There and back again...

Okay, I'm back! I just had the joy of spending the past week working again as an office runner for the Creation West Festival at the Gorge here in WA. Several of my very, very dear friends work in the offices on the Eastcoat that run the Creation festivals, and every year they all fly out here to the Westcoast to run the festival. I hadn't seen them in two years (I was gone last year), and so for me, it was a wonderful week-long reunion with some of the most dearest people on earth. Way too much fun!

Because I was the runner, though, I did spent quite a bit of time alone in the car. And, as I was driving on one of the many trips to the stores from the festival grounds and back, I was noticing the powerlines along the highway providing power to homes and businesses. I started to think about the source of power carried within those lines, how each of the poles is necessary to run the powerline to the next, and how those lines then carry the power to remote locations. As I was thinking about this, the Lord began to speak to me about powerlines in the Church. May we as believers be like those powerlines -- may we be filled with the "uncomparably great power for us who believe" of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1). May individual believers and Churches operate in unity just as those poles were dependent upon the other to carry the line further -- it wasn't a "one-pole-show" because each were necessary. And, as we walk in His ways, may the working of the Holy Spirit's power go out to the outermost parts of the world.

Word Study: 'Apprehend' in Philippians 3:12

First off, apologies beforehand. I'm going to be away from internet access for a couple of days here, and so there won't be much activity going on. But, never fear... I'll be back in about a week!

In the meantime, I did a word study a while ago on the word 'apprehend' from Paul's epistle in Philippians 3:12...

Webster’s World Dictionary gives the definition for apprehend as “to capture or arrest; to perceive, understand; to fear; dread”. It is with this definition in mind that we read what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus (KJV).” That we may therefore know Him, and thus, in the Christian walk must press on in the grace of God toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

According to the Strong’s concordance, apprehend originates from katalambano, which is the Greek transliteration for the word 'apprehend' as used in Philippians 3:12. The etymology of katalambano derives from two Greek words. The first, kata (dictionary number 2596), is a primary particle meaning “down” in regards to place or time. The second, lambano (dictionary number 2983), is a prolonged form of a primary verb used alternately in particular tenses. Lambano means “to take, or act, or to get hold off”. In the Greek language, the dictionary definition of katalambano would include: “to take eagerly, i.e. seize, possess, etc. (lit. or fig.)”. Katalambano, in the King James Version, then translates into English as “apprehend, attain, come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, overtake, and take”.

Throughout the New Testament, various authors use katalambano effectively. For example in Ephesians 3:18, Paul expresses his desire for the Ephesians to comprehend (katalambano) the breadth, length, depth, and height of the love of God. In Romans 9:30, Paul gives reason for Israel’s failure and unbelief by contrasting Israel with the Gentiles who out of faith attained (katalambano) righteousness. Similarly, Peter in Acts 10:34, expresses the theme of his sermon while preaching to Cornelius’ house by saying that he perceives (katalambano) that God does not respect persons, rather, He accepts the nations that fear Him and work righteousness. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul urges the Christians to run toward the incorruptible prize, that they might obtain (katalambano) it. With these passages of scripture, Paul makes clear the importance of being consumed with the depth and magnitude of God – His righteousness and love. He also makes it clear that it is something that the believer must actively participate in. Also, in John 12:35 Jesus admonishes his followers to walk in the light, “lest the darkness come (katalambano) upon you.” It is interesting to note that in 1 Thessalonians 5:4, Paul reminds Christians that they do not live in darkness, and therefore the coming of the Lord should not overtake (katalambano) them. In Mark 9:18, the word katalambano is used in a desperate situation: a father brings to Jesus his demon-possessed son. Scripture describes the behavior of the spirit when it would take (katalambano) the son in the physical before it was cast out. One more scripture, Acts 25:25 makes use of katalambano by referencing a speech that Festus makes in the presence of King Agrippa in regards to what he had found (katalambano) about Paul, after Paul has made an appeal to Caesar’s higher court.

Acts 4:13 also uses the past tense of perceive (katalambano) when describing the boldness of Peter and Paul before the Sanhedrin.

Therefore, in Philippians 3:10, Paul states his desire to apprehend (“that is, to come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, overtake, and take”) that for which he himself has been “apprehended of Christ Jesus”. That is, to know Christ, the object of the believer’s desire, and to be known by Christ. Katalambano makes it clear to the believer that we must actively capture, understand and grasp the things of God. It is vital for the believer. Philippians three ties in all of the key themes of apprehend, to emphasize this on-going relationship with Christ. Also, we can also allow ourselves to become captured and overtaken ourselves, and therefore we must be on our guard by daily apprehending Christ.

Have a great week, everyone!

Happy Birthday, Christine!

Guess what today is??? =)

Happy, Happy Birthday my sweet Christine! You are such a precious girl. May this year be one in which you continue to hear the voice of the Lord as He speaks to you.

C.S. Lewis Quote

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."

~C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

"The Gospel Way"

"No human mind could conceive or invent the Gospel.
Acting in eternal grace, Thou are both its messenger and its message,
Lived out on earth through infinite compassion,
Applying Thy life to insult, injury, death,
That I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.
Blessed be Thou, O Father, for contriving this way,
Eternal thanks to Thee, O Lamb of God, for opening this way,
Praise everlasting to Thee, O Holy Spirit,
For applying this way to my heart.
Glorious Trinity, impress the Gospel on my soul,
until its virtue diffuses every faculty;
Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.
Teach me to secure this mighty blessing;
Help me to give up every darling lust,
To submit heart and life to its command,
To have it in my will,
Controlling my affections,
Moulding my understanding...

O unite me to Thyself with inseparable bonds,
That nothing may ever draw me back from Thee, my Lord,
my Savior."

~"The Gospel Way" -- The Valley of Vision. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.35.

Brainstorm: A Sagacity Pictures Production

Sagacity Pictures, an independently owned film company by brothers, Aaron and Jaime Kassler, has just released its latest film, Brainstorm. In an excerpt from its website:

"Sagacity Pictures is dedicated to providing an inspiried, rich experience in entertainment through excellence in various media."

To view the trailer, click here.

Twin brothers, Aaron and Jaime Kassler are two very dear friends of mine. Highly creative, these two guys are devoted to excellence in all that they do. And, their end purpose is always to see Christ exalted. Jaime, who has his degree in film directing, is the man behind the camera -- bringing all of the visuals together. Aaron is the film's main actor and musical score composer (he and I took several music/worship classes together at Bible School -- I was always blessed by the God-honoring poetic lyrics and music that the Lord gave him). The amount of time, effort and creativity that these two poured into the actual filming of Brainstorm over the past year and a half, and its post-production work is astonishing. So, do yourself a favor -- go and watch the trailer, and then, even better, go and buy the film. And, should the Lord choose to bless, we'll hopefully see more from Sagacity Pictures.

Time Magazine and an Evangelical Christian Scientist

TIME Magazine has a fascinating article on Francis Collins -- a genome mapper and evangelical Christian who intertwines his faith and science. Here's a quote from Collins within the article:

"Science is the only reliable way to understand the natural world [but] is powerless to answer questions such as 'what is the meaning of human existence'"--but he [Collins] tracks it to a different conclusion. "We need to bring all the power of both scientific and spiritual perspectives to bear on understanding what is both seen and unseen..."

In contrast to a deistic viewpoint, Collins does hold the controversial view of a "preferred synthesis of evolution with Christianity, which he calls BioLogos." That is, he

"sees God as having preplanned the process of mutation and selection at time's beginning... the whole point was for God to create a being with whom he could develop an ongoing relationship through prayer, Scripture and what the scientist cheerfully acknowledges as a scientifically inexplicable "divine invasion of the natural world" in the saving person of Jesus Christ."

Is this similar to theistic evolution? Hmm...

It is an interesting article and well worth reading. And, Collins' account of how he became a Christian is charming:

"In 1976, during his medical residency, the serene faith of some of his mortally ill patients shocked the self-described "obnoxious atheist" into consulting a local minister, who handed him the book Mere Christianity by the great Christian popularizer and Narnia creator, C.S. Lewis. Struck by Lewis' nuts-and-bolts approach, Collins investigated faith on his own methodical terms. Finally, one morning in 1978, while hiking in the Pacific Cascades, he came upon a massive, frozen, three-stream waterfall. To him it recalled the Trinity. He writes, 'I knelt in the dewy grass as the sun rose and surrendered to Jesus Christ.'"

Collins is the author of the book entitled, The Language of God. To read the whole article in TIME Magazine, click here.

The Truth Project

I had the very great privilege of attending Focus on the Family's The Truth Project Conference today in Bothell, WA. Here is an excerpt from The Truth Project website that describes the purpose of this ministry:

"In a recent study, the Barna Research Group revealed a stunning statistic that continues to reverberate throughout the evangelical world. Only 9 percent of professing Christians have a biblical worldview.¹

Because of this, today's believers live very similarly to non-believers. A personal sense of significance is rarely experienced, we spend our money and time on things that fail to satisfy and we begin to wonder what life's ultimate purpose really is. We are, in short, losing our bearings as a people and a nation.

To counter this slide within the body of Christ, we are launching one of the most ambitious and powerful projects in the history of our ministry—Focus on the Family's The Truth Project.

The Truth Project is a DVD-based small group curriculum comprised of 12 one-hour lessons taught by Dr. Del Tackett. This home study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective. Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life.

We believe this one project represents the possibility for exponential change within the body of Christ, as we expect that thousands will be transformed by this curriculum. As it has been throughout history, God continues to call ordinary people to make an eternal difference in our world."

Attenders of the two-day training session/conference received this DVD-based curriculum in order to begin hosting small groups. We watched several clips from the series throught the conference, as well as a twenty minute segment, and the series itself is very well done -- not only theologically, but in the multi-media department as well. In the series, Dr. Tackett teaches primarily, and there are guest appearances from Apologists and Theologians such as Ravi Zacharias, Os Guinness, R.C. Sproul and others, as well as fascinating interviews with people from all over the world in various careers and demonstrating various worldviews.

Throughout the conference in Bothell, Dr. Del Tackett asked the question, "What is Truth?" and then examined the relationship truth has to every aspect in one's life and society. Today in his teaching, Dr. Tackett emphasized continously the absolute necessity of gazing into the face of God -- that is, focusing upon the character of God -- in order to establish the right understanding of Truth. This was precious, and it reminded me of Psalm 119:130 -- "The entrance of Your Words gives light. It gives understanding..."

Very, very wonderful tool engaging minds in the understanding of truth being put out by Focus on the Family. Looks as though the conference line-up is for the East Coast in the fall... so, if The Truth Project is in your area (especially you college students...), please pray about whether or not the Lord would have you attend.

A physicist, a train-ride, and a conversation

The other day I took the train home through the Cascade Mountains as opposed to driving my car, as I usually do. And, in typical Milnes fashion, I arrived at the train-station in downtown Seattle in "plenty of time" -- only to be the last passenger boarding the train!!! As I got on the train, though, my only goal was to find a set of seats that were empty by the window so that I could study and sleep (!) during the four hour trip. And, sure enough, I had several options available that matched that description. But, the Lord had other plans. As I walked through the cabin, the Lord told me to stop, and to go and sit by a woman who I had seen sitting by herself a couple of rows back. So, I did. My initial observation of her was that she seemed to be in her early thirties with very blonde, short hair. And, she had a nervous laugh. She definitely did not seem to be a people person. After we did the usual, "hi… where are you going?" routine, I settled into my seat with my homework in hand. However, a couple of miles out of Seattle, I glanced over to see what it was that she was reading. The title of the book? "Quantum Mechanics." Hmmm. That got me interested. So, I leaned over and asked her if she was interested in Quantum Mechanics (dumb question, I know, but it got the conversation going). After her nervous laugh, she told me she had some interest in it. She then told me that she is a Professor. Of Physics.

Oh.

She works at some University in Chicago and does research on sound waves made at the bottom of the ocean’s floor off of the coast of the Atlantic. So, we talked about quantum mechanics and subatomic particles for while. This led to Chemistry, which led to Biology, which led to Calculus, which led to Newton, which led to Bulgarian and Russian (don’t ask me how), which led to symphonies, which led to linguistics, which led to Tolstoy. She then wanted to know what field of Science I was in. I smiled.

“Well…”

She couldn’t figure out the correlation between my major of English Literature and all of the science classes I’ve taken. And, to tell you the truth, most people can’t figure that out either – it makes perfect sense to me, but that’s beside the point. So, that led into talking about Bible school. That did it. We had exhausted our combined knowledge of Newton and Bulgarian. And, it was only natural that her ears pick up on the word, “Bible.” So we talked. In fact, we politely debated the existence of God.

For three and a half hours.

Here she is, a physics professor who cannot sleep at night wondering about all of the moral questions one can wonder about. Her repertoire of philosophers and their writings was astonishing. She is an agnostic. But, throughout the three and a half hours, the Holy Spirit kept prompting me with question after question, rebuttal after rebuttal. All of the dreaded “-ism” words were mentioned…

Existentialism. Deism. Moral Relativism. Empiricism. Moralism. Pluralism.

We also talked about the dead guys like Aristotle, Plato, Kant, Neitzsche. As well as a whole host of other philosophers that I can’t even begin to remember as I had never heard of them. Science was brought into the debate. Newton and Trinity College even made another appearance in the dialogue. Whenever she talked, I listened. And prayed. Hard. And, in the midst of all of the science and the "-ism's," other words were mentioned too:

Sin. Wrath. Holiness. Mercy. Grace. The Cross. The book of Romans. Christ and Him crucified.

We walked through the Old Testament and the New Testament. We walked through Romans. "All have sinned.... BUT GOD in His mercy..."

Throughout the whole three and a half hours, the entire cabin was strangely silent. I think that we had an audience in the midst of our private debate. And, you know, what amazed me was that she could have at any time ended our conversation. She is a professor of Physics doing important research. I’m a twenty-one year old undergrad student (I never did actually tell her that though, which was probably a good thing). She was far more knowledgeable in worldly philosophies than I. But, she didn’t. And, Holy Spirit was faithful.

By the end of the trip, I challenged her. I pulled a Ravi Zacharias and pointed out that no where else in all of the philosophies and religions that she had spoken of had I heard such bold and radical words as the words Jesus spoke when He said, “I am THE Way, THE TRUTH, and THE Life.” I challenged her to pray a dangerous prayer – “Lord, if You are the Truth as You say You are, reveal it to me,” and then to read the New Testament. In particular, the Gospels and the book of Romans. I challenged her to bring Jesus onto an equal playing field with all of these other philosophies and religions, and to let the Truth prevail. She humbly took the little New Testament that I offered to her. She had two more days on that train – going all the way to Chicago. Plenty of time to read. Near the end, I also told her, “I hope that you find the answers that you are looking for… if anything, so that you can sleep at night.” She looked at me quizzically and asked, “Don’t you stay up at night thinking about all of this?” I looked at her right in the eyes and said, “No. I don’t. It is finished. My soul has already been redeemed. I was bought with the greatest price at Calvary. And because of it, I not only have the ‘peace of God, but I have peace with God.’ I don’t have to worry about it. I sleep great.”

She stared at me in disbelief.

So, please, please join me in praying for this professor. She has been on my heart daily since our train ride together. May her heart be softened to the things of God. May the Truth of the Gospel shine into her heart and life. What kept coming to me throughout our conversation was, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” May she have the grace to have the faith. May the Father draw her to Himself so that she finds not only the 'peace of God,' but 'peace with God."

Which leads to another thing… how is the Church in general reaching and targeting this specific group of people – the intellectuals and skeptics? What an incredible mission field. May our hearts be enlarged as we ask Jesus for His creativity in developing ways in which to target this specific group of individuals. May His Kingdom come and His will be done on University and College campuses.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Today is my brother's birthday! Woohoo! We spent the weekend together as a family in the San Juan Islands celebrating Mr. Josh. Too much fun.

Happy Birthday, Josh! I am so delighted with you and the evidence of the grace of the Lord at work in your life.

For my dear Josh, Rebekah and Christine

Jabberwocky

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!'

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought--

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe."

~Lewis Carrol, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871)

Wikepedia provides some interesting information on the origin, pronunciation and glossary (very useful!) of the Jabberwocky -- probably more than you ever thought you would want to know!

"The inspiration for the Jabberwock allegedly came from a tree in the gardens of Christ Church, Oxford, where Carroll was a mathematician (under his real name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). The tree in question is large and ancient with many sprawling, twisted branches somewhat suggestive of tentacles, or the Hydra of Greek mythology. ^{[citation needed]}

The poem is particularly interesting because, although it contains many nonsensical words, the structure is perfectly consistent with classic English poetry. The sentence structure is accurate (another aspect that has been challenging to reproduce in other languages), the poetic forms are observed (e.g. quatrain verse, rhymed, iambic meter), and a "story" is somewhat discernible in the flow of events. According to Alice in Through the Looking Glass, "Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don't exactly know what they are!"

My favorite line in the poem is 'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' So, have a Frabjous Friday! I get to go home today to celebrate my brother's birthday! Yippee!

The Main Thing

"Keeping the main thing the main thing." That's the subtitle of the book that I held in my hands, and the simplicity of it intrigued me. And, you may ask, what was the "main thing" or thesis of the book? The Cross. The Gospel. Fellowship with Jesus. You know, the main thing.

Jim Elliot once wrote,

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

Oh, may that be true. How does one become a "crisis man"? By "keeping the main thing the main thing." The more I am with Jesus, the more He begins to reveal areas of sin, molds my character and perfects Christ in me. I've been thinking about this. Alot. In fact, moments before walking into my midterm this morning I was thinking about what it means to be a "crisis man" (or woman!). And, that's when I saw it -- a piece of paper lying on the sidewalk in the University district. It looked small with the Oxford-styled Fraternity homes on either side of the sidewalk. As I was hurrying by, I saw words on the little paper and I merely glanced down thinking it was another pamphlet from some Humanitarian or Environmental "Save the Whale" group or some political activist. But, the words I read caused me to stop. It was a tract. And the words seemed to be made for me at that moment. It was a little rhyme, and I am only sorry I can't remember it word for word. But, it spoke about when one spends their time with Jesus, He molds that one so that the world around recognizes Jesus in them. I read it and reread it. Not exactly what you expect to see on the sidewalk in the infamous Seattle U-district. And yet, its setting was fitting -- it seemed to emphasize the words that I read. The sidewalk was dirty from hundreds of thousands of university students trudging their way to class and back over the past year. Broken shards of glass from left-over July 4th beer bottles were along the edge of the sidewalk. Miscellaneous pieces of torn paper littered the ground. And, in the middle of it all, lay this lone tract talking about the very thing that I had just been thinking of. Spend time in the Presence. Open your spirit to the work of the Holy Spirit. And, let His Glory shine through to the world around.

Over the last couple of days, the Lord has been graciously taking me to passages throughout Scripture that talk about spending time in the secret place and abiding in Him. He has been speaking to me about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When Holy Spirit fills, it is impossible to not see Jesus. He increases. I decrease. And, the world cannot help but notice Jesus. He is too kind and too gracious to not notice Him.

"...They were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13)

I want to be known as one who has "been with Jesus." I want to be like Stephen who was a man "full of God's grace and power" (Acts 6:8). How does that happen? By "keeping the main thing the main thing." Devoting oneself to prayer (Colossians 4:2) and the Word of God. Just like that piece of paper, let's be marked as different from the environment around us because it is Christ the Hope of Glory within. And… the world will wonder.

Kingdom Force... and Josh and Rob...

I know that this may be fairly random... but... these are two great guys from Bible School -- my good friends, Josh Cummings and Rob Hagstrom performing a skit this past Summer while out on ministry with Kingdom Force (Josh is on the left, Rob is on the right as you watch the screen). Their skit is entitled "Tomato Sketch." Now what the title has to do with the actual drama itself, I don't know... I wasn't there... are they wanting us to throw tomatoes? =) Anyways, these guys are very creative and alot of fun. And, they have hearts for service and ministry. We hung out alot at Bible school, and they kept me laughing. So, enjoy...

If you are interested, Kingdom Force is a student ministry that is an extension of Elim Bible Institute, and many of my friends have served on this team throughout the past three years.

Count N. L von Zinzendorf

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved from these I am --
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

~Count N. L. von Zinzendorf
A.W. Tozer, "The Knowledge of the Holy" page 89