I just went out to Saddleback golf course in Firestone, CO and shot the best round of golf in my life. I shot an 84 on a par 72. I shot back-to-back 42's on my way to that score. I triple-bogeyed and double-bogeyed the two par 3's on the front nine. I also double-bogeyed number 18 which is a par 5. I had 8 pars on the day and 1 birdie (number 3, a par 5). The rest were bogey's. I had 33 putts for the round. It's amazing how your score drops if your putter is on.
Right now, Yahoo handicap tracker has me rated at 21.3. My goal is to get under 20 by the end of the summer. If I keep shooting under 90, that won't be a problem. Before this year, I had only had 3-4 rounds under 90 in my entire life. I've shot better than 90 three out of the last 6 rounds I've played. Hopefully, this will be my breakout year!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The Greeting to the Corinthian Church
I was reading 1 Corinthians 1 last night when an interesting thought came to my mind. I really like how Paul got to the point of the epistle in a very quick and subtle way.
"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus..." - 1 Corinthians 1:2
The Corinthian church was one that was known for having problems with spiritual maturity and separation from the world. Paul would elaborate on sanctification throughout the book, but he pointed out the truth of sanctification by the time you get to just the second verse.
The word "sanctify" comes from the Greek word hagiazo which means: to make holy, to consecrate. God has made us holy in Christ. He has consecrated us, or set us apart from the world, in Christ. If a Corinthian Christian only got to read the first two verses of the epistle, he would get the point Paul was trying to make.
This church needed more sanctification in their lives. I find it interesting what Paul said in the very next verse.
"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 1:3
This was a very common greeting found near the beginning of almost every epistle in the New Testament. You can this greeting, or one almost exactly like it in Romans, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 and 2 Peter, 2 John and Revelation. You see, it wasn't just Paul who used this greeting, Peter and John used it as well. The point is that every church and every Christian must daily increase in sanctification. How is this accomplished? By the grace and peace of God. That's why the writers of these epistles stress the need for these gifts in our lives.
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world..." - Titus 2:11-12
There is a very scary view of grace that is infiltrating Christian circles today. It is the view that says God's grace gives me the license to do whatever I want. That couldn't be further from the Biblical definition and purpose of grace. If God's grace is truly at work in our life and we are submitting ourselves to it, it will teach us to deny ungodliness. Read Romans 6 for another great Biblical definition of grace and a description of its purpose in our lives.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thankgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
I've heard it said that the battle of the Christian life is fought on your knees. The reason that many Christians lose battles all the time is because they were never fighting in the first place. The peace of God is a direct and promised result of prayer. That peace then keeps our hearts and minds. The Greek word for keep means: to watch in advance, to mount guard, to protect. The peace of God literally guards your heart and mind from the influence of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Do you see the correlation between the grace and peace of God and sanctification? I thought it was interesting how nearly all the epistles started off with the writers' desire for these sanctifying gifts of God to be present in the lives of every believer they were writing to.
"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus..." - 1 Corinthians 1:2
The Corinthian church was one that was known for having problems with spiritual maturity and separation from the world. Paul would elaborate on sanctification throughout the book, but he pointed out the truth of sanctification by the time you get to just the second verse.
The word "sanctify" comes from the Greek word hagiazo which means: to make holy, to consecrate. God has made us holy in Christ. He has consecrated us, or set us apart from the world, in Christ. If a Corinthian Christian only got to read the first two verses of the epistle, he would get the point Paul was trying to make.
This church needed more sanctification in their lives. I find it interesting what Paul said in the very next verse.
"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 1:3
This was a very common greeting found near the beginning of almost every epistle in the New Testament. You can this greeting, or one almost exactly like it in Romans, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 and 2 Peter, 2 John and Revelation. You see, it wasn't just Paul who used this greeting, Peter and John used it as well. The point is that every church and every Christian must daily increase in sanctification. How is this accomplished? By the grace and peace of God. That's why the writers of these epistles stress the need for these gifts in our lives.
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world..." - Titus 2:11-12
There is a very scary view of grace that is infiltrating Christian circles today. It is the view that says God's grace gives me the license to do whatever I want. That couldn't be further from the Biblical definition and purpose of grace. If God's grace is truly at work in our life and we are submitting ourselves to it, it will teach us to deny ungodliness. Read Romans 6 for another great Biblical definition of grace and a description of its purpose in our lives.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thankgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
I've heard it said that the battle of the Christian life is fought on your knees. The reason that many Christians lose battles all the time is because they were never fighting in the first place. The peace of God is a direct and promised result of prayer. That peace then keeps our hearts and minds. The Greek word for keep means: to watch in advance, to mount guard, to protect. The peace of God literally guards your heart and mind from the influence of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Do you see the correlation between the grace and peace of God and sanctification? I thought it was interesting how nearly all the epistles started off with the writers' desire for these sanctifying gifts of God to be present in the lives of every believer they were writing to.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Celebrating Days
I've always found it curious that the Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate birthdays or holidays. They literally believe it's wrong to do so. The children of that faith don't get a cake or presents on their birthday. You'll never see a Christmas tree in the home of a JW. I have to be honest and say that I have criticized them for there position in this matter. To be frank, I was wrong in doing so. There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing not to esteem certain days above other days.
I was reading in my Bible last night and came to Romans 14:5-6. "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."
The point is that it doesn't matter whether or not you celebrate certain days. What matters is your motive for doing so. If you celebrate certain days, make sure you're doing it in a way that glorifies God. Thank God in the celebration of the day. If you don't celebrate certain days, that means you should just be thanking God for each day equally.
The problem with many esteemed days is that they are esteemed for man instead of God. Christmas has turned into an economy all its own instead of a time for everbody to thank God for sending His Son to the world to pay the price for sin. It has become a day where "What am I going to get?" has overshadowed "Thank God for what He gave." Birthdays are similar in this way. Most people think more about the presents they're getting than the fact that God has graciously given them another year to live for and glorify Him. If you're esteeming a day for the wrong reason, you'd be better off not esteeming it at all!
Someone might ask, "How do I decide whether I should esteem one day over another?" Verse 5 tells us that we are to be "fully persuaded in (our) own mind." If we have persuaded ourselves, we'll usually end up doing what we're doing for the wrong reason. We are not to persuade ourselves. God is to persuade us.
"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." - Romans 14:4
As Christians, God is our master. We are not to judge other Christians because we are not their master. Our desire should be to be right in the sight of God, first and foremost. With God as our master, He should be the one persuading us in every area of life.
The only reason you could say I was right in my criticism of JW's for their position on celebrating days is that they are not truly saved, therefore God is not truly their master. Everything they do are self-righteous works, so their choice not to esteem certain days is not done for the right reason.
As a believer, if you want to celebrate certain days for the right reason, great. If you don't want to celebrate certain days for the right reason, great. Just be fully persuaded by God.
I was reading in my Bible last night and came to Romans 14:5-6. "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."
The point is that it doesn't matter whether or not you celebrate certain days. What matters is your motive for doing so. If you celebrate certain days, make sure you're doing it in a way that glorifies God. Thank God in the celebration of the day. If you don't celebrate certain days, that means you should just be thanking God for each day equally.
The problem with many esteemed days is that they are esteemed for man instead of God. Christmas has turned into an economy all its own instead of a time for everbody to thank God for sending His Son to the world to pay the price for sin. It has become a day where "What am I going to get?" has overshadowed "Thank God for what He gave." Birthdays are similar in this way. Most people think more about the presents they're getting than the fact that God has graciously given them another year to live for and glorify Him. If you're esteeming a day for the wrong reason, you'd be better off not esteeming it at all!
Someone might ask, "How do I decide whether I should esteem one day over another?" Verse 5 tells us that we are to be "fully persuaded in (our) own mind." If we have persuaded ourselves, we'll usually end up doing what we're doing for the wrong reason. We are not to persuade ourselves. God is to persuade us.
"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." - Romans 14:4
As Christians, God is our master. We are not to judge other Christians because we are not their master. Our desire should be to be right in the sight of God, first and foremost. With God as our master, He should be the one persuading us in every area of life.
The only reason you could say I was right in my criticism of JW's for their position on celebrating days is that they are not truly saved, therefore God is not truly their master. Everything they do are self-righteous works, so their choice not to esteem certain days is not done for the right reason.
As a believer, if you want to celebrate certain days for the right reason, great. If you don't want to celebrate certain days for the right reason, great. Just be fully persuaded by God.
Fizzling Suns
I love the Phoenix Suns. I love the talents of the individual players and the way they gel on the court. When the Suns are on, they truly make the game of basketball a beautiful thing to watch. Another thing I like about Phoenix is their passion for the game. People have been telling them all along that they can't win a championship playing their "style" of basketball. I believe they want to prove them wrong.
We have a problem though. It seems in the last few weeks that the Suns have lost that passion. My guess is that it is driving Steve Nash crazy. As great as he has played the last three years, he is a lot closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning of it. His opportunity to win a championship has grown quite slim. I was at the Suns/Nuggets game in Denver a few weeks ago when the Nuggets absolutely throttled them. Then I watched them lose to the Kings and the Warriors this week. I really got the impression they were playing with no sense of urgency in all three of those games. All these games came after an impressive double-overtime win against the Mavericks. I just don't get it.
All I can say is that somebody better light a match under these Suns or their playoff life will be relatively short!
We have a problem though. It seems in the last few weeks that the Suns have lost that passion. My guess is that it is driving Steve Nash crazy. As great as he has played the last three years, he is a lot closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning of it. His opportunity to win a championship has grown quite slim. I was at the Suns/Nuggets game in Denver a few weeks ago when the Nuggets absolutely throttled them. Then I watched them lose to the Kings and the Warriors this week. I really got the impression they were playing with no sense of urgency in all three of those games. All these games came after an impressive double-overtime win against the Mavericks. I just don't get it.
All I can say is that somebody better light a match under these Suns or their playoff life will be relatively short!
The Final Four
When it comes to college basketball, I'm a UCLA fan first and foremost. I'm a PAC-10 fan in general. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed last year when the Bruins fell to the Gators in the national championship game. I was bummed that UCLA lost, but I also had respect for Florida because of how well they played and complemented each other.
As I have followed the NCAA tourney this year, I still believe Florida is a great basketball team, but I have lost almost all respect for them. I was talking to my dad one night about how I noticed that this was an extremely cocky team. I thought it was quite humorous when I found this article by Randy Hill on FoxSports.com the very next day. I have to say that I agree with Randy 100%. I was rooting for the Bruins last year in the title game and you can bet I'll be rooting for them again in the Final Four. I hope the Gators fall all over their big heads. This time, UCLA is the underdog. Go Bruins!
As I have followed the NCAA tourney this year, I still believe Florida is a great basketball team, but I have lost almost all respect for them. I was talking to my dad one night about how I noticed that this was an extremely cocky team. I thought it was quite humorous when I found this article by Randy Hill on FoxSports.com the very next day. I have to say that I agree with Randy 100%. I was rooting for the Bruins last year in the title game and you can bet I'll be rooting for them again in the Final Four. I hope the Gators fall all over their big heads. This time, UCLA is the underdog. Go Bruins!
The Death Sentence of Christ
"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." - John 19:7
The Lord's Table service is a special time for the Christian that God has ordained for the church. I believe that too many Christians just sit through this ordinance without giving too much thought about anything. As I hold the bread and the juice, I am to be vividly reminded of the fact that Jesus physically offered His body and blood for the redemption of my soul. This is something that should be thought about much more often than the Lord's Table service at your local church. It's something that a believer should dwell on every day of their lives.
Several years ago, I developed a habit during the Lord's Table service while attending Lancaster Baptist Church during my college days. LBC is quite a large church and even with many deacons serving, it takes quite a while to pass the elements to everyone in the congregation. I really learned to enjoy that time and take advantage of it. I began to use the moments of relative quiet to read the entire chapter of John 19. This is the chapter in John that details the crucifixion of Christ. I found that this helped greatly in my remembrance and meditation on the price Jesus paid for me.
I remember coming to vs. 7 of this chapter one of the first times I read it during the Lord's Table service and underlining the verse in my Bible. I knew it was a profound verse from that point forward. I heard Pastor Randall quote that verse in a message a week ago and the true magnitude of that verse finally hit me.
The Jews were speaking to Pilate in John 19:7. Pilate had tried his best to talk them out of crucifying Jesus. The final justification that the Jews gave for the murder of Christ was that "their" law said it should be so. Jesus was a "blasphemer" for saying that He was God Himself. I think the fact that the Jews referred to the law as "theirs" really threw me off on the depth of this verse for a long time. That law they were talking about, who did it really belong to? Who's law was it?
Exodus 20 records the day that Moses went up to Mount Sinai and God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger. God gave the law to Israel as a nation, but it was God's law! The law has several purposes in the plan of God for the human race. It is very humbling to think that one of those purposes was to sentence His own Son to death. God knew His own people would use the very law He gave them as the final justification for the killing of Christ. When God put His finger to that stone in Exodus 20, He was writing the death sentence of Jesus Christ.
How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
The Lord's Table service is a special time for the Christian that God has ordained for the church. I believe that too many Christians just sit through this ordinance without giving too much thought about anything. As I hold the bread and the juice, I am to be vividly reminded of the fact that Jesus physically offered His body and blood for the redemption of my soul. This is something that should be thought about much more often than the Lord's Table service at your local church. It's something that a believer should dwell on every day of their lives.
Several years ago, I developed a habit during the Lord's Table service while attending Lancaster Baptist Church during my college days. LBC is quite a large church and even with many deacons serving, it takes quite a while to pass the elements to everyone in the congregation. I really learned to enjoy that time and take advantage of it. I began to use the moments of relative quiet to read the entire chapter of John 19. This is the chapter in John that details the crucifixion of Christ. I found that this helped greatly in my remembrance and meditation on the price Jesus paid for me.
I remember coming to vs. 7 of this chapter one of the first times I read it during the Lord's Table service and underlining the verse in my Bible. I knew it was a profound verse from that point forward. I heard Pastor Randall quote that verse in a message a week ago and the true magnitude of that verse finally hit me.
The Jews were speaking to Pilate in John 19:7. Pilate had tried his best to talk them out of crucifying Jesus. The final justification that the Jews gave for the murder of Christ was that "their" law said it should be so. Jesus was a "blasphemer" for saying that He was God Himself. I think the fact that the Jews referred to the law as "theirs" really threw me off on the depth of this verse for a long time. That law they were talking about, who did it really belong to? Who's law was it?
Exodus 20 records the day that Moses went up to Mount Sinai and God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger. God gave the law to Israel as a nation, but it was God's law! The law has several purposes in the plan of God for the human race. It is very humbling to think that one of those purposes was to sentence His own Son to death. God knew His own people would use the very law He gave them as the final justification for the killing of Christ. When God put His finger to that stone in Exodus 20, He was writing the death sentence of Jesus Christ.
How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Top 10 Ways to Get Your Preacher to Quit
As a preacher myself who knows the constant pressure to stop fighting the good fight, I found this sarcastic form of advice to be something every Christian should read. If you are a church member you need to read this and understand that though it sounds funny, far too many Christians don't realize how many "rules" they are breaking!
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I am starting this blog simply to keep record of things that I think about. I won't always be right, but I'll always be thinking.
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