The Fruit of My Labor
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A Pledge of Abstinence
Trump has clinched the GOP nomination, and is, in all likelihood, going to be facing Clinton in the general election. Many conservatives and Christians are now faced with quite a moral dilemma. Facebook is full of reminders that “since Jesus isn’t a candidate we are always choosing the lesser of two evils”, that abstaining from voting is a vote for the Democrats, that not voting is equivalent to taking our bat and going home in an adolescent pout. Blah, blah, blah…
A few thoughts here, which I’ll hopefully be able to develop at length in the months to come, which should be rather fun for those of us who have a good sense of humor. As a disclaimer, there are still six months left until the general, and there have already been enough plot twists in this primary season for us to know that anything could happen (i.e. Hillary convicted, Trump getting bored with campaigning, Ron Paul running third party, Obama appointing Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court, etc.). This isn’t an insistence on NOT voting no matter what; but rather a reminder of how abstaining from voting is not a disease that needs curing. I plan to vote in November; but who I’ll vote for shall remain a mystery for now. So take all of this with that in mind! [Read more…] about A Pledge of Abstinence
ALL THINGS TO ME – One Year Anniversary
It’s been one year since I had the joy of releasing ten of my tunes on the “All Things to Me” album. The appreciation and gratitude I have for those who supported that project is immense, and your encouragement and cheerful reception of these songs has been beyond belief. I have a few new tunes up my sleeve, and am trying to put some time aside this summer to share those new tunes with you all. But for now…my thank you is to offer the digital download of my album for $5 for the month of May! What a deal right?! So, if you’ve put it off for the last year, now’s your chance to mend the error of your ways!
Glory in Christ
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Galatians 6:14
Paul here uses pronouncedly strong language to make it clear that the only thing worth glorying in is the 
cross of our Lord Jesus. He has spent the whole book arguing for justification by faith alone, and that our works of righteousness will not and can never justify us before a holy God. This is how Paul chooses to close this great epistle: glorying in the cross of Christ.
As good Christians, however, we are ever so tempted to boast in my accomplishments, attainments, talents, and goodness. We are quite prone to be able to effectively outline and exegete the Gospel, but fail to truly glory and believe that same Gospel. We “men of the book”, especially, must stay vigilant on the watchtower for the sniveling worm of pride, who is ever clever at breaching the walls of our heart and infecting even our best of labors with self-glorifying motives. [Read more…] about Glory in Christ
A Blood-Soaked Bird
This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall, And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house, And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot: To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.
Leviticus 14:54-57
Thus concludes the two chapters (Lev. 13-14) devoted to diagnosing and dealing with the plague of leprosy. 
Such chapters are easy to skip. Yet we do ourselves no favors by treating them as “lesser-than”; these chapters require us to do the hard spade work of mining what principle, truth, or instruction is to be found. So, let’s “spelunk” right into the deep caverns of the typological gem I think is being shown to us here.
The ancients would certainly have good reason to view the plague-spot as devastating, for it was an almost certain death sentence, and–while one waited to die–almost total isolation from community. We learn that the priest first diagnoses whether the person indeed has the dreaded blight. If the diagnosis is positive, Leviticus 13:46 pronounces the fearful sentence, “All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.” Think of the weight of that: total separation & isolation to the one found unclean; cut-off completely from fellowship with the covenant people of God. [Read more…] about A Blood-Soaked Bird
A Sketch of a Godly Wife
Today (04/05) is my wife’s birthday. There’s much I could say about how much I admire her, appreciate her, love her…and all I could say would be pathetically inadequate. However, here’s a poem I wrote for her, in tribute of her and many other godly wives and mothers. This probably isn’t that great…but it is my stab at describing how marvelously wonderful a godly woman is!
She rises early, stays up late,
awakes at midnight’s hour.
She labors with relentless love
for her man and children.
Her payment is not found in banks,
nor bonds, nor earthly store;
for all her work she yet receives
a lasting glory trove.
Her body bears the sacred proof,
that she’s a womb for life.
Sacrificial scars of bearing,
rearing, training children,
adorn her both inside and out,
with more lovely splendor
than all the gaudy, garish garb
of the worldlings’ goddess.
She wraps her arms around her home,
a hedge against the wilds.
Her babes are nuzzled, nursed, nurtured
while on her joyful breast,
they’re taught to hope in God alone
and count him as their Lord.
Both infant heads and youthful hearts
find boldness in her bos’m.
Her wearied eyes, from sleepless nights,
are bright with Heaven’s grace.
Her hands, careworn by countless chores,
give mercy, care, and love.
The house she daily tends with charm
declares her faithful toil:
shaping chaos into order,
clutter to a garden.
Her husband rises up to bless
his bride, indeed, his crown.
Her children count her as their queen,
bestowing regal gifts
of giggles, kisses, & respect,
her wisdom round their necks.
She is a splendor to behold,
akin to troops amassed.
Her seemingly unnoticed work,
shall soon up-end the world.
As she goes about her calling,
the Serpent’s head is crushed.
Beneath her heel of Christian faith,
the dragons meet their doom.
She’s born and bred a squad of saints,
who conquer in Christ’s name.
She’s planting trees, known as children,
to bear the fruit of faith.
Fash’ning arrows for his quiver,
her man makes war on hell.
The work she does is not lowly,
useless, or old-fashioned.
It shall endure for untold years;
those yet unborn shall hear.
In fact, the earth shall soon be full
of thousands from her womb;
who will declare, by covenant grace,
of promises made sure.
As one shall they arise to say
what godly offspring should:
“her faithful care has paved the way
for us to worship God.”
Spurgeon on God’s Preservation
Psalm 66:9 – Which holdeth our soul in life. At any time the preservation of life, and especially the soul’s 
life, is a great reason for gratitude but much more when we are called to undergo extreme trials, which of themselves would crush our being. Blessed be God, who, having put our souls into possession of life, has been pleased to preserve that heaven given life from the destroying power of the enemy. And suffereth not our feet to be moved. This is another and precious boon. If God has enabled us not only to keep our life, but our position, we are bound to give him double praise. Living and standing is the saint’s condition through divine grace. Immortal and immoveable are those whom God preserves. Satan is put to shame, for instead of being able to slay the saints, as he hoped, he is not even able to trip them up. God is able to make the weakest to stand fast, and he will do so.
Spurgeon’s full commentary on Psalm 66 can be found here.
Also, don’t miss my new eBook, The Gospel of the Psalms.
My New eBook!
So, I hope to take some of the fruit of my seminarian labors, and convert them into resources for folks. This latest eBook is the result of a course I recently took, wherein we looked at how the Apostles & New Testament writers utilized the Psalms to prove that Jesus was the Christ of God.
There are a few download options, for those of you who need device diversity!
The Gospel of the Psalms: ePUB
The Gospel of the Psalms: Kindle/MOBI
From the back cover:
The Apostles quote the Psalms profusely throughout the New Testament. They were persuaded that the Psalter proved that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah the Jews had long waited for. Their use of the Psalms are profoundly useful for us, as we study & interpret the Scriptures. The Psalms are full of glorious strains of expectant worship, as the Israelites waited for the promised Messiah. The Apostles saw in Christ the fulfillment & establishment of the reign of the Anointed King & His Kingdom. Their example teaches us how to see the Gospel of Christ, as it is proclaimed & revealed in the Psalms.
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