captured by the cross

Rock on!

2006-01-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

For all the drummers out there. A little Tony Royster Jr. to make you jealous...

Tony Royster Video

~jde

Meditations on 2 Corinthians:Comfort and such

2006-01-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

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2 Cor. 2:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, (4) who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. English Standard Version
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I love the two titles that Paul gives to God the Father: "Father of mercies & God of all comfort". The NLT translates "Father of mercies" as "source of mercies". The Greek word is literally Father, and it conjures the image of God as being the grand Mastermind behind merciful acts all througout the world; eagerly giving birth to mercy in all shapes and sizes. Showing mercy to the undeserving and comfort to the afflicted brings joy to God's heart. In fact, they are an integral part of His character. So much so that Paul actually names God by the revelation of His merciful character.

This mercy and comfort is readily available to us. Paul makes it clear that it is God's design and desire to comfort us in our affliction. But it doesn't stop there. It isn't only about God comforting us (although that would certainly be sufficient), but that God wants the comfort with which He comforts us to spill over into the lives of others. The text tells us that God comforts us to make us able to comfort others. In other words, God has a bigger picture than even our own comfort. He's working in us to enable us to in turn comfort others. This Father of mercy gives birth to mercy and comfort in our lives with the intention that the comfort He has shown us will give birth to us comforting others. Has He comforted you? Look for opportunities today to pass that on.

~jde

Updates and such

2006-01-22T22:05:00.000-05:00

Howdy all. Yes, it's been a while. I cleared my blog out of old content to give you some new content (I know, I know, the suspense has been killing you!)

A few updates:
1. Our church, Christ the Rock Community Church www.crcconline.org has a new pastor! Maybe old news, but he is now officially down and things are starting to roll forward.

2. I'm officialy 1/2 way through seminary. I attend RTS Boca Raton www.rts.edu . It's been enjoyable, challenging, and tiring! But also rewarding. I have another year and a half to go.

3. My brother-in-law just removed a deceased possum from my back yard. Hard to explain, but somehow, this ill-fated possum got stuck between my screened in patio and my neighbor's fence. An hour later and my bro-in-law to the rescue, and the possum has officially been removed. Pretty crazy story, ask me and I'll explain it in detail.

That's all for now.

~jde