Psalm 90:16-17
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
All of us are by nature children of wrath. When God by grace through the gift of faith made us His children and adopted us into His family bearing His Son's image and having His last name, He made manifest to us His work on our behalf. He revealed to us what He had been working in previously unbeknownst to us. His Spirit unveiled our eyes to see what was already true: God had been at work all along.
This revelation is not for our eyes only, but for our children. The power of God is observed by our children when we work out what God has worked in. His power and presence in our present tense gives hope for our children's futures.
All of our hard work in raising and releasing our children can only be established by the favor and grace of God.
If He does not establish it, how could it last?
If He establishes it, how could it ever fail?
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Friday, July 5, 2019
day no. 14,865: animals eat, men feast
“Animals feed themselves; men eat; but only wise men know the art of eating.”- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Paige sent me this quote via text the other day (6/13/19). It led me to think about God's command to Noah.
Genesis 9:3-6
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."
Animals often kill their prey BY eating it. Men are prohibited from this activity. Men are not mere animals. They are not the latest and greatest permutation on the evolutionary conveyor belt. Man is made in the image of God. Man was not meant to merely eat, but to feast. To kill dinner on purpose. To take that dead animal and prepare it for a meal. Mankind was not meant merely to eat. Food is not simply fuel. It is an opportunity to feast, to partake of providence and fill a belly that is connected to a heart already full of, "Thank You!"
Paige sent me this quote via text the other day (6/13/19). It led me to think about God's command to Noah.
Genesis 9:3-6
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."
Animals often kill their prey BY eating it. Men are prohibited from this activity. Men are not mere animals. They are not the latest and greatest permutation on the evolutionary conveyor belt. Man is made in the image of God. Man was not meant to merely eat, but to feast. To kill dinner on purpose. To take that dead animal and prepare it for a meal. Mankind was not meant merely to eat. Food is not simply fuel. It is an opportunity to feast, to partake of providence and fill a belly that is connected to a heart already full of, "Thank You!"
Thursday, July 4, 2019
day no. 14,864: effeminacy ends in slackness or softness
Jeremiah 48:10
Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.
This is a great verse for men in general and men in ministry in particular
Slackers and snowflakes ought to beware: cursed are the lazy and the limp-wristed, those who refuse to lift a finger and those who refuse to lift their swords.
Whether effeminacy ends in a man who cannot lift his sword due to slackness or will not lift his sword due to softness, the result is the same: a curse proclaimed by Christ, the man of God, who diligently brandishes the sword of the Lord in the form of His opposing pronouncement.
Effeminacy dulls the edges of the sword by first atrophying the edges of the man. His hands are not capable or committed to doing the work of God. He can no longer lift his sword nor would he want to if he could.
Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.
This is a great verse for men in general and men in ministry in particular
Slackers and snowflakes ought to beware: cursed are the lazy and the limp-wristed, those who refuse to lift a finger and those who refuse to lift their swords.
Whether effeminacy ends in a man who cannot lift his sword due to slackness or will not lift his sword due to softness, the result is the same: a curse proclaimed by Christ, the man of God, who diligently brandishes the sword of the Lord in the form of His opposing pronouncement.
Effeminacy dulls the edges of the sword by first atrophying the edges of the man. His hands are not capable or committed to doing the work of God. He can no longer lift his sword nor would he want to if he could.
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
day no. 14,863: like really real
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” - Phillip K. Dick
The world is built on real, solid, objective truth. Truth so true that it would be true whether or not you were ever born. Truth so true that it will remain even after you expire. Truth so true is doesn't need you to validate it. Truth so true that you could be wrong about it. That is the world that God made and that is reality.
It is real regardless of what you think about it. It is real whether or not you feel like it is.
Matthew 7:24-29
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
A life built on all the feels has all the stability and authority of the trembling lips upon which it stands. The feels fall and the floods of tears come. People will speak against you and push into you, and when they do, you will fall. And that fall will be extraordinary because it won't be like falling forever into an abyss, it will be like a crashing flat into the hard surface of reality.
The world is built on real, solid, objective truth. Truth so true that it would be true whether or not you were ever born. Truth so true that it will remain even after you expire. Truth so true is doesn't need you to validate it. Truth so true that you could be wrong about it. That is the world that God made and that is reality.
It is real regardless of what you think about it. It is real whether or not you feel like it is.
Matthew 7:24-29
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
A life built on all the feels has all the stability and authority of the trembling lips upon which it stands. The feels fall and the floods of tears come. People will speak against you and push into you, and when they do, you will fall. And that fall will be extraordinary because it won't be like falling forever into an abyss, it will be like a crashing flat into the hard surface of reality.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
day no. 14,862: a total solar eclipse
Matthew 5:17-20
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The fact that the Pharisee's righteousness could be exceeded would have been news to many... especially the Pharisees. But, in fact, there is a righteous that exceeds the Pharisees' and it is an alien righteousness received by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Philippians 3:8-9
For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
There is something more righteous than a Pharisee and that is a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. They are as righteous as Jesus was righteous, which is righteousness with a capital "R," the source of all subsequent rigtheousnesses rightly identified.
How can you eclipse a Pharisee? Trust the Son.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The fact that the Pharisee's righteousness could be exceeded would have been news to many... especially the Pharisees. But, in fact, there is a righteous that exceeds the Pharisees' and it is an alien righteousness received by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Philippians 3:8-9
For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
There is something more righteous than a Pharisee and that is a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. They are as righteous as Jesus was righteous, which is righteousness with a capital "R," the source of all subsequent rigtheousnesses rightly identified.
How can you eclipse a Pharisee? Trust the Son.
Monday, July 1, 2019
day no. 14,861 continued... alphabetical areas of interest list July 2019
be interested... stay interesting.
And All Todd's Children Said (new Twitter account to document stuff my kids say)
Anniversary (12 years of marriage coming up on August 17)
Anthem Church (been thinking through strengths/weaknesses)
Ask Doug (continue to love these YouTube videos of Doug Wilson)
BB gun (get for boys for Christmas?)
Beautiful Eulogy (recently discovered at suggestion of Owen Strachan)
Benediction (read in "Gaining By Losing" about more intentional send off to close service)
Beth Moore (crazy how Mother's Day brought out the best/worst in complementarianism)
Bible Reading Challenge (on pace to read the NT in 3 months - Same Page Summer)
Blood on Three! (family rally cry adopted from ND Wilson's Grace Agenda talk)
Beowulf (excited to read new copy I got for Father's Day!)
The Bookening (enjoying listening to Christians talk about classic literature)
British Castles (watching show on Netflix with family at night about British Castles)
Callista (been a fun season of getting to know her better)
Chesterton (cannot get enough of his potent quotables)
Chronicles of Narnia (were meant to be read in order written, NOT chronological!!!)
Cold Showers (still enjoying cold showers after workouts)
Connection Group (enjoying break over summer and tooling up for Fall)
CG (got schedule completed for Fall other day, co-leading more with Brock/Josiah)
C.R. Wiley (enjoying getting to know him, excited to read his books on households!)
Cupboards (excited to read 100 cupboards series I got for Father's Day with kids)
Date nights (about time to begin getting these more regularly on schedule)
Discipleship (Jeremy got new job, Josiah is in Marines, schedule clear for next wave)
Evening Hate (music video by band, Red, been enjoying with boys - theatrical version)
Explorer (praying it sells soon so we can replenish bank account)
Family Table (still love weekly calendar coordination with my wife)
Fasting (been intermittent fasting since January and recently upped ante with warrior diet)
Feast Days (4th of July - looking fwd to celebrating founding of our Christian nation)
Fire (had fun breathing fire and getting slow mo video of it from Toby)
Genesis (gearing up for pt. 2 this Fall at Anthem - excited to see assigned texts)
Habits (reading 7 Habits by Covey and enjoying insights)
Homeschool (considering how to be more involved going fwd and for boys in teen years)
If You Want Blood (AC/DC song grafted in to our new family rally cry!)
Insurance Industry Courses (passed my AINS21, begin studying for AINS22 soon)
Jacob Mentzel (pastor in Bloomington, IN with 7 kids)
Jocko (recently began listening to his podcasts, great stuff on leadership)
Juniper (sleeping so well, she is sucking her thumb lately - so stinkin' cute!)
Kraken (the affectionate name we have for our new 15 pass mega-van)
Legacy (thinking through what my kids will think it means to have been born a Van Voorst)
Lego Movie 2 (I want to see this, loved the first one)
Liturgy/Tradition (continuing to introduce elements into family life - blood on three!, etc...)
Lord of the Rings (once Narnia Club is completed, thinking of reading these w/ family)
Manliness (reading Art of Manliness manual/devotional, enjoying insights)
Narnia Club (instituted this as nightly tradition - just finished Magician's Nephew last night)
ND Wilson (excited to read my first ND Wilson books, 100 Cupboard series soon!)
New clothes (lost enough weight that need to rethink some of my wardrobe)
Once For All Delivered (had a flurry of blogpost ideas lately, scheduled out months!)
Patriarch (recovering what has become a "dirty" word to some)
Pilgrim's Progress (just finished kids version "Little Pilgrim's Progress" - they loved it!)
Power clap (always fun to do with family, ready? ready! 1...2... CLAP!)
Preaching (preach Ruth 1 on 7/28, then schedule is blank going fwd... hoping for MORE!)
Podcast (had several people lately suggest I should look more into this possibility)
Producing (been challenged by Ben Merkle talk about producing vocationally)
Quit biting right index and pinky nail (made deal with Penelope to make effort recently)
Raising up leaders (elder/leadership group, encouraging guys to fill slots, instead of me)
The Riot and The Dance 2: Water (seeing teasers, can't wait for cinematic release)
Ruth (studying for upcoming sermon on Ruth 1, good stuff, fun to study)
Saturday Dadurday (still look fwd to spending days wisely to make memories)
Scale (172.0 this past Sunday after being 193.6 at end of 2018 - so grateful!!!)
Screwtape Letters (found audio of John Clees reading on YouTube)
Side hustle (trying to think through extra ways to make money - preferably producing)
Sleep (been trying to get to bed earlier [11-11:30] in this season in order to get up earlier)
Sunday Funday (love our liturgy, oatmeal, church, out to eat, naps, cereal, movie)
Teaching Schedule (recently scheduled out Anthem/TSC til 2021)
Three Hundred (showed kids short clip of battle scene recently and they reenacted it!)
Tim Bayly (getting to know him through podcasts, wanting to get a few of his books)
Toby Sumpter (enjoy his blog, sermons, speaking engagements and Cross Politic)
Treadmill (considering getting a new one, old one barely works, Paige could use if new)
Twitter - (been using it more lately, refined reading list, began tweeting more)
Underwriting (appreciating ability to do other stuff, dreading field trip)
Vacation (excited for August and spending annual week in Custer with my family!!!)
Van (the Kraken has been a blessing, praying it holds up on trip to SD)
Warhorn Media (particularly podcasts)
Warrior Diet (developed fasting habit of eating only in 4 hr window, discovered had a name)
Walking to work (still walking to work, jogging home from it)
Week nights (making time to talk to Paige before running on treadmill)
The World We Made (podcast on Homosexuality-season 1 and Fatherhood-season 2)
Work (trying to think of ways to find work which I can bring boys along with me)
Xample (being a disciple who is making disciples and teaching others to do likewise)
You Who? (Rachel Jankovic book want to have ladies in group read together???)
Zach Fleer (he has been praying for me lately on regular basis by email requests)
And All Todd's Children Said (new Twitter account to document stuff my kids say)
Anniversary (12 years of marriage coming up on August 17)
Anthem Church (been thinking through strengths/weaknesses)
Ask Doug (continue to love these YouTube videos of Doug Wilson)
BB gun (get for boys for Christmas?)
Beautiful Eulogy (recently discovered at suggestion of Owen Strachan)
Benediction (read in "Gaining By Losing" about more intentional send off to close service)
Beth Moore (crazy how Mother's Day brought out the best/worst in complementarianism)
Bible Reading Challenge (on pace to read the NT in 3 months - Same Page Summer)
Blood on Three! (family rally cry adopted from ND Wilson's Grace Agenda talk)
Beowulf (excited to read new copy I got for Father's Day!)
The Bookening (enjoying listening to Christians talk about classic literature)
British Castles (watching show on Netflix with family at night about British Castles)
Callista (been a fun season of getting to know her better)
Chesterton (cannot get enough of his potent quotables)
Chronicles of Narnia (were meant to be read in order written, NOT chronological!!!)
Cold Showers (still enjoying cold showers after workouts)
Connection Group (enjoying break over summer and tooling up for Fall)
CG (got schedule completed for Fall other day, co-leading more with Brock/Josiah)
C.R. Wiley (enjoying getting to know him, excited to read his books on households!)
Cupboards (excited to read 100 cupboards series I got for Father's Day with kids)
Date nights (about time to begin getting these more regularly on schedule)
Discipleship (Jeremy got new job, Josiah is in Marines, schedule clear for next wave)
Evening Hate (music video by band, Red, been enjoying with boys - theatrical version)
Explorer (praying it sells soon so we can replenish bank account)
Family Table (still love weekly calendar coordination with my wife)
Fasting (been intermittent fasting since January and recently upped ante with warrior diet)
Feast Days (4th of July - looking fwd to celebrating founding of our Christian nation)
Fire (had fun breathing fire and getting slow mo video of it from Toby)
Genesis (gearing up for pt. 2 this Fall at Anthem - excited to see assigned texts)
Habits (reading 7 Habits by Covey and enjoying insights)
Homeschool (considering how to be more involved going fwd and for boys in teen years)
If You Want Blood (AC/DC song grafted in to our new family rally cry!)
Insurance Industry Courses (passed my AINS21, begin studying for AINS22 soon)
Jacob Mentzel (pastor in Bloomington, IN with 7 kids)
Jocko (recently began listening to his podcasts, great stuff on leadership)
Juniper (sleeping so well, she is sucking her thumb lately - so stinkin' cute!)
Kraken (the affectionate name we have for our new 15 pass mega-van)
Legacy (thinking through what my kids will think it means to have been born a Van Voorst)
Lego Movie 2 (I want to see this, loved the first one)
Liturgy/Tradition (continuing to introduce elements into family life - blood on three!, etc...)
Lord of the Rings (once Narnia Club is completed, thinking of reading these w/ family)
Manliness (reading Art of Manliness manual/devotional, enjoying insights)
Narnia Club (instituted this as nightly tradition - just finished Magician's Nephew last night)
ND Wilson (excited to read my first ND Wilson books, 100 Cupboard series soon!)
New clothes (lost enough weight that need to rethink some of my wardrobe)
Once For All Delivered (had a flurry of blogpost ideas lately, scheduled out months!)
Patriarch (recovering what has become a "dirty" word to some)
Pilgrim's Progress (just finished kids version "Little Pilgrim's Progress" - they loved it!)
Power clap (always fun to do with family, ready? ready! 1...2... CLAP!)
Preaching (preach Ruth 1 on 7/28, then schedule is blank going fwd... hoping for MORE!)
Podcast (had several people lately suggest I should look more into this possibility)
Producing (been challenged by Ben Merkle talk about producing vocationally)
Quit biting right index and pinky nail (made deal with Penelope to make effort recently)
Raising up leaders (elder/leadership group, encouraging guys to fill slots, instead of me)
The Riot and The Dance 2: Water (seeing teasers, can't wait for cinematic release)
Ruth (studying for upcoming sermon on Ruth 1, good stuff, fun to study)
Saturday Dadurday (still look fwd to spending days wisely to make memories)
Scale (172.0 this past Sunday after being 193.6 at end of 2018 - so grateful!!!)
Screwtape Letters (found audio of John Clees reading on YouTube)
Side hustle (trying to think through extra ways to make money - preferably producing)
Sleep (been trying to get to bed earlier [11-11:30] in this season in order to get up earlier)
Sunday Funday (love our liturgy, oatmeal, church, out to eat, naps, cereal, movie)
Teaching Schedule (recently scheduled out Anthem/TSC til 2021)
Three Hundred (showed kids short clip of battle scene recently and they reenacted it!)
Tim Bayly (getting to know him through podcasts, wanting to get a few of his books)
Toby Sumpter (enjoy his blog, sermons, speaking engagements and Cross Politic)
Treadmill (considering getting a new one, old one barely works, Paige could use if new)
Twitter - (been using it more lately, refined reading list, began tweeting more)
Underwriting (appreciating ability to do other stuff, dreading field trip)
Vacation (excited for August and spending annual week in Custer with my family!!!)
Van (the Kraken has been a blessing, praying it holds up on trip to SD)
Warhorn Media (particularly podcasts)
Warrior Diet (developed fasting habit of eating only in 4 hr window, discovered had a name)
Walking to work (still walking to work, jogging home from it)
Week nights (making time to talk to Paige before running on treadmill)
The World We Made (podcast on Homosexuality-season 1 and Fatherhood-season 2)
Work (trying to think of ways to find work which I can bring boys along with me)
Xample (being a disciple who is making disciples and teaching others to do likewise)
You Who? (Rachel Jankovic book want to have ladies in group read together???)
Zach Fleer (he has been praying for me lately on regular basis by email requests)
day no. 14,861: truly or falsely?
Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The key word here is, "falsely." If we are living our lives as though Jesus were our King, it will inspire some to talk smack about us. It is inevitable. The key here is that this smack be false. That the problem others have with you is nothing of which God would require you to repent.
Too many live foolishly and then attribute their persecution to godliness because they happen to be a Christian when the shade being thrown at them is in no way related to their devotion to Jesus, but rather entirely a result of their own sinful pride or arrogance.
Do not rejoice or be glad if you are being reviled because of your sin. If that is you, repent and be free. Rejoice and be glad that forgiveness is offered to sinners who repent. And then live a life of godliness in Christ and then when you are persecuted, remember that it's a blessing to be so associated with Jesus as to be criticized and persecuted as others did Him.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The key word here is, "falsely." If we are living our lives as though Jesus were our King, it will inspire some to talk smack about us. It is inevitable. The key here is that this smack be false. That the problem others have with you is nothing of which God would require you to repent.
Too many live foolishly and then attribute their persecution to godliness because they happen to be a Christian when the shade being thrown at them is in no way related to their devotion to Jesus, but rather entirely a result of their own sinful pride or arrogance.
Do not rejoice or be glad if you are being reviled because of your sin. If that is you, repent and be free. Rejoice and be glad that forgiveness is offered to sinners who repent. And then live a life of godliness in Christ and then when you are persecuted, remember that it's a blessing to be so associated with Jesus as to be criticized and persecuted as others did Him.
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