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memorial places

OK, I love Genesis 35:13-15:  

"13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.  14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." What great imagery.  I can just picture Jacob overcome with a sense of Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.  It's interesting to note that the place that he went back to, that was so special and meaningful to him, was the place where God was most personal to him!  In Jacob's case it was the place where God audibly spoke to him.  Then Jacob poured out a drink offering and oil on the stone pillar that he set up as a memorial of what God had done.  Those stones with the drink and oil dripping from them was a place for Jacob to remember God working in his life.

Do you have memories of God speaking to you or moving in your life in a particular way?  Do remember the place and circumstance surrounding that time? I recall when God was leading me into full-time Christian ministry as a 16 year old kid at Awanita Valley in South Carolina.  I remember God working through some serious spiritual issues in my freshman dorm room in Lynchburg, VA.  I remember the tree that I sat under on the Appalachian Trail when He told me that I was supposed to ask Cynthia to marry me (so glad she said 'yes').  I can recall the bed that I was sitting on, one sleepless night, when God began to renew his call on my life in our apartment in Kennesaw, Ga.  These are very vivid memories.  It's too bad that I can't build and altar at these places, like Jacob did; but my memory will have to be my memorial. So where is your memorial?  Where did you accept Him as your Savior?  Where did he call you to live a better life than the year before?  Where was it that He told you to finally rid yourself of that nasty habit?  Do you have that memorial place where God spoke to you or moved significantly in your life?  I'd love to hear about your memorial place.  Leave a short comment and let me know about that place where God took care of business with you, just like He did with Jacob.

inauguration day

As I begin writing this, the clock just struck midnight EST on January 20th, 2009.  Now, I really don't like to blog about politics, but today's Inauguration is history, not politics.  I just can't allow the 2009 Inauguration go by without saying something about the significance of the day and our responsibilities as Christians as a result.

As an American, I believe that today is a watershed day in our country's quest to blot out the dark and destructive mark of racism from our history.  Regardless of where you stand politically, you simply cannot deny that the Inauguration of Barack Obama today is a benchmark in our nation's history.  Barack Obama taking the oath of office is, in some sense, the culmination of the sacrifice of those who died for the abolition of slavery and those who stood boldly against the strong tide of  racism and bigotry that gripped our nation during the past century.

As a Christian, I believe we have a God-inspired obligation to pray for our nation's leadership, including and especially for President-Elect Barack Obama.  In I Timothy 2:1-2, Paul exhorts us that "...requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Christians, we ought to heartily support President Obama on those issues with which we agree; we should respectfully, resolutely and appropriately oppose him on those issues with which we disagree; but more importantly, we should passionately and specifically pray for President Obama often!  For more information on how we can pray for our new president, visit The Presidnetial Prayer Team's website.  Let's join together in prayer, starting today, for our new Presidnet, Barack Obama!

You Version

OK, I've been looking for an online tool to use this year to focus my Bible study/reading/devotions around and I found the International Bible Societies read through the Bible in a Year.  I was excited about using it and I still may use it.  Specifically, because it has a function where it will read the daily passage through some type of MP3 player. However, my wife found the coolest thing that I AM going to use this year which will allow you to write an online private journal about your thoughts on that particular passage. It's in beta, but it's pretty cool, Check out youversion.