Stroopes

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2012-01-03T13:58:00.001-06:00

Galatians 2:6-10 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-12-20T08:51:00.000-06:00

Galatians 2:1-5 1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-12-12T10:22:00.002-06:00

Galatians 1:18-24 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only

Fornication on the Battlefield

2011-11-30T06:57:00.001-06:00

This has got to be one of the best blogs I have ever read on fighting lust. Really a great perspective. You can read it here.

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-11-28T10:26:00.001-06:00

Galatians 1:11-17 11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism

Thanksgiving Exercise for Our Kids.... And Us!

2011-11-22T13:50:00.001-06:00

Aubin and I are trying to make the holiday season a little more Bible focused every year. So I thought I would share what we are doing with the older kids this week of Thanksgiving. We started yesterday as a family trying to memorize: Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without murmurings or disputes" and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God through

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation (a very late post,,,but hey its the holidays take some time to read by the fire)

2011-11-22T09:28:00.001-06:00

No Other Gospel Galatians 1:6-10 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different Gospel -- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ. 8 But even if an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be

Weekly Memory and Meditation

2011-10-27T21:23:00.000-05:00

Galatians 1:1-5 1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation Change Up

2011-10-27T21:14:00.000-05:00

So we are going to try something a little different with the Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation posts. In talking further with my friend Chris who has been writing every other one of these posts with me we agreed that it would be great and helpful to walk through an entire book of the Bible. Some may think that to be a little overkill, I mean after all who needs to memorize the greetings at the

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-10-14T07:56:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 14:12,15 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. The simple believes everything but the prudent gives thoughts to his steps. 1. What are some things in my life that appear to be right? Do I know what the Bible says about each of those things? 2. What are some examples of things that appeared to not be wrong but in the end led to discouragement,

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-10-05T09:09:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 58:13 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of Yahweh honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking [your] [own] words, Then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-09-26T11:29:00.000-05:00

Mark 12:29-31 (In response to the question “What is the most important commandment?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is

Next Day Birth Control Pill Not Abortive?

2011-07-07T09:28:00.002-05:00

I recently saw a commercial for something called "Next Day Birth Control Pill." I don't remember the actual brand name but one thing I do recall. After again just noticing how much we despise the idea of getting pregnant in this world, I heard the following phrase on the commercial, "This drug is not the abortion pill."Really? Well listen up pro-lifers (by that I mean those that believe that

Weekly Bible Memory and Meditation

2011-07-06T14:59:00.006-05:00

A little personal experiment with scripture memory and meditation. Please comment any questions that you might add when looking at this verse.John 15:18-19 says..."If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as it's own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates

Parent Panic

2011-03-08T08:33:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I had a father call me to talk about his daughter. She is 18 and in her first year of college at a major university. The father was in a panic because his daughter had called him and stated that she didn't know if she believed in God anymore. She further remarked that the professors were "stealing her faith from her". There is too much detail to go into for a blog regarding the

New Years Resolution....again?

2010-12-31T10:26:00.004-06:00

I already find it hard to believe that I am coming up on another New Year so fast. 2010 has been a historic ride in comparison to most of my 31 years of life. This was a year of firsts. The first time that I have been actively and dramatically a part of a church staff (talk about on the job training.) I was also ordained and became worship and families pastor later in the year. The middle of

More Than A Story

2010-12-22T15:06:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about "The Christmas Story" lately. Not the one starring Ralphie in search of his BB Gun but the one that all of us will most likely hear at a Christmas Eve service in a few days. I have met and talked with quite a few people lately that I am convinced carry the name "Christian" as a part of their life instead of the core of their life. A few friends and co-workers that

The World is Filled With Boys Who Can Shave - Mark Driscoll

2010-08-25T11:14:00.004-05:00

The New York Times Magazine ran a story this past week called "What is it about 20-Somethings?" looking at the new life stage of emerging adulthood. The article echoed what other recent studies are showing and something we've been saying at Mars Hill Church for awhile: The world today is filled with boys who can shave.Historically, a guy would go through two life phases: boy, then man. The

Things I've Learned In 60 Days

2010-08-23T09:57:00.005-05:00

Well it's been a rough and wonderful two and half months. For those of you who didn't know, in the month of July I found out that I was losing my job due to the acquisition of the company I was working for and in the same day found out that my mom's health problems were most definitely attributed to a very aggressive cancer. In the following weeks I prepared myself for the worst and made several

Repost: The Good Christian Girl: A Fable

2010-07-27T10:24:00.001-05:00

The Good Christian Girl: A FableWhat heeding a decade and a half of dating advice can mean.Gina R. Dalfonzo posted 7/19/2010 09:02AM Once there was a good Christian girl who dreamed of growing up, getting married, and having children. She

Verse of The Week (and Paraphrase)

2010-07-13T17:05:00.002-05:00

Psalm 150Praise the LordPraise God in His sanctuaryPraise Him in His mighty heavensPraise Him for His mighty deedsPraise Him in accordance with His excellent greatnessPraise Him with trumpet soundsPraise Him with lute and harpPraise Him with tambourine and dancingPraise Him with strings and pipesPraise Him with sounding cymbalsPraise Him with loud clashing symbolsLet everything that has breath

Faithful In Small Things

2010-07-07T08:13:00.002-05:00

I recently recieved an acceptance letter to a Master's degree program that I applied to nearly six months ago. This particular program would have allowed me the privilege of studying under some of the biggest minds in reformed theology. It would have given me more tools to use in the effort to teach reformation in the midst of a complacent Bible Belt culture. It would have done so many wonderful

The Message That Every Parent Needs To Hear (And Every Child Should Read)

2010-06-29T10:58:00.002-05:00

My bride found this blog and shared it with me. I agreed so much with the message that I decided to repost it on both my blog and my facebook page. This message desperately needs to be heard by every parent (and be told to every child.)Monday, February 15, 2010I don't want my children to be happyDear Shepherd, Sissy, Maggie and Ikey,Recently we were told by people whom we love and respect why

No Excuses......Right?

2010-06-17T09:33:00.003-05:00

So it's funny how things always happen a certain way. I started my Verse of the Week series on the blog only to immediately go to the hospital with my lovely bride to deliver twins. Needless to say it has been quite an experience over the last 4 weeks trying to adjust to feeding not one baby in the middle of the night, but two. For those that didn't know, Micah and Mercy joined the Stroope

Verse of the Week

2010-06-17T08:50:00.003-05:00

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a

Second Verse....Not The Same As The First

2010-05-13T10:08:00.002-05:00

"For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who are justified." Romans 2:13Two points come to mind when meditating on this verse. First, it is another reminder to me of how easy it would be to twist scripture when not read in

Verses of The Week

2010-05-13T09:44:00.003-05:00

I have decided to start a "Verses of The Week" series on my blog. The purposes are simple:1. More time devoted to studying scripture2. More time spent to sincere meditation and memorization of the Word3. More chances to use this blog as a growing outlet for me and a chance to share with othersThis week there are two verses that I am spending time on. The first I will share in this post and

Well said and AMEN!

2010-03-02T08:33:00.001-06:00

Misguided Christian OutrageRussell MooreDean of Theology, Southern SeminaryI've been asked several times in the last couple of days about whether I'm upset about the new remix of "We Are the World."  The Christians contacting me about this are disturbed by what they see as a startling omission from the '80s-era song in its 21st century update, performed by artists in support of Haiti relief.

How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism

2010-02-10T08:40:00.004-06:00

The majority of you know my views on home education, father-led discipleship and other "controversial" topics, but this one has taken me by surprise. One of Aubin and I's new favorite resources on home education has written an article on birth control. I will admit that in recent years we have questioned the use of these magic pills along with all the other acts of reformation the Lord has led us

Conversion and Calling

2010-02-02T10:28:00.003-06:00

This is a two page write up on my conversion and calling that I submitted to the Resurgence Training Center in December for their consideration of me in their Master's Degree program. I thought I might repost it here so that my 10 readers might get to know me a little better with a snapshot of my 30 years. It is by no means in depth but covers alot in the small amount alotted. I hope you enjoy.My

In Honor of MLK

2010-01-18T09:22:00.003-06:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Day I have turned over my blog to a much more eloquent writer than myself who I believe can share thoughts from a totally different perspective. Today's blog will be by Jasmine Baucham, daughter of one of my most quoted and listened to pastors, Dr. Voddie Baucham. Her writings are as honorable and elegant as they come on the blogosphere. May her words bless you as

Emotional Vampire Porn

2009-11-24T09:25:00.002-06:00

I don't like the Twilight phenomenon! There, I said it! No I have not seen the movies and that makes some think that I am judging without a cause but I argue that the effects seen in my immediate "Christian" enviroment is enough to judge on. Besides tweens falling helplessly in love with a frail vampire named Edward who has what seems to be a serious vitamin D deficiency, I have also heard "

Kindling For False Fire

2009-11-20T16:27:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I updated my Facebook status with “Too often worship leaders are hired to be kindling for the false fire we see in churches every Sunday.” I thought I might elaborate on that just a bit due to a few friends who placed question marks in the comment section of that post. First let me say that I in no way meant for this comment to be the representation of every worship leader

Pastoral Longevity

2009-10-28T09:07:00.004-05:00

As I approach the 9 month marker of being the worship pastor at my church, I can't help but ponder the statistic that I heard most recently from a John Piper sermon: The average pastor last about 2.5 years at a church in America. If this is true then how does a church every really grow spiritually. Let's think about this. One of the primary jobs of a pastor is to sheperd the flock of God's

The Sodomization of America part 2

2009-10-26T08:52:00.002-05:00

I know I should be using this time to post a blog on some of my thoughts. I also know that I have not posted an original blog in sometime, but bear with me. The following is a link to Voddie Baucham's blog sequel to the "The Sodomization of America" which I reposted here last week. While it is not my own, it still represents my thoughts as I agree with his writings here and quite honestly time

The Sodomization of America - Pastor VB lays it down again!

2009-10-23T08:08:00.001-05:00

Voddie Baucham MinistriesThe Sodomization of AmericaThursday, October 22, 2009For over a year now I have been telling anyone who will listen that Barack Obama is a wicked, dangerous man. Unfortunately, those warnings have often fallen on deaf ears, or been met with anger and incredulity. The need to assuage white guilt in this country has, to this point, far outweighed the desire to hear and

Can A True Christian Believe the Prosperity Gospel?

2009-08-28T08:16:00.002-05:00

Question:Can A True Christian Believe the Prosperity Gospel?Answer:http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1974_can_a_true_christian_believe_the_prosperity_gospel/Favorite Quote: "I think it's amazing how many people, when they hear sound doctrine, wake up!"SS

The Yellow Prison Bus and the Future of American Healthcare

2009-08-26T14:37:00.003-05:00

Once again Voddie Baucham, one of my favorite pastors has hit the nail on the head in yet another argument against Christians sending their children to public school. This is a must read for those who think that Gov't controlled health care will be the straw that broke the camels back.Voddie Baucham MinistriesThe Yellow Prison Bus and the Future of American HealthcareWednesday, August 26,

Finally thoughts I Can Agree With on Health Care Reform!

2009-08-21T07:13:00.003-05:00

Once again one of my favorite pastors, Dr. Voddie Baucham has hit the nail on the head by analyzing a look at a very current and controversial issue such as health care reform through the lense of a Biblical world view. You can read his thoughts here.http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/8/20_A_Sickening_Healthcare_Call%21.html

This Makes You Think

2009-08-21T07:04:00.002-05:00

Here is a blog from John Piper giving his thoughts on the recent tornado that struck downtown Minneapolis. This is a must read. You can read it here.http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1965_the_tornado_the_lutherans_and_homosexuality/

Is it just me?

2009-08-13T10:29:00.004-05:00

I recently was asked, after sharing my heart on some issues with the unhealthy state of the church in America, if I thought that I was so passionate or radical about these things just because there was a calling on my life that was greater than "another" or "the average" Christian. Point blank the answer is no! Sure we are all called to different jobs in the body of Christ according to the call

“The Lord told me” is no substitute for “the Bible says...”

2009-06-25T10:21:00.004-05:00

I have been thinking lately about the decision making process of Christians lately, including myself. Often times I have used and heard others use statements such as, "I feel the Lord leading me this way" or "The Lord may be telling you to do that but I think He is telling me something different." Granted their are times that there are different directions the Lord leads us, however I think that

Preacher or Bust (part 2)

2009-06-12T09:19:00.003-05:00

Well as all 10 of you know I preached my first sermon last month. First I thank you all for your prayers and encouragement and I especially thank those of you who actually came to show support. The church will probably wonder where all the visitors from that week went. As I promised in the first part of this post I am back to share my thoughts. I needed to take a few days or actually a few weeks

And the nets are closing in around us even now....

2009-06-05T08:53:00.002-05:00

I once heard Paul Washer say "that even as we continue to play soccer mom and dad in our "happy" Christian lives...the nets are closing in! The time of persecution has begun." With that, I came across another blog that I felt needed to be read. One of my favorite pastors, Dr. Voddie Baucham has written a blog concerning a recent letter that President Obama wrote and I believe is available on the

Preacher or Bust (Part 1)

2009-05-27T09:16:00.002-05:00

I recently have been given the opportunity to preach at the church that I am currently serving at as a part-time worship pastor. The day is quickly approaching where I will stand in front of the congregation and share truth. Let me back up a little. I must admit that I have wrestled with the idea of being "called" to preach for a year or two now. The pastor of the church where I lead worship

2009-02-11T09:10:00.002-06:00

When I started this blog I promised myself and the readers that I would not only examine other's thoughts, the world, religion and politics but also myself. This is one of those times when I will crack open my head and my heart a bit and let something ooze out in hopes that it will re-focus, strengthen and teach me and maybe encourage someone else in the process.Sometimes I get caught up in the

Inauguration Nation

2009-01-19T11:50:00.002-06:00

Everybody is buzzing about tomorrow's "historic day" for our nation. That is definitely a way to make it sound as positive as possible considering the dark times that our nation is facing. By dark I am not merely referring to the economic woes or war but more to the spiritual state of our country or better yet countrymen. Below is a copy from Dr. Voddie Baucham's blog that I thought I could not

More Christ/ Christ Mas!

2008-12-12T09:14:00.004-06:00

There has been alot of buzz lately about the decision of the governor of Washington State allowing placement of an atheist Winter Solstice sign next to the Nativity Scene. It seems to be the number four story behind the economy, the auto-bailout and the search for truth in the missing Kaylee Anthony case. The poor decision by Governor Chris Gregoire has ignited a flare that shows exactly where we

re: Thankgiving Challenge

2008-12-02T08:52:00.001-06:00

The Thanks-Giving challenge was completed successfully in my home this year. We managed to give time and food to families that needed it. I offered to help with the dishes but was told that the only thing I could do to help was eat more food. (Ok....twist my arm, I think I will offer to help more often). Since we live in Odessa and there are no trees, there were no leaves for the kids to roll

Thanksgiving or Thanks-Giving?

2008-11-26T08:54:00.004-06:00

First off let me say, "Happy Thanksgiving!" with true holiday spirit. I have celebrated this holiday with my family since childhood and have great memories of the joy that specific family time brought. As I get older and have a growing family of my own, I think deeper about certain things that I have taken for granted in the past. I was taught that Thanksgiving was a celebration where people

Still Learning!

2008-11-25T09:26:00.006-06:00

I have to admit, after seeing other blogs of people that I admire I had envisioned my blog to be one that called people and organizations out on things that are being done completely wrong. A way to give my "highly needed" opinion (sarcasm of course) to those I thought deserved it. Unfortunately and fortunately I have found that the verbal beating must begin with me. The Lord continues to show me

Blog Birth

2008-11-21T14:40:00.001-06:00

We have finally joined the blogosphere: A world filled with some intellectuals, but mostly wannabe leaders who long to change the world one post at a time from the safety of their parent's basement in their StarWars pajamas instead of getting a real job. I must admit there are some days when that doesn't sound too bad. Well, not the living with my parents part. To be fair, I have learned many