The Fullness of Joy

What joy is mine
Because
God did what only God could
What I would not have done
What I would not have known
What I would not have believed
Had to be done
God
Who alone could
Did.
The Sovereign
Gave His Only Begotten Son
The Only from The Only
One
Who having been given, gave
And being the gift
My life did save
When I had no clue
He did what only He could do.
How awesome in the fullest sense
And how patient He when I am dense?
How could I feel any other feeling
Or feel anything other than reeling
With joy and amazement and tears
As I commit to Him what is left of my years,
To obey as I trust
My heart so beats as it must.
Full of joy unlike I expected
Full of Him, by the Spirit connected
Full of joy for Grace Enfleshed
Full of joy in His life enmeshed
Full of joy for what's ahead
I bow to Him, our living head.

(something written between 2000-2006)

Wolves in ministerial clothing

Some decades ago--the 1960s and the 1970s, to be exact--there was an apparent moving of the Spirit, especially across college campuses. I was caught up in this in the Twin  Cities of Minnesota, along with many others I knew. We were young, excited, and naive--having a lot of zeal but not much maturity to temper it.

When I left home for college, I went to a small Christian college. Chapel attendance was mandatory, so what difference would it make if I didn't get to church every Sunday? I was not concerned with spiritual matters as much as academic and social.

The Lord took me away from that environment when I failed in every area I had previously succeeded in; it was my first lesson in applying 1 Corinthians 10:12:  "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall."

I left that college half-way through my sophomore year, chastened but with the promise that if I got my life in order I could apply again later and be received under probation. That was the grace I needed, and I made every effort to meet the requirements. They took me back.

When I returned, there was a spiritual excitement on the campus. I was swept up in it. God was at work. I was hungry and thirsty as I had not been before the discipline. And instead of going now to a settled church, of which there were many, I was going to be part of a new church, one that was going to do church right.

I ought to have known better, having been taught the Word well, but I let myself be part of this new flock.

Hey, it was growing in numbers weekly with many coming from other campuses in the area. We were going to be something both new and old.

I ought to have known better, but there were certain appeals to this, appeals as much to the flesh as to the spirit.

And I was doing well academically this time, so it had to be God's will for me to be involved, right?

After some time passed, I began to have my doubts as to the health of the whole "church." I could no longer satisfy myself that the outreach both locally and internationally was of the Lord or that the teaching behind those efforts was sound.

The last straw was when I asked one of the "elders" a question and he replied, "Just trust us."

That was enough. I knew that I had been exposing myself to wolves in ministerial clothing. I thank God that I got out of there comparatively unscathed.

Some thoughts about God

It is impossible to state all God Is but here are some thoughts
God Is
In all that He is, God is infinite
In love
In joy
In peace
In patience
In kindness
In gentleness
In mercy
In self-control
In unchangingness
In compassion
In righteousness
In justice
In holiness
In all He Is--the Way, the Truth, the Life, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer--
His perfections are infinite

Transition

Our transition from California to Kentucky is nearly complete. It is quite a process.  We had to provide certain documents to obtain our Kentucky cards and Garry had to prove ownership of the car.  But we are now card-carrying members of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and have a Kentucky license plate. The car has known life only with California plates before this.

As we go through what we need to, I am reminded of two passages from Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11 and Philippians 3:20-21.

Philippians 2:5-11: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God. did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 3:20-21: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Philippians 2:5-11 makes 3:20-21 possible.