Doxology

Doxology. Not a word you probably said today...well, if you just read this, you did, but do you know what it means?

A doxology is a formation or formula of praise words. Hopefully it's something we utilize every day.

There is also a song called Doxology. I grew up singing it every week and I can't think of the song without the sound of an organ.

 
Here is how the song starts:

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow."

It is so easy to look at the negative in our lives. I'm sick. I'm broke. I can't believe my kids did this. I can't believe my spouse did that. Pretty sure my boss hates me. The negatives keep coming...but so do the blessings, if we chose to see them.

I'm sick, but I'll recover. I'm broke, but I have what I need. My kids got in trouble at school, but they are learning from their mistakes. My spouse did something wrong, but I am blessed to have a spouse to love and be loved by while we, together, practice mercy through forgiveness. My boss may hate me, but I have a job that allows me to provide for my family.

"Praise Him all creatures hear below."

Do others hear your praises or are they more in tune with the negatives?

"Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts."

It's not a competition, but I don't really want anything to give God more meaningful worship. It's about respect and recognizing who God is to me. So, do I worship God with a fervency of the angels or beyond?

"Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

It's easy to sing praise to the Father once we recognize His everyday blessings. It's easy to give praise to the Son when we recognize the death, burial, and resurrection showing us the extent of God's love and the forgiveness of our sins. But that last one, the Holy Ghost...don't forget Him! I love the term "ghost". It comes from the German word "geist". You've probably heard the word polter"geist", but did you know we also get the English word "guest" from "geist". He is our Holy Guest on a day to day basis, sustaining us, leading us, guiding us, correcting us, and when necessary convicting and rebuking us.

We have so many reasons to praise God. Brian and I don't often get multiple comments, so let me ask you to share your doxology below...your words of praise for God. Let's encourage one another in this!

all about Christ,
David

The best movie I saw in 2010...

The best movie I saw in 2010 was Inception by Christopher Nolan. I love watching movies just to watch and join in the story. But I also love to watch and see how we can find redemptive themes movies, leveraging culture for the Kingdom.  

As I watched Inception, I thought it was interesting in the movie that each character carries a "totem" a marker or reminder to reality to mark what is real and what is a dream. Cobb carries the famous spinning top, Ariadne a golden chess piece, Arthur a weighted die and Eames a poker chip. 

For the Christian, everyday is filled with totems that point directly to God and to truth. From the sunrise this morning to the star lit sky tonight, from the simplest to the most complex, people in and around our lives, to moments and experiences, all totems reminding us of God. Psalm 19:1-4 tells us even creation reminds us, without speaking a word.   

Maybe it's time we "wake up"...and see the totems all around us.

What’s your choice for the best movie of 2010? Click on comments to share…

I Love Her!

I love her. Shhh. It’s not my wife…well, I love her too, after all, she is a big part of my new love. Last week we welcomed home our first daughter. To be honest, I am still scared to death as to what that means. Please join me in my prayers (and I’m sure the prayers of every dad out there) that long dresses and turtle necks will come back in style before she reaches the teenage years!

In all seriousness, I love my daughter and she has done NOTHING to deserve that. In fact she has cost me sleep (my wife more than me). Speaking of costs, do you realize how much it costs to have a child. And that is before you get them home. She has, in just a few days time, gone through an entire box of diapers. She can’t talk or walk so she is completely dependent on my wife and I. She has gotten louder as her lungs have gotten stronger. We have to lug her around everywhere we go, if we go anywhere because in some ways she keeps us chained to the house. But I love her. I love every moment with her. She is beautiful. Even that belly button thing that is about to fall off. So to recap, I love her not because of anything she has done, in fact she’s pretty needy. I love her because she is mine.

That is how God’s love works for us. It is not based on what we do or don’t do. God loves us unconditionally. He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). God loves us regardless of the mess we make (Romans 5:8-10). And let’s face it, we make some pretty big messes with our sin. Don’t we? And the good news is there is nothing we can do to change His love for us (Romans 8:38-39).

If you have a few minutes check this video out that deals with this love. The song starts at about 50 seconds but the intro is fun so enjoy.

all about Christ,
David