Today was one of those days, as Saturdays usually are.  We checked to-dos off of the never ending list that parents never warn you comes with adulthood.  We provided shelter, food and education for our children, most of it never fully being appreciated, a lot of it messy, and quite a bit of it smelly.  We pressed through those messy, bratty, smelly moments for the unadulterated joy of just one “I love you Daddy” and ketchup-in-my-hair hug.  We breathed several hundred breaths of crisp winter air, longing for Spring, or at least some snow to give the cold a purpose.  Oh, and at the end of the day, we ended up one day closer to death.

I don’t know about you, but my thinking moments don’t come when my head hits the pillow, but rather are formed in the midst of everyday existence.  It may be a Christian power-slogan, but in pressing on to make Christ my prize, there is always in the back of my mind a tugging.

Life.  Becomes.  Intentional.

And busyness is not intentionality.

I tend to wear circles in the carpet with my mental pacing, taking one step at a time to nowhere in particular.  The lens of silence reveals my wandering, so I try to avoid doing nothing at all costs.  Entertainment, useless information, or just plain activity all blur the silence, but again:

Busyness is not intentionality.

So I sit here and ponder these thoughts, and I am again reminded of Jesus’ tendency to withdrawal to quiet places for contemplation.  It makes sense that we must pull ourselves away from the constant in-your-face power the world has to distract us from Reality.  I long to meditate on Christ not to free myself from thought, but to pierce through the clouded veils of this present illusion and make Him my lens.  Silence is a terrible lens of its own accord, for it only allows us to see the shadows.

On Christmas eve, my pastor, Matt Chandler, related this to Plato’s allegory of a cave.  In this allegory, Plato talks of prisoners who are chained to the wall of a cave, and are only able to see the shadows of things passing in front of the cave.  Most of the prisoners begin to ascribe life and meaning to these shadows, and eventually forget about real life entirely.  There are, therefore, two types of beings – those who are content with the shadows, and those who strain to see the shadow-casters.

As Christians, we must go one step further – we are not trying to find the casters, but the Light!  This is our one indwelling passion, and worship does not exist unless we are not satisfied with less than Him.

This is how to, as Paul advised the Thessalonians, to pray without ceasing – to make Christ our sole treasure.  All emotion, direction, and passion are made captive to this one beauty – the joy of Christ in all things.  We do not need a list of moral codes or fifteen-minute quiet times to be righteous.  We need only have our goal be glorious enough.  If it is, our love for God and our joy in being satisfied in Him will breed obedience, submission, success, righteousness.

If it is not, we will achieve our goals in this present time, and with no place left to go, will fester in our “success” and breed pride and narcissism.  Hey, but at least we will look really good.

From someone who thinks he looks really good at times, please pray for me.

-MB

So after a six-week pause due to myriad circumstances keeping me from thinking clearly, much less posting, I will again attempt to log the musings de Matt (Aside: In searching out the correct use of “myriad,” I discovered it can be used both as a noun and an adjective.  Therefore, “myriad circumstances” and “a myriad of cirumstances” are both correct.  Thought you might want to know.)  Since I wanted to go back and reread what I wrote previously anyway, I thought I would give you a recap of past posts:

Preface – “About Matt” – If you want to know something about me, read this.  If you would rather try to piece together a picture of me from my writings, don’t.  So mysterious…

1. May 8, 2008 – “From a tiny spark…” – For my first post, I wanted to give the reader a sense of where I am coming from when I write; a sense of my desire to worship in purity while not misleading the reader into thinking I already do so.  The “Why Flame Blue?” page repeats many of these same thoughts, with a challenge for you, the reader, to journey along with me.  From what I can tell, it is a long (eternity, anyone?) journey.

2. May 9, 2008 – “For my joy…” – Perhaps my most difficult post to relate in full.  I still have to read it twice to make sure I believe myself.  I do.  Please do not take this post the wrong way.  I do not think Christianity to be a man-centered pursuit at all.  However, I wanted it to be offensive to nominal Christianity, so it may be a bit over the top.

3. May 14, 2008 – “Love endures…” – Hmm… It is so interesting to read my own writings, albeit nearly 3 months later, and not remember fully the thoughts behind the words.  There is so much more here to be explored…

4. May 15, 2008 – “Revealing the darkness…” – I LOVE this quote from Chesterton, but I’m not sure if my thoughts added anything to his idea or not.  You tell me.

5. May 17, 2008 – “How long O Lord…” – An afternoon of grief over the pain of the world around us.

6. May 20, 2008 – “Epic sacrifice…” - My most disappointing post (at least in my eyes) to date.  The idea behind it simply wasn’t full quite yet, and I tried to force it.  I will revisit this in the future.  I would appreciate any thoughts you might have.

7. May 28, 2008 – “A life laid bare…” – I enjoy writing poetry when the impulse comes.  From the pages of an “ancient” journal.

8. June 4, 2008 – “Of pleasure and puddles…” – My most difficult, most edited, and, to me, most fulfilling post to date.  It is long, but there is so much in this thought, and much left to be said.  If you haven’t read it yet, think about this question first: What is the opposite of lust?

9. June 9, 2008 – “What Jesus Demands #1…” – OK, maybe this is my most difficult post.  Again, it can be very difficult to pull an argument around from thought to conclusion in a single page.  Really, this is a (poor) attempt at a summary of the beliefs of John Piper on the doctrine of salvation.  I also used this post to explain why I am a “Calvinist,” or whatever you want to call me.

10. June 11, 2008 – “Law of Fading Consequences…” – Man, I really like the idea behind this post.  We’ll certainly come back to the foundation of it at some point.  To summarize, it is really difficult to endure with patience the race set before us without, like so many hares before us, stopping occasionally to take a nap.

11.  July 16, 2008 – “Impacts and things…” – 10 posts in 34 days, then nothing.  This post is a simple summary of the most impacting teachings and websites I could think of at the time.  Not really a new thought.

Well, there you have it.  Now you only have to read the posts that interest you.  Or not.  Or maybe no one is reading this and I am talking to myself.  Oh, the life of an amatuer blogger.

Peace. MB

Per recommendation from a friend, I have decided to post a list of the most impacting resources I have come across over the past few years.  I pray they are a blessing to you as well:

1. While attending college in Abilene, TX, I began going to a large weekly meeting called Grace.  The worship was good, but everyone went to hear the speaker, a guy named Matt Chandler.  At the time, my love of God was not strong, so not much of what he said stuck.  Then in passing, a friend of mine told me Matt Chandler was a Calvinist, meaning he only thought he was preaching to the “elect.”  Well, I had never heard of Calvinism, and it sounded like a cult to me, so I stopped going.  Two years later, this sermon by Matt Chandler became my first, major introduction to the sovereignty of God and how that lined up with the Bible.  Truthfully, I have listened to every sermon by Matt in the past 5 years, and have almost never disagreed him.  He is easy to listen to, but always tells deep truth.
2. John Piper’s website, Desiring God Ministries has a HUGE amount of resources – articles, books, blogs, and every sermon he has preached for the past 25 years (many with video).  Piper is a huge Jonathan Edwards disciple, so his writings are largely based in Edwards’ theology (good thing, since Edwards was one of the most intelligent theologians who ever lived).  I highly recommend reading the book Desiring God as a foundational understanding of God’s relationship with His creation.  Also, the two Piper sermons from this year’s Resolved conference are outstanding (both are on Hell).
3. Discerning Reader.com is a great site started by blogger Tim Challies for quick book reviews by several men I agree with on major theological issues, so you can see what to watch for in a book.  The review of The Shack is excellent.  Although not from this site, this is a 2-part critique of Wild at Heart that outlines the major theological issues.  I’m not sure if I agree with every point, but it is well done.
4. As far as books I recommend, I really haven’t read many that I really liked.  I do recommend anything by C.S. Lewis, John Piper, Tim Keller, and the major dead guys – Luther, Edwards, Bonhoffer, Tozer, anyone else whose works are shown powerful and scripturally sound.  Biographies of great Christian men are good, too.  Piper has a sermon series called “Men of Whom the World was not Worthy” that outlines the lives of heroes of the faith.  It is staggering to read about the men who God used to champion the gospel throughout the ages.  It is also being put into book form in The Swan is Not Silent series.  On the fiction side, I love Ted Dekker’s stuff, as well as Randy Alcorn & Frank Peretti.  Mainly, I read lots of pieces of lots of different books and enjoy seeing the connections between the different ideas and Scripture.  I need to be better about reading entire books.

This is only the beginning of the list.  I will add to it as I think of things.  MB

Isn’t it amazing how quickly the consequences of an action are diminished in our eyes. The further in the future the application of those consequences lies, the less it inhibits our actions. For instance, consider a prominent man who is about to commit adultery on his wife…

• the most distant consequence, eternal separation from God, although it is the most extreme and long-lived of any possible consequence, affects him almost not at all.
• the consequence of losing his wife and family, a definite possibility in the coming days, is constantly on his conscience, but if the possibility is low enough or he justifies it long enough, the pleasure begins to outweigh the loss.
• the consequence of losing standing in the community, of high importance to any man, seems highly unlikely in the face of the pleasure before him.

We are people obsessed with the moment, denying that are souls are starving as we hungrily feast on poison. Yet if we change the variables of the situation, telling the man that if he goes through with his action, he will 1) contract a highly fatal disease, 2) lose his wife and kids the next day, and 3) will be kicked out of his position of authority, only an insane man would go through with the adultery. Are we not all insane? God promises ultimate pleasure – the enjoyment of Him forever – if we will only give up the fleeting pleasures of this life and follow Him, and yet we continually ignore His promise.

For those who do not, another law begins to come into play – the law of increasing reward. These rewards are not prizes for following a set of rules, but rather glory for faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ in the face of suffering.

• We suffer sacrifice of our worldly pleasures (sin) in order to reach a deeper level of maturity in Christ and show the fruit of our faith to be true. As this happens, we must…
• …give up the acceptance of the world in order to have the full acceptance through grace of the Creator of the universe, an acceptance which will make the world hate us so that…
• …we must give ourselves over to pain for the cause of confessing Christ, in order to share with Him in the glory to be revealed in us as sons and daughters. If they hated Christ to the point of death…
• …we may be called to give up life itself in order for Christ’s sufferings so that what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col. 1:24) might be completed in us in bringing life to the church.

The point is, it is a continuing struggle with the Word to “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15) The more mature we become in Christ, the more difficult the obedience he calls us to will be, and the greater the reward we will share. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Pet. 4:12-14) “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18.)

I pray you are encouraged. – MB

Look away from yourself. Seek from God what he alone can do for you. Moral improvement of the old you is not what you need. New life is what the whole world needs. It is radical and supernatural. It is outside our control. The dead do not give themselves new life. We must be born again. – John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World (ch. 1, pg. 39)

Through the counsel of my wife, I will attempt to write this blog with gentleness. My greatest desire is to see the glory of God proclaimed and known, and any way that God chooses to use me to help do so I will do in love.

One of the patterns I have found disturbing is the tendency to use a phrase or passage in Scripture in a way that was never intended. For instance, though seldom used in the Scriptures, the phrase “born again” has come to be closely associated with the result of the prayer of faith by a new Christian. While in principal, this is not entirely incorrect, I believe several important truths are missed by applying the scripture in this manner. If we look closer at the words of Jesus, Peter, and John, it is possible to understand that true “rebirth” might in fact precede the saving faith of a new believer. If so, it becomes, then, what J.I. Packer calls “monergistic: that is, entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit.”

• Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 – It is therefore impossible to believe in what you do not know exists.
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

John explains further at the beginning of his gospel:

• But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

1. …not of blood – It is possible that this applies to two different beliefs. The first is that you must be physically born again of woman, as Nicodemus pointed out is ridiculous. The second is that you are saved by the lineage (blood) of your family – if your parents believed, so also will you. A study of the children of the men and women of God quickly reveals that while many children of believers believe as well, it is definitely not an absolute.
2. …nor of the will of the flesh (NIV – human decision) – Just as a baby has no say in the act of being born into life, the heart of stone has no say in the act of being born into Spirit.
3. …nor of the will of man – No amount of preaching or arguing or torture (it has been tried) can bring the heart of a man to repentance. Only the rejuvenating work of the Spirit of God (which uses preaching to along with a new heart in order to bring about saving faith)
4. …but of God – He alone is the founder (beginning) and perfecter of our faith. (Heb. 12:2)
5. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Once the act of regeneration (heart of stone becoming heart of flesh) is complete, the possibility of belief is available to the newly reborn man, and in fact it is an action attributed to man. I do not think, however, that there is any passage of time between the two acts. Piper gives the analogy of flame – when a match is struck, there is flame, light, and heat at the same instant, but the light and heat never come before the fire and match. It is always the other way around, though it is always simultaneous. This is the divine mystery, in that both the sovereignty of God (flame and fuel) and the will of man (light and heat – the fruit of fire) are not found to be contradictory, but collaborators in the salvation (light of the world) of all who believe.

It is my desire, then, if this is true, to see Christians come to a new understanding of the new birth, no longer confusing the birth with the faith of salvation. Just as a child does not choose to be born yet once born is alive, we were dead and did not choose to live, yet were born into Life. To God alone be the glory.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. – Col. 2:13

As you may be able to tell by the above, I am Reformed in my understanding of the gospel and the purposes of Jesus throughout history. This in no way means I think myself better than others, or more enlightened, but rather that my study of the Word has led me to find more joy and more peace in the truth that God is sovereign over all things and all people. If I am wrong in my understanding, I pray God reveals it to me in His word. However, I do believe it is of absolute importance to come to a deep understanding of what the Bible teaches on the sovereignty of God verses the will of man for several reasons:

1. For God’s glory – My first reaction to anyone who speaks strongly against the doctrines of Reformed theology (Calvinism, doctrines of grace, etc.) is to bow before the throne (reverent fear). If God desires foremost to be glorified (not possible to argue), then we should at all times err on the side of giving God more glory. If this means giving God full credit for the salvation of man, I would much rather be on His side than man’s.
2. For true faith – True faith is not blind, but rather is founded in the revealed character and promises of God himself. Those who say it is not important to pick a side in this argument to me are saying it is important to know everything about a lion except whether he is a vegetarian or a carnivore. However, when these two men meet a lion lying on the road, only one is going to respect what He can do to man. If knowing God lies in knowing His name (His character), we must pray passionately to understand the fullness of Him.
3. For humility – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph. 2:8-9 It is impossible to boast in what we have not done, even more so to boast in what we did not even desire to do in our death (Eph. 1:4-5, Col. 2:13-14).
4. For confidence in God’s plan – I do not understand how we can trust that God to finish what He started in us if He didn’t truly start it. I find the greatest confidence in the promise that God has saved me, and will not ever let me go. For instance, Jesus spoke powerfully on our behalf in the book of John, saying, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (10:27-29). For he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6)

***The above is a synopsis of the theology of hundreds of years of Reformed men of God. I am currently reading John Piper’s book What Jesus Demands from the World, and will be posting my thoughts on each chapter over the next few months. For a much deeper look this topic, visit www.monergism.com and search for “born again.” – MB

At the basic level, I tend to search not for answers, but rather deeper questions. It is a desire of mine to break down every doctrine, question, idea, and opinion into its foundational structures. For instance, if two men are standing next to each other and both say “I am a Christian,” the listener knows nothing more than he did before, since he has no idea what the foundations of this statement may be. Discovering those foundations is vital to understanding the gospel and the Kingdom. What are the foundations? Do we even believe the right ones? If not, is our salvation in question?

In light of these questions, I was recently asked “What is the opposite of lust?”  Lust itself is a deeply pervasive issue, a virtual plague affecting every man and women in the world in some degree. As such, the casual observer would think that the church has established a fairly rooted stance on the biblical teachings regarding a lustful heart. Sadly, this is not the case. Churches have largely misunderstood and ignored the incredibly strong stance the Word takes on lust and its affect on our souls. We must, as disciples of the Truth, seek diligently to find God’s will and instruction on this issue, and radically implement it into our lives.

In all honesty, I struggle with this sin on both a personal and spiritual level. I will not hide behind the mask named “Everyone Else,” as I alone must accept responsibility for my actions and wayward heart. Though the world around me is tempting me at every turn, the fact that I have chosen to drink from my own cup is my own choice. This is my confession: I do not discuss this sin from a distance with disgust and feigned innocence, but from within the river, swimming at times against the raging currents, but many times letting my flesh float along undirected.

Back to the question of the opposite. We should immediately notice there are several further questions within the first: “What is lust?” and “What is an opposite?” are two main ones. Those are easily broken down further, and so on until we reach the ground floor. All foundations are existent in the beginning, so I will begin with the door marked “Knowledge of Good & Evil.”

The problem with most views of good and evil is that they suggest evil “exists” in and of itself. Although we as Christians tend to deny the dualistic views of so many of the world’s religions, in practice and thought accept them by giving Satan too much glory by placing him on a level with God. This is not the case. “God is in the heavens, He does all that He pleases” (Ps. 115:3) applies to all created things, including complete sovereignty over the works of Satan (see Job). Evil itself is simply the absence of good in the same way that cold is the absence of heat, and a nothing is not a something.

I say all of this not to simply be philosophical or deep, but rather that there must be something within the foundations that we have been missing. Lust, as with all other sin, is a manifestation of something deeper, a hidden place where the true absence lies. On this broken and cracked foundation is built the towers of our beliefs, a ramshackle house of cards ready to be destroyed by the first storm of doubt. This house becomes the manifestation of our hearts, an outward appearance of an inward condition. If the foundation is repaired, giving the house strength and stability, yet the manifestation is not rebuilt, is it still evil? Let me explain the process of my thought with a few examples (Read Romans 1:18-32 for basis):

1. Is not the murderer simply serving his master, namely himself, to the end of obtaining more glory for himself (through controlling life, revenge, greed, etc.)? Repair the foundation, and he is freed to glorify his master not by killing, but by obediently seeking as much of God’s glory and joy by sharing Life with others.

2. Is not the drunkard seeking to numb the pains and memories of this world by separating himself from reality? Repair the foundation, and he can continue to escape this present, subjected beauty by being immersed (drunk can be the same word as baptized in Greek – interesting) in the mind-freeing, soul-healing Spirit of God.

3. Sexual lust is the same in practice. As the foundation is cracked or destroyed, our innate desire to be intimate and entwined with that which “completes” us (namely God) is forced to be focused on lesser created beings – men, women, children, animals, self. Repair the foundation, and the desire is not destroyed but fulfilled, no longer relegated to idols.

As Romans 1 states, the foundational sin is that we have exchanged the glory of God for a lie (v. 25). Because of this, God turns us over to the “lusts of our hearts in impurity.” We are created to worship, so when we are reconciled to the one worthy object of worship, every “lust (desire) of our heart” is satisfied and made pure. The opposite (perfection) of lust is worship!

Keep your eyes on him. “We are far too easily pleased” (C.S. Lewis – click for full quote)

In summary:

• There are foundations beneath every doctrine of man, both of truth and lie.
• The foundational sin (lie) is that we exchange the glory of God for the creation.
• The resulting lust is impure; when restored, lust is replaced by worship.

I found this in a journal; not quite sure when I wrote it:

I’m tired of lies, spun tightly and clumsily in the darkness; lies to myself, my God – my treasured.

I’m tired of wasted moments strung like Christmas popcorn – Christmas perfect that will never come because I refuse to accept beauty as anything but a reflected lie – the popcorn rotting and stringy mud – stinking of death. Yet I wear it proudly!

I’m tired of hurting those I love yet refusing to acknowledge the hurt in light of my smiles and stupidity – refusing to reveal the love for fear of the hurt. How stupid a smiling fool am I!

I’m tired of holding back the dreams of my treasured! I should know and strive more readily in my youth, yet I stagnate like an old hobo, tired from doing nothing - tired from not trying!

I love life: the veins in the leaves of a towering oak, the laughter of my treasured as she dances with her Savior. But why will my wall not fall? Where is the willingness to scale its towers? Will no One destroy it?!? Or do I not see the door, plain and open right in front of me? I’m tired of being blind.

I will not be blind, for I once knew a blind man.

He died without a Light.

Please God, turn on the Light…

-MB

We speak often of the epic, a mystic tale of heroism and glory. Men desire to be the protagonist, women long to be the desired, history makes literary altars to the greatest epics of all. Yet, when it comes down to it, very few truly understand what it takes to embark on the journey towards an epic life and what they would find if they did.

The door in is not easily recognized, but once inside the epic is made to be simple in its effectiveness and beauty. Find one thing, one ideal or injustice or revelation, and put all of your energy into the pursuit of it – to the point of sacrificing everything.

Sacrifice. We adore it in others, wish we could give of it ourselves, but cower in the corner when it is truly required of us. There was a time when the ideal was everything. What you thought of the meaning of the universe, or love, or life was to be the foundation of your kingdom. Life was epic. But somewhere, someone got the idea that the rebellion against an idea was the most epic thought to think. No longer was the pursuit of absolute truth the challenge, but only the denial of all truths as false. We began to adore men not for what they believed about life and justice and love, but what they recognized as being wrong with it. When these same men – men of courage, valor, and sacrifice – began to act out on their “heresy”, the critics were quick to cry “Crucify.”

Then came an even greater evil – the power of media. Now it no longer mattered what the overarching themes and ideals and dreams of the majority of the world might be. As long as a few men with the power to put their ideas into print could do so with authority, no one could question that what they said was truth. We began to place democratic power into the hands of dictators – we claimed to have chosen our captors. The hands of time kept ticking, and with them the punishments of the “heretics.” The keepers of the epic were still alive and strong, but they began to be ostracized for their heroism. If we silence the desire to pursue, the disciples of the Epic will be lost in the dark.

It is this idea which you and I must pursue and understand within our love through Christ. The epic must be played out and retold, and each of us has a part to tell. It will cost us everything in this world – the best stories are not safe until the end – but the Reward is so very sweet.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. – Apostle Paul (Ephesians 6)

Just pause for a second, and think about the how blessed we are.  We are rich, we are healthy, we are educated, we are safe.  Yet in the past two weeks:

• Upwards of 150,000 people died in two catastrophic acts of nature.  This doesn’t even count the wounded or countless numbers who are dying of sickness and starvation due to the same events.
• 350,000-400,000 children died due to poverty.
• Over 575,000 children were orphaned due to AIDS.
• Over 1.6 MILLION abortions were performed worldwide!

The statistics are harrowing and nearly unbelievable when we look at them as a whole.  Yes, it is horribly sad when a cyclone wipes out an entire region, but the truth is death and disease and suffering are the norm, not the exception.  Once again, we are blessed.

How devastating this must be to the heart of God.  Sitting here in an air-conditioned room; my children asleep on comfortable beds, oblivious to the world around them; food enough for weeks in the kitchen; it is so difficult to fully grasp the magnitude of mere numbers.  But God knows every precious child by name, and His heart aches for the restoration of Creation.  We must keep the suffering of the world in front of us, lest we forget the pain and grow comfortable in our luxury.  It disappoints me that I do not see the faces of so many pained and lonely and in seeing them weep.  I must get out of America soon.

If anyone reads this and has testimony of seeing the world as it truly is, please feel free to comment and share.  We are edified by the suffering and joy of all who are in Christ, and my soul desires your stories.  Remember always, He is coming soon.

I can’t wait.

“Suppose that a great commotion arises in the street about something, let us say a lamp-post, which many influential persons desire to pull down. A grey-clad monk, who is the spirit of the Middle Ages, is approached upon the matter, and begins to say, in the arid manner of the Schoolmen, “Let us first of all consider, my brethren, the value of Light. If Light be in itself good—” At this point he is somewhat excusably knocked down. All the people make a rush for the lamp-post, the lamp-post is down in ten minutes, and they go about congratulating each other on their unmediaeval practicality. But as things go on they do not work out so easily. Some people have pulled the lamp-post down because they wanted the electric light; some because they wanted old iron; some because they wanted darkness, because their deeds were evil. Some thought it not enough of a lamp-post, some too much; some acted because they wanted to smash municipal machinery; some because they wanted to smash something. And there is war in the night, no man knowing whom he strikes. So, gradually and inevitably, today, tomorrow, or the next day, there comes back the conviction that the monk was right after all, and that all depends on what is the philosophy of Light. Only what we might have discussed under the gas-lamp, we now must discuss in the dark. – G.K. Chesterton

We are apt as men, because of the darkness within us, to observe the light that is all around – the glory of God revealed in Creation – and not understand it. The Christ-treasurer understands the light to be Truth and attempts to draw people into a pursuit of understanding the Truth. He only wants the blind to inquire about what they cannot see, not for them to attempt a blind description. However, as he opens his mouth to explain, the mass of humanity tramples and beats him in their insane scramble to snuff the Light out.

Once it is gone, the evil in their hearts is comforted in the same moment that they begin to feel the cold. In the darkness they stumble around, looking for and expecting a new brotherhood rejoicing in shared victory. But the opponent wasn’t common in their blind eyes. Every man, each to his own desires, used the power of the masses to achieve his selfish intentions more quickly. They have victoriously achieved only manipulation and tyranny. Like lonely fireflies flickering in the dead of the forest, memories flash of the Christian and his Treasure, nowhere to be found in the crushing darkness, and as the beasts and screams rise up the night, the tortured mind despairs, “My God, what have we done?” – M.B.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. – John 3:16-21