Legends, fables, and history blend together without any sense of direction in most discussions and writings about the 5th Century “Apostle to the Irish.” In this new book from the Christian Encounters series entitled Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers, however, there is a literary excellence accompanied by scholastic caution and a concern for spiritual edification. In other words, I’ve yet to run across any book about Patrick that does so well. Dr. Rogers begins with the hazards of researching writing on Patrick but launches into the biography with the things we do know about him, both certainly and questionably, with several “sidebars” in the realm of lore.

The work is as complete as it can be, insofar as things directly relate to a biographical sketch of Patrick, his life and ministry. Rogers’ concern for Patrick’s spirituality and sense of calling are clearly at the forefront of his orientation, and, it would seem, based on Patrick’s writings (contained in Appendices A & B), they were for Patrick as well. Representing this British Paul carefully and honorably is certainly accomplished by Rogers and anyone who is in the least intrigued by Patrick would benefit from reading this book in whatever format they may.

Pastors Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald recently visited Haiti to encourage and support the Church there. I would encourage you to watch this and see what is happening there and to encourage people to generously give to support the work of God in Haiti.

Note: This video was produced for Operation YouTube, an evangelistic outreach designed to share the Gospel with the internet through the YouTube world.

I like walking barefoot…doesn’t much matter where: grassy fields, hot asphalt, brick-laid  paths, and – my favorite – a wet beach, right on the shoreline. The other day, I took a walk along Lake Erie. At first, I kept my sandals on, letting the water lap at my feet as I went. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to go barefoot. As I was walking further along, I noticed something: my feet were sinking, sliding, and slipping. And there’s nothing unnatural about that. Sand, particularly wet sand that’s being barraged by the waves of Lake Erie, is not the most stable piece of ground you can choose to walk on. But there was a strong difference between my experience of walking barefoot and what it had been like with sandals on. When the sandals were on, my feet didn’t sink, slide or slip.

God used this moment to teach me something. When I was younger, my mom had us memorize Ephesians 6:10-20, which is about the armor of God. It’s pretty easy to understand the use of a shield, a sword, a helmet and most of the other pieces that Paul talks about in this large metaphor for the equipping power of the Holy Spirit. But having “as shoes for your feet, the readiness given by the gospel of peace” isn’t as obvious a need (Eph. 6:15). Yet, clearly, for whatever reason – and I don’t claim to understand how – having shoes on gives us stability in our walk and prevents the ground from coming around to trap your feet.

As I was thinking on this insight that God had shown me, it struck me that I wasn’t quite sure what it meant to be clothing my feet with the Gospel. A few suggestions came to mind but I quickly dismissed them. They didn’t hold up to the standard of the passage. Fulfilling the Great Commission (“how beautiful the feet of those who bring good news”) didn’t answer the warlike urgency of the passage. Salvation itself wasn’t in view, since Paul had assigned that to the helmet. So what was it?

So I turned to Ephesians to study some more and see what God would show me. If there’s one thing about Ephesians, it’s a rich epistle. In God’s New Society, John Stott informs us that it was Calvin’s favorite letter. He also tells us that the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge described it as “the Queen of the Epistles” (Stott 15). Rightly so. Of all the Pauline epistles, Ephesians is the most elegant, with the largest themes, and having, at its center, the exaltation of Christ in the heavenly places, and the promise of God’s people sharing in those riches.

But “peace” is a big word in Ephesians, too. Ephesians 2 is riddled with references to it. “For [Christ] himself is our peace…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace…And he came and preached peace to you who were far off  [Gentiles] and peace to those who were near [Jews]” (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 17). The next reference is in Ephesians 6:15, as the “gospel of peace.” So, we have peace with God, are reconciled to those people we were once at war with, and this gospel we have received has been given us by Christ Himself. The Gospel’s reconciling work – us to God, and us to all mankind – is the gospel of peace that we are called to walk in. And when we step (live) in the reality of that truth, we stand firm and the instability and frailty of our lives in this present age will never trip us up.

Living this truth out isn’t difficult in the explaining, but in the doing. We must walk knowing that we are at peace with God – that no sin or any other barrier stands between us and Him because of the work of Christ.  However, we must also walk knowing that we have been called to be at peace with all people – that no loyalty or any other barrier stands between us and them because of the same work of Christ.

Disciple of Christ, it is time to lay down arms. You have been put at peace with God, so lay down works of your flesh and self righteousness. You have been put at peace with everyone, so lay down your separation, your division, your competition. You know the commandments! “And [Christ] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). No qualifications. No exceptions. Just the command of a Holy God, the work of a Savior Who makes it possible, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

How can I deal with sin that just sticks with me? How can I survive the tough times that come my direction? Why should I worry about my friend’s Christian walk? What’s the point of reading my Bible and praying regularly? Although these questions seem only loosely related, Mark Hall’s Your Own Jesus does a tremendous job of presenting the truth that everyone needs to be in a saving, enduring relationship with the God of the universe.

“God has no grandchildren” as the saying goes and Mark shows convincingly the need for believers to not depend on their parents, churches, friends, or books and music to be their source of experiencing Jesus. Believers need to be in their own intimate walk with the Savior Who bought them with His own blood and will bring good, lasting fruit into their lives. For anyone who considers themselves a disciple of Jesus, this book is highly recommended as a helpful resource as you pursue Christ and get to know the One and Only Jesus Christ.

Note: This is the first of several journal entries that were written during the duration of the trip to Zambia from Providence Church. One will be posted each day. Please note that this is, in many ways, just my own musings and thoughts on the trip and is not intended to represent an entire picture of the trip….for which you would have to get much input from the other twenty-one members of the team. -DK

As we were sent off, two individuals in the church brought prophetic words. The first word came out of Nehemiah 4, where the builders under Nehemiah’s leadership built with one hand and were prepared with a sword in the other. So too, we would need to be ready to face the attacks of the enemy. This was concluded with an exhortation from Ephesians 4, to see the need for this team to show grace and forgiveness toward one another.

The next prophetic word was a promise that joy would characterize our team and it would encourage and build up the church in Zambia. He read us a charge from Philippians 4, reminding us that our joy comes from the reality that “the Lord is at hand.” God definitely is moving powerfully in this trip.

Blogs are ablaze with cries of freedom. Status messages on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and half a million other networking sites ring with liberty. Everyone’s celebrating and commemorating this day…and why not, right? From the perspective of most Americans, it’s well-nigh sinful not to. After all, millions of men and women have sacrificed their lives, have they not?

I don’t make it my practice to use sites that I link to as [Re]Con, but this post from Stephen Altrogge at The Blazing Center is well-worth your time to read. As disciples of Christ, we have an obligation to submit to our Master and humbly ask Him to teach us how we should find contentment in our circumstances.

For more great material on contentment, please check out this sermon entitled “The Quest for Contentment” preached by Dave Harvey at Providence Church in Pittsburgh.