One Pure & Holy Passion

A song has been in my head the last few days. It's a simple melody that so clearly expresses what I want my life to be about. Written by Mark Altrogge, "One Pure & Holy Passion" touches on spiritual desire, discipleship and the supremacy of Christ.

Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me on magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You

To know and follow hard after You
To grow as Your disciple in Your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing You, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after You
Lead me on and I will run after You

In addition to the glorious themes of the song, the lyrics call to mind a few quotes and verses:

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."
— JESUS IN HIS HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER • John 17:17 —

"Let this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire:
that thou may be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity,
follow Jesus only."
— THOMAS à KEMPIS —

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.”
— A.W. TOZER IN THE PURSUIT OF GOD —

Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
— PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8 —

"I have one passion. It is He, only He."
— NICOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF —

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
— PSALM 42:1-2 —

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.
In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die.”
— DIETRICH BONHOEFFER IN THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP —

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
— PSALM 27:4 —

“Has the world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
— C.S. LEWIS —

ESPN, Monday Night Football & Iron Man

I just finished watching the post-game show for ESPN's Monday Night Football. Stuart Scott, Emmitt Smith and Steve Young did the obligatory chatter on how the Steelers pummeled the Redskins, 23-6. Then, with the end of the NFL week 9, the trio started reflecting more broadly on the first half of the season.

They agreed that back at week 1, most people would have said the two teams with the most talent were the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys. But despite the high hopes brought on by all that preseason potential, Stu, Emmitt and Steve noted how the Chargers and Cowboys have turned out to be the two teams with the most unexpectedly disappointing performance. Evidently, athletic ability does not always a good team make.

That ESPN analysis reminded me of a quote by Robert Murray M'Cheyne:

It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.
A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

This language of being an "awful weapon" was undoubtedly enhanced by my Sunday night watching of Iron Man. (Yeah, I can fly.)

M'Cheyne is one of my heroes. This 19th-century Scottish pastor has much to teach 21st-century ministry leaders, myself included. In an age where pastors face unrelenting internal and external expectations to be successful and efficient, M'Cheyne's words recalibrate our definitions of those goals. He focuses us on our calling to be like Christ and leaves ministry productivity to God.

We need words like this to free us from our captivity to the business-minded consumerism that has made the Evangelical church little more than corporate America's non-profit cousin.

M'Cheyne words are not only powerful and convicting. They are exciting! It's inspiring to imagine that I could be a powerful, awful weapon in the hand of God against the forces of darkness. By His grace, I can pursue holiness, being shaped into the image of Christ to wage war on the sin, rebellion and brokenness that distracts us all from the glory of God and the joy He intends for His children to experience.

So that's my prayer right now — focusing on Jesus and yearning to become like Him, not worrying about the abilities I do or don't have, but striving to be conformed to the image of the Son.

Lord, may I ever be close to You,
and may the fruit of my life be the result of our communion.

Reformation Day ::: 491st Anniversary

Today marks the 491st anniversary of the day when Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517. It's Reformation Day. While Luther was far from perfect, he was one of the men God used during the Reformation. With apologies for excluding Wycliffe, Huss and other forefunners of the Reformation, I thought I would post a few of the Luther quotes I have in my files.

“Unless I am convinced by Scripture and by plain reason and not by Popes and councils who have so often contradicted themselves, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.” (Luther on trial at the Diet of Worms in 1521)

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."

"Next to theology, I give music the highest place of honor."

"We cannot attain to the understanding of Scripture either by study or by the intellect. Your first duty is to begin by prayer. Entreat the Lord to grant you, of His great mercy, the true understanding of His Word. There is no other interpreter of the Word of God than the Author of this Word, as He Himself has said, 'They shall be all taught of God' (John 6:45). Hope for nothing from your own labors, from your own understanding: trust solely in God, and in the influence of His Spirit. Believe this on the word of a man who has experience."

"I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth."

"There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage."

“In vain some seek to exalt the light of nature and regard it as equal to the light of grace. In reality, the light of nature is total darkness and the very opposite of divine grace. Divine grace working in man places nothing above God. In all things, it sees only Him, desires only Him, and strives after only Him. Everything else that intervenes between itself and God, it ignores, as though it does not exist. It is directed only toward God.” (from Luther’s commentary on Romans)

Go to Answers.com to read a few articles on Martin Luther.
For a summary of Reformation theology,
please read this article at Monergism.com by Dr. Michael Horton.

Back Rubs, the Shema and Loving God

One of my favorite things to do is to tuck my kids in at bedtime. It's a wonderful way to get uninterrupted time with each of them at the end of the day. I listen to their stories, answer their questions, rub their backs, and pray with them.

A couple nights ago when I rubbing Emily's back, she asked me to write a word on her back so she could guess what I was writing. This is a game she made up. I drew each letter on her little back: L-O-V-E. After she correctly guessed the word, I told her I chose that word for 2 reasons. First was because I'm always going to love her no matter what. Second was because of what Jesus said was the most important thing. I told her about these verses:

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
— MARK 12:28-31 —

It seemed to really click with her, and I was happy to have had a good discipleship moment with her. I then went to tuck in my son, Elijah, and repeated the same word game and Bible verse with him. Together we came up with some hand motions for heart, soul, mind and strength. I love these special, God-centered moments with my family.

I tell these things to my kids, because I want them to know what is most important in life. I pray that I will live out the reality of the Greatest Commandment if front of them so that they will have a working model of what it means to love God with all their energy. This is what they were created for: to passionately love God and love others. This is our purpose. This is my heart's cry both as a parent and a pastor.

“Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free…If we understand our first and sole duty to consist of loving God supremely and loving everyone, even our enemies, for God’s dear sake, then we can enjoy spiritual tranquility under every circumstance.”
— A.W. TOZER —
1897-1963

Interestingly, when Jesus answers His critics in the above passage, He does so by quoting from the Shema — the most important Bible passage to any Old Testament Jew (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Included in those verses is a command to teach your children "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" (vs 7). Did you catch that? Parents are supposed to instruct their kids in the love of God all the time, including when you get under the covers at the end of the day.

Here's to many more disciple-making bedtime chats...and back rubs.

MP3 Messages & PDF Handouts

Sermon.net finally finished their entire site re-build, so my files and sermon player are available again.

Family Vacation Photos

We had a great time on our 2 week family vacation in Orlando. I have already blogged a bit about what we did as well as the importance of rest and relaxation, so I thought I'd share a few photos. Click on any of them to see the album at my Picasa photo site.

MP3 Messages & PDF Handouts

Sermon.net hosts my MP3 messages and PDF files. The site is currently down but should be up soon.

For the time being, you can find a selection of sermons and files by clicking here.

The Need for Rest

“Sometimes it seems things go by too quickly.
We are so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us
that we don't take the time to enjoy where we are.”
— CALVIN —
CALVIN & HOBBES

Today marks the 11th day of our family vacation to Florida. We are really enjoying ourselves. The first couple days, we stayed with friends in Lakeland. We spent one of those days on the beach in St. Petersburg. It was great to unwind in the water and watch my kids collect shells - a real treat for them since they have grown up land-locked in Austin and near Chicago. I even found a sand dollar.

The next six days were spent in Disney mode. It was pretty much perfect. Almost no crowds. Sunny weather in the 80s. We did great as a family — a lot of laughing and smiling and talking about what we enjoyed the most. While it was wonderful, it was exhausting.

I am so thankful for this last leg of our trip - 7 days at a resort community here in Orlando - where we have been sticking to our plan to do pretty much nothing. Sleeping in. Snacking all day long. Reading books. Going for a jog. Watching football. Lazing around the condo. Kicking back in the gorgeous pool.


This isn't our normal life...nor should it be. But it's important to take time out to rest. To be still. To think about who we are. And who we want to be. To unplug from the noise in our lives and listen to God. Over the past few years, the discipline of silence has become increasingly important to me. I see it more and more as central to following Christ and dwelling with Him. Here are just of few of my favorite quotes and verses on slowing down.

“I think the Devil has made it his business to monopolize
on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds…
Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.”
— JIM ELLIOT —
1927-1956

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
— JESUS —
MATTHEW 11:28-29

“How can you expect God to speak in that gentle and inward voice which melts the soul, when you are making so much noise with your rapid reflections? Be silent, and God will speak again.”
— FRANCOIS FENELON —
1651-1715

"Be still and know that I am God..."
— Psalm 46:10 —

I think busy people with hectic schedules have trouble being godly people with Kingdom schedules. Our culture pressures us to have noisy, crazy lives. It seems to be so ingrained in the American lifestyle that many can't imagine anything different. For so long, I know I couldn't. But life doesn't have to be this way. As we run through this margin-less rat race, we yearn for something different. We long for a type of rest that we aren't even sure this world can provide. Of course, what we are really looking for is something we lost in a garden a very long, long time ago.

“You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless
until they find their rest in You."
— AUGUSTINE —
354-430

So, here's to vacations, long walks, afternoons at the beach, sunsets and anything else that helps you slow down, unplug and listen.

The Man in Black

Today marks the 5-year anniversary of the death of Johnny Cash — September 12, 2003. Listen to the obituary from NPR.


Last night, I got on Amazon and ordered a 16-CD set of Johnny Cash reading the New Testament. Once I get it, I'll let you know what I think. The samples I heard were amazing, but that's a biased opinion — I've been enthralled with his voice for as long as I can remember, at least since 1991. I just learned that in 1986 Cash wrote a novel about the life of the Apostle Paul, called The Man in White. It's out of print, but maybe, I can track a copy down sometime.

I'm leery of what the media has told us about the faith of Johnny Cash. I don't know if they have hyped it or underplayed it. I wonder if I will get a more personal sense of it listening to him read the Word. Whatever the depth of his faith, he certainly seems to have been cut from a different cloth than so many in the music industry who name Jesus when it's popular or profitable (or awards ceremony time). Regardless, the life of the Man in Black remains intriguing to me.

Here is the whole set of NPR stories on Johnny Cash, including an extended 36-minute interview. Read the obituary from the New York Times.
Read the obituary from the BBC News.

Discipleship Means Joy

If we answer the call to discipleship, where will it lead us?

Only Jesus Christ, who bids us to follow Him, knows the journey’s end.
But we know that it will be a road of boundless mercy.

Discipleship means Joy.

— DIETRICH BONHOEFFER —
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who was part of the underground resistance against Hitler and the Nazis during World War II. He was executed by hanging at Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945, less than a week before the Allied Forces liberated the concentration camp.

Bonhoeffer's best known work is The Cost of Discipleship. The book had a profound effect on me when I picked it up for the first time back in the late 90s. I had just become a pastor and was searching for what it meant to help people follow Christ. Instead of getting a few good pointers on how to shepherd others, I was cut deeply — the type of cutting that you know is good but it hurts, like a surgeon removing cancer. Bonhoeffer's words were convicting. He challenged me to follow Christ at all costs. And while the book starts off in such a hard hitting way, it leads to something very rewarding. As I die to self and live to Christ, I receiving nothing less than joy. The happiest I have ever been are those times when I am following Jesus the most closely. Or in the words of Christ himself,

"If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. "

LUKE 9:23-24

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
JOHN 10:10

For more about costly discipleship that leads to lasting joy,
dive into a copy of The Cost of Discipleship.

To learn about the life of Bonhoeffer, start with this brief article.

The Pursuit of God

Welcome to my blog - Children of the Burning Heart. The name is taken from a phrase in The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.

"To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love.
Scorned, indeed, by the too-easily-satisfied religionist,
but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart."

These words capture my mind and give expression to my heart. This is where I want to live:

• pursuing God even though He has already found me
• chasing Him even though He has never left me
• wanting Christ even though I already have Him

These statements could seem like contradictions to some or even produce scoffing in others (the too-easily-satisfied religionist), but I think it makes total sense to those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). As David wrote in an earlier Psalm:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and to seek Him in His temple.
— Psalm 27:4 —

This verse isn't coming from the pen of a spiritual neophyte. It's from David - a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). And yet, even being so close to the Lord, David yearns to be with God and to gaze on His beauty ('delightfulness' in the literal Hebrew). The closer I get to Christ, the closer I want to be.

My hope with this blog is to explore — and to further — my pursuit of God. I'm sure there will be other posts on here too - ones about family, books, movies, vacations and food. Those can all be good parts of life, but they aren't the most important. They are given to us by God to draw us and others to Him.

One thing I ask of the Lord: to be a child of the burning heart.