Rob's Thoughts

Lamentations tells us that God’s mercies are new every morning.  Have you ever wondered why Jeremiah (the author) doesn’t say “God’s graces are new every morning”, or “his gifts are new every morning”, or “his kindness is new every morning”.  All those are true, right?  So why does the author focus on the mercies of God?

If your sinner, and the slightest bit humble, their will be days in your life where your sin makes you want to vomit.  Days where the joy of the Lord is eclipsed by the slime of your sin.  If you are a Christian you will find that on those days you have a difficult time embracing Romans 8:1: “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  You will feel condemnation whether it is real or not.  If you’re not a Christian – those days will lead you to a different despair.  You will start destroying your ability to reason by telling yourself lies like, “I’m not that bad of a person”, or “I’m better than so and so”, or “I’ve done a lot of good”.  These are all defense mechanisms we put in place to avoid the reality that we really aren’t that good, and that we live in a world that may be collectively far worse than any single individual.  So for both the Christian and the non-Christian we are in desperate need of mercy every day.

With these truths in view, what an amazing thing it is that we can wake up every morning with another opportunity to abandon sin and cling to Christ.  Night time has a way of helping us to accept God’s grace and move on from yesterday.  Fresh days often times lead to fresh consciences.  How are you living today?!  If you’re not a Christian you must understand that God’s mercy is with you today.  You have yet another opportunity repent of your own sin and to trust in Jesus to forgive your sins.  This mercy is a mercy that truly will change your life forever.  However, it’s also a mercy that runs out.  After this life we will all stand before God and give an account for everything we have done, good and bad!  What will you plead if you don’t have mercy?

It’s important to note that when Jeremiah writes “His mercy’s are new every morning” he’s speaking to a people who have truly faced the condemnation of God.  The Israelites had been exiled from their land – deported to Babylon because of their sin.  Here God was telling them through the prophet that he wasn’t done with them.  He would have mercy upon them.

This mercy ultimately came in the person of Christ.  It was a new day, a day when Christ would deliver them from exile to sin to eternal life with Christ.  This same deliverance is for you, will you live in deliverance today?

Why does the author focus on God’s mercy?  Because in order for us to receive any of his graces we must first receive his pardon – something he freely gives to all who come to him in humble repentance and faith.

How are God’s mercy’s new every morning?  Just ten ways.

1. The sun rising and providing its warmth to all creatures on the face of the earth, especially humans.  It felt good this morning.
2. Seasons, we have another day of brisk fall air to breath, changing leaves to look at, and hoodies to put on.
3. Taste buds.
4. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (though it’s sobering to think this isn’t true for some people in the earth).
5. The community of people we live in.  (neighbors, friends, teachers, children, parents, bosses, employees, Churches, families).
6. Love.
7. We all deserve so much less than we have.
8. I’m still saved from my sin.
9. Color.
10. You and I are still alive (let’s make the most of it, today).

I can sleep at night.

I have energy.

I haven’t been sick!.

I am loosing my gray hair!?  (Weird I know).

I read books for class instead of for sermons.

I’m loosing weight.

I feel healthier spiritually.

I’m not stressed out.

So why you might ask would I ever want to be a pastor?  Because I love helping people understand the gospel.  It’s that simple.  I love people, a lot!  I really feel like I have this passionate desire to be with other people and relate to them and understand them.  And I love the gospel.  What’s not to love – eternal life for people who would otherwise perish eternally bought by a loving God who gave all to secure that life for us.  So you put those to together and you have something I can’t resist: helping people (who I love) understand the Gospel (that I love).  What else is there?

Biggest Snake Ever

1. People there are serious about eternity

2.  People there love and understand the Bible

3.  The great big grassy field in the middle of the campus

4.  You feel like you’re attending an IV League School

5.  Stephen Wellum, Russell Moore, Jim Hamilton Jr., Sean Wright.

6.  I love my church more because of Southern

7.  Fall Festival

8.  Seminary Wives Institute

9.  For the regenerate, class WILL lead to sanctification.

10.  I love my wife more because of Southern

The One Thing I Hate:

Their stance on drinking

Have you ever stopped just to think about the way the Lord has provided the things you need?  We recently moved from a small city in Colorado to Louisville, Kentucky.  I had no idea how we were going to afford this move, but God did!  First, the Church that sent me out to Louisville (so I could get my Masters degree) decided to pay for my schooling and living expenses (thank you Dave Hunt, Ashlie Clark, the Board, the Elders, and the Congregation).  No strings attached, just that I go to School.  Secondly, a bit later we learned that my wife’s parents were going to support us as well.  Between the two we would have all that we needed to finish my Masters of Divinity.  Thirdly, two men from our Church decided to foot the bill for a truck and trailer to get our stuff out here.  Not sure how much it cost, but I bet it wasn’t cheap.  Isn’t God good?

When we arrived at the house we were suppose to rent we found that it was filled with mold. Yikes!  What we were going to do?  We couldn’t live there.  So, with all our stuff in a Budget rental truck that had to be returned in two days, we started the frantic look for a house that we could move into today!  Not ideal circumstances, but it’s what we had to work with.

Well, it just so happened that Dave and Mark (the guys from our Church) were driving around Louisville looking for a place for us, when they spotted an ordinary couple walking down the street.  So, being the industrious type, one of them leaned out the window and yelled out “hey, you know any houses for rent?”  The man stopped and turned and said “No, but I’m a realtor and I have realitor friends.”  God is good!  So he called his friend, who called his friend, who called us and told us he had just received keys for a house and we could move in today!  We went and looked at the house.  And you know what?  It was perfect…except for the price.  It was $350.00 more than we had budgeted for housing.  But we were in a bind and really needed a place, today.  So after considering the circumstances it seemed like the Lord had really orchestrated this house for us to live in.  So we prayed about it, talked about it, and My wife, my in-laws, the two guys from our church seemed to think that this was a good thing.  So, we decided to take a gigantic step of faith and take the house.

That takes me back to the beginning of the story.  Before we left, different people had given us money.  Just because they’re generous.  When we added up how much money we had received from different people it amounted $350.00.  The exact amount we needed to make up the difference for the firsts months rent.  Isn’t God good?!!  This month we are about to write another rent check and once again, the Lord has given exactly the amount that we need to make our rent.  I hate living month to month, but the Lord has provided for us over and over and over.  I expect that next month he’ll do the same.

One of the great slanders against the early church was that they held “love feasts”.  Christians were so in love with one another and knew how to celebrate on such a level that the pagans thought they were having orgastic celebrations on a weekly basis.  What was actually going on was that Christians were celebrating The Lord’s Supper as Jesus had commanded them.  There is evidence that the apostolic church had potlucks style dinners at the end of which they would call special attention to a loaf of unleavened bread and a cup of wine.  They would all take these elements together to remember what Jesus had done.  These meals were apparently so raucous they became scandalous to the pagans of the day.  When was the last time your church celebrated forgiveness of sins and the fellowship of each other like that?  The question we must ask ourselves in the midst of our sometimes somber “communion” services is where’s all the love?  Perhaps it’s time to restore the love that the apostolic church had down so well.  Perhaps it’s time to restore the “love feasts”.

Albert Einstein

Poor People

The Grand Canyon

Albert Mohler

The Generosity of Others

The Mirror

Jesus Christ

Okay It’s a venti hot chai, half breve half whole, with caramel goodness (the sauce not the syrup) stirred in with the long spoon, extra foam and a caramel happy face on top of the extra foam. or if you like it cold you need a venti Chai cream frappicchino (i have no idea how to spell that word) with caramel sauce an whipped cream blended in (yes that’s right you must blend the whipped cream in to the drink). It must be double blended with whipped cream also on top – no cinnamon but carmel drizzle all over the whipped cream dollop. I heard of a guy who would pound a iced chai made only with breve! Crazy. I’ve never tried it but would like to some day.

We were Juniors in High School going on a mission trip.  There was to be around 300 other high schoolers from other churches attending and we were headed to Reynosa Mexico.  My best friend (Paul, and I had known each other since 2nd Grade) and I were there primarily to check out the girls, catch some rays on the beach during the ‘free day’, and go to the market to test our bartering skills, all while ’serving the Lord’.  Little did I know that I would make friends with a group of guys (and girls) from a Church in Greeley Co called Bethel, and that God would eventually use in profound ways in my life.  Well, as the story of providence would have it few of those friendships remain (the ones that do are precious – Brad Kirchner, Bill Edwards); however, I ended up at a college right across the street from Bethel, and what started out as occasional attendance, turned into regular attendance, which turned into an internship one summer, which turned into an interim youth pastorate two summers later, which turned into a permanent youth pastorate, which turned into an associate pastorate, and after 8 years on staff at this church they have sent me on a year-and-a half sabbatical so I could finish my Masters of Divinity.  I have always considered being a blessing a part of a pastors call, pastors are suppose to bless primarily through nourishing the souls of the congregation through teaching, praying, discipling, etc.  In light of the situation I find myself in now, it is the congregation that is blessing me through their support in sending me to school both financially and in prayer (i am sure of it).  As a Thirty year old man looking back at that first incredibly immature experience with Bethel as a Junior in High School I never would have imagined God’s plan.  I had a whole set of my own.  Now I realize there are few blessings greater than the one he has given me in my Church.

It is officially september 17 2009 and I am making my first ever blog on the new blog that Jamie Eklund – my dear friend – set up for me.  For those of you interested in following my blog I would suggest that you bookmark it or click the RSS link on the side bar and then click “subscribe in mail” which updates you if anything new is posted.  I plan to post regularly, but I imagine how often I post will be somewhat contingent upon my workload in other areas of my life.

I suppose I should state the purpose of this blog just because it makes sense to have a purpose for everything we do.  So the purpose of Rob’s Thoughts is to let any interested readers peruse my filtered thoughts.  This of course seems a bit arrogant to assume that there may be people in the world who are interested enough in my thoughts to spend their time perusing them, but hey I’m not saying that anyone will, I’m just giving the opportunity.  Of course the reason that I would want anyone perusing my thoughts is in order that I may influence, and encourage them.  For example, some of you reading this may not be Christian, in that case my hope would be that you learn what Christianity is – since I’m a Christian.  Other readers may indeed be Christian, which in that case my goal is to encourage you to think about God and life in a way that edifies you.  Of course, that’s my main goal, not my only goal.  At times I may simply post things I think are entertaining, funny, interesting, sad, or just plain disturbing.  So here we go.  Happy birthday Mom.  I love you. It really is her birthday – she just turned 29.