Jesus is Amazing

I just finished reading Kevin DeYoung’s book; “Crazy Busy”, and I am sure I will have more on that later, but in the book he makes an incredibly simple yet profound statement… “Jesus Amazes Me.”  You have to let that sink in for a few minutes, yet it is so true.  We just have to stop from our busyness to see.  Hebrews 1:3 reminds us:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

In my clear moments I am truly amazed and in awe that Jesus; my Lord and Savior, is the radiance of God’s glory; the exact representation of his being…shouldn’t we all be amazed?  In his book “One Way Love”, Tullian Tchividjian reminds us that “the Bible is one long story of God meeting our rebellion with His rescue, our sin with His salvation, our guilt with His grace, our badness with His goodness.  The overwhelming focus of the Bible is not the work of the redeemed but the work of the Redeemer.”

And later in the book Tullian states; “The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces that because Jesus was strong for you, you’re free to be weak.  Because Jesus won for you, you’re free to lose.  Because Jesus was Someone, you’re free to be no one.  Because Jesus was extraordinary, you’re free to be ordinary.  Because Jesus succeeded for you, you’re free to fail.”

Now that is not to say we need or have to be weak or losers or simply ordinary, but it is saying we are free; free from guilt, free from performance anxiety, free because of the love of Christ.  As I really come to terms with this I find myself overwhelmed, in awe and simply amazed.  You know Jesus Amazes me!

Grace and Peace!

Sensing Jesus

I recently started reading a book titled “Sensing Jesus” by Zack Eswine. I am only 20 pages into it and find it hard to put down. It is a book filled with reminders of grace for our brokenness and deals specifically with those in ministry. Zack says the purpose of his book is; “I believe the Christian life and ministry are an apprenticeship with Jesus toward recovering our humanity and, through his Spirit, helping our neighbor do the same.” 

He starts the book with the following: 

Remembering Our Purpose 

The place He gives us to inhabit.
The few things He gives us to do in that place. 
The persons He invites us to know there. 
These our days,
our lingering. 

It is enough then,
this old work of hands 
His and ours
to love here,
to learn his song here,

like crickets that scratch 
and croon
from nooks unseen, 

carrying on with
what they were made for, 
the night craft of
unnoticed faces,
with our wings unobserved, 

until He walks again
in the cool of the day,
to call our names once more. 

And we then,
with our stitched white flags, 
will from behind His evergreens, 
finally unhide ourselves, 
unblushed with Him to stroll 
once more.

Blessed

Well the Superbowl is fast approaching and those that know me know I am UGA through and through; followed by all things SEC...so tomorrow I've got to tell you I love Peyton Manning as a SEC product and as a player and leader; I love Knowshon Moreno and Champ Bailey as UGA products. With that said it would seem as if I should be rooting for Denver and I might (although Chris Clemons another UGA product is playing for Seattle).

However, I stumbled across a tremendous Seattle fan by the name of Nick Magnotti. Nick has an amazing story that you can see here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZhBw-jX9gs 

Nick passed away on January 7th...I am so happy he is without pain and in the loving arms of Christ...his wife and daughter are attending the superbowl and you know what I might just be a Seattle fan at least for a night... 

Grace and Peace!