Grace Unmeasured

Grace Seminar - ONE BODY

2011-10-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Please take time to read below the invitation from Pastor Dave.
If you are from Grace Church, please join us that weekend. Take a good look at the poster...if you are from Grace you will probably see yourself.

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As I've grown as a Christ follower my recognition of my need for the people of God has dramatically increased. Early on in my Christian life (naively and pridefully) I felt little need for the Church. I suppose this individualism had its roots in two main sins: 1) a tiny view of God's kingdom and the work he means to accomplish in it; and 2) the faithless worldview that I grew up with before trusting in Jesus.

Today, because God has matured me as a Christian and because I've lived quite a bit more life, I'm all too aware of my need for God's people. I lack gifts which I need and God promises to provide through his people. I lack resources which I need and God promises to provide through his people. I lack knowledge which I need and God promises to provide through his people. I lack love and faith and obedience and examples which I need and God promises to provide through his people. God, in his Word, promises to meet certain needs of his people only through his people. I now know this with my mind and have experienced it in my life.

In the past several years I've been through times of remarkable joy and difficulty in the context of the Church. I've experienced God's people caring for my family and others in selfless and sacrificial ways. It's been awesome to experience the presence of God through the people of God. However, I'm convinced that God, in his Word, holds out even greater promises for the Church. In this seminar we'll look at the doctrine of the Church (what the bible has to say about the church), scheme together how we might live out the reality that we are all a part of as members of the body of Christ, and hope and dream together about what God might do as we live collective lives of faith!

Please join us us as we look at the heart, mind, and practice of the body of Christ.

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ."

- 1 Corinthians 12:12

Humbly,
Pastor Dave

Sunday's Sermon and Discipleship Groups at Grace Church

2011-10-01T10:54:00.003-05:00

The following was put together to give a description and rationale for our sermon-based studies in the discipleship groups this fall:

Discipleship Groups and the Sermon-Based Study

Daniel Patz

September 2011

Beginning this fall all the Discipleship Groups will include a sermon-based study as part of its meeting time. Sermon-discussion guides will be posted online along with the sermon audio and sermon notes on the Sunday the sermon is preached. Below are some definitions and purposes listed for this move to sermon-base study. I hope you will join me in prayer as we seek to better know and obey God’s Word together.

The Sermon-Based Study:

The sermon-based study is one of the major elements of the discipleship group meeting which uses the sermon, its subject or its Scripture text as the main focus of study and discussion.

Sermon-Discussion Guide:

The sermon-discussion guide is a handout provided by the preacher on the Sunday the sermon is preached that is used to aid the sermon-based study and its preparation. The guide will include five sections: 1) Personal/experience, 2) Observation, 3) Interpretation, 4) Application, 5) Next week.

Sermon-Based Study Goal:

The sermon-based study’s goal is to glorify God by taking His preached Word (sermon) and written Word (Scriptures) into our minds, hearts and actions together by the power of the Spirit.

Motivators for the Sermon-Based Studies:

It is our prayer that God would use sermon-based studies to:

Sharpen our focus in the Word by taking less subjects but going deeper
Pursue a greater unity in the body by studying the same passage together in all the DGs (every group will be studying the same subject and we will be hearing what God has to say together)
Train the members of the church to be what Thabiti Anyabwile calls "expositional listeners" - teaching people to take the Sunday preaching seriously and teaching them how to listen for the main point of the sermon and text (“Listening for the meaning of the passage of Scripture and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be grasped for our personal corporate lives as Christians.”)
Learn better how to study the bible - thinking in terms of observation/interpretation/application which will be reflected in the discussion guide
Focus on the much neglected responsibility of applying/obeying what we hear and study - being doers of the Word and not hearers only
Grow in the above things (expositional listening, Bible study, and application/obedience) in the context of community - God wants us to benefit from each others’ gifts as we look at and obey God's Word together
Encourage the preacher and to challenge Him to preach with precision and clarity

GOOD NEWS!

2011-09-14T21:55:00.001-05:00

In order to show His love,

uphold His justice,

forgive sinners,

and display His glory,

God sent His Son,

Jesus,

to pay for sin

with His death.

posted by Pastor Dave VanAcker in a church email today

Kids Sunday School Songs

2011-09-13T20:54:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday I handed out a sheet for the songs we will be working on in the kid's Sunday School.

Here is the page that was handed out with links to where you can purchase an audio mp3 of the song.

Jeff Jensen with Kindergarten - 2nd grade

Our Patriotic Duty

2011-09-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

I am a flag waving American. I love the national anthem, Independence Day, and the colors: red, white and blue. I am glad I was born in this country, I think this country is special and I hope (and believe) that the best is yet to come for this country. Patriotism is noble and it is a godly virtue when it is an expression of grateful affection and measured loyalty to one's own country for the glory of God.

Tomorrow is "Patriot Day." It is the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001--the day terrorists attacked the World Trade towers and a portion of the Pentagon. Words like "evil" and "justice" were thrown around with great ease by Republicans, Democrats, atheists and religious believers. Surely, what was done was evil by evil men. This evil was graphically displayed before us on our TV screens on that day. Perfect justice is only accomplished by God, but He has ordained for earthly authorities to execute justice with careful and appropriate means. I think it can be argued that our country has sought (imperfectly) to do this.

But I want to ask, as a Christian, what is my patriotic duty as I celebrate/remember Patriot Day? I would suggest that the most patriotic thing we can do is REPENT. Repentance begins with humble confession of sin and it continues in daily surrender to God's will. It's not something we can accomplish in one day. But it starts somewhere. First, it starts when we begin to confess the sins of our own heart: idolatry (manifested in greed, envy, anxiety, lust, lack of courage, disobedience to parents, etc.), immorality, pride, unbelief and rebellion. Secondly, we must confess to God the sins of our country and plead for His forgiveness and a fresh spiritual awakening in our own hearts, in the hearts and lives of our church, other churches and in our entire country. We need to take responsibility for our sins and then for our country's by confessing it to the Lord (see Daniel 9 as an example). What should we confess? Let me name one of many "inconvenient truths" about our country. More babies are killed in this country under the "permission" of law and by the hands of American citizens every day than the number of people that were killed on September 11, 2001 (for more read here).

I love America. I pray that God would prosper and protect America. But America's greatest need is the forgiveness of sins and a new heart. What America needs is something it cannot earn or produce on its own. It needs sovereign grace and divine mercy. Thankfully, the King of the nations is up to this task. We must get down (on our knees) to the business of asking Him to give us just that.

I'm Back

2011-09-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted on this blog. I plan to start writing again.
I spent some time reformatting the look of the blog and I plan to start posting more often with the help of some friends here at Grace Church.

To get updates from this blog you can sign up to get emails (over to the right) or you can use my preferred method--subscribe to an rss feed (google reader rocks).

The Reality that Must Flavor Every Fiber of True Christmas Festivity

2010-12-18T12:29:00.000-06:00

My Confession Exhortation from last Sunday (Dec 12):

Saints of God, what day is this?

(Congregation) It is the Lord’s Day!

Why is it the Lord’s Day?

(Congregation) Because Christ rose from the dead on this day!

What kind of day is it?

(Congregation) It is a gift that is glorious and joyful!

This is advent or Christmas season: a time which, as we will see in the kids’ play this morning, we focus on the birth of Jesus. However, we must remembering that beginnings mean very little if there is no proper ending. There needs to be a fitting finish. This day is the Lord’s Day because God always finishes what He begins. It is the Lord’s day because Jesus, the baby born in the maternity barn; the one who shared his newborn moments with cattle and goats and smelly shepherds, because Jesus lived, obeyed perfectly His father, died on the cross conquering the dragon-Satan, and rose from the dead in three days. He is King and He will never surrender His title…world without end. This reality must flavor every fiber of our Christmas festivity and manger remembrance! We know the end from the beginning because the Author has let us in on this one…baby Jesus is now King! That old Serpent, Satan, has been defanged! We the Church are a new creation by the Holy Spirit; we are a new people from the seed of the woman who were rescued by that great dragon-slayer (namely, Jesus) and the gates of hell will not prevail against us! This is glorious, this is joyful and the best is yet to come!

Do we believe this? Rather, do we live, think, sing, pray, hope, give, and talk as though this is a reality? This should remind us of our need to confess our sins and look to Christ.

God Wired Us to Party With a Vengeance

2010-12-07T14:42:00.001-06:00

My confession exhortation from this past Sunday:

I think it’s fair to say, as far as our culture is concerned that we are now into the “Christmas season” in full force. Sadly this does not mean our nation’s attention is reverently and joyfully focused on the birth of the Christ, the King of the world. Stores are packed with consumers, and online shopping is ripe with sweet deals and free shipping. All around us we see lights and icicles; Santa and scented candles; reindeer and wise men; candy canes and silver bells; snow men and nativities; Bing Crosby and Shrek Christmas; blockbuster movie openings and constant jingle bell commercials; carols and endless cookies, Handel’s Messiah and It’s a Wonderful Life: as Johnny Matthis reminds us annually – “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

Now I am not here to pull a Grinch or Scrooge on you (or to use biblical terms – a “Pharisee” on you) because this season IS the birthday month of King Jesus. Festiveness is in order and I don’t mean the kind that constantly grumbles about silly decorations, materialism, traditions, gluttony and family get-togethers. God wired us to party and to party with a vengeance. Decorations, traditions, get-togethers, gifts, special songs, trees, lights, feasts, partying and much, much more can and probably should fit into a proper Christmas celebration--yet the question of WHY must always be at the forefront of our minds. When we’re asked “What’s this all about?” Do we clear our voices and sheepishly say—“mmmmm. Oh yah, Jesus, I guess” as though we had a brain freeze? Or does our celebrating find its beginning, middle and end with the radical and world-changing reality of Christ becoming man for our salvation and the worlds’?

We should sing till our voices are raw, because our hearts demand the release of joy in God! We should give in loving, wise and sacrificial ways to show off the one who gave His all for us! We should feast with full vigor while reminding our kids and others that all this is blood-bought by the one who was born in a Manger! By all means, put Chevy Chase to shame in your decorations—but for a much different reason. Embrace Christmas traditions, honor your family in get-togethers, be patient and kind to those who miss the point—but by all means – DON’T MISS THE POINT. I mean JESUS. We are His disciples, and as His disciples, we have more reason than anyone to enjoy the month that remembers His birth.

He is the Great Shakespeare of Our Play

2010-11-09T10:43:00.001-06:00

Exhortation for November 7, 2010 at Grace Church

(Sermon Today – Joy Because of a Sovereign God – Ecc 3:1-15)

Are you catching on yet? Have you put up the white flag of surrender seeking for terms of peace with the biblical reality that trips us up on a daily basis? I am talking about the truth that God is absolutely sovereign and, well…we are not. God’s sovereignty means that He is in control; absolutely in control. You thought you were the final determining factor on what you wore today…think again. He is the Great Shakespeare of our play called life (under the sun). We are the Hamlets, Romeo and Juliets who have little…well, there I did it again…no determining factor on how the play will go. This is not to say that we don’t make choices, experience consequences for our choices, and are held responsible for them—the Great Author made it that way when he spoke us into existence (by the way, we exist right now because He keeps speaking us into existence – isn’t that a humbling and mind-twisting thought?). There is a lot of mystery here, but the Bible is very clear on this – God is sovereign. Sometimes we think we have things planned out smoothly…but a smooth road will only be a reality if God declares it and if He doesn't, potholes are the least of our problems.

This means that as you come to this place on the Lord’s Day this morning you come to approach the one who holds your life (and every second of it) in His hands. You come to Him as dependant creatures to a God who amazingly has made a covenant with you. Shakespeare never did this with Hamlet. He does not control our lives because he gets a sadistic kick out of seeing us squirm and groan…He does so because He is God. He is a God who is Love and Wisdom and He is intent on pouring out maximum (We can’t fathom His maximum) joy on His creatures. He is love and the fact that we are here this morning is a sign of His love. We are here because He made it that way. We are here and He intends to serve us…the actors in His Drama. He plans to pour out His grace and love to this piece of artwork that He is sculpting; the poem that He is writing--called the Church. How will He do this? He does this weekly by declaring to us that our sins are forgiven because of Christ; by accepting our gifts and offerings, our prayers and our praise; by feeding us with His Word through means of reading, sermon, songs and communion. This is not a morning of shallow or meaningless ritual, this is one of God’s means of shaping us into the people He intends to shape us. And in shaping us He is shaping a new humanity in the likeness of Christ the new Adam. So let us repent of our unworthy expectations and our haughty unbelief and rejoice in His forgiveness and commitment to us.

Call to Repentance - Eight Things of We Should Repent

2010-11-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

From last Sunday:

As one pastor blogged this week, this is the time when we hear and see a lot of scary stuff. We see it and we hear it from people in all types of mediums and of course I am talking about the campaigns of the midterm elections. It is common for Christians to react to all this hype with pessimistic dismay, fearful panic or frustrated indifference. Truly, our nation is in a mess and it is never helpful to declare peace, when there is no peace. But God’s people are always called to respond to sin and sins’ consequences with repentance and faith. So we must begin by pointing the finger at the person we see every morning in the bathroom mirror (and I am not talking about your spouse). Yes, I think we should cast our votes this Tuesday and do so with informed minds, strong conviction, humble spirits, and thankful hearts. We surely can enter this weekend with a prayerful anticipation or hope that certain results will move more inline with biblical wisdom and common sense for the good of the nation. However, any true reformation of government will only come as a result of a biblical reformation of the people of that government which will only happen through the reformation of the church…The BODY who has been given the GOOD NEWS of the new KING of the World…the church is the preservative entity that is designed by Christ to be salt and light in a dark world.

The political and governmental mess we read about in the Star Tribune or watch on Foxnews is our mess…and not because we voted for them (which we all have to some degree). It is our mess because we as the people of God have lost our saltiness and our brightness is dimmer than my kid’s nightlight. We are guilty of worshipping the same idols as the rest of our country, we relate to our spouses and kids with similar abdication or unfaithfulness as the world does, we are reckless and lazy in our finances, we are cowards in declaring the Gospel, we grumble and complain because our blessings from God are not wrapped with glittery paper (we can’t afford a 42 in TV so we had to settle for 32 inches), we act with selfish “what’s best for me” motives, and we quickly run to government, politics or something else as our Savior or security.

So what do we do? We repent. We confess our sins to a gracious God and believe the Gospel. Jesus came to save sinners. He did not come to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Let us begin by taking responsibility for our nations woes by confessing our own guilt as a church beginning as individuals and families. Let us confess our sin of abdication of salt and light and look to the One who gives us His Spirit and restores His people to be THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD in obedience to King Jesus. He is LORD. Let us not forget this. All authority has been given HIM and he has brought us together to disciple the nations…including our own. It begins by humble confession and repentance of our own sin…and hopeful joy in the One who declared forgiveness when rose from the dead!

Here are eight things to begin with:

1. Spiritual Adultery

Definition: The giving of one’s devotion to something or someone other than God.

2. Marital Unfaithfulness

Definition: The lack of Christ-centered fidelity to your spouse in mind, words and actions.

3. Child Sacrifice to False Gods

Definition: The surrendering up of our children to numerous dangers through a selfish abdication of our role as spiritual shepherds and disciplers.

4. Scandalous Stewardship

Definition: The irresponsible, lazy and reckless use of our talents (money, skills, time, etc) leading to a burden of indebtedness rather than fruitfulness.

5. Shameful Ingratitude

Definition: The inexcusable forgetfulness of God’s constant blessings manifested in pride or discontent rather thank thankful faith.

6. Gospel Cowardice

Definition: The lack of joy and confidence in Biblical Truth (in general) and the Gospel (in particular) leading to fearful, embarrassed and lazy closet-Christians.

7. Self-centered Individualism

Definition: The “what is best for me” first mindset with little or no concern for who it affects others that you are really connected to – family, church, community, nation.

8. Idolatrous Trust

Definition: The reliance on anything other than God to be your savior.

Communion, Picnic and More

2010-10-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Grace Church,

I have three announcements for you in regards to this weekend or month (October 10^th):

COMMUNION TOMORROW

Tomorrow morning at Grace Church we will celebrate communion at the end of the Lord’s Day service. We welcome every believer to join us as we remember the covenant that He has made with us through the death of Christ and celebrate the reality that He has made us His children having forgiven and accepted us by grace.

HARVEST PICNIC AT THE MUELLERS TOMORROW

Come share a fun afternoon of food, fun and fellowship tomorrow (October 10^th).

If you weren’t planning on coming or if bringing food is too much, just come as you are!

There will be:

• Adult games and prizes

• Children’s games and prizes

• Horse rides

• Hayrides

• Face painting

• Rodeo entertainment

Starts at 1 PM (or after church)

Please bring food to share (dessert and main dish are provided)

Bring chair or blanket to sit on and clothes that can get dirty

Where? 25599 Olinda Trail Lindstrom, MN 55045

WOMEN’S SPA NIGHT

When? Friday, October 29th from 6:00-8:30 PM

This is a night designed for women of the church to refresh, rejuvenate, and reflect so that they might serve God and their families more fully and to have some quality quiet time with the Lord. A spa package will include relaxation and stretching, personal private prayer, and the choice of a facial massage and spin cleansing, or a hot stone relaxation back massage.

This will be a time of introspection not a time of fellowship so there will be no talking. J

You may bring your Bible and find a quiet corner to curl up into when you are done if you choose.

A freewill offering will be taken.

There will be a signup sheet in the back starting next Sunday.

It will be, first-come-first-serve, when the sign up is full the spa will be closed.

Licking the Label of a Can of Peaches

2010-10-01T10:58:00.002-05:00

I mentioned this analogy in my sermon last Sunday. Here is the quote from Joy at the End of the Tether (Wilson):

So the message here is twofold. God is the One who gives things, and God is the one who gives the power to enjoy things. These are two distinct gifts...just as a can of peaches and a can opener are distinct gifts. Only the first is given to the unbeliever. The believer is given both, which is simply another way of saying that he is given the capacity for enjoyment. (17)

Wilson is referring to Ecclesiastes 2:24-26:

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Two Great Books on Ecclesiastes

2010-09-28T10:09:00.002-05:00

I just started preaching through Ecclesiastes.
Here are two really good books on the subject.

Joy at the End of the Tether by Douglas Wilson
I use Wilson's outline in my introduction sermon as the structure of the book.
This book is worth reading over and over.

Ecclesiastes with New Eyes: A Table in the Mist by Jeffrey Meyers
Meyers' book is more in depth and yet very spiritually edifying (in contrast to dry commentary). Very helpful.

Come to Sunday School Tomorrow

2010-09-11T11:27:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow we begin Sunday School for the fall.

Here are a few things to make a note of:

We begin at 9 AM. Try to be here on time.
Nursery is provided.
Classes start with 2 years old...that includes many families!
Teens and Adults will be in the Berea class.
Your presence is not just for your benefit but it serves and encourages others.

Watch the video:

God Over All Things Intro

2010-07-24T19:28:00.003-05:00

Dear Grace Church,

Please take a few minutes (if you get this before Sunday) to watch this introduction to my sermon series starting tomorrow, July 25^th, at Grace Church. If you get this after the fact, please still watch it because it is the introduction for the next six weeks.

Please pray. Pray that God would open our eyes to behold wondrous things from His Word regarding Himself. May His Son be glorified and may His Spirit make us a people that are worthy of His name.

By His grace,

Pastor Daniel

Invite for the 2010 Parenting Seminar

2010-06-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

Strong When Weak Sermon Setup

2010-06-11T17:28:00.000-05:00

Grace Church Missions Trip to Peru

2010-05-15T06:57:00.000-05:00

Withhold Not Correction Sermon Setup

2010-05-14T14:49:00.000-05:00

Mothers Armed for Battle - Sermon Setup

2010-05-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

I love and am thankful for my mom, mother-in-law, and the mother of my children. I love the mothers of Grace Church and recognize they have a massive task and calling in life. May they be encouraged and armed for battle in the strength of the Lord.

Bring Them Up - Sermon Setup for May 2

2010-04-30T17:57:00.000-05:00

Here is a short word on my sermon for this Sunday. Parents, please take your calling seriously.

Don't Provoke Your Children - Sermon Setup Apr 25

2010-04-23T14:42:00.002-05:00

Here is the sermon setup for this Sunday, April 25 -- "Fathers, don't provoke your children to anger." (Eph 6:4)

Sermoner Setup for Tony Cooper at Grace Church

2010-04-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry I got this to you late. I was having technical problems. Tony Cooper, an elder of Grace Church will be preaching this Sunday. Come to learn and feast on the Word of God.

- Daniel

Taking a Spiritual Audit of Your Money - Sermon Setup

2010-04-09T16:12:00.001-05:00

I hope you are excited to think about your money because I am. I have been praying and studying on this subject for the past two weeks. Here is the sermon setup for this Sunday, April 11th.

Please be in prayer -- He has great things in store, because His Word is powerful and He loves His church!

Church Grumblings: I'm Not Being Fed

2010-04-06T10:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I read Jonathan Acuff's book of satire called Stuff Christians Like. You can download it for free this month at Christian Audio. I was listening to it while running yesterday and a few times I almost fell over from laughing so hard. I must have been quite a site - a very happy runner, indeed.

SCL is a book that makes fun of things we say and do as Christians that are well - quite foolish, sometimes hypocritical, and normally "just what we do." He is writing satire so you need to understand that he is using humor to make a point. I thought you would be challenged to read this one on church grumblers (not gamblers) - he says that their favorite line is "I am just not getting fed."

COMPLAINING ABOUT NOT BEING “FED” AT CHURCH

If you want to become a professional church grumbler, not just some amateur occasionally throwing rocks at the worship service, minister, or other attributes of the church, there’s one key phrase you need to know:

“I’m not being fed.”

This simple complaint—the teaching is lacking, the sermons are thin, the worship music is not uplifting enough, or a million other things that people find inadequate—is the official complaint of church grumblers the world over. If we could figure out a way to monetize it, we could permanently end world poverty. Forget cold fusion; if we could generate energy every time someone says this phrase, we’d be able to break our dependence on foreign oil in about four minutes.

It’s such a perfect thing to say because it deflects any attention away from me, while at the same time creating false humility and making me seem spiritually mature and advanced. “It’s not you, it’s me. I just want to learn. I’m admitting that I am incomplete. I’m hungry for deep, real spiritual teaching. I’m humbly confessing that I’m not getting enough out of church. Please help me get the rich faith-building experiences that i so desperately need.”

Just be careful who you say this to. Pastors are starting to get wily. When people tell my friend, “I’m not being fed,” he replies, “I’m perfectly happy to spoon feed my one-year-old. But if I’m still spoon-feeding him when he’s five, we’ve got a problem. Here’s a fork. Feed yourself.”

What If Easter Bunnies are Real? Sermon Setup for Easter

2010-04-02T16:44:00.000-05:00

Here is my Video Sermon Setup for this Easter Sunday, April 4th.

If you would, please read 1 Corinthians 15 in preparation for the Lord's Day.

For more information about Grace Church see www.gracewyoming.com

Weep No More - Sermon Setup - March 28

2010-03-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

Here is a sermon setup video for this Sunday, Palm Sunday, March 28.

I hope it is helpful.

Easter Week Setup Video

2010-03-25T20:51:00.003-05:00

Some thoughts on Easter week, Easter, preparation and evangelism.

Don't Trifle, Hold the Rope...Sermon Setup Video

2010-03-20T20:37:00.001-05:00

Here is my first "Sermon Setup" video for my sermon tomorrow. Like I said, I plan to normally send this out on Fridays at the latest.

Grace Unmeasured Video Blog Introduction

2010-03-20T16:23:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about this for a while and with Molly and the kids gone, I though this was a good time to start...This is fun for me and I hope for you as well...although fun is not the goal... To Him be the glory!

Defensive People are Proud

2010-03-04T09:56:00.002-06:00

Jeffy Jensen passed this my way. It is worth watching/listening to:

6 Questions When Your Child Needs Discipline

2010-02-24T16:55:00.005-06:00

From Bruce Ray's Withhold Not Correction:

What did you do?
What does God say about this? (teach them the Word)
Was what you did right or wrong according to the Scriptures?
What happens when you disobey?
What must I do as a parent under God's authority?
What ought you to do in the future?

See One Book Per Week

One Book Per Week 9: Book 3 - "Withhold Not Correction"

2010-02-24T13:43:00.000-06:00

Check out my website/blog - "One Book Per Week"

It has been fun to discipline myself to read in this way.

Most recently I am reading this book on parenting (I give it 5 stars):

Week 9: Book 3 - "Withhold Not Correction" by Bruce A. Ray (One Book Per Week)

21 Questions to Ask About Your Church

2010-02-24T13:26:00.002-06:00

21 Questions I’ve Been Asking (Myself) Lately
Several of you will find these questions familiar, but their familiarity does not minimize the piercing factor for this pastor. I wanted to put them out there in case others might find them helpful.

1. If our church would cease to exist in our city, would it be noticed and missed?

2. If all the pastors were tragically killed in a car accident, would the church’s ministry cease or fall apart?

3. If the only possible means of connecting with unbelievers were through the missionary living of our church members, how much would we grow? (I ask this because the early church did not have signs, websites, ads, marketing, etc.)

4. What are the subcultures within the church? Do they attract or detract from the centrality of the gospel and mission of the church?

5. Is our church known more for what we are not/against than what we are/for?

6. What are we allowing to be our measuring stick of church health? (attendance vs. discipleship; seating capacity vs. sending capacity; gospel growth, training on mission, etc.)

7. Are the priorities of our church in line with the priorities of Christ’s kingdom?

8. If our members had 60 seconds to explain to an unbeliever what our church is like, what would you want them to say? How many do you think are saying that?

9. If the invisible kingdom of God became visible in our city, what would that look like?

10. In what ways have we acted or planned in unbelief instead of faith?

11. As a pastor, is my time spent more in fixing people’s problems or helping people progress in faith through training/equipping them for ministry?

12. Are the people we are reaching more religious or pagan?

13. What can we learn about our evangelism practices by the kind of people are being reached with the gospel?

14. What will it take to reach those in our city who are far from God and have no access to the gospel?

15. What percentage of our growth is conversion growth (vs. transfer growth)?

16. How many people know and are discharging their spiritual gifts in active service and building up of the body of Christ?

17. How many people do I know (and more importantly know me) on a first name basis in my community and city who do not attend our church?

18. Am I using people to get ministry done, or am I using ministry to get people “done”?

19. Is the vision we are casting forth honoring both God’s heart for the lost (builder) and God’s passion for a pure church (perfecter)?

20. If money and space were not an issue, what is one thing we ought to dream for God to do in our midst where it is impossible for anyone to get the credit except for the omnipotent hand of God?

21. If being a church planting church is comprised of disciple-making disciples, then how are we doing?

Got any other questions that you could add? Please pass them along!

Join us at 10 AM Sunday Mornings for Prayer

2010-02-14T07:01:00.004-06:00

Dear Grace Church and people from the Wyoming-Forest Lake, MN community:

Every Sunday morning at 10 (immediately following the Sunday school time) we spend time in prayer in the sanctuary. We pray for the morning service, for the sermon in particular, the coming week and the special prayer requests of people in the congregation.

Please join us. This is a helpful way of preparing your hearts for the corporate worship of God's people (the service starts at 10:30).

Don't pass over the gracious and amazing invitation that God has given to us in prayer. Last night I was talking this over with my oldest son, Paul, and he said it this way (in answer to the question - why do we pray before the service?) - "because God does the work and He told us to ask." Amen! Do we really ask? Do we really believe that He will do the work? Do we really know Who we are talking about when we doubt?

God does the heavy lifting and He instructs us to ask, seek and knock and it will be answered, found and opened to us.

Imagine what God intends to do in your heart, in the heart of your family, in the hearts of the people of Grace Church, and in the hearts of our community when we give ourselves to corporate (and private) prayer.

Here is a helpful prayer and meditation to ponder that helped my heart and spirit this morning. Please pray this for yourself and others this morning as you come to the Worship of God in the Word.

Psalm 119
25 My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!

Alone With God and Helped By You

2010-01-28T16:38:00.004-06:00

Dear Grace Church and Friends,

Thank you for praying fore Molly, the kids and me over the past few days. From Tuesday morning until today I spent time alone in Northwestern Wisconsin (near Hayward) at a beautiful cabin (think luxurious log-home/resort) for the purpose of prayer, Bible study, reading and communion with God. On Sunday I asked you to pray for me, confident that He would bless me more if you were praying. I am quite assured that many of you did, indeed, pray for me. I thought it would be encouraging to you if I shared some of the fruit of my time.

Here are some evidences of grace that I wrote in my journal:

1 - Sweet fellowship with God - true communion through prayer, reading and meditation on God's Word, truths and works...

2 - I was given good health and alertness - not sleepy during me time

3 - I benefited from a great setting - beautiful, comfortable, great to reading chairs, quiet

4 - My family at home did very well; they were willing to send me off and pray for me ( and were people serving them by asking if they can make a meal for them)

5 - The knowledge of friends and church praying for me was a great encouragement to me

6 - A diligence from God was given to me to spend my time wisely in reading, praying and journaling

7 - The prayers and pursuit of a vision and "holy ambition" as a pastor was a great help in focusing my time and energy and proved fruitful (if you want to know more what I mean by this - see this Sermon "A Holy Ambition" - I have been praying that God would speak to me and give me a particular burden that would drive me)

8 - The use of my Kindle was a great blessing and help to me in the accessibility of books and comfort to read longer in comfort

9 - The confirmation from God regarding a holy ambition - more to come...

10 - The knowledge that the cabin that I stayed at was being provided to me by dear friends who are part of the congregation and who love and pray for me (thank you Joe and Suzanne Tromberg)

11 - The help of sporadic breaks to provide variety to my time - Fox News, whirlpool (yes, it was luxury), a good cold run in the country (I love running in sub zero conditions)

12 - Freedom and protection from temptations of the flesh and other distractions that would draw me away from my purpose.

13 - Good sleep in a very comfortable bed...

Yes, it sounds like I was really suffering for Christ while I was up there, right!

I profess to God and to you my gratitude for these things with a sure knowledge that I don't deserve this form of grace and mercy but I rejoice that He (and you) have extended it to me.

For those who are interested, here are some things I read while I was away. I am so thankful for the time and ability to read and pray.

The Holy Scriptures:

1 Peter
Romans 8
Psalm 145 (spent a lot of time on this passage)
Psalm 23 and 46
Deuteronomy 4-6
John 6, 12
Isaiah 55
Psalm 115
Also - my read through the Bible plan.

Books Other than the Bible:

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - Great book that reminded me of the brevity of this life and the pilgrimage that we are on until we die or He returns. This books reminded me of the spiritual warfare that we face as Christians and our need to fight the Enemy with the spiritual weapons that He provides for us.
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan - Here the puritan John Bunyan gives the account of his salvation and his internal wrestlings with his own guilt, sin, and freedom that he found only at the foot of the cross through the Gospel. He also gives the account of his calling to be a preacher, his imprisonment for preaching without being licensed by the State Church in England (think 1660s) and his 12 year imprisonment because he insisted on obeying God rather than man in fulfilling his calling as a preacher of the Gospel. In prison he wrote books that have impacted generations of Christians.
The Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham - After being impacted by his sermon that we listened to at the parenting seminar last fall I wanted to read his book on the same subject - The Centrality of the Home in the evangelism and discipleship of the children. This was a very impactful book for me to read as I consider our calling as a church and families to raise our kids in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton - I didn’t read this book in its entirety, but it provided a great break in my reading. Chesterton reflects on what is wrong with the thinkers of today. He has a tremendous chapter about the ethics of Elfland in which he talks about the importance of the "fairy tales" in their shaping of his imagination as it relates to the REAL world that God has "magically" made and continues to sustain.
Helping Children to Understand the Gospel by Sally Michael and others - This book is printed by Children's Desiring God and is a book that every parent should read, be familiar with and use in their home. I was moved to pray for my kids and the kids of Grace church as well as their parents.
The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory (1886) - I had this book recommended to me by Douglas Wilson and I am more than halfway done. This book is a very helpful read for every parent (no matter what stage they are in), Church teacher, pastor, elder, or anyone else who has a desire to pass on knowledge to someone else in an effective way - I hope that includes you. As a preacher it has been very insightful. I hope it helps .

Ok, if you are actually still reading, I will close with another thank you.

Together with you in the Greatest Cause,

Pastor Daniel Patz

Those Whom Live Closest to You

2009-12-24T11:32:00.002-06:00

I was re-reading a portion of one of my favorite books from 2009 - Broken-Down House by Paul Tripp. This quote gripped me as I think about spending time with my family this Christmas season:

John [1 John 4:7-12, 16-21] essentially says that if you want to know the true quality of your relationship with God, don't look at your theological knowledge, biblical literacy, church involvement, etc. (although all these are very important). Instead, you should look at the quality of the relationships you have with those whom you live closest to.

Tiger Woods through a Biblical Lens

2009-12-03T15:15:00.003-06:00

Here is a thoughtful article by David Bahnsen on the Tiger Woods adultery scandal.

Here is a tidbit of what he says:

The postmodern tendency to “wonder what they may be going through behind closed doors” does not resonate with me (other than the cynical smile it puts on my face). To me, these people are dirtbags, and I believe that marital vows are meant to be broken in any society that condones murdering babies, breaking business covenants with bondholders, forcing a Darwinian view of human origin that necessitates moral relativism, etc. I find all of it deplorable, but I certainly do not find it surprising. We have a recipe for a certain cake, and when the cake comes out of the oven exactly as the recipe called for, why would we wonder why the cake does not taste like a meatloaf? Media savagery, marital infidelity, and the rest of this despicable enchilada are all part of the present societal recipe. If I spend 18 years teaching my children that the highest ethic is not getting caught, and that the real measurement of their satisfaction in life ought to come from their hedonistic enjoyment of it, I am expecting to get Bernie Madoff, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, and Brittney Spears, all rolled into one (though sadly, with less money).

Thanksgiving in an Evil Day

2009-11-28T11:19:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed reading Douglas Wilson's post on Thanksgiving Day. He reflects on our Christian duty to give thanks in the midst of an "evil day."
As one who is preaching through Ephesians, I enjoyed his reflection on Ephesians 5.

Read and Enjoy

BLOG and MABLOG

John Owen on Sin

2009-11-04T11:44:00.004-06:00

I've been reading The Mortification of Sin by John Owen recently. This paragraph really stood out to me,

As sin weakens, so it darkens the soul. It is a cloud, a thick cloud, that spreads itself over the face of the soul, and intercepts all the beams of God's love and favour. It takes away all sense of the privilege of our adoption; and if the soul begins to gather up thoughts of consolation, sin quickly scatters them.

Owen writes this as an encouragement for believers to take seriously the biblical call to mortify (kill) the sin in our lives by the Spirit.

Dear Father,

Please do not let me let sin (known or unknown) go unmortified in my life. For the sake of my soul, my family, my church, and my ministry increase in me the desire to kill sin and strengthen me in battle against it. May my church and home be a place of humble vigilance. May You surround me with godly brothers and sisters in Christ who will lovingly speak the truth to me. And may my ultimate aim in mortifying the sin that is in me be Your honor and glory. Amen.

You can read Mortification of Sin for free here.

Pray for Your Preacher

2009-10-28T22:24:00.004-05:00

This Sunday I preached a sermon entitled "Hear the Word" from 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

At the beginning I asked the congregation to pray for me in regards to my charge to "preach the word."

Here are the five things I asked them to pray for:

1) Pray that I would preach the Word with accuracy. Pray that I would not add to it or leave something out.

2) Pray that I would preach the Word with clarity. Pray that I would be given a gift and I would work hard to make the truth clear and understandable (use of words and language).

3) Pray that I would preach the Word with power. Pray that I would have what the old timers called “unction in the pulpit.” Pray that God would use His Word to bring life.

4) Pray that I would preach the Word with perseverance. Pray that I would not be weary in well doing but faithful regardless of apparent fruitfulness.

5) Pray that I would preach the Word with my life. Pray that my walk would match a faithful preaching of the Gospel.

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions on the Tongue

2009-10-19T07:26:00.003-05:00

When Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a young man he wrote several resolutions that by God's help he would seek to keep for the glory of God. Since I have been preaching on the tongue (from Ephesians 4:29) I thought I would post his resolutions that relate to the tongue: (obviously we talk a bit different than from the 18th Century)

16.Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

31. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.

34. Resolved, in narration's never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity.

36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.

70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.

Every Word Matters

2009-10-17T21:44:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow I am preaching (Lord willing) on Ephesians 4:29:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Here is a good video by Paul David Tripp from the 2008 Desiring God Conference.

A Good Book on Understanding Catholics

2009-10-16T23:35:00.002-05:00

I just started reading a very interesting book by Chris Castaldo called Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic. Castaldo is a former Roman Catholic and is now an evangelical pastor.

In His first chapter he gives the top five reason people have left Catholicism for evangelicalism (according to a questionnaire):

Five areas that they found in a non-catholic, evangelical faith...

1 - Every believer is called to full-time ministry.

2 - Relationship with Christ must take precedence over rule-keeping.

3 - We enjoy direct access to God in Christ.

4 - There is only one proper object of devotion - Jesus the Savior.

5 - God's children should be motivated by grace instead of guilt.

Don't Fasten Foreign Apples on a Bad Tree

2009-10-15T16:11:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday I preached on the importance of our words and the nature of the heart.

Here is a helpful picture of the illustration I gave last Sunday. This illustration comes from Paul Tripp. Changing our behavior in regards to our words (or anger, or truth telling...) without getting to the heart that produces sinful words is like a man who thinks he fixed his dying, apple-less apple tree by fastening store-bought apples on it. Mat Adams made me a picture to illustrate this illustration. :)

"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
(Luke 6:43-45)

Fake Beauty All Around

2009-10-02T12:57:00.003-05:00

Someone sent me this video. After you watch it, you may want to go back to the beginning.

This reminds me of what C. S. Lewis said in Screwtape Letters.

At one time we have directed it to the statuesque and aristocratic type of beauty, mixing men's vanity with their desires and encouraging the race to breed chiefly from the most arrogant and prodigal women. At another, we have selected an exaggeratedly feminine type, faint and languishing, so that folly and cowardice, and all the general falseness and littleness of mind which go with them, shall be at a premium. At present we are on the opposite tack. The age of jazz has succeeded the age of the waltz, and we now teach men to like women whose bodies are scarcely distinguishable from those of boys. Since this is a kind of beauty even more transitory than most, we thus aggravate the female's chronic horror of growing old (with many excellent results) and render her less willing and less able to bear children. And that is not all. We have engineered a great increase in the licence which society allows to the representation of the apparent nude (not the real nude) in art, and its exhibition on the stage or the bathing beach. It is all a fake, of course; the figures in the popular art are falsely drawn; the real women in bathing suits or tights are actually pinched in and propped up to make them appear firmer and more slender and more boyish than nature allows a full-grown woman to be. Yet at the same time, the modern world is taught to believe that it is being "frank" and "healthy" and getting back to nature. As a result we are more and more directing the desires of men to something which does not exist—making the rôle of the eye in sexuality more and more important and at the same time making its demands more and more impossible. What follows you can easily forecast!

Oh, and a much more important and AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE ON THE SUBJECT:

...but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. (The apostle Peter - 1Pe 3:4)

Husband's Headship and the Idiot Box

2009-09-24T15:38:00.004-05:00

From Douglas Wilson in Reforming Marriage (a must-read marriage book):

Wives - "pushing a man to be a spiritual leader will not make him one. He may not be much of a leader but he is enough of one not to be lead into leadership by a women..."

"Obviously, this does not mean the husband has the right to continue his abdication. When a man just sits there like a spiritual dead weight, fellowship is hindered. Husbands have a responsibility to "nourish and cherish" their wives (Eph. 5:29), and staring at the Idiot Box until it is time for sex is not one of God's appointed means for doing so."

Ephesians 5:22-30 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (24) Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (25) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (26) that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (27) so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (28) In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (29) For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, (30) because we are members of his body.

Parenting Seminar Resources

2009-09-23T16:10:00.002-05:00

Last Weekend we had a parenting seminar at Grace Church called "One Generation."

Pastor Dave did a tremendous job putting this weekend together. It was exciting to see many families present with the desire to know and obey God in regards to parenting.

We watched 3 sessions by Tedd Tripp, the author of Shepherding a Child's Heart.

You can watch these sessions here below provided by Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. If you click on the "streaming audio" you will find options to download them as mp3s.

Session 1: The Call to Formative Instruction

Session 2: Giving Kids a Vision for God's Glory

Session 3: Helping Kids Understand Authority

Session 4: Helping Kids Understand the Heart

Session 5: Overview of Corrective Discipline

2 Songs - I Need You and Because

2009-09-12T11:02:00.003-05:00

The more I grow in my faith towards Christ, the more I realize my desperate need for Him in all things. This is why I love this song that we sang for the first time last Sunday. We will sing it again tomorrow (Sept 13). You can listen to and read the lyrics to "I Need You" by Kristian Stanfill here:

I Need You - Na Band

I am frail, broken easily
Without fail, my strength keeps failing me
All alone, I'm powerless
To lift myself from the pit that I am in

I need You, Jesus
I need You, Jesus

From Your throne in heaven's light
Descended down into my broken life
To right the wrong, to make a way
To bear the load that I deserved to bear alone

I need You, Jesus
I need You, Jesus
I need clean hands
I can't, You can
I need You, Jesus

On the cross on our behalf
The Son of God bore the Father's wrath
And by His blood, the scars and pain
The perfect Son, took the fall and took our place

In His grace and unfailing love
The risen King gave His hand to us
To lift us up, from the pit
And set our feet upon a rock that ever stands

The Kids learned this song, BECAUSE, during VBS and sang it for us last Sunday. We will sing it again this Sunday. It is the Gospel! I want my kids singing these words. I want myself singing these words.

Because He gave His life,
Because He bled and died,
Because He rose again, I come…

And I admit to God I am a sinner
And I repent and turn away from all my sin.
I believe that Jesus is the Son of God
And that He came into the world to save us all.
I confess my faith in Jesus as my Savior and my Lord
And I do this because of His great love.

Because He loves me so
Because He makes me whole
Because He is my friend, I come…

For the wages of sin is death
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ…

So will you admit to God you are a sinner?
Will you repent and turn away from all your sin?
Will you believe that Jesus is the Son of God
And that He came into the world to save us all.

Will you confess your faith in Jesus as your Savior and your Lord
Will you do this? Will you do this?
Will you do this because of His great love?

Would Jesus Spank His Child?

2009-09-09T14:13:00.004-05:00

We would like to invite you to join us on September 18-19 at Grace Church for our parenting seminar called "One Generation."

Through video and audio messages we'll hear from Voddie Baucham, John Piper, Tedd Tripp, and a few others. We'll also hear from several "seasoned" parents at Grace Church and pastor Dave VanAcker will offer some opening and closing thoughts.

To wet your appetite on the subject of parenting, here is a clip by John Piper answering the question: "Would Jesus spank a child?"

Worldliness...quotes

2009-09-08T16:33:00.002-05:00

Here are some quotes from my sermon on Sunday on worldliness:

Imagine I take a blind test in which my task is to identify the genuine follower of Jesus Christ. My choices are an unregenerate individual and you.
I'm given two reports detailing conversations, Internet activity, manner of dress, iPod playlists, television habits, hobbies, leisure time, financial transactions, thoughts, pas¬sions, and dreams.
The question is: Would I be able to tell you apart? Would I discern a difference between you and your unconverted neighbor, coworker, classmate, or friend?
Have the lines between Christian and worldly conduct in your life become so indistinguishable that there really is no difference at all? (C. J. Mahaney, Worldliness)

Worldliness is departing from God. It is a man-centered way of thinking; it proposes objectives which demand no radical breach with man's fallen nature; it judges the importance of things by the present and material results; it weighs success by numbers; it covets human esteem and wants no unpopularity; it knows no truth for which it is worth suffering; it declines to be a 'fool for Christ's sake'.

Worldliness is the mind-set of the unregenerate. It adopts idols and is at war with God. Because 'the flesh' still dwells in the Christian he is far from immune from being influenced by this dynamic. (Ian Murray, Evangelicalism Divided)

The Real Self Coming Out

2009-09-02T10:00:00.004-05:00

In my sermon series I am in Ephesians 4. Here Paul urges the church to show patient love with a commitment to the hard work of maintaining unity. I have talked a lot about the fact that we live in a broken down house (this world and our sinful bodies/lives) where a Restorer (Jesus) has come and is promising to RESTORE.

One of the things He does in this restoration process is to reveal our Sinfulness which often is seen in the form of selfishness. One of God's gifts to us is to show us where we need to grow by allowing us to go through trials and difficulties even when it means that other people provoke and sin against us. Our reactions to these situations often teach us a lot about ourselves and should help humble us as we observe how self-centered we really are. I was reminded of this in my reading of C. S. Lewis this morning:

When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity; I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected; I was caught off my guard, I had not time to collect myself. Now that may be an extenuating circumstance as regards those particular acts: they would obviously be worse if they had been deliberate and premeditated. On the other hand, surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light. Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul. Now that cellar is out of reach of my conscious will. I can to some extent control my acts: I have no direct control over my temperament. And if (as I said before) what we are matters even more than what we do - if, indeed, what we do matters chiefly as evidence of what we are - then it follows that the change which I most need to undergo is a change that my own direct, voluntary efforts cannot bring about. And this applies to my good actions too. How many of them were done for the right motive? How many for fear of public opinion, or a desire to show off? How many from a sort of obstinacy or sense of superiority which, in different circumstances, might equally have led to some very bad act? But I cannot, by direct moral effort, give myself new motives. After the first few steps in the Christian life we realise that everything which really needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God.

Songs We Will Sing Tomorrow Online

2009-08-29T12:38:00.002-05:00

Songs we will sing tomorrow on Youtube:

All I Have Is Christ from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Should You Leave Your Church if Your Not "Growing"?

2009-08-28T13:57:00.005-05:00

Here is a pastorally wise article by John Piper on the following question:

Watch the video here

If there is nothing specifically wrong with my church, but I feel like I've stopped growing, is that a good enough reason to look for another one?

I doubt it. I'm taking seriously the statement, "there is nothing specifically wrong with my church." There is always something wrong with your church!

So I'm just assuming this is a doctrinally sound church and a church in which pastoral care and mutual love is happening, and so on. And I would say, if you've stopped growing then you can't point to your church. It sounds like you can't blame your church.

Something else is going on here, and you need to dig down to the obstacles that emerge in you, and find out whether it's because you've stopped serving or praying or giving your life away. Given this first statement, "If there is nothing specifically wrong with my church, but I feel like I've stopped growing," I would say, do not assume going to a new church is going to change that.

What will happen in a new church, probably, is some artificial new buzz. The worship will sound different, the preaching will sound different, and the difference will feel energizing for a while. But it's artificial. It's probably not the main cause, and you're going to bump into the same stall at that church.

And if you keep doing that, you're going to fail to find out what the problem is. Because I think the Lord would have us grow continually in a church as long as we're there and as long as life lasts. And growth has lots of other obstacles to it than church.

So get people around you who can counsel you as to what the real issue is here, why you're stalling. And it probably isn't church.

From Desiring God.

New Berea Class Beginning September 13

2009-08-26T17:17:00.003-05:00

Our adult (teens included) Sunday school class will begin a new book starting September 13th led by pastor Dave VanAcker. This class takes place before the worship service at 9 AM. A nursery and kids classes are running at the same time.

The new class will cover the subject of learning how to read and study the Bible by yourself and the book we will be using is Gordon Fee's How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth (I highly suggest your invest in buying this book). Here is some more information about the book:

Discipleship Starts in the Home

2009-08-26T16:01:00.003-05:00

We are planning a parenting seminar for September 18-19 at Grace Church. The theme is about raising your kids to be followers of Jesus - disciping your children. I hope you can join us during this time.

Here are some related blog posts from Resurgence:

2 Witness on Abortion - from Al Mohler

2009-08-26T14:11:00.003-05:00

Here is a good article by Al Mohler:

Looking across the moral landscape of the last half-century, one issue looms larger than all others -- abortion. Considered from a historical perspective, the intensity and duration of the abortion debate came as something of a surprise. Handing down its infamous Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court declared the abortion question settled and closed. They were wrong.

Almost four decades after Roe v. Wade, Americans are still torn over the issue of abortion. Indeed, the intensity of the abortion debate in 2009 exceeds that of 1973. The controversy over abortion is not only unsettled and unresolved -- it is still developing before our eyes. To the great consternation of abortion-rights proponents, Americans have not accepted abortion on demand as a permanent reality. As a nation, we have debated any number of issues beyond abortion in recent years, but abortion remains the controversy that is most central, unavoidable, and deeply personal.

The personal dimension of the abortion controversy came to light this week from two unexpected witnesses. The first is Sarah Kliff, a reporter for Newsweek magazine. In a very personal column, Kliff describes her experience visiting Omaha, Nebraska and the abortion clinic of Dr. LeRoy Carhart, now perhaps the nation's sole specialist in late-trimester abortions. As Kliff writes, her experience covering abortion for the magazine over the past two years has led her into contact and conversation with a range of persons on both sides of the abortion debate. She recognizes that, "both sides feel abortion is an issue worth waging war over."

Given her journalistic experience, Kliff describes herself as "well-versed in abortion policy, the pro-choice and pro-life arguments, the latest legislation." Her next sentence delivers the surprise: "But I'd never actually seen an abortion; I'd never watched the procedure that activists vehemently defend or deplore."

But that is exactly what happened when Kliff went to Omaha to research her article on Dr. Carhart. Even as she anticipated observing the abortion, Kliff confessed to hesitancy and reluctance. She observed a first-trimester abortion, even though Dr. Carhart does perform late-term abortions. Why was she so ambivalent?

In her words:

Why was I reluctant to watch? To be fair, I'd never observed a surgery and knew myself to frequently flinch at 'Grey's Anatomy.' But abortion isn't like the complex, bloody operations you see on television: medically speaking, it's a simple and common procedure. About 1.2 million were performed in 2005, the same, numberwise, as outpatient cancer surgeries. I was nervous, I think, to watch something so controversial; no one protests outside cancer clinics. I didn't know how I'd react. Would I find the surgery repulsive? Encounter women whose choices troubled me? Whom I disagreed with? I was uneasy about coming in such close contact with such substantial decisions.

Observing the abortion, Kliff writes of seeing a woman prepared for the procedure and then of the suction tube that was inserted within her. Her report is both chilling and honest. "Carhart used a suction tube to empty the contents of the uterus; it took no longer than three minutes. The suction machine made a slight rumbling sound, a pinkish fluid flowed through the tube, and, faster than I'd expected, it was over."

As Kliff recounts, she felt no physical discomfort observing the procedure. Nevertheless, she did experience a very strong emotional reaction. After describing this emotional reaction and her encounters with patients in the abortion clinic, Kliff tells of returning home only to discover that her friends who supported abortion rights "bristled slightly when I told them where I'd been and what I'd watched."

In a profound statement, Sarah Kliff acknowledges that Americans just do not talk about abortion as they talk about other surgical or medical procedures. "Abortion may be a simple procedure medically," she explains, "but it is not cancer surgery."

Sarah Kliff does not condemn abortion in her article and she does not articulate a pro-life understanding of the abortion issue. Indeed, she speaks of abortion as involving a weighty choice that, "depending on how you view it, involves a life, or the potential for life." This is a very weak way of describing the moral question of abortion, but it is at least a start. Sarah Kliff's honest reflections on her experience of observing an abortion are, perhaps more than she knows or recognizes, a witness to the horror of abortion. Her description of "pinkish fluid" flowing through the suction tube is almost impossible to force out of one's mind.

Another unexpected witness this week is actress Kourtney Kardashian. Her recently announced unplanned pregnancy became part of Hollywood's scandal and publicity circus. But what caught the attention of the media this week was her decision to keep the baby and the straightforward logic behind her decision.

Kardashian has not adopted a pro-life position on the abortion question. Indeed, she told Peoplemagazine: "I do think every woman should have the right to do what they want, but I don't think it's talked through enough." The actress told of many friends who just assured her that abortion was the easy way out. "Like it's not a big deal," the actress recalled.

Interestingly, Kardashian's decision to keep her baby was at least partially prompted by her experience of reading the testimonies of women who regretted their abortions. "I looked online, and I was sitting on the bed hysterically crying, reading these stories of people who felt so guilty for having an abortion," she explained.

"I was just sitting there crying, thinking, 'I can't do that,' . . . And I felt in my body, this is meant to be. God does things for a reason, and I just felt like it was the right thing that was happening in my life."

As she thought about her decision, Kardashian concluded that "all the reasons why I wouldn't keep the baby were so selfish." She also received encouragement from her doctor. "My doctor told me there is nothing you will ever regret about having the baby, but he was like, 'You may regret not having the baby.' And I was like: That is so true."

The Culture of Death looms as a massive threat, but its foundations are crumbling. Unexpected witnesses such as Sarah Kliff and Kourtney Kardashian help us to see how moral insight can emerge from unexpected experiences, reflections, and witnesses. Some of the most profound witnesses to the horror of abortion and the sanctity of human life do not even know that they are so. The evil of abortion cannot be hidden once it is seen, and a voice for life cannot be forgotten once it is heard.

___________________________

I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.

All I Have Is Christ Video

2009-08-21T10:02:00.003-05:00

This summer at Grace Church we learned the song by Jordan Kauflin called "All I Have Is Christ."

Here is a video of Jordan singing this song at the Next 2009 Conference.

All I Have Is Christ from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

I highly recommend buying the download of this 13 song album at Sovereign Grace for $5. Every song is tremendous.

Here are the lyrics to the song again.

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You.

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI), by Jordan Kauflin

Relationships - A Mess Worth Making

2009-08-07T10:42:00.003-05:00

Over the past few weeks I read an outstanding book by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp called Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. The title itself is worth the price of the book. The book was no disappointment. It has been very timely to read this book as I prepare to preach through the second half of the book of Ephesians (4-6). In these chapters, Paul is concerned that Christians live out their salvation in the context of the messiness of relationship.

Here are 8 important points from the book that give us a biblical perspective on our relationships with other people:

You were made for relationships
In some way, all relationships are difficult
Each of us is tempted to make relationships the end rather than the means
There are no secrets that guarantee problem-free relationships
At some point you will wonder whether relationships are worth it
God keeps us in messy relationships for his redemptive purposes
The fact that our relationships work as well as they do is a sure sign of grace
Scripture offers a clear hope for our relationships

I thank God that he keeps us in messy relationships for His redemptive purposes! He is in the process of restoration and sanctification.

Knowing Where You Live - A Broken-Down House

2009-08-01T14:17:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday I reintroduced us to the book of Ephesians (since we have been away from there for a while) by setting the context of chapters 4-6 where I will begin in two weeks.

Where do we live? This is an important question to answer and remember. Here are some very challenging questions given by Paul David Tripp (in Broken-Down House).

Let me ask what may seem like a stupid question. Do you know where you live? No, I don't mean your street address. I want you to see the most deeply spiritual and profoundly personal implications of this question.
Do you bring to each day the realistic expectations that come from a cogent understanding of your life, yourself, and your world? Still confused? Then let's break it down a little.
Is there anything that is disappointing you right now? Is there a relationship or situation that is leaving you hurt and confused? Are there personal problems that you simply have not been able to solve? Do you ever feel alienated, alone, or misunderstood? Have you had to deal with mistreatment or injustice lately? Have you been hurt, angry, fearful, or discouraged? Is there any place in your life where you feel like giving up or giving in? Does your life ever seem much more complicated than it should be? Does it seem like you are always having to deal with obstacles of one kind or another?

Do you wish you didn't have so many problems on your plate? Does it bug you that even the easy things in life don't turn out to be nearly as easy as you thought they would be?

Are there problems in your past that still haunt you? Do you regularly face difficulties you have sought to solve, but which still lie open and festering? Have you ever envied someone else's life? Have you ever wished you could start over in some area of life, but you know you can't? Have you ever felt too weak and too unqualified to deal with what is confronting you? Does your life seem to move too fast for you ever to be able to catch up? Has there ever been a day in your life that was fundamentally problem-free? (23-24)

Here are my three points from last week:

We live in a broken down house because of sin.
A gracious Restorer has come to this house with the promise of restoration.
We are called to live a restoration lifestyle.

Ephesians 4-6 is about living a restoration lifestyle based on the fact that the RESTORER has come and promised great things. This restoration lifestyle is not a me and my personal project that God is going to do in my soul (although he does work on individuals). He is working a restoration on us as a church--a community. He intends to transform individuals as well as groups of individuals who realize that they were made for more than themselves. This means we are called to live in a "broken-down house" together which can be quite messy. Apart from the Spirit's power we have no hope. However, Christ has promised to be with us and work in us through His Spirit to make us One Body.

Imagine Yourself As a Living House

2009-07-24T10:51:00.003-05:00

C. S. Lewis on God's work of sanctification in our lives:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, p. 160)

Biblical Manhood, Sports and Self-Control

2009-07-22T09:01:00.004-05:00

On Sunday night I took a layer of skin off my left leg while sliding into second base. I was clearly...clearly safe but the umpire while standing behind home plate declared me out. The same umpire thought the tie went to the fielder when I beat a grounder to first but was declared out. I played third base (if you can call it "played") and committed more errors in 3 innings than a good pro does in a 162 game season. Frustration...disgust...excuses...

Sports have been a sanctifying instrument in my life because it has often revealed to me sinful areas of my heart--pride, lack of self-control, selfishness, identity in sports not in God...

I found the following words from Jeff Robinson very helpful, inspiring and encouraging as he reflects on manhood, self control, his son's little league and last week's British Open.

___

Young men: Learn self-control
Jeff Robinson (July 21, 2009)

Two sports events this weekend, one seen across the globe, the other far more mundane, provided me with an opportunity to teach my six-year-old son a crucial lesson in biblical manhood.

The first event unfolded Saturday on a little league diamond near our home in a game involving my son. After getting a hit in each of his first two at-bats, Jeffrey grounded out to first base. He stroked a nice, hard grounder, but the first baseman made an even nicer play. A runner moved from second to third base on the play and thus it was, in baseball parlance, a productive out.

As his coach, I was pleased. As his father, I was less pleased, however, by what happened next: Jeffrey threw his batting helmet in anger. In the dugout, he knocked around some equipment and even gave his glove a brisk toss. Now, this is certainly no way to treat your equipment, but that is beside the point. As the team went back into the field for the next inning, I kept Jeffrey in the dugout with me. "You're out of the game for the rest of the day," I told him. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled.

After the game, we talked about sportsmanship and self-control and idolatry and doing all things to the glory of God. We talked about the humbling nature of baseball, how even Ted Williams failed seven times in 10, how you must put failure behind you and how the game parallels the Christian pilgrimage. Self-control and learning how to fail gracefully are critical lessons for future men to learn; they are a critical part of manhood, a critical part of a man's ability to lead well. "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." (Prov. 25:28) Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:23) and Paul urged young men to be self-controlled (Titus 2:6). I want my sons to learn this lesson in baseball, where the damage is limited to a scarred helmet, rather than in real life, where the damage can be catastrophic and eternal.

Event No. 2, the British Open golf tournament that concluded Sunday, provided the perfect illustration for a lesson on self-control. At 59, Tom Watson missed becoming the oldest golfer to win the esteemed tournament when he left short an eight-foot putt on hole No. 18. Watson had made that putt ten thousand times before, but this time he missed and lost a four-hole playoff to Stewart Cink. In overtime, Watson's game fell apart. On the third hole, he drove deep into the rough while Cink, who spoke afterward of his Christian faith as a steadying reality, salted away his first victory in a major tournament.

It was Watson's calm demeanor over those final five holes that provided the lesson. After misfiring on one of the playoff holes, Watson strode calmly down the fairway, doffed his hat and smiled to the cheering gallery. When he missed the putt that would have clinched the win, there was no club throwing, no foul language, no fit of anger, only a slight grimace and a pained smile. In the end, Watson stood at Cink's side, wearing a smile, graciously extolling his younger opponent before the media. Pure class. Real manhood.

Life in a fallen world is fraught with losing, for biblical Christianity is a perennial competition between two factions warring for supremacy over the human heart. God warns us about this reality early in His Word (Gen. 3:15a). All men fail on some level and even the most sanctified man will emerge from this war with scars from battles lost and battles won. My son must learn to deal with victory and defeat now. I pray that these lessons will make clear his desperate need for the One Victorious Man, the One who won the war over sin and death and yes, even helmet throwing and glove kicking, once and for all (Rom. 5:19).

(HT - Tim Challies)

More Sovereign Grace Music for a Good Price

2009-07-21T16:32:00.003-05:00

Here is a good cd to worship with -- "Next 2009 Live" -- the live recording of the NEXT 2009.

Many of the songs are familiar (we sing several at Grace - "All I Need Is Christ", "Jesus, Thank You").

You can download this album here for $5.

I haven't listened to all the songs but a new one to me, "I Need You", is worth the entire album price.

Here are the songs:

Track List (click for lyrics)
God over All
His Name Is Jesus
He Is Jesus
Praise the Lord
By This We Know Love
All I Have Is Christ
Jesus, Thank You
I Need You
The Name above All Names
What a Savior
I Will Glory in My Redeemer
Blessed Is the One
Oh the Deep, Deep Love

Jesus is Mighty to Save Sinners--video

2009-07-19T06:35:00.003-05:00

God is a loving and merciful God and He has provided us a mighty Savior.

Don't let guilt and pride keep you from coming to Him.

Here is Paul Washer with a powerful story and reminder of the Gospel:

Living in a Broken-Down House

2009-07-17T13:59:00.004-05:00

I experienced it this morning when I woke up and I haven't gone one hour without be reminded by the reality of its presence. I live in a broken-down house. No, I am not talking about my home in Forest Lake, I am talking about this world and everyone in it--including myself.

This current state of affairs is the result of man's sin. God created a beautiful world and yet we rebelliously thought we could rule and manage it better than He could. The folly of our decision is seen all around us. If you need some convincing, read the headlines, watch the news, check your friend's Facebook status, and talk to people and you will know what I mean. However, the good news is that the Creator of this house is in a glorious restoration process based on His Son's work on the Cross. Through His Son, Jesus, He is committed to redeeming what is now broken. He has and is in the process of transforming sinners into Christ-like beings through GRACE. Yes, if we are truly saved it's because we are recipients of grace. Only people who understand their sinfulness can properly appreciate the magnitude of this grace, and only those who have experienced this grace can truly be honest and courageous enough to deal with their sinfulness. It is hard to be productive when everything is a mess. I can't stand having my desk cluttered much less a house in half-disrepair. I remember several years ago when we were refinishing the floors in our kitchen and dining room. I found, at times, it almost debilitating to do anything while the mess/project was still open. We are called to live in a house that is broken-down and is in the process of renovation and we are called to live productively. How?

Paul David Tripp gives a wise and winsome answer to this question as He biblically takes on the subjects of sin, grace, hope, sanctification, faith, waiting, righteous anger, love, ministering, community and worship in his book--Broken-Down House: Living Productively in a World Gone Bad. This is a book that, thought delivered from Amazon.com, was a timely message from God to my soul over the past two weeks.

Tripp warns us of the dangers of location and identity amnesia. We practically or functionally forgot where we live and who we really are. We live in a broken-down house and as Christians our identity is founded upon the two pillars of sinner and child of grace. He does a great job explaining and illustrating what he means and how this practically plays itself out in real life--in marriage, parenting, work, church, ministry, hardships, disappointments, etc.

Here is a video promotion of the book by the author:

Needless to say, I highly recommend Paul Tripp (and his other books) and his book - Broken-Down House.

Back from Vacation and Very Grateful

2009-07-15T08:18:00.002-05:00

I am thankful to God and Grace Church for the time to rest with my family over the past two weeks. I enjoyed an emotionally restful vacation while staying at home (staycation). Although it was emotionally restful, it was not always physically restful but that is because we enjoy four kids six and under. :) I have accepted (for the most part) that this is not the season of our lives that we will get a whole lot of sleep.

Thank you for praying for me and my family during this time "away" from the normal routine. We had fun as a family at parks, playgrounds, beaches, pools, walks, cookouts, parades, etc. Spiritually, I had a very refreshing time reading several good books (see future posts) that fed by soul. Maritally, it was a great time to spend with Molly. On Tuesday, July 7th, we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. I am so thankful to have such a godly wife and best-friend. I am grateful to Christina Hansen and her girls for watching our kids so we could enjoy a "date-night" on Wednesday.

This week is a transition week as I get back into things. I am spending the time getting caught up as well as studying/reading (for my soul and for the church). Please pray for me that God would continue to refresh me for His work equipping me to be the christian, husband, father and pastor that He has called me to be. I love Christ and His Church (and especially Grace Church) and I am excited to serve and be served for His glory!

Together with you in the Great Cause and for the Greatest King,
Pastor Daniel

Declaration of Independency - John Adams

2009-07-03T21:17:00.003-05:00

I am reading John Adams by David McCullough and it is a delightful read. McCullough doesn't just write a book with dates and events. He gives the reader a human story. He does a great job telling the story of the founding of the United States of America from the 13 British-governed colonies. He tells it through the lens of the second U.S. president and man responsible for getting the 13 colonies to agree to declare "independency" (as they called it) from King George III in England. On the eve of the Fourth of July (which happens to be on July 4th) I thought I would share this quote from John Adams' letter to his wife Abigail [emphasis mine - he thought the 2nd would be the celebrated date because that was the day the continental congress agreed to sign]:

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. (p. 130)

His visionary ability and foresight was amazing. Here is the Declaration of Independence which was written by his friend, Thomas Jefferson.

To see more thoughts and quotes from this book you can follow them through my Twitter Account (or Facebook updates).

Praying for Your Pastor-preachers

2009-07-01T23:07:00.006-05:00

As I was reading from Spurgeon's "What the Stones Say" this week I came across this powerful illustration that emphasizes the need for people to pray for their pastors.

We may say what we will, but it is true that God does bless all by one. But every man, however much God may have helped him in the past, will grow weary, unless he be upheld by the loving sympathies and earnest prayers of those around him. I thank God for my Aarons and Hurs. I have heard of a minister, some of the members of whose congregation complained to him that his sermons of late had not been so good as aforetime. “Well,” said the good man, ‘there’s but too much truth in the charge; but this is how it is, I’ve lost my prayer book.” “But,” said they, “we did not know you used a book for prayers.” “No,” said the minister, “but my prayer-book is in your hearts, and I’ve lost your prayers.” I am sure the quality of a sermon often depends upon the prayers of the congregation.

Please pray for your pastor/preachers.

On Vacation...Staycation

2009-06-30T20:09:00.005-05:00

I am on vacation this week and next so I probably won't be posting much on the blog. I will, however, continue to send out tweets from my reading (for what it's worth). It is enjoyable to send quotes or reflections.

We are have a great family time at our favorite family place - home. Vacation is a great privilege and blessing.

Daniel's Twitter

Thoughts on My Coming Vacation - 2009

2009-06-27T13:47:00.002-05:00

Starting tomorrow, after church, I will start a two week vacation. Last summer I was challenged by C. J. Mahaney to look at the family vacation (as the husband and father) in a different way (see here):

Husbands are called by God to serve and lead. But we are all vulnerable to viewing the family vacation as a well-earned time away from work where we can rest and relax! But this attitude and approach to a vacation normally reveals a self-centeredness that does not please God or serve our families...

And you will know you are serving and leading effectively on your vacation when y
ou fall into bed at night more exhausted than at the end of the most grueling day of work. The father must enter family vacations committed to serve, lead, plan, initiate, and work, and do all this with joy. This isn’t your time to rest. Only your wife deserves to rest on vacation (because no one works harder than she does the rest of the year).

But for the husband, vacations are a unique opportunity to serve and lead and work harder in some ways than he does during the normal work week. But this kind of work is a pure joy like no other work. (Read the entire article here)

The pursuit of this goal last summer, though not perfectly attained, proved fruitful and very encouraging to myself, Molly and the kids. Most importantly, I believe God was glorified.

This summer, during our "stay-cation" (not going anywhere over night but STAYing home) I want to focus on 2 specific goals as I lead my family in this vacation:

"Skillful Surprises" - Mahaney: "Effective surprises begin with studying each member of your family to discover what a meaningful and memorable surprise would involve. But trust me, each member of your family loves to be surprised."
"Intentional Togetherness" - At the age my kids are at (6, 5, 3, 1) the best way to be together is by means of a "Stay-Cation". I love going to my parents or in-laws, but less quality time is spent just as a family. Right now (at this age) togetherness is not a thing the kids like to revolt against--they LOVE quality and quantity family time.

I guess we'll see how it goes. To God be the glory and from God must come the Help and Blessing...

The Lord's Supper - Not Just That Thing You Do

2009-06-26T16:29:00.004-05:00

This Sunday, June 28th, we will be observing the Lord's Supper (also called Communion).

It is important that we prepare our minds and bodies and take serious this meaningful "ordinance". The Lord's supper is not just some thing we do...it has a lot of meaning.

Observe the following by Wayne Grudem (compiled by Dave VanAcker):

The meaning of the Lord’s Supper.

Christ’s death. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper we symbolize the death of Christ because our actions give a picture of his death for us. When the bread is broken it symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and when the cup is poured out it symbolizes the pouring out or Christ’s blood for us (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Our participation in the benefits of Christ’s death (Matthew 26:26). That is, in taking part in the Lord’s Supper we are acknowledging the fact that we are united with Christ in his death and therefore in the blessings of his life.
Spiritual nourishment (John 6:53-57). The spiritual nourishment, so necessary for our souls, is both symbolized and experienced in our participation in the Lord’s Supper.
The unity of believers (1 Corinthians 10:17). This is remarkable in the local church. It is even more remarkable when we realize that this is the practice, and has been the practice, for all Christian churches for the past 2000 years.
In the Lord’s Supper Christ affirms his love for me. Having instituted this ordinance and inviting us to participate, we acknowledge that it is an example of Jesus affirming his love for us.
In the Lord’s Supper Christ affirms that all the blessings of salvation are reserved for me. Again, the Lord’s Supper is meant to remind us of the present and greater future blessings that await all whom Jesus invited to participate (all Christians).
In the Lord’s Supper I affirm my faith in Christ. Taking part in the Lord’s Supper is an outward sign that we remain faithful to Jesus.

1 Cor. 11:27-34 says about our coming to the Lord's Supper...

We must not take in an unworthy manner
Therefore we must examine ourselves
In examining ourselves, we must discern the body -- look at our relationships with others in the church and reconcile fractured relationships before we eat of the table

Men, You are Called to Be Pastor Dad

2009-06-25T17:17:00.004-05:00

This week I came across a great resource by Mark Driscoll. You need to get and read this little book called Pastor Dad: Scriptural Insights on Fatherhood.

You can download the pdf file for free and print it off yourself or buy the book for $8 here.

You can also read the chapters only below – see table of contents.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1
Worshiping the God of Our Fathers

Chapter 2
The Fruitful Vine

Chapter 3
Cultivating Kids

Chapter 4
The Masculine Duty to Provide

Chapter 5
Instruction Followed by Correction

Chapter 6
Protecting From Sin and Folly

Chapter 7
Countering Culture

Sermon - MAN UP and Be MEN

2009-06-25T16:13:00.003-05:00

Sunday was Father's Day and I preached to myself and to Grace Church giving the charge to men to "MAN UP"-- and fulfill the responsibility God has called them (us) to.

In the attempt to Man Up we face opposition from within (Douglas Wilson says its like riding up-hill because of our sinful nature) and from without -- the culture wreaks with the male-irresponsibility syndrome.

Here were my four points:

1. Man up and be Men of God.
2. Man up and be Men of the Word.
3. Man up and be Men of Responsibility.
4. Man up and be Men of Grace.

Here is the sermon audio -- "Man Up - A Father's Day Sermon."

I welcome your comments, criticisms, questions and suggestions.

Video - Much of the "Church" Still Needs to Be Saved

2009-06-24T11:31:00.004-05:00

Here is an inspiring video with various preachers (Piper, Ravenhill, Washer, etc) speaking on the lost condition of many people who think they are true Christians but are lost.

Many church "members" are not members of the kingdom of the Heaven
Many people who asked Jesus in their heart never experienced the New Birth and never truly believed and repented
Many people who say that Jesus is their LORD, contradict their profession with their life of disobedience
Many trust in a prayer or decision and not in Christ
Many have no idea what true repentance and faith looks like in a life
Many people who sincerely believe they are going to heaven will go to hell

May God reveal the truth to their souls and bring them true repentance and faith in Christ Jesus!

Matthew 7:13-23 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. (14) For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (15) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (16) You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (17) So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (18) A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' (23) And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

How to Be a Responsible Person

2009-06-23T10:42:00.003-05:00

On Sunday I preached a sermon called "Man Up."

One of my points was this - "Man up and be Men of Responsibility."

A few years ago I came across these basic but often ignored principles on responsibility:

HOW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE PERSON

When you agree to do something, do it. If you let people down, they'll stop believing you. When you follow through on your commitments, people take you seriously.
Answer for your own actions. Don't make excuses or blame others for what you do. When you take responsibility for your actions you are saying "I am the one who's in charge of my life."
Take care of your own matters. Don't rely on others to remind you when you're supposed to be somewhere or what you're supposed to bring. You take the responsibility.
Be trustworthy. If somebody trusts you to borrow or take care of something, take care of it. If somebody tells you something in confidence, keep it to yourself. It's important for people to know they can count on you.
Always use your head. Think things through and use good judgment. When you use your head you make better choices. Don’t rush into quick decisions.
Don't put things off. When you have a job to do, do it. Doing things on time helps you take control of your life and shows that you can manage your own affairs.

Man Up - Sermon for Father's Day

2009-06-19T16:31:00.004-05:00

This Sunday I will preach, Lord willing, a sermon for Father’s Day (June 21st) called “Man Up!” – Being a man of God, the Word, responsibility and grace.

1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

Please start your Father’s Day with worship with God’s people.

Join us for worship at Grace Church, Wyoming MN

9:15 - Sunday School
10:30 - Worship Service

Check Out RESOLVED 2009 Conference

2009-06-19T10:18:00.005-05:00

I recommend you downloading some of the sermons from the 2009 Resolved Conference that took place last week in Palm Springs.

At least check out the Trailer below. I have also copied the sermon links for you to access easily.

Resolved 2009

The War Against Your Soul
- MP3
- Rick Holland
- Fri, Jun 12, 2009
Purchase Video
Blessed Bankruptcy
- MP3
- Steve Lawson
- Sat, Jun 13, 2009
Purchase Video
Who’s Really at Work?
- MP3
- C.J. Mahaney
- Sat, Jun 13, 2009
Purchase Video
Enfield Concert (unavailable)
- MP3
- Enfield
- Sat, Jun 13, 2009
Blessed Purity
- MP3
- Steve Lawson
- Sun, Jun 14, 2009
Purchase Video
A Theology of Creation
- MP3
- John MacArthur
- Sun, Jun 14, 2009
Purchase Video
God’s Sovereignty Over Satan’s Fall
- MP3
- John Piper
- Sun, Jun 14, 2009
Purchase Video
A Biblical Strategy For Fighting Sexual Sin
- MP3
- Rick Holland
- Mon, Jun 15, 2009
Purchase Video
The Sanctifying Shepherd
- MP3
- John MacArthur
- Mon, Jun 15, 2009
Purchase Video
The Troubled Soul
- MP3
- C.J. Mahaney
- Mon, Jun 15, 2009
Purchase Video
How Sin Serves the Glory of Christ
- MP3
- John Piper
- Mon, Jun 15, 2009
Purchase Video

Use the Summer to Learn with Your Kids

2009-06-18T12:57:00.004-05:00

I enjoy following Dr. Al Mohler's blog at www.albertmohler.com. In one of his latest post, entitled "Avoid the Summer Brain Drain", Mohler gives some helpful tips to parents to use the summer to learn with your kids.

You can listen to him share this article or read it.

Read "Avoid the Summer Brain Drain"

New Kids CD - Sovereign Grace

2009-06-18T11:24:00.005-05:00

Today the new Sovereign Grace Music kids' CD came out. My family loved the first CD, Awesome God, and we look forward to enjoying "To Be Like Jesus."

I love the rich God-centered lyrics (like "Mighty Savior" in the first CD) as well as the music.

Here is the info on the CD:

To Be Like Jesus contains twelve worship songs that teach the fruit of the Spirit in a creative and memorable way. Through these songs kids will learn that Jesus is our perfect example of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. More than that, they’ll discover that we can’t be like Jesus unless we trust in the power of his cross to forgive us and the power of his Spirit to change us.

You can buy the album for $12 and download all the songs for $9 here.

Free Evangelism Seminar Audio

2009-06-17T14:49:00.005-05:00

Last Friday and Saturday Grace Church put on an evangelism seminar called "On a Stand: The Heart, Mind and Practice of Evangelism." Our Pastor for Discipleship, Dave VanAcker, did a great job putting this together as well as teaching the seminar. The sessions were powerful and foundational. If you were not there, you need to listen to them. Here are the session's audio and manuscripts (right click the "listen" link to download the session).

Session 1 -- The Evangelical Mind Listen
Session 2 -- The Evangelical Heart Listen
Session 3 -- The Evangelical Life - Part 1 Listen
Session 4 -- The Evangelical Life - Part 2 Listen
Session 5 -- The Evangelical Church Listen

Fear and Evangelism

2009-06-16T16:20:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday I preached on evangelism and fear.
Here is the audio of my sermon -- "Fear and Discipleship".

I really like what Pastor Dave said at the end of the evangelism seminar on fear and evangelism:

It can be very easy to submit to (and even seek to justify) the fear that we all experience to some degree; especially in light of the institutionalization of our fear. However, despite the ease of doing so, we must fight against it by clinging to the promises of God and choosing, by the power of the Spirit that lives in us, to obey rather than to disobey. We must recognize the need to pray for ourselves and each other. We must avoid any guilt-based methods of spurring one another on toward obedience in evangelism; but we must create a culture of evangelistic expectation at Grace by our words and actions.

Here is the outline of my sermon. You can read the sermon manuscript at www.gracewyomingmedia.com

1. DISCIPLES FOLLOW JESUS

2. FOLLOWING JESUS INCLUDES EVANGELISM

3. EVANGELISM MEANS SHARING OR PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL WITH OTHERS.

4. THE GOSPEL IS A SPECIFIC TRUTH THAT IS HELPFULLY EXPLAINED WITH SIX POINTS

God - There is a God who is infinitely glorious.

Obligation - We were created by God for His glory.

Sin – We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

Penalty – The cost of our sin—of failing to live for the glory of God—is death.

Exoneration – In order to show His love, uphold His justice, forgive sinners, and display His glory,

Life Change – The forgiveness of sins and the everlasting life bought by Jesus death belongs to all who repent, believe, and love Jesus.

5. THE GOSPEL PROCLAIMED IS GOD’S APPOINTED MEANS TO BRING THE POWER OF SALVATION. – Or – The Gospel is Powerful

6. TWO NEGATIVE (SINFUL) EMOTIONS ATTACK DISCIPLES IN EVANGELISM

Apathy
Fear

7. WE MUST LET THE GOSPEL SHAPE OUR EMOTIONS –
SIX POTENTIAL FEARS FACING YOU REGARDING EVANGELISM

1. They might harm me…

2. They might ridicule and dislike me…

3. They might expose my ignorance…

4. They might be turned off to Christ by my method or manner…

5. They might expose my sin…

6. They might disown me…

Drink So Much Your Lips Are Loose

2009-06-13T22:50:00.006-05:00

No, not brandy or a micro-brew -- but the God who is infinitely glorious. The God who is the Gospel.

Now that I caught your attention with the title, please take the time to listen to this three and a half minute audio clip by Piper on the necessity of having truly tasted of Jesus and the result it will have on opening our mouths in proclaiming him to the lost (evangelism).

Here is the Link DRUNK ON THE GOSPEL

You can now play the clip below.

Evangelism Seminar

2009-06-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

Last night and this morning we are having the evangelism seminar. Dave VanAcker is teaching on the heart, mind and practice of evangelism. The seminar has been great so far.

The purpose of this event is to equip. Ephesians 4:11-12 says that Christ has given the church pastor-teachers to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. This seminar is an attempt to help equip God's people to better understand and love the calling of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

Very soon we will share the audio and manuscripts of the five sessions at gracewyomingmedia.com.

Fear and Need

2009-06-12T14:14:00.003-05:00

Edward Welch's book Running Scared is excellent. He deals with fear, worry and the God of rest. He challenges us to listen to our fears to hear what they say about ourselves. Fears tell us that we are in danger, that we are vulnerable to that danger and that we have a great need. Here is an important thought to ponder:

Another way of expressing our personal vulnerability is through our experience of need. There is a close connection between what we fear and what we think we need.

If we need comfort, we will fear physical pain.
If we need approval from others, we will fear being criticized.
If we need love, we will fear rejection.
If we need admiration for our attractiveness, we will fear getting fat.

Whatever you need is a mere stone's throw from what you fear.
Two prominent categories of fear are those fears related to money and people. Their power to provoke fear is directly related to how much we need them. If we need what people can give us, they are in control and we will fear them. If we need what money can give us, we will notice rising insecurities whenever we do the bills. (p. 41)

Sermon - "The Obedience of Discipleship"

2009-06-12T12:35:00.008-05:00

Last Sunday I preached on the obedience of discipleship.

6.7.09

The Obedience of Discipleship

Matthew 7:21-27

Read

Listen

Those who are followers of Jesus obey Jesus. They don't obey so that they can become disciples, they obey because they are disciples.

Obedience is not a virtue we do well in - especially obedience to the things that are hard (it's easy to be obedient to the command not to have more than one wife - it is entirely different to abstain from looking at a woman with lustful intent).

Here are some questions I asked - Are you obedient?:

Do you read and meditate on the Word of God?

Is prayer a powerful and intentional element of your life?

Do you have sins that you make excuses for but care little to fight against?

Do you still view pornography? Are you fighting against it with accountability and counsel?

Husbands, do you lead and love your wife? Are you spiritually leading?

Wives, do you respect and submit to your husband?

Fathers, do you lead spiritually your children?

Mothers, are you gentle and loving as well as firm and wise? Do you let your husband lead?

Singles, are you seeking GOD’s will for a spouse? Does He call the shots in how you think about dating?

Fathers, are you harsh with your children?

Children, are you obedient to your parents?

Do you gossip? Do you regularly use critical speech?

How important is the body of Christ? Did you plan your vacation with any thought towards the impact it may have on the body of Christ?

Are you a member of your church?

Baptism? Have you been baptized as a believer? What holds you back?

Why are you not in a discipleship group when your spiritual leaders have formed these groups with the purpose of helping your grow in Christ as a disciple?

How do you spend your money? Do you give significantly as an act of worship and an expression that your money is really God’s?

Do you make the worship of God a priority? Do you prepare yourself to receive the Word of God?

Do you have friends that are in sin but you have not lovingly confronted them though you know that you should (because you are afraid you might lose their friendship)?

Are you obedient as a witness for Jesus Christ?

Do you have neighbors or friends that you have known for years but you have never shared the Gospel with them or have not invited them to church?

Have you reached out to people in this church that are not in your comfort zone?

Where the Battle Rages

2009-06-10T10:18:00.001-05:00

Good quote sent to me by David Ching from Martin Luther:

If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ no matter how boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point. -Martin Luther

D-Day, June 6th, 1944 - 65 Years

2009-06-06T14:45:00.005-05:00

Today marks the 65th anniversary of a battle that I am so glad was fought and won (for the Allies and the world) as well as one that makes me so thankful that I have not had to fight in a war. I am thankful for those who have fought in wars such as WWII (and the war in Iraq) and I praise God for His grace by giving the Allies victory over dictators like Adolf Hitler. On June 6th, 1944 the Allied Expeditionary force under the command of Dwight D. Eisenhower lead the largest amphibious assault in the history of warfare on Nazi Germany's army that had set up strong defenses along the beaches of Normandy France. D-Day (Operation Overlord) was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. It was the beginning of hope for millions enslaved in Nazi occupied Europe.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

Here is a video with some old footage of D-Day.

WARNING - THE FOLLOW VIDEO IS EXTREMELY VIOLENT.
Here is a clip from "Saving Private Ryan" where the men land on Omaha beach. I don't think I have ever seen anything that has made me more glad not to be in a war than this clip.

Tozer on the Obedience of True Disciples

2009-06-06T12:14:00.008-05:00

I am reading A. W. Tozer's book on 1 Peter called "I Call It Heresy." It takes only a page or two to remind myself why I like Tozer so much. His use of words turns almost every paragraph into notable quote (Paul David Tripp's books are like that too).

I am particularly looking at what he has to say about obedience and being a disciple. Here are a few quotes:

Brethren, I would point out that obedience is taught throughout the entire Bible and that true obedience is one of the toughest requirements of the Christian life. Apart from obedience, there can be no salvation, for salvation without obedience is a self-contradictory impossibility. The essence of sin is rebellion against divine authority.

I am satisfied that when man believes on Jesus Christ he must believe on the whole Lord Jesus Christ - not making any reservation! I am satisfied that it is wrong to look upon Jesus as a kind of divine nurse to whom we can go when sin has made us sick, and after He has helped us, to say "Goodbye" - and go on our own way.

I thank God that heaven is the world of God's obedient children. Whatever else we may say of its pearly gates, its golden streets and its jasper walls, heaven is heaven because children of the Most High God find they are in their normal sphere as obedient moral beings.

You can read the entire book online. Here are the chapters with the links to the texts.

I have been posting some thoughts or quotes from my reading on Twitter here.

I Call It Heresy! - A.W. TOZER

Twelve Timely Themes From 1st Peter

CONTENTS

1 - I Call It Heresy!
2 - The Bible Is Not Dead!
3 - You Can Have the Trappings!
4 - Never Apologize for God's Mercy!
5 - Holiness Is Not an Option!
6 - God Names Me His Beneficiary!
7 - Qualities of a Divine Inheritance!
8 - Was Your Humility Showing Today?
9 - Husband and Wife: A Partnership!
10 - Trust God with Your Emotions!
11 - The Christian Has a Right to Grin!
12 - Where Will the "Experts" Be When Jesus Comes?

Barnabas is One Year Old

2009-06-06T06:59:00.005-05:00

I praise God for His grace in my life. Today marks the one year birthday of my fourth child and third son - Barnabas John Calvin Patz. He is mostly walking now, he has teeth, he eats everything except baby food, he gets a new bump almost every day, he has adapted to life with three older siblings (ages 6, 5, and 3) and he has potty trained himself (just kidding -- just wanted to see if you are paying attention).

Click here to view album

Barnabas 1 year

Here is what I posted last year at his birth:

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:36-37)

I praise God with amazing wife, Molly, for the healthy birth of our third son (and 4^th child), Barnabas John Calvin Patz, who was born at 8:47 PM on Friday, June 6^th 2008 at the Fairview Hospital in Wyoming.

Barnabas was a hefty 9 lbs and 10 oz and was 21 ½ inches tall. Both the mom and boy are doing great (oh, and dad)!

Here are a few pictures and a video clip:

Molly this morning:

Follow Me on Twitter

2009-06-05T09:56:00.003-05:00

For the past few months I have been sending out "tweets" through the fast-growing "social" [or anti-social] service called Twitter.

Twitter is an application that allows you to send messages 140 characters or shorter. I have Twitter on my Blackberry so it is easy to send a message wherever I am (running, just waking up, reading, studying, eating, hopefully not driving, etc.). I have the application set up so it also sends my Twitter to Facebook as my "status."

I have enjoyed "tweeting" biblical thoughts that are on my mind, Scripture I am meditating on or memorizing, situations that are humorous, quotes from my reading or study, prayer requests or thought provoking questions.

I invite you to follow me here on Twitter.

You can also "befriend" me on Facebook, find me at this blog (see above) or subscribe to my "tweets" through an RSS feed.

For a thought provoking article by John Piper on Twitter read his recent post - "Why and How I am Twee ting."

Sermon - The Joy of Discipleship

2009-06-05T09:42:00.003-05:00

The result of regeneration (or the new birth) is that a person sees real things with new eyes. The things that he sees were always there but his old eyes couldn't see them. The new birth gives us the sight to see the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3). Fundamentally, the person sees Jesus Christ as a Treasure and Pearl of Great Price. So great is the valuing of Christ that a person JOYFULLY gives up everything to gain Him.

My sermon last Sunday looked at these two parables -- Matthew 13:44-46.

Here is my sermon audio from May 31, 2009.

Over-familar with the Gospel

2009-06-02T13:48:00.001-05:00

Please take the time to listen to this sermon jam from Rick Gamache.

Treasure - Free Song by Luke Pehoski

2009-05-30T13:18:00.004-05:00

My sermon text for tomorrow is:

Matthew 13:44-46 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

(45) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, (46) who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

I came across a song that Luke Pehoski (a.k.a - Pastor Luke to some) wrote a few years ago and I hope we can sing the song soon at Grace Church. It fits so well with the sermon and discipleship to Jesus Christ--our Treasure.

Here is the song:

You can download it for free here.

Lyrics:

Treasure
Lyrics and Music by Luke Pehoski

Jesus be my treasure, be my one consuming passion
Jesus consume my actions, Lord be my only all

For Lord, You are sufficient
Teach me to thirst for You
Lord, You’re magnificent
The One and only True

Source of pleasure, hope forever, satisfying passion
Be my complete, final joy, every need fulfilling

May I never truly rest, Nor be complete in seeking
Lord ever increase my hunger for You, all my days

Paul is Five Today

2009-05-30T07:12:00.003-05:00

Five years ago my first son was born into this world--Paul Stephan Lewis Patz. I thank God for this gift of His grace and at the same time recognize that this boy is not mine but God's. I pray that God would pour out His Holy Spirit upon him at an early age and give him a life of faithful and dedicated service to the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

This Sunday's Sermon - "The Joy of Discipleship"

2009-05-29T16:20:00.003-05:00

Here are a few details about this Sunday's sermon:

"The Joy of Discipleship"

Matthew 13:44-46

Read or listen to this or past sermons here

Pastor Daniel Patz Preaching

Mr. President - You May Not Appoint A Pro-Choice Judge

2009-05-29T13:54:00.005-05:00

As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I am appreciative and I join Douglas Wilson's warning to President Obama regarding the appointment of a pro-choice judge to the Supreme Court:

You may not do this thing. And if by the time this message is preached, you have already placed the name of such a person in nomination, you are commanded in the name of the Lord Jesus to repent, and withdraw that name from consideration. The one to whom you ultimately answer is the Lord Jesus Christ, and not the American people. And this Jesus, who is the Lord of all presidents and parliaments, kings and congresses, forbids what you are in the midst of doing. And so I say it again. You may not.

You said in the campaign that you did not have "a litmus test" for your nominees, but it is important for you to know and recognize that the Lord Jesus does have a litmus test for judges. He requires them to hate injustice and to judge righteously (Dt. 1:16), to defend the fatherless (Is. 1:23; Jer. 5:28), and to keep the land from being soaked with the blood of innocents (Hos. 6:6-8; Ps. 10:18). Judges must adjudicate with godly wisdom (Prov. 8:16). Judges must recognize that there is a Judge above them, one to whom they answer. The Lord is our judge, lawgiver and king (Is. 33:22). And judges who refuse to acknowledge the wisdom of heaven are judges that the Lord will bring down to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth as vanity (Is. 40:23).

...You have no mandate to allow for the summary executions of anyone. You have no authority to make whether or not a baby is allowed to take a breath of air a matter of somebody else’s political "choice." That is not yours to give. You have no right to deprive anyone of life without due process. And to address the crowning hypocrisy in all of this, you have no authority to invert the meanings of empathy and cruelty. You have stated that one of the characteristics of your nominee would be "empathy." But the treatment that unborn children receive in this calloused and cruel nation of ours is a photo negative of true empathy. We dismember little children, we kill them with saline injections, we suck out their brains with high powered equipment, and you want a nominee who will keep this ghastly business going, and you want one who will call what he is doing empathy. But the prophet Isaiah has declared an authoritative word—"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" (Is 5:20-21). Woe, in other words, to those who do exactly what you are doing.
Furthermore, the one who is the resurrection and the life, the one who is the source of all our life, is the Lord Jesus. The Lord gives, and so the Lord is the only one with the authority to take away. You did not give life, and so unless you have direct warrant from the one who did give life, you have no authority whatever to take it away. This is why the magistrate can execute a murderer after a fair trial; God has given that kind of authority to the magistrate (Rom. 13:4). But without authorization from heaven, the capacity to kill does not confer the right to kill. Murder on a large scale, or conducted in a highly organized fashion, does not mysteriously turn into something else.

On Monday, President Obama selected Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Supreme Court Justice.
Where will she stand on this issue?

Download and listen to Douglas Wilson's sermon.

For the manuscript see here.

For the outline see here.

Great Time Away - The Little Things

2009-05-28T13:36:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, Molly, the kids and I loaded the van and headed for eastern Wisconsin where my parents live (Dunbar, WI - near Northland International University). We had a very restful and encouraging weekend. We returned to Minnesota on Tuesday morning.
I am thankful to God for all the little blessings that He gives us to enjoy.
Here are some highlights that I thank Him for:

Friday Night

Celebrated Paul's birthday (which is Saturday, May 30th - he will be five)
Watched the NBA playoffs with my three brothers

Saturday

I was able to enjoy a good run through the country.
Went to a family run zoo in Wallace, MI (the UP of MI). The kids got to pet a tiger cub, baby coyote, kangaroo, and we watched the tigers and lions getting fed. Here is the zoo website.
We had a feast at my grandmother's house.
We watch more NBA basketball.

Sunday

We worshiped at my parents church (where I grew up) - Faith Baptist Church in Pembine WI.
I enjoyed several walks by myself, with the kids and with Molly.
The VanAckers stopped by my parent's house on their way to MI. We enjoyed supper with them.
We watched more Playoff basketball.

Monday

Went on a four-wheel ride with Elijah and saw a bear with her two cubs. Got some good pictures (see above). We got very close. It was crazy to be so close to a bear in the wild.
Enjoyed a tasty grill-out of burgers and brats (it's Wisconsin).
Went miniature golfing with the kids.
More four-wheeling.
Watched Star Wars Episode 1 with the family.
Watched basketball.

Tuesday - Returned home via McDonalds playland in Ladysmith, WI.

Is Patriotism Christian?

2009-05-22T10:33:00.006-05:00

I just read a helpful article by Kevin Bauder called "The Christian and Patriotism, Part 1." With memorial day weekend here (and Independence Day not too far off) I thought it would be helpful to post. Here are a few quotes from the article:

Should Christians be patriotic at all? If so, then should they carry their patriotism into their churches? I would like to offer tentative answers to these questions—tentative because I am an American and I share most of the American sensibilities. Therefore, my answers will hardly qualify as impartial. The questions, however, are important and should not simply be dismissed.

Patriotism comes in two forms. The first is equivalent to Jingoism. It is a xenophobic form of nationalism that sees in one’s own country the summum bonum. It advances the interests of one’s nation by encroaching upon the legitimate interests of other nations. It is smug, often arrogant, and sometimes rapacious. This form of patriotism is, in effect, idolatry.

Needless to say, this form of patriotism has no place in the life of a Christian. Christians can be susceptible to it, however. They may infer God’s approval from the prosperity or military success of their nation. They may identify their national interests with those of the Kingdom of God. They may even assume that the strength of their nation constitutes some form of divine authorization to interfere in the affairs of other sovereign nations. Each of these attitudes expresses a false and idolatrous patriotism.

There is another form of patriotism, however. It recognizes that each citizen receives a patrimony from the fatherland (the term is deliberate: both patriot and patrimony are related to the Greek term for father). With the patrimony comes (at minimum) a debt of gratitude. The recognition of this debt and appropriate expression of gratitude are akin to honoring one’s parents.

Read the Entire article HERE.

Sermon - You Have a Call On Your Life

2009-05-22T10:21:00.003-05:00

Here is my sermon from last Sunday entitled - "You Have a Call on Your Life."

5.17.09

You Have a Calling on Your Life

Ephesians 4:1