The Blood of Christ: Free and Costly

Consider these verses:

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."
-Hebrews 9:11-14

"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
-Hebrews 10:11-14

I just love the language of Hebrews 9 & 10 because it seems so clear: If we could have cleansed ourselves by our own sacrifices, we wouldn't have kept offering them! But Jesus offered a sacrifice once. Done. Clean. Chapter 10 continues with instructions in light of Christ's sacrifice. We are to draw near, with assurance and spur one another on to love and good deeds.

My heart is compelled to worship because of what Christ has done. I'm working on planning another worship set for April, and I keep coming back to the blood of Christ and these verses that I read in a quiet time recently. I'm already planning on singing these Hymns:

On Christ the Solid Rock
Nothing But the Blood

Feel free to comment in and add a song that focuses on the cleansing power of the blood of Christ.

Logging? Anyone?

I've decided that rather than post inconsistenly about nothing, I should post inconsistently about verses that I've read that I'm not good at living out. I don't think this will be hard, but I do think it will be productive. As this idea gets going, I hope that this becomes a place where I will be forced to remind myself of the Gospel, and that you will also be reminded.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

Brian Frost says that this passage is quoted most often in our culture, but it is understood the least. This verse is not telling us to turn a blind eye towards unrighteousness, or sin that is present in peoples' lives, but rather to not judge the motives of peoples' actions. That responsibility belongs to the Lord.

Consider this verse, which happens to be my theme verse in life right now:

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you"
-Eph. 4:32

God, through Christ has forgiven me of all my sin. He didn't have to, but He did and now I have the opportunity to model that same forgiveness in relationships. So why do I still judge others' motives? Why would I think that God is pleased with my heart when people sin against me, and I say I forgive them, but I'm really holding onto that sin as a cause for thinking less of someone? Is that Christ-like forgiveness? Is that the way he looks at me? (Psalm 103)

Why would I think that it's OK to look at specks of dust in the eyes of others, when I have logs in mine? I think I need to be reminded of the Gospel.

I do have a point...

Goal Leaders: Mike Passaro 14 Robert Doring 13 Gino Giangreco 13 Bryan Paynter 11 Doug Betherick 10 Bob Olsen 9 Doug Nickel 8 Jay Paradowski 8 Chris Young 8 Brian Hooks 7 ...view all

Assist Leaders: Mike Passaro 13 Robert Doring 13 Gino Giangreco 11 Doug Nickel 9 Bob Olsen 8 Keith Andes 7 Leroy Lee 7 Jason Campbell 6 Mike Cassetta 6 Keith Cramer 6 ...view all

Points Leaders: Mike Passaro 27 Robert Doring 26 Gino Giangreco 24 Doug Nickel 17 Bob Olsen 17 Bryan Paynter 17 Doug Betherick 14 Chris Young 14 Jay Paradowski 13 Tim Hesse 12 ...view all

I play in a hockey league on Saturdays and this year I capture the points title, despite having played 2 less games than the guy that came in second. Just in case you're wondering, in hockey you get 1 point for a goal, and 1 point for an assist. We started the playoffs today, and my team advanced to the championship game which will be held on March 18th.

I also take special offense to Allison's comment about my blog having the odor of favoritehood. I've been blogging consistently, and my last few posts have received considerable comments. I've also been active on the commenting boards. I've been published at whattomsays, shellyeve, and nickroark. And now the favoritehood comment? Favoritehood hasn't been updated in like 8 months...I would go there to check, but I can't stand to look at it anymore...think about it...i've got points here...

words and phrases

I've been on a kick recently to examine the words and phrases that we use all the time without even thinking about it. Feel free to comment in with your favorites, but here are a few of mine:

1. Under the weather = Everyone knows that it means to be sick, but it came into use when sailors would be sick. They would go below deck and be "under" the weather.

2. Mind your P's and Q's = People say it when they want others to mind their own business, but most people don't know that it comes from the pubs when drinkers would get out of hand. The bartender would tell people to mind their Pints and Quarts...

3. On a kick...

4. Boil it down...

5. Up to par...

6. people use "literally" when they really mean "figuratively"...but you never hear anyone say, "i figuratively spent an hour on hold!"

On another note, I was thinking the other day about what "a ton" is. When I was a kid, I used to think of "a ton" as the biggest measurement known to man. I guess I was really suprised to find out that "a ton of people" (..."wow...there's a ton of people here!") is only 8-12 normal sized adults. whoda thunk...

i'll be adding more later, as we continue to use idioms in sentences "all the time"...

just to clarify

Isaiah 40:8

...maybe I should make myself clear. The last post was a sarcastic post. I was not in any way really trying to end my singleness by getting any girl in the world to accept my stolen rose picture. But I do appreciate everyone stepping into the pulpit to help me see that the internet is not the place to order ...i mean...find a wife.

From now on, I will post Bible quotes, pictures from other peoples' blogs, and puritan quotes.

(more sarcasm)...

be mine...

be mine is such a valentine's phrase, but I don't like it. it's too needy and self centered. it says "give to me." which i don't like to much. So this year, i'm going to do it a little differently.

Daniel, and some of my other church leaders think that I need to jump on the "get a girl" bandwagon. In fact, they'll suggest any single girl so that she can "be mine". They also think that I'm being too passive about my singleness. SO - instead of hunting down any single christian girl i figured I would start with at least a valentine.

so - here's my first gift, to the first single christian girl that will accept :)

Do You Tremble?

It's been brought to my attention that my blog needs updating before it reaches "favoritehood" status...so, before I post a lame few paragraphs about how not much is going on in life :) I had to find a picture. (people with digital cameras have the advantage in blogging)

So here's my update: Shelly and I recently had the chance to go to Dallas to record a song for a Wes King tribute CD. He is battling cancer, and a bunch of artists teamed up to record his songs and sell the CD to raise money for him. Shelly and I recorded his song called "Do You Tremble". If you haven't listened to Wes's music, you're really missing out on some great lyrics. I'm posting the lyrics below, and you can go to www.wesking.com to listen to a clip of the song we did, and songs that the other artists recorded.

Have you counted the stars in the heavens
Have you walked the circumference of the earth
Have you measured the boundaries of the universe
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Have you uncovered the souce of the thunder
Have you tamed the crashing mighty sea
Have you defied the force of gravity
Do you tremble at the Wod of God

CHORUS:
The wise will hear Him and obey His word
Long and blessed will be their days upon the earth
The fool will perish in the folly of his ways
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Have you considered the scope of eternity
In the light of unwavering truth
Have you regarded the works of a strong and mighty hand
Do you tremble at the Word of God

Oh, the LORD loves those who fear Him
Oh, the LORD loves those who fear Him

Thy Mercy, My God

This week is pretty exciting for me because I get to lead worship on Sunday morning for all three of the main services. I love the opportunity to lead others, but I think I love the preparation time just as much. I thought I would share with you what I have prepared for Sunday, in hopes that you would meditate on these verses and songs and come full on Sunday morning.

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
- Eph 2:1-10

Read a few lines from each song that we'll sing and hear sung:

"Let me at Thy throne of mercy, find a sweet relief. Kneeling there in deep contrition, help my unbelief - Savior! Savior! Hear my humble cry! While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by - Trusting only in thy merit, would I seek Thy face? Heal my wounded, broken spirit. Save me by Thy grace!"
- Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior

"Tis mercy all, immense and free. For, O my God, it found out me!
Amazing love, how can it be? That Thou my God, should die for me!"
- And Can It Be?

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take Him at His Word,
Just to rest upon His promise - and to know 'thus saith the Lord'"
- 'Tis So Sweet

"I will not boast in anything. No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ - His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer!
But this I know with all my heart - His wounds have paid my ransom"
- How Deep the Father's Love For Us

"Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
and the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit, whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine!"
- Thy Mercy, My God

I'm praying that everyone who reads this would meditate anew on the great mercy of Jesus. His mercy, shown to us, is a great reason to celebrate and worship Him! May we do that more and more...

24

quote of the night:

"the only reason you're still conscious is because I don't want to carry you"
- jack bauer

i think i'll get hooked on 24 this spring.

From the Rising of the Sun...

"From the Rising of the Sun to the going down of the same,
the name of the Lord shall be praised..."

He is worthy, so some very awesome people go to the ends of the earth to make him known so that the nations will praise Him. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

One of the first mornings...wow

I'm not a good photographer, so I just angle things and take pictures.

This guy gave "very good price"

Downtown at the Harbor, in the Castle District.

"...to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised"

little drummer boy

ok...i don't exactly know where this song came from, but there's a line in it that is encouraging :)

..."Mary looked at me and nodded (pa rum pa pum pum)
the ox and lamb kept time (pa rum pa pum pum)
I played my drum for him (pa rum pa pum pum)"

ok. marry was bobbing her head. the ox and lamb kept time.
what? the ox. and lamb. they kept the time. like the 2 and 4 beat?
like...there are human beings in rhythm groups and choirs that can
barely clap and sing at the same time, much less clap on the correct beat.

so there was groove even back then :)

turn up the drums :)

it's hard to believe

lots of things are hard to believe at this time of year, i guess.

1. seniors are graduating and moving on in life. some of them never thought that they would be at this point in life. Many of them find it hard to believe that their college careers are ending.

2. whattomsays is back on the blog host thingie. that means i can check it daily (several times a day actually) to read witty blog entries.

3. people will spend lots of money on toys, and never celebrate the fact that Jesus was born as a baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. Now it's possible to be forgiven by believing in His work.

4. the gospel. for a more "in-depth" look, read this book that Pri (very graciously) let me borrow.

Qdoba vs. Moe's....coming soon

this post has been needed for a long time.

*the following comments were added 12-13-05*

after much thought and consideration i have decided, for the sake of unity in a blogging circles, as well as in the Body (as Chip used a moe's illustration in his sermon on Sunday) to no longer cause any divisions based on the differences between moe's and qdoba.

I will instead focus my attention and energy on getting support to bring back the whattomsays blog.

Our Hope, Our Promise

It's a story as old as time itself, one that tells of God's relentless love for His people. This Christmas, come experience God's story of salvation through music and drama.

From God's first words at creation…

"Let there be light."
Genesis 1:3

To the fall of man and his continual rebellion…

"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become…"
Genesis 6:5

To the promise of redemption…

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…"
Isaiah 9:2

To the birth of Christ…

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11

To His crucifixion and resurrection …

"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Romans 4:25

I can't think of a better title for a Christmas Musical event. Our Hope, Our Promise is such a sweeping view of our life in Christ, and our trust and faith in Him to be who He says He is.

Every one of the 5 shows are sold out! We're so excited to see how God uses this event. Pray for us as we prepare - (and let me know if need a ticket...i have a few for sunday night)

today i turned old

today i'm as old as my older brother. it's true. for a few weeks every year we are the same age.
(i understand that this is only in terms of whole numbers, and that i'm not literally the same age as him...so resist the desire to clarify that fact for me :)

rather than keep the past hidden, here is a link to a few pictures that my mom keeps posting on her blog.

passaro8.blogspot.com


*check out the one with us all playing music - what's going on with my brother chris's shirt??? *

smart people go to Qdoba

it's true. today i went to Qdoba to get my chicken taco salad, with mild, hot, and extra hot salsa and this truth was confirmed. here is a clip of a conversation that i overheard:

guy #1:
"...blah..blah...unless they're polytonic increasing electrodes which of course would change everything...blah..blah..."

guy #2:
nods in agreement...


???

Does anyone even know what polytonic increasing electrodes are? well...this might help...
click here to find out what those guys were talking about...

When is the last time you heard people talking about that stuff at Moe's?

Pasta and Things

Last night we had "Pasta with the Renstroms"...
we = the h20 praise team
renstroms = daniel (danielle was gone)

we decided to let the theme of the night be "family style"...so for part of the evening we gave our highs and lows of the week. This was working for a little while until Daniel shared a low that was pretty low, so we decided to change to the "highs" and "not as highs".

i realized that i never shared mine last night, so to my 8 readers :)...here are my highs and not as highs...

one high comes from last night while we were playing this game:
we divided girls (and james) vs. the guys, and because we had uneven numbers i played for both teams, which basically meant i got to answer for everyone and not really care if i lost :) So after the girls (and James) won several games in a row, and daniel lost two points in a row (never having the game thingie leave his hands because his clues were so bad...) Daniel got really into the game and began yelling at the game board! At the end, when the guys finally beat the girls (and James) in 1 game, Daniel screams at the board:

"Say it little man! Say it"

and the little man in the game board says:

"team 1 gets 1 point, and wins!"

then we quit playing...the final score was girls (and james) 2 games to guys 1 game...but daniel was ok with that...

other highs:
talking with ben about new AD project
looking at macs :)
christmas concert preview ( i love the way the music team bonds during these prep times)
finally getting through Luke in my QT

Luke 15:3-7

3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

NC State Football

Now I know that this is a sensative topic, especially among my 7 readers, but NC State is not good at football right now. There's lots of talk about whether it's the coaches or the players...and I guess the jury is still out.

So, to maybe help us figure that out, here's a quote from one of the NC State coaches:

"When you look back at the last three or four games, and I just don't think we have gotten any better in terms of getting a dynamic football team in terms of what we are doing."

?

I have altered my weekend schedule as of late, to ensure that I will be busy at whatever time the football team is playing so that I won't have to struggle with sins of impatience, anger, fits of rage, etc. If anyone needs to join me for knitting on Saturday afternoons let me know. We can make a Christmas quilt or something.

Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

This verse in Ephesians is a verse that I've been praying through and meditating on for a while now. I share it in hopes that you (my devoted readers...eh em, all 6 of you) will meditate and pray through this verse. tenderhearted...Lord make that true of me


UPDATE:
Praise the Lord for His goodness! Today was my first day on staff at Providence and I'm so excited to be serving there! The team of people that God as assembled there is incredible. I look forward to ministering with them -

Matthew 13:44

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

This was a verse that I read in a quiet time not long ago, and I've been meditating on it for a while now. I encourage you to do the same (the 1 other person that reads this...travis, you know who you are). Pray through this verse. wow.

If you're like me the "in his joy" part is the part where you say to yourself "in my joy?" is that the way I view the kingdom of heaven?

"when Thou, and Thou alone, Lord Jesus art my Treasure!"
-What is the World to Me