Reflections from A.W. Tozer

Water cannot rise above it's own level. Neither can a Christian rise above where they are in their walk with God. Think about it, how deep or shallow is your walk with the Lord? A constant reminder to the Christian is the reminder that it's not how we live our lives on Sunday, rather how do we live our lives on Monday. When it came time for Moses to share with the people of Israel it only happened when Moses came out of the tent where he met with the living God. Moses' ministry was not based on the shallow waters of him going out to speak on his own wisdom or passions. It was only after he had spent much time with the Father to deepen the waters of that relationship was he able to step out to speak to the people of Israel. If we are to preach, witness, or bear the image of our holy God, we must deepen the waters of our holiness through the grace of His son Jesus Christ. I'm not sure how many people actually read this blog which I guess is the risk you run when writing a blog in the first place. However, if you do read this blog, I challenge you to stop and think about this illustration. I also ask that you pray for me and all who preach God's word to keep the faith, persevere, and spend more time with the Lord than that of ministry.

For His Namesake,
John Pond

"In you, O Lord, do I take refuge!" - Psalm 31:1

Lots Goin On...

For those of you who have been praying for this ministry, thank you! The past few weeks have been very busy with much exciting news to talk about. First of all the new website went up, if you haven't seen it yet check it out at www.johnpond.org . I have also been busy speaking at local churches here in Birmingham and getting a schedule together for the summer that already includes a camp down in Panama City with First Baptist Birmingham. The rest of my time has been spent writing new sermons and spending time with the Lord and letting Him lead me with His grace and love. Please be praying for this ministry in the next few weeks, I will be speaking at Vestavia Hills High School at FCA club on Monday morning April 4th and then at Shades Mountain Baptist Church that night. Pray for God's leading and God's message to be spoken with clarity and passion. I have learned a lot over the past few months with this ministry but the most important thing is, is that the focus is never on the messenger but the message. I ask you to partner with me to continue to ask God that He would further His message of His grace and glory through solid teaching and solid theology.

For His Namesake,
John

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith --that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with ALL the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:14-19

The Life of Jonathan Edwards

"Once as I rode out into woods for my health in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view, that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man, and his wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love and meek, gentle condescension..... which continued, as near as I can judge, about an hour; which kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud." J. Edwards

"He (J. Edwards) had an extraordinary love for the glory of God in nature. The good effects of this love on his capacity to delight in the greatness of God and on the imagery of his preaching were tremendous, Jonathan Edwards preached the way he did because of the man he was and the God he saw!" - John Piper

I pray that you and I would be gripped by the view of God as Edwards saw and expeirenced in his life on a daily basis!

Web Site Is Up!

The web site is finally here, go check it out - www.johnpond.org