The Sweetest Frame

From my reading today... Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. This phrase really sticks in my head thanks to a Kim Hill song of the late 80's. But I guess you didn't need to know that. So on to the question... Is it right to celebrate beauty in our wives and daughters? Can you defend this biblically? The other day my wife was bragging on the beauty of our daughter. Though I'm sure we are prejudiced, she is a pretty girl. If I want her to strive to be godly, am I sending conflicting messages by praising her beauty instead of praising her character? Our culture has elevated the value of image so high and Photoshop has not helped. Beauty is defined and redefined time and again. How do we raise our young girls in this image-crazed society to focus on their character instead of their hair?

Squirrel Feeder (Click on the image to see a higher resolution picture) My son built a bird feeder, but it has become a terrific squirrel feeder. At times there are 3 squirrels around the feeder all at once. This guy doesn't mind us getting close. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Any captions for this one?

Music Tuesday at 2 am on a Sunday Morning. No more coffee for me on Saturday nights! This song is pretty awesome - it's a pouring out of the heart. Probably not something that the congregation sings easily, but the chorus could be something special in a corporate setting. Wow, I especially love right at the end of verse 2 (about 3:48) "I don't have time to think about regrets when I think about the way...He loves us...O how he loves us!" I know this setting was highly charged with emotion, but it's hard to get past the simple truth that He loves us . Video clip here . Lyrics and chords here .

Some scriptures encourage. Some empower. Some enlighten. And then there are some that just tear into me... 2 Timothy 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. Am I one of these that should be avoided? I feel like I'm part of a generation of "Christians" who love pleasure more than we love God. Sometimes I think I've caved. I know more about Illini Basketball than I know about the Word. I care more about feeding my face, than feeding those who are hungry or thirsty. I am more interested in the next tech toy, than I am in loving people who are hurting all around me. What's my deal? And that's not even the scarie...

From my reading today I was reminded that the Lord is God and there is no other . Just out of curiosity, I looked up this phrase in the ESV to see where it occurs, and you can see the results below. Pay close attention to the last reference, I'm sure it's no coincidence. Deuteronomy 4:35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. Deuteronomy 4:39 know there fore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other . 1 Kings 8:60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other . Ecclesiastes 4:8 one person who has no other , either son or brother, yet there is no end to all h is toil, and h is eyes are never sat is fied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” Th is also is vanity and an unhappy business. Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord , and there is no o...

I couldn't believe what I heard at our Bible study tonight. Our Wednesday class has been working through the series "God is Closer than You Think." Tonight we got into a discussion about judging other churches' ministry methods and practices. We were discussing how some churches have been experiencing some pretty incredible growth stories, and how others seem to enjoy criticizing their "success." One of the "older" ladies in our church made the observation that this significant growth seemed to be happening in churches with younger congregations. Then she said something that I thought was profound. She said that the older folks resisting change and holding to their traditions were getting in the way of the growth of the church. It's one thing for a teenager to say this, and another for a young pastor at a church plant to say this, but for an "older" person to point this out made me ask... Why am I leaving a church with amazing pe...

Shout it from the roof tops! Death has been destroyed. (I think the word "abolished" is fine, but I like the NIV a little better on this one.) 2 Timothy 1:10b our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel What a King. He has destroyed the thing that is feared the most. Not only has he finished death, but he has brought life, and not just life, but immortality - through the gospel. People have been searching for immortality since the fall. Jesus has secured it through His cross. Thank you Lord for taking the sting away from death.