  He now knows the beauty of the splendor of this King

Talks all about the incarnation.  And you might think why is the incarnation so important?  Well, Elyse talks about it in her book here and I highly recommend it.  And Philippians chapter 2 talks about it – and how it is important for our every day life in the local church and in our homes.

Stanza three is my favorite because it talks of his ever-abiding presence in our lives and how that aids our sanctification.  May you know the power of the Incarnation every day – not just during the Christmas season!

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.

31 Days of Hymns

Sundays in the South : Link Love

Southern States Link Love

Since I’ve lived all around the South my entire life, I thought I would share with you just a few of my favorite places in each of the states I’ve lived in.  This will definitely give you the travel bug – and I hope you can live it out to the fullest!  Enjoy the Around-the-South tour and dream on this Sunday – that God would enable you to see more of the world He created!

Florida: The Sunshine State

Hontoon Island was a relatively new find for me.  Traveled there last year.  Your littles will love the little ferry ride over to the island.  There are also good hiking and biking trails – but most of these trails aren’t conducive to strollers.  Moss abounds!

If you are looking for a hole in the wall seafood restaurant – you need to come here. My Dad has ties to the owners and I love their fried grouper sandwich.

The best chicken and yellow rice and cuban bread – EVER.  My first trip I remember to this Florida (chain) but staple, was in high school with my Spanish class after going to the Salvadore Dali museum.  A must EAT!

And one of my favorite places in the city that I being an adult in – and one that I love and could retire in forever because I love it so – Barnacle Bills.  Only thing you ever need to get there is the Datil Shrimp.  Enough said.

I attended this private school most of my schooling years (except for half a year).  I loved the principal then and my teachers.  Some of the ministries I got to be a part of and friendships made still impact my life today.

The college I went to was in the heart of St. Augustine.  College for me turned out to be different than I though mostly because we had no football team.

North Carolina: The Tarheel State

Durham landmark

Oh, this could be a while.  I love it here and consider it home more than any other place I’ve lived.  Its where I fell in love with the Word, ministry, college students, the ocean, my husband, and where I became a momma for the first time.

Guglhupfs – best pancakes hands down.

Ketchie Creek Bakery – 5 flavor pound cake – need I say more?

I went to seminary here.  The first time I saw the campus I knew I was going to love it there.  Arrived on campus 4 months after my initial introduction.

I fell in love with missions, college students, and brooklyn tab while doing ministry at The Summit.

Had my first road trip with my husband and our first random stop was to one of the older cities.  Loved it.

Kentucky: The Bluegrass State

Louisville Zoo

I wasn’t here for a long time, and the seminary I worked for became home – and I loved the ability I had at the time to travel all the time and see people and things that I never would have otherwise.

Where I fell in love with Meditteranean food.

Where I grew to love this ministry and all that is stands for.  And Dr. Mohler spoke in our Sunday School this morning – and this ministry will have such a vital role in the church in the coming years (maybe even more so than before).  Owen and Courtney – you and your teams have my prayers as they always have!

And how I fell in love with gospel centered preaching was by listening mostly to this man at this church.

Arkansas:  The Natural State

Hot Chocolate

I was here the briefest and made some really sweet friends.  It is also where I fell in love with my second little boy!

ARWB – thank you Stephanie and Debbie and all of you other bloggers.  Yall were a great community!  Hopefully we will have that in GA soon!

Georgia: The Peach State

Georgia Aquarium

I’m growing to love this state more and more.  I’ve always had ties to this state and now my husband and boys are here.  Lovely combination

This is the church we get to be a part of.  Thankful for faithful preaching each week.

This is the bestest place in the state for me.  I’ve been going here since I was a kid and get to go with my family in 2 weeks.

And then the islands and Savannah – get me to the ocean!

There you have it.  If you have lived in one of these states – what are your favorite things to do, see, eat?  Help me out!

Book Review: Living in God's Two Kingdoms

posted in: Books, ethics | 0

I was really excited when I saw this book on the new release list. I had been in recent conversations with friends about how they were personally engaging the culture, and I attend a church that seeks to “engage the city”, and used to attend a church (before I moved) that modeled engaging the city and culture very well. I was intrigued to see what David VanDrunen had to say about Living in God’s Two Kingdomws (btw, the cover design is really cool).
VanDrunen does a good job at laying out the outline of his book, telling you exactly where he is heading. He engages some of the opposing views and arguments that basically are the foundation of this new “area of theological discussion” (Neo-Calvinism, Emerging Churches, but this is not exhaustive).
I personally do not fully agree with either side. I think one side takes it too far, and one side doesn’t go far enough. Finally, though, the author basically states three ways that Christians are to engage the culture, how a Christian should live successfully as sojourners in this land we call “culture” .
1. “Christians should pursue cultural activities not with a spirit of triumph and conquest over their neighbors but with a spirit of love and service toward them.” (p 124). Wow – I think this is probably the toughest one of his three and I wholeheartedly agree. Even our redeemed status doesn’t make us perfect yet, and I personally often struggle with motive.
2. “The New Testament calls us to critical engagement with human culture.” (p 126) I almost wish his whole book would camp out on this point. This is where I try to engage the culture. I learned this well from a friend and professor at SEBTS, and I love reading through secular books, watching movies, and looking at art with this critical mind at work.
3. “The New Testament calls us to engage in cultural activities with a deep sense of detachment from this world and of longing for our true home in the world to come.” (p 126) This is probably the hardest for me to deal with on a personal level. As I get more into style, design, photography, clothing, I tend to step back into a materialistic mindset which the Lord has saved me from, but Satan likes to wedge his foot in my mind.
While the author does a good job at bringing in cultural examples and has a personable writing style (unlike some theological books on differing subjects), I think VanDrunen could have made this a shorter book and made his argument more simple for the non-theological to grasp.
A word for all Christians: you can’t engage the world by separating yourself from it. Home-schooling families who only allow their children to be friends with other Christians, people who will never go to movies, read secular books, watch television, own ipods, allow their teenagers on social networks…this is no way to engage the culture. Read more on VanDrunen’s point #2.
Wherever you land in this discussion: one thing is for sure: We are to be shining lights in a crooked and depraved generation (Philippians 2)