Renewed

Slept in 30 minutes, still left on time for Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Few red lights on the way there. There was a Song in my heart. Once I arrived, I was in such a good mood, saying good mornings to everyone and receiving greetings and handshakes. Sang good ol' hymns for worship, prayed for the nation and the persecuted church around the world. Then there was a baby dedication. about 5 adorable babies dedicated by Chuck Smith to the Lord. The message today was on pressing toward the goal -- Philippians 3. We've been apprehended by God yet not fully. there's still purpose and mission to be completed. We have not yet attained the goal. We are encouraged to press on to do the things of God. After church, I went to Costco to pick up Clif Bars. Again everywhere I went, I received friendly greetings from all the people i encountered. They let me pass in the aisles, and people said thank you when i let them pass. A worker personally helped me and led me directly to energy bar aisle. afterwards I went to Soup Plantation. again, friendly people. new selection - eggs, oatmeal, omelet/pasta dish, gravy biscuits, zucchini quiches. only on sunday, before noon. What a treat! When i went for seconds, it was a minute past noon, and the workers were just clearing all breakfast items away. Just in time I got the last of it and i told a lady next to me, "Good thing we just got here just in time!" .. she said, must be a four leaf clover. In my mind, I simply said, thank you God! On the way home, it was alot of green traffic lights. Usually I hit a bunch of reds... I filled up at the gas station -- 420 miles on 12.6 gallons, decided to calculate mpg on my phone... turns out to be 33.33333333333 mpg. amazing number. Then just a minute ago, received a phone call from my mom that a pastor from New Zealand is going to rent out my house in Harbor City. He said he's been called by God to pastor the church right across the street and from his conscience needing to do it voluntarily without pay. We negotiated a price and he's moving in at the end of July. When I bought the house last year, one of my desires, if I weren't to move in, was to hold this house for a servant of God, and thus I waited and waited, at one point giving up and really close to posting up rental ads in nearby public places and the internet. Then I meet this pastor, pastor Daniel, who told me that God prompted him to serve at the church across the street, Canaan New Life Christian Church, and not only that, he told me that God prompted him to move in to this specific house. Could I say that there's something special about this day... Last night, I prayed in desperation on the street in front of Ming's house with Jonathan that God would renew my strength and my faith in Him. Prayed for streams of living water to flow in our lives, then the sprinklers turned on. Asked for the Light of the world to shine brightly in our lives, a car drives by and illuminates the dark night. Asked to be in His presence. Ask for the God of all creation to capture our hearts once again. Did He come through? I think this story speaks for itself, and gives an astounding praise to God.

Power and Majesty

Praise the Lord O My Soul

John Piper is preaching a 6-part sermon on the Psalms called "Thinking and Feeling with God". The series, video or audio, is found in the May and June portion of his sermon page: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2008/

Noteworthy is the Father's Day message to dads on Psalm 103. How important it is to praise and bless the Lord in the presence of family, friends, colleagues, and strangers.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

-Psalm 103:1-4,20-22

We Know Not The Gospel

[from reformedvoices.com]

Blessed

In You I trust. My Savior God. How great Thou art! How great Thou art! My soul sings of Your faithfulness. Lead on Spirit of God. Lead on.

I set out on a narrow way many years ago. Hoping I would find true love along the broken road. I got lost a time or two. You have been faithful in bringing me back to You. Oh how awesome you are my God. You have blessed the man who delights in your Word. You have made him like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers. All glory to you, King of kings and Lord of lords, I plead, love me to the end.

Christian Fellowship

In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is brought into fellowship with believers and they are preparing a feast. Once the feast is ready the following description is given of their fellowship:

“Now I saw in my dream, that thus they sat talking together until supper was ready. So when they had made ready, they sat down to eat. Now the table was furnished with fat things, and with wine that was well refined; and all their talk at the table was about the Lord of the hill: namely, about what he had done; and why he did what he did; and why he had built that house. And by what they said, I perceived that he had been a great warrior, and had fought with and slain him that had the power of death;

but not without great danger to himself, which made me love him even more.

For, as they said, and as I believe (said CHRISTIAN), he did it with the loss of much blood; but the thing which put the glory of grace into all he did, was, that he did it out of pure love for his country. And besides, there were some of them of the household that said they had seen and spoke with him since he died on the cross; and they have attested that they had it from his own lips, that he is such a lover of poor pilgrims, that the like is not to be found from the east to the west.

Furthermore they gave an instance of what they affirmed, and that was, he had stripped himself of his glory that he might do this for the poor; and that they heard him say and affirm that he would not dwell in the Mountain of Zion alone. They said, moreover, that he had made many pilgrims princes, though by nature they were born beggars, and their original home had been the dunghill.

Thus they conversed together till late at night; and after they had committed themselves to their Lord for protection, they left to rest. They put the pilgrim in a large upper bedroom whose window opened towards the sun rising; the name of the room was Peace, where he slept till break of day; and then he awoke and sang–

“Where am I now? is this the love and care
Of Jesus for the men that pilgrims are,
Thus to provide? That I should be forgiven!
And dwell already the next door to heaven!”

[taken from recoverthegospel.com]