Idaho

Idaho Falls Prayer Requests

Charles Barnes sent out these prayer requests

  1. As Paul prayed for the church in Colossae, pray for the church in Idaho Falls – to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that what we do will be worthy of our Lord. Pray for the leaders of your church and all the churches in Idaho Falls to be filled with the knowledge of His will.
  2. Praise God that He gives wisdom to those who ask (Prov. 2:6, James 1:5). Praise Him that all treasures of knowledge and understanding are hidden in Christ (Col. 2:3). Praise Him that He speaks to us through His creation, His written Word and His Spirit.
  3. Pray for the church in Idaho Falls to walk by faith, for spiritual eyes to see Jesus at work and for ears to hear all He is saying to us, and to discern the ways the enemy and our culture subvert our faith.
  4. Pray that the church in Idaho Falls blesses our community, producing fruit through abiding in Jesus (John 15:5).
  5. Pray that our knowledge of God will always be fresh and growing in depth.
  6. Pray that His life in us and our life in Him empowers all we do, renews our strength and gives us endurance in all that we face.
  7. Keep praying for Saeed Abedini. His mother was able to visit him last Wednesday; Saeed shared how news about the many prayer vigils on September 26 had reached Iranian media and even affected other prisoners.

Idaho Governor’s Debate – The City Club of Idaho Falls

Yesterday, upon the invitation of Jeff Thompson, I attended the luncheon and Governor’s Office debate between C.L.”Butch” Otter and AJ Balukoff.  Sponsored by The City Club of Idaho Falls, we met in the spacious Bennion Student Union Multipurpose Room of ISU located not too far from east bank of the Snake River running through the city.  Perfect spot.  Beautiful fall day in Idaho.

When I parked, I walked with Karole Honas of Local News 8 into the banquet room.  She is bright and cheery.  I think we were both eager to hear some of the opinions of the incumbent and challenger on the current issues of the day.  (more…)

Reflections of My Jesus

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There I am, a reflection (oops) as I take a picture of Nelida’s beautiful photo, Reflections of My Jesus.  During this past Monday morning mens’ discussion on evangelism at the Villa Coffeeshop, one of the guys pointed this picture out to me hanging on the wall.

This is what Nelida has to say about this photo:

As I was sitting by the river bank one day, from a hard day at work and life- I meditated upon my life; the things I had done- good, bad, or not done at all. My regrets, my pain, and the lack of love in my heart. With tears of pain and broken dreams streaming down my face, I cried out in a loud voice for a sign that “I” would be ok. (My own sanity has always been somewhat of a concern to me) – letting out the pain and hurt pour out of me, I looked up at the beauty around me: the clear blue sky, the fresh air surrounded by enormous white boulders of rock, the glassy clear spring water flowing in the river, and the peace of the day surrounding my own mental battle and emotional chaos- and then my sign lay before me: As I looked upon this spring water with a new vision and clear mind, I saw in the water a reflection of my maker. The sign given to me as a reminder that “I am ok.”

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief”

In my One Year Bible reading back in February, I passed over these words in Mark 9:24.

They could be my words.

Related to this, I like what Tim Keller wrote in his latest book, King’s Cross:

Through Jesus we don’t need perfect righteousness, just repentant helplessness, to access the presence of God.  Jesus could have told the man, “I am the glory of God in human form.  Purify your heart, confess all your sins, get rid of all your doubts and your double-mindedness.  Once you have surrendered to me totally and can come before me with a pure heart, then you can ask for the healing you need.”  But Jesus doesn’t say that–not at all (p. 128).

Basketball in the I-15 Corridor

1.  I tip my hat to Madison High School in Rexburg, Idaho for beating Skyview in overtime, 53-51, and taking the 4A Boys State Championship.  Congratulations to coach Bill Hawkins.  And good job, guys, for maintaining the pressure against Kyle Dranginis (the all-pro headed to Gonzaga University).

2.  And I have been keeping up with BYU, since the action taken against Brandon Davies for violating the Honor Code.  The team is holding their own.  Fredette and the Cougars secured the top seed in the Mountain West Conference.

Christmas Greek Exegesis – Luke 2:14

Open your Bibles to Luke 2:14.

Verlyn Verbrugge writes,

“Peace on earth, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14, KJV).  You have probably all received Christmas cards containing this part of the angels’ song to the shepherds on the fields of Bethlehem.  But most modern translations read differently: “on earth peace to men on whom his [God’s] favor rests” (NIV); “and on earth peace among those whom he [God] favors” (NRSV). The difference between the KJV and the others is the difference between the nominative and the genitive.

The Greek manuscripts used to translate the KJV contain eudokia (nominative), whereas the older manuscripts used to translate the modern versions contain eudokias (genitive) – literally translated, “of good will” or “characterized by [God’s] good pleasure.”  In other words, the peace that the angels sang that belonged to the earth as a result of the birth of Christ is not a generic, worldwide peace for all humankind, but a peace limited to those who obtain favor with God by believing in his Son Jesus (see Romans 5:1).  What a difference a single letter can make of the text!

What do you think about that?

The Ultimate Gift – written by Dave Messenger & Jennell Faulkner

Last night, the Calvary Chapel Christian School presented their Christmas program of lights, sounds, dance, and music.  Dave Messenger did the writing, recording, and arranging; while Jennell Faulker directed the program.  All the kids sang and performed fabulously.  Pastor Scotty Brown provided the comic relief for the Holly Jolly Medley.

Here is the gist of the musical.  A teenage girl is stuck on herself.  Me.  Myself.  And I.  All she can think about at Christmas time is an I-phone, an I-pad, etc.   When shopping at the Grand Teton Mall in Idaho Falls, she listens to the Calvary Calvary Chapel Christian School sing the “Holly Jolly Medley”.  Eventually in the mall, she discovers some magical mannequins and the mall janitor who is actually an angel.  It is a 3-D experience, better than Avator, and yet hopefully not in how many look at Christmas in 3-D (Disbelief, Doubt, and Distrust) .  The angel transports her back to Christmas Past and the manger scene.  The girl comments, “This is worse than a Motel 6 with no continental breakfast.”

Then the angel transports her to Christmas Future and “Gift Giving Day” where everything is mechanical, legislative, predictable, and measured.  But the whole, lifeless scene breaks out into a “Sing We All Noel Rap” (lyrics  by Mackenzie Jones).  The girl gets arrested for bringing Christmas into the scene.  This is all good.  The girl’s attitude changes through the help of the angel and the mannequins.  And the musical climaxes with the power of Jesus, who was born to save.  The program closes by all in the auditorium singing, “Come, Let Us Adore Him.”

Pastor Scotty Brown preached the heart beliefs of the school.  They believe in the Creator God, not evolution!  They believe in marriage between one man and one woman for life!  They believe that children are not born “naturally good”; but that they can be redeemed through the love, power, and the shed blood of Jesus Christ!  Pastor Scotty declared his agreement with the old song, “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”  It is the desire of Calvary Chapel Christian School that all the children build their lives on the Lord Jesus Christ! And Him alone!

We thank God for the ultimate gift.

(Special thanks to Harbor Freight, Kmart, Home Depot, Johnson Brothers, Ace Hardware, Home Fabrics, and Mary Kay for props.)