The Hymn of the Legalist

I just saw these lyrics posted on The Blazing Center.  It was written by Stephen Altrogee, with a little humor I assume...

Jesus Paid It Some

I hear the Savior say,
“You’re not doing enough;
Work your fingers to the bone,
I will save those who are tough.”

Jesus paid it some
I will do the rest
Sin had left a crimson stain
Now I will give my best

For now indeed I’ll try
To earn your love and grace
I’ll add the works I have
To complete the price you paid.

REFRAIN

And when before the throne
I’ll give my deeds to you,
I’ll hope I’ve done enough
To make you let me through.

REFRAIN (3x just to be sure)

If you are a true legalist, you just sang that.  There is no way you were merely reading it.

I am thinking about starting a support group for recovering legalists.  We will call ourselves LA (Legalists Anonymous).  We will meet at a different time each week, and you are never allowed to show up early.

Red States vs. Blue States

We might be leading to another civil war!  The Pop vs. Soda Controversy rages on!

The Power of Music

I Faled

I think this is what my students are talking about when they say, "epic failure."

A good year.

I survived my first year as a pastor!

My church surprised me with a cake and a card and a gift!  Since my birthday was so close, the decided to throw that into the mix as well.

I don't know how much my church has gotten out of me being there, but I have learned so much from my studies... but not just the studies.  That is normally what I would have said, but as I write this, I have learned more than just what I have studied.

I am learning things about these people that are here. I am learning about their joys and their sorrows.  I feel connected with them in their struggles of life.  I want to spend more time with them, getting to know them, but I am trapped in my own cycle of "trying to make it" (in other words: work).

I am truly thankful for this year.I am thankful for the lady who gives everyone in the church a hug.  I am thankful for the guy who greets everyone every week, and when he is sick, he makes sure there is someone who will be at that door.  I am thankful for the guy who has recently come back to church.  I am thankful for the new people who are coming, just because they heard there was a new preacher in town.  I am thankful for the older gentleman whose wife can't get out, but he is faithful to make it.  I am thankful for his encouragement each week as he makes a comment about something that he has learned from the Bible that goes right along with what I was talking about.  There are more, but I just wanted to say that I am thankful for this family.

Priority Inbox from Google!

I love it when Google rolls out new stuff!

I just got my Priority Inbox in gmail!  "What is it?" You say...  Here you go:

Sermons

Two comments about the messages at Edgewood.

First, we started, through the efforts of my sister, a CD ministry at the church.  There is an older gentleman who attends very faithfully, and has been a great encouragement to me, who requested some sermons to take home to his wife, who is no longer able to leave the house.  After discussing it for a couple of weeks, my sister finally took the initiative to get it started.  Now we are rolling!

We will make the sermons available individually or in a set.  Then the sermons will be available to borrow from the church or purchase for $1 a CD.

Second, I get excited about little things like this which leads me to want to promote it.  The only problem with promoting this is that is feels like self-promotion!  No matter how I say it, it just sounds like I am saying, "Hey buy some CDs of ME!  Cause I'm just that awesome!"  So, I don't want to say anything, because I don't want to come across like that... but at the same time I want to promote the things that I am talking about!

For example, this last week I started tackling James 2:14-26.  A passage of scripture that has either been misunderstood or ignored so many times.  It is so potent in what it says that Martin Luther, the Great Reformer, didn't include the Book of James in his Bible!  We can't do that!  We can't be picking and selecting the parts of the Bible that make us feel good!  No!  I believe that Martin Luther eventually put his Bible back together, but we don't want to spend anytime away from the fullness of the Word!

So, if you would like hear a bit of the first part of the passage of scripture that changed my life  when I first read it back in February 1992, then I invite you to take a few minutes to listen to these words.

Living Faith: Part 1 from James 2:14-17