My prayer for this coming Thanksgiving

May God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus send us back to you again. And may the Lord make your love to grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love does toward you. This will result in your hearts being made strong, sinless, and holy by God our Father so that you may stand before him guiltless on that day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns with all those who belong to him.

Recommended blog post - Why Millennials are Leaving the Church

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church/

"We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.
You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around. We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there.
Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep down, we long for Jesus.
Now these trends are obviously true not only for millennials but also for many folks from other generations. Whenever I write about this topic, I hear from forty-somethings and grandmothers, Generation Xers and retirees, who send me messages in all caps that read “ME TOO!” So I don’t want to portray the divide as wider than it is.

Thank you, Jesus

Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
for God, the Just, is satisfied
to look on him and pardon me.

No Guilt

God never tries to make us feel guilty.  The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict.  Guilt does nothing except cause pain.  Conviction brings change.  If you are feeling guilty about doing or not doing something, then listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Stop doing what you shouldn't be doing and start doing what you should.  It is a matter of the will and the help of God's Spirit. 

Convictions

"Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate." -Rick Warren

Love or Duty

I often struggle with whether I am doing things out of duty or out of love.  Like "duty-bound" Aeneas, I find myself doing things that I don't really want to do, but I do them because I think it is the right thing to do.  But surely, that is not the attitude that the Lord wants from us.  We should serve Him out of love for Jesus and all He has done for us.  How to you love someone you haven't seen and cannot touch or hold?  Yet, I know that I love Him, for I feel it deep within my heart.  How do I change duty into love?  I haven't figured out the answer yet.

Jesus' tender compassion

 I am of the "timid, trembling race," a frightened starling.  Thank You, Jesus, for your tender touch.

Another Spurgeon

"A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench." --Matthew 12:20

What is weaker than the bruised reed or the smoking flax? A reed that groweth in the fen or marsh, let but the wild duck light upon it, and it snaps; let but the foot of man brush against it, and it is bruised and broken; every wind that flits across the river moves it to and fro. You can conceive of nothing more frail or brittle, or whose existence is more in jeopardy, than a bruised reed. Then look at the smoking flax-- what is it? It has a spark within it, it is true, but it is almost smothered; an infant's breath might blow it out; nothing has a more precarious existence than its flame. Weak things are here described, yet Jesus says of them, "The smoking flax I will not quench; the bruised reed I will not break." Some of God's children are made strong to do mighty works for Him; God has His Samsons here and there who can pull up Gaza's gates, and carry them to the top of the hill; He has a few mighties who are lion-like men, but the majority of His people are a timid, trembling race. They are like starlings, frightened at every passer by; a little fearful flock. If temptation comes, they are taken like birds in a snare; if trial threatens, they are ready to faint; their frail skiff is tossed up and down by every wave, they are drifted along like a sea bird on the crest of the billows--weak things, without strength, without wisdom, without foresight. Yet, weak as they are, and because they are so weak, they have this promise made specially to them. Herein is grace and graciousness! Herein is love and lovingkindness! How it opens to us the compassion of Jesus--so gentle, tender, considerate! We need never shrink back from His touch. We need never fear a harsh word from Him; though He might well chide us for our weakness, He rebuketh not. Bruised reeds shall have no blows from Him, and the smoking flax no damping frowns.