The Razor Light

"the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." ~ Is. 9:2

I have seen the great light! I saw it and it pierced me like a razor. I broke through my heart of stone and delved into the deep. It carved out the disease within. It sucked out the poison and washed me clean.

I have been set free. Sin and death no longer have power over me. Today I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, and I am very strong in Him!

Worship the LORD Jesus Christ in the spender of holiness and ascribe to Him the glory due His name. Heaven and earth are full of his glory!

Holy is the LORD God Almighty who was, and is and is to come.

Untangle

UNTANGLE this if you can!!!

Update: I made it to level 12

I am thankful for Satan.

What!? Did I really just say that I am thankful for Satan? Yes!!! The reason is this: he drove me to my Father this morning.

I have been having a difficult time sleeping lately. There are probably a number of reasons for this, but one is that the Devil has been tormenting me in my sleep. Early this morning I was awoken by a vile and wicked dream that was so disturbing I can not even tell anyone about it.

I know where this dream came from. I am not unaware of the schemes of the Devil (2 Cor. 2:11). I was deeply troubled by this dream and, praise be to God, I was compelled to get out of bed and seek my God.

Why am I thankful for the Devil? Because he was the catylist that got me out of bed 45 minutes early. This allowed me to spend an extra 45 minutes in prayer and in the word seeking the grace of my Father.

What a loser the Devil is now and forever. Does he not know that my Father will guard me and lead me in the everlasting way? Does he not know that the love of Jesus Christ is upon me in glorious and magnificent ways?

Whether he knows it or not my God used him like a dishrag to bring glory to his holy name.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
~Ephesians 6:11-13

A PSALM OF DAVID.
Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
~Psalm 29:1-11

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
~John 10:27

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Things that make a Dad proud

Last night I was doing some teaching with a group of about 25 people. As I was reading the Scripture Asher was very enthused. At various points of my reading of 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 he would begin clapping very joyfully.

It is fun to see my little boy responding to the public reading of Scripture in a positive way like this. My constant prayer is that he would grow up to be a man of prayer and a man of the word of the Living God. It brings me great joy to see those things already developing within him at the ripe old age of 19 months.

Another Morning in Brainerd

Today I woke up to -23 degrees with a wind chill of -50. I am definitely ready for some warmer weather. Something in the +20's would be really nice right about now.

Church Planting - Living the Dream Baby!!!

"Church Planting will make you feel alive, and it can push you to the brink of insanity. It will give you a new sense of God's presence and convince you that Satan is alive and well. You will celebrate the birth of a new church with unearthly joy, and experience betrayal from friends and family in ways you never thought possible. As a church planter, you will experience high highs and low lows. It's dangerous and dramatic. As they say on television - kids, don't try this at home."
~Stephen Gray

It is as the man says it is. Buckle up - were living the dream baby!!!

Asher with Grandpa and Nana

Grandpa and Nana came up for a quick visit a few days back. Asher loved seeing them and Grandpa brought him a new table and chairs of his very own. Asher loves to sit at his table and read, color, and have all sorts of fun.

Asher says, "Thanks for coming to see me. I love you! Come up again soon."

Watch StAn (and Anne's Belly) Grow!

18 Weeks

Absolute Perfection

“Whoever is not satisfied with Christ alone, strives after something beyond absolute perfection.”
~ John Calvin, Commentary on John

Meet Mark Bjorlo

This is my friend Mark. He is the Lead Pastor of The Journey North here in Brainerd, MN. There are a number of reasons why I really like Mark. One reason is that he can grow a super bad goatee. Another reason is that we share a passion to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through Church Planting.

Something amazing is taking place with The Journey North and Pointway Church. This Sunday I will be 'co-preaching' with Mark and will share the vision to plant Pointway Church. I will also be inviting people to seek the LORD and ask if He would be calling them to join us in our mission.

A phrase Mark regularly uses is that sometimes God redeploys his troops. This is not just a nice catch phrase for Mark. He believes it and he lives it! This partnership is amazing because Mark is releasing people and money from TJN to go towards our mission.

On one hand this seems like not big deal in light of the teaching of the New Testament concerning the Kingdom of God. On the other hand it is a big deal for at least two reasons.

1. The sad truth is that many pastors feel like other pastors in their community are competitors rather than team mates. Mark and I do not see each other as competitors. We are fellow soliders in the Kingdom of God.
   
2. The Journey North is a part of the Baptist General Conference and Pointway Church is a part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. It is rare to see this kind of partnership between denominations, though it should be a more common occurrence. My hope is that our partnership extends beyond the planting of Pointway Church to joining together to saturate our community with the gospel and planting many churches together (both BGC & CMA).

It is my prayer that God would be glorified through our partnership and that hundreds of people would come to know the grace of God in Jesus Christ through our efforts. Pray for Mark that God would continue to give him wisdom and discernment as he leads The Journey North. Join me in thanking God for his friendship and his commitment to building the Kingdom of God through Church Planting.

Soli Deo Gloria - to God alone be the Glory

Global Warming

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering -since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
~2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

Win Free Stuff from Tim Challies

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Happy Birthday David

Today is the Birthday of Biblical Scholar and good friend David Graves. Happy Birthday David! May the grace of God be abundant in your life and may His hand alway be upon you. I treasure your friendship and I am encouraged by your faith. Thank you!

Drag The Dot

This is very challenging and very fun. I made it to level 6 before my eyes bugged out.