It occurred to be today that the “foot in the door” that Satan uses is not “unbelief”, it is the seed of doubt.

I was watching “History” today, a program about the battles of the Old Testament and how secular scholars read “history” into them.

Moses, instead of an instrument of the Most High, became an astute military commander who used his intimate knowledge of the terrain to his advantage.

Joshua, rather than following the command of God, became a blood thirsty and ruthless murderer.

The language was sprinkled with “supposedly” and “assuming there is a god…”

It is here, in the Old Testament, that the seeds of the undermining of God’s Word begins.  When we sow the seeds of doubt in our minds in one arena, it becomes much easier to reap those seeds in another.

Do I think it is possible (or even likely) that Moses was an astute military leader?  Sure…but I believe that the skill was used of God for God’s purpose.

Do I think that Rahab might have had her own best interests in mind when she hung the scarlet cord out of her window?  Of course…but it was all part of the plan of God.

We live in a lost and dying world, full of sin and strife.  But my God is in control.

Proverbs 21:1 – The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

It seems so reasonable to listen to the world’s “logic”, to believe that our “modern” era has answers that God’s people didn’t.

But we don’t.  We may have science and we may fall for “political correctness”.  But our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts.

It is important (for me) to remember that what I think seems so reasonable may be contrary to the will of the Most High.

A Michigan blog I’ve just discovered:  Torch Lake Views.

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From Dark Roasted Blend (one of my favorite photo blogs)

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Gay activists are angry at Barack Obama;

Pro-lifers are angry at Rick Warren…

heh.

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The Dugger family welcomes child #18.  (profanity alert:  the link goes to the Huffington Post and evidently the only time “pro-choice” applies is when a family is “choosing” a small family…or better yet, abortion.)

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A “New Years Resolution” of a different sort?  Lignon Duncan will be reading and blogging through “Calvin’s Institutes” in 2009

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This verse is at the top of my “to do” list on my iPod this week (I have 2 “to do” lists – one for Bible reading, the other for “stuff”)

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A friend of mine called me on Saturday and told me that her husband’s mom had passed away earlier in the week.  She had been sick for a long time; sick and in pain.

For Christians, funerals are a much different event than the funderals of the lost…

At the right hand of our Heavenly Father, there are pleasures forevermore…in His presence we find fullness of joy.

For the lost, this life is as good as it’s going to get.  For the elect, this life is as bad as it is going to get.

Leaving this life is not a tragedy for the one “going home”.  We miss them, yes.  But for them…it’s their invitation to the wedding feast.

He got the driveway shoveled and ran out for the really important stuff (Starbucks and sugar cookies).  He was almost home and (this is the frustrating part) followed the snowplow in…so my car is parked on the street because there is currently a 2 foot tall pile of ice chunks blocking the driveway…

Canceled:school, chiropractor, most likely Amanda’s birthday dinner (happy 20th).

The bell choir gave its first performance today…the biggest mistakes coming from its director (me).  I “lost” one of the members, a young woman in a wheel chair, and gave a wrong cue. But all in all, a very nice performance.

This is a very good project and there are young people in this group that have never been “able” to participate in the music programs because of ability levels and I’ve got them.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me save that thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word
I ever with thee, thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I thy true Son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be thou my battleshield, sword for the fight
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight
Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower
Raise thou me heavenward, O power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and thou only, first in my heart
High King of heavem, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, after victory won
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

My favorite campsite (lately).  From South Manitou Island backpacking trip.

the view of the beach…

the view from my tent…

December-ish photo taken at work

Law as our tutor

Showing our sin, shame, exile

Gospel, Good News, Hope

(an attempt at haiku)

For those who voted for Barack Obama because his expanded abortion policies would reduce abortion… (HELLO?  what happens when you make a service cheaper and more available????)

It seems that the “office of the president elect” has a page where you can write questions and people can vote on them.

Justin Taylor submitted a question:  “Would you consider rescinding your promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, given your desire to reduce abortions and to seek common ground, and in light of the fact that it would invalidate every measure and law intended to reduce abortions?”

notice: it was removed from the vote because “people think it is inappropriate”.

Myself, before I asked a question, I’d consider “Joe the Plumber”

My daily reading included 1 Chronicles 4 today.  I am reminded of the power of the draw of “stuff”…and the Advent Conspiracy

Sometimes it is amazing what human beings can wrench out of 2 (two) verses.

Take Jabez.

Jabez (the place) is mentioned one time.

Jabez (ther man) is mentioned one time, in two verses:

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

Out of these two verses comes a theology of selfishness.

• The Prayer of Jabez
• Beyond Jabez
• The Prayer of Jabez, 5th Anniversary Edition
• The Prayer of Jabez Bible Study
• The Prayer of Jabez:  Music
• The Prayer of Jabez:  Video
• The Prayer of Jabez:  Poster
• The Prayer of Jabez:  Bible Pendant (14k gold)
• The Prayer of Jabez for Women
• The Prayer of Jabez for Women:  Video series
• The Prayer of Jabez for Women:  Video series workbook
• The Prayer of Jabez for Teens
• The Prayer of Jabez: Devotional

There are two things that we know about Jabez.  He was honorable…and he wanted something.

How much do we want?

How much of what we want is “stuff”?

How different than Paul?

…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death… (Phil 3:10)

Instead of praying for our own advantage, why not

That is the question…

There was a real St. Nicholas, so it’s not like we’re making anything up.  The challenge is to keep the day that we celebrate the birth of Christ – Christ centered.

Which is pretty hard to start with, when the day seems to be surrounding presents (stuff) and presence (people).

I would ask…what does the presence of Santa Clause add to the holiday?

Well…Santa could add the expectation of gifts (for me).  Materialism.

Or he could add the concept of giving without getting.  It is Santa who exists for giving with no expectation of getting gifts in return.

He could also introduce the concept of anonymous giving.   As “santa”, we can slip a gift under the “giving tree” or slip a $20 into the Salvation Army bucket.

Giving without “your left hand knowing what your right hand is doing”.

There is a different feeling in giving without others knowing.  Giving in secret makes it all about the recipient, without an expectation of a “payoff” (either physical or emotional).

Our church is participating in the “Advent Conspiracy”…No, it’s not about Santa, and it’s not about being anonymous.  It is about giving to those in need with no expectation of return.

Consider being about “giving with no expectation” this year…

It seems that used coffee grounds are about 15% oil (a little less than the usual feedstock used for biodiesel) and that they make a very suitable material for creating usable fuel…

VERY suitable.

Consider:

- This is already a “recycled” product, so no food product would need to be diverted from feeding people, thus driving the price of the product higher for people who may already be in the midst of a cash or food crisis.

- Coffee (and coffee grounds) are high in anti-oxidants, which would delay rancification – thus making a more stable biodiesel than many other feedstocks.

- The “leftovers” – the grounds left over after the oil has been extracted – is dry and still high in nitrogen, making great compost for fertilizer (note:  I feed my plants leftover coffee and the ones that get that treatment do great.)

- These leftovers can also be made into pellets for heating stoves (like the ones that use corn pellets), taking some of the heating load off of petroleum heating fuel.

In my opinion, these things should make the biodiesel industry sit up and take a look at the trash coming out of coffee shops.  How much of this “stuff” is available and would it be worth it?

Just Starbucks generates about ”210 million pounds of spent coffee grounds per year in the US, the researchers calculate that it could amount to 2.92 million gallons of biodiesel and 89,000 tons of fuel pellets…”

Just Starbucks!  and then there’s McDonald’s…and all the other coffee shops and breakfast shops….

The story is here…

The cost per gallon is high…but so is the $8 million profit.  If this venture were taken on as a low-profit venture, the cost would come down and the profit could still be quite high.

This has been a major project…and a “joy”

• math – counting beads and reading graphs
• following directions and listening
• fine motor skills

Three of the desigans were designed by our staff – I made the candy cane and “joy”, our lead teacher designed the Christimas tree. The Santa and snowman came off the internet.

For some of our students, this was a very hard project. We started off by giving them graph paper and making them color in their own graphs (the tree and the candy cane). Some never did get it.

In this photo (face cropped out for privacy), you can see that we made the graph large enough so the student can put a bead in every square and then string them in order…no counting!

I’m putting the finished project together; in hindsight I wish I’d had string with no strectch.

Anyway…here are photos

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I’m a little behind…

The Scripture:

• Psalm 80:3
• Isa 1:27-28
• Psa. 80:19
• Psa 51:15
• Psa 70:1

Restore us, O God;

let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Zion shall be redeemed by justice,

and those in her who repent, by righteousness.

But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,

and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!

O LORD, make haste to help me!

Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!

Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Once, a long time ago, I sat in the balcony of a church during the Christmas season.  I was volunteering at my church’s daycare and took a “timeout” for lunch and the quietest place was that balcony in the sanctuary.

I looked quietly at the giant wreath (horse-shoe) that nearly filled the front platform.  Yet what drew my attention was beyond that seasonal symbol.  It was the other symbol, the reason for His coming in the first place.

The stained glass cross, the sun shining through, was sending a kalidioscope of colors over the white ribbons on the wreath.

That has stayed with me for years…if we forget the “end game” – the cross – then Santa might as well be the reason for the season.

If the birth is not covered with blood, His blood, there is no reason to celebrate.