If you are wondering why I am posting again after just a short time. It's because Elaine is on vacation with her two sisters down in OK. My mom is up here helping me watch the kids - she takes the morning and I work, and then I get home after the kids get up from their naps and watch them till supper and help with bedtime. It's been good in that I have spent much more time with my kids the past few days then I have in the past few weeks. But I sure to miss Elaine! I'm tempted to start a novel, but I know if I did that I would stay up way too late and not get up early to do my work. I have a wedding to do this weekend as well as the normal sermon, so my days are full even without having to be at home all afternoon. But, I'm finding time to do this, so it shows I'm not all that busy.

I'm trying to think of something thoughtful to say, so this is not merely some sort of online log. I guess I'll share something I learned from my study of 1 Timothy this morning. I hadn't pieced together before that Timothy had been with Paul for so long, and had already had at least three other "assignments" before going to Ephesus (where Paul wrote 1 Tim. to): Thessalonica, Corinth, and Philippi. So, he was no newbie to the ministry. He was in Ephesus to warn elders not to teach things contrary to sound doctrine - apparently the prophecy Paul gave in Acts 20: 30 (or some verse near there) had come true. Elders among them were leading them astray. In once sense this is encouraging to me - a place where the apostle Paul ministered for two plus years, had written letters to, and had prayed for and sent people to - this same city was still going through hardship theologically. How can I expect us to have any less of a fight? It's also good for me to know that there will always be false teachers - that seems to be a primary strategy of Satan. I must watch out for false teachers (even well-meaning ones) and keep the focus on the gospel. As I studied this book, it was also interesting how Ephesians and Rev. 3:1f ties in - in each of these passages and books, love is being emphasized so strongly as the evidence we understand the gospel. Right doctrine must lead to right love. I've thought about in the past how we have "orthodoxy" and "orthopraxy" - but should we also have "orthoagape" - the right way to love other people.

It's definitely enlightening to me that things that I have heard in the past (especially seminary) that I would agree to but not really "get" I'm "getting" now. What I mean is, I used to hear people talk about the centrality of the cross, and loving Jesus, and so on. I'd agree with them, but really not desire to think and talk about it - it was much more interesting to discover interesting facts about the Bible and theology and history and not think about the true fundamentals of the faith.

That leads me to another thought. Last night in our Growth Group we read 1 Peter aloud together. I was amazed at all the adjectives used - the "glorious" gospel, the "precious" promise, the "marvelous" things spoken about. I can tell how Peter was just enthralled with Christ and how he is the apex, the gravity, the shining sun of his life - everything revolves around Christ. I read books like 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, or Ephesians, and I see the constant doxology and realize how banal and course my prayers and thoughts of Christ are. And so, more and more I see the need to seep myself in the precious words of Scripture so that by meditating on it, I come to think and feel as they feel. The Holy Spirit has much to work in me, but I rejoice that I'm "getting" these basic things now even though I never "got" them a few years ago. Praise God that he works on us in the right manner and the right time so that he gets all the glory and we get the awesome pleasure of experiencing him.