we interrupt your regularly scheduled program for this important announcement

The Family Voorst Five: Off to an Odd Year

The critically-acclaimed reign of the family voorst five will be coming to an end shortly.

However, it is being replaced by MORE of the SAME.

It's 4th down people.
4 quarters!

'cause it's 4 kids 4 the minivan voorsts.

You will now have to contend with the family voorst SIX.

That's right.

Paige and I are expecting our 4th child on Aug. 17th which those of you playing at home will note is our wedding anniversary. And those of you playing at home should also know that we are currently accepting large cash donations and/or gifts for either occasion accordingly :)

This will be our first odd year baby. 

Atticus '08
Penelope '10
Finneas '12

______? '13

There will certainly be more to report on this development in the months to come, but praise God for His provision and mercy in blessing us with another child to whom we may preach the Gospel of His Son in hopes that as they grow older they may not depart from it.

Keep us in your prayers.  We are selling a home, looking for a job, relocating our family to a new town, meeting new people, planting a new church, and creating a new church family.

Will power alone could power through it.
Pride could perform it.

But we want this to be a demonstration of the grace of God in Christ in us and for others.

My friend Jacob and I often jest about the non-biblical phrase,

"God doesn't give you more than you can handle." 

Yeah, sometimes He does.

Often He does. 
And praise Him for it.

My sin was more than I could handle.
But He took care of it. 
It was too big for me. 
But it was carried in full by Him.

This move, this job hunt, this pregnancy, all may very well be too much for Paige and I. 
And that's OK.
It is not too big for God.

And its in Him and on Him we are trusting as we white-knuckle these days by grace.

He is good.
Always.
And I love Him.

spot the lie: katy perry's "firework" edition

Introducing a *NEW* segment to once|for|all|delivered called "spot the lie" where i review tv commercials, music, movies, magazines, etc... from pop culture.

While Team Van Voorst was travelling back from South Carolina, we heard Katy Perry's "Firework" on the radio and because of our affinity for dancing to it a la keenan cahill, we camped on it.

Do you ever feel already buried deep six feet under?
Scream but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

Did you spot the lie?

Katy proposes:

You are awesome.
They just don't know it yet.
There is hope.
How does she know?
Because you've got a spark.

To sum u:
Look within when the outside world gets you down.
The problem is not with you, it's with them.

-----
The Bible proposes:

You are not awesome.
God alone is awesome.
Do not look within to find salvation and brilliance.
Look outside yourself to God.

You do have a problem.
It's solution cannot be found by looking within.

The world rejects the Gospel either through formal upright religion or informal pagan irreligion.

Irreligion looks inward to discover the ultimate barometer of truth and meaning.
Religion looks inward to achieve/appease the truth and meaning discovered by looking upward.

Both ultimately point inward.
Both are WRONG!

It is outward to Jesus alone we look to find BOTH truth/meaning AND access to it.

"if anybody preaches other than this, let him be damned. who's trying to win friends now?" thoughts from "An Astonishing Trade" by Matt Chandler

I adore Matt Chandler. Check out the link to him in my "axe sharpener" section below to the right.

I recently listened through the whole Galatians series as preached by the Village Church pastored by Matt Chandler. Below are some excerpts from one of my favorite messages in the series, "An Astonishing Trade" covering Galatians 1:6-9.

Click HERE to listen for yourself.


Paul is saying, "I am astonished that you would leave this and go over here, because this isn't the gospel.This doesn't set you free. This cannot work." Paul is going to tell us in the weeks to come, "Trust me, I've tried. That doesn't work." Then look at what he says next, because this is important. "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

This is bold. Crazy bold. He's going, "Listen, if I come back and tweak this message, if somebody comes from Jerusalem, if some other guy comes in here claiming to be an apostle and teaches something other than this, let him be damned. If, say, you're out in the woods and an angel appears and gives you golden tablets and rolls out another gospel, let him be accursed. There is no other gospel." This is the gospel.This is what saves. This is what delivers.

Then look at verse 10 just as we close, because there seems to be an accusation being made against Paul, and he's not having it. Look at verse 10. "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." I love this. Apparently there's an accusation being made against Paul that the reason Paul didn't tell them about circumcision (because that can't go over well to grown men), the reason he didn't tell them about the dietary laws, the reason he didn't do those things is he wanted to win friends and influence people. The accusation is that Paul soft-pedaled the gospel in order to gain converts. So Paul goes, "If anybody preaches other than this, let him be damned. Who's trying to win friends now? Because if I'm trying to win friends then I'm not a servant of Christ. If I'm trying to tickle your ears, then I do not love Jesus." So the place I want to pull you back to repeatedly between now and the end of June is this is what has been made available to you: Life to the full by Jesus Christ.

reverse engineering with Jesus

2 Peter 1:3-11

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.¹¹ For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you

  

Here's where we want to go.
How do we get there?

Let's rewind to verse 3 and plow through until we arrive back at verses 10-11.

I want you to see how this passage builds and crescendos into this glorious finale’.

  

³ His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

  

So much good stuff here.

  

HIS DIVINE POWER – Jesus has power in Himself. It is omnipotence. There is no power greater than His.

  

HAS GIVEN US – Jesus has provided us something by His power. Does His power fall short? No. He CAN do whatever He desires. Where there is His will, there is a way paved by Christ.

  

EVERYTHING REQUIRED – We have been given the whole package. There is nothing God is holding back. Do not fall for the lie of Satan first thrust upon Eve in the Garden. God has not withheld any good thing from us in Christ.

  

FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS – For this life and the life to come. For security of salvation and direction for today’s duties. To save our souls and to become more like Him. We can live instead of die. We can be living instead of dying. Do you see the importance of the distinction being made? Both are beautiful gifts we have because of Jesus.

  

THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF HIM – This is eternal life: knowing God by faith in Jesus. We have everything we need to live if we have Him. The one who has nothing but God has everything. The one who has everything but God has nothing.

  

WHO CALLED US BY HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS – This bookends this brilliant truth. He has called us and used His power to give us His everything for the sake of His glory and by His goodness. Do you see a theme developing here? He is the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith. He starts and ends it. In other words, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” That’s “A to Z” in Greek for those playing at home.

  

⁴ By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

  

BY THESE - By His glory and goodness, He has given us a promise. On what firmer foundation could a promise stand? We take oaths by swearing on our mother’s graves or placing our hands on a Bible. God confirms His promise by writing the Bible and backing it up by His glory and goodness. If you can find fault in His glory or goodness, you may have reason to worry that His promise may not come to pass. But if He is Who He says He is, then His promises are as sure as He is God.

  

SO THAT THROUGH THEM - Through this promise, the fulfillment of salvation in Jesus alone, we share in holiness. Because we share in holiness, we should separate ourselves from the dirt in which we used to play so freely before. We are not less free now. We are freer. Freed from a former life and free under God. Before we were slaves of sin and enemies of God. Now we are freed from sin and sons of God. Live as children. Free under the Father and faithful to Him as God.

  

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,⁷ godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹ The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

FOR THIS VERY REASON – You have to have been paying attention in order for these verses to be applied accurately. If you have not been paying attention, you will see a long list of chores you fail at regularly. If you are not anchored to the foundation Peter has so beautifully laid down, you will float away into despair or pride. You will drift passed the essential and turn the effect into the cause.

These verses tell us how to BE the people we already ARE in Jesus. These are not instructions on how to become a child of God. That would be like giving an embryo instructions on how to become born. The baby is passive in the act of childbirth. Ask any mother. If anything, the baby is an obstacle to their own birth. They do more to make the process more difficult than more pleasant.

BE who you ARE. Why do you live again in slavery to the old man who you put to death in Christ by crucifying that old man on the cross with Jesus and drowning him in the waters of baptism that you may arise one reborn and renewed. Do not live like you did. Live like you’re His.

After all of this, we finally arrive at the verses with which I opened our time together today:

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.¹¹ For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you

Today we can live for God because Jesus died for us We were chosen and elected to eternal life by Jesus. He pulled us out of who and where we were to make us something else somewhere else. We do not force God to choose us. We do not run for office. We are not elected as a result of polls or politicking.

Blessed assurance is found in being today who you are in Jesus before God. If you do these things, you will confirm your calling and election. You will rest soundly in the rest of Christ. You will find strength and hope and joy to serve and love your neighbor because their response is not your aim. You can be mistreated and unappreciated because Your Savior overlooked your mistreatment of Him and the unappreciative life of ingratitude you led and still lead. You can be taken advantage of because God has forgiven your attempts to take advantage of Him. Be who you already Are. Do not try and work harder to become. Surrender in faith to Who He is and is for you in Jesus.

 ¹¹ For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.

mr. saturday morning special: bob thune

This morning at Cornerstone, a connection/small group leader equipping conference was held with pastor Bob Thune (click or follow the link in my "axe sharpeners" section to the bottom right) presenting material on Gospel-centered change/santification.

It was awesome!

One over-arching, profound principle upon which Bob built was the idea from 2 Cor. 3:18 that we are changed by worship in beholding God, not in will power in fleshly religion.

2 Corinthians 3:18

 

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 

 

As we change and grow in maturity in Christ we become aware of two conflicting realizations: 

 

(1) God is holier than we first thought

(2) We are more deeply depraved and in need than we first thought

 

This increasing chasm is breached sufficiently at every step of realization, but the produndity of Jesus' work becomes more pronounced and appreciated as we mature in godliness.

 

The Cross reconciles us to God completely.

 

The whole impetus of our growth in godliness produces more and more gratitude and worship in response to what God has already done for us in Christ prior to realizing how greatly we required it.

 

i'd rather live in His world than live without Him in mine

On the long trek home from South Carolina the other day we heard Gladys Knight & the Pips power through the classic, "Midnight Train to Georgia."

Check it out HERE.

Which Pip is your favorite? 
Far left Pip has some killer moves. 
I feel far right Pip has the best voice though.
I could do without middle Pip altogether.

But I digress...

Where do you want to be?
With whom do you want to be there?
Which one of these wins when there is a conflict?

Team Van Voorst has recently encountered this dilemma.

We want to be with our family, friends, house, and church where we are currently.

We want to be with God wherever we are.

God has asked us to move.
We are moving because being with God and doing what He says is more important to us than being in our world without Him.

We'd rather live in His world than without Him in ours.

Thank you Gladys for the reminder that God is good and He is worth the abandonment of everything else if only to be with Him and be where He is.

Exodus 33:15

And (Moses) said to (God), “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here..."

thoughts from church: Romans 4:1-25‏

http://cornerstonelife.com/mediaplayer

Leap of Faith? An Example to Follow by Pastor Troy Nesbitt

Romans 4:8

⁸ How joyful is the man
the Lord will never charge with sin!

Pastor Troy walked us through Romans 4 today and the examples of sinful men, Abraham and David, who by faith were made righteous before God.

Pastor Troy used an illustration that struck home with me and provoked my mind immediately to ponder the content of this post.

He mentioned that he is learning to do mechanical repairs to automobiles with the help and supervision of some close friends. On a particular occassion, he was turned loose to address a particularly difficult repair which he had not completed on his own before. He struggled and sweat and in exasperation surrendered to his supervisor. He asked them for help. They were quickly able to resolve the issue he had just previously spent so much time and energy failing to resolve.

This made Troy both angry and joyful.

Angry because Troy had tried so hard and after so much effort had wanted to be able to have some fruit to show for it. The more time he invested, the more he desired to see it through on his own. The more frustration he felt, the more zealous he became to cross the finish line under his own power. To have spent so much and fallen so far short and then to have someone sweep in and so easily do what he was unable to do made him mad. He was mad at the person for being so much better than him. What a frustration! Who wants it that way? Especially after so much investment? To experience so fully your own inadequacy. Argh!

Joyful because he had a friend who was so capable and sufficient.
A friend who could oversee his failure.

A friend.
A capable friend.
A capable friend close by.

Troy was free to attempt things bigger than his abilities because he felt the security of having one so capable by his side. What a joy to know you are safe! What security! You are free to try. Free to invest energy. Free to work hard because in the end there is One who can finish where you fall short.

One who is not only capable, but close by.
If He were only capable, but distant, it would be another cause for anxiety.
One that capable without compassion is a cruel reminder of the judgment to come.
But this capable One is close by.
He cares.

In Him we are completely free. We are free to try, because we are free to fail. But not because we desire less than we did before. It is not now that we no longer desire to win. We do. Even more so. And winning is worth wanting. It is knowing that the winning is His that distinguishes us now. It is wanting the Winner and the winning. We are under His glorious supervision.

On the one hand, we resent that our difficulties are so easily remedied by His sufficiency.
On the other hand, we take full rest and assurance in knowing that in His Sovereignty, nothing is insurmountable: not our sin, not ourselves, not our situations.
One is only made possible by the other.

If we can do it, we do not look for One who can.
If we can't do it, we must trust in the One who can.
If we have witnessed His provision, we cannot turn to any other.
if we know He is there, we are free to live under His guidance in joyful discipleship.

Abraham and David both confessed that only God could save them.
He was their hope.
He was their salvation, their reward.

For those who desire God as their gift, the gift of God and eternal life are given freely.
This is in, because, and on account of Christ Jesus, our Lord, alone.