intermittent...

As these next several weeks unfold (packing, moving, unpacking, etc.) and it becomes harder and harder to stop and take time to update I thought this might be a good time to repost my first entry... the beginning of the story of this BLOG... why it exists... really, why I exist... awaken us.

awaken us… Lord

awaken us from our slumber

too long have we slept.
too long have we looked upon a darkened, dieing, hopeless world and lazily looked to the horizon for Your coming… or was that our T.V. set?

Awaken us Lord to the hunger that is within.

Stir your children of light from their comfortable seats… that we would know the feeling of Your armor again… the feeling of your sword.

Fan the fire of passion for Your Name… Your Fame… that we might feel the coursing fire flooding through our souls… like rivers… like springs of life.

Let us sleep no longer!
Let us waken from the night in search of our Beloved.
Let us throw ourselves against the gates of injustice… the gates of poverty… the gates of darkness… the gates of hell. Until we can no longer stand AND YET we stand!

AWAKEN US LORD!

Move us to the edges… gather us to the corners… take us OUTSIDE THE CAMP…

AWAKEN US LORD!

Awaken hearts that are broken for the broken hearted. Lives that are lived for the lost.

AWAKEN US LORD!

The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

Even so. Amen.

timothy mark mcdonald

PRAY!

Acts 4:29

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

I was wondering if you might be able to find a moment today to pray for my good friend (and brother) Sam. I got an email from him this am saying that he had just gotten out of jail. Sam the Indian and an evangelist/teacher who I have mentioned on this blog before. He is married and has 1 son. Him and 7 others were arrested for preaching the gospel. Though they have been released on bail there is a group of people trying to get them arrested again and they have had to be "evacuated".

Please be praying for:
- favor from the officials
- protection from false accusations
- courage for Sam and his wife

Pray also that the peace and comfort of Jesus would be with all of them.

Mighty God who hears all things and knows the plans of men's hearts - I pray first that Your name would be shown to be great among all people and all nations of this earth through Your children. Guide Sam this morning with all wisdom. Give him courage and love from Your Spirit. Protect him, his family and his friends. Grant him favor with the officials AND with the people around him... turn his enemies into brothers. Make Your name great in this situation and guard Your servant from evil. We love you Lord. Amen.

on dogma...

"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." MALCOLM X

I recently read a quote from J.C. Ryle that was particularly powerful on Tim Challies blog. Now normally I would just forward you on to his blog BUT in this case I thought I would include it below. Partially this is because I am a little unsure of the use of the word dogma (though accurate it seems to carry more baggage than it's worth today) BUT mostly I have included it because the heart of this message is as true today as it has ever been.

In fact, I feel this war inside my own head... I wonder how many of you could relate?

[Dislike of dogma] is an epidemic which is just now doing great harm, and specially among young people.... It produces what I must venture to call...a "jelly-fish" Christianity in the land: that is, a Christianity without bone, or muscle, or power. A jelly-fish...is a pretty and graceful object when it floats in the sea, contracting and expanding like a little, delicate, transparent umbrella. Yet the same jelly-fish, when cast on the shore, is a mere helpless lump, without capacity for movement, self-defense, or self-preservation. Alas! It is a vivid type of much of the religion of this day, of which the leading principle is, "No dogma, no distinct tenets, no positive doctrine." We have hundreds of "jelly-fish" clergymen, who seem not to have a single bone in their body of divinity. They have not definite opinions; they belong to no school or party; they are so afraid of "extreme views" that they have no views at all. We have thousands of "jelly-fish" sermons preached every year, sermons without an edge, or a point, or a corner, smooth as billiard balls, awakening no sinner, and edifying no saint. We have Legions of "jelly-fish" young men annually turned out from our Universities, armed with a few scraps of second-hand philosophy, who think it a mark of cleverness and intellect to have no decided opinions about anything in religion, and to be utterly unable to make up their minds as to what is Christian truth. They live apparently in a state of suspense, like Mohamet's fabled coffin, hanging between heaven and earth...and last, and worst of all, we have myriads of "jelly-fish" worshippers-respectable Church-going people, who have no distinct and definite views about any point in theology. They cannot discern things that differ, any more than color-blind people can distinguish colors. They think everybody is right and nobody wrong, everything is true and nothing is false, all sermons are good and none are bad, every clergyman is sound and no clergyman is unsound. They are "tossed to and fro, like children, by every wind of doctrine"; often carried away by any new excitement and sensational movement; ever ready for new things, because they have no firm grasp on the old; and utterly unable to "render a reason of the hope that is in them." ...Never was it so important for laymen to hold systematic views of truth, and for ordained ministers to "enunciate dogma" very clearly and distinctly in their teaching.

blessed to bless...

Genesis 28:14

...and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

As I was reading through this promise made to Jacob (and those before him) in Genesis 28 I was struck by the idea of being a family that blesses families. Yeah, I know this promise was for the nation that would become Israel but I couldn't help but see the reality of their circumstance and the opportunity that lay before them... an opportunity that Christ holds before us everyday.

In Titus 2 we see this shocking statement... really more of a calling... an opportunity to be a people of blessing - "...a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." I wonder what would happen if we all embraced this calling to be a blessing?

I am a VERY blessed man.

I have four children who are amazing... who often know how to love people better than me. They are not perfect but in their eyes I see God's love on a regular basis.

I also have an amazing wife who knows how to make people feel comfortable, cared for and loved while asking the tough questions without flinching. She is the love of my life and God's greatest earthly gift to me.

So I ask myself how are we, the McDonald family, moving more wholeheartedly towards this calling of being a family of blessing? How am I to move from blessed to a being a blessing... zealous for good works?

Lord lead us on. We desire to be Your family that blesses all the families of the earth... that is zealous for good works. Anytime. Anyplace. Any cost. Amen.

And be thankful. (2)

Colossians 3:15b

And be thankful.

For the past couple of weeks I have been doing a bit of an experiment that I would like to invite you into. It is an experiment in thankfulness.

Now, having grown up in a home (and a culture) that valued manners I am... well... thankful that I have been given the gift of "P's & Q's". But, it has occurred to me as of late (perhaps the fruit of now being a parent?!) that there is a huge difference between good manners and thankfulness. As important that it is that we say "thank you" to those around us (and our Lord), one is an act of social conscious and the other is act of love. And, though both are valuable, I think we all know the difference when we see it AND I think our Father in heaven knows the difference as well.

A couple years back I was having a bouquet of flowers made up for my wife at the florist across the street from our Glasgow flat and I was struck with the level of care the woman behind the counter was taking. When she handed me the flowers I made a point of not only saying "thank you" but of also telling her that I noticed her hard work, I appreciated the care she took and that I knew my wife was going to love the arrangement. The woman was taken back (her eyes actually welled up) and she said, "thank you for noticing". Now I was taken back. Could my "thank you" have contained that much power... or maybe she just hadn't heard a real "thank you" for a long time.

Hence the experiment...

So the next time the barista hands you your grande half cafe with room OR your secretary brings the files you requested OR your child unexplainably says thank you when he or she hasn't been told... look them in the eye's and say "thank you very much... I noticed... you are very appreciated..." and see what they say.

BTW - As an aside, I just did the experiment in Starbucks (where I am typing this) and the barista gave me my grande drip for free... hmm.

repentance

For any who have read anything by Dutch Sheets OR follow what has been going on in Florida OR have ever wondered to themselves about the Charismatic movement... I would encourage you to read this. It is VERY powerful and has a message that needs to be heard by anyone who would call him/herself a follower of Jesus.

Bless his words Lord I pray... that we might see a new generation of Your followers who are truly committed to living holy lives that produce fruit that lasts FOREVER!

Amen.

for Him (2)

2 Corinthians 5:15

…he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

"for him"… it is like the words are tucked in between all these big complicated theological and philosophical ideas and yet… they are so simple. So complete. So concrete.

Two Words:

For… intended FOR… used FOR… designated FOR… meant FOR…

Him… Jesus!

He died for us, not just to save us from ourselves, not just to get us into heaven and not even just to empower us to make the world a better place! No, above and beyond all these things, He died that we might live FOR HIM.

In a previous post I asked the question that John Piper posed in his book about being in a heaven without God... maybe the better question for us is; who do we believe we are living this life for right now? Is it for us? Is it for our loved ones? Is it for some amazing cause; world peace, climate change... personal comfort? It isn't that these things are all bad (though we definitely have some of them WAY out of whack) – no, I think these things/relationships ARE life… they are what we mean by living. The question I find myself asking is; what am I doing with them? Am I hoarding them for my own personal glory and gain (and what these things/relationships can do/get for me)? OR am I living and loving for the sake of One who deserves them more than any other… am I living and loving for the One who did not let death stop Him from purchasing our true freedom. Does my life point, like a clearly marked path, in one direction… to One person… One Savior.

I pray that it does.

awaken us again!

As a reminder to myself and those who may occasionally come across my ideas, I thought I might take this opportunity to return to the beginning of the story of this BLOG... why it exists... really, why I exist. And so I resubmit my poem (and my first entry)... awaken us.

awaken us… Lord

awaken us from our slumber

too long have we slept.
too long have we looked upon a darkened, dieing, hopeless world and lazily looked to the horizon for Your coming… or was that our T.V. set?

Awaken us Lord to the hunger that is within.

Stir your children of light from their comfortable seats… that we would know the feeling of Your armor again… the feeling of your sword.

Fan the fire of passion for Your Name… Your Fame… that we might feel the coursing fire flooding through our souls… like rivers… like springs of life.

Let us sleep no longer!
Let us waken from the night in search of our Beloved.
Let us throw ourselves against the gates of injustice… the gates of poverty… the gates of darkness… the gates of hell. Until we can no longer stand AND YET we stand!

AWAKEN US LORD!

Move us to the edges… gather us to the corners… take us OUTSIDE THE CAMP…

AWAKEN US LORD!

Awaken hearts that are broken for the broken hearted. Lives that are lived for the lost.

AWAKEN US LORD!

The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

Even so. Amen.

timothy mark mcdonald

With us...

Matthew 1:22-23

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Recently I was reading some comments by Scot McKnight (author of the book Jesus Creed) on his blog Jesus Creed in regards to key advent words. He has written a brilliant series of thoughts on key words found in the Advent story... I recommend reading them. The word he was commenting on was Immanuel. In it he comments on a simple but amazingly powerful connection between the beginning of the book of Matthew and the end - God with us... and it got me thinking.

If God is with us (which I believe He is) where could we not go… what could we not do… who could we not touch? Jesus ends His earthly ministry standing on the ongoing reality and power of His incarnation... His coming to be with us. Why? I am sure that I don't know all the reasons but one I know for sure - courage!

A few nights ago my son Duncan had a nightmare. As he stumbled into our room, blurry eyed, he only asked me one thing, "Dad, can you come cuddle me... I'm afraid." As I cuddled with him in his bed (and prayed for his peace) it wasn't my rationalizing that helped him drift back to sleep... it was my presence.

Father, thank you for being with us. Thank You for sending Your Son to make that more of a reality to us. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit's ongoing work. Thank You Lord for Your promise... thank You for Your presence. Amen.

I press on...

Philippians 3:12-14

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

It is amazing how tiring it can be to follow Jesus. He tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light… but it seems to be the pace that is killing us. What with all of the healthy (and unhealthy) expectations we place on ourselves… our churches… our leaders. The mixing of our lives with passionate following and passionate leading, focused living and space for others, pouring our hearts out to God and pouring our lives out for people (or is that the other way around) can leave us so… well, tired. And this tiredness is made all the more complicated by the psychology of yester-year that says avoid that which is hard… flee from that which hurts… following Jesus should be painless… blah, blah, bla. How are we to know the balance?

The other day Britany and I had our kids at a park just outside of the Minster in York. It was glorious. A peaceful quiet clear day that was only broken by the occasional gusts of autumn wind that sent orange and yellow leaves spiraling through the brisk air. My kids knew intuitively what MUST be done and they began running through the park chasing floating leaves that fell like snow upon the green lawn. As the wind gusted it was almost like a frenzy of leaves, arms and hands… even our youngest Hallie joined in! Celtin was breathing so hard (I thought his heart was going to explode)… never quite able to get to the leaves in time, he would suddenly forget about the leaf he had be pursuing and move with explosive redirection towards his next object of passion… straining forward toward his next prize.

So often, that is what this life feels like to me… but with one notable exception. The smile on Celtin’s face could have outshone a thousand suns.

I wonder sometimes if balance isn’t the point. Not that balance is bad (in fact, I am in a season of relearning what it means to live with balance); I just wonder if it is not the real issue. I wonder if it isn’t the smile that makes all the difference or, more accurately, the source of the smile… “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” What if the real issue is connected more to the heart that beats within? “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” What if the power to forget, to strain, to press on toward the goal, comes not from frantic service but from joy? “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” What if the difference between tiredness and weariness is the heart you are left with at the end of the day? “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” I wonder…

Awaken us

Romans 13:11-12

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

awaken us… Lord

awaken us from our slumber

too long have we slept.
to long have we looked upon a darkened, dieing, hopeless world and lazily looked to the horizon for Your coming… or was that our T.V. set?

Awaken us Lord to the hunger that is within.
Stir your children of light from their comfortable seats… that we would know the feeling of Your armor again… the feeling of your sword.
Fan the fire of passion for Your Name… Your Fame… that we might feel the coursing fire flooding through our souls… like rivers… like springs of life.

Let us sleep no longer!
Let us waken from the night in search of our Beloved.
Let us throw ourselves against the gates of injustice… the gates of poverty… the gates of darkness… the gates of hell. Until we can no longer stand AND YET we stand!

AWAKEN US LORD!

Move us to the edges… gather us to the corners… take us OUTSIDE THE CAMP…

AWAKEN US LORD!

Awaken hearts that are broken for the broken hearted. Lives that are lived for the lost.

AWAKEN US LORD!

The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

Even so. Amen.

timothy mark mcdonald