Don't Stare at the Sun

Lately I've found my self singing Mute Math's "Stare at the Sun".

Then yesterday morning I was reading Job in "The Message" and came across Job 37:21-22, which is about staring at the sun and God's splendor. "The Message" describes God's "golden splendor" as His "terrible beauty". That's an awesome description of God.

Then today's Astronomy Picture of the Day has us staring at a hole in the sun.

John Piper's Message at His Grandaughter's Funeral

I really appreciate his ability to grieve not just for himself, but through the grief of others.

What I Said at My Granddaughter’s Funeral :: Desiring God

Pray for the Pipers

John Piper's grandaughter, Felicity Margaret Piper, was delivered stillborn on Saturday night. He tells about it here. Please pray for that family.

Dean's eBible.com Javascript

Just in case Dean changes the layout, here is the instruction site for adding back the eBible.com lookup information: Here!

And here is the code that should be inserted:

<script src="http://ebible.com/api/ebibleicious?mode=mouseover
&translation=NIV&related_topics=0&key=EBIBLE_DEMO&v=1.0" type="text/javascript"></script>

Swap out the "EBIBLE_DEMO" with the API key given at eBible.com.

Focused?

Lately I've been reading books and listening to messages about focus. I've been thinking about focus a lot. Howard Hendricks said, "The secret of concentration is elimination". As one who sometimes struggles with concentration, (OK, I struggle a lot with concentration!) it isn't just the difficulty of keeping my mind on a task. It's the difficulty of eliminating tasks that someone else could do in favor of doing only what I can and should do that will bring the greatest benefit to my family, the church and me.

So here's some questions about focus I've been asking, in relation to this blog:

• If I were really focused would I be posting more to this blog?
• If I were really focused would this blog exist at all?
• If this blog truly should exist, what should its focus be in order for it to be the most fruitful?

I'm hoping to have these questions answered in the next week or two.

Not only was he a Southerner...

...but he was also exalted in the eyes of the people. Verse seven of Joshua says something that could be a bit troubling, depending on how it comes about. "And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses." If the Lord is doing the exalting, then a good thing is happening. That's a sign the leader is humble and obedient and the Lord is doing great things. If the leader is doing the exalting, a bad thing is happening. That's a sign the leader is prideful and/or insecure. The priests were the first to stick their toes in the water. They stood on dry ground looking at a huge heap of water while the whole nation walked through the riverbed. The people had to trust that the heap wasn't going to fall on them. So there was faith all around. But Joshua was the one who heard some really audacious instructions from the Lord, believed the Lord was trustworthy, and gave those instructions to the people. They followed and were amazed by the Lord's power and the nation thought Joshua was great. That was a good thing because it was greatness achieved the right way.

Joshua Was a Southerner

I'm reading in Joshua 3 and I come across these verses:

"Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground."

When I saw those words I knew Joshua had to be from The South. Who else would call all of that backed-up water up a "heap"? I could just hear him, "Hoooowdy boys, look at that heap of water! That's some pile of water, ain't it!"

And I realize that only God can make a heap of water. I've piled a lot of stuff in heaps in my life, but I've never managed to pile water in a heap.