Picture of the Day, 9/30/07

Full of Surprises (Joshua 2)

SURPRISING ELEMENTS in the story of Rahab…

1. A SURPRISING MISSION—that Joshua would send spies into the land after what happened under Moses (2:1)
2. A SURPRISING WELCOME—that the spies would find hospitality and welcome in the home of Rahab, a “woman of the evening” (2:2)
3. A SURPRISING DISCOVERY—that the king of Jericho would know what was happening in a house of ill repute on the fringes of the city (2:2-3)
4. A SURPRISING PROTECTION—that Rahab would hide the spies to protect them and deceive their pursuers (2:4-7)
5. A SURPRISING CONFESSION—that Rahab would, by faith, acknowledge the person and plan of the true and living God (2:8-11)
6. A SURPRISING REQUEST—that Rahab would ask to be saved from the judgment to come on Jericho (2:12-13)
7. A SURPRISING PROMISE—that the spies would guarantee Rahab and her family safety, even though God had told Israel to completely destroy Jericho (2:14)
8. A SURPRISING REQUIREMENT—that the spies would tell Rahab to keep her family within their home and tie a crimson cord in the window, in similar fashion to what Israel did in Egypt on Passover (2:17-21)
9. A SURPRISING ESCAPE—that Rahab’s plan of protecting the spies worked, and the spies returned to the camp of Israel safely (2:15-16, 22-23)
10. A SURPRISING REALIZATION—that God had already gone before Israel into the land and had prepared the way for victory and salvation (2:24)

THE SURPRISING LEGACY OF RAHAB

1. That she becomes an example par excellence of faith. In fact, she is the only woman named in Hebrews 11, the chapter that highlights the heroes of faith!
2. That, despite the methods of deception she used, she becomes an example par excellence of genuine faith that issues forth in good works (James 2:14-26).

THE ULTIMATE SURPRISE (Matthew 1:1-17)

• That Rahab would become the mother of Boaz, ancestor of David, and ultimately a forebear of our Lord Jesus Christ!

How Sweet It Is!

Chicago Tribune photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo

Division Champs!

Just got home after going to Cincinnati to see the Cubs win 6-0 and clinch the NL Central Division title. They received help tonight from the San Diego Padres and former Cub Greg Maddox, who beat the Milwaukee Brewers to put the Cubs over the top. Cubs fans everywhere are rejoicing!

A Surprising Story of Salvation (Joshua 2)

“The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below.” (Joshua 2.11)

God gave his people Israel the gift of the land of Canaan as he had foretold to Abraham (Gen 15:16). One aspect of the process involved God executing his righteous judgment on the wickedness of the land’s inhabitants (Deuteronomy 9:4-5, 20:16-18).

However, God’s surprising way always involves providing salvation in the midst of judgment. Rahab (Josh 2) is the first example of this in the Book of Joshua. Almost everything in this story is a surprise, but the biggest one is that this “woman of the evening” shows herself to be a person of faith and good works, who hides the Israelite spies and confesses her faith in the true and living God. By faith, she becomes hero of the story (Hebrews 11:31).

Rahab receives salvation and saves the day!

Avoiding black cats...

I was 13 in 1969, when one of the best Chicago Cubs teams ever assembled stumbled down the stretch and the "Miracle Mets" overcame them to win the pennant. 13 is a very impressionable age, and I've never forgotten the heartbreak of that season.

How am I feeling this week? A little nauseous. And I'm avoiding black cats, billy goats, and guys named Steve.

Picture of the Day, 9/24/07

Could this be the week? (AP Photo/Jerry Lai, posted on CBS Sportsline)

Sermon 3: UNITY (Joshua 1.10-18)

The third sermon in the Joshua series, entitled "Unity," is now available in PDF format. You may access it using this link.

Picture of the Day 2, 9/22/07

After the bye week, the Franklin College Grizzlies bounced back from their heartbreaking defeat at Wabash with a convincing 38-14 trouncing of Tri-State. #33 is my son Jesse, blocking on punt coverage.

Picture of the Day 1, 9/22/07

Aunt Hannah came to watch Austin's soccer game on another beautiful (but hot!) day in central Indiana. Another game, another goal for Austin. But the thing I love most is that every time Austin runs, he smiles as though everything is right with the world.

Joshua 1.10-18—UNITY

SUMMARY:
Joshua tells how God fulfilled his promises and gave the GIFT of the Promised Land to his people. Although the land was theirs by grace, Israel was not simply to be passive in the conquest and settlement. Rather, he called them to be active participants by hearing, meditating upon, and obeying his divine WORD. In Joshua 1.10-18, we see another element of the process—God called them to conquer the land together, in UNITY of spirit and effort.

This passage shows how Joshua sought to encourage unity among all the people (1.10-11), and then, how he dealt with a situation that held the potential to create disunity (1.12-18).

OUTLINE:
UNITY…

Requires strong leadership (10-11)

• Leadership that is engaged with the life of the congregation (11a)
• Leadership that can speak with authority to the congregation (11b)
• Leadership that can oversee the organization of the congregation (11c)
• Leadership that always keeps God’s calling before the congregation (11d)

Requires a shared partnership (12-15)

• It’s not about mine, it’s about ours
• It’s not about going it alone, it’s about doing it together

Requires supportive relationships (16-18)

• It’s not just about leading and being led, it’s about leaders and people encouraging one another

Picture of the Day, 9/21/07

Here's Gail enjoying a cup of morning coffee at a rooftop restaurant in south India. Today, on the other side of the world, I'm studying in one of my favorites spots, The Bean Cup, in Greenwood, Indiana, and drinking their good coffee. The rising again of the coffee shop is one of my favorite cultural developments in recent years.

Picture of the Day, 9/20/07

It's the end of the corn season in Indiana. But people all over the world appreciate good corn on the cob. Here's a outdoor stand, with a charcoal grill behind the vendor ready to cook it up, in downtown Bangalore, south India.

Picture of the Day, 9/16/07

The weekend belonged to Austin, with his first soccer game, so here's one more picture before the new week begins.

Sermon 2: Word (Joshua 1.7-9)

The second sermon in the Joshua series is available for you in PDF format. Access it here.

Joshua 1: Meditate on the Word

Joshua tells how God gave the gift of the land of Canaan to Israel. However, God also commanded them to be active participants in the process. To help them, he pointed them to another gift they had received—his word known as Torah (the Law, Deut 31.24-26).

God’s Word is key in any new beginning, because God always builds upon the foundation of his Word. As we see in today’s passage, the Bible is a word of:

• Revelation, inviting us to enter into God’s life and mission
• Possibility, opening up a new future before us
• Tradition, linking us with the past as well as the future
• Nourishment, calling us to chew on and digest it
• Command, requiring us to order our lives by it
• Sustenance, enabling us to face our challenges with courage

Picture of the Day, 9/15/07

Action in the final quarter of Austin's first soccer game Saturday.

First Soccer Game

Today was my grandson Austin's first participation in organized sports--soccer. In Indianapolis, St. Francis Hospital has set aside land near their facilities for soccer fields and has organized a wonderful youth program. From the looks of it, thousands participate each week.

Here's a short video of Austin's first goal...

Picture of the Day, 9/14/07

Hitchin' a ride.

Picture of the Day, 9/13/07

Coolin' it at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Picture of the Day, 9/12/07

Perfect weather day in central Indiana. Harbinger of autumn to come. Clear, crisp, brilliant blue skies, temperatures in the 60's. I hope to get a lot of great fall pictures this year.

Picture of the Day, 9/11/07

A day to remember those who perished six years ago and to pray for peace, in America and throughout the world.

Picture of the Day, 9/9/07

A place to rest on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Joshua 1.1-9. The First Principle

“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1Cor 4.7). Those words could be written right over Joshua 1.1-9.

Look at verse 2— God speaks about “the land that I am giving to them”; and in verse 3 he says—“I have given it to you”; and then look at verse 6, where he says—I “swore to your ancestors” to give this land to them. The land is a gift. God is keeping his promises by giving the land to Israel. It’s not something they will earn or merit or accomplish. It is God’s gift.

Furthermore, look at the promises related to this gift of the land—verse 5: “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” Note how the passage ends—verse 9: “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Success in conquering the land will occur not because Israel is great, but because they have a great God present with them in the conquest. It is God who will go before them. It is God who will accompany them. It is God who will fight for them. It is God who will win the victory for them and through them. The whole thing is God’s gift.

This is the first principle of our life with God. Whatever we are, whatever we have, whatever we accomplish, it is a gift. It is all a gift. There is nothing that is not a gift. The answer to the question, “What do you have that you did not receive?” is, “Nothing.” We have received it all. In the final analysis, no matter how active we may have been in the process, it’s God’s gift.

Picture of the Day, 9/8/07

What a game! Unfortunately, Franklin College came up short, missing a two-point conversion with about 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, to lose at Wabash, 35-33. Middle linebacker Teddy Henkle (#36) was back and had a strong game including a key interception and blocked pass near the end of the game.

Sermons on Joshua available online. Here's #1.

I will be publishing my sermons on Joshua 1-8 online for the next three months. They are in PDF format.

Here's the first one, entitled, "Gift," from Joshua 1.1-9.

Joshua 1: It's a Gift

The Book of Joshua tells the story of Israel’s conquest of Canaan.

Actually, that is misleading. When historians write about conquests, they emphasize the valor of warriors, the numbers of enemies killed and captured, and the spoils that go to the victors. Joshua has little of this. This book is about how God GIVES the land to Israel.

This is the first principle of our life with God. It is a gift. It is all a gift. There is nothing that is not a gift. Certainly, we are called to be active and cooperate with our Lord in the walk of faith. Nevertheless, in the end we will all say, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen” (Romans 11.36).

Picture of the Day, 9/7/07

Memorial to Mohandas Gandhi in Kanyakumari, south India. Gandhi identified seven social sins in the world:

• Wealth without Work
• Pleasure without Conscience
• Science without Humanity
• Knowledge without Character
• Politics without Principle
• Commerce without Morality
• Worship without Sacrifice

Picture of the Day, 9/6/07

Go Colts! Opening night in the NFL tonight, with the champion Indianapolis Colts hosting the New Orleans Saints. If Peyton goes down, here's a little guy who could replace him.

Picture of the Day, 9/5/07

Some of the younger kids at the family gathering over Labor Day were fascinated by the built-in webcam in my MacBook. In fact, we had two MacBooks there, and this gave them lots of opportunities to show off in front of the camera and get some instant gratification seeing themselves on the screen.

Picture of the Day, 9/4/07

Gorgeous days in the Midwest, as summer fades and we prepare for the falling of the year.

Pix from the Weekend III, Labor Day 07

Reading to the cousins. Jesse's always in demand when the family gets together.

Pix from the Weekend II, Labor Day 07

Franklin College-34, Ohio Wesleyan-21. Opening day win.

Pix from the Weekend I, Labor Day 07

Spent Labor Day weekend in beautiful rural Ohio with my wife's extended family. The weather was great, as was the company. A relaxing and refreshing time was had by all.