Basics Reflections, Tuesday Night - A Pause

It's been a fantastic day, and I fully intend to post some full reflections on the day's messages. However, I must confess that I heard tonight a mathematician preach what I truly think is the most powerful sermon I've ever heard in my life. As John Lennox preached Revelation 4-7, I felt as though I were led with John into the very throne room of God. With clarity and conviction, Lennox delivered an exhilarating reminder of the earth-shattering magnificence, glory, and grandeur of the living God. Rather than churn out a summary of the day like a journalist meeting a deadline, I want to take time tonight to reflect, exult, and repent of a complacent view of God that has often been trivial. I'll write more tomorrow, and I'll surely post a link to the audio of the message when it becomes available. I told my good friend Kenny immediately following the session, "I want to take an MP3 of that and give it to everyone I know." I pray that you would see and savor the greatness of God like I did tonight, and that you would rejoice with my heart in his mind-blowing lovingkindness.

From Him and Through Him and To Him Are All Things

"Like the inconceivable immensity of the heavens, ever increasing as the power of vision is lengthened, we go on to find that the further we go only the more does the thought of infinity rise upon us; but this infinity is filled with an Infinite Presence; in every leaf-blade, in every atom, yet transcending all His works; and ‘to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ. by whom are all things, and we by Him.'" - Arthur W. Pink.

The Supremacy of Christ

I found this very powerful...



HT: Vitamin Z

S'mores Declare the Glory of God

I'm not much of an outdoorsman. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy being outside, I'm just not the type that spends time thinking about the next time I'll go fishing, hunting, or camping. I'm much more likely to marvel at the beautifully rendered landscapes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion than I am to spend time sleeping in the real versions of said landscapes.

However, on Friday I went camping in Carrolton, KY with four friends, and found the experience to be fantastic. I've always found it easy to marvel at God's glory in creation, but I've usually mentally tied that glory to "big" experiences - the immense beauty of the ocean, the rush of hiking at Mt. Rainier, etc. Yet after spending time sleeping by a dried creekbed in the woods next to a cow pasture, I saw God's glory made plain in what we take for granted as - well, plain. As we sat, cooking brats over an open fire, listening to nothing but birds and bugs and the crackle of the flames, feeling a perfectly temperate breeze pass by, I couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation for the wonder of God's creation. I learned firsthand that not only are the heavens declaring the glory of God, but unspectacular rural Kentucky is too. I won't be trading in my Xbox 360 for a fishing pole anytime soon (God's glory is also made manifest by the immense creativity he has given to humanity) - but I will be much more likely to power down everything and spend a night under the stars again very soon.

The Details Declare the Glory of God

When we think about God's glory being declared by his creation, we usually think of supernovas, the Grand Canyon, or the beauty of an ocean sunrise - big, spectacular things. However, watch the following video and consider how beauty is present in even the most mundane of things and actions. Even in the laws of physics that we dismiss as boring or forget entirely, God has woven his beauty and splendor.



HT: The Blazing Center