Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

I will trust in the cross of my Redeemer I will sing of the blood that never fails. - Beautiful Savior , Stuart Townend Last night and this morning I was impressed with how ineffective I can be at times. My best efforts fall so short at times and do not achieve the results that I intend them to. Thanks be to God for His grace and, at times, the kick in the pants that I need as I reflect on my impotence and strive in His strength to overcome it. Breathing in and out again I rest in the blood that never fails. It will always save; always sanctify; always glorify. Beyond poetry and mere words it flows and provides the foundation for the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit Himself. Powered by ScribeFire .

I guess I wish the Scriptures were something more than what they actually are. I know that in them is exactly what we need to do to please God, grow in Christ-likeness, live in peace with God and others, but it is so maddeningly inexact at times it makes me want to pull my hair out. It seems to me that the requirements of the Law, in all their complexity and impossibility to attain or justify, were very detailed and very knowable. I mean the Festivals and their celebration, the sacrifices, the amount that must be tithed and contributed to the Lord is all there and there seems to be very little but black and white in the whole thing. Now, there are the amorphous and often nebulous requirements of things like love, generosity, grace...all of them clearly articulated in the mind of God Himself but nowhere do I find checklists of what the generous or loving thing is in every situation I find myself in. It surely isn't loving to let my sons do whatever pleases them but when do I interve

"God can't work this way." You may be right, but tell me why you think this way. Please. I need to know why you are so sure. Powered by ScribeFire .

It just feels like I am tumbling headlong into autumn with only "Jackie Stupid's" plastic brakes to, in vain, at least slow it down some. The oldest just completed his sixth session of Happy 5 Soccer Camp and he only has two more sessions before it breaks for another year. When we started the process it seemed like such a long time and such a monumental effort for him - eight weeks, two and a half hours a session, three games, drills, devotions...but he has done so well and is improving every time he steps out on the field. It is great to watch and, most importantly, he likes going. It is not a chore to get him up and around to go to soccer camp even when we need to wake him up at 7:45 am on a Saturday. We have yet to see if this is something that he will commit to long term, but I am proud of him and the effort that he has put into this. Powered by ScribeFire .

The past couple of weeks have been rough for me. I like my routine and I have definitely been out of it especially in the area of my exercise. My son started school on September 6 and, up until yesterday, I had not been out jogging since then which turned out to be a full, two-week spread of time. Well, I thought I should get back into my routine yesterday and went out for a run. I just about bought the farm . It was a rough ride for sure and I began to wonder how far the two-week break set me back. Undeterred by that near-death experience I went out again this morning and things were much better. I did come across the lady who I had crossed paths with before who has two killer shih tzus. The last time I came near her I thought they were going to break their leashes they came after me so hard. I hadn't seen her in a while and I was wondering if she moved. Now I have my answer. One of these days I will write about "beer lawn guy" or "walking cigar guy". The color

I had the chance to listen to a very good sermon on Sunday concerning relevancy in our ministries. I am not sold on the application of the particular passage (Acts 15) to the topic, but I could not argue with the rest of the content. One verse was called out for special attention: "Therefore it is my judgment that we should not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles." (15:19) The context of this verse is the placement of undue burden on the Gentile believers to be circumcised and instruction to keep the law of Moses in order to attain salvation. Is this applicable to making the Word accessible to people in different cultures and different generations? I think it may be a bit of a stretch, but I can see a principle operating here. I used to gather with a church that had a meeting place that was at least 40 minutes from my house. It is a great body of believers, but it made it impossible for us to invite people and have any reasonable expectation of them a

I knew I had seen him somewhere before...and then it dawned on me. Jean Pierre is, in both looks and temperament, a mix between Keith Richards (of Rolling Stones fame) and Mr. Betz. Powered by ScribeFire .

I guess just like everything else that is worth doing blogging is work. It is so easy to just let things slip a little, then a little more, then a little more...until I am out of the habit and not doing what I found so much value in doing previous to my cessation of the activity. This week we are beginning our second year of the Champions Club at North Baptist and I am a little more excited than usual about it. I will be doing some different things this year (ever the tinkerer) but still have some planks to put in place before I can call myself truly ready (like what I am going to talk about this coming night). The pressure is good for me though as I find myself at my best when I am working under a definite deadline - not a manufactured one, but one with real consequences if I miss it. Maybe that is why I am so prone to wander from the Lord. I have no firm answer for the question of the promise of His coming. If I did I am sure I would be much more focussed. But that seems to be the po

Just in case anyone was wondering.... I will be inconsistent in the blogging for a while - massive amount of responsibility this week and next. Hopefully I'll be back to regular blogging soon. FYI - my work blogging has hit the wall too so it's just not here. Powered by ScribeFire .

Well I was away from work for 4 days and let me tell you - they were packed. On Friday we went to the Strong Museum with the boys (one of their favorite places to go) and then I almost got the entire deck completed. We then wen over to my folks house, had pizza and the like, and planned their anniversary party. Saturday was soccer camp with the oldest and then the oldest and I headed off to my in-laws to cut up some wood for their wood-burning fireplace which is their primary source of heat. Sunday we gathered with the church in the morning and I gave a short presentation on the Shepherding a Child's Heart Sunday School class I have been a part of and then taught Junior Church during the second service. Then I got the entire deck done with one coat of stain and started the second coat on the outside-facing areas. Then Sunday night was "Church at the Beach" where 9 people were baptized. We also got to hold a good conversation with our boys about baptism and why people get

Well I was away from work for 4 days and let me tell you - they were packed. On Friday we went to the Strong Museum with the boys (one of their favorite places to go) and then I almost got the entire deck completed. We then wen over to my folks house, had pizza and the like, and planned their anniversary party. Saturday was soccer camp with the oldest and then the oldest and I headed off to my in-laws to cut up some wood for their wood-burning fireplace which is their primary source of heat. Sunday we gathered with the church in the morning and I gave a short presentation on the Shepherding a Child's Heart Sunday School class I have been a part of and then taught Junior Church during the second service. Then I got the entire deck done with one coat of stain and started the second coat on the outside-facing areas. Then Sunday night was "Church at the Beach" where 9 people were baptized. We also got to hold a good conversation with our boys about baptism and why people get

Well I was away from work for 4 days and let me tell you - they were packed. On Friday we went to the Strong Museum with the boys (one of their favorite places to go) and then I almost got the entire deck completed. We then wen over to my folks house, had pizza and the like, and planned their anniversary party. Saturday was soccer camp with the oldest and then the oldest and I headed off to my in-laws to cut up some wood for their wood-burning fireplace which is their primary source of heat. Sunday we gathered with the church in the morning and I gave a short presentation on the Shepherding a Child's Heart Sunday School class I have been a part of and then taught Junior Church during the second service. Then I got the entire deck done with one coat of stain and started the second coat on the outside-facing areas. Then Sunday night was "Church at the Beach" where 9 people were baptized. We also got to hold a good conversation with our boys about baptism and why people get