Sunday, February 28, 2010

Just a Few Quotes from J-Ed

These are merely a few of my favorite quotes from Jonathan Edwards' dissertation "The End For Which God Created The World" found in the second half of John Pipers book "God's Passion for His Glory." If you are reading this post, you should go get the book and atleast read the dissertation. It is hard to read, but push through it! Trust me...

"It is reasonable to suppose that God had respect for himself, as his last and highest end, in this work; because he is worthy in himself to be so, being infinitely the greatest and best of beings. All things else, with regard to worthiness, importance, and excellence, are perfectly as nothing in comparison of him....And therefore it must cheifly consist in giving due respect to that Being to whom most is due; for God is infinitely the worthy of regard. The worthiness of others is as nothing to his..."

"A sufficiency for any work is no further valuable than the work itself is valuable...The end of wisdom is design; the end of power is action; the end of goodness is doing good. To suppose these perfections not to be exerted would be to represent them as insignificant. Of what use would God's wisdom be, if it had nothing to design or direct? To what purpose his almightiness, if it never brought any thing to pass? And of what avail his goodness, if it never did any good?"

"The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted."

"This delight which God has in his creature's happiness cannot properly be said to be what God receives from the creature. For it is only the effect of his own work in and communications to the creature, in making it and admitting it to a participation of his fullness, as the sun receives nothing from the jewel that receives its light and shines only by a participation of its brightness."

"God's esteeming himself supremely is not contrary to his esteeming human happiness, since he is that happiness. In created beings, a regard to self-interest may properly be set in opposition to the public warfare, because the private interest of one person may be inconsistent with the public good; at least it may be so in the apprehension [i.e., perception] of that person. That which this person looks upon as his interest, may interfere with or oppose the general good. Hence his private interest may be regarded and pursued in opposition to the public. But this cannot be with respect to the Supreme Being, the author and head of the whole system, on whom all absolutely depend, who is the fountain of being and good to the whole. It is more absurd to suppose that his interest should be opposite the interest of the universal system, than that the welfare of the head, heart, and vitals of the natural body, should be opposite to the welfare of the body. And it is impossible that God, who is omniscient, should apprehend his interest as being inconsistent with the good and interest of the whole."

"And in communicating his fullness for them, he does it for himself, because their good, which he seeks, is so much in union and communion with himself. God is their good. Thier excellency and happiness is nothing but the emination and expression of God's glory."

"A main difference between the intelligent and moral parts, and the rest of the world, lies in this, that the former are capable of knowing their Creator and the for which he made them, and capapble of actively complying with his design in their creation, and promoting it, while other creatures cannot promote the design of their creation, except passively and eventually."

"Here it cannot be pretended that though Christians are indeed required to make God's glory their end; yet it is but as a subordinate end, as subservient to their own happiness; for then, in acting chiefly and ultimately for their own selves, they would use themselves more as their own than as God's; which is directly contrary to the design of the apostle's exhortation and the argument he is upon; which is, that we should give ourselves as it were away from ourselves to God, and use ourselves as his, and not our own, acting for his sake, and not our own sakes."

"When the church says, 'Not unto us, not unto us, O Jehovah, but to thy name give glory' [Ps. 115:1], it would be absurd to say that she only desires that God may have glory, as a necessary or convenient means of her own advancement and felicity."

Love excites God to create.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Chapel Sermon

Please take the time to watch this life shattering sermon. I know I needed to hear it. You can see it here.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Photo Op: Blake, Alicia & Josiah (in the Baby Bump)

Here are a few pictures of a quick photo shoot of the Whites. This was my first opportunity to take maternity pictures. I have nice friends that let me experiment on them. Let me know what you think, and if you are one of my friends that have your own photography business...I need tips! (eh-hem- Matchless Photography and Rachel Russo Photography)...

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Memory Verses

If anyone is interested in joining me...I have to memorize 4o Scripture Passages by March 26th for my Personal Evangelism Class. Here they are if you want a challenge as a motivator. OR...If anyone wants to put them to music for me to help me memorize that would be sweet! haha. Hope you all have a great week!

40 KEY VERSES FOR EVANGELISM

GOD
Psalms 19:1
Revelation 4:11
Matthew 22:37-38
Leviticus 19:2

REBELLION
Isaiah 59:2
Isaiah 53:6
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Hebrews 9:27
Matthew 10:28

ATONEMENT
John 3:16
Luke 19:10
Romans 5:8
1 Peter 2:24
Isaiah 53:5
1 Peter 3:18
2 Corinthians 5:21
John 3:36

CONVERSION
John 3:3
John 1:12
Acts 16:31
Romans 10:9
Romans 10:13
Matthew 11:28
John 14:6
Acts 4:12
Luke 13:3
Isaiah 55:7
1 John 1:9
Isaiah 1:18
2 Corinthians 6:2
Revelation 3:20
Ephesians 2:8-9

ETERNAL LIFE
John 10:10
John 6:37
1 John 5:12-13
Romans 8:16
John 5:24
2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Timothy 1:12

Friday, January 15, 2010

A New Year and a New Me...(well parts of me atleast)

(The picture is from my visit home with cousins on New Years Day...we are kind of goof-balls! But we sure love eachother)
So far 2010 is turning out to be an adventure and an expense. For my Christmas present, my folks paid for an eye exam since I had not been to the eye doctor in about 5 years. I had no idea that my eyes had changed and I am now seeing a new world through new glasses (an expense but a good investment).

The day after my optical investment was purchased, I was eating some homemade tortilla soup (yummy by the way) and as I ate a tortilla chip a tooth in the upper back part of my mouth broke. So...maintenance issue #2 = a trip to the dentist. I hadn't been in 6 years since I have not had dental insurance. I found a great dentist in Louisville though named Mitch Luckett! He was all the kings horses and all the kings men that put me back together again. Another good investment and my other teeth look fine!

So, here I am, at the beginning of the semester trusting that the Lord provides and thankful for the great care that is available for me when these issues come up. This is obviously a year of maintenance for me thus far. Haha.

My fourth semester at Southern starts on January 25th with a full load of classes awaiting me. So far I have made A's and B's in previous classes. This semester I will be taking New Testament, Personal Evangelism and Theological/Biblical Foundations for Biblical Counseling. The rubber met the road a week ago as I was able to apply some of the things I have learned in my counseling classes through a counseling appointment with a gal in crisis. I count it all grace for the opportunity to study here at Southern and the opportunity to counsel His people.

Please pray for me this semester as I learn to love the Lord more and more, continue to minister in my church, work diligently through the final stages of my degree program, and attempt to be faithful in the scriptural mandates. I will be memorizing alot of Scripture in the classes that I am taking this semester. This is not my strong point and although I definitely look forward to the memorization of God's word and knowing it better, I ask that you pray for my retention of His word. I also ask that you pray for a steadfast trust in the Lord's provision. I can't wait to see what this new year has in store...Love you all!!!

By the way...I would really like to know how I can also be praying for my beloved readers...PLEASE (if you would like) send a brief message with a prayer request that you may have that I can write down...thanks!

Monday, December 21, 2009

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Well, it's true...I am homeward bound tomorrow morning. My flight leaves at 7:00 am and I arrive in Dallas at 10:00 am. As always I am sure it will be grand to be on Texas soil again. I find it so interesting to see how much I like my comfort. I received a phone call yesterday that ruined my dream world of a "perfect" holiday. Family, Christmas trees, lights strung, holiday food, laughter, children playing, presents, Mexican and BBQ, curling up by the fire, hot chocolate, caroling, coffee with friends, a trip to San Antonio to see more loved ones and then back to my home in Louisville. This was my perception of what my Christmas break in Texas should look like before the phone call yesterday.

The things in the list above are certainly gifts that most get to enjoy during Christmas. But I have to realize that they are gifts and I cannot expect to receive them. When I do receive them the glory should be given to the Giver of all things (good and bad). The phone call yesterday was from my mother who explained to me that my grandmother is dying. Since October she has lost 40 pounds, and in the last week her eyes have sunken in and she is not responding. Her breath is shallow and her body is quickly decaying to an unrecognizable state. This will be my third grandparent to die this year if she dies before the new year. My heart aches because I love my Nanny and it will be a great loss with her death. (Please pray for my family during this time). Certainly not my idea of Christmas fun...but isn't this part of what Christmas is about?
Reality: We live in a sin stricken world. Due to the fall in the Garden of Eden the earth and all in it was cursed with death and decay. We see the effects of sin in every day life: from the common cold to burying loved ones. It was not originally supposed to be this way and since that garden incident God has had a plan of redemption. This plan is woven throughout the tapestries of the Scriptures. The entire Old Testament testifies of a Deliverer who was to come. Poetry, Prophesies, and the History of the nation of Israel spoke of God's plan to save his people. Rotten with sin you see the desperate need of a Savior. Because of sin life is far from perfect but then came the One who was perfect.
Immanuel (God with us) was his name. He was the second person of the Trinity: God who took on flesh. Born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit he was absolutely sinless. Deity in flesh. One would expect the King of the earth to be born in a palace perhaps in Jerusalem with a great birth announcement to all who were "important." Instead, Mary and Joseph made a 70+ mile journey on a donkey at nine months of pregnancy. She went into labor in the town of Bethlehem and could not find a place to stay. A stable, which was most likely a cave where visitors at the Inn kept their animals, was the place that this Deity in flesh would be born. One might think that Mary would have perks since she was giving birth to the Son of God, but there she was in a stable covered in blood wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger. And the birth announcement...it wasn't to the most "important" people, yet it was made to the outcast lowly shepherds who were watching their flocks. This infant lying in a manger was the hope of the world from the sin that brought death and decay. He came to take on the sins of the world. During his life there was still no place to lay his head. He continued to live a humble life. Christ came as a servant unlike most kings who are served daily. Mary, his mother, still had no perks, yet lived a life of hardship and was surrounded by people who refused to believe her. This Deity in flesh commanded illnesses to flee from people and practiced dominion over the waves that rebelled against sinful human rulers. Most importantly He was the only one who could withstand the wrath of God being God himself. He took on that wrath and took on death as he was cursed on the cross. The Gospel Primer puts it this way...
"Apart from Christ, I am also utterly deserving of and destined for eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire, completely unable to save myself or even to make one iota of a contribution to my own salvation. However, what I could not do, God did- and in doing it, He did it all, sending His own Son into the world to die on the cross for my sin, thereby showing me unfathomable love. God loved me so much that He was willing to suffer the loss of His Son, and even more amazingly, He was willing to allow His Son to suffer the loss of Him at the cross. Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to lay down His life for me. No one could ever love me more or better than Jesus. On the third day after Jesus' death, God raised Him from the dead, thereby announcing that his death was completely sufficient to atone for my every sin that I have or will commit throughout my lifetime. God then exalted Christ to His own right hand, where Christ now reigns from on high, granting salvation and forgiveness to all who call on Him by faith."

Christmas is not about the list I previously stated, though those are gifts from the Giver that can be enjoyed. Christmas is about the greatest gift of redemption that began with a humble birth in Bethlehem. We live in a world of death and decay, yet there is now a great hope and salvation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Through repentance and faith, those who are in Christ must remember why we have reason to celebrate this Christmas no matter what circumastance we find ourselves in. The Giver of all good things (including trials and hardships) demands our allegiance and reverence. All praise, glory and honor be to the God of our salvation.

A Joyful Christmas to you and yours!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Abisror Christmas Family Photo Shoot

Yet another photo shoot. This time I used my bosses camera. They turned out alright, but I would have liked to have had some Camera Operation 101. :)
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