Tag: bible

Little Children

James HoganLeave a comment

How lovely it is to know and be known by God. This morning I rest in Him, knowing that I am safe and secure in His care, knowing that my future is bright beyond all imagining. And I do not count my future bright because I tabulate up the money or prestige that may one day be mine, nor because I consider all the love that comes my way from those whom I love deeply. Nay, I count my future bright because I look forward with sure hope that I shall one day be sitting in the presence of my God and for all eternity be living in perfect harmony with Him. This eternal life is my hope and my song all the day long. And I do not say it is my hope because of the length of life – if eternity can be defined in length – and the absence of death. That would not be enough. I could not count eternal life my supreme good if this life did not consist in communion with God. Of course, absence of fellowship with God could not in actuality be called life at all. It would be something far worse.

So I circle back and say that this eternal life to which I pin all my hopes and dreams – in realistic fashion since they are based on that real life which was pinned to that real tree oh so many years ago – is a life that fills my heart with song since I know this life will be me sitting at the feet of my Lord in bliss and endless joy. The Spirit within me sings this song and it knows this song since it was the song that it is has written. I know this song because I know the love that my Father has bestowed upon me calling me his very child! Oh such I am! And I know my Father because I know His Son who sweetly calls me every day into deeper fuller communion with Himself in the most perfect symphony of love and grace and sovereign compassion. I know this symphony that I now shakingly lift my voice to sing a minor part because I know Jesus Christ. He is my Shepherd that calls my name and bids me walk along this eternal path towards my home that has been prepared for me. Jesus is the bread that I take and eat in awestruck love knowing what it means that He died for me. Jesus Jesus is my song for now and for all eternity.

A Psalm

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O God, You are my God; I shall
seek you earnestly;
my soul thirsts for You, my flesh
yearns for You,
in a dry and weary land where
there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in
the sanctuary,
to see Your power and
Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is
better than life,
my lips shall praise You.
So I will bless You as long as
I live;
I will lift up my hands in
Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with
marrow and fatness,
and my mouth offers praises
with joyful lips.
When I remember You on
my bed,
I meditate on You in
the night watches,
for You have been my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
I sing
for joy.

My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek my life to destroy it,
will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power
of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice
in God;
everyone who swears by Him
will glory,
for the mouths of those who speak lies
will be stopped.

Praise the Lord!

I Carry the Banner

James HoganLeave a comment

Praise the LORD!
For it is good and pleasant to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
The LORD supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
who covers the heavens with clouds,
who provides rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food
and to the young ravens which cry.
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD favors those who fear Him,
those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!

-Psalm 147:1-12

Awesomeness. Praise the Lord.

Slaves

James HoganLeave a comment

A few quick thoughts. I really should be moving on soon, as it’s almost one o’clock and I’m still here at coffeeshop! But I haven’t quite finished my Earl Grey yet, and I did want to write a few words.

I’ve been tasked with leading the bible study for community group this coming Tuesday. I’m woefully behind schedule on prepping for it, so this morning dove into the text a bit. John 8:48-59. Beautifully awesome passage, with Jesus(per usual!) not holding back any punches. As I looked into my text, I spent a bit of time on the verses previous, and they just struck me. Jesus was oh so clear as He preached to all that there are only two types of people in this world. Those who are slaves to sin and children of the devil. And those who are free in Christ and followers of God. Sometimes I think we can too easily fall into the trap of thinking there’s a neutral zone in this world. A set of people who don’t really fall into one category or the other, people who aren’t Christ-followers, but still basically good people.

And yet, Christ makes it clear that those who do not understand and do the words of God are those who are of their father the devil. Just consider this, as much as we live in a physical world surrounded by lots of ‘nice’ people…we so often barely grasp the enormity of the spiritual war raging around us. We must love all people, of that there is no question. We must love the lost as Jesus did. But we must also recognize that the lost are also currently children of the devil and slaves to sin. And that thought must make us shudder – how much more should we hold up high the banner of light? How much more should we be willing and eager to proclaim our allegiance to our Father, the ruler of the universe and Father of Light? We should not be hesitant to challenge those who do not follow Christ.

This age we are in is an age of diversity and an age of acceptance and an age where there are no lines in the sand because all is acceptable and all is tolerable and all is good. This is an age where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. The predominant religion in this western world is the ancient religion of humanism – where we worship the desires of the flesh and the high places of this world and the creeds of our own devising. As long as we don’t harm others, many say – all is acceptable, all is praiseworthy. This is an age where we worship ourself as the one true god. This is an age ruled by the devil himself.

Let us remember that and let us shudder. And let us be humble before the Lord our God, the true ruler of the ages. Let us kneel before our Father in deepest prayer and most sincere adoration. Let us follow Christ every moment of our lives. We are in a war, a war to the death. And we know that Christ will triumph victorious. But now, we fight. We fight with the very strength of Christ, because He lives. And His Spirit is with us. And, we fight. Let us hold firm to the word of God and remember the deeds of the Lord. He is with us, forever and always. And we fight.

Green Pastures

James HoganLeave a comment

Hello again, my friends! I have just returned from evening service. Spent a fantastic few hours, there – very worthwhile, very glad I went! Singing praises to God(Amazing grace – how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!) and then hearing Daniel share from 2 Chronicles. Firstly, 2 Chronicles needs to be studied more often, because there are so many rich truths about the nature of God contained therein. Secondly – hearing about the life of Manasseh tonight was simply magnificent. The most wicked king that e’er ruled the land of Judah. He worshiped false gods and sacrificed his children to demons and committed heinous blasphemies in the temple of God…and yet God did not give Manasseh what he deserved. He granted Manasseh the opportunity to cry out and repent to God. He gave Manasseh mercy. Thank God. So anyways – I could go on, but I will not. It was a truly encouraging message – reminding me of the greatness of the God I serve. So – after coming home, talked with Maryanne for a bit(hi Maryanne!! *waves*) – we always have fun conversations! Now, I’ve put my sheets in the wash(hm, might be a late bedtime tonight oops), made my lunch(roast beef and swiss and horseradish mustard on onion rolls, thank you very much) and now I’ve decided it’s time to write. I still need to eat dinner(leftover meatloaf and green bean casserole!), but that can wait. My fingers have not had proper exercise in far too long. It is time to write.

And you can see that’s clearly true, as I’ve written a very awkwardly long paragraph and haven’t really said anything of substance yet. My apologies.

Moving on – I haven’t written anything substantial in near on a month, I think. A lot has happened in this past month. Because I don’t quite think I have the stamina to write a book, you won’t get the details. But let me…summarize.

One of the best things about this past month(and really – this year!) was getting to go to Ligonier Conference with Dad!! I haven’t been in quite some time(I think last time was either ’08 or ’09 with Mom). So me and Dad decided to go this year – I flew in to Tampa on Wednesday night, then Thursday we drove up to Orlando. The theme of the conference was “Overcoming the World” – and it was simply fantastic. A lot of great preachers(Al Mohler, Sinclair Ferguson, Voddie Bauchum, Steve Lawson…et al) spoke the truth of God, and we were all deeply encouraged. This world is indeed deeply opposed to God, and the culture in which we live is rapidly becoming ever more entrenched in open war against the things of God. So being encouraged by these men of God, by hearing them preach from the Word and exhorting us to continue to keep up the good fight…just a pure joy. And being able to sing songs of praise to God and being surrounded by thousands of fellow followers of Christ – exhilarating! Sometimes we can think that there is no one yet faithful to God, no one who yet cares for the things of God. Yet God reserves His remnant, who have not bowed the knee to the blasphemous gods of this world. We are not alone – we have fellow brothers and sisters – the church of God – yet in this world. And we have the Spirit that God has given us, to encourage and strengthen us, each and every day. We are not alone. And then, probably the best part of the conference was just to hang out with Dad! Being able to talk with him and sit together listening to God’s Word and lie out on the banks of a pond in the sunshine, luxuriating in the goodness of God…wonderful. Truly. It was a most special few days. And of course, had to buy a few books when I was there! I tried to restrict myself to only buying a couple, but I ended up buying five. Oops. Every time I walked into the book room, found myself buying another! I already read one these past few weeks – The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield, by Steve Lawson. Utterly fantastic. One of his sermons was on George Whitefield – encouraging and convicting! To hear about a man who God so richly blessed – I ask that God would grant me only a tenth of the Spirit that He granted Whitefield! If you don’t know much about Whitefield, I would urge you to read about his life and be encouraged.

Following the Ligonier Conference, me and Dad came back to Tampa on Saturday – where I spent the night. Then Sunday, got to be at Hope Bible for church. It was a special service, since we had a baptism, and it was decided that we’d have a few testimonies of God’s grace beforehand. Gary spoke, and I as well. Gary spoke on what God had been teaching him in his morning quiet times – as always when Gary speaks, most encouraging and God-glorifying! Then, Dad had asked me to share as well, and thus I did. It did feel a bit strange, standing in the pulpit and sharing with the church. Especially since it’s a church I’ve been in since I was eleven! But, God gave grace and blessed my words, as I shared how God has blessed me these past few years. God is so good to me, how can I not proclaim to the great assembly(or maybe somewhat-smallish assembly) the great acts of God in my life?? I shall pay my vows to the LORD, oh may it be in the presence of all His people!! (Psalm 116)

So yes, those few days in the end of March – they were a great gift of God to me, indeed.

Now I come to the last section of this update. This is the part I’ve been putting off and not wanting to write. What I’m about to write is the reason I’ve not really updated in so long. But I shall not let my fingers falter now. I shan’t go into details, but the week following my visit to Tampa, Gary Galligan went home to be with Jesus. It was a sudden shocking thing. It’s been an extremely difficult and trying and emotional past few weeks – for Hope Bible, for everyone back in Tampa and for me. Yet some of the last words Gary said – as he spoke in front of church the Sunday I was there – no one knows the day that is to be His last. And truly – Precious in the slight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones. (Psalm 116) I won’t talk about Gary too much, but to say he was a man that served God. He was a man that loved God. And he was a man that longed to know Christ more. And now Gary is with Jesus, forever. Hallelujah!!! Gary is truly a man that there can be no doubt these words were said to him as he entered the presence of God, “Well done, my good and faithful servant – enter into the joy of your Master.” So I don’t often ask for much as I write, but if you read these words, pray for the church. Pray for my family and for Dad, who has labored alongside Gary for many years and will now sorely miss his co-pastor and friend. Pray for Janet, for her continuing comfort and joy. And truly, as much as we sorrow because we miss him – we also rejoice. Always. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!!

And my words fail me. So let me just share the beauty of God’s Word(which never fails):

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God,
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
and to Jesus,
the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood,
which speaks better than the blood of Abel…

Hallelujah. Glory be to God. Amen.

Fresh Fallen Snow

James HoganLeave a comment

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
and your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
my ears You have opened;
burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, You know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
they are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
and my heart has failed me.

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
Make haste, O LORD, to help me.
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.
Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”

Since I am afflicted and needy,
let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.

-Psalm 40

Great and Terrible

James HoganLeave a comment

Good evening my friends! And Happy Friday!!

I’m sitting on my comfy couch this Friday evening, content and at peace. Content because I have a delicious dinner in the oven and a warm flat and clothes to keep the cold at bay. At peace because, despite what swirls around and within me, I am a child of my Father God. And it is well with my soul.

After that opening salvo, I shall attempt to write just a bit more this night. But first, while I gather my thoughts, I’ll describe my dinner! For I truly am looking forward to it. Lemon rosemary chicken, complete with squash and potatoes. It’s really not as fancy as it sounds, but it does smell delicious. And now with dinner out of the way – let’s get to the heart of the matter!

I just finished reading Malachi(and thus the Old Testament) a few minutes ago, and it’s such a delightful book to read. Truly. And maybe delightful is an odd word to use, yet I can’t think of a better. Just reading the words of God, pondering His coming. Thinking of the return of my Lord – the bringer of wrath and the purveyor of justice – the Lord who cares for the downcast and the humble man – and who despises the arrogant and the unjust. Our God will return, one day. And it shall be most awesome. And I truly long for that day, when there is no more pain or suffering or injustice. I long for that day when all the earth cries out – Glory to the Lord! – and all the nations bow before the King of Kings. What a day will that be. Yet who may abide the day of His coming? Those whom the Lord loves. Who can stand when He appears? Those whom the Lord delights in, because He has chosen them as His own and purified them as purest gold by the blood of His son. For our Lord is like a refiner’s fire – holy is the Lord!

Pardon the above paragraph – I fear it’s a bit disjointed, but thus are my thoughts this night. Also – reading Malachi reminded me of how much I enjoy listening to Handel’s Messiah. There are few – if any – pieces of music that bring as much glory to the Lord as that one. Praise the Lord, my friends. Praise the Lord – all the earth!!

And now my dinner is almost ready, which – I suppose – means this entry should be coming to a close. Just think on the Lord Jesus this night. Think of His beauty. Bask in His love. Fall to your knees and pray to Him. No matter what this world throws at us, no matter how our emotions rage – we are children of the living God. We are known. We are loved. Hallelujah!!

Peace, my friends. Peace and love.

2013, In Memoriam

James HoganLeave a comment

And so does 2013 end. And so does the year 2014 AD begin – may it truly be a year of our Lord. So it is and so it will be.

And with those words, let us celebrate and praise the Lord who this year has made! Happy New Year, one and all!!!

I have thought about doing a year-review survey, but truly, I think I could get much more words in by just rambling on, and I think my rambling might be more interesting than answering survey questions. Of course, possibly not, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Anyways – 2013! What a year it’s been. I was talking to some friends at our party last night and was remarking that 2013 was a year of great change for me. And I am most intrigued to see if 2014 will be as life-changing as this past year has been! We shall see. We shall see.

Anyways, before I bore you all to death(already too late? Oops), what’s been the highlights of 2013? Truly, too many to mention. I did a brief review of my journal entries from this past year. My discoveries? Apparently I’ve spent a lot of time in coffeeshops. I’ve drank lots of hot beverages. I’ve often promised to just write a few words and failed miserably at doing so. I’ve witnessed many glorious mornings. I’ve been continuously overwhelmed by the glories of our Father God. And that about sums it up.

And now I sit in a coffeeshop(Beans!!) eating my ham and cheese panini(with tomatoes and onions!). Yes I am a creature of habit at times. What can I say? Truly, though, it’s wonderful to enjoy this day off work and sit here sipping my mocha and thinking back over this past year and thanking God for what He has done in my life.

And that’s really what this post is about, is it not? I think sometimes we can be so self-centered as we reflect upon our past, but let that not be the case here. As I write these words of memory, let they bring glory to our Father in heaven. So let His praises be sung in all the earth!

And so 2013. I started out this year living in Aberdeen and I have finished it in Houston, Texas. I have returned to my homeland(in a manner of speaking). I have left friends innumerable behind in Aberdeen and I still miss them deeply. But now I am living in Texas and I am determined through the grace of my God to discover all the wonders and works He has in store for me. Texas is my home now. And I have already met and become close to so many people here, I can truly not complain!! Last night, bringing in the new year at the Youth Reach party with all my Bethel friends was simply fantastic. A few minutes after midnight, a few of us(Zach, Angela, Stef…) sang worship songs together as we stood in a field and watched the fireworks paint colours across the sky. Is that not a simply wonderful way to start off 2014? I say it is. (Of course, it was also pretty sweet to be able to go over to Andrew’s place afterward and play cards for a few hours. The girls had never played before, so we attempted to enlighten them in the dark arts of poker!)

But I have got off track. I keep meaning to talk more about 2013, but what shall I say? Shall I recount every shining moment in that year? There were too many. I could discuss what we call ‘highlights’, such as Maryanne and Laura’s trip to the UK and our awesome adventures. I could talk about my trips to Oxford and Northern Ireland. I could talk about the trips I had home for Maryanne’s graduation and later on my repatriation to the United States. I could recount the beyond awesome times I have had at home in Florida with Dad and Mom and Maryanne and Laura…all the ice cream we consumed and the Jack Bauer we enjoyed!! I could discuss the countless conversations I had with my dear friends. Sweet nights with John in the Calsayseat flat. Watching movies with people at Union Square – I think Les Mis was probably the highlight movie event of this past year! Coffee mornings with friends at Books and Beans. Now in Texas, coffee mornings with friends at Beans! I could talk about evenings drinking tea and chatting about life with so many dear dear friends(John, Ruth, Zara – did we not have some awesome nights together??). I could mention the remarkably awesome evenings I had with Chris and Jo(and oh do I miss our times together!!)…sadly no more playing Tomb Raider with Chris and no more watching Lord of the Rings and no more driving home from Gilc wednesday nights together. I could talk about the sweet birthday brunch I had with Ruth and Zara and John and Alec and Pip and Chris and Jo…best birthday ever!!! I could dwell on Gilc and the most wonderful worship that went on there every single week. I could think on all the friends at Gilc who I spent time with and encouraged and was encouraged by. I could think of the sweet times I had with Rosemary and April at their flat, eating scrumptious food and watching quality TV(Sherlock is playing today in the UK and I am missing it!!). I could talk about the breakfasts I shared with Graham and Joel and Ben…praying and talking together. I could discuss the beyond-awesome times me and Graham spent, just talking about life. And I could discuss so so much more. But truly, rather than spill even more virtual ink, just know that God has blessed this past year. And although I have talked mostly about Aberdeen and Scotland and my friends contained therein, my thanks to God for this year also extends to the Houston portion! I have become part of a special fellowship here, and I am oh so thankful to God for leading me to Bethel. My community group is a most wonderful group of brothers and sisters and I am ever so grateful. I greatly look forward to the coming days and weeks and months of getting to know them even better! I can’t wait to see what God will do this year.

And now, I’ve noticed I have created a rather awkward paragraph above, but I will let it stand in all its glory. I realise it may be a bit unwieldy to read. My apologies. I apparently cannot properly structure year-end posts! But this post is already far too long, so let me it end it quickly. You have read some of my thoughts on this past year. You have seen how God has blessed me. Know this – I am ever so thankful to Him for all He has done. Sometimes it is so easy to forget the blessings we are given when we are in the middle of a rough and exhausting day. Sometimes the storms and fog of the present troubles are all we see and we cease to gaze upon the majesty of Jesus Christ and we cease to dwell on His glory. And our world becomes small and mean indeed. But then should we stop gazing inward upon ourselves and our pleasures and our fears. Then should we turn to the most sacred Word of God and marvel at the words contained therein. Then should we turn in prayer to the Almighty God. Then should we think upon the glories of Christ. And then our heart burns in adoration and fiercest love for Jehovah God.

Be still, my friends – and think upon all God has done for us.

Happy New Year, my dear friends!! I am now off to do some shopping and try to decide upon the dinner menu for tonight! I wish I could watch some of the Outback Bowl(Iowa-LSU – currently wearing my Hawkeyes shirt!!), but no TV. Ah well. Michigan St. plays Stanford in the Rose Bowl, and I won’t be able to see that either. Alas – guess I’ll just have to get my updates from Dad!!

Hallelujah

James HoganLeave a comment

A simply magnificent and heart-warming and passion-stirring Psalm to read this morning:

The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
the the many islands be glad.
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
righteousness and justice are
the foundation of His throne.
Fire goes before Him and burns
up His adversaries round about.
His lightnings lit up the world;
the earth saw and trembled.
The mountains melted like wax
at the presence of the LORD,
at the presence of the LORD
of the whole earth.
The heavens declare His righteousness,
and all the peoples have seen His glory.

Let all those be ashamed who
serve graven images,
who boast themselves of idols;
worship Him, all you gods.
Zion heard this and was glad,
and the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
because of Your judgments, O LORD.
For You are the LORD Most High
over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.

Hate evil, you who love the LORD,
Who preserves the souls
of His godly ones;
He delivers them from
the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown like seed
for the righteous
and gladness for
the upright in heart.

Be glad in the LORD,
you righteous ones,
and give thanks to
His holy name.

Psalm 97. Beauty. Beauty and love. Praise the Lord.