Whiter Than Snow

Psalm 51:7

"Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow."

Being from Texas and not familiar with much snow, Colorado was amazing to me. It was like a postcard! Every rooftop was covered with over a foot of snow. There was no bare ground to see, all was covered and with white. It was so vivid and picturesque. It was absolutely beautiful.

I have heard that there are different types of snow. I could actually see some subtle differences. The most obvious was the difference between snow that man had tread upon and the untouched snow. Tracks of any kind, human or otherwise, show up very distinctly. So, the pure stuff, the completely virgin, unadulterated snow was a sight of unique perfection.

This made me ponder on Psalm 51 verse 7. This is David's famous song of confession for his sins in the incident with Bathsheba and Uriah. He confesses his sin, expresses a repentant heart and seeks the mercy and forgiveness of God. It is in this context that David appeals to the cleansing hand of God and states that if God cleanses him then he shall be whiter than snow.

After being surrounded by pure snow, I am not sure that there is anything that can be whiter than snow. This seems impossible. And that is exactly what Psalm 51 is indicating.

My sin is so grievous that no amount of human scrubbing can completely remove all indications of its filth. Sin not only is filthy it stains. The stain of sin cannot be removed by any natural means. It takes a supernatural effort. Indeed, it takes a miracle to cleanse the human heart to the point that it is "whiter than snow."

This is exactly what God has done. Psalm 51 verse 7 alludes to this miracle when it says, "Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean." Hyssop was a plant that the branches of were used ceremonially in temple worship. Specifically the branch of hyssop was dipped in the blood of the sacrifice and then sprinkled for atonement from sin.

It is blood that cleanses us from sin. Not just any blood, but the perfect blood of the spotless Lamb of God. Jesus Christ shed His blood for our sin. He gave His blood so that we can receive the miracle of forgiveness.

This is the forgiveness that cleanses from sin. This is powerful cleansing. It doesn't cover over dirt but removes it completely. It is only through the blood of Jesus that you and I can be "whiter than snow."

Thank You Jesus for your blood. I too confess my sin and ask you to purge me, cleanse me, and make me whiter than snow.

A Memory is Worth a Thousand Toys

You always hear the famous phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” (which I don’t think is true) but I have a new phrase. “A memory is worth a thousand toys.”

This was our first time to do a family vacation during the winter. We have done most of our vacations in the summer time. This year we wanted to try one in the snow!
This meant that our vacation was close to Christmas. You remember Christmas – all the presents. Our girls are 4 and 8 and are really into the presents. But, I’d be willing to venture a guess that 20 years from now they won’t remember their presents, but they will remember the great time we had as a family on vacation.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you shouldn’t give kids presents – I am not that big of an idiot(I think). But, giving a kid a present is not nearly as lasting as giving them a memory. Our kid’s don’t need toys, they need us to be and interact with them. And the great thing about our vacation is it was family centered.

We traveled, ate, played, and did everything together. They will remember the long trip and the things we saw together as we entered the mountains. They will remember the times we played in the snow, together. They will remember the sledding, the skiing, the bible studies, and all the things we did, together.

The purpose of our vacation was to spend some uninterrupted time together. I thank God for the opportunity we had to get away and enjoy His creation and one another. It was a time that I will never forget.

Vacation

What a great time we had on vacation! The mountains surrounding South Fork, Colorado were absolutely stunning. The snow was fresh, deep, and perfect! The girls loved it all and had a fantastic time.

We arrived at our cabin after dark and immediately discovered that we had to dig our way in through the snow. I have never seen this much snow before. We couldn’t even open the door. That was a good sign to a great week.

The first day we all bundled up and just played outside in the snow. Snow is such a novelty to us as Texans. We get half an inch of sleet and ice, cancel school, and go outside and play, hopefully before it all melts away.

In Southfork, we woke up to temperatures 10 degrees below zero and the high around positive 18. I loved it(for a week).

That afternoon we went sledding. There was a huge hill and we had a variety of different types of sleds. It was tough walking up that steep hill, but the payoff was well worth it. It was a blast. It was almost as fun crashing into the fresh powder as coming down clean. Hannah and Michelle had the best wipe-out!

The next day we ventured to the Wolf Creek Ski Area. The girls went to ski school, and mom and dad got to hit the slopes. The last time we skied was after Michelle and I had just got engaged about 13 years ago. But we picked it up quickly and had a great time skiing the mountain.

After Hannah recovered from a little altitude sickness, we all skied together. I was so impressed at how well both Hannah and Emily picked up skiing. They did awesome! Maybe we have some future Olympic skiers in our family.

Hannah was absolutely fearless. She quickly wanted to tackle some fairly difficult blue runs and loved it. She even liked crashing and sliding down the hill on her bottom.

Emily stuck to her green run, but was blazing fast. She amazed me at her confidence and skill for a four year old.

I also have to mention the deer. The backyard to our cabin was the Rio Grande National Forest. Every day a herd of mule deer would come into the yards and streets looking for something to eat. We all had fun watching the deer tromp through the snow.

I could go on and on. We made smores, played games, talked about the mountains, went for walks, and had a great time.

We can’t wait to do it again!

Church Attendance Saves Lives

You know what they say about statistics?! So, take this humorous compilation that I got from FUMC Palestine with a grain of salt.

Play It Safe

1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of fatal accidents.
2. Don’t stay at home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.

3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.

4. Avoid traveling by air, rail or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.

5. Avoid hospitals because 32% of all deaths occur in a hospital.

Conclusion: Only .001% of all deaths occur in a worship service in a church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is in church! Bible study is safe too. The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less. For safety’s sake – attend church and read your Bible.

Sharp Edged Sword

Hebrews 4:11

"For the Word of God is living, and active, sharper than any two-edged sword."

Psalm 1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Psalm 119:97

“Oh how I love Your law.”

I just finished up my Bible reading plan for the year 2006 and I am ready and looking forward to 2007. I am not sure how many times I have read through the Bible, but every time is different and good. It is not different because the scriptures are different. It is different because the Word has changed me. That is reason enough to discipline myself to faithful Bible reading and study.

I read a biography of George Mueller that really challenged me to be more consistent and faithful in my reading and study of God’s Word. George Mueller was a mighty man of faith. He is known for the orphanages he established in England and how he used those to minister, witness, and glorify God. But that wasn’t his only job. He was also a preacher, a missionary, an evangelist, a businessman, and a faithful prayer warrior.

What struck me about George Mueller’s life was his devotion to God’s Word. Here is a man who was extremely busy. In one of his journal entries he noted how often he would read the Bible. Each year George Mueller would read through the entire Bible, the full 66 books, 5 times. This does not include his study or sermon preparation.

I often think that I am busy, and I am. But George Mueller was also a busy man, even more so. And yet he made the time to delight in the law of the Lord. If he can do that 5 times surely I can do it more.

It amazes me how so few people have read and are reading the Bible. Statistics have been pretty consistent. Most people have a Bible and most people don’t read it. I am not sure why this is, but they are losing out.

I know that it does take some discipline and effort to plan out and read the entire Bible. But is there any other better, more beneficial pursuit than seeking God in His Word? I guess for many there is.

I follow my own Bible reading plan. This year I tried something a little different. I read through the New Testament twice and the Old Testament once. My Bible reading is separate from passages I study, and separate from my preparation from my sermons(sometimes there is some overlap).

You can find yearly Bible reading plans all over the place(just google it), but here is what I do. I take the table of contents at the front of my Bible and use that as a guide. I break it down into months. I need to read 3.5 books out of the OT and 4.5 books out of the NT. Then I start reading a NT book and an OT book. I don’t really have a set pattern. I do try to keep the Pentateuch together and read that in order.

So how much do I read daily? It varies. I do occasionally miss a day or two. But if I try and read for at least 15 minutes a day then that keeps me on schedule. I try and discipline myself to stay on schedule monthly because catching up at the end of the year can be too difficult and you will miss too much.

I generally do in depth Bible study different from Bible reading. Sometimes what I am reading will lead me to study that passage more in depth. Other times I am studying something completely different. In addition, I keep those things separate from my sermon study and preparation. I don’t want to substitute my sermon preparation for devotional time with the Lord. Even though all my study is somewhat devotional in nature.

I hope that you find a plan that works best for you. It has been a rich and rewarding exercise that has led to some great times of prayer, conviction, encouragement, and time spent with the Lord.