A Hidden Providence

In the mess of the life, I hear a echo in the Psalms of what Christ has done for me. "He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me." God's providence hinges on the Cross, where Christ meets my deepest need.

The only reason I think providence is hidden is because I am looking in the wrong place (my current circumstances). When if I turned around, I would see sweet providence needs one validation. The Cross is that validation.

This reveals my lack of faith, and perhaps providence is not so hidden after all.

Don't Thank Me

I want to thank God.

For Christ.
For the Cross of our faithful mediator.
For true life.
For a new family.
For a His beautiful kindness toward me as I stand in faith.
For forgiveness of sins.

Jonathan Edwards On the Expulsion of David Brainerd

     "This awakening was at the beginning of that extraordinary religious commotion which then prevailed through the land, and in which the college shared largely. For thirteen months from this time Brainerd kept a constant diary containing a very particular account of what passed from day to day, making two volumes of manuscripts; but when he lay on his death bed he gave orders (unknown to me til after his death) that these two volumes should be destroyed, inserting a notice, at the beginning of the succeeding manuscripts, that a specimen of his manner of living during that entire period would be found in the first thirty pages next following, (ending with June 15, 1742,) except that he was now more "reformed from some imprudences and indecent heats" than before. 


     A circumstance in the life of Brainerd, which gave great offence to the rulers of the College, and occasioned his expulsion, it is necessary should be here particularly related. During the awakening in College, there were several religious students who associated together for mutual conversation and assistance in spiritual things. These were wont freely to open themselves one to another, as special and intimate friends: Brainerd was one of this company. And it once happened, the he and two or three more of these intimate friends were in the hall together, after Mr. Whittlesey, one of the tutors, had engaged in prayer with the scholars; no other person now remaining in the hall but Brainerd and his companions. Mr. Whittlesey having been unusually pathetic in his prayer, one of Brainerd's friends on this occasion asked him what he thought of Mr. Whittlesey; he made answer, "He has no more grace than this chair." One of the freshmen happening at that time to be near the hall, (though not in the room,) over-heard these words; and though he heard no name mentioned, and knew not who was thus censured, informed a certain woman in town, withal telling her his own suspicion, that Brainerd said this of some one of the rulers of the College. Whereupon she informed the Rector, who sent for this freshman and examined him. He told the Rector the words which he heard Brainerd utter; and informed him who were in the room with him at that time. Upon this the Rector sent for them. They were very backward to inform against their friend respecting what they looked upon as a private conversation; especially as none but they had heard or knew of whom he had uttered those words: yet the Rector compelled them to declare what he said, and of whom he said it. Brainerd looked on himself as very HI used in the management of this affair; and thought that it was injuriously extorted from his friends, and then injuriously required of him - as if he had been guilty of some open, notorious crime - to make a public confession, and to humble himself before the whole College in the hall, for what he had said only in private conversation. He not complying with this demand, and having gone once to the Separate meeting at New-Haven, when forbidden by the Rector; and also having been accused by one person of saying concerning the Rector, "that he wondered he did not expect to drop down dead for firing the scholars who followed Mr. Tennent to Milford, though there was no proof of it; (and Brainerd ever professed that he did not remember saying any thing to that purpose,) for these things he was expelled from the college.

      How far the circumstances and exigencies of that day might justify such great severity in the governors of the college, I will not undertake to determine; it being my aim, not to bring reproach on the authority of the college, but only to do justice to the memory of a person who was, I think, eminently one of those whose memory is blessed. - The reader will see, in the sequel, (particularly under date of September 14,15, 1743,) in how Christian a manner Brainerd conducted himself with respect to this affair; though he ever, as long as he lived, supposed himself ill used in the management of it, and in what he suffered. - His expulsion was in the winter, 1742, while in his third year at college."

The M'Cheyne Cluster 5.20

"On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work." Numbers 29:7.

"Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." Psalm 73:25.

"And the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be few, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken." Isaiah 21:17.

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction." 2 Peter 2:1.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 5.18

"So the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.'" Numbers 27:18.

"With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;

I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone." Psalms 71:16.

"In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense." Isaiah 17:7, 8.

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 5.16

"Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'" Numbers 25:12, 13

"Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation."  Psalm 68:19

"He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon,

to the high places to weep;

over Nebo and over Medeba

Moab wails.

On every head is baldness;

every beard is shorn;" Isaiah 15:2

"Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 3:21

The Rationalist

The optimist says, "The glass is half full."

The pessimist says, "The glass is half empty."

The rationalist says, "This glass is twice as big as it needs to be."

- from Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar  by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klien

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.22

"Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord." Leviticus 26:44, 45.

"Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you." Psalm 33:22.

"Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:9.

"For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined." Titus 1:7-8.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.21

"You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 25:17

"You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with shouts of deliverance." Psalms 32:7

"For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?" Ecclesiastes 8:7

"But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth." 2 Timothy 4:17

The Mountain by Terje Sorgjerd

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.14

"You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord." Leviticus 18:5

"But you, O Lord, do not be far off!

O you my help, come quickly to my aid!" Psalms 22:19

"For in much wisdom is much vexation,

and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." Eccl. 1:18

"Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit, 

seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory." 1 Timothy 3:16

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.12

"'And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.' And Moses did as the Lord commanded him." Leviticus 16:34.

"Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge." Psalms 19:2.

"If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil,

cover your mouth in shame." Proverbs 30:32.

"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Timothy 1:5.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.11

"'Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.'" Leviticus 15:31.

"To flatter friends

is to lay a trap for their feet." Proverbs 29:5.

"For by you I can run against a troop,and by my God I can leap over a wall.

This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." Psalm 18:29, 30.

"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one...May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thess. 3:3, 5.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.9

"He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp." Leviticus 13:46

"I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you.'" Psalm 16:2

"Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy?" Proverbs 27:4

"This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might." 1 Thess. 1:5-9

Michael Gungor - Doxology

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Shadowlands, the Story of C.S. Lewis! Must See.

Watch this tonight with friends. It is a must see!

Buy it here: Shadowlands http://me.lt/7s0nT 

Read Roger Ebert's Review

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.7

"And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord." Leviticus 10:2

"May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue that makes great boasts,

those who say, 'With our tongue we will prevail,

our lips are with us; who is master over us?'" Psalm 12:3,4

"Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked." Proverbs 25:26

"That each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God." 1 Thessalonians 4:5

Our New And Exalted Identity

Our New And Exalted Identity

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.6

"And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the Lordand consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces." Leviticus 9:23, 24

"O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more." Psalm 10:17,18

"An honest answer

is like a kiss of friendship." Proverbs 24:26

"For you yourselves know that we are destined for this [suffering]." 1 Thess. 3:3b

Shifting Shadows

"Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:16-17 (NIV) Emphasis Added .

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.4

"This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, 38 which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai." Levitus 7:37-38

"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,

and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." Psalm 7:17 (Emphasis Added)

"The rich and the poor meet together;

the Lord is the maker of them all." Proverbs 22:2

"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction."  1 Thessalonians 1:2-5a

Risen Has Arrived

Sovereign Grace has produced a new album, "Risen." I have been enjoying the whole album; it is a worship-filled collection. Two songs specifically, Behold our God and To Live Is Christ. "To Live Is Christ" is quickly becoming an absolute favorite, taken from Philippians 1:21.

Here is an article by Bob Kauflin on the project. Plus, a YouTube video on the album.
Risen Has Arrived

A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.2

"And he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering." Levitius 5:9
"You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalm 4:7

"Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin'?" Proverbs 20:9

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

If You Have To Be Sure Don't Write

"Berryman" by W.S. Merwin

"I will tell you what he told me
in the years just after the war
as we then called
the second world war 

don't lose your arrogance yet he said
you can do that when you're older
lose it too soon and you may
merely replace it with vanity 

just one time he suggested
changing the usual order
of the same words in a line of verse
why point out a thing twice 

he suggested I pray to the Muse
get down on my knees and pray
right there in the corner and he
said he meant it literally 

it was in the days before the beard
and the drink but he was deep
in tides of his own through which he sailed
chin sideways and head tilted like a tacking sloop 

he was far older than the dates allowed for
much older than I was he was in his thirties
he snapped down his nose with an accent
I think he had affected in England 

as for publishing he advised me
to paper my wall with rejection slips
his lips and the bones of his long fingers trembled
with the vehemence of his views about poetry 

he said the great presence
that permitted everything and transmuted it
in poetry was passion
passion was genius and he praised movement and invention 

I had hardly begun to read
I asked how can you ever be sure
that what you write is really
any good at all and he said you can't 

you can't you can never be sure
you die without knowing
whether anything you wrote was any good
if you have to be sure don't write"

-"Berryman," by W.S. Merwin, from Flower & Hand (Copper Canyon Press).

Afraid So

Is it starting to rain?
Did the check bounce?
Are we out of coffee?
Is this going to hurt?
Could you lose your job?
Did the glass break?
Was the baggage misrouted?
Will this go on my record?
Are you missing much money?
Was anyone injured?
Is the traffic heavy?
Do I have to remove my clothes?
Will it leave a scar?
Must you go?
Will this be in the papers?
Is my time up already?
Are we seeing the understudy?
Will it affect my eyesight?
Did all the books burn?
Are you still smoking?
Is the bone broken?
Will I have to put him to sleep?
Was the car totaled?
Am I responsible for these charges?
Are you contagious?
Will we have to wait long?
Is the runway icy?
Was the gun loaded?
Could this cause side effects?
Do you know who betrayed you?
Is the wound infected?
Are we lost?
Can it get any worse?

-"Afraid So" by Jeanne Marie Beaumont from Good Poems for Hard Times.

The Marriage of April Fools and Google.

Seconds after finding out one of my friends was foolin' me on April day of one, I found Google's annual April Fools ploy. Find it here.

History of April Fools: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools'_Day

Download Gmail Motion Guide:

The M'Cheyne Cluster 4.1

"And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven." Leviticus 4:20b

"For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish." Psalm 1:6

"He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother

is a son who brings shame and reproach." Proverbs 19:26

"These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." Colossians 2:17

"The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz"

Interesting Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_auschwitz_book

The M'Cheyne Cluster 3.31

"You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." Leviticus 2:13.

"If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord." Leviticus 3:1.

"It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood." Leviticus 3:17.

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing

and obtains favor from the Lord." Proverbs 18:22.

"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him." Colossians 1:16. 

"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We will go with you.' They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing." John 21:3.

"Now none of the disciples dared ask him, 'Who are you?' They knew it was the Lord." John 21:12.

"Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." John 21:25.

Still My Soul

I’ve been enjoying Keith and Kristyn Getty's song talking about resting in God. My favorite line, "Still my soul be still, do not be moved by lesser lights and fleeting shadows."

The M'Cheyne Cluster 3.30

"It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord." Exodus 1:9, 13, 17

"A truly wise person uses few words;

A person with understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27 (NLT)

"Let your reasonableness be known to everyone." Philippians 4:5a

"Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" John 20:29

Here is a striking recognition of Jesus calling His disciples brothers. Talking to Mary Magdalene, He says, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" John 20:17 (Emphasis Added)

Why Something Left?

Well, I fancied the poem by Robert Frost entitled "Unharvested." The whole story. Partly.

A scent of ripeness from over a wall.
And come to leave the routine road
And look for what had made me stall,
There sure enough was an apple tree
That had eased itself of its summer load,
And of all but its trivial foliage free,
Now breathed as light as a lady's fan.
For there had been an apple fall
As complete as the apple had given man.
The ground was one circle of solid red.
May something go always unharvested!
May much stay out of our stated plan,
Apples or something forgotten and left,
So smelling their sweetness would be no theft.

 - Robert Frost

The M'Cheyne Cluster 3.28

"as the LORD had commanded Moses." Exodus 39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32, 42, 43 (ESV)

Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,

than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. Proverbs 15:16 (NLT)

But Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. John 18:16 (ESV)

So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. Phil 2:29

Passengers...the last people I ever see.

Who of us hasn't thought, "This could be my last flight?"

At the gate, I sit in a row of blue seats
with the possible company of my death,
this sprawling miscellany of people—
carry-on bags and paperbacks— 

that could be gathered in a flash
into a band of pilgrims on the last open road.
Not that I think
if our plane crumpled into a mountain 

we would all ascend together,
holding hands like a ring of skydivers,
into a sudden gasp of brightness,
or that there would be some common spot 

for us to reunite to jubilize the moment,
some spaceless, pillarless Greece
where we could, at the count of three,
toss our ashes into the sunny air. 

It's just that the way that man has his briefcase
so carefully arranged,
the way that girl is cooling her tea,
and the flow of the comb that woman 

passes through her daughter's hair ...
and when you consider the altitude,
the secret parts of the engines,
and all the hard water and the deep canyons below ... 

well, I just think it would be good if one of us
maybe stood up and said a few words,
or, so as not to involve the police,
at least quietly wrote something down. 

"Passengers" by Billy Collins

The M'Cheyne Cluster 3.26

"The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings..." Exodus 37:9 (ESV)

"The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied." Proverbs 13:4

"Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible." Ephesians 6:24

"Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." John 16:2

"Take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Timing's Everything

I remember having a conversation about relationships with a respected friend and mentor. While I was spouting about my trifling girl troubles, he said definitively, "Well, it all comes down to timing, brother." Timing. I remember being blown away with such simplicity. Is that all it is? I had my doubts. That is, until I read this poem.

Timing's everything. The vapor rises
high in the sky, tossing to and fro,
then freezes, suddenly, and crystalizes
into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.
For countless miles, drifting east above
the world, whirling about in a swirling free-
for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,
but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.
Falling to where the two young skaters stand,
hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips
itself about to ever-so-gently land,
a miracle, across her unkissed lips:
as he blocks the wind raging from the south,
leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.

                - "Snowflake" by William Baer.

The M'Cheyne Cluster 3.25

God called those "whose hearts stirred [them] up to come to do work." Exodus 36:2 (ESV)

"Better to be an ordinary person with a servant, than to be self-important but have no food." Proverbs 12:9 (NLT)

In Christ, there is a calling to "walk in love, as Christ loved us," letting there be "thanksgiving." Walking in the light, while trying to "discern what is pleasing to the Lord." Ephesians 5 (ESV)

Prayer: May I abide in Christ, remembering without Him I "can do nothing." For Christ said, "Abide in my love." May I also "love one another" as Christ loved me and called me "friend." Christ showed the greatest love and the Holy Spirit "bears witness." John 15 

Freedom and Delivery

Found this Christ exalting statement in my morning reading. It reminded me of a Caedmon's Call song entitled "Free". Find it on iTunes.


‎"The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law; and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, sting of death, victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation;" - Westminster Confession (Chap. 20)