A Stone's Throw

I’ve been wrestling with this idea lately in “waiting on the Lord.” I know all the verses and everything about “those that wait on the Lord will they renew their strength,” but… the great theologians Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers said it well–It is the hardest part!

But the beautiful thing about waiting on Him is that he will renew our strength and give us a hope.  Some Scriptures that I have been meditating on this week talk about this hope and the fact that God hasn’t forgotten or left me in my struggles.

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that^[i] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:18-27; 37-39 NIV)

I’m preaching on these verses in a couple of weeks…good stuff.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

(Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)

Check out this video from The Austin Stone Community Church. They have a goal of helping 100 people start the process of being sent out in 2010 to the unreached people groups in the world for 2 years terms.  Very cool.  Check out the website at 100peoplenetwork.com.  Something that really resonated with me as I looked at the website was the fact that they have done an excellent job in breaking down missions to three distinct roles…Goers, Senders, and Mobilizers. Many times we say “I’m just not called, wired, gifted, etc. to do missions.”  But what I love what Matt Carter says in this video is that, in essence, yes, we are all wired differently, but we ALL need to be a part of the Great Commission.

For more information about Forest Park’s missions opportunities and how you can be a part of the Great Commission, simply check us out on the web at carthage.fpbc.net/serve.

100 People from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.

While in seminary in Fort Worth, TX, there was always a running joke about Texas Stadium, the former Dallas Cowboys stadium.  The joke (even said from pulpits in the area) was “the reason why there is a ‘hole’ in the top of Texas Stadium is so that God can watch his favorite team!” (Insert rim shot here!)  Seriously?!  I know it is a joke and all, but does God truly care about sports?

Don’t you think that God is maybe a little more concerned with the poor, the sick, the disenfranchised in this world?  I mean, I am just as big of sports fanatic as it comes, but let’s not blame God for the current standings in the NL Central!  The reason for the standings lies central on the players and managers of those teams!

Interesting article on “faith & sports” on CNN.com.  It is definitely a good read.

What do you think?  Does God really care about sports? Have we “trivialized” faith by “blaming God” for wins and loses?  Is this kind of “evangelism” more of a turn-off than turn-on to people?

When did God become a sports fan? – CNN.com.