The Northside Streetlight

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

2009-03-31T22:00:00.003-06:00

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Gen 3:6

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Prov 16:25

As a brother put it to me this evening, "My will always steers me wrong."

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen 2:7

I want You more than gold or silver,
Only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real Joy Giver,
And the Apple of my eye.

An Historic Quote

2009-02-25T21:52:00.006-07:00

"At bare minimum, we should be able to count on our government keeping our kids safe when they eat peanut butter."

--President Barack Obama, February 2, 2009

"Remember them"

2009-02-05T20:34:00.003-07:00

The Lord seems to be bringing a lot of verses to my attention on this topic...

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." Heb 13:3

"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;" Rom 1:9

"Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart;" Phil 1:7a

A brother mentioned to me last night how, when others are in need as Christ was in the garden, we should pray for them. And brother Isaac pointed something similar out in Amos 6:6. Among other things we can choose to meditate on, the Lord's people should hold a prominent place in our hearts and minds.

Reign in me

2009-02-01T18:17:00.002-07:00

This song was apparently written by a man from south Africa, named Brenton Brown. Don't miss the comments I made below the song, explaining why I liked it.

Lord, reign in me

Over all the earth
You reign on high
Every mountain stream
Every sunset sky
But my one request
Lord my only aim
Is that You’d reign in me again

Lord reign in me
Reign in Your power
Over all my dreams
In my darkest hour
You are the Lord
Of all I am
So won’t You reign in me again

Over every thought
Over every word
May my life reflect
The beauty of my Lord
‘Cause you mean more to me
Than any earthly thing
So won’t You reign in me again

It's good to be reminded that the "sunset sky" is a declaration of the Lord's power.

In the phrase, "Lord reign in me again," I noticed the word "again" in particular. The Lord has begun a good work. He will be faithful to continue it and take it even farther. Am I interested?

Also, the lines, "Over all my dreams, in my darkest hour," have seemed very appropriate lately. It seems like the longer I live the more "darkest hours" I have. And the places my imagination chooses to go (sleeping or waking) effect my attitude profoundly. This also ties in well with the prayer that He might reign "over every thought."

Finally, it's convicting to ask: Can I say, "You mean more to me than any earthly thing"?

In the light

2009-01-24T22:54:00.002-07:00

Please read the following lyrics in their entirety, so that you can respond to the question that follows.

In the light

I keep trying to find a life
On my own, apart from you
I am the king of excuses
I've got one for every selfish thing I do

Whats going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I'm still a man in need of a Savior

I wanna be in the light
As you are in the light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the light
All I want is to be in the light

The disease of self runs through my blood
Its a cancer fatal to my soul
Every attempt on my behalf has failed
To bring this sickness under control

Honesty becomes me
there's nothing left to lose
The secrets that did run me
in your presence are defused
Pride has no position
and riches have no worth
The fame that once did cover me
has been sentenced to this earth
Has been sentenced to this earth

There's no other place that I want to be
no other place that I can see
a place to be that's just right
Someday I'm gonna be in the light
You are in the light
That's where I need to be
that's right where I need to be

Discussion

In my opinion, these are some of the more uplifting lyrics written in the past few decades. But these words are deftly intertwined with contemporary music, into a "rock" song. I don't usually listen to this type of music, for spiritual reasons I'd rather not explain right now. But I'm curious to hear what Christian "rock" foes think about this song in particular.

First, please give an honest analysis of the lyrics. Do you think they are spiritually profitable? If not, how can you deny it? If so, how do you reconcile that with your "anti-rock" position? please try to stay civil and keep a Scriptural perspective. I'm genuinely interested what people think!

("In the Light" was popularized by the well-known group D.C. talk, but apparently written by somebody named Charlie Peacock. Credit where credit's due, y'know. :)

It was there by faith

2009-01-20T12:46:00.001-07:00

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Solution to "Name that hymn"

2008-12-31T08:46:00.004-07:00

The words I posted on November 25 come from the second-to-last verse of It Passeth Knowledge. My family used to sing several verses of this when were on the road, and I later learned it entirely by heart. I was surprised to learn that it's an Ira Sankey hymn. The words, by Mary Shekleton, are a little different here than they were in the hymnal I learned them from.

Since none of my readers apparently knew this great hymn, I'll be privileged to give it a little more exposure.

It Passeth Knowledge

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine!
My Jesus! Savior! yet this soul of mine
Would of that love, in all its depth and length,
Its height and breadth, and everlasting strength
Know more and more.

It passeth telling! that dear love of Thine!
My Jesus! Savior! yet these lips of mine
Would fain proclaim to sinners far and near
A love which can remove all guilty fear,
And love beget.

It passeth praises! that dear love of Thine!
My Jesus! Savior yet this heart of mine
Would sing a love so rich, so full, so free,
Which brought an undone sinner, such as me,
Right home to God.

But though I cannot tell, or sing, or know,
The fullness of Thy love while here below,
My empty vessel I may freely bring:
O Thou, who art of love the living spring,
My vessel fill.

I am an empty vessel—not one thought,
Or look of love to Thee I ever brought;
Yet I may come, and come again to Thee,
With this the empty sinner’s only plea—
“Thou lovest me!”

Oh! fill me Jesus Savior with Thy love;
Lead, lead me to the living fount above!
Thither may I in simple faith draw nigh
And never to another fountain fly,
But unto Thee.

And when my Jesus face to face I see,
When at His lofty throne I bow the knee,
Then of His love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
My soul shall sing.

(These lyrics are copied from CyberHymnal.)

A thread of truth...

2008-12-13T10:37:00.003-07:00

"There's a thread of truth in every yarn."
-- Isaac

Name that hymn!

2008-11-25T21:20:00.003-07:00

It's cheating to use Google, and no prize will be offered for you efforts. :-b

These lines came to mind Sunday, and I figured you probably wouldn't be able to guess where they came from. Anyway, have at it!

...
Lead, lead me to the living fount above!
Thither may I in simple faith draw nigh
And never to another fountain fly,
But unto Thee.

A really cool name: Vlad

2008-11-21T13:16:00.005-07:00

Today I ran a across a really cool Russian name: Vlad. This is a male name, spelled Влад using the Cyrillic (Russian) alphabet. (For those of you who lack Russian fonts, it basically looks like "Bnag.")

When native speakers say this name, they pronounce the "A" as in "father," and at the end of the word, the "D" is pronounced as a "T". An Americanized version, however, might be pronounced the as the word "glad," with a "V" sound at the beginning.

Part of what makes this name so awesome (besides how ruggedly Slavic it sounds) is it's meaning. It's an archaic word that means "Mastership." The operative idea is that of rulership and ownership. A modern-day Russian word, vlast' has the same meaning. The fragment Vlad appears in other Russian names, such as Vladislav and (of course!) Vladimir.

I ran across this name today on the blog of some missionary friends. I would encourage you stop by the Louis O'Tool family's web site. They operate an orphanage in South Africa. They preach the true gospel and depend on the Lord to provide for them, so they can always use prayer!

Pro-life resources for Nebraska elections

2008-11-01T14:44:00.006-06:00

Nebraska Right to Life Voter Guide and Candidate Survey
Nebraskans United for Life Candidate Endorsements (Now with judges!)
Nebraska Family Research Council Voter Information Brochure
Nebraskans United for Life March Newsletter (Endorsements prior to primary elections)

(Links to these resources are given because they provide valuable insight on the candidates' positions. I am pro-life, but do not necessarily agree with these organizations or the candidates they endorse.)

Is Jim Esch pro-life?

2008-10-31T09:46:00.015-06:00

Jim Esch is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Nebraska's second district on a "pro-life Democrat" platform. An analysis of that position follows.

Pro-life in practice -- or just in theory?
(This section is based on an interview conducted by the magazine Omaha City Weekly. You can read my highlights of the interview's segment on abortion here.)

For the most part, Jim Esch is philosophically pro-life. On the other hand, as a matter of policy, he feels it's more appropriate for the government to prevent abortion through "education" and "health care" than through direct legal control.

He also distances himself from "the Right to Life side," calling them "a little more extremist." At the same time, he proudly declares that he has "a lot of friends" who are not pro-life. This goes hand-in-hand with his endorsement of Obama, and suggests that he has a stronger willingness to align himself with pro-abortion elements than to protect the unborn.

This is part of a clear trend of political allegiance to a pro-abortion base. (See the Democratic party platform, especially "Reproductive Healthcare" under Section 1, and "Choice" under Section 3.) When viewed along with his preference for cultural programs rather than actual limitations, this trend makes Jim Esch an effectively pro-abortion candidate.

An exception to "life begins at conception"?

Another concern is posed by those who point back to his 2006 "flip-flop" on conducting research with in-vitro embryos. Nebraskans United for Life initially endorsed him for congress in 2006. But they were forced to reverse their endorsement after he publicly, unequivocally asserted a position totally contradictory to the one he initially presented to the organization.

He defends his initial answer by claiming that NUL's questionnaire was "misleading" (although he also met with NUL leaders in person), and he was "surprised" that they endorsed him before he had a chance to make up his mind for sure. He may still claim to believe life begins at conception. But since his interview with Nebraskans United for Life, he now apparently believes that embryos conceived in-vitro don't count. "I just don't see that as being the same as an unborn child," he explains. If he takes office, how many more such exceptions will he discover?

Verdict: With exceptions, pro-life in theory. But not pro-life in practice.

Overpopulation, huh?

2008-10-29T02:58:00.003-06:00

A little simple arithmetic: The world is home to less than 7 billion people, and the U.S. has a dry land area of about 9 million square kilometers. If everybody in the world lived in the U.S., then the population density would be a startlingly low 778 per square kilometer. That's quite a bit less than Omaha, Nebraska, my mid-sized hometown. In fact, in Kiplinger's 2008 ranking of the 10 best U.S. cities to live in, not one city has a population density that low.

Brand new word: Bodage

2008-10-26T21:00:00.019-06:00

(Pronunciation: bod-idge.)
1. Body. "Let's keep the bodage out of the way there, buddy."
2. Body mass; amount or accumulation thereof. "Since I started working out, I've put on a lot of sweet bodage."
3. A bodily appendage. "Please keep heads, arms and all other bodages inside of the vehicle."
USAGE NOTE: This word's effectiveness may be enhanced by use of the plural form. Sharpen and augment the initial syllable to achieve additional sarcasm.

Etymology: Coined in 2008 by Daniel Serafino. Combines the word body with the suffix -age. As a verb, body means to "give body to." The suffix -age denotes an action or its result over time, from Latin -aticum.

Past sins

2008-10-16T22:59:00.002-06:00

A brother (some of you know Ben) shared this verse with me a few days ago:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Romans 3:25

It's encouraging that the Lord's righteousness covers past sins! They can be remitted-- they can be "past"...

In Immanuel's Land

2008-09-30T22:06:00.005-06:00

This evening, I ran across these lesser-known verses to an old, well-loved hymn, and thought you might enjoy them.

The flow'rs need nights cool darkness, the moonlight and the dew;
So Christ, from one who loved it, His shining oft withdrew:
And then, for cause of absence my troubled soul I scanned
But glory shadeless shineth in Immanuel’s land.

I’ve wrestled on towards Heaven, against storm, wind and tide,
Now, like a weary traveler that leaneth on his guide,
Amid the shades of evening, while sinks life’s lingering sand,
I hail the glory dawning from Immanuel’s land.

Deep waters crossed life’s pathway, the hedge of thorns was sharp;
Now, these lie all behind me; Oh! for a well tuned harp!
Oh! To join hallelujah with yon triumphant band,
Who sing where glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

Soon shall the cup of glory wash down earth’s bitt'rest woes,
Soon shall the desert briar break into Eden’s rose;
The curse shall change to blessing; The name on earth that’s banned
Be graven on the white stone in Immanuel’s land.

I shall sleep sound in Jesus, filled with His likeness rise,
To love and to adore Him, to see Him with these eyes:
’Tween me and resurrection but Paradise doth stand;
Then—then for glory dwelling in Immanuel’s land.

(If you're interested, you can find more (and stranger!) verses at the Cyber Hymnal, where I found these.)

Some verses from Psalms

2008-09-07T20:15:00.002-06:00

"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."
Psalm 34:6

"For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God."
Psalm 38:15

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."
Psalm 40:17

Since when has evolution not been controversial?

2008-08-29T04:58:00.004-06:00

Did you know that two thirds of Americans believe in the creation? And over half believe it should be taught in public school. On the other side of things, only about one in eight think exclusively evolution should be taught.

I got these stats from a handy site called pollingreport.com.

If you're interested, you can read my own summary here.

Explanation for "If I dropped the ball"

2008-08-20T23:33:00.002-06:00

(My best shot anyhow. :)

The idea behind my last post may not have come through as clearly as I had hoped. So here's my attempt at clarification. Look at Romans 10:11 again. If you believe in the Lord, then you will not be ashamed. (The NAS says "disappointed" in stead of "ashamed." I haven't done the word study, but I think that's legitimate.)

In mathematical logic you can flip an "if-then" statement like this around and find an equally true statement called a "contrapositive." In this case, the original statement is "If you believe the Lord, then you won't be disappointed." And the contrapositive is "If I'm disappointed, then I have not been believing the Lord." See how that follows?

So what about the "dropping the ball" thing? Well, if I'm trying to handle things myself, then I'm gonna drop the ball. I'm gonna be disappointed. The contrapositive is "If I dropped the ball, it's because I was handling things myself in stead of trusting the Lord."

Is that starting to make more sense?

If I dropped the ball...

2008-08-19T22:04:00.001-06:00

... it's because I was holding it.

"For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." Romans 10:11

The cup of suffering

2008-07-18T12:39:00.009-06:00

"The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us." Hosea 10:8

This is a prophecy of fear and destruction. In many ways, it's a dreadful prophecy. Yet when I read this about a month ago, it struck me in a very encouraging way. What is it that's being destroyed here? The sin of Israel. How would you like that? To be sin free... It sounds very welcoming to me at the moment.

"Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:" Isaiah 51:22

When I was reading this verse, I had an image in my mind of a hand wrapped around a cup. The Lord wants to take away my sin, He wants to take the cup out of my hand. But sometimes I insist on keeping it, and clenching my hand around it. Don't I realize that it is a cup of suffering, which the Lord wants to take away because He loves me?

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32

I know the Lord has proved His love for me. He has proved that He is willing to go to incredible lengths for my benefit. Why would I not trust Him?! Why, when He wants to take something away, would I not let go?

"God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13b

When temptations come, He holds out His hand, offering a way of escape. Next time, will I trust Him enough to release the cup?

Bad manners...

2008-06-25T01:03:00.003-06:00

...don't always pay.

(Thanks, Hillary!)

Verse of the Month

2008-06-16T00:47:00.002-06:00

Is there a verse or two that has encouraged you this month? Or even in the last week or two? Why not share it? Just click below to leave a comment. There will be no losing nominations-- every verse accepted will be considered a "verse of the month."

Even if you've never commented before, everyone is welcome to participate. Thanks for sharing!

Ancient Chinese Proverb

2008-06-10T21:28:00.006-06:00

Ancient Chinese proverb say, "Never jump into helicopter from above."
-- Isaac

The Father's good pleasure

2008-05-16T10:31:00.007-06:00

The more selfish and self-centered I am, the more I suffer the pain of regret. I should forget about pleasing myself, and concern myself only with pleasing and serving the Lord. Then I would really be pleased.

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Luke 12:32