It's Time To Make A Vow about Texting And Driving!

Not too long ago, Pastor Bob and I had a discussion about funerals, which we readily agreed, are never easy. They're even more difficult when for a young person.  While we were chatting, Bob mentioned that we should gird ourselves for the possibility of doing one for a young person who has an accident while texting. I remember thinking, "What could be so important that you would risk your life to answer a text message?"

Later that day, while riding down Rt 66, I was awestruck by the number of people I passed who were texting while moving along at 60 MPH. They were easy enough to see. As you begin to pull alongside them, they usually have their phone held up near the top of the steering wheel, I guess so they can text and pretend they can see where the're going at the same time. That discussion came back to me and I thought, "It's not just young people."

On the way back to Warrenton, while on 66, going in the opposite direction, I received a text from a friend. As I was traveling along at about 60 MPH, answering him, I was stunned by the realization that it wasn't just young people and people in the other lane...it was me! I almost threw the phone out the window!

When I got home, Kelly and I sat down and discussed it. We vowed never to leave each other in such a mindless way. It wasn't until after making the vow that I began to think there were worse things a Christian can suffer than death.

Like needlessly taking another life over a text. 

Watching the documentary below has made my resolve even firmer. Now I want to share it with those who are close to me. I don't want to lose any of my family, friends or even casual acquaintances over this no-brainer. I don't want to see them agonize over something so trivial as taking your eyes off the road to answer some mindless question or make some mindless remark. 

Please...watch this video but please read what's below it as well:



AT&T has a few free and helpful programs to avoid these kinds of stories being told. Here are some more.

There's a app called "Drive Safe Mode" that will alert a parent or loved one when someone's cell phone is in use while the vehicle is moving. It consts $1.99 a month to be fully functional. Some complain about the expense. I wonder if any of the folks in the video above would think $2 was expensive. 

It's not just texting that can be a problem. Using our navigation programs, finding playlists on our iPods, searching for a nearby restaurant...all of the newest in-car connectivity functions can be deadly if used while moving down the road at about 100 feet per second (right around 63 MPH). 

Do yourself a huge favor, go outside, place a marker on the ground and pace off about 100 feet. Look back and see where your marker is...this is actually scary! If you're looking for a reality jolt, check out the pictures below and think about moving the distance shown in the picture on the right in 1 second. 

Image on the right is what 100 feet looks like. The close up on the left is so the sign can be read..

The typical glance at a phone or nav screen takes 2-3 seconds. Look at this!

The distance on the right is how far a car will move at highway speeds in 2-3 seconds. 

Make the vow with us. Write it down, sign it, put it on your review mirror, say it every time you get in the car...do whatever you have to do...but do it. Then, ask someone close to you to make it as well. 

Nothing is so important it can't wait until you're parked and safe. 

The Hand Of God?

Random?

A video of a random act of nature as the result of a vaguely described Big Bang at some undetermined and distant time coupled with an even more vaguely described union of two originally inorganic cells forming a vaguely organic microcosm and then developing into a vast multitude of incredibly complex and diverse organisms over a ridiculously long period of time according to an unproven-but-widely-accepted-as-fact theory that some of the universe is improving and developing while the actually observable and measurable part of it is demonstrating a tendency toward entropy.

Or...

...maybe

...just maybe

...evidence 

...of the hand of God. 

Hmmm....

I Don't Have Time!

Here's a repost from T.J. Addingtons' "Leading From the Sandbox". Hope you have time to read it ;) jk

Are you ever caught in the trap where you don't have time to do what you need to do? What someone else wants you to do? Something you feel obligated to do? How does it make you feel?

Here is a truth to consider: We all have time to do what is most important to us and we all have time to do what God has called us to do. If we run out of time, it may be that we have things in our schedule that are not really important for us, or we have taken on responsibilities that God did not intend for us to take on! They may be important for someone but not for us.

Those times in my life where I have been harried and hassled are also times when I have not been careful about what I said yes or no too, and times when I had taken on new responsibility without letting go of old responsibility - always a mistake.

When I feel like I don't have time it is really a symptom that I need to more carefully examine the responsibilities and obligations I have and determine where adjustments need to be made so that I have adequate and good time for those things that are most important.

And that in itself takes time, which is why a monthly personal retreat day is so important to me. It gives me time to prioritize, evaluate and find time for those things that are important. And jettison those things that are distractions that take away from what is actually important. It takes time to save time!

I have had periods when I was too busy. I am not impressed with busyness. In fact, I am far more impressed with those who are not too busy to find time for those things that are truly important in their lives - and still have margin. It tells me that they have wisdom. They have thought through their lives so that they have time for what the ought to have time for.

"Father God, help me (and us) to do that."

When Was Acts Written?

It can be a challenge to explain, in detail, everything that is said during a sermon on Sunday morning. A typical sermon at our church is usually the result of somewhere around 10 - 12 hours of study and another 10-12 of assembly and writing. During that preparation and study, a tremendous amount of data and information passes over our desktops. Some of it gets incorporated into the actual sermon, some is just background info that helps us understand the passage better and lends itself to a higher level of confidence in what is being prepared. Trying to decide what to leave in and what to leave out can be its own unique type of challenge. 

Last Sunday, while presenting the Chronological Bible reading plan, I mentioned that the time frame of the Book of Acts spanned much of the New Testament. Let me explain where this idea comes from. 

Luke was the author of Acts, as well as the Gospel of Luke. They were originally considered one complete volume, Luke's opus on what he had experienced and the impact it had on him and the world around him. 

Most modern scholarship places the date Acts was written as somewhere between 65 AD and 85 AD with much evidence supporting authorship in the 65-70 AD range, primarily because the fall of Jerusalem (70 AD) is not mentioned, only foretold and Judaism is mentioned in a positive light in Rome (Acts 28:17-22), something that would never have occurred after Jerusalem was sacked.

By 70 AD, by most accounts, much of the NT had been written or was nearly completed. Some place John's writing later in the 1st Century but modern scholars, like R.C. Sproul are beginning to reassess those dates, placing them at or before 70 AD. Here's a graph showing typical dating of the writing of the books;

There are certainly other charts and differing opinions but the main idea is that things were well under way by the time Acts was written. 

Nothing points toward the full scope of Acts more than the events described in its texts. In the beginning, we see the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9-11). In the end we find Paul in prison in Rome, probably somewhere around 60 AD or so. Most of Paul's career as an Apostle is documented in the Book of Acts. 

Paul in Prison by Rembrandt 

Luke was an amazing, detailed author. Placement of his writings has much more to do with his intentions to provide an overview than it does with the order the NT books were written. It's easy to think the books of the NT are arranged in chronological order but the evidence and a careful reading of the text shows otherwise. 

Professor Grant Horner's Reading System Explained.

Professor Grant Horner's Reading System explained by....Professor Grant Horner! A seen on his fb page. 


"I have more wisdom than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation." Psalm 119:99, right-hand page, left-hand column, dead center of page. Many people ask me how it is that I know precisely where virtually *everything* is in my Bible. The answer: this system. I began in 1983 (adapting and tweaking the basic design of another system) as a brand-new convert; within 3 years I knew the text of my Bible very well. Twenty-five years later it is essentially imprinted on my mind and heart. I have been all over the country and have taught this system in many churches. I have done open-microphone Q&As on Bible and theology -- with 1200 people in the audience -- as well as cultural-analysis live radio shows where you have to think fast -- and it has been the "imprinting" value of this system that has helped me provide quick, clear, heavily contextualized scriptural answers (I Peter 3:15; right-hand page, right hand column, 1/3rd way down). I have no Seminary degrees, no Bible-college or Christian school education -- hey, I never even went to Sunday School (the first church I went to, just months after my conversion, threw me into Sunday School-- to teach!!! *BIG* mistake, by the way...) All I DID have was a chair, a lamp ... and my Bible.

This is *not* merely a speed-reading program, nor is it a 'study' system. Read the 1-page description provided here to see how it works. (I'd also recommend you look at my first few posts in the Discussion Board 'Starting Up' below as well, for more thoughts.) DO NOT be intimidated! I was a college drop-out, ex-heavy-druggie when I started it. If I can do it, so can you!

TRY IT FOR A MONTH. Then tell me what is happening!

Join if you wish to try it; stay if you keep it up for one month! And make posts about your struggles, the effects it is having on your biblical understanding and discernment, and to encourage others.

HERE IT IS:

* PROFESSOR GRANT HORNER'S 'TEN LISTS BIBLE READING SYSTEM' *

Each day you will read one chapter from each list, in order. THAT'S RIGHT -- *TEN CHAPTERS PER DAY*!!! Use ten bookmarks or sticky notes with the individual lists on them to keep track of your locations. On day one, you read Matthew 1, Genesis 1, Romans 1, and so forth. On day 2, read Matthew 2, Genesis 2, etc. On day 29, you will have just finished Matthew, so go to Mark 1 on the Gospel list; you’ll also be almost to the end of 2nd Corinthians and Proverbs, you’ll be reading Psalm 29 and Genesis 29, and so forth. When you reach the last chapter of the last book in a list – start over again. Rotate all the way through all the Scriptures constantly. Since the lists vary in length, the readings begin interweaving in constantly changing ways. You will NEVER read the same set of ten chapters together again! Every year you’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the OT wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the OT History and prophetic books about 1 ½ times. Since the interweaving is constantly changing, you will experience the Bible commenting *on itself* in constantly changing ways -- the Reformer's principle of 'scriptura interpretans scripturam' -- 'scripture interpreting scripture' IN ACTION!

After you’ve read any particular book once or twice, your speed in that book usually *doubles or triples* because you’re familiar with it and can move quickly and confidently -- because you are no longer merely decoding the text but thinking it through in the context of all of the scripture! Acts 20:27. Even an ‘average’ reader, if focusing on moving through the text, rather than trying to figure everything out, can usually do this in about an hour a day – 5-6 minutes per chapter. If it is taking you longer, then you are ‘reading wrong’ – stay relaxed, focus, and just keep it moving. Moderate but consistent speed is the key. This is "gross anatomy" -- looking at the whole body; you're *not* closely studying organs or systems or tissues or cells -- it is *not* microbiology. BUT -- microbiology and the study or organs makes more sense when you know what the *whole* structure of the human body is like, and how all the parts, large and small, relate in perfect interdependence. After just a few days the reading gets *much* easier; in a month it will be a habit, and in six months you’ll wonder how you ever survived before on such a slim diet of the WORD. And then -- you'll tell others to start the system!

I began in 1983 as a new Christian and have now read (most of) the Bible hundreds and hundreds of times. You also need to get ONE Bible, keep it, and do all your reading in it, so you learn where everything is. I’ve had the same Bible since 1983 and I know it intimately. If you keep switching Bibles, you ‘lose’ this intimacy with the text. Find a translation and format you like and stick with it. THIS IS CRUCIAL.

When I was flown out by Masters for a 3-day interview/theological-grilling process, the culmination was of course being ushered in to Dr. John MacArthur's private study, which is where he asked me this one question: "Can I see your Bible?" I thought he would be horrified, because it looked like it had been through a typhoon -- it looked unloved and neglected. Something from a dumpster. It was unbound, with stringy mess and paper debris hanging out. I was so embarrassed. I thought he would chastise me and recommend I get a new study Bible if I was serious about the Word. (No doubt which study Bible he would recommend!!!) He flipped through it and handed it to his wife and said "If your Bible is falling apart, you probably aren't." I was basically hired on the spot.

Your Bible is the only thing on Earth that, as you wear it out, will actually work better and better.

THE TEN LISTS:
List 1 (89 days)
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

List 2 (187 days)
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

List 3 (78 days)
Romans, I&II Cor, Gal, Eph, Phil, Col, Hebrews

List 4 (65 days)
I&II Thess, I&II Tim, Titus, Philemon, James, I&II Peter, I,II&III John, Jude, Revelation

List 5 (62 days)
Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

List 6 (150 days)
Psalms

List 7 (31 days)
Proverbs

List 8 (249 days)
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I&II Samuel, I&II Kings, I&II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

List 9 (250 days)
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

List 10 (28 days)
Acts

If you are wondering why you should read Acts (or Proverbs) all the way through *every single month* then -- you've just shown that you NEED to read them that much!

*Put these instructions in your Bible and review them from time to time*

SECRETS TO SUCCESS WITH THIS SYSTEM:

• Read one chapter from each list each day, in one sitting or two. At the end of a book, go to the next book. At the end of the list – start it again. Do it in the order given above.

• Read quickly (without “speed reading”) in order to get the overall sense. Read as fast as you comfortably can with moderate retention. You’re not studying deeply or memorizing; shoot for 5-6 minutes per chapter. At the end of a chapter, move immediately to the next list.

• GET THROUGH THE TEXT – no dawdling, back-reading, looking up cross-references!

• There are different ‘kinds’ of reading: super-quick skimming, careful moderate-paced, studying the text, deep meditation. You should be between the first and second kind.

• Most people decrease their time spent and increase their retention after just two-three weeks! I now read and retain the entire text of Matthew in 35 minutes, Romans in 20, Genesis in *one hour*!

• Don’t look up anything you ‘don’t get’ – real understanding will come through contextualizing by reading a LOT of scripture over time. Get through the text!

• If you miss a day or two – OK, get over it, then keep going. Don’t cover yourself in sackcloth and ashes and quit! Move the bookmarks along, to find your place(s) quickly next day.
Heb 4:12;5:11-14; Eph 5:26; 6:17; Col 3:16; 2 Tim 3:16; Psalm 119; Ezra 8; Prov 3: 1-2,10:14; Daniel 1

The goal of this system is simple, and twofold: To know scripture, and to love and obey God more"

Let's read our Bibles!

It's become a tradition at our church. On the first Sunday of the year, we encourage our folks to start a Bible reading plan. My wonderful wife, Kelly and I have been doing it for a while and it has had a huge impact on our awareness of the Bible in its entirety. 

We used Grant Horner's system a few years ago. It was somewhat daunting but we stuck to it, finishing the Bible in 8 months and seeing it from a unique perspective, having read some books multiple times. It's a tough challenge for a first-time plan but can be amazingly rewarding. The intimidation for Horner's plan comes from looking at a plan that demands 10 chapters a day. Horner is realistic, though, and encourages readers to read to become familiar and not to take extra time to study. His goal is to get readers familiar with the text, taking time apart from their reading to do additional study. It works! Additionally, I found that I got into a rhythm, once I got the concept, and was able to finish my daily reading quickly and efficiently. 

Last year, we used a chronological plan. This variation is based on reading through the Bible in the order that the events and books occur in history. I found this plan to be most enlightening and easiest to follow. The books of the Bible were brought into a totally fresh perspective and came together in a way that will change how I read some of them forever, particularly 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Psalms and Acts. I enjoyed this one so much, I'm doing it again, starting today. 

Many people begin a new Bible reading program with the best of intentions and a heart for getting it done. For a variety of reasons, things can get derailed pretty easily. Here are a few tips that may help you stay in your plan:

• Don't feel that your goal is to finish according to the calendar! The goal is to read through the Bible. Nothing will kill a reading plan quicker than getting behind a few days, seeing how many chapters are needed to get caught up...and throwing in the towel because your behind. After missing a day or two (it happens to all of us), if there are too many readings to get caught up, just pick up where you left off. 
• That being said, there's much benefit on developing some discipline here. Try to get your reading done before you start your day. It really is worth it to get up 15 minutes earlier and begin your day with your father, in His word. If you can adopt this approach, you'll never miss a day. 
• Don't chain yourself to your favorite physical Bible! If you forget it or wait until you have time to pick it up, find your place and begin reading, it will become easy to slip. With all the advancements we have in technology, there are multiple ways to access your plan. I'll list some of them below. 
• Avoid the temptation to "give it a try". If you can stick with this for a month, it will become an integral part of your day. Once that happens, Bible reading becomes an integral part of your life. It is the living Word of God. We will always learn from it, always be challenged by it, always grow by it, always be comforted by it...but only if we are always reading it. 

Here are some tools that can make it exceptionally easy to do your reading. I've found that I do best when I have multiple ways to access my plan. I use my smart phone, iPad, computer and even...sometimes, my Bible! Once I got over the need to "feel the pages" (our aim is to absorb the Word, not experience a book), I found it was much easier to finish my daily reading. Some of the methods listed in this link even send you reminders on a daily basis. Another excellent online, multi-platform tool is You Version. There's absolutely nothing wrong with picking up a book and relishing the feel of the pages. But, if we wanted to experience the Bible "the way it was written", we would all be using scrolls and papyrus! Use the technology available to us, God is just a sovereign over pixels as He is over paper!

May the Lord bless you as you begin. I firmly believe there is nothing better we can do to improve our spiritual health and advance in our sanctification than read the Bible in a structured, disciplined and dedicated manner. With all the study I do in preparing a sermon, counseling and teaching, nothing has impacted me as much as my daily Bible reading. Join me!

God WILL Give You More Than You Can Handle!

Ron Edmondson write a blog to Pastors. Below is the most popular post he has ever written. It explodes a commonly held myth - jk;

(This remains my most requested and read post of all times. Apparently many people “Google” search for the verse that says what they think it says.) - Ron Edmondson

I occasionally like to correct a myth I have heard all my life. How many times has someone said to you, “God will never put more trials on you than you can bear”? I challenge you to show me that in the Bible. The problem I have with this myth is that it keeps so many believers wondering why they can’t handle their problems, falsely believing they should be able to, because someone once told them the lie that God would not put more on them than they could.

Yes, we do have the promise that we will not be “tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13), but we need to understand what that verse is saying. It says that God will not allow Satan to bring temptation, or enticement to sin, into our life that is too much for us to say no to it. When we are tempted to sin, God will make a way for us to resist it. That is because He wants us to live holy, just as Christ who calls us is holy.

Consistently, however, throughout the Bible, I read where at times God allowed more trials, more pressure, than His children could bear. Elijah, the powerful prophet of God who held back the rain had a time when the trial must have been bigger than his ability to handle it. Consider this verse: “The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:7) Once when Paul wrote to the people at Corinth (2 Corinthians 1:8), he told them that he and his followers faced trials “far beyond our ability to endure“. David, the great war hero and man after God’s own heart, told the Lord that “troubles without number surround me” and “and I cannot see”. He couldn’t see clearly, because he was overwhelmed with the storms of life! Another time David said “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”( Oh how I identify with David there!) Jehoshaphat prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12) It sounds to me like he was facing more than he could handle on his own.

Are there times when God allows more troubles in your life than you can bear?

Absolutely! Positively!

If you want to say “more than you can bear without Him”…I’m okay with that. If you need to say “more than you can handle alone”…that’s fine. Just make the qualification, because it’s confusing without it.

If you can accept my testimony as an example, let me tell you that sometimes life throws more at me than I can handle, at least more than I can handle alone. The reason God allows you and I to experience times when we are consumed by trials, when they are bigger than our own strength can handle, is so that we have no where else to turn, except towards Him. We are faced with one solution, and that we realize Christ isour only hope!

After Paul wrote that his trial was bigger than his ability to endure, he offers an explanation. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) He recognized that this overwhelming time of trouble, that he couldn’t handle alone, had caused him to focus more on the power of God, and allow God to work His perfect will.

Are you being challenged beyond your ability to endure? Don’t believe the lie that you can do it alone! Satan would love you to try to do it without God’s help. But, you can’t! You aren’t able! Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing!”

Did you get that point? Nothing!

Don’t try anything today…this year…in your life…without relying on the power of God! He knows you’re weak, but He is available to help, if you will call upon Him! When we are at our weakest, He is strong!

I did a follow up to this post HERE.

The post God Will Allow More Than You Can Bear (Repost) appeared first on Ron Edmondson.

Related posts:

1. God WILL Allow More Than You Can Bear (Alone)
2. More Than You Can Bear (My Most Searched Post)
3. Why David was a “Man After God’s Own Heart” (Repost)
4. Sometimes I Want To Appear Insane (Battling Fear)

What Will God Do for You In 2013?

The post below is from The Blazing Center, a reminder of the promises we have from our faithful God.  jk

by STEPHEN ALTROGGE on JANUARY 1, 2013

What can you expect God to do in your life in 2013? Some pretty incredible things. You can expect:

• God’s mercies to follow you, and pursue you, every every minute of every hour of every day. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ” (Psalm 23:6)

• God to meet every single true need that should arise. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

• God to lead you, counsel you, guide you, and give you wisdom. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

• God to freely forgive your sins each time you repent. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

• God to wonderfully correct and discipline you if you should stray into sin. “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)

• God to continue working powerfully in you as you pursue holiness. “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

• God to help you overcome patterns of sin that have plagued you for years. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. ” (Romans 6:14)

• God to use trials in your life to refine and purify your faith. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

• God to give you every good thing. “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

God has promised to do all these things, and many more. His promises are sure. 2013 is bursting with blessings.

–

+photo by AndyRobertsPhoto