Beyond Mediocrity Blog

(Image courtesy of https://obscurecharacters.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/job-wife11.jpg.) "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful" (James 5:7-11). I don't know why bad things have to happen, but I do know that God has a plan. That is the essence of faith: trusting God even when things don't make sense. It is trusting the Lor...

(Image courtesy of https://images.saymedia-content.com.) Our second daughter, Anna Grace, was born on December 18, 2019 at 11 A.M. on the dot. She is blonde and beautiful. She is strong and the Lord is good. As I write this, the date is January 20, 2020. Wow. I didn’t realize it has been over a month since she was born. She’s in the NICU with Lauren, fighting to heal from pneumonia. She is expected to have heart surgery within the next few months, along with her brother who has a similar heart condition. Our family has been separated – with limited time together – for the past month. What a trial. I have been joyful, happy, elated, depressed, burdened, frustrated, angry, full of faith, full of doubt, full of energy, full of despair, and all the in-between over the last month. So where do I stand now? On Christ the solid rock I stand, ALL other ground is sinking sand… all other ground is sinking sand. I have been amazed by how many people have also seen their foundations ...

(Image courtesy of  http://images6.fanpop.com .) "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:6-7a).  I can't seem to go very long without reading, watching, or thinking about The Lord of the Rings . J.R.R. Tolkien's works are by far the best fantasy series of all time (let the debate begin!). One of the things I enjoy most about Tolkien's world is the significance of each character and weapon. For instance, in The Hobbit,  Bilbo saves his dwarf companions by killing and driving off many of the spiders who had imprisoned them. After he kills his first spider, Bilbo announces that he shall give his sword the name Sting . Immediately, the other spiders cower in fear as Sting is held high in the air; the enemy knows that Sting is mea...

(Image courtesy of https://external-content.duckduckgo.com.) "And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever'" (Luke 1:46-55). In Latin, the first line to Mary's song is Magnificat anima mea Dominum - "My soul magnifies the Lord." Throughout Mary's song of...

(Image courtesy of https://external-content.duckduckgo.com.) "For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses" (Acts 2:25-32). "And falling to his knees he cried out with...

(Image courtesy of https://habitatbroward.org.) " All things have been made by him and for him" (Colossians 1:16).  "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever" (Question 1, Westminster Shorter Catechism ).  Some would say that the Bible has authority only over the sacred things, such as faith (religion) and the practice of that faith. In stark contrast, God is not only sovereign over the sacred things, but also over the secular things (i.e., business, education, family life). Sadly, some believers today - including whole churches - have been so enamored by the "successful" business world that they have replaced God's Word with "effective habits." While these "habits" may ...

(Image courtesy of https://i.pinimg.com.)  "And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day..." (Genesis 3:8). "The LORD came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us... Yes, he loved his people..." (Deuteronomy 33:2-3). "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.... The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in me.... I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:5, 22-26). "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb... on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month" (Revelation 22:1-2). There is a big picture to the history o...