Amazing Daddy Moment

Chloe's teacher sent this email to Jill today and she then forwarded it to me:

Chloe left with the nursery riders before I gave out KES Folders. Her folder will be on her desk Friday morning and she can bring it home. She made a 100% Spelling, 100% Reading & 100% Math!!! So wonderful!! She is such a blessing to our class. Today, our new friend needed help with her clock sheet, Chloe didn't know I was watching and she sweetly explained how to count the minutes by 5s. It was such a tender moment! I told her she should be a teacher when she grows up! Thank you for sharing your precious little girl with me!

Nicole
Nicole Gardner
Kershaw Elementary School
Lancaster County School District


I pulled the van over and I read this and began cry. I cried over the second half of the email as this is what we hope of our children because character is displayed when nobody else is looking and our sincere hope is that this character reflects Christ. I decided to have Chloe come the front of the van so we could talk. I had her read the email and as she was reading tears streamed down my face. These tears were tears of thankfulness for God's goodness. We try over and over to implant seeds of the gospel which we pray will take root and will result someday in Chloe embracing Christ as Savior. When HE graces us with snippets such as this email it makes our hearts leap for joy! After she read this we were both weeping along the side of the road in Camden. I explained to her that hearing that she is doing things such as this is so beautiful because it reflects what Jesus' heart. I told her I loved her and that I was proud of her, which I would be if we had the email or not, then held her and prayed as we both had tears streaming down our cheeks. I thanked HIM for HIS goodness and prayed that these seeds of the gospel we are planting fully take root and that she embraces Christ as Savior and fully reflects HIS beauty.

A thought about serving in rural areas

I just returned to the house from a funeral for a gentleman that was a retired Pastor. He served in churches in rural South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia. He served as an interim at our church about 7 or 8 years ago. I was struck by the words shared because they were words that glorified God for the life he lived.

I did not have the privilege of knowing Thomas Taylor as the time I did get to visit him was at the end of his life and he was in bad shape. He never served in a large congregation yet served faithfully in rural contexts for over 30 yrs. There is much to be thankful for when it comes to the faithfulness of those who invest their lives in the body in what was described today as the out of the way places. He did that. The church was not packed out today but the was a definite spirit of thankfulness for one who shepherded the souls of those where many would not go serve.

I pray that it can be said of me that I was faithful to the gospel, that the gospel truly saturated my soul, and that I served well when I reach the end of my life. I have found that there is no out of the way place in His will. There is nothing easy about shepherding in a rural context yet there is nothing better than serving our Great God and King where HE has placed me. I'm thankful the HE reminded me of that today.

Amazing

Something amazing happened last night during our midweek service. Let me give some background first. We are in dire need of improving our sound in our sanctuary. The lack of quality effects our worship services. With that said we have priced what we need to improve our sound and the total comes to over $9000. The initial step in this improvement process would cost approximately $3500. Since we have just carpeted most of our church, which was needed badly as the carpet we had was 40 yrs old (yes, that is four years older than I am and it was looking that way) we did not have any money to put toward the sound.

So that brings us to last night. There was an envelop in the church office and I was asked what it was for and said I have no idea and told those in the office to tell me after service. That did not happen as our Music Minister busted through the door waving her hand for me to come to the office. When I got back to the office there were huge smiles! In the envelop was $3500 in cash and written on the were the words "Sound System"! Yes, almost exactly what we needed for our initial step in our sound improvement! God is so amazing!

I have been praying daily for months about our sound situation. It is something that will glorify God and enhance our worship in being able to do so. I am totally humbled by HIS provision! Thank you Lord!

Great Article

Read this great article today by Nancy Pearcy:

http://www.pearceyreport.com/archives/2010/09/secular_values.php

Ministering to those Grieving

Ministering to those grieving is a distinct privilege and responsibility. I have to admit that I'm not good at this. For the most part we are always good at the point of loss but after the funeral when the "rubber meets the road" we "drop the ball". The Lord has challenged me in this of late, especially as a dear friend of mine at the church nears the end of his life. The need for the Body to care for those well after the funeral is huge. It is such an amazing time for the Gospel to be embodied in our care for the souls of the family as they grieve. If we are the Gospel-centered community we should be then we must take on this task and serve well those in our Body whose souls are aching.

The weeks that follow should include direct care by the Pastor and the Body. The Pastor should engage his people in the process of care immediately. He should be quite visible in the beginning while bringing along others from the Body and all the while should allow the Body to function as HE so beautifully intends it to.

The goal is soulcare and seeing the Gospel applied. Grieving is needed and should happen. The function of the Body in the midst of it should be an essential part of the process. Lord, may I love and serve well as a shepherd in this and may our Body do the same.

Caitlyn is in Kindergarten!

Caitlyn is now in Kindergarten!!! She only had to go for an hour and a half today but it's official! Jill went to class with her for her first day. Jill said she was pretty shy but she'll make some friends soon enough. Here are some pics of her day:



Here she is posing before leaving the house with mama!



Here she is leaving with her new backpack on!



Entering class for the first time! I can see the apprehension on her face!



On the carpet with her new classmates!

She is without a doubt the most beautiful girl in her class! I'm so proud of Daddy's Little Girl! I can't wait to hear her stories of all she is learning each day when she gets home! WOW! We now have 2 in school!

Chloe's first day of 2nd grade

Today Chloe started 2nd Grade! It's so hard to believe she is now 7 and in 2nd Grade! As her proud Daddy I was a big dork and took the camera as I was dropping her off (she didn't mind as she loves posing for the camera). Here are some pics:





Here she is in front of the school sign. She is not only starting a new grade but is at a new school.




Here she is in front of her desk.




Here she is with her teacher, Mrs. Gardener.


I'm so proud of Chloe. She is growing into a beautiful young lady! She loves school and through our interaction thus far with her teacher she seems to really love teaching and investing in children so we are excited to see her continued growth this year.

The Joyce's Visit

While in Wake Forest we were blessed to serve in an amazing local Body, North Wake Church. While there we met the Joyce's (Chris, Stephnie, and Madeline). We were in small group together. They have been great friend's and we love them. This weekend they came to visit!

We took them to Jill's favorite restaurant in the world - Sato's! Sato's is a Japanese Steakhouse and we had a blast! They also got to worship with us at Oak Ridge (our Body loved on them well!)! Chris had not heard me preach before and said he loved it (he is always an encourager). Here are some pics of the kids together:



Here are Caleb and Madeline! They made a real "connection" during the visit! He's only 3 and a "ladies man" already and an older lady at that as she will be 5 in January! He even carried out her suitcase when they were leaving (such a gentleman)! We will be keeping an eye on these two the next time we get together!

Here's the posse -Madeline, Caitlyn, and Chloe! They had a great time hanging out together! The girls love Madeline!

VBS 2010

As soon as I returned from camp we had VBS here at Oak Ridge (actually we started the next day). Some say VBS does not work anymore yet that comes from those not in our context. It works quite well and our VBS this year was a great success. Our attendance from those inside and outside the church was awesome! We broke 100 on two different nights - which is amazing! Most importantly we saw two 6th grade boys embrace Christ as Savior! We also have many with which to follow up with.

Our kids had a blast! Caleb and Caitlyn were in Jill's class. Jill is a great teacher and they enjoyed each night. Her class had as many as 18 3 to 5 yr olds so she was busy throughout the week! Here are some pics:



Caleb is getting so big! Each day he was so pumped to go! I pray he embraces Christ and lives passionately for HIM!



Chloe posing as usual, she is so beautiful. She has really grown since we've moved here! She is like a sponge and took in so much of the teaching through the week! May she embrace Christ and shine for HIM!



This pic is not focused that well but it is still easy to see how beautiful Caitlyn has become! She will be starting Kindergarten this year! She learns by participating in activity and she loved all the activities at VBS. She is such a free spirit, may she embrace Christ and HE use this to glorify Himself!



This is a pic of Nikki Gainey. She had her face dunked in baked beans during our Family Night. We collected money throughout the week for a mission project. The winner (either the girls or boys - the girls won) got to vote on who they wanted to see dunked. I thought for sure that it was "rigged" and that I would be the one, which would've been fine, but I got got lucky because Nikki's husband collected the votes and the girls voted for her (they associated her with him and forgot about voting for me!). All the teachers voted for me but the girls out voted them! Nikki was a great sport!



One of the great things about serving here with this Body at Oak Ridge is their heart to serve those in need in our community as a demonstration of the Gospel. This is a pic of the house we worked on for our VBS Mission Project. This pic does not truly do the condition of the home justice. The home was in terrible shape. We cleared numerous overgrown trees and shrubs from around the house. We cleared and cleaned off the porch of old furniture, trash, and other "stuff". We cleaned a ton of trash bags (some of which were decomposing) out of the yard and from around the home itself. At two dfferent times I had a watery, disgusting slime-like substance either spilled on me or squirt in my mouth! (It was kinda funny but nasty at the same time!) Me and my friend Tick Wilson were the designated spider killers, we killed a ton of huge spiders, they were truly huge! When we left the house looked so much better! We did not take the pics, as we were exhausted, to truly do justice for the work done. We will be going back to continue with some painting and with continued follow up with the Gospel.

What a great VBS!

A Wonderful Blessing

Over the past week I have been on a mission to find some Bibles for our church. I contacted two different publishers in my search. I first contacted Crossway publishers who publishes the ESV (English Standard Version) which I preach from. I also contacted B&H publishing, which publishes the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) which we use in all of our Sunday School materials, who was unable to help.

When I contacted Crossway and was totally blown away! They agreed to send us 40 Bibles for free! I was so blessed that I decided to send a message on facebook to Justin Taylor who is an editor at Crossway and writes a blog "Between Two Worlds" that I read daily. When I contacted him he said he would send another case (24) to us! I have loved reading books published by Crossway for years and love reading and studying from the ESV. I was humbled by the graciousness they showed us.

The gift of these Bibles from Crossway is one that will not be soon forgotten! They will be used in our pews and in follow up as we see people embrace Christ as Savior! I cannot begin to thank them enough for this gift! WOW!

Jr I.A. Camp 2010

Last week I was at Jr I.A. Camp. When I arrived at Oak Ridge they asked if there was anything that I would want to continue to be involved with that I would need to be gone from the church for. I told them about this camp. I have been attending this camp for 5 years. I have served in various capacities and have truly grown to love the kids. My dear friend, Billy Wayne, leads the camp. His ministry, Vision Productions, pays the way for many of the campers to attend the camp. Many of the campers are from very difficult situations and we get the chance to love them with the love of Christ for a week. It is a truly special camp and I hope to be involved with it for years to come.

In years past I served as a counselor/small group leader. Last year I had the privilege to serve as co-Camp Dean (I was the male Camp Dean and my dear friend Mary McClure, who is awesome, served as the female Camp Dean - I got to spend a night in the ER with her after she was bit by a spider on Tuesday evening, we finally got back to camp at 7am and camp kicks off at 7:45am so we rearranged some things for that morning and we each got about 3 hrs sleep and then hit the ground running!). As Camp Dean I deal with "behavior issues" with male campers, resource counselors, and lead the Jr Counsleors. This year was crazy! I was co-Camp Dean, small group leader, and got to drive the ministry's bus! Billy's ministry, Vision Productions, had a church donate a 1983 big yellow school bus and since I was the only one attending the camp with my CDL so I got to drive the beast. I found out about driving the bus 2 days before leaving for camp. I had to go and get my DOT physical the day before leaving (luckily there was no coughing necessary - lol). After driving the bus for a week on narrow, winding country roads and through downtown Gatlinburg I now have a new found respect for my father-in-law who drove a school bus for 30 yrs! The driving was not difficult the 55 screaming campers and lack of air conditioning was.

The camp was amazing. The Jr Counselors did a great job and I was blessed to serve with them. They listened to us and were attentive to the Spirit as He lead. As for my small group they were a pleasure to serve. My Jr Counselor, Lindsay, and I had little to no trouble. The small goups compete in a points competition and we won! That makes 4 out of 4 times as a small group leader that the small group I served won! That really sounded boastful but seeing the kids in the small group pumped after hearing the final score is the best and the camp is truly about them. It was awesome to see how the small group embraced what we were instilling in them by serving others throughout the week (this is what put us over the top) and by the end of the week they were serving without any prompting - so awesome!

As for the week, we had 55 campers and it was amazing to see how God moved! We were able to see 12 campers emabrace Christ as Savior and 15 others rededicate their lives! It is humbling to see Him do what only He can do! I look forward to next year and to hopefully having further involvement with Billy and his minstry here at Oak Ridge.

Getting settled in

We are getting settled in. Boxes are a real pain to lug around and unpack but Jill has the house arranged and we have been able to have people over to hang out and eat. We hope to have people over more to be able to get to know them more intimately and to be able to serve and love on them. It is a great joy to be able to do this and we look forward to this aspect of serving the Body.

My parents visited for an entire week! This doesn't happen often so we had an amazing week! Mom (one of the truly nicest people ever) had a blast with the kids and Jill. Dad (one of my heroes) got to hang out with the kids and have some "man" time with Caleb. By the end of the week the kids were loving all over them and they were eating it up!

I look forward to more visits now that we are moved in and at a place where we are hoping to establish some roots. It is difficult not living near family as most of our siblings do but HE has always blessed us with those from the Body that love and serve us well as we do the same for them - what a beautiful expression of the Gospel that is! Serving our great God and King is a distinct privilege and we would not change a thing!

As of today I guess you can say we are official South Carolinians again. We switched out tags on the vehicles on Monday but couldn't do the same for our drivers liscences because I didn't have a birth certificate (never had one for 35 yrs) and Jill didn't have a marriage certificate (never had one for 11 yrs of marriage - yes, we are legally married) to prove who we are to the fine state of South Carolina. We had them "super air mailed" so that we could get this done and we finally got this done this morning. It was good Jill did this (I should not have complained about the cost) because my D.O.T. physical expires tomorrow and I wouldn't have been able to renew my CDL without it. So, South Carolina now has a ton of our money (and will continue to collect in the years to come) and we are now "official" residents.

It was a good thing I renew my CDL because my dear friend Billy Wayne called to ask if I would drive their bus with a load of campers this upcoming week (that should be fun - lol). I'm leaving on Saturday to serve at Billy's Jr. I.A. Camp next week but before I leave I have to get my physical tomorrow. I will be updating on facebook how HE is moving at camp.

Seminary Graduation

Some thoughts on Seminary Graduation and some pics of some professors to share with everybody. I have to admit May 28th was an emotional day for me. It was the end of a long, long journey. It was also a joyous time to celebrate with both sets of parents and my sister getting to be there with us. Leading up to the time I was so stressed. Papers and finals were hanging over my head along with some major personal issues. This semester I wrote 16 or 17 papers - I have never wrote so much in my life! Writing for me is a bit of a struggle and takes much time. Jill was gracious through it all as I had to be at the Library quite a bit, especially toward the end of the semester. This semester I also had 3 extraordinary professors. They were amazing because they cared for me not as a student but as Man of God and father. It was humbling to have sat under such men and I am indebted to them and cherish their examples as Men of God. Here are some pics and thoughts about each:

This picture is with Dr. Shawn Madden, myself, Caitlyn, and Caleb. I was not able to get a picture with him on graduation day so I went to his office before moving to Kershaw and shared a few moments. He taught my Hebrew I & II courses. I found the courses quite difficult yet his engaging style made class enjoyable. I look forward to continuing contact with him. He tenderness of heart and encouragement were both beautiful things this semester.

This picture is with Dr. Todd Borger. He taught my Old Testament II course. I have fallen in love with the Old Testament over the past few years and he continued to fan the flame in my wanting to pursue God in this way. It was his first year at the school after teaching in Malaysia and I was the first student of his at Southeastern to graduate. I look forward to coninued contact with him and that our friendship will grow.

This picture is with Dr. Danny Akin. He is the president of the school and taught my Expository Preaching course this semester. I was scared to death to take this course because of the courseload and because he is a very direct person and I thought he might tear me up when I had to preach. In the end his passion for the Word of God and preaching challenged my heart in ways that will continue to impact my ministry for years to come. It was a pleasure to get to know him personally and to have him take an disticnt interest in my life.

God placed each of these 3 men in my life this semester to encourage and challenge me through a very difficult time and I thankful for HIS use of them during that time. I will not soon forget the impact of each.

What a month!

It has been such a long time since my last post! There has been so much that has happened especially in the past month. I will post more as time allows about all that HE has done over these past months. As for this past month I will post a few thoughts and comment on a few events.

First of all, on May 28th I graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary! It was a long haul! I actually started seminary at Columbia Internaltional University (Columbia Bibilical Seminary & School of Missions) in 2001 and went off and on (more off than on). We moved to Wake Forest, NC to SEBTS on July 1, 2008 to finish and finishing was quite a relief for both Jill and I. She was amazing (as usual) throughout my time of struggling through papers and other assignments.

Over the past 3 weeks both of our vehicles that we have had for over 7 yrs had major issues. We had our Honda Oddysey since '03 and our Toyota Camry since '01. Our van had transmission issues and we had to get a new van (the first car payment we've had in 2.5 yrs, one of the ways which HE provided as we attended seminary). Then on this past Friday our car broke down as we were driving down I-95. The engine was toast after the oil filter was not put on right last week during an oil change. The good thing is that the mechanic is going to be a stand up guy and take quite a hit to help us out and put a new (used) engine in for us.

All of this with the constancy of moving (my back is sore!) has kept us busy and tired! I will try and keep the blog updated...we are so excited to be here in Kershaw loving and serving at Oak Ridge Baptist Church!

Me a Pastor?

On March 21st I preached in view of a call at Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Kershaw, SC. Following the service the congregation voted to call me to be their Pastor! It is hard to put into words how humbled we are to have been granted an opportunity such as this. Oak Ridge has been amazing to us and we are looking forward to loving and serving well with them.

When we arrived at SEBTS our assumption was that we would finish here and then God would place us in the position to continue to serve youth. While here He has given us a desire to serve in a rural context. This is Oak Ridge. To us this is a dream come true. Throughout the whole process with them He has guided each step. We have been blown away by their care for us and we look forward to continuing to fall in love with them and Him for a long time.

We will start in June after finishing here at SEBTS. Thank You Lord for your graciousness to us in providing this amazing opportunity! Me a Pastor? I still can't believe it!

Interesting Article

I read this article this morning and found it interesting. Much in American Christianity is about "easy believism" and this article shows that there is a backlash of sorts happening in this regard:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0327/Christian-faith-Calvinism-is-back

while Calvinism may be scary to some I think a great point to consider is not about Calvinism but in the desire for Christians to return to a God-centered and Scripture soaked faith that calls us to trust passionately and think deeply. This is encouraging because I believe it is when American Christians return in this way to HIM HE will move in mighty ways!

This is a great article on politics

West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio

A friend introduced me to this article and thought I'd post it. Really enjoyed this.

Big Week Ahead

Big week ahead! Tomorrow I have 5 book reviews due with each one being 5 to 7 pages - ugh! The great news is what is happening this weekend! Friday we will leave for Kershaw, South Carolina as I will be preaching in view of a call on Sunday morning! The name of the church is Oak Ridge Baptist Church. I will meet with the Deacons on Saturday then we will all go to a church fellowship where I will field questions from those present. They will vote following the service on Sunday. (Then when we return I have to complete a 10-12 page paper and get ready to present it next Thursday)

As for this weekend we are excited! The church has been wonderful to us and we are looking forward to loving and serving them well! I will keep you updated! Be in prayer for us!

Great Giveaway

Great book giveaway:

http://jcrylequotes.com/2010/03/06/meet-the-puritans-book-giveaway/#comment-1363

I love J.C. Ryle and this site has been a blessing. Check it out!

Cool Daddy Moment

Last night we decided to go out to eat. When the food arrived Chloe's meal was not what we ordered. For a six year old this was quite devastating. Caitlyn then said, "it's alright Chloe here is half of my dinner," and had me cut it in half and give it to her sister. At this point Chloe buried her had in my side and began to cry. I asked if she was alright and she nodded yes. I then told her that her sister loves her very much and she said that was why she was crying. How cool is that!

Also, as I have been putting the kids down for bed each night we have been reading together from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" together. It has been awesome to see how they have loved spending this time together. First Caleb and I will go through a page and then pray then I will go to the girl's room and we will read, they will ask questions, and then we will pray. My prayer is that HE will continue to bless this time and that they will all embrace HIM as Savior!

February 22nd is a big day

On February 22nd the Great Commission Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention will be delivering their report. This is huge for the future of the denomination. While I love the SBC I am passionately devoted to the Gospel of Christ and what will be laid out in this report has much to do with the Gospel-centeredness of the denomination I'm part of. Here is an interesting article:

http://baptistmessenger.com/editors-journal-all-eyes-on-nashville/

My prayer is that we make some changes to be more focused on what we should be focused on. There is a culture that is in effect and to shift that culture will take seismic shifts in our denomination and direction. May we be faithful in our service to HIM.

Interesting Insight

After reading todays sections of scripture I read this commentary by D.A. Carson about Hagar and found it very interesting:

Genesis 16; Matthew 15; Nehemiah 5; Acts 15
IN ALL OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN LITERATURE, so far as I am aware, Hagar is the only woman whom Deity directly addresses by name (Gen. 16:8; 21:17). The woman in question is not one of the great matriarchs of the Old Testament — Sarah, perhaps, or Rachel, or Rebekah — but a slave who resents her mistress and flees. Yet God addresses her, tells her to submit to Sarai (16:9), promises that the child she is carrying in her womb will be a son, and later tells her that that son will be the progenitor of a great nation (21:18).
The account has many interwoven layers to think about. Placed after God’s covenant with Abram in Genesis 15, this incident reflects well on neither Abram nor Sarai. Desperate for children, they think they have the right to bring God’s purposes — and their own desires! — to pass by legal but shady means. The result is not only tension in their household for years to come — tension that spills over into the next generation (Gen. 21, 25), but the beginnings of the Arab peoples, who frequently find themselves locked in hostility with Israel to this day. One of the great features of the Bible is its sheer honesty: great men and women are portrayed with all their warts. This remains a broken world, and the very best are fallen. This should warn us against untamed hero-worship.
Yet there is another connection with the previous chapters. God had promised Abram that all peoples on earth would be blessed through him (12:3). The election of Abram is a means to that end. However focused on Abram’s offspring his purposes will be, God remains the sovereign Lord of all. In the book of Genesis, the account of Abram is nestled into the broader account of the creation of all, and the Fall of all. And so here, at the very beginning of the history of the nation of Israel, God displays his concern for the despised and the outcast, people who are not organically connected with the promised line.
We may detect the same concern in the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 15:21-18, Jesus well knows that during the days of his flesh his mission is in the first instance directed to “the lost sheep of Israel” (15:24). There is a redemptive-historical primacy to the ancient covenant people of God. But this does not prevent him from acknowledging the remarkable faith of yet another woman, a Canaanite, who wisely changes her plea. She no longer addresses Christ as “Son of David” (15:22), on who she can make no direct claim, and simply pleads for mercy (15:27). Another “Hagar” finds that mercy abundant, as countless people do today.

If you've taken up the challenge to do a reading plan for the year keep it up! If you haven't started then take up the challenge and start today!

Large Churches vs. Small Churches

As someone in whom God has birthed a love for smaller churches I thought this teaching from James MacDonald was awesome:

http://blog.harvestbiblefellowship.org/?p=3589

his teaching is called "Large Churches vs. Small Churches" and the video is great!

Brit Hume

Brit Hume, a Fox News contributor, recently encouraged Tiger Woods to "embraced the forgiveness Christianity offers". This has set off a shower of disdain toward Hume. May vigorous and slanderous attacks have been rendered toward Hume. I read this article by Michael Gerson and found it quite interesting:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/07/AR2010010703244.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

This definitely challenges us to think about who it is that is really intolerant in the situation.

I am now eligible and available

I turned 35 in September and I just realized that I'm now eligible to be President of the United States of America. I am officially "throwing my hat in the ring" for 2012 and all elections thereafter. From what I've seen there is no prior experience needed for the position so I'm qualified. For write in puposes (if the funding for a campaign somehow doesn't show up by 2012) my name is spelled D-A-L-E M-Y-E-R-S. I'm pretty sure this will be a "grassroots" effort so I thought I'd declare now.

What a great way to start the year

What a great way to start the year! Listen to what D.A. Carson has to say about Genesis 1:

January 1
ALL FOUR OF THESE CHAPTERS (from the Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan) DEPICT NEW BEGINNINGS, but the first reading – Genesis 1 – portrays the beginning of everything in this created universe.
On the face of it, this chapter, and the lines of thought it develops, establish that God is different from the universe that he creates, and therefore pantheism is ruled out; that the original creation was entirely good, and therefore dualism is ruled out; that human beings, male and female together, are alone declared to be made in the image of God, and therefore forms of reductionism that claim we are part of the animal kingdom and no more must be ruled out; that God is a talking God, and therefore all notions of an impersonal God must be ruled out; that this God has sovereignly made all things, including all people, and therefore conceptions of merely tribal deities must be ruled out.
Some of these and other matters are put positively by later writers of Scripture who, reflecting on the doctrine of creation, offer a host of invaluable conclusions. The sheer glory of the created order bears telling witness to the glory of its Maker (Ps. 19). The universe came into being by the will of God, and for this, God is incessantly worshipped (Rev. 4:11). That God has made everything speaks of his transcendence, i.e., he is above this created order, above time and space, and therefore cannot be domesticated by anything in it (Acts 17:24-25). That he made all things and continues to rule over all, means that both racism and tribalism are to be rejected (Acts 17:26). Further, if we ourselves have been made in his image, it is preposterous to think that God can properly be pictured by some image that we can concoct (Acts 17:29). These notions and more are teased out by later Scriptures.
One of the most important entailments of the doctrine of creation is this: it grounds all human responsibility. The theme repeatedly recurs in the Bible, sometimes explicitly, sometimes by implication. To take but one example, John’s gospel opens by declaring that everything that was created came into being by the agency of God’s “Word,” the Word that became flesh in Jesus Christ (John 1:2-3, 14). But this observation sets the stage for a devastating indictment: when this Word came into the world, and even though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him (John 1:10). God made us to “image” himself; he made us for his own glory. For us to imagine ourselves autonomous is, far from being a measure of our maturity, the supreme mark of our rebellion, the flag of our suppression of the truth (Rom. 1).

God's Word is amazing! the Author loves us dearly! Let's seek HIS Face through HIS Word this year together! You can follow along daily on the For the Love of GOd link on the left.

For the Love of GOD

Starting Robert Murray M'Cheyne's reading plan for the year and found blog based on D.A. Carson's devotional "For the Love of GOD" that is based on readings from M'Cheyne's plan. I added a link on the left for you to follow along with if you're willing to cowboy up and follow along with the plan with me!

(see the link "For the Love of GOD" on the left)