Jars of Clay - Gather and Build: A Collection

Free music?

Yes, please!

If you have ever liked Jars of Clay, or  old folk songs, check it out! The first song on the album is "This Land Is Your Land," which makes me simultaneously think of Peter, Paul and Mary and fourth grade choir.

http://www.noisetrade.com/jarsofclay

shake your tail feathers

Painting pottery with a friend after work is a great way to enjoy a Monday. 

Here is one of last Monday's creations. 

worthy of every hallelujah

As I drove east to school today, the sun was shining so brightly, calling the world to awake. I was reminded of Isaiah 60:1-3, which says:

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn."

These words of promise inspire my heart to pray for great things, things I cannot grasp in detail, but merely reach after.

And tonight as I came home to my apartment, the hallelujahs of this hymn began to fill the quiet.

Revive Us Again
William P. Mackay, 19th cent.
John J. Husband, 1760-1825

We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus who died and is now gone above!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory; revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of light
Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory; revive us again.

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,
Who has borne all our sins and hath cleansed ev'ry stain,
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory; revive us again.

Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory; revive us again.

I love this hymn, which I say of many; however, it's especially true of this one, so much so that I can't commit to any one verse as a favorite. How sweet the gospel is and how desperate our need for the Spirit's refreshment in our lives each day. How desperate we are for the Lord to rise upon us, for His glory, and His alone, to appear over us! For His light to scatter our night!

Lord, You are good. Oh how blessed we are as the sons and daughters of light! We thank You, Father, for You have qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints of the kingdom of light. You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son You love, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. I look to You, Almighty King, to work in the ways I cannot. Call to life the dead. I wait with expectancy.

"Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Thine the glory; revive us again."

Pawn: the weakest and most numerous piece in the game

At the school where I work, we teach chess as part of our curriculum beginning in the third grade. Did you know that life is like chess? And that a teacher's aide is a pawn? We can be moved at a whim, out of necessity and quite deliberately. I am being moved to the fifth grade at the start of next quarter. While I am not exactly happy about this change, I am praying that it would be for the sake of the gospel. Would you join me in this prayer?

Josiah - 2 Kings

Yesterday afternoon I finished reading 2 Kings and the story of Josiah really hit home.

As I read it, my heart was stirred to pray that I would respond like Josiah to God's Word and the conviction of His Spirit. I also was struck by our present and great need for leaders like Josiah. Men and women of faith, who would not brush off the commands of the Lord, but would wholeheartedly respond to them. Allowing the Spirit to reveal to them their own depravity, grieving deeply their own sin, not out of self imposed guilt, but awe of the Holy One and His ways.

2 Kings 22:11,19-20 "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes." 
"Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this place."

Josiah led the people of Judah to repentance. He gathered them together and read the Book of the Covenant to them, renewing the covenant in God's presence before them. Following this, he ordered all of the idols and priests to the idols to be done away with in the kingdom. He went so far as grinding the already burned Asherah pole into powder and scattering it over the graves. After he had removed the physical idolatry, he called for a celebration of the Passover. What a wondrous thing it is to celebrate the Living God and the abundance of His provision in all things, and how necessary it is for us to call others to do the same!

2 Kings 23:25 "Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses."




***


Josiah was eight years old when he became king. Recently I have had a bit of a refresher course on what it is like to be an eight year old. I joyfully can tell you that there are some eight-year-olds, a precious few, who grasp the truths of Scripture and seek to apply them in their lives. Literally turning the other cheek, loving the unlovable, forgiving seventy times seven, and  sharing their faith with others. What a blessing this is to my heart. I pray for these sweet ones that they may be like Josiah, men and women of bold faith and humble hearts all their days for His glory and renown.