Monday, June 30, 2008

37 Weeks

Anne is 37 weeks and holding (not for long) and our friend Julie is 38 weeks. That is a whole lot of baby belly!!!

Anne's Birthday Dinner



Meditate on the Cross

Asher's Day at the Zoo








Happy Birthday Anne!!!

Today we are going to celebrate Anne's birthday by going to the zoo and eating Lou Malnati's pizza (the best pizza on the planet).

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY ANNE - YOU ARE OFFICIALLY AN OLD LADY!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

My Blog is One Year Old This Month

Lets Celebrate by reposting my very first post!

Witnesses of the King

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8

Jesus, the friend of sinners - and so much more

Christ isn't just our friend. To call him supremely that is to damn him with faint praise. He is our friend, but he is so much more! By his death on the cross Christ has become the lamb that was slain for us, our redeemer, the one who has made peace between us and God, who has taken our guilt on himself, who has conquered our most deadly enemies and has assuaged the personal, just wrath of God."
~Mark Dever

Thought Bomb

"Any purported belief without change is nothing but a base counterfeit...To say you trust without living as though you do is not to trust in any biblical sense."
~ Mark Dever

"There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough - a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice - which costs nothing, and is worth nothing."
~J.C. Ryle

Are you transformed in your inner most being or are you just like the world with a little self-righteous morality sprinkled into your life?

Saturday, June 28, 2008

What Defines Your Life?

The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be grasped well enough...Moreover, our greatest task is to keep you faithful to this article and to bequeath this treasure to you when we die.
~Martin Luther

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Refuse To Be Average!!!

Live Blogging

With the wonders of technology I have discovered that I can blog from my iPhone. I have decided that I will liveblog the upcoming birth of my baby that will occur sometime between now and the end of July.

Stay tuned! It should be fun!!!

Asher's Adventures







Morning in the Erickson Household

This morning was a typical one in the Erickson household. I woke up at 4:45 and spent some time praying and reading the Holy Scriptures. Anne and Asher woke up about 7:00 and we had our family devotions together. We decided to go for a walk, so we loaded up Asher and Grover in the wagon and walked around the block. 

Then we had some breakfast. Anne had a bowl of cereal, Asher had a waffle and some fruit, while I took the leftover taco meat and beans from last nights dinner and made a quesadilla. Then I got ready and headed out for a day of gospel ministry in our community.

I love church planting. You never know what a day may bring. I am excited to see what the LORD will do today!

Soli Deo Gloria 

Monday, June 23, 2008

Encouragement, and a Cattle Prod!

I received this very encouraging e-mail from my fellow gospelizer Trevor this morning.

Hey guys, I just wanted remind every one to examine their hearts today. I was doing that this morning, and needed to scrap away layer upon layer of apathy. Thought may be some of you would be dealing with same. I want to encourage all of you to invite Godly people, who you respect to come along and help us grow this church! To help reach the lost, to help create a church where you don't need to be perfect, or be afraid to share your struggles with the pastor, or your bother and sisters in the church. The family of God needs to be realized, as there are times when our earthly families will let us down. But I would challenge all of you to go step outside your comfort zone today, and talk to that person or people you have been hesitant to. If you are just waiting for the right time, consider this your notice, Today is that day, and now is that time. Don't be afraid to share that love that saves you and I, with those who are searching. They may not realize that their actions are all pointing to the hole that is with in them, no matter how much of this world they throw in there, it will never be filled. We are the keepers of the well that never runs dry, that will fill the void in there lives.

Thanks for striving with me to plant a church that will be a light to those in darkness, that will be that well for those who thirst, that will be the safe haven when they are in need and will Point the way to Christ!

God bless!

Your Brother
Trevor

I would love to have a few more Trevor's on board!!!

A strange and sad observation

I am finding that I am enjoying me time spent with non-believers more than I am with 'believers' these days. Why is this? I am not sure completely, but one thing I have noticed is that many of the non-believers I am interacting with are real people. They generally do not put up a front and pretend to be something that they are not.

Many (not all) of the Christians I have interacted with recently talk like followers of Jesus Christ, but they do not walk like Jesus Christ. This deeply saddens me. In fact, it grieves me to the core because these are the people that many of the non-believers talk about when I ask them about church and faith in Jesus Christ.

A big question is this. If that is what Christians live like, why should I become one?

Sometimes this is a cop out people throw up so that they do not have to face their sin, but it is also a legitimate question.

Really sad if you ask me. If you are a Christian and you are reading this BE REAL WITH YOUR FAITH OR QUIT PLAYING THE GAME!!!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Hallelujah

Grandpa and Nana Came to Visit!

Asher's Grandpa and Nana came to visit for a few days. Grandpa was in a generous mood and got Asher a new wagon. We put it together and went for a walk around the block. He loves is wagon. Though he can not decide which is more fun, riding in it or pulling it around.

Grandpa also got daddy a fishing boat so he can take Asher fishing. We are very excited to go fishing!!!

Thanks Grandpa and Nana! We love you!!! Come back and see us soon. We miss you!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Happy Flag Day


Today is one of the greatest holidays ever.

FLAG DAY is a time to rejoice and celebrate!

I will be spending this wonderful FLAG DAY with my family at home. We are going to grill up some 1 lb. T-Bones and play in the yard...

Please share your favorite FLAG DAY memories with me in the comments section!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

I Remember...

I remember June 12, 1998

  • I remember the man I was before that day.
  • I remember the pain, the sorrow, the hate, the despair, the hopelessness.
  • I remember that man - a slave to sin, in bondage reveling in debauchery.
  • I remember wanting it to end, but being powerless.
  • I remember longing for something to hope in, something to free me.
  • I remember that day - June 12, 1998
  • I remember that I was on my own road to Damascus: a path of sin, death and destruction.
  • I remember the light that overcame me.
  • I remember the deep conviction of my sin that crushed me.
  • I remember the sobbing and the weeping at the realization of what my sin produced.
  • I remember the understanding of the wrath of God rightly resting upon me.
  • I remember the fear and terror of that realization.
  • I remember the joy and relief at the revelation of your grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • I remember understanding that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sin.
  • I remember the tears of sorrow in godly grief that lead to repentance.
  • I remember feeling the Holy Spirit come into me.
  • I remember the new eyes with which I began to see the world.
  • I remember the overwhelming compulsion to share the gospel with anyone who would listen to me urge them to repent and believe.
  • I remember the path that You set before me. A path filled with trials and tribulations; a path that brought suffering and opposition; A path of glory fueled by the Holy Spirit and driven by the Gospel.
  • I remember and I am encouraged to press on in the calling that I have received.
In remembering
  • I will seek You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength Father.
  • I will walk this path You have set before me with passion and zeal for Your glory.
  • I will give my last breath in service to the Kingdom of God.
  • I will give my life as a slave of Christ Jesus.
  • I will meditate on the gospel of grace daily.
Hallelujah I am free in Jesus Christ

I Remember You - Third Day



Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Love?

I just finished reading the first chapter of Mark Dever's book The Gospel & Personal Evangelism. I like what this book is doing to me, but it is a bit painful. The first chapter is titled Why We Don't Evangelize? 

Dever has a section in this chapter in which he challenges the reader to Plan To Stop Not Evangelizing and he give twelve steps to implement that plan: pray, plan, accept, understand, be faithful, risk, prepare, look, love, fear, stop and consider. 

The following is from the section on love:
We are called to love others. We share the gospel because we love people. And we don't share the gospel because we don't love people. Instead, we wrongly fear them. We don't want to cause awkwardness. We want their respect, and after all, we figure, if we try to share the gospel with them, we'll look foolish! and so we are quiet. We protect our pride at the cost of their souls. In the name of not wanting to look weird, we are content to be complicit in their being lost... 

...As Jesus said, 'Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks'. How much evangelism do we find flowing our of our mouths? What does that suggest about our love for God?

These are some difficult words to hear and many will not ask themselves the hard question. Rather, they justify their inaction and lack of evangelism. 

The greatest act of love you can ever show a person is to share the life transforming message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with people.

Let us stop excusing ourselves and start loving the LORD we claim to serve. I must go now and repent and then seek to share Christ with someone in this coffee shop.

A Good Book

Engaging with the Holy Spirit by Graham Cole

I was really eager to read this book for two reasons. First, because there is a great need for clear teaching on the Holy Spirit in our day. Second, because I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Cole while I attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

The book seeks to answer six questions regarding the Holy Spirit:
  1. What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
  2. How may we resist the Holy Spirit?
  3. Ought we to pray to the Holy Spirit?
  4. How do we quench the Holy Spirit?
  5. How do we grieve the Holy Spirit?
  6. How does the Holy Spirit fill us?
Along with good straightforward teaching on the Holy Spirit, Dr. Cole also gives us a lesson in theological method. I found this book to be greatly helpful in my own understanding and a great benefit as I teach others on how to live a Spirit-filled life.

I highly recommend it!

A Quote to Make You Think

Theology and doctrine make life simpler. They protect us from reading verses out of context, restricting our diet to our favorite passages, and making decisions based on impulse rather than truth. They put meat on concepts we tend to use mindlessly like, glory, gospel, salvation, and love. They help us understand what we're actually doing every Sunday. What complicates life is not doctrine but ignorance of doctrine.
-taken from Worship Matters, p. 31.

Thunder?


Over the past few days we have been hearing some strange thunder. It has been raining off and on for the past few days so we figured that it was part of the weather. Today we discovered what the thunder really is. 

We live about five miles away from Fort Ripley and they are having drills this week. the 'thunder' we have been hearing is man made. They are blowing stuff up down there and we can feel it. When they explode their bombs our house shakes. Its pretty cool!


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I have enrolled



A Big Day in the Life of a Father and His Son

Asher and Daddy went fishing today. Asher caught his very first fish with his brand new fishing pole. It was a good day. Daddy and Asher had some good father/son time and we caught about 20 fish. Of course we had to have a treat because that is our tradition!

Resting on God

O GOD MOST HIGH, MOST GLORIOUS,

The thought of your infinite serenity cheers me,
For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
but you are for ever at perfect peace.
Your designs cause you no fear or care of unfulfillment,
they stand fast as the eternal hills.
Your power knows no bond,
your goodness no stint.
You bring order out of confusion,
and my defeats are your victories:
The Lord God omnipotent reigns.
I come to you as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
to leave every concern entirely to you,
every sin calling for Christ's precious blood;
Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the Great Shepherd,
hear his voice,
know its tones,
follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
that I may bear its reproach,
vindicate it,
see Jesus as its essence,
know in it the power of the Spirit.
Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
unbelief mars my confidence,
sin makes me forget you.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to you,
that all else is trifling.
Your presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

33 Weeks...


and still pregnant. Yippee!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

A rerun but worth seeing again

Good Friends

I had lunch today with my friend and fellow church planter Mark Bjorlo of the Journey North. While we were hanging out and eating some hot wings we ran into another friend, Sam Anderson who is the Director of the new Teen Challenge here in Brainerd.

It was very encouraging because the three of us are a part of three different organizations, the Baptist General Conference, Teen Challenge and the Christian and Missionary Alliance; but we are all seeking to partner together to flood our community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am energized and fired up whenever I am around like mined gospel-driven people who live for the Kingdom of God. As I have mentioned before Mark and the Journey North are partnering together to help us plant Pointway Church. We were discussing ways to continue to do just that over lunch today. I have met with Sam and we have some crazy, God-inspired dreams to see the gospel radically transform people and our community.

These relationships are important because the bear witness to the fact that the Kingdom of God is bigger than and denomination or organization. I pray that the LORD would continue to use us to display his glory and that we would connect with other churches would are willing to set aside denominationalism in and effort to transform our community with the gospel of the Kingdom.

Soli Deo Gloria