remembering and reaching

this morning i've been swimming in psalm 143, written by david.  while the enemy is pursuing his soul, crushing his life to the ground, making him sit in darkness like those long dead (v. 3) he cries out to God, saying...

"i remember the days of old; i meditate on all that you have done; i ponder the work of your hands.  i stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land."

currently, i'm not aware of being pursued, crushed, or in left in darkness.  honestly, i feel like i'm in a "land of plenty / streams of abundance / sun shining down on me / world's all as it should be" time of life.  but i know that i can never forget to remember all that God has done - not just in my life, but his wonderful works throughout history.  i can never forget to stretch out my hands to him, to reach for him and express my dependence on him.  even in these "good times" i need to practice the discipline of remembering God's faithfulness and reaching for his sustenance.

baby butternut squash

well, it's been a while since i've posted anything. thought i'd give an update on how baby hinkle is growing...

this is week 29! our baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and the head is growing bigger to make room for a developing brain. to meet increasing nutritional demands, liz is getting plenty of protein, vitamins c, folic acid, and iron. and because the baby's bones are soaking up lots of calcium, liz is drinking lots of milk (and other good sources of calcium, like cheese and yogurt). this trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in our baby's hardening skeleton each day. fearfully and wonderfully made!

as you may or may not know, we don't know if we're having a boy or a girl! we want to be surprised! and we're keeping our name choices under wraps, too! the due date is april 7th, only 11 weeks away! we're eagerly awaiting baby hinkle's arrival!

psalm 139:13-16
"for you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
i praise you, for i am fearfully and wonderfully made.
wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
my frame was not hidden from you,
when i was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them."

XYZ

do you remember saying that as a kid? XYZ (examine your zipper) PDQ (pretty darn quick). well, maybe i should still be saying that to myself as an adult. here's a helpful tip for anyone earning their living or fulfilling their calling regularly in front of people... make sure you have a good knowledge of - and you put that knowledge to good use - how to work the devices that hold your pants up (buttons, snaps, zippers, etc.) i'm 33 years old and yet this morning i felt like i was 3 (or 13) when i happened to notice that my suit pants were unzipped. i was sitting next to my wife and it was towards the end of the sermon. what does one do in that type of situation. it's never easy to nonchalantly maneuver a 'zip-up" while remaining seated. oh yeah, and i was on the front row... awkward. my wife just laughed at me. i've actually done this before, um, on the day that i announced our engagement to our church. well, i was able to quickly dart into my office between services and correct the problem. fortunately, i was wearing a suit coat so i don't think anyone noticed. (of course, if they're reading this, they know now.) at least for the next few times before i stand in front of a large group of people i will remember to examine my zipper pretty darn quick.

here's to the situations in life that keep us humble! :-)

Hark! What's a Welkin?

This morning I woke up humming the familiar Christmas hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".  This song has taken on more meaning for me this year when I came across the complete collection of verses, not usually included in most hymnals.

This kind of Christmas song is my most favorite.  Including the full scope of the gospel, this is what Christmas is all about!  One of my friend's status on facebook recently was "BJ is thinking Christmas isn't about presents, its about a promise made long ago..."  Thank God for His promise not to leave us in our sin, but to draw near to us as Emmanuel, and to give His life as a ransom for many.  So, "Merry Christmas! We have been rescued!"

Below are the full lyrics for Charles Wesley's 1739 song, the first two lines being altered by George Whitfield in 1753 all set to Felix Mendelssohn's 1840 tune.  (See! Co-writing is awesome!)  You can find Wesley's original words and original tune at "Hark, how all the welkin rings".  (For those of you who might be wondering what a welkin is, I didn't know either.  From Old English, it's "the vault of the sky, the firmament.")

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies;

With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain

Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord;

Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity,

Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.

Refrain

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die.

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come, Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed, Bruise in us the serpent’s head.

Now display Thy saving power, Ruined nature now restore;

Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Refrain

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place:

Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man:

O, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart.

Refrain

the new cd is out!

well, the new record is finally available for online purchase. while bookstores and iTunes won't be stocking product until december of this year, you can get your copy today.

visit blue myrtle records to make your purchase. i hope you enjoy the music, but more importantly i pray that you will be drawn closer to Jesus through these songs. may God bless you and keep you! in His love... stephen

resting in righteousness

here is another excerpt from “a gospel primer for christians: learning to see the glories of God’s love” by milton vincent. another one of the many reasons to rehearse the gospel daily…

“the gospel encourages me to rest in my righteous standing with God, a standing which Christ Himself has accomplished and always maintains for me.[A] i never have to do a moment’s labor to gain or maintain my justified status before God![B] freed from the burden of such a task, i now can put my energies into enjoying God, pursuing holiness, and ministering God’s amazing grace to others. the gospel also reminds me that my righteous standing with God always holds firm regardless of my performance, because my standing is based solely on the work of Jesus and not mine.[C] on my worst days of sin and failure, the gospel encourages me with God’s unrelenting grace toward me.[D] on my best days of victory and usefulness, the gospel keeps me relating to God solely on the basis of Jesus’ righteousness and not mine.”

[A] - romans 5: “(1) therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (2) through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” I john 2: “(1)…and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; (2) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins…”

[B] - romans 4:5 “but to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,” hebrews 4:3 “for we who have believed enter that rest…” matthew 11:28 “come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

[C] - romans 5: “(18) so then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. (19)…through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”

[D] - romans 5: “(20)…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, (21) so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (6:1) what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace might increase?” 1 john 2: “(1)… and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins…”

continual spiral reinforcement

I was encouraged by a quote in this month's edition of Christianity Today. It's by David F. Ford and Daniel W. Hardy, from Living in Praise: Worshiping and Knowing God. Read it at least three times to help it sink in...

"Faith in God is an experience that lives and grows by praise. There is continual spiral reinforcement: praising God helps us appreciate what one is praising God for."